Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 683 - Fifth-Level of the Astral River Realm

After killing Du Yuan and his companions, Liu Wuxie had acquired a significant cache of resources. Being cultivators from the Central Plains, they were wealthy, and their possessions included a large quantity of high-grade spirit stones—enough to sustain Liu Wuxie's cultivation for some time.

As the high-grade spirit stones exploded in a radiant display of energy, Lin Tong and Mu Yueying watched in astonishment. They finally understood how Liu Wuxie, at only the fourth level of the Astral River Realm, had been able to defeat cultivators at its pinnacle. The sheer amount of spiritual energy he absorbed far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators.

As the crisis in the Yin-Yang Valley was far from over, Liu Wuxie accelerated his cultivation. Countless laws of the Astral River Realm descended from the sky.

The laws in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield were over a dozen times stronger than those in the Southern Province, which meant the benefits were more significant. The stronger the laws, the more powerful the strength. As for Liu Wuxie, there were countless laws in the desolate world.

The tremors in the Yin-Yang Valley had subsided. While there were still occasional quakes, the underground world now lay fully exposed to everyone. Rows of ancient coffins stretched as far as the eye could see, and the ominous presence of deathguards was undeniable.

These coffins housed the remains of those buried here long ago, but the reason for the sudden exposure of this hidden world remained a mystery. It left everyone present grappling with the unfathomable events that had unfolded.

Liu Wuxie’s breakthrough naturally attracted the attention of countless cultivators, drawing them toward intense energy fluctuations. Many mistakenly believed these fluctuations signaled the emergence of a rare treasure.

"Someone's coming!" Mu Yueying went into a battle stance with her weapon in her hand. She was determined not to let anyone disrupt Liu Wuxie's breakthrough. As for Lin Tong, he guarded Liu Wuxie as the last line of defense.

Three figures quickly closed in, their auras radiating immense power. All were at the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm, making them formidable opponents on par with Mu Yueying. She knew she couldn’t hold all of them off alone.

"It's the Indigo Mist Fruit's aura! Didn't Yu Lin kill them? What are they still doing here?" The three newcomers were shocked at the sight of Mu Yueying and Yu Lin.

Yu Lin's relentless pursuit of the two over the past month was well-known among cultivators.

"Big brother, let's kill him and drink his blood before he completely refines the Indigo Mist Fruit. It can transfer the Indigo Mist Fruit's energy to us," one of the men suggested. He fixed his gaze on Liu Wuxie with murderous intent.

"Take another step forward, and don’t blame me for what happens next!" Mu Yueying warned, raising her sword to her chest. Her voice was firm, and her intent was clear—if they dared to advance, she would strike without hesitation.

"You think you can stop us alone? What a joke!" one of the men sneered. While Mu Yueying might be formidable one-on-one, they believed their three-to-one advantage gave them the upper hand.

On the other hand, Lin Tong couldn't leave Liu Wuxie unguarded as it would only leave him vulnerable.

The battle erupted in an instant. The attackers knew that if they allowed Liu Wuxie to fully refine the Indigo Mist Fruit, their efforts would be in vain—even killing him afterward wouldn’t let them claim its power.

Mu Yueying's frustration simmered. Her strength had undergone a drastic boost after she had recovered from her injuries, and she managed to hold her ground against the three for the time being. But this wasn't a lasting solution.

Liu Wuxie observed the battle unfolding around him but remained unable to intervene. The desolate world was still expanding, and he needed to wait for it to stabilize before moving freely. Meanwhile, his cultivation continued to rise, reaching the late phase of the fifth level.

"Take three steps back and one step to the right before thrusting your sword at a forty-five-degree angle," Liu Wuxie's calm voice entered Mu Yueying's ears. Even while making his breakthrough, he maintained a hint of divine sense outside to monitor the fight.

Mu Yueying didn't hesitate to follow Liu Wuxie's instructions, and a bizarre scene occurred. The three opponents moved right into the path of her sword. If they continued to advance further, the sword would stab them.

