Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 491 - Life and Death Battle

Liu Wuxie was aware that the Earth Binding Chains, while powerful, were a last resort—something he would only use in dire circumstances. He had employed them against Li Xiaohai when his back was against the wall, and he wasn’t afraid to use them again if necessary, even if it came with considerable risk.

But in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, with its strict regulations and prying eyes, using something so lethal and unmistakable as the Earth Binding Chains could draw too much attention.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal remained an untapped power for him—unrefined and beyond his current cultivation. His only viable option was the Soul Spear, but even that wasn’t a guaranteed win against someone like Jiang Gongming, who was in the second level of the Astral River Realm.

He knew he needed more time, materials, and preparation before the battle with Jiang Gongming.

Yang Zhan, however, was far beneath his notice. After the latter unleashed his Cross Slash, his face had already turned red with exhaustion from the severe depletion of true essence.

In the background, Liu Wuxie noticed a few disciples discreetly activating their Memory Talismans, eager to capture and report every moment of this battle to Jiang Gongming.

Liu Wuxie’s eyes flashed with a hint of cruelty as he recognized their intent.

“Crush!” An even more terrifying true essence appeared as the palm continued to descend. The pressure made Yang Zhan stagger and nearly fall to the ground.

Liu Wuxie didn’t even use his martial techniques; he merely used the manifestation of his true essence to fight. This was a humiliating defeat for Yang Zhan, as he could have lasted longer even against someone in the fourth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm.

Yet, he was helpless against someone in the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, with the palm crushing down like a five-fingered mountain.

A human-shaped crater appeared on the ground, and Yang Zhan was lying in it. His bones were utterly shattered, and he was only left with one breath in him. His cultivation was crippled, with his broad sword and clothes destroyed.

Everyone in the surroundings took a deep breath because Liu Wuxie’s methods sent a chill down their spine.

“To defeat an elite disciple with one palm strike, doesn’t that mean Liu Wuxie is already qualified to be promoted to an elite disciple?” An uproar exploded among the crowd because they remembered Liu Wuxie had only joined the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion for barely a year.

In just one year, Liu Wuxie had risen from an outer disciple to an elite disciple, setting a new record in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

“Throw them all out!” Liu Wuxie commanded, leaving the rest to Fan Zhen and the others.

The disciples in the courtyard fled immediately, fearing they might anger Liu Wuxie.

Lan Yu and Song Ling grabbed Yang Zhan and Yang Xiao, throwing them out of Liu Wuxie’s courtyard. The farce only ended with that, and no one had expected the outcome.

What everyone expected to be an earth-shattering battle ended in a one-sided fight, with Yang Zhan being crushed with a single move.

In his room, Liu Wuxie had to refine a few spiritual talismans over the next seven days. Since he couldn’t use the Earth Binding Chains, he could only rely on spiritual talismans in his fight with Jiang Gongming.

This time, he didn’t plan to use a fifth-grade talisman but to refine a few eighth-grade talismans comparable to the Astral River Realm. The higher the grade of the talisman paper, the more spiritual runes were required, and the power would also increase.

After plundering so many resources, Liu Wuxie naturally had obtained enough to refine talisman papers. He had hundreds of materials and three vats of demonic beasts’ blood essence.

As the days crawled by, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion spared no effort in constructing a grand arena for the highly anticipated duel. The arena was designed to host tens of thousands of spectators, ensuring that no one would miss the battle.

Completed a day before the event, the arena stood five feet tall with a diameter of a thousand meters, taking up a quarter of the martial field. By the eve of the fight, eager disciples were already gathering around, claiming spots early to witness the spectacle firsthand.

Fan Zhen and others gathered outside Liu Wuxie’s courtyard on the last day. They were worried because Liu Wuxie hadn’t shown himself after seven days, and defeating Yang Zhan didn’t mean Liu Wuxie could confront someone in the Astral River Realm.

Bi Gongyu hadn’t slept in the past seven days, fully immersing himself in alchemy. After receiving Liu Wuxie’s guidance, his alchemy skills had improved by leaps and bounds.

He had focused on the Spirit Restoration Pill in the past few days, which was particularly challenging for him.

Through Liu Wuxie’s modifications, the Spirit Restoration Pill had been reduced to a seventh-grade pill. Even at that level, it would be a remarkable achievement if Bi Gongyu succeeded in one out of ten attempts.

Given the rarity and value of the ingredients, Bi Gongyu didn’t dare to try too frequently, but he had no trouble refining ordinary seventh-grade pills.

As the gates creaked open, Liu Wuxie emerged, looking refreshed in a clean set of clothes, his demeanor calm and confident. "Let’s go," he said, striding forward, with Fan Zhen and the others following behind.

Many elite disciples, including some true disciples, were in the martial field. Elders and deacons were coming out to maintain order and prevent chaos.

“Don’t worry about it. This brat isn’t your opponent, and I’ll reward you handsomely if you can kill him,” Qing Mu said seriously before Jiang Gongming set out on the Treasure Pill Peak.

“Today will mark his end!” Jiang Gongming said with a flash of murderous intent in his eyes.

“Go on!” Qing Mu waved his hand. He didn’t plan to watch because a battle at this level couldn’t pique his interest.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie led the way into the martial field. The crowd parted to leave an open passage for him, with Fan Zhen and the others trailing behind. As they reached the arena, they found a place to sit in the corner, their expressions tense with concern.

