Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1038 - Trash
Chapter 1038 – Trash
The Liao Clan elder’s sudden intervention surprised many. However, it was inevitable.
Many people lingered nearby and refused to leave. They clung to the hope that a few empty spots could still open, granting them a chance to witness this once-in-a-decade grand event. Only a few members of the upper echelon recognized that the bitter rivalry had begun in the Sacred Ground. From the moment they had clashed there, the Heavenly Dao Society and the three clans had openly clashed in an irreconcilable feud.
Even as fighting erupted, Liu Wuxie stood completely still and didn’t lift a finger. After two Earth Profound Realm experts had already revealed themselves, many began to wonder, just how many did the Heavenly Dao Society still have in reserve?
Xu Lingxue and Murong Yi exchanged a glance, then nodded silently.
In the next instant, Murong Yi vanished and reappeared in front of the Liao Clan elder.
“Get lost!” she commented coldly.
She wasn’t just anyone. Murong Yi, a prodigy of the Murong Clan, had trained in her clan’s techniques since childhood. The Murong Clan had once thrived in the Central Plains until relentless enemies had driven them into the Western Barren.
She released a powerful aura. She had reached the Earth Profound Realm.
After absorbing the laws from Steward He, the depth and clarity of Murong Yi’s laws at the Earth Profound Realm had far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators.
“What’s going on? How does the Heavenly Dao Society have three Earth Profound Realm experts?” gasped one of the spectators.
Though their cultivation wasn’t at the highest level, having three Earth Profound Realm experts alone already placed them on par with many second-tier forces. The crowd gasped at the sudden reveal, and many rose to their feet in disbelief.
After all, the Heavenly Dao Society was only a year old. They hadn’t held any large-scale recruitment drives and had relied solely on the Southern Province to supply their members.
No one expected them to grow and thrive so quickly. The scene publicly shamed those who had mocked the society just moments ago.
Meanwhile, Wang Shan had already descended into despair. Even with two Earth Profound Realm elders stepping in to assist, they couldn’t resolve the crisis he was in.
Though other Earth Profound Realm experts wanted to help, they were too slow. Miao Jianying’s sword strike had already sealed off all of Wang Shan’s escape routes.
Miao Jianying sliced Wang Shan’s knees cleanly with his sword aura in full view of the crowd. He wasn’t aiming to kill. He simply wanted to force Wang Shan to kneel.
Given the current strength disparity, severely injuring Wang Shan was already a feat. Killing him outright was unrealistic, especially with so many experts from the three clans standing by.
“ARGH!” Wang Shan let out a blood-curdling scream as his legs gave out. He collapsed to his knees before Liu Wuxie.
At that moment, the elders from the Yuan and Liao Clans stopped advancing and withdrew.
Miao Jianying calmly sheathed his sword and spat on the ground before returning to the Heavenly Dao Society’s ranks.
Silence fell over the plaza as blood pooled beneath Wang Shan’s knees.
“He knelt!” someone exclaimed, breaking the hush. A collective gasp followed, echoing across the vast plaza.
At that moment, the elders of the Spirit Jade Pavilion began to emerge, signaling that the commerce fair was about to start officially.
Wang Shan’s face twisted with rage as he ground his teeth together.
“Liu Wuxie, I want you dead!” he roared, his voice cracking like thunder across the plaza.
Even the elders of the Spirit Jade Pavilion flinched at the sudden outburst.
Above the plaza, countless experts hovered at a distance of a hundred meters. These were those without invitations, unable to enter the fair, but they could still clearly witness everything playing out below.
Wang Yuanhou stood up, his expression grim. The other elders and disciples of the Wang Clan followed suit, prepared to declare all-out war against the Heavenly Dao Society.
“Patriarch, let us fight!” one of the Wang Clan’s disciples cried out, unable to hold back. To them, seeing one of their esteemed elders brought to his knees before an upstart was beyond humiliation and an unforgivable offence.
“Kill them!” came the order, and dozens of Wang Clan cultivators drew their weapons and surged forward with murderous intent.