They were forced to halt their attack midway and could only retreat.

"Advance two steps and perform the Falling Autumn Leaves," Liu Wuxie's voice sounded again. This was a move of a sword technique from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, and he believed Mu Yueying knew how to use it.

Without hesitation, Mu Yueying followed his guidance. Another bizarre scene unfolded—before the three opponents could stabilize themselves, a powerful sword aura surged forward, aimed directly at their chests. They were forced into a frantic retreat, and their coordinated attack was disrupted once more.

The trio began to panic. Just moments ago, they had held the upper hand, pushing Mu Yueying into a corner. But now, the tide had inexplicably turned. She exploited flaws in their techniques with precision, countering their attacks effectively.

"Big brother, there’s something strange about her," one of them said warily. The first instance could be dismissed as luck, but when it happened again, it was anything but normal.

Lin Tong’s gaze flickered toward Liu Wuxie, his eyes filled with shock. He realized that Mu Yueying’s sudden advantage was entirely due to Liu Wuxie’s guidance. Not only had Liu Wuxie deciphered their movements with uncanny accuracy, but he had also enabled Mu Yueying to respond with pinpoint counterattacks. Even Lin Tong himself couldn’t have orchestrated such swift and effective retaliation.

"This is a mere coincidence. Go into formation!" The leader gave the order, and the trio instantly shifted into a formation. Their strength grew significantly, and defeating their formation would be challenging.

"The Kun position, retreat to the Li position, advance to the Kan position, and execute the fourth and seventh move of the Gale Sword Art, followed by the Autumn Form of the Four Seasons Sword..." Liu Wuxie's precise instructions echoed in Mu Yueying's ears once again.

Mu Yueying frowned when the trio entered the formation; there was nothing she could do about it. But after receiving Liu Wuxie's instructions, her movements became as fluid as a butterfly.

Though Liu Wuxie had never practiced the techniques of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion himself, he had thoroughly studied them. He had practically read through all the books in the Book Collection Hall.

When he had provided the four pills to the sect, they had rewarded him with a batch of martial techniques, but he had tossed them into his interspatial ring without a second thought. Practicing them hadn’t seemed worth his time.

The trio's attacks missed, failing to land on Mu Yueying. She first performed the Gale Sword Art before moving to the Four Seasons Sword.

Cries of pain erupted from the trio as Mu Yueying’s relentless strikes found their targets. Blood splattered as her attacks repeatedly broke through their defenses. Their battle formation, still incomplete, was disrupted before they could unleash its full power.

The trio could no longer maintain their composure, their expressions twisting in frustration and disbelief. "What’s going on?" they exclaimed.

Though injured, they hadn’t sustained any fatal wounds. But if it were Liu Wuxie in Mu Yueying's position, he would've already killed them with one strike, which was the difference in strength.

"I refuse to believe it! I don't believe she can keep predicting our attacks," the leader cursed. They continued with their battle formation, and their speed was twice as fast as before.

Mu Yueying's attacks changed again. Her attacks shifted hundreds of times in mere breaths. She was familiar with various sword techniques as she was the daughter of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's sect master and had guidance from Liu Wuxie. Even if she couldn't kill them, it wasn't an issue for her to hold them off.

The battle remained locked in a stalemate. It was unimaginable for Mu Yueying that she could hold the upper hand in the fight even if she were outnumbered.

They had already exchanged hundreds of moves, and the trio lost their patience, even resorting to despicable means. This instantly placed Mu Yueying in a disadvantageous position again. She was barely holding her ground, even with Liu Wuxie's guidance.

After all, Mu Yueying wasn't Liu Wuxie, and she only knew some moves. Knowing a technique and mastering it were two very different things.

"Big Brother Lin, go and help her! I'll be fine," Liu Wuxie said, glancing at Lin Tong and motioning for him to help Mu Yueying. He had already completed his breakthrough, but these people, who were no more than insects, were unworthy of his effort.

