Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 330 - Sixth-Level of the True Core Realm

The terrifying speed of devouring spiritual energy was shocking, and even Liu Wuxie was surprised.

This was only his breakthrough to the sixth-level True Core Realm. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he reached the Heavenly Dipper, Heavenly Phase, or Astral River Realms. Wouldn't that mean he would devour all the spiritual energy in the mountain range?

Not to mention, the amount of resources he needed to reach the Nascent Transformation Realm would be terrifying.

Many precious herbs were hidden in the Scarlet Sun Mountain Range, but they grew on places like cliffs, making them hard to discover.

These herbs contained powerful spiritual energy. It just so happened that the Desolate Devouring Art could draw spiritual energy from the surroundings, including that in spiritual herbs.

A youth in the ninth level of the True Core Realm was harvesting a hundred-year-old herb. As he dug it out, its spirituality diminished rapidly, reducing it to the potency of a ten-year-old herb in need of cultivation. Although the herb didn't die, it lost much of its spiritual essence.

"Who is it?! Who seized the medicinal properties from this herb?!" The youth roared furiously and raised his head toward the spiritual cloud.

Similar events happened in many other places at the same time. Not only did the medicinal properties of the herbs people were harvesting disappeared, but Liu Wuxie also devoured the wood-attribute energy from trees.

The Desolate Devouring Art had become even more terrifying since the appearance of the Heavenly Dao Book in Liu Wuxie's soul sea. His inhalation and exhalation could be described as plundering the surrounding resources.

The divine bridge connected heaven and earth, and endless divine power poured into Liu Wuxie's soul sea. This made Liu Wuxie's divine power comparable to cultivators in the low levels of the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

Liu Wuxie's cultivation surged thanks to the pure energy from the Snow Lotus Essence. This propelled him to the pinnacle of the sixth-level True Core Realm in one fell swoop.

After consuming over thirty thousand spirit stones, Liu Wuxie's spirit stones were already running low.

Ten thousand spirit stones would sustain an ordinary outer disciple's cultivation for a year. However, Liu Wuxie needed tens of thousands of spirit stones for a single breakthrough. In return, the density of his true essence was a hundred times greater than that of others at the same cultivation level.

As time passed silently, the phenomenon created by Liu Wuxie drew the attention of countless people, who began swiftly approaching.

A mercenary group was nearby and had just killed a tiger. But not long after, the tiger's energy was drained swiftly, and even its beast core was emptied.

This instantly enraged everyone in the mercenary group, prompting them to swiftly converge at the source of the spiritual cloud.

Liu Wuxie was still in seclusion because his cultivation hadn't stabilized yet.

"Over here!" Footsteps sounded from the distant woods.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian swiftly drew their weapons upon hearing the commotion. They wouldn't allow anyone to disturb Liu Wuxie's seclusion.

The eight approaching individuals emitted a strong scent of blood even before they drew near. They had recently slain a pinnacle fifth-grade demonic beast, equivalent to a ninth-level True Core Realm cultivator among humans. Hence, the lingering odor of blood clung to them.

"Stop right there!" Bai Lin stepped forward to prevent the eight from disturbing Liu Wuxie.

"Get lost!"

Due to the spiritual cloud gathered in the sky, the surrounding trees and plants grew rapidly. This was an indication that a treasure was about to emerge.

The one that charged over was a robust man with powerful cultivation in the ninth level of the True Core Realm. Just relying on the aura he gave off, Bai Lin was sent flying away.

After all, Bai Lin lacked Liu Wuxie's formidable martial techniques and true essence. With a one-level difference between them, Bai Lin had to exert considerable effort to prevail against someone of higher cultivation.

"Captain, there must be a treasure inside the cave!" The other mercenaries were also strong, with the weakest being in the sixth level of the True Core Realm.

Only the captain was in the ninth-level True Core Realm, and they were likely a mercenary group from the nearby city. After all, most powerful mercenary groups had a cultivator in the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

"Let's go in!" The captain ignored Bai Lin and Tang Tian and headed directly to the cave.

"Dream on!" Bai Lin and Tang Tian joined forces to swing their sword, forcing the mercenaries to take a few steps back, and this naturally enraged the mercenary group's captain.

"Are you two courting death? How dare you stop the Crimson Tiger Mercenary Group's captain!" The other mercenary members yelled. The captain's right arm had a tattoo of a crimson tiger, symbolizing the Crimson Tiger Mercenary Group.

"We're disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, and there are no treasures inside. Please leave immediately!" Bai Lin and Tang Tian asserted their identities. The esteemed status of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was meant to deter the group.

Upon hearing that Bai Lin and Tang Tian were disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the Crimson Tiger Mercenary Group began to hesitate.

They barely made a living in the Scarlet Sun Mountain Range, and they naturally didn't dare to provoke the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion unless they didn't want to rely on this mountain range to make a living.

"Captain, there isn't anyone in the surroundings, and no one will know that we killed them. If you can reach the Heavenly Dipper Realm, our mercenary group won't have to fear anyone!" A mercenary tried to incite the captain, not wanting to miss the treasure here.