However, just as they attacked, someone bellowed above the plaza, their voice shaking the very air.
“Anyone who dares to make another move will be expelled from the Spirit Jade Pavilion!”
“It’s Elder Long Chen!” gasps rippled through the crowd.
Long Chen’s status was second only to the Pavilion Master, and his authority within the Spirit Jade Pavilion was absolute.
“Return to your seats. If you’re not here for the commerce fair, leave now,” Elder Long Chen said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion or favoritism.
His intervention placed the Wang Clan in a difficult position. Wang Yuanhou stood frozen for a long moment, his fists clenched at his sides, before finally choosing to stand down.
They were, after all, in the Spirit Jade Pavilion’s territory. Any further escalation would jeopardize their alliance with the pavilion, and they couldn’t afford to take that risk.
The Wang Clan relied heavily on their cooperation with the Spirit Jade Pavilion to sell talismans. Losing that partnership would deal a blow far more severe than a single public humiliation.
“Trash,” Liu Wuxie said, tossing the word out casually as he turned his back on Wang Shan and made his way toward the Heavenly Dao Society’s assigned seats.
That single word ignited the air like a spark to dry powder. Members of the Wang Clan clenched their fists, ready to erupt at any moment.
Around the plaza, many felt a chill race down their spines. Liu Wuxie had just called a Wang Clan elder trash publicly and without hesitation. Where did he get the audacity?
Could it be because of the Liu Clan? However, their strength only barely rivaled the Wang Clan’s.
Was it the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy? But that prestigious institution never involved itself in the disputes of worldly sects and clans.
Even the elders of the Spirit Jade Pavilion looked stunned by Liu Wuxie’s blatant insult.
Brazen and reckless didn’t even begin to describe him. The only fitting word was overbearing.
Liu Wuxie hadn’t come to keep a low profile. He wasn’t here to tread carefully or curry favor. He had come to make a name for the Heavenly Dao Society.
To him, only strength left a lasting impression. Only by making his enemies bleed, by striking hard and showing no fear, could they force the Central Plains to recognize them. If others feared the consequences of hostility, they would only then think twice before picking a fight.
The sword, the humiliation, the defiance, Liu Wuxie had said everything without needing another word.
“This brat is arrogant. Let’s see how long he can keep it up,” growled a disciple from the Profound Cloud Sect. Liu Wuxie had killed many of their own in the Sacred Ground, and the grudge still burned hot.
“Young Master, is that the brat you said must die?” someone asked from the Scarlet Dragon Cult’s side.
Yu Lin stood among their ranks, exuding confidence and authority. Judging from his bearing and the way others deferred to him, it was clear that he held significant status within the sect.
Over a year had passed since their last encounter, and Yu Lin had advanced to the first-level Earth Profound Realm. Being addressed as ‘Young Master’ likely meant he was either the sect master’s son or a direct descendant of a powerful elder.
“He must be eliminated. We can’t allow him to grow any further.”
They had already failed to kill Liu Wuxie once. That mistake had cost them dearly. They had lost many of their experts in the process.
Who could’ve foreseen that Liu Wuxie would flee into the Ye’lo Tribe’s territory only to get himself captured? Not only had he survived, but he had even befriended Han Feizi and used the meteor to escape with his life.
“Plenty of people will want to eliminate him once the commerce fair ends. We’ll strike then,” said one of the Scarlet Dragon Cult disciples, trying to curry favor with Yu Lin.
Meanwhile, the other major sects and clans were also deep in discussion.
Meanwhile, the representatives of the Heavenly Dao Society took their seats. Despite their short history, they were now seated alongside powerful sects with legacies spanning tens of thousands of years.
The Wang Clan took Wang Shan and administered healing pills to stabilize his injuries. He had suffered bone-deep damage only, and with treatment, he could recover within half a month.
On the other hand, his humiliation would haunt him for the rest of his life.
After all, he had knelt before a junior, a mere cultivator at the Spirit Profound Realm.
