Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 415 - Fourth-Level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm

After swallowing so much stalactite essence, the world in Liu Wuxie's dantian began to rumble, and true essence formed into terrifying waves. In just fifteen minutes, Liu Wuxie's true essence had increased more than a hundredfold.

The effects of the Energy Purifying Pill were brought to the fullest potential. The quantity of true essence remained the same, but the quality underwent a drastic transformation. The Desolate Devouring Art devoured all the spiritual energy in the surroundings and even drew the abyssal energy from the abyss.

Such terrifying speed of devouring spiritual energy scared the cultivators on the other side.

"No wonder this brat can fight someone with a higher cultivation. So he practices such a powerful cultivation technique." Everyone had been curious about Liu Wuxie's cultivation technique, and they had finally unraveled the mystery today.

Many experts here practiced advanced cultivation techniques, but none could compare to Liu Wuxie's Desolate Devouring Art.

"I'm still lacking a little." The first to third levels were considered the initial phase, while the fourth level was considered the intermediate phase, thus requiring sufficient foundation.

He took out a bowl, scooped up more stalactite essence, and gulped it down. This caused everyone on the other side to feel heartache, as Liu Wuxie had consumed so much stalactite essence.

About one-third of the stalactite essence was depleted, and the consumption rate even startled Liu Wuxie. Ordinary people would feel the effects after a few drops, but Liu Wuxie drank bowl after bowl.

After drinking three bowls, Liu Wuxie's cultivation began to loosen. Time was pressing, and he had to make a breakthrough swiftly, so he devoured the stalactite essence frantically.

Most of the stalactite essence had yet to be refined after ingesting it and was stored within his body. It would need a few days to refine it entirely, but the people on the other side wouldn't give him this much time.

The Desolate Devouring Art created a powerful gust sweeping across heaven and earth. The seven-colored ray that shone out was drawn back and enveloped Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie was like a deity sitting there. A high-grade spirit stone appeared in his palms when he formed seals with his hands.

He had exhausted most of the mid-grade spirit stones, so he could only take a high-grade spirit stone—a suffocating spiritual energy coursing from Liu Wuxie's palms into his body.

"What pure energy! It's far more refined than mid-grade spirit stones!" A single high-grade spirit stone couldn't be exchanged even with a hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones. There might be a difference in a grade, but the difference in spirituality was vast, like heaven and earth.

Liu Wuxie violently broke through the bottleneck to the fourth level, sending dense true essence throughout his body. Each orifice opened up to store more true essence.

His cultivation began to rise, and he reached the pinnacle of the fourth level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm in front of so many people. After his breakthrough, he stopped absorbing the high-grade spirit stone's energy and stored the remaining half in his interspatial pouch.

Using the bowl again, Liu Wuxie continued scoping the stalactite essence from the groove. He wanted to use the stalactite essence to consolidate his cultivation and save his high-grade spirit stone.

"Damn it! Damn it! I want to tear him apart!" The Azure Crimson Gate's disciples stomped their feet furiously, seeing how Liu Wuxie drank large quantities of stalactite essence.

That was especially true for the disciple who had ordered Liu Wuxie to test the stone bridge. His face was terrifyingly grim, with veins popping out on the back of his hand.

"He only made one breakthrough after consuming so much stalactite essence?" Observing Liu Wuxie achieve just a single level-up despite drinking over thirty bowls of the precious essence left countless people in stunned silence.

"Even if he consumes it all, I'll tear him apart and drink his blood!" A few enraged disciples from Divine Sun Palace were so furious that they wished they could charge over and drink Liu Wuxie’s blood themselves.

Even the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's disciples wanted to kill Liu Wuxie, not to mention outsiders. Everyone was filled with anger, wishing time could pass quickly.

As two hours were almost up, people were already standing at the end of the stone bridge, ready to rush over when the black wind settled down.

True essence continued to course through Liu Wuxie's body, and his true essence was purified. The Suppression Stele in his spleen began to stir and released a faint glow after absorbing the energy from the stalactite essence, protecting Liu Wuxie's body.

When the last strand of black wind dissipated, the stone bridge began to rumble, and everyone charged over. Hou Lie, eagerly waiting, took the lead.

As for the pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm experts, they weren't in a hurry and let others go first. Those in the low levels stood far away and dared not take the risk.

Time was limited, and the black wind would return as they went over, forcing them to wait another two hours.

Liu Wuxie opened his eyes, and a terrifying chill shot out, accompanied by a powerful shockwave of energy. The surrounding black wind couldn't withstand his energy and retreated.

When Liu Wuxie stood up, he ignored those on the stone bridge and grabbed onto the stone with stalactite essence collected in it. He lifted the entire stone and kept it in his interspatial pouch.

The speed of the dripping essence was getting slower, and this was likely because everyone's arrival disrupted the environment, causing the production to stop.

"Liu Wuxie, you dare?!" Seeing Liu Wuxie taking the remaining stalactite essence away, Hou Lie roared and sped up.

Ignoring the shout, Liu Wuxie looked around after putting away the stone. The platform was roughly a few hundred square meters in size, but could not accommodate over a thousand people.

