Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 402 - Array Tower

Upon hearing that, Elder Wu Yang, Kong Yan, and Han Xing smiled. Since the bet could continue, they would be able to achieve their goal, and it didn't feel so embarrassing to be reprimanded by Elder Tian Xing anymore.

After all, who in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion hadn't been scolded by Elder Tian Xing? Elder Tian Xing ignored only marginal figures.

"Elder Tian Xing, you won't stop the bet?" Many disciples were baffled as to why Elder Tian Xing didn't stop the bet and allowed them to continue.

"Why should I stop them? Proper exchanges can promote improvement, and I naturally support it as long as no one gets killed. But there's a condition: this matter ends here regardless of the outcome, and neither of you will seek revenge in the future. Do you both agree?" Elder Tian Xing's words brought rounds of applause.

Healthy competition and exchanges promoted improvement. Mutual learning was essential to improve regardless of martial arts, alchemy, or spiritual arrays.

"I have no objections!" Liu Wuxie raised his hand to agree. After all, Han Xing and Kong Yan were comparable to ants, in his opinion, and it would dirty his hands to kill them.

With his talent, reaching the Astral River Realm was only a matter of time, and he knew that Elder Wu Yang wouldn't be beyond his reach. One day, he would surpass and trample the elder.

"I have no objections either!" Elder Wu Yang followed suit. He would regain prestige if he won, and there was no need to trouble Liu Wuxie further. If he lost, he would lose the right to trouble Liu Wuxie and could only live with his tail between his legs in the future.

Kong Yan and Han Xing had no right to refuse and agreed to Elder Tian Xing's terms. Regardless of the outcome, they wouldn't use this reason to trouble Liu Wuxie.

With the agreement in place, the next step was to outline the details and stakes of the bet.

"Since both sides have agreed to let me judge, I will accept. To ensure fairness, both parties will enter the Array Tower. Whoever reaches the higher level within six hours will win the bet. Any objections?" The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had a special place for practicing spiritual arrays, but it was seldom used since few practiced the way of spiritual arrays.

Liu Wuxie had long learned of the Array Tower's existence from the Book Collection Hall. The Array Tower had seventeen levels, each filled with traps of countless spiritual arrays.

The Array Tower contained offensive, defensive, illusory, and many more variations of spiritual arrays. Ordinary people would be trapped inside, and it was unknown if they could come out.

Neither had any objections. Elder Wu Yang was familiar with the Array Tower, and he had even participated in constructing many of the spiritual arrays. Thus, it was easy for him to resolve the spiritual arrays inside.

Logically speaking, choosing the Array Tower wasn't fair to Liu Wuxie. However, having a battle of spiritual arrays on the spot was even more unfair to Liu Wuxie, given the vast difference in their cultivation. If they used the same spiritual array to compete, Elder Wu Yang could easily kill Liu Wuxie inside the array.

The Array Tower was different because they would have to focus on destroying the spiritual arrays and wouldn't run into each other. This meant the outcome would depend on the final results in the Array Tower.

While it might seem Elder Wu Yang had the advantage, this was also Elder Tian Xing's way of protecting Liu Wuxie. Even if Liu Wuxie lost, he still had a chance because he was young.

The news of their competition spread throughout the sect, with countless disciples rushing towards the Array Tower to secure a spot.

Led by Elder Tian Xing, the group navigated through the spiritual arrays and arrived at a towering, seventeen-story structure.

This was Liu Wuxie's first time in the Array Tower, and he was looking forward to it. Even without his bet with Elder Wu Yang, he would eventually come to the Array Tower to hone his skills in spiritual arrays.

Spiritual arrays differed from martial techniques because they required constant integration and reference to perfect them.

Practice was the sole method of identifying the imperfections in the spiritual arrays, which was the origin of the battle of spiritual arrays.

Many disciples who practiced spiritual arrays preferred battle of spiritual arrays in open space to a martial duel.

After calling out the disciples training in the Array Tower, the spiritual arrays were all restored, and it was up to Liu Wuxie and Elder Wu Yang to show their skills.

"The Array Tower has two entrances, both leading to the highest level," Elder Tian Xing explained. "You have six hours from now. Regardless of how far you get, you must stop when the time is up. Whoever reaches the highest level will win the bet."

Liu Wuxie and Elder Wu Yang nodded before heading to their respective entrances. Within fifteen minutes, thousands of disciples had gathered around the Array Tower, all eyes fixed on the entrances.

"What's going on? Why is an inner disciple competing with Elder Wu Yang in spiritual arrays? Is he tired of living?" The disciples who arrived late didn't know what had happened outside Liu Wuxie's courtyard; they had only heard of an inner disciple challenging Elder Wu Yang.

This was unprecedented in the sect's history. It wouldn't have been such a big deal if it had been an ordinary elder, but Elder Wu Yang was renowned in the sect for his skills in spiritual arrays.

"Who's that kid? What audacity!" Disciples who were gathered outside the Array Tower discussed among themselves.

