Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 425 - Beginning

Liu Wuxie knew Shao Wenliang's actions had infuriated Elder Tian Xing. Given Elder Tian Xing's status, it wasn't an issue for him to punish Shao Wenliang, but that wasn't what Liu Wuxie wanted.

He wanted to defeat Shao Wenliang with his effort and avenge his suffering.

"Good. I'm relieved you can think this way. It's best to consult me if anything happens in the future. You were too reckless today. Do you know many higher-ups have been unhappy with you recently?" The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was complicated because many disciples had some form of connection with the higher-ups.

Liu Wuxie had killed and crippled many people in just half a year. Among these people, many had some form of connection with the higher-ups. Thus, killing and crippling them was no different from slapping the higher-ups' faces.

Elder Tian Xing might be the head of the Law-Enforcement Hall, but he couldn't bend the rules for personal gain. He would invite criticism if he showed too much favor to Liu Wuxie.

"I understand. I'm grateful for how you've been taking care of me!" Liu Wuxie bowed. He could feel the care and concern Elder Tian Xing gave him.

If another elder had come to the Mission Hall, things might have turned out differently, and he would have been severely punished even if he had come out unscathed.

Elder Tian Xing might have helped those people by asking him to let them go, but he was trying to protect Liu Wuxie.

"Junior Brother!"

"Junior Brother Liu!"

"Junior Brother!" Three people entered the courtyard and interrupted Liu Wuxie and Elder Tian Xing. They were Jian Xing'er, Bai Lin, and Tang Tian.

"You guys have fun catching up!" Elder Tian Xing patted Liu Wuxie's shoulder and gave him a meaningful look before leaving.

Liu Wuxie smiled bitterly because he knew what Elder Tian Xing meant. A perceptive person can discern another's thoughts with just a glance.

On one side was Jian Xing'er, and on the other was Chen Ruoyan in the courtyard. Ordinary people might not notice, but Elder Tian Xing could easily see Chen Ruoyan's feelings for Liu Wuxie.

Now, Liu Wuxie had to contend with Jian Xing'er as well.

When she came in, tears began rolling down her cheeks, but she cried silently without making a sound.

"Junior brother, it's good to see you again!" Bai Lin and Tang Tian came forward to give Liu Wuxie a tight hug.

Fan Zhen and others emerged from the rooms. They had left earlier to give Liu Wuxie space to talk with Elder Tian Xing, but their nerves were tense, and they couldn't rest. They still had a lot to process.

Jian Xing'er narrowed her eyes upon seeing Chen Ruoyan, and her tears suddenly stopped.

"Junior brother, it's good that you're fine. Aren't you going to introduce your friends to us?" Jian Xing'er stood beside Liu Wuxie and spoke in a very affectionate tone.

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became weird, with Fan Zhen and others taking a look at Liu Wuxie before turning to Jian Xing'er and Chen Ruoyan.

This was an act of declaration from Jian Xing'er because her actions told everyone she had an extraordinary relationship with Liu Wuxie regardless of his relationship with Chen Ruoyan.

Liu Wuxie quickly introduced the two ladies to each other, but he didn't mention his relationship with Chen Ruoyan and only stated they were friends.

Fan Zhen and others soon mingled with Bai Lin and Tang Tian, especially Song Ling, who had outstanding social skills.

"Since you are Junior Brother Liu's friends, you will be our friends from today onwards. We came in a hurry and didn't bring anything with us, so please accept these pills as a gift." Bai Lin took out a few bottles of pills and distributed them to Song Ling and others.

These pills were most helpful to Fan Zhen's group in their current state.

"This won't do!" Fan Zhen waved his hand repeatedly and looked at Liu Wuxie.

"Accept them!" Liu Wuxie nodded, allowing them to accept the pills before the five accepted them happily. After all, the pills from the cultivation world were precious in the mundane world.

Bi Gongyu couldn't wait to open the bottle, and the rich fragrance seeped out. He could feel his pores greedily absorbing it.

"These are three bottles of stalactite essence. Consume them when you three go back!" Liu Wuxie took out three bottles, each containing dozens of drops.

Liu Wuxie still had a stone with a groove full of it, and giving out a few dozen drops was nothing to him.

"Thank you, junior brother!" They already knew Liu Wuxie had obtained a lot of stalactite essence, so they accepted it without hesitation.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian had reached the Heavenly Dipper Realm half a month ago and were now inner disciples. The stalactite essence was crucial for them to gain a footing in the inner sect.

Next, they celebrated Fan Zhen's group's arrival, but due to their low cultivation, they still needed to consume regular food. Bai Lin and others were left to handle these matters.

In just two minutes, a large amount of food was brought into the courtyard, filling the stone table. The celebration didn't end until dusk, when everyone was drunk.

After Bai Lin and Tang Tian left, Jian Xing'er refused to leave, and Liu Wuxie had no choice but to agree to let her stay.