“You must come back alive!” When Liu Wuxie turned around, tears rolled down Jian Xing’er’s cheeks.

Beside her, Chen Ruoyan also sobbed, biting her lip to stifle the sound of her crying.

“Yeah!” Liu Wuxie nodded, promising his return.

When Liu Wuxie stepped into the arena, the surroundings fell silent, and tens of thousands of eyes were focused on him. Some gazes were filled with curiosity, others with malice, and some with intrigue.

“He’s Liu Wuxie?” This was the first time many people had seen Liu Wuxie. They expected someone with three heads and six arms, but Liu Wuxie looked no different from an ordinary person. What puzzled them the most was that Liu Wuxie didn’t seem to have high cultivation.

“That brat must be crazy for fame. For an inner disciple to challenge a deacon in the Astral River Realm, he probably doesn’t even know how ‘death’ is spelled.” Besides those inner and outer disciples, more elite disciples had little regard for Liu Wuxie. They were all under the impression that Liu Wuxie was seeking attention.

“Don’t belittle him. I received news that he defeated Yang Zhan with one move.” The news of Yang Zhan’s defeat had spread within a small circle of influence among the elite disciples.

Countless voices echoed throughout the martial field, some supporting Liu Wuxie while others mocking or ridiculing him.

After all, Elder Qing Mu had won the support of many people over the years. This was why the majority of the disciples were mocking Liu Wuxie.

On the contrary, Elder Tian Xing was too upright. Although he may have been fair to everyone, his personality made it easy for him to offend people.

Liu Wuxie ignored the surrounding voices and remained standing in the arena with his eyes closed.

Time slowly passed, and Jiang Gongming finally appeared after fifteen minutes.

Jiang Gongming was dressed in a black robe that felt like a sword about to be drawn, filling the surroundings with a surge of sword aura when he appeared.

His aura was overwhelming, while Liu Wuxie’s entrance was plain and unremarkable, creating a stark difference between the two.

Jiang Gongming stopped ten meters from Liu Wuxie with overwhelming murderous intent radiating from his eyes. He didn’t even bother hiding his intention to kill Liu Wuxie.

“I didn’t expect you to be so fortunate. No human is alive on the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, but you managed to escape.” Jiang Gongming was curious how Liu Wuxie had managed to leave the Blood Sea Abyssal Island alive.

The Blood Sea Abyssal Island had become the sea demons’ territory, making it impossible for humans to enter.

“There are many things you don’t know. Make your move now!” The Heretic Blade appeared in Liu Wuxie’s hand, and he didn’t want to waste more time speaking. After all, he still had many things to tend to after killing Jiang Gongming.

The matter of the Treasure Pill Peak was unresolved, and he also had to look for Yi Xuan.

“I’ll grant your wish since you’re so eager to die!” Jiang Gongming also couldn’t be bothered to waste any more time as he would receive rewards from Qing Mu after killing Liu Wuxie.

The atmosphere becomes tense as Jiang Gongming releases his aura in the Astral River Realm like a ferocious beast. The slabs on the ground began to creak, and the arena could barely withstand the impact of someone in the Astral River Realm because it was hastily constructed.

Ten-odd elders were around the arena, prepared to resolve the shockwave that swept out from the fight.

“Why is he just standing there? Jiang Gongming has already released his aura, but he’s just standing there and doing nothing?” Many people stood up and focused their attention on Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie was terrifyingly calm, like a towering ancient tree weathering in the elements.

Elder Tian Xing was seated in the arena, observing the fight closely. He was prepared to intervene without hesitation if danger arose, even if it meant sacrificing his reputation to protect Liu Wuxie.

Jiang Gongming’s aura in the Astral River Realm manifested into a ferocious beast, galloping into the arena towards Liu Wuxie.

If Liu Wuxie didn’t act anytime soon, he would be trampled by the ferocious beast.

Right then, a resounding dragon’s roar echoed throughout the martial field, shattering the galloping ferocious beast.

“How is this possible?! It’s a dragon’s roar!” Many people stood up and looked at the arena with disbelief. They hadn’t misheard, and the sound coming from Liu Wuxie’s mouth was a dragon’s roar.

Divine dragons had vanished from the True Martial Continent thousands of years ago, yet their legacy lived on in ancient texts. Many had attempted to mimic the sound of a dragon’s roar, but they could only capture its hollow echo, never the essence, the soul that made it truly fearsome.

However, the dragon’s roar from Liu Wuxie carried the might of a divine dragon.

Elder Tian Xing's hands trembled in excitement. He had heard something similar the day Liu Wuxie had returned, though the distance had muted its full impact.

The sudden dragon’s roar surprised Jiang Gongming, and his aura was mercilessly smashed apart.

The disciples, who had initially doubted Liu Wuxie, began to change their opinion. Liu Wuxie might have the chance to win this battle.

They had signed the Life and Death Pledge, which meant only one could leave the arena alive.

“How do you possess the divine dragon’s bloodline?!” Jiang Gongming could no longer maintain his composure. Possessing the divine dragon’s bloodline meant that one’s physique differed from others, and their cultivation speed was much faster.

Everything made sense now; everyone figured out how Liu Wuxie’s cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

“Do you want to know?” Liu Wuxie sneered, “But it’s a pity you’ll never get the chance!”

A destructive aura swept the entire martial field, with boundless heavenly phase power crushing the aura Jiang Gongming released.