As mercenaries, they often lived on the edge of life and death. Their hands were dyed in blood as they often killed and plundered others.

"Captain, he's right. No one will know who killed them. We can't carry on waiting, or more people might arrive." The other mercenaries added fuel to the fire.

A fierce glint flashed in the captain's eye. The treasure was before them, and they naturally couldn't miss it.

Bai Lin was anxious, knowing that their only hope lay in the intimidating reputation of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. If their name failed to deter the intruders, they would have no choice but to fight and buy time for Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie naturally heard the commotion outside. His cultivation gradually stabilized, but the spiritual cloud hadn't dissipated yet. He watched the development quietly from inside the cave.

"If you two want to blame anyone, blame yourself for being here. Die!" The captain swung his blade down at Bai Lin and Tang Tian.

As the captain of a mercenary group, he naturally possessed formidable strength and was even slightly stronger than Qian Zhou. This was mainly because they had rich experience from years of fighting humans and profound beasts.

"Hold him off!" Bai Lin gritted his teeth and chose to hold back the captain. They attacked from both sides, making it more difficult for the captain to kill them.

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's martial techniques were profound. Bai Lin performed a sword technique called the Azure Cloud Thirty-Seven Forms, while Tang Tian executed a blade technique called the Quicksand Slash.

Their flawless coordination made breaking through their defenses tough for the captain.

As the clash of weapons echoed, Bai Lin and Tang Tian were sent flying away under the impact of a cultivator in the ninth level of the True Core Realm.

However, the captain didn't stop there; he increased his attacks. His martial techniques were not comparable to Bai Lin’s and Tang Tian’s, but his rich experience gave him an advantage.

In just a few breaths, both parties exchanged over a dozen moves. When Bai Lin and Tang Tian were knocked back again, they both had blood trickling down their lips.

They only managed to hold on for so long, relying on their powerful martial techniques. But they could only hold on for a few more breaths before dying at the captain's hands.

"You three go and see what's inside the cave!" To prevent others from getting ahead, the captain ordered his team to enter the cave while he killed Bai Lin and Tang Tian.

"Roger that!" Three mercenaries rushed into the cave.

"Junior Brother Tang, stop them!" Bai Lin yelled and fought desperately. After all, Liu Wuxie was likely in a critical moment and couldn’t be disturbed.

"Understood!" Tang Tian gritted his teeth. Their ability to hold out for so long was due to their teamwork; neither could match the captain individually. If Tang Tian left, Bai Lin would be at risk.

"You dare to be distracted while fighting me? Die!" The captain licked his lips and swung his blade.

Tang Tian was forced back after barely taking a few steps, which meant that he wouldn't be able to stop the three mercenaries.

"Let's go!" The two planned to kill the captain. If they did, the other mercenaries would leave, giving Liu Wuxie more time.

As the fight continued, the three mercenaries reached the cave only to find two array flags outside, but they couldn't hinder their entry.

When they stepped into the cave, the rich spiritual energy made them groan. They felt their pores open up and devour the surrounding spiritual energy.

"Quick, go inside!" The three soon snapped out of their trance and proceeded with caution.

The cave was only about ten meters deep, so their view was unobstructed. After taking ten-odd steps, they saw a golden figure seated in the cave's center.

"It's a treasure! Quick, let's go!"

No one could see him because Liu Wuxie was enveloped in spiritual energy. When the three mercenaries got closer, their faces turned into greedy smiles.

But when they were five steps away from Liu Wuxie, three-blade auras shot forward and slit their throats before they could even scream. The eyes of the three mercenaries bulged, and they didn't even know how they died.

The battle continued outside, with Bai Lin and Tang Tian resorting to a desperate fighting style, pouring all their true essence into their attacks. The true essence depleted from their dantians as they mustered all their strength.

This was a risky move because they would die if they failed to kill the captain. It was terrifying to have two cultivators in the eighth-level True Core Realm fight with their lives on the line, and the captain didn't dare to be careless. The captain stepped back and blocked the incoming attacks with his blade.

This proved that the captain was a formidable opponent with tremendous control over the battle. At the very least, Liu Wuxie couldn't find anyone with combat talent better than the captain in the same cultivation.

Then again, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was filled with countless geniuses, and Liu Wuxie only knew a few people as he had just joined recently.

"Do you think you can kill me this way? What a joke! The two of you can die now!" The captain retreated to a safe distance while exhausting Bai Lin and Tang Tian's true essence. He let out a sinister laugh while swinging his blade down.

The trajectory of his attack was tricky, which was almost impossible to defend against.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian couldn't even resist because they had nearly exhausted all their true essence. They had no true essence left to retaliate, which meant they could only watch the captain's blade heading for their legs.

Their fate would be determined if they lost their legs. The situation was dangerous, but no one paid attention to the cave as their attention was on the captain's blade.

As the captain's blade neared, Bai Lin and Tang Tian showed no fear except for a hint of regret that they failed to guard the place for Liu Wuxie.

"Die!" The captain's true essence manifested into a blade over three meters long. But a powerful aura burst out from the cave when the blade aura was a few inches away from Bai Lin and Tang Tian.