Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 416 - Bridge Destroyed

Yuchi Xiang’s words deepened Shao Wenliang’s grim expression. Although the Divine Sun Palace had only two pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm experts, they were not to be underestimated. The competition for the stalactite essence was fierce, with every party eager to claim it.

“Liu Wuxie, as a disciple of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, handing the stalactite essence to an outsider would be considered an act of betrayal to your sect!” a pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm cultivator from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion warned. If the essence ended up in Shao Wenliang’s hands, they could potentially divide it among themselves. But if the Azure Crimson Gate got their hands on it, the chances of anyone else obtaining any would be virtually nonexistent.

“I agree with Senior Brother Geng Mochou. The stalactite essence must not be given to the Azure Crimson Gate. Liu Wuxie, you need to consider this carefully,” echoed over ten disciples from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, their tone flattering towards Shao Wenliang and Geng Mochou. They would be satisfied with even a few drops of the essence.

“Liu Wuxie, my Divine Sun Palace has no feud with your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. I can guarantee your safety if you give me the stalactite essence,” a Golden Sun Palace’s disciple chimed in.

“Du Sheng, shut your mouth. I only want the stalactite essence, and who said I wanted to kill him?” Shao Wenliang roared, interrupting the Divine Sun Palace’s disciple. The latter was called Du Sheng, who had a formidable strength.

The Divine Sun Palace and Azure Crimson Gate sought to exploit the situation, trying to drive a wedge between Liu Wuxie and the disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

“Shao Wenliang, cut the pretense. Everyone knows you’ve caused the deaths of many Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples over the years,” sneered Du Sheng, dismissing Shao Wenliang’s words with disdain.

The tension in the atmosphere grew denser. Liu Wuxie was like a walking treasure, with everyone looking at him greedily.

He might’ve consumed some of the stalactite essence, but there was still a lot left and enough for them to share.

“Let’s stop arguing. Why don’t we split the stalactite essence equally then?” another disciple from the Divine Sun Palace interrupted because everyone did not need to fight to their death for this matter.

“Lou Xinghai is right. We can share it equally.” The Azure Crimson Gate had no opinion because that was the most suitable solution. After all, things would get nowhere if they carried on their argument.

The three factions were evenly matched, and any internal conflict would likely lead to mutual destruction. To them, Liu Wuxie was simply a vulnerable target, with little say in the matter of the stalactite essence.

“Hmph!” Shao Wenliang grunted, begrudgingly accepting Lou Xinghai’s proposal to divide the stalactite essence equally.

This arrangement still promised a significant share for each party, with at least a few droplets guaranteed. Such a quantity of stalactite essence could aid them in advancing to the Heavenly Phase Realm, a status that would elevate them to elite disciples and grant them additional privileges.

After all, they could go further after reaching the Heavenly Phase Realm, and it wasn’t easy to leave the current area relying on their flying treasures.

The ten major sects were far apart, and after reaching the Heavenly Phase Realm, they could travel thousands of miles a day by flight, even without spiritual treasures.

The Heavenly Phase Realm was a crucial threshold that had eluded countless individuals. The opportunity to break through was too valuable to ignore, and no one was willing to forfeit it.

They were determined to obtain the stalactite essence even at the cost of their lives, and everyone shared the same thoughts.

“Liu Wuxie, you have no choice now. Hand over the stalactite essence!” He had offered Liu Wuxie a chance before, but it had been squandered.

As the group of ten or so pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm experts closed in, Liu Wuxie found himself cornered with no feasible escape. The odds of him prevailing were slim to none.

If this was an open plain, Liu Wuxie might still be able to find a way to escape. But this was the platform with the black wind rising, making it impossible to escape through the stone bridge.

This gave Liu Wuxie no choice but to look at the light screen because this was his only hope. No one else noticed this light screen, thinking it was just a reflection of the seven-colored ray.

As everyone pressed in, this left Liu Wuxie with no path of retreat.

“Liu Wuxie, what are you still hesitating for? If you hand it over obediently, we can consider letting you die an easy death.” Right from the start, they had no intentions of letting Liu Wuxie go and were determined to silence him.

Not only did they have to kill Liu Wuxie, but everyone on the platform as well. This way, the news of them obtaining the stalactite essence wouldn’t leak out.

After all, if everyone knew about the stalactite essence, it would attract more experts and result in a bloody scramble in the Scarlet Sun Mountain Range.

Liu Wuxie’s expression was one of grim determination. Facing one pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm opponent was already beyond his limits; confronting so many was an almost certain death sentence. The harsh environment further complicated matters, leaving him with few options for escape.

“Hahaha!” Liu Wuxie’s sudden laughter confused everyone. They were not in a hurry and regarded him with a detached curiosity, treating him as a cornered animal.

