Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 320 - Primordial Astral Fist

Liu Wuxie was so excited that he couldn’t speak, still immersed within the jade slip through the Ghost Eye.

“T-This is the Primordial Astral Fist?” Countless starlights formed into a scripture and pictures before him. This was the Primordial Astral Fist, which turned out to be an ancient fist technique, and the words were imprinted into Liu Wuxie’s soul sea.

“What a profound fist technique, capable of harnessing the power of the stars to empower oneself.” Liu Wuxie was inwardly shocked and was still digesting the fist technique. This fist technique had five moves in total, and the most terrifying aspect of the Primordial Astral Fist was the ability to merge five elements.

It was unclear how much time had passed before Liu Wuxie emerged from the jade slip. Shortly after his exit, it shattered into pieces, reduced to powder, and drifted away.

“This...” Liu Wuxie wasn’t affected as he had already grasped the Primordial Astral Fist. He closed his eyes and began to comprehend this technique. With his talent, it wasn’t tough for him to practice this technique.

However, as he comprehended further, he soon discovered the Primordial Astral Fist wasn’t as simple as it seemed. According to the ranking system of the True Martial Continent, this technique was at least a heaven-grade martial technique.

The crucial part of the Primordial Astral Fist was the ability to exhibit its profundity. Liu Wuxie spent the entire night comprehending it. The Primordial Astral Fist was extremely powerful, requiring a relatively quiet environment to practice.

The courtyard was too small, and recklessly practicing there might destroy the entire courtyard.

At dawn, Bai Lin and the black-clothed youth exited one of the houses. The moment the black-clothed youth came out, he went down on his knees and kowtowed three times to thank Liu Wuxie for saving his life.

It was too late for Liu Wuxie to stop him, and he could only step forward quickly to help him up.

“Thank you for saving my life. No words can express my gratitude, and I can only express it this way.” The black-clothed youth had recovered well, aside from having a slightly pale complexion. He would recover completely after a few days of rest.

“Junior Brother, don’t mind it. Junior Brother Tang Tian repays those who treat him well a hundredfold.” Bai Lin stepped forward to introduce Tang Tian to Liu Wuxie.

Through their conversation, Liu Wuxie had learned the whole story. Ten days ago, they had gone on a mission to hunt a profound beast in the mountain range, but they were attacked by a Scale-Horned Snake. Tang Tian was bitten by the Scale-Horned Snake while trying to save Bai Lin.

Upon returning to the sect, Bai Lin had sought help from many people, but it had little effect. He could only watch as Bai Lin’s body deteriorated day by day until he had met Liu Wuxie the previous day, who brought a turning point.

As they talked, the courtyard’s doors suddenly opened as Lin Mingxu strode in with Gongsun Zhen.

“Liu Wuxie, hand over all your spirit stones!” The two harbored deep resentment towards Liu Wuxie. He had not only taken the spot they believed was rightfully theirs but also won all their spirit stones. They had come the previous afternoon, but Liu Wuxie was nowhere to be found as he had gone to the marketplace.

They returned early that day determined to make Liu Wuxie hand over his spirit stones.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian exchanged glances with a trace of anger in their eyes. These two, who were only in the sixth level of the True Core Realm, dare talk to their benefactor in this manner?!

“Who gave you the guts to cause trouble in my courtyard?” Liu Wuxie frowned with a hint of murderous intent flashing through his eyes.

“Liu Wuxie, I’ll make myself clear again. Hand over your spirit stones, or don’t blame us for what will happen next.” Gongsun Zhen took a step forward, mistakenly thinking that Bai Lin and Tang Tian were disciples living in this courtyard, unaware of their relationship.

If they knew these two were friends with Liu Wuxie, they would probably flee in horror. Even though they were experts at the sixth level of the True Core Realm in the middle region, they were pale in comparison to those in the upper region. Bai Lin, for instance, was at the eighth level of the True Core Realm.

“You want my spirit stones? That will depend on if you can take them from me!” Liu Wuxie sneered. These two thought too highly of themselves. If possible, he wouldn’t mind killing them there.

“Brother Gongsun, why waste time with him? Let’s act directly and talk after we take his spirit stones before someone else does,” Lin Mingxu said, and the two lunged at Liu Wuxie, intending to strike first.

After all, there were countless people envious of Liu Wuxie after he had won more than eighty thousand mid-grade spirit stones.

Bai Lin appeared before them when they lunged forward, blocking their way.

Tang Tian hadn’t healed from his injuries completely, and he could only stand by the side.

“Get lost!” Bai Lin roared, unleashing a powerful shockwave that formed into a hurricane, blasting Lin Mingxu and Gongsun Zhen flying away.

When his aura in the eighth-level True Core Realm swept out, Lin Mingxu and Gongsun Zhen were sent out of the courtyard.

“Who are you? This feud is between us and Liu Wuxie. Please don’t interfere!” Gongsun Zhen got back on his feet with a hint of horror in his eyes. This was because they would’ve died if Bai Lin had wanted to kill them earlier.

“Junior Brother Liu, do you want me to kill them for you?” Bai Lin was also decisive, intending to kill Lin Mingxu and Gongsun Zhen for Liu Wuxie.

“Senior Brother Bai, thank you for your goodwill. But this is between us, and I can handle them myself.” Liu Wuxie shook his head. Lin Mingxu and Gongsun Zhen were no different from clowns in their eyes, and he could kill them with a slap if he wanted.

Hearing what Liu Wuxie said, Bai Lin couldn’t say much and stepped aside. If these two weren’t tactful, he wouldn’t mind killing them, even if he would enrage Liu Wuxie.