Liu Wuxie and Elder Wu Yang entered the Array Tower, and the gates slowly closed. A crystalline wall appeared on the tower's surface with two small dots representing Liu Wuxie and Elder Wu Yang, who were on the first level.

"It's the kid who won the outer sect's competition recently!" someone answered.

Many disciples had advanced to the inner sect with Liu Wuxie, and they harbored resentment towards him.

"He has only been in the inner sect for a few days and is already causing trouble. Just how is he still alive?" Many higher-level inner disciples looked displeased. They were unhappy with how Liu Wuxie had recently become a hot topic in the inner sect.

After all, people would naturally be jealous of how a newly promoted disciple made such a stir. There were supporters and detractors of Liu Wuxie, each with different opinions.

After entering the Array Tower, a light screen appeared before Liu Wuxie, and he had to pass through this screen to enter the first level. The light screen gave off a faint ripple resembling a mercury waterfall and was easily passable.

Beside the screen was a crystal with the size of an egg. Liu Wuxie had to take the crystal, which would deactivate the spiritual arrays if he was in danger, ensuring his safety.

Taking the crystal, Liu Wuxie stepped through the light screen and found himself in a vast barren land with yellow sand assaulting from all directions.

This was the magic of spiritual arrays, creating a world inside the array to trap opponents.

"An illusory array!" Liu Wuxie smiled upon seeing that the first level consisted of an illusory array.

Those who couldn't break through the illusory array would be trapped within. Elder Wu Yang also picked up the crystal in another area and stepped into the spiritual array.

They both faced identical spiritual arrays, competing to see who could break them faster.

The outside discussion became quiet, with everyone's attention on the crystal wall on the tower's surface.

"They've started breaking the spiritual array!" An exclamation came from the crowd as the two dots moved. The dot on the left represented Liu Wuxie, and Elder Wu Yang was on the right.

"Look at Elder Wu Yang's speed! He seems to have broken through the first level and is heading to the second level!" Elder Wu Yang had broken through the illusory array on the first level in just one breath, which shocked everyone.

"Elder Wu Yang has participated in setting up the spiritual arrays for the first ten floors, and he must know the secrets inside them. Liu Wuxie is courting death to challenge Elder Wu Yang in a battle of spiritual arrays." Many people expressed their contempt for Liu Wuxie.

The seventeen levels were catered to different disciples. The first three levels were meant for outer disciples, the fourth to sixth levels for inner disciples, the seventh to tenth for elite disciples, and the eleventh to thirteen for true disciples. The fourteen to sixteen were for the Nascent Transformation Realm experts, and the seventeenth was for the True Profound Realm experts.

Although Elder Wu Yang is in the Astral River Realm, he only participated until the eleventh level because experts in the Nascent Transformation Realm set those up.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and Elder Wu Yang headed for the third level. Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie remained motionless on the first level.

Since entering the Array Tower, the dot representing Liu Wuxie had only moved once and stayed in the same position for five minutes.

Kong Yan and Han Xing exchanged a gleeful look, feeling that the victory was already in their pocket. They could finally hold their heads high, knowing that Liu Wuxie would have to kneel and apologize if he lost.

Elder Tian Xing's face remained impassive, confident in Liu Wuxie's skill in spiritual arrays, having witnessed them firsthand that night.

About seven to eight minutes later, Liu Wuxie finally moved. He headed to the second level in less than a minute, surprising many.

"What's going on? Was the spiritual array broken with him standing in place? Is there a problem with the Array Tower?

Everyone was baffled because Elder Wu Yang had moved several times in the first level before breaking the spiritual array. In contrast, Liu Wuxie had remained still for five minutes, and the array had fallen apart with just a slight movement.

The Array Tower was the accumulation of wisdom from the past ancestors in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, and a malfunction was impossible.

Elder Tian Xing was present and could detect any problem with the Array Tower. Aside from Elder Tian Xing, several elders had also joined him.

Shortly after, the six peak masters arrived. After all, it was unprecedented for an inner disciple to challenge an elder in the sect's history, and this incident naturally caused a considerable sensation.

"Him again?" Song Yuanqiu turned to Elder Tian Xing after landing down.

"That's right!" The two didn't mention who precisely, but they had a good rapport, and knew who they were referring to.

The other elders had already learned about this matter from the spectating disciples.

"He's a troublemaker!" The Profound Inscription Peak's peak master showed a hint of anger on his face. The Profound Inscription Peak had suffered a considerable loss in the competition, with only a few disciples advancing to the inner sect.

Most importantly, Wen Haoran, who could've placed in the top three, was killed by Liu Wuxie.

While they talked, Elder Wu Yang had entered the fifth level while Liu Wuxie had just entered the second level.

Upon stepping into the second level, the scenery before Liu Wuxie changed to a boundless snowy mountain. The biting cold blew on Liu Wuxie and made him shiver.

The spiritual arrays in the first few levels were relatively simple and primarily involved illusions with no danger.