“The commerce fair held once in a decade will soon begin. I welcome everyone to the Spirit Jade Pavilion,” Elder Long Chen said, sweeping his gaze across the crowd.
The crowd fell silent at the sound of his voice.
Tens of thousands of cultivators hovered above the plaza, though none dared to draw too near. Astral Glory City had banned flying within city limits, but it didn’t stop cultivators from floating in the air.
Although they couldn’t step into the plaza, many still considered witnessing the event from afar an honor.
Everyone quickly settled down. The commerce fair came first; any grudges with the Heavenly Dao Society would have to wait.
“As always, the commerce fair will proceed in four stages,” Elder Long Chen continued.
Most of the attendees were veterans of the event and well-acquainted with its proceedings. Only the Heavenly Dao Society was participating for the first time.
The Spirit Jade Pavilion had already disqualified some sects and clans from collaborating with the Spirit Jade Pavilion due to poor performance in previous commerce fairs.
Liu Wuxie had done his homework before arriving. He had thoroughly studied the rules.
Each participant would have the opportunity to showcase their products. The Spirit Jade Pavilion would choose to partner with only those presenting the highest-quality items. Inferior goods would lead to immediate disqualification.
In the world of cultivation, pills, spirit stones, spiritual arrays, talismans, and artifacts all held value. But among them, pills were the most vital.
The cultivators themselves could forge weapons. Talismans weren’t always necessary. Spiritual arrays saw limited use outside of teleportation. Spirit stones primarily served as currency.
But pills—pills could directly impact a cultivator’s strength. Some could even trigger breakthroughs immediately upon consumption.
“But this year is unusual,” Elder Long Chen announced, his voice calm yet firm. “Due to the accumulated surplus within the Spirit Jade Pavilion, we will only be selecting fifty partners.”
An uproar erupted the moment he finished speaking.
“What’s going on? Hasn’t it always been seventy partners? Why did they reduce the number by twenty this time?” voices rang out in disbelief.
This meant the Spirit Jade Pavilion would choose only fifty of the 101 participating representatives, making the competition fiercer than ever.
While the factions with ongoing partnerships with the Spirit Jade Pavilion remained calm, the marginal merchants turned visibly grim. For them, the announcement was a thunderbolt.
After all, some sects had seen a decline in their pill quality over the past decade, and now they faced the risk of being replaced.
Even Liu Wuxie was taken aback by the change. He suspected it had something to do with the shifting laws of the True Martial Continent, which had led to the emergence of countless rare treasures.
The recent drop in sales likely overflowed the Spirit Jade Pavilion’s inventory. The Spirit Jade Pavilion aimed to clear its inventory through this drastic cut in partnerships.
“Wuxie, look there!” Fan Zhen suddenly leaned over and pointed toward a section of the Spirit Jade Pavilion.
When Liu Wuxie followed his gaze, he saw a shadowy figure lingering in that direction.
“Who is he?” Liu Wuxie asked, his brow furrowing. The figure seemed oddly familiar, though he couldn’t recall ever meeting him before.
“He’s Shi Yuan,” Fan Zhen whispered.
“Shi Yuan? Shouldn’t he have been expelled by the Spirit Jade Pavilion for what he did?” Liu Wuxie’s expression darkened.
Liu Wuxie knew Shi Yuan well. The man had accepted bribes from the Wang Clan and sabotaged the Heavenly Dao Society’s goods, swapping in inferior products that the Spirit Jade Pavilion had immediately rejected.
The Heavenly Dao Society had extensively prepared for the commerce fair, hoping the Spirit Jade Pavilion would invite them. However, internal sabotage had nearly ruined their efforts, ultimately leading to the consequences that followed.
“That’s odd,” Fan Zhen said grimly, his brows furrowed. “Shouldn’t he have been dealt with internally? Or were his actions overlooked by the Spirit Jade Pavilion’s upper echelons?”
The sight of Shi Yuan cast a heavy shadow over both their hearts.
