Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1037 - Fight Begins

Chapter 1037 – Fight Begins

Many people lingered nearby, unwilling to leave, clinging to the hope that a few empty spots would remain, granting them a chance to witness this once-in-a-decade grand event.

“No problem. You may enter now,” the elder finally said.

Only a few people knew that the Spirit Jade Pavilion had extended an invitation to the Heavenly Dao Society. Even some elders within the pavilion weren’t aware.

“What? The Heavenly Dao Society received an invitation?” someone exclaimed.

An uproar erupted instantly.

Those who had mocked Liu Wuxie and the Heavenly Dao Society moments earlier were left frozen in disbelief as they watched the group stride confidently into the passage leading toward the plaza.

“This is impossible! It must be fake!” someone shouted, pounding his chest in frustration.

“We want to go in too!” others shouted as the crowd surged forward in protest.

“Get lost!” the Spirit Jade Pavilion’s elder roared.

With a wave of his hand, he unleashed the full pressure of his Earth Profound Realm aura. A powerful gust swept across the area, sending the charging cultivators flying and forcing the crowd to retreat dozens of steps. In an instant, the guards drove the crowd away and cleared the area in front of the pavilion.

Voices of discontent rose from the second-tier clans. “Why can the Heavenly Dao Society enter but not us? Are you looking down on us?”

Many of them also had experts at the peak of the Earth Profound Realm. Compared to the newly formed Heavenly Dao Society, their foundations were far deeper. The same went for several second-tier sects.

Yet, they now stood shivering in the cold wind while representatives of the Heavenly Dao Society walked in under the spotlight.

The truth was simple: aside from the guests, the pavilion had issued only one hundred golden invitations to suppliers. Given the countless sects and clans across the True Martial Continent, it was impossible to accommodate them all.

“No entry without an invitation,” the Spirit Jade Pavilion’s elder declared coldly. His stance was firm, and anyone who dared step forward would face consequences.

With no other choice, the crowd reluctantly stepped back, forced to watch from a distance with simmering resentment.

As more people gathered, the news that the Heavenly Dao Society had received an invitation began to spread rapidly through the city.

“Is this a joke? A small organization like the Heavenly Dao Society got an invitation?”

Within minutes, nearly everyone in Astral Glory City had heard the name ‘Heavenly Dao Society.’

Just days ago, they had been virtually unknown. Minor factions like theirs numbered in the tens of thousands across the city.

Masses of attendees filled the massive plaza. The organizers assigned each invited faction a designated position, marking their legitimacy.

Then came the unexpected. As the Heavenly Dao Society entered the plaza, a heavy silence fell. Every head turned. Eyes widened. Countless expressions of shock, disbelief, and suspicion followed them.

No one could understand how a fledgling group like theirs had managed to secure a place in this sacred event.

“Liu Wuxie, how dare you cause trouble at the commerce fair!” Yuan Ziping suddenly roared from the crowd, his voice brimming with rage.

To him, their appearance could only mean that they had forced their way in.

“Where did this stray dog come from to be yapping around so loudly?” Liu Feng shot back, seizing the moment with a cold sneer, echoing Liu Wuxie’s earlier jab.

His voice rang out across the plaza, mocking Yuan Ziping without restraint, calling him a stray dog.

The repeated insults shattered Yuan Ziping’s composure. He clenched his fists, ready to charge forward in a fury.

Back at the Sacred Ground, he had held back, knowing he wasn’t a match for Liu Wuxie. But now, the situation had changed. With the three clans united with several Earth Profound Realm experts gathered, they were confident they could crush the Heavenly Dao Society outright.

“It’s the Heavenly Dao Society! They made it in?” came the hushed voices from the higher echelons of various sects, murmuring in disbelief.

None of them believed it was possible to force their way into the Spirit Jade Pavilion. Something didn’t add up.

“This is getting interesting now,” remarked one observer, eyes narrowing with intrigue.

“A small force dares to compete with us? How ridiculous?!” scoffed an elder from the Profound Cloud Sect.

To them, the Heavenly Dao Society had merely come to embarrass itself. They didn’t see them as a threat but only a spectacle.

Laughter and mockery rippled through the crowd. Nearly half of those present sneered or looked on with scorn.

Yet, amid the rising commotion, Qu Su’s gaze settled on Liu Wuxie. He remembered him clearly as the youth who had navigated the Bridge of Heaven and the Gate of Heart with perfect scores, thereby shattering the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy’s final trial record.

A prodigy like that wasn’t easy to forget.

Watching others ridicule the disciple of the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy so publicly, Qu Su felt a surge of indignation. As an elder of the academy, he couldn’t help but feel personally affronted.

“Who was it earlier that said they would kneel and kowtow if we made it in?” Lan Yu asked, stepping forward. His eyes swept across the gathered crowd before settling squarely on the Wang Clan.

Earlier, an elder from their clan had mocked the Heavenly Dao Society and boldly proclaimed that he would kneel if they managed to gain entry.

Now, with the crowd’s attention turning toward the Wang Clan, the elder’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected this moment to actually arrive.

“Wang Shan, are you waiting for someone to invite you to kneel?” Liu Dazhi spoke up coldly. The Liu Clan had also received an invitation and was seated near the Wang Clan.

The Four Great Clans were all seated in close proximity, leaving no room for evasion.

“That’s right. As an expert at the Earth Profound Realm, you should stand by your words. If you don’t kneel now, you’ll become a laughingstock across the Central Plains,” someone in the crowd jeered.

The chance to witness an Earth Profound Realm expert kneel in public was too enticing for many to resist.

Wang Shan’s expression darkened, his face tightening with suppressed fury. At his side, Wang Yuanhou’s countenance also grew increasingly grim.

