Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1206 - Beast-Taming Art
Chapter 1206 – Beast-Taming Art
Mu Heng was intelligent. He knew that if he relied on his background to suppress Liu Wuxie, he would only draw mockery and appear weak. From the moment they entered the Heavenly Dragon Sect, they no longer had any ties to Sky Cloud Star or Tranquil Meteor Star. They were disciples of the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
Since they were disciples of the sect, they naturally had to abide by its rules. Even the two planet lords had no authority to interfere in its internal affairs. If they dared to meddle, the sect’s upper echelons would be the first to stop them.
This was why Liu Wuxie dared to act against Mu Heng and Shen Yue without restraint. He had calculated this long ago. The Heavenly Dragon Sect would never let a mere planet lord bully it, much less fear one.
Huang Shan had wanted to use the situation as an excuse to execute Liu Wuxie, but Elder Ding’s rebuttal silenced the others. Even so, everyone knew the two planet lords would not let matters rest. If they could not act openly, they would surely attempt to eliminate Liu Wuxie in secret.
The twelve elders examined Shen Yue one by one, but her soul sea showed no improvement. Whenever she regained consciousness, she would fly into a frenzy, lashing out at everyone around her.
Every gaze that fell on Liu Wuxie carried unease. None could understand how he had driven Shen Yue, a dignified cultivator at the third level of the Origin Conversion Realm, into such a state.
“She’s no longer fit to continue the wilderness training. Leave her here under our care, and the rest of you may proceed with the second segment,” announced the War Dragon Institute elders. The training had to continue; the elders would not halt it for one person.
“Thank you, elders!” Mu Heng bowed, his eyes blazing with murderous intent. He would not rest until he killed Liu Wuxie.
Next came the tally of jade tokens from the first segment. One-third of the disciples had only a single token, and some had none at all. Most had managed between three and five.
When Mu Heng revealed over a hundred jade tokens, silence spread across the crowd.
Everyone knew that Liu Wuxie had killed Qin Ming’s group from the Dharma Institute, as well as many from the War Dragon Institute. He had naturally taken their jade tokens.
When Liu Wuxie calmly produced close to two thousand jade tokens, shock still rippled through everyone present.
The jade tokens of the slain disciples amounted to perhaps a thousand at most. In other words, Liu Wuxie had gathered over a thousand on his own. No one could comprehend such a feat. The disciples stared at him as though he were a monster.
The elders quickly tallied the rankings: Liu Wuxie claimed first place with ease, and He Yingwu took second.
“Liu Wuxie has set a new record in the wilderness training,” many disciples murmured bitterly. Yet, none of them could summon envy. The gap was too vast.
The twelve elders remained calm, their expressions unchanged as they recorded the results.
“Enter the yellow zone,” Elder Ding declared. “We have already explained the rules. You have ten days to hunt astral beasts.”
His tone was flat, but every elder revealed a grave face after what had transpired.
This segment posed little challenge to Origin Conversion Realm cultivators, as most astral beasts were only at the Transcendent Realm, with the occasional Origin Conversion Realm beast.
The crowd filed into the yellow zone, leaving Shen Yue unconscious.
The yellow zone dwarfed the green zone. Roars echoed from every direction, making the disciples’ skin crawl. The aura of astral beasts blanketed the skies, pressing down on their chests with every breath.
A shimmering light-screen barrier rose, sealing the mountain range to ensure no one could leave before the segment ended.
Liu Wuxie entered with He Yingwu at his side. This time, no one dared to tail them.
“Senior Brother Mu Heng, two disciples of the Dharma Institute seek your audience,” a War Dragon Institute disciple reported respectfully. Mu Heng’s expression was cold.
“Bring them,” Mu Heng said, taking a steady breath. After everything, he had grown more composed, shedding much of his earlier arrogance as a planet lord’s son.
Two youths soon arrived. They bowed deeply. “Greetings, Senior Brother Mu Heng!”
“What business do you have?” Mu Heng asked, his gaze softening slightly as he returned the courtesy, an attitude he had never shown before.
“Liu Wuxie killed my third brother. We’ve come to discuss how to take his life,” said the youth on the right, venom dripping from his voice.
Just days ago, Qin Ming had summoned his brother, and Liu Wuxie had almost certainly slain them both.
The youth on the left was Zhao Chen, and the one on the right was Zhao Hai. Liu Wuxie had killed their third brother, Zhao Zhen.
“With Liu Wuxie’s strength, none of us can kill him,” Mu Heng said bluntly. It was no false modesty. The brothers were only at the peak of the Transcendent Realm. They were not even qualified to approach Liu Wuxie, let alone kill him. Even Mu Heng himself was not confident.
Just the day before, Liu Wuxie had slain eight Origin Conversion Realm cultivators on his own—two of them at the second level of the Origin Conversion Realm—and he had gravely wounded Shen Yue. No one was eager to gamble further against him.
The War Dragon and Dharma Institutes still had over a dozen Origin Conversion Realm disciples, but every one of them chose silence.
“Please be patient, Senior Brother Mu Heng. I haven’t finished yet,” Zhao Zhen pressed, lowering his voice with a glance at those nearby. “We may not match him in strength, but we have a sure plan. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have come here.”
Mu Heng dismissed the surrounding disciples with a wave, leaving only the three of them. “Speak. What plan do you have?”
He knew there must be a reason for the confidence of these two brothers.
“My brother and I know a little about beast taming. Perhaps this segment offers our chance,” Zhao Hai said, a faint smile curling his lips. The three brothers had grown up around astral beasts and were skilled at handling them.
Mu Heng’s eyes lit up. He could already guess their intent.
“You want to use astral beasts to kill Liu Wuxie?” he asked, his smile faint but sharp.
“Exactly. This place teems with astral beasts. If Senior Brother Mu Heng helps us subdue a few strong ones, we can tame them. Then, using them to summon others, we’ll drive a horde toward Liu Wuxie,” the brothers said with firm nods.
If they missed this chance, killing Liu Wuxie later would become nearly impossible.
Beast taming was no simple feat. First, one had to subdue a beast before earning its obedience. This was why they needed Mu Heng’s strength to capture the initial astral beasts.
Mu Heng hesitated. In the past, he would have agreed without a thought. After witnessing Liu Wuxie’s strength, he saw many flaws in the plan. The mountain range was vast. If they wanted to truly surround Liu Wuxie, they would need an army of beasts, not just a handful.
Liu Wuxie’s monstrous combat power also meant he could easily tear open an escape route.
“Senior Brother Mu Heng, do we have a better plan?” Zhao Zhen pressed, anxious. “If we miss this chance and he keeps accumulating strength, it’ll be impossible to kill him once he claims his rewards.”
Those words struck true. Rewards from the wilderness training would only make Liu Wuxie stronger. If they intended to kill him, they had to do it now, before he grew any further.
“Very well. May our cooperation succeed,” Mu Heng said at last, exhaling and nodding. He agreed to the brothers’ scheme.
He soon gathered a party and led them deeper into the mountains to capture powerful astral beasts—an endeavor he kept hidden from Liu Wuxie.
Hunting astral beasts was not overly complicated, but neither was it easy. The creatures were cunning, and with thousands of disciples competing, many would leave empty-handed.
“Wuxie, we’ve been walking for half a day. Why haven’t we seen a single astral beast?” He Yingwu asked.
“No hurry,” Liu Wuxie replied calmly. He had slowed his pace on purpose, cultivating as he traveled. His cultivation had stalled at the second level of the Transcendent Realm for days. He was only a step away from breaking through.
Elsewhere, disciples were already clashing with astral beasts. Even disciples hundreds of miles away felt the shockwaves of battle.
Liu Wuxie sat on a stone slab and began circulating the Desolate Devouring Art, drawing energy from the atmosphere.
“What is that boy doing? Why isn’t he hunting beasts? Has he given up on the second segment?” the elders outside muttered, their eyes fixed on him.
Contrary to their expectations, Liu Wuxie showed no urgency to hunt. He lingered, seemingly without purpose.
“With his intelligence, he must have guessed something,” admitted even the elders of the War Dragon and Dharma Institutes, though they disliked him. After observing him for over ten days, they could no longer deny his cunning. Every step he took carried intent.
“Hmph. Let’s see how he dies this time,” Huang Shan sneered. In his eyes, Liu Wuxie was only stalling. If he ventured too deep, powerful Origin Conversion Realm beasts would surely tear him apart.
The Heavenly Martial Institute’s four elders, however, watched with furrowed brows. Unlike the others, they understood Mu Heng’s scheme.
“Bina Larion, Hali Hong!” Liu Wuxie suddenly chanted, the strange syllables making He Yingwu stare in bewilderment.
“Wuxie, are you all right?” He Yingwu asked, worried. The words had sounded utterly foreign, nonsense to his ears.
“I’m familiarizing myself with the Beast-Taming Art,” Liu Wuxie explained without hiding it.
