Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 545 - Refining the Spiritual Core

Everyone was stunned by what was happening.

“I know! It must be because that ordinary paper couldn’t withstand his words, so it combusted into flames!” a Sky Rift Valley disciple stood up and exclaimed.

“I’ve heard of similar legends. In ancient times, many great scholars used special paper to write because ordinary paper couldn’t withstand their scholarly aura,” another person shared.

“What bullshit! Heaven and earth recognized those great scholars for cultivating the scholarly aura. How can a brat like him write such astonishing words?” The Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples continued to mock, believing that Liu Wuxie had tampered with the paper.

Confucianism reigned supreme in ancient times, as Confucian teachings could overturn rivers and seas to establish order with a single word.

For instance, the Buddhist swastika ‘卍’ and Taoism’s nine syllables ‘临, 兵, 斗, 者, 皆, 阵, 列, 在, 前’—were crafted in ancient times, each imbued with profound meaning. These nine syllables held particular significance for Liu Wuxie when he inscribed spiritual runes or arrays, with each character playing a vital role.

Each character played a crucial role. For instance, "阵" symbolized the formation of an array, while "斗" represented an attack. These syllables weren’t just symbolic but served practical and spiritual functions, forming a complex system where every character had a specific purpose.

Similarly, great scholars from the past created characters that embodied profound concepts such as "生" (life), "死" (death), "阴" (yin), and "阳" (yang). These ancient symbols transcended time, continuing to shape the fields of scholarship, philosophy, and mysticism today.

Moreover, these characters weren't only used by scholars—cultivators also relied on them. The Annals of Heaven and Earth long recorded these ancient characters, their meanings intertwined with the cosmic laws. If future generations sought to create new characters or chart new chapters of understanding, they would have to invoke a resonance with the forces of heaven and earth.

Only through heaven’s acknowledgment could new characters be born, imbued with the laws of the universe, and used as tools to unlock spiritual runes.

No one believed that Liu Wuxie’s poem would ever be recorded in the Annals of Heaven and Earth. Yet, the Heavenly Dao Book had unfolded, and new characters began forming sequences in response to his creation.

Over a year had passed, and the Heavenly Dao Book now held three pages, each inscribed with the various laws of heaven and earth, recording Liu Wuxie's unprecedented achievement.

Murong Yi’s mouth was slightly open, and her eyes showed a hint of disbelief. The boat was chaotic as the golden characters aligned and manifested into a hovering longsword. The sword exploded, and a boundless sword aura swept out to the surroundings.

“ARGH!” Those who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier let out a scream in pain.

“Heaven’s punishment!” The Sky Rift Valley and Demonic Heart Palace’s disciples exploded into an uproar, and many could not remain seated.

The characters Liu Wuxie wrote had imprinted the laws of heaven and earth, and their words were akin to committing blasphemy against heaven. Thus, they would naturally face the consequences, and even Yin Jingwu couldn’t resist the sword aura.

Only Qiu Baihao remained seated. As he had stayed silent right from the beginning, he naturally didn’t face the punishment.

The sword aura wasn’t fatal because it was just a punishment, not a tribulation.

Everyone who had mocked Liu Wuxie earlier was covered in blood, and the golden characters suddenly disappeared into heaven and earth, merging with their surroundings. A portion of it burrowed into Liu Wuxie, evoking an outburst of scholarly aura from him.

The Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples were stunned, and Yin Jingwu was so furious he almost threw up blood. Despite being in the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm, Liu Wuxie had injured him.

The outburst of sword aura ripped his gorgeous clothes, and he looked no different from a beggar at this moment.

“Congratulations, Brother Liu, for writing an unparalleled piece!” Hua Chenye and his fellow disciples came forward to congratulate Liu Wuxie. It was clear at first glance who had won the duel.

Not only did Liu Wuxie write an extraordinary piece, but it even manifested the laws of heaven and earth. Who else present could achieve that? This was nearing the accomplishment of great scholars from ancient times, and Liu Wuxie had achieved it.

This time, no one from the Azure Crimson Gate stepped forward to refute because the sword wounds on their bodies were the best explanation. They feared they would attract another punishment if they spoke, so they kept quiet.

Even Hua Chenye supported Liu Wuxie, asserting that his poem was unrivaled, leaving them speechless.

Crisp sounds of the zither echoed, sometimes gentle, sometimes aggressive, like a wife waiting for her husband’s return. Various emotions mixed, including familial relationships, friendship, and love...

Everyone was lost in the music, which reached the depths of their hearts as if trying to awaken the memories deep in their souls. Some cried because they heard too much misfortune in the music, while some laughed and found joy in it. Different states of mind naturally led to varying interpretations of the music.

Liu Wuxie had also closed his eyes and was immersed in the music.

“Fear not that there will be no lack of friends in your path, for who in the world doesn’t know you...” Murong Yi spoke in a tone full of lament, like an oriole in an empty valley. She didn’t use the Blissful Melody Scripture this time and spoke naturally.

Her natural voice was equally charming and was more pleasant than the Blissful Melody Scripture because it sounded more genuine.

“That’s a great line! For this line, let’s have a toast!” Many people raised their cups and drank heartily because this line had struck a chord with them.

After all, everyone had encountered similar situations before. Gold could be easily obtained, but a confidant was rare. Some people’s attitudes towards Liu Wuxie changed because of this poem.