On the other hand, he could use this method to allow Mu Yueying and Lin Tong to temper their martial techniques.

When Lin Tong glanced at Liu Wuxie, he noticed that his cultivation had stabilized. Without hesitation, he nodded and joined the fray, reinforcing Mu Yueying and instantly shifting the tide of the battle.

As someone who walked the line between life and death countless times, Lin Tong's skills surpassed Mu Yueying, unleashing various spectacular techniques. He had observed the fight earlier and was familiar with the trio's attacks.

Lin Tong's sword drew an arc in the air and severed an opponent's arm, rendering the latter powerless. Mu Yueying and Lin Tong's fighting spirits blazed with one less opponent.

Mu Yueying also unleashed her strongest attack, not wanting to be outdone. Her sword slashed through an opponent's neck as blood gushed out.

With that, only one opponent was left, barely holding on under Mu Yueying and Lin Tong's relentless attacks with no chance of escape.

"You forced my hand!" The last man was consumed by rage as he retrieved a peculiar talisman from his interspatial ring. He infused his true essence into it, and the talisman grew in size.

"Watch out, that's the Ominous Talisman! Retreat!" Liu Wuxie didn't expect the trio to possess such a sinister talisman. If the talisman exploded, its ominous aura would enter everyone's bodies, halting their cultivation for the rest of their lives.

The remaining man did it with the determination to drag everyone down with him. Even if he couldn't kill them, he would make them feel agony for the rest of their lives that couldn't be purged.

The ominous aura was akin to a heart demon, destined to plague its victim for life. Upon entering the body, it would burrow into the meridians and merge with the blood. For those afflicted, circulating their true essence would result in excruciating pain searing through their meridians.

Fortunately, Liu Wuxie reacted quickly, allowing Mu Yueying and Lin Tong to retreat. But as the man had intended to drag everyone down with him, he naturally wouldn't let the two retreat.

The Earth-Binding Chains could only immobilize people and couldn't affect the spiritual talisman, which had already grown in size, a sign that it was about to be fully activated.

"Heavenly Dragon Seal, suppress!" Liu Wuxie didn't hesitate to bring out the Heavenly Dragon Seal, destroying the Ominous Talisman before it could fully activate.

Boundless pressure also descended with the Heavenly Dragon Seal, crushing the last opponent to death.

However, its range was vast, and Mu Yueying and Lin Tong were caught within its suppressive force. They were sent flying, coughing up blood from the impact. Despite their injuries, Liu Wuxie had no other option—it was the only way to save them from a far worse fate.

He quickly recalled the Heavenly Dragon Seal, and the dragon aura dissipated.

"Heal up quickly!" Mu Yueying and Lin Tong's injuries weren't serious as they were only caught in the aftershock, and they could recover by circulating their true essence multiple times. Not to mention, Liu Wuxie had an abundance of healing pills.

Before the Ten Grand Ceremony, Bi Gongyu had prepared tons of healing pills in case Liu Wuxie was injured, and they all came in handy now.

Due to the prompt treatment, Mu Yueying and Lin Tong's injuries were swiftly suppressed.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, the two had completely recovered from their injuries. But for some reason, their aura became even stronger after experiencing the Heavenly Dragon Seals' suppression. Lin Tong’s aura, in particular, began to transition toward the Nascent Transformation Realm. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

That was also the case for Mu Yueying, who was closer to her breakthrough.

They had purposely refrained from making a breakthrough in the past as there were dangers if their preparation wasn't sufficient. In addition to the lack of accumulation, a failed breakthrough would squander years of effort.

Typically, they would only attempt a breakthrough when they were absolutely confident. However, the Heavenly Dragon Seal’s suppression had excavated their latent potential, pushing them to the brink of advancement. At this point, suppressing their breakthroughs forcibly could jeopardize their future cultivation progress.