When the courtyard returned to normal, Fan Zhen sat upright, Lan Yu began cleaning the table, and Bi Gongyu's drunkenness disappeared. Only Song Ling lay on the ground, snoring loudly after drinking too much.

"I know you guys must feel uncomfortable becoming my followers, but don't worry because your treatment with me will only be better than that of outer disciples. I won't treat any of you as followers, and I only did that to keep you all safe," Liu Wuxie said in a severe tone. There were many things to do, but their cultivation needed to be higher. So, he needed to help them increase their cultivation quickly to help him.

"Wuxie, don't worry about us. Since we've made the decision, we will naturally follow through without hesitation." Fan Zhen stood up and understood that Liu Wuxie had done this for their benefit.

It didn't matter to them if they were followers or outer disciples because it was already a success for them to enter the cultivation world.

"I will conduct rigorous training for you all starting tomorrow, and I need you all to reach the Heavenly Dipper Realm within one month." Liu Wuxie set a goal for them to become inner disciples within one month before allowing them to move freely in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

"How can we possibly accomplish it?" Fan Zhen was so emotional that his hands trembled. He was nearly a hundred years old, and it was a stroke of luck that he could reach the True Core Realm. He naturally didn't dare to hope to reach the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

"If I say you can do it, you can!" Liu Wuxie hadn’t mentioned the cultivation chambers in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion that could accelerate time. One day inside was equivalent to ten days in the outside world.

This time, Liu Wuxie planned to use a higher-level cultivation chamber in the inner sect because one day inside was equivalent to one month outside.

They could rest that night because they would have to prepare for the next day’s harsh training. They would need to train in more than just martial techniques; they would also need to learn cultivation techniques.

The news of Liu Wuxie's return spread like wildfire in the inner sect.

Shao Wenliang was playing chess with Geng Mochou when he heard the news. His hand froze in mid-air, and the chess piece crumbled to powder.

"Damn it!" Shao Wenliang slammed his palm on the chessboard with his murderous intent filling the courtyard.

"That brat is really lucky. Even though we destroyed the stone bridge, he survived." Geng Mochou placed a chess piece down with disbelief in his eyes. It was a dead end even for those in the Heavenly Phase Realm in that situation.

"What do you plan to do now?" Shao Wenliang asked. Their harvest was decent because they had found dozens of drops of stalactite essence in the cave.

"I heard he killed Hou Ye in the Mission Hall. Hou Ye is in the seventh level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm but was killed in one strike. Liu Wuxie isn't simple." Geng Mochou stood up and looked into the distance. What had happened in the Mission Hall had already spread out.

"Are we doing to let this go? I won't be able to sleep in peace without killing him!" Shao Wenliang's eyes flashed with murderous intent.

"This isn't the right time. We're stuck in the Heavenly Dipper Realm, and we have to reach the Heavenly Phase Realm if we want to kill him." Geng Mochou clenched his fists because he had reached the threshold of the Heavenly Phase Realm, but he was still lacking a little.

"You're right. We have to reach the Heavenly Phase Realm for safety's sake!" Shao Wenliang agreed with Geng Mochou. He also knew it wasn't wise to confront Liu Wuxie now.

In just one night, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was filled with undercurrents. Many wanted Liu Wuxie's stalactite essence, but they could only wander outside his courtyard.

This was because Liu Wuxie's courtyard was protected with spiritual runes, preventing anyone from breaking in.

At dawn, Fan Zhen emerged from the room, forcibly dragging a still-hungover Song Ling with him. To sober him up, Fan Zhen dumped a bucket of cold water over Song Ling, causing him to scream from the chill.

The others had tidied up and stood before Liu Wuxie. Liu Wuxie had let them stay in the house while he had cultivated in the courtyard all night.

Being a Woman, Chen Ruoyan had no choice but to share the space with Jian Xing'er.

"Wuxie, what should we do now?" Fan Zhen had changed into a new set of clothes, looking much younger. He had abandoned his identity as the Imperial Academy's headmaster and was just a follower of Liu Wuxie now.

"These are five cultivation techniques, and you all have two hours to memorize them."

The Divine Phaseless Art was a sect secret, and revealing it would violate the sect's rules. However, Liu Wuxie didn't care, believing that rules meant nothing compared to the value of human life.

If the sect wanted to punish him, they would have restricted his movements after he had memorized so many books. This signaled that the sect had acknowledged his actions.

The five treated the books as treasures and sat down to read by the side. The cultivation technique was challenging, as they only had two hours to memorize it.

But as the saying goes, there would be no motivation without any pressure. Their foundation was too weak to follow conventional methods because, at this rate, it would take them half a year to reach the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

Time passed, and Fan Zhen was the first to memorize the cultivation technique. He was in the True Core Realm and had a powerful divine sense, which was why he could memorize the book so quickly.

The second was Bi Gongyu, the third was Chen Ruoyan, the fourth was Lan Yu, and Song Ling was still reading because it was difficult for him to memorize the book in two hours.