Wang Shan had taunted them publicly without thinking, never expecting his words to backfire so swiftly.

“Forget it. Why stoop so low to the level of a stray dog?” Liu Wuxie waved his hand dismissively, his tone light, almost pitying, as if Wang Shan wasn’t even worth the trouble.

Laughter rippled through the crowd, stirred by Liu Wuxie’s sharp tongue. His words struck hard, and yet, those he targeted had no response.

Wang Shan and his allies had been insulted as dogs multiple times now, and they couldn’t even retort without looking worse.

“Liu Wuxie, if you insult us again, don’t blame me for what happens next!” Wang Shan shot to his feet and roared, unable to contain his fury.

“Is breaking promises something a man does?” Liu Wuxie replied with a shrug, calm and unshaken.

Jeers erupted from the surrounding factions, all aimed at Wang Shan. No cultivator respected a man who broke his word.

“I can’t stand this anymore! I want to kill him!” Wang Shan roared, unable to suppress his rage. He lunged from the crowd, charging straight toward Liu Wuxie.

As a cultivator at the first-level Earth Profound Realm, his strength was nothing to scoff at.

Back in the Sacred Ground, Liu Wuxie had indeed killed Earth Profound Realm experts like Lu Liang, but it had come at a significant cost. He’d had to gamble with his life and had suffered severe injuries in the process.

Things had shifted.

The True Martial Continent was far more perilous, and Wang Shan wasn’t just any ordinary expert. He was a seasoned veteran at the Earth Profound Realm, significantly stronger than those Liu Wuxie had defeated before.

Without warning, Wang Shan launched his attack. The commerce fair had yet to begin officially, and the Spirit Jade Pavilion’s elders had not appeared to maintain order. The timing was perfect for those looking to stir chaos.

The onlookers, eager for drama, had no intention of intervening. They watched in anticipation, curious as to why the Heavenly Dao Society dared offend so many factions. To them, conflict meant entertainment.

“Take my sword!”

A sword aura burst forth from behind Liu Wuxie. It came from Miao Jianying.

After reaching the second-level Earth Profound Realm, Liu Wuxie had taught Miao Jianying the Origin Sword, a fearsome technique he had quickly mastered. Its ferocity caught Wang Shan off guard.

To make matters worse for Wang Shan, Miao Jianying’s cultivation was higher than his own.

In an instant, Miao Jianying suppressed Wang Shan.

Wang Shan’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had never expected Liu Wuxie to have such a powerful ally standing beside him.

In the Central Plains, anyone who reached the Earth Profound Realm was already considered an expert. The majority of cultivators were still at the Spirit Profound Realm, and those who ascended to the Earth Profound Realm typically held elder positions within their respective forces.

Many spectators stood up in astonishment, captivated by Miao Jianying’s display. His sword technique was flawless and lethal, drawing on the very energy of heaven and earth to deliver a strike that shook the heart and soul.

“What an excellent sword technique!” exclaimed several swordsmen in the crowd, their eyes gleaming. They had never seen such a refined and devastating style before.

What they didn’t know was that Liu Wuxie had personally instructed every swordsman in the Heavenly Dao Society, including Miao Jianying, in the Origin Sword technique.

Even more terrifying was the fact that these swordsmen could combine their techniques into a single, unified assault, forming a colossal sword strike. When unleashed, this combined attack carried enough power to rival even high-level Earth Profound Realm experts.

If dozens of swordsmen attacked together, their combined assault could overwhelm nearly any opponent.

Wang Shan tried to evade, but the sword aura had already locked onto him. Miao Jianying had struck with thunderous force the moment he had made the move. He understood Liu Wuxie’s temperament well: once an enemy made a move, they struck back even harder.

Retreating was never an option. To hesitate was to show weakness.

“Elder Wang, dodge!” someone cried out just as the sword aura reached Wang Shan’s knees.

But it was too late. Miao Jianying’s attack had come too swiftly. More critically, Wang Shan had let his guard down as he had never expected the Heavenly Dao Society to field an Earth Profound Realm expert.

Liu Wuxie had instructed them to conceal their cultivation until now, planning a dramatic reveal to make a lasting impression and elevate the Heavenly Dao Society’s name.

Wang Shan hurriedly drew his sword to parry, only to find that Miao Jianying’s technique was elusive and untraceable.

Miao Jianying hailed from Northern City, and his swordplay was swift, precise, and ruthlessly lethal.

“I’ll help you!” shouted an Earth Profound Realm elder from the Yuan Clan, rushing forward to assist Wang Shan.

But before he could get far, Miao Feichen stepped out with a cold snort.

“Trying to outnumber us? Did you think the Heavenly Dao Society didn’t have anyone else?”

Without waiting, he struck with the Origin Sword as well. Though his execution wasn’t as refined as Miao Jianying’s, the sheer might behind his strike was undeniable. He had only recently learned the technique and hadn’t yet grasped its full essence.

Now, it was two against two. Miao Feichen held off the Yuan Clan elder while Miao Jianying continued pressing Wang Shan.

The surrounding laughter and mockery faded. No one dared to look down on the Heavenly Dao Society anymore.

After all, who would dare to stand their ground against all three great clans openly and without fear?

Miao Jianying’s sword was only meters from Wang Shan’s knees. If no one stepped in, Liu Wuxie would force Wang Shan to kneel in front of the entire plaza.

Yet, from the beginning, Liu Wuxie had remained still, calmly watching the battle unfold. He didn’t lift a finger, nor did his expression waver.

“Looks like you won’t take us seriously unless we teach you a lesson,” said an elder from the Liao Clan as he charged forward.

The three great clans had long forged their alliance against the Liu Clan and the Heavenly Dao Society. Now that everyone had dropped all pretenses, the first battle officially began.