Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1266 - Lineup
Chapter 1266 – Lineup
Liu Wuxie drew a long, steady breath, calmed the tremor in his chest, and said, “I’m fine.”
He had no intention of discussing what happened in Mount Dragon City. The fewer who knew, the better. Instead, his mind raced. Hua Feiyu, the sect master of the Heavenly Dragon Sect, had clearly taken notice of him, and that alone was good news.
For months, he had deliberately showcased his talent to catch the eyes of the sect’s upper echelons. Why Hua Feiyu had intervened, striking at the mysterious black figure to save him, remained unclear.
Perhaps the sect master saw his potential; perhaps there were other reasons.
Either way, the outcome favored him. If he could prove his value, he believed the Heavenly Dragon Sect would support establishing an interstellar teleportation array.
“Elder Long, help me register for every other event in the Myriad Race Ceremony,” he said after another measured breath.
He had been hesitating before, but Hua Feiyu’s appearance changed everything. This was a golden opportunity.
The Myriad Race Ceremony carried the sect’s reputation on its shoulders. If he achieved a strong result, he could win resources for the Heavenly Dragon Sect. With enough resources, he would have leverage in negotiations.
“No. The other events are too dangerous,” Elder Long refused without a heartbeat’s pause. Blacksmithing and alchemy were one thing, but the Divine Sun-Shooting Tower claimed lives, and even Primal Origin Realm cultivators died there.
Elder Long already regarded Liu Wuxie as a successor of the dragon clan; he would not let him gamble his life.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. This is my chance to showcase my talent,” Liu Wuxie replied with an easy smile. He had reasons for his decision and ways to survive even against Primal Origin Realm experts.
“I know you want to prove yourself,” Elder Long said, voice softening, “but there’s no need to rush.”
He understood Liu Wuxie’s urgency and knew the young man was willing to wager everything to establish his worth. But in his eyes, it was too hasty. As long as Liu Wuxie lived, opportunities would continue to arise beyond this one ceremony.
“I’ve made up my mind. Please register as I asked,” Liu Wuxie said. Once he had decided on something, no one could sway him against it. The Myriad Race Ceremony was a rare chance. If he placed in the top three in the blacksmithing event, he could obtain the Dragon Origin Herb.
If he scored well across the board, the entire Heavenly Dragon Sect would see him in a new light. More importantly, Elder Long had told him that every event offered rewards, especially to the top three.
Time pressed on him. Even with an interstellar teleportation array, failing to reach the Void Realm would render it meaningless. He would strike two targets at once—prove his value and seize resources to accelerate his cultivation.
Elder Long sighed. Stopping Liu Wuxie now would be futile. Even if he refused to register him, the boy would find another way to enter the events.
After taking his leave, Liu Wuxie returned to his residence. With his cultivation at the fourth level of the Origin Conversion Realm, he could complete the formalities and become an inner disciple whenever he cared to. He had no time for that now. He would rest for the day and depart for White Moon Valley.
His sudden return shook the sect. Many had heard he’d died outside; seeing him alive and at the fourth level of the Origin Conversion Realm stunned them further.
Disciples who’d entered the sect at the same time as he had were still struggling at the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm, and Liu Wuxie had already left them far behind.
He had just shut his gate and prepared to leave when a surge of dragon aura lashed toward him. He slipped aside, and the boulder beside him exploded into shards.
“Pretty fast reaction.” A cold voice came from behind him.
Liu Wuxie turned to find a young man standing not far away, smiling faintly.
“Who are you, and why did you attack me?” Liu Wuxie asked, eyes turning cold. The youth had launched a sneak attack and possessed a True Dragon Physique no weaker than his own. The dragon aura clearly came from this youth.
“My name is Hua Haosheng, a true disciple. Let’s be friends,” the youth said, halting five steps from Liu Wuxie with an aloof air. He stood at the pinnacle of the Primal Origin Realm, one step from the Void Realm.
One more step, and the sect could promote him to holy son, a revered status in the sect. Outer disciples usually fawned over him; by speaking politely to Liu Wuxie, he felt he had lowered himself more than enough.
Outer disciples crowded around the residence but dared not approach, as the pressure rolling off Hua Haosheng suppressed them.
“Not interested,” Liu Wuxie said. He had no desire to befriend anyone who opened with a sneak attack, and the murderous intent in Hua Haosheng’s eyes spoke for his ulterior motives. Petty schemes like that never slipped past Liu Wuxie’s notice. He turned toward his residence, ignoring the youth.
“Hold it right there!” Hua Haosheng roared. In his view, he had already given Liu Wuxie face by extending a friendly hand, and Liu Wuxie had snubbed him for it.
His mask dropped. A crushing pressure exploded from him as dense Primal Origin Realm laws pressed down on Liu Wuxie’s shoulders like a mountain. Liu Wuxie merely circulated the Desolate Devouring Art and dissolved the suppression with ease; Hua Haosheng’s eyes narrowed.
“Anything else?” Liu Wuxie asked, turning back with a cool smirk. Hua Haosheng clearly believed any outer disciple would curry favor with him. He had picked the wrong person.
“I want to buy the dragon’s blood and the Dragon-Grasping Hand,” Hua Haosheng said at last, revealing his purpose.
Liu Wuxie had obtained the dragon’s blood more than a month ago, and Hua Haosheng had not let it go. He’d come every few days, only to find Liu Wuxie gone for an entire month.
“Not interested,” Liu Wuxie said, stepping into his courtyard. He shut the doors, sealing out the world. He had already refined the dragon’s blood, and even if he hadn’t, he would not sell it.
As for the Dragon-Grasping Hand, he would not teach it without Elder Long’s permission. Even Xiao Luo had received only the Great Asura Sword Art, not the Dragon-Grasping Hand.
Hua Haosheng’s expression darkened. This was the first time anyone had refused him so bluntly.
“Liu Wuxie, you’re courting death!” he shouted. Elder Long had rejected him; now a mere outer disciple had done the same. Rage burned through him.
Liu Wuxie heard the threat and ignored it. The entire sect busied itself with preparations for the Myriad Race Ceremony; no one would care about a scuffle here.
He returned to his room and sat cross-legged to cultivate. The Ancestral Tree in his sea of consciousness began to sway, lusher and more vigorous after absorbing the trunk.
“The Ancestral Tree has been warning me that the divine race has come to Indigo Bamboo Star,” he murmured.
He had received several warnings back in Mount Dragon City, but he had set them aside back then, as he was too focused on his cultivation to do anything about them. If the divine race were to learn that he possessed the Ancestral Tree, they would not let him live. He put that danger aside again for the moment and reviewed what he knew about the Myriad Race Ceremony.
At its prime, ten thousand races participated, and the festival once swept across the Indigo Bamboo Star—hence its name. Strict rules governed entry: no cultivators above the Void Realm; no one below the Transcendent Realm. Race and age did not matter. Even the demon clan could compete.
During the ceremony, the younger generation of the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain gathered in one place. To fan the flames, Emperor Haoyuan had created the Rising Storm Ranking to record the names of those who achieved outstanding results.
Over the years, the Rising Storm Ranking had recorded thousands of names, every one a peerless prodigy of their era.
The organizers divided the ceremony into four events: Alchemy, Blacksmithing, Spiritual