As the crowd silently recited Liu Wuxie’s poem in their minds, they couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of loneliness on his behalf. It wasn’t just the words; it was the understanding that Liu Wuxie had always been solitary, isolated in a world where few, if any, could truly comprehend him.

“Yin Jingwu, why aren’t you handing over the jade scepter?” Many people began to yell for Yin Jingwu to hand over the jade scepter because Liu Wuxie had won the duel with an overwhelming advantage.

Yin Jingwu stood frozen under the weight of hundreds of eyes, each one waiting for his response. There was no way he could avoid this—so many had witnessed the duel, and failing to honor his word would tarnish his reputation beyond repair. He would have no place left in Serene Sea City if he didn't hand over the jade scepter.

Liu Wuxie merely wore a smile. A spiritual core could elevate his spirituality to dark purple.

No Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples intervened because it was pointless to say another word at this moment, and they would only draw criticism if they continued to deny Liu Wuxie’s victory.

“Liu Wuxie, I won’t let this matter go easily. I will take back the jade scepter sooner or later!” Yin Jingwu threw the jade scepter over to Liu Wuxie.

When Liu Wuxie caught the jade scepter, he exerted force and cracked it, revealing a spiritual core the size of a mung bean.

“Spiritual core! It’s spiritual core! Yin Jingwu’s jade scepter contained a treasure like the spiritual core?!” Everyone was stunned and couldn’t believe their eyes. The value of the spiritual core was much higher than the spiritual essence, and it could even be comparable to the ancient spiritual bamboo root.

Yin Jingwu staggered, nearly collapsing as the reality of his loss sank in. He could barely comprehend that he had just gambled away a priceless spiritual core. If he had known such a powerful core was hidden within the jade scepter, he would’ve never risked it in a bet with Liu Wuxie, even if his life had been on the line.

The Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples erupted into chaos, their eyes filled with disbelief and anger. It was as if each gaze questioned Yin Jingwu’s judgment, silently asking how he could have been so foolish. Losing a treasure of such magnitude to an enemy was unthinkable—a colossal blunder that felt like handing a weapon directly to the opponent.

Liu Wuxie threw the spiritual core and shattered jade scepter into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, planning to refine it publicly.

Terrifying spirituality began to leak from Liu Wuxie’s body with a faint ripple around him as his spirituality grew. This was mainly because the spiritual core was too powerful, enveloping Liu Wuxie in a faint halo.

After his spiritual root absorbed the spiritual core, it slowly transformed into gold.

“H-He’s refining the spiritual core!” someone exclaimed. For Liu Wuxie to openly refine the spiritual core in front of everyone was an utter disregard for them.

Yin Jingwu was the angriest because he had vowed to take the jade scepter back, but Liu Wuxie had swiftly slapped his face by refining it so quickly.

“What fast refining speed! The spirituality from the jade scepter is almost gone!” Many people were stunned by Liu Wuxie’s refining speed. Ordinary people would require one to two days on average, but Liu Wuxie was done refining it in just a few minutes.

When Zhang Lie and Song Dong had previously tried to purchase spiritual essences from Liu Wuxie, he had refused, claiming to have refined them all. At the time, they had their doubts, but now, watching the scene unfold, it became clear that Liu Wuxie might have been telling the truth after all.

The reason lay in the power of the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. It was a domineering artifact, capable of devouring anything that entered it. Although the spiritual core was no larger than a mung bean, its immense spirituality far surpassed even supreme-grade spiritual essence.

Liu Wuxie had formed a barrier of spirituality within three meters of radius around him. An even more astonishing scene occurred when Liu Wuxie’s feet left the ground as he hovered in the air, absorbing all the spirituality in the air.

“Is he a monster? How did he refine such a large spiritual core so quickly?” The spiritual core, the size of a mung bean, could be considered a large piece because most spiritual cores were only the size of sesame seeds.

This gathering had become a one-man show for Liu Wuxie, with him becoming the center of attention. This made all the Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples feel frustrated.

In the end, they had contributed greatly to Liu Wuxie’s success. Time slowly passed, but no one urged Liu Wuxie. It took fifteen minutes before the spiritual core had utterly disappeared.

A roar sounding like that of a dragon’s or a tiger’s echoed and shook the entire boat. Ripples began to appear on the lake, with countless fish leaping out and landing at Liu Wuxie’s feet.

Those fish looked affectionate and flopped around Liu Wuxie, a scene that shocked all the spectators.

“What’s going on?” No one could describe their current feelings.

“Heaven and earth spirit! His body has evolved and emits the aura of heaven and earth spirit, and these fish are attracted by it!”

After absorbing so much spiritual essence and a spiritual core, a trace of heaven and earth spirit was triggered. Most heaven and earth spirits required countless years to appear.

However, Liu Wuxie’s body had started producing heaven and earth spirit, which was extremely rare.

A golden seed appeared in the desolate world and was planted deep into the ground. This was a heaven and earth spirit, and once it bloomed, it would release spirituality to nourish Liu Wuxie’s body.

This meant that most of the spirituality Liu Wuxie absorbed in the future would be used to nurture this heaven and earth spirit.

Although there wouldn’t be any immediate effects, Liu Wuxie’s spiritual root would undergo a drastic transformation once it had developed entirely.

When Liu Wuxie’s feet touched the ground, he opened his eyes with two cold rays beaming out. But when he noticed the fish on the ground, he released a bitter smile and sent them back to the lake with a wave.