“Liu Wuxie, just you wait. Do you think having someone at the eighth level of the True Core Realm backing you will protect you? I’ll make sure you regret offending me!” Lin Mingxu left, fearing that Bai Lin might kill them.

With that, Lin Mingxu and Gongsun Zhen came and left swiftly. This was only a minor incident, and there would be more similar incidents. After all, Liu Wuxie had won eighty thousand spirit stones, making him a prime target.

The courtyard returned to peace, and Bai Lin proposed to leave as it was getting late.

“Junior Brother Liu, let us know if you need help. As long as it’s something within our power, we won’t even bat an eye to help. We’ll take our leave and not disturb you any longer. You can have this Sky Dragon Spirit.” Bai Lin cupped his fists together. He had noticed Liu Wuxie practicing a fist technique when he had come out earlier, and he didn’t want to waste the latter’s time.

Liu Wuxie didn’t decline because the Sky Dragon Spirit was incredibly useful to him. Refusing it would only make Bai Lin uneasy, as it was his way of expressing gratitude for saving Tang Tian’s life.

“I won’t see you two off!” Liu Wuxie needed time to comprehend the Primordial Astral Fist. Time was tight, and Liu Wuxie was hurrying to increase his strength.

Since his cultivation was stuck, he could only focus on his martial technique and master the Primordial Astral Fist as soon as possible.

After Bai Lin and Tang Tian left, the courtyard returned to peace. Liu Wuxie tidied his clothes and exited his courtyard.

This place was too small to practice the Primordial Astral Fist, and he needed to find a spacious area. The field was a good option, but it was too conspicuous, and he would draw onlookers if he practiced there.

Since he needed a big and quiet place, Liu Wuxie's only option was to go to the back mountain of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

The back mountain was vast with mountain ranges and occupied caves.

Performing the Seven Dipper Steps, Liu Wuxie passed through the outer disciples’ region and headed straight to the back mountain. He ran into several disciples along the way, and they also shared similar thoughts to him.

As Liu Wuxie entered the back mountain, a slight chill brushed against him, and he found the environment to be excellent. The surroundings showed signs of artificial excavation, with many trees having been chopped down to create a spacious area.

Most places were occupied, and it wasn’t easy for Liu Wuxie to find a suitable spot. But the deeper he went, the more thorns he encountered. Many undeveloped places were overgrown with brush, making them unsuitable to practice martial techniques.

Liu Wuxie finally stopped fifteen minutes later. A canyon stretched ahead, with dense woods behind him. This place was relatively quiet, but the only drawback was the overgrown brush and weeds that needed clearing.

Others might have found it difficult because clearing the brush required a lot of manpower and resources. However, Liu Wuxie summoned the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron and used the demonic flames to get rid of the thorns and scrub.

The large trees vanished, devoured by the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. In the blink of an eye, a spacious ground of over a hundred meters in radius appeared, enough for Liu Wuxie to practice the Primordial Astral Fist.

Liu Wuxie rested briefly before he stood in the center and closed his eyes. A star diagram appeared in Liu Wuxie’s soul sea, and this was the circulation route of the Primordial Astral Fist. As Liu Wuxie’s body began to move, he raised his right fist and his left hand pointed to the ground.

His posture was unusual as threads of astral energy descended from the distant sky and poured into Liu Wuxie’s body. Liu Wuxie had to form a bridge to connect with the stars to practice the Primordial Astral Fist. This meant he could mobilize astral energy when performing the Primordial Astral Fist in the future.

Initially, the communication process proved challenging, with the astral energy swiftly dissipating upon entering his body, incapable of being stored.

As the world in his dantian revolved, the absorbed astral energy floated above his dantian. It was even thinner than a hair. But the power would be highly destructive if it were unleashed.

As time passed, Liu Wuxie maintained his meditative posture, his right fist extended toward the sky, channeling astral energy that flowed into his dantian from the world through his fist.

Unbeknownst to him, Liu Wuxie became immersed in his world for half a day, entering a state of selflessness. He had strategically placed ten array flags around him, ensuring that he could focus without any disturbance.

A light source suddenly flashed in Liu Wuxie’s soul sea, resembling a star that hovered above the soul sea. This was the trajectory of the stars, and Liu Wuxie was attempting to build a bridge with the stars, similar to the divine bridge.

The divine bridge connected the cultivator with heaven and earth, while the astral bridge connected with the cosmos. It was theoretically feasible, and mastering them was necessary for learning the Primordial Astral Fist.

This posed a grave danger because failure would subject Liu Wuxie to a devastating backlash, capable of shattering his soul and leaving him mentally incapacitated.

The stronger the fist technique, the more dangerous it would become. That's why it's often said that within danger lies opportunity.

Another four hours later, the astral energy accumulated within Liu Wuxie’s dantian grew stronger. The light began to merge into a passageway leading to the depth of the universe.

Suddenly, a sharp pain came from Liu Wuxie’s soul sea. It felt like he had formed a connection with something, and a powerful surge of energy poured into his mind.

“ARGH!” Liu Wuxie screamed and threw up a mouthful of blood. The intense pain from his soul sea made him close his eyes as he tried to calm down.

When his divine sense entered his soul sea, it was in a mess. Even so, the Heavenly Dao Book hovered in the center to guard it.

“I’m lucky that I have the Heavenly Dao Book. Otherwise, the consequences would’ve been unimaginable.” Liu Wuxie broke out in a cold sweat.