“You people are shameless. Come with me if you want the stalactite essence!” Liu Wuxie would rather die in an unknown world than at their hands.

The light screen intrigued him; it might be a gateway to another world. Its ability to devour his divine sense suggested that something significant lay beyond it.

“Stop him!” Shao Wenliang roared in frustration. He was too far from Liu Wuxie to catch up, and Liu Wuxie’s speed surpassed even that of pinnacle Heavenly Dipper Realm cultivators.

Geng Mochou and Du Sheng, who were closest to Liu Wuxie, lunged toward him, but Liu Wuxie was faster. In the blink of an eye, he passed through the light screen and disappeared.

The sight infuriated Shao Wenliang and the others. They hadn’t anticipated that Liu Wuxie would choose death over surrendering the stalactite essence.

“What do we do now?” Lou Xinghai exclaimed in frustration, throwing a punch. The treasure was so close, yet it had slipped through their fingers.

“Send someone to check!” Shao Wenliang’s eyes flashed with a ferocious light. He turned to the others on the platform, who were only around the seventh level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

They were ideal candidates to explore what lay beyond the light screen, as no one knew what awaited them inside.

Dozens of people were scared and ran to the stone bridge because it could be a demon’s lair behind the light screen. If they entered, they might end up dead without knowing why, but they would still have a chance of survival if they ran to the stone bridge.

But as the two-hour mark wasn’t up, the two who went onto the stone bridge were devoured by the black wind, forcing them back onto the platform.

“You, go in!” Geng Mochou pointed at a rogue cultivator.

The importance of a sect became evident now because no one picked disciples from their sects. They had unanimously decided to send a rogue cultivator.

After all, rogue cultivators had no background, making them the perfect choice for such a dangerous task.

Entering the light screen offered a slim chance of survival, and refusing meant death. The chosen rogue cultivator could only walk over with a bitter expression.

When he passed through the light screen, he vanished just like Liu Wuxie, with no scream or sign of discomfort—he simply disappeared.

Despite everyone’s effort to communicate, there was no response, as though he had vanished from the world.

“What’s going on? The light screen seems to be capable of devouring everything. My divine sense vanished without a trace inside!” Du Sheng said with a grim face, and he didn’t dare to risk his life.

Everyone’s faces became bitter, and they were caught in a dilemma. There was a possibility they might not return if they went in, but they were reluctant to give up here.

Some brave souls placed porcelain bottles beneath the stone crack to collect stalactite essence. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

Everyone came to their senses at this sight that the stalactite essence hadn’t dried up yet, and they could still gather some.

“Get lost!” Geng Mochou roared, forcing everyone else back as the ten-odd of them walked over.

Each person took out a porcelain bottle and collected ten drops each. If the stalactite essence were placed outside, it would be highly sought after.

However, compared to Liu Wuxie, their share was pitiful. Just the bowls of stalactite essence Liu Wuxie had consumed were priceless.

The flow of stalactite essence began to slow down and was close to exhaustion.

Two hours passed unnoticed, and the black wind finally dissipated. This left everyone with two options: return to search for other treasures or venture into the light screen, just as Liu Wuxie had.

“I plan to return. With the stalactite essence and some pills, I still have a high chance of reaching the Heavenly Phase Realm. So, I don’t want to take any risk,” Azure Crimson Gate’s Yuchi Xiang said.

It was better to leave first to be safe because the stone bridge didn’t seem firm. If those on the other side destroy the bridge, they would be trapped there forever.

“I agree with Brother Yuchi. There are many cracks in the stone bridge, and it will soon collapse. We can cross the bridge and destroy it. That brat won’t be able to leave even if he’s still alive.” Du Sheng’s face became distorted with malice.

The narrow stone bridge, heavily worn from the many crossings, was bound to fail eventually. Once the suggestion to leave was made, no one could argue against it.

Their priority had shifted from the stalactite essence to their own safety. The three major sects had no trust in each other, and the disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion followed suit, wary of the Azure Crimson Gate’s intentions. They feared that they would be trapped on the platform if the Azure Crimson Gate’s members destroyed the bridge.

Reaching a consensus, everyone crossed the bridge and returned to the other side. Shao Wenliang, determined to ensure no one could follow, drew his sword and shattered the stone bridge with a single, decisive swing. The bridge broke into fragments and plummeted into the abyss, sealing off any possibility of crossing.

Those who hadn’t crossed the bridge had no idea what had happened, but they soon learned from others. Many people sighed when they learned that Liu Wuxie had escaped.

With the bridge destroyed, hopes of crossing were dashed. Everyone dispersed, turning their efforts to searching for other treasures within the cave.

......

After entering the light screen, Liu Wuxie began to freefall. This lasted a few minutes before he stabilized himself and barely landed on the ground.

Not long after he landed, a figure crashed down from above with incredible speed, soon accompanied by a loud boom.