“Mhm? There’s a gate here?” Liu Wuxie had been so focused on making his breakthrough that he hadn’t noticed the surroundings.

At the far end of the platform, there was something resembling a gate. However, it wasn't a physical gate but a shimmering light screen. No one knew what lay beyond it, but the seven-colored ray seemed to originate from this spot.

Liu Wuxie hesitated to approach recklessly, uncertain of the potential dangers inside. The enticing fragrance must also be coming from beyond the screen. He used Ghost Eye to try and see through the light screen, but as soon as his divine sense neared it, the screen absorbed it completely. This left Liu Wuxie unsettled, wondering if a powerful monster lurked behind it.

Just as he pondered, a palm assaulted him. Hou Lie attacked him before he could stabilize his footing, fearing that Liu Wuxie might escape.

He planned to kill Liu Wuxie and retrieve a portion of stalactite essence before trying to escape.

Liu Wuxie shifted his focus from the light screen, his murderous intent radiating intensely. With a swift tap of his finger, a chilling ray shot out, freezing Hou Lie mid-air. Despite being a cultivator at the sixth level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, Hou Lie was completely immobilized by Liu Wuxie's attack.

Within less than half a breath, Hou Lie had turned into an ice sculpture. With another tap of Liu Wuxie's finger, the frozen figure shattered into fragments that fell into the abyss.

The unexpected display of power stunned everyone. No one had anticipated Liu Wuxie’s strength.

“Everyone, attack him together! There’s no way he can handle all of us!” The platform quickly filled with over thirty people, surrounding Liu Wuxie. They believed Hou Lie's death was due to carelessness and were confident that their combined strength, including experts at the seventh level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, would be enough to subdue him.

"Attack and retrieve the stalactite essence!" the Azure Crimson Gate's disciples gave the order and swung their swords at Liu Wuxie's back.

They were a ruthless and ferocious group, their greed for the stalactite essence clouding their judgment and making them forget their situation. The essence was an incredibly rare treasure, and they couldn’t allow Liu Wuxie to hoard it.

Liu Wuxie had consumed so much of the essence that he couldn’t refine it all at once. The remaining energy was still stored within him, bolstering his physique and aiding his cultivation.

With over thirty people attacking, the pressure was immense, and the small platform left him no room to evade. Liu Wuxie realized that if he didn’t act quickly, more experts would arrive, trapping him.

Murderous intent gleamed in Liu Wuxie’s eyes as he regarded the vile faces of his attackers. He drew the Heretic Blade and lifted it towards the sky.

“All of you can die!” Liu Wuxie unleashed the Fourth Fatality Form. Now at the fourth level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, executing this move was effortless for him.

A gentle breeze swept across the platform as heads exploded under the blade’s aura. Except for a few at the eighth level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, over twenty cultivators were slain by Liu Wuxie’s single strike.

The platform was drenched in fresh blood, creating a gruesome and horrific scene. The few remaining onlookers stared at Liu Wuxie with a mix of fear and disbelief, unable to comprehend whether he was truly human.

It was one thing for Liu Wuxie to kill Hou Lie—after all, Hou Lie had attacked him alone. But annihilating nearly thirty people with a single strike was an entirely different level of terror. Such a feat seemed beyond human capability—unless he was a demon.

As the Heretic Blade’s aftermath settled, a new group descended from the stone bridge. This time, over ten pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm cultivators, confronted Liu Wuxie, their formidable presence exuding an overwhelming pressure even before they drew near.

"Hand over the stalactite essence!" A disciple in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's uniform extended his hand to demand it from Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie remained unmoved, his gaze sweeping over each individual and etching their faces into his memory.

Meanwhile, many were still trapped on the stone bridge as the black wind intensified, their screams filling the air. Yet, no one on the platform paid them any mind; their sole focus was on the stalactite essence. Those who couldn’t cross would have to wait two more hours for the black wind to subside, leaving them with little hope of obtaining any essence.

The arrival of so many pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm cultivators made it clear that Liu Wuxie’s situation was grim.

“Liu Wuxie, what are you waiting for? Senior Brother Shao Wenliang demands the stalactite essence. Hand it over now, or would you prefer to give it to someone else?” urged a disciple from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, pressing Liu Wuxie to comply.

Liu Wuxie glanced at Shao Wenliang with a trace of disdain. When he was forced onto the bridge, Shao Wenliang had dismissed him with indifference, deeming his plight futile.

Others had similarly indifferent attitudes, each demanding the essence.

“Brat, if you hand over the stalactite essence, I can guarantee your safe passage out of here,” offered an Azure Crimson Gate disciple, also a pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm expert, who promised to escort Liu Wuxie to safety.

“Senior Brother Yuchi Xiang is a man of his word and won’t break his promise. Hand over the essences to our Azure Crimson Gate, and you will be spared,” added another disciple, highlighting the Azure Crimson Gate’s numerical advantage.

Yuchi Xiang was a disciple of the Azure Crimson Gate with strength on par with Shao Wenliang.