Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 386 - One Blade

As Liu Wuxie progressed step by step, reaching this point, human nature dictated reverence for the strong. Even those who had once ridiculed him now lacked the courage to repeat such words.

After all, they were mere ants in front of Liu Wuxie. They could only look up to him and suppress the jealousy in their hearts. This was because they no longer had the right to be jealous of Liu Wuxie.

Liu Guidong pointed his sword at Liu Wuxie, but in Liu Wuxie's eyes, he was nothing but garbage.

Since a fly dared to buzz around before him, he naturally wouldn’t mind smacking it to death. He had smacked many flies to death in the four days, and his ears were much quieter now.

After killing Shi Chui, his objective of intimidating everyone was a success, accomplished in the most brutal and primitive way.

“Liu Wuxie, hand over your points, and perhaps I can consider letting you die a comfortable death!” Liu Guidong was still coveting Liu Wuxie’s points even at this moment.

“Kill me, and the points will be yours!” Liu Wuxie said calmly because he knew it wasn’t worth it to be angry with a man who was about to die.

“Do you think you can look down on everyone just because you killed someone in the pinnacle True Core Realm? Today, I’ll show you the difference between the True Core Realm and the Heavenly Dipper Realm!” Liu Guidong shook his sword and unleashed a sword aura at Liu Wuxie’s face.

The sword gave off a cold aura, and this was a decent spiritual treasure. But the sword was trash compared to Liu Wuxie’s Heretic Blade.

This meant Liu Guidong and his sword were trash, and he only had a vicious mouth.

“I’ll wait and see!” Liu Wuxie finished speaking and said no more, feeling he had said enough because speaking further would be a waste of his breath.

Two auras brewed around the two. The disciples of Profound Inscription Peak and Terrain Summit Peak were focused on Arena 55.

Elder Tian Xing raised his two sharp brows because he was also concerned about this battle.

Although the sect master didn’t explicitly say to protect Liu Wuxie, he was someone invited by the young lady. Thus, Elder Tian Xing naturally had to ensure nothing happened to him.

Liu Guidong shook his sword and released an overwhelming sword aura, sweeping the slabs off the ground, which shot at Liu Wuxie like projectiles.

He performed the strongest attack right from the start because Liu Guidong knew that Liu Wuxie was strong, and there was no room for error. After all, he would become a hero in everyone’s eyes if he managed to kill Liu Wuxie.

If he could obtain Liu Wuxie’s forty thousand points, it would be enough to secure his place in the inner sect, even if he couldn’t reach the top three.

“Liu Wuxie, die!” Liu Guidong’s voice echoed throughout the martial field, and everyone’s eyes turned to Arena 55 in unison.

Shao Wendong’s opponent was someone in the Quasi-Heavenly Dipper Realm who chose to give up. This allowed Shao Wendong to win without expending any true essence. His gaze was also directed at Arena 55, wanting to see how Liu Wuxie would face this sword attack.

That was the case for Chen Lin as well, who effortlessly advanced through the round. They all anticipated the final showdown, viewing the remaining participants as potential obstacles in their path.

This was why they had to observe every battle and absorb experiences from those battles.

The sword aura drew nearer, closing in on Liu Wuxie. Yet, he stood unperturbed, as if oblivious to the fact he was in the midst of the arena.

Many were baffled because Liu Guidong’s sword would decapitate Liu Wuxie if he didn’t retaliate.

Liu Guidong smiled, convinced that Liu Wuxie was intimidated. This was the power disparity between the Heavenly Dipper Realm and the True Core Realm—a gulf Liu Wuxie couldn't bridge. It seemed inevitable that Liu Wuxie would capitulate under this overwhelming force.

Seeing that Liu Wuxie was about to be killed, Liu Guidong could see forty thousand points waving their hands at him. The Terrain Summit Peak and Profound Inscription Peak showed signs of agitation, and mockeries could be heard.

“What’s Liu Wuxie doing? Has he given up on the competition?” This time, it wasn’t a mockery because Liu Wuxie had easily defeated his opponents, and people were baffled as to why he chose to be silent.

“Giving up when it’s impossible to resist is the best way!” The Profound Inscription Peak’s disciples answered. After all, why force it if it wasn’t feasible?

Liu Wuxie’s right hand suddenly moved as the sword aura got closer and was half an inch away from his neck. A cold flash flickered, and the sword stopped half an inch from Liu Wuxie, just a finger’s length away from cutting his neck.

Liu Guidong froze, his body tensed with an entranced look on his face. A bizarre scene unfolded as his sword came to a halt just inches from Liu Wuxie's neck.

Throughout the encounter, Liu Wuxie remained expressionless, maintaining the same demeanor since Liu Guidong had appeared. It was clear he wasn't intimidated by the attack, nor did he take it seriously. This unwavering calm mirrored his approach when facing Shi Chui.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t Liu Guidong killing Liu Wuxie?” Everyone was baffled because it was such an excellent opportunity to kill Liu Wuxie. So, why did Liu Guidong give up? Did he become soft-hearted?

Most spectators were outer disciples, mixed with a few inner disciples. But they didn’t see that flash.

“Liu Guidong is already dead!” This voice came seemingly from the Earth Force Peak’s peak master, which sounded like rumbling lightning amidst the crowd.

“What?!” Everyone was stunned. Only elders in the Astral River Realm and Nascent Transformation Realm had no expression because they had seen the flash. That flash was caused when Liu Wuxie drew his blade.

Only less than twenty people knew how Liu Wuxie had attacked, while the others were puzzled.

“That’s impossible! This kid must’ve used some evil technique. Liu Guidong is someone in the Heavenly Dipper Realm! How could he be killed with one blade?” No one could accept this outcome; it was simply too baffling to comprehend, and they resorted to believing it was due to some malevolent technique.

Liu Wuxie did not explain and stepped off the ring, becoming the first to advance into the top hundred. Blood dripped down from Liu Guidong’s neck, staining the ground red.

It didn’t take long before a puddle of blood formed in the arena, and everyone finally realized Liu Guidong was genuinely dead. Liu Wuxie had killed him with a strike to the throat.

Gasps could be heard from the surroundings, which echoed throughout the arena. Liu Wuxie once again proved to the world that he could compete for the top ten or an even higher ranking. Despite being in the eighth level of the True Core Realm, Liu Wuxie continued to showcase his remarkable prowess through his accomplishments.

“Do you think Liu Wuxie is also hiding his cultivation?” A bold thought rose in everyone’s minds. After all, most of the people remaining had concealed their actual cultivation, including Shao Wendong and Chen Lin. Each of them was saving their trump card for the last moment.

“That’s impossible! I remember he was only in the third level of the True Core Realm when he joined the sect. It’s heaven-defying that he could reach the eighth level in such a short time.” There was no doubt Liu Wuxie was strong, but no one believed he was also hiding his actual cultivation.

They had cultivated diligently for years, yet in just three months, Liu Wuxie had surpassed their achievements, which was humiliating.

Shao Wendong witnessed Liu Wuxie's swift defeat of Liu Guidong, unable to track the blade's movements, which furrowed his brow.

This time, Liu Wuxie finally became a formidable opponent in everyone’s minds, and they finally took him seriously. They no longer considered Liu Wuxie a new disciple but an opponent on the same level as them.

Until now, Shao Wendong had never considered Liu Wuxie a formidable foe. But he changed his mind, with Liu Wuxie becoming his greatest obstacle.

The competition continued with more people being eliminated, but only eighty advanced to the next round. There were many dead, and many were severely injured.

The battles continued until dusk before finally coming to an end. Many gave up fighting after reaching the top hundred because they reached their limit.

Seventy participants advanced to the next round, excluding those who were injured or forfeited, vying for positions in the top fifty, top thirty, top ten, and ultimately, the champion.

The seventy participants seemed pitifully small in number compared to the initial twenty thousand, signaling that the real battle was now set to begin.

“Rest for an hour before the competition resumes!” Elder Tian Xing let the participants rest for an hour to recover their true essence.

After a long and intense battle, one hour was enough for everyone to recover seventy percent of their true essence, and it was sufficient for the upcoming fights.

However, most had barely consumed true essence, such as Liu Wuxie, Shao Wendong, and Chen Lin.

Time passed by the minute, and the most exciting part was about to begin. Each one of the upcoming matches would be exciting to watch because many people had the potential to win the championship.

The remaining seventy participants scattered in the surroundings and sat down. Even if they hadn’t exhausted their true essence, they did their best to maintain their top condition.

Liu Wuxie didn’t practice the Desolate Devouring Art but continued to devour astral energy instead. The Primordial Astral Fist kept growing stronger with the power of astral energy coursing through his meridians, causing a faint tearing sensation.

If he could secure the championship, he would acquire the Meridians Purifying Pill to address this problem.

“Time’s up!” An hour passed in the blink of an eye, but many people had only recovered half of their true essence, and their fighting strength was far from their top condition.

The lottery box was brought out again and placed before seventy people. Everyone stood in a row and drew a number plate each.

This time, Liu Wuxie was last, and after everyone had finished, there was only one number plate left in the box. Liu Wuxie was stunned when he held it in his hand because he ended up drawing the number 1.

Since that was the case, Liu Wuxie could only head to Arena 1. The seventy people were divided into thirty-five arenas, and the winners would advance into the top thirty.

When Liu Wuxie appeared on Arena 1, his opponent soon followed. Their eyes met, and boundless murderous intent burst out.

“Liu Wuxie, you escaped from the cultivation chamber last time, but you will die today!” Duan Hong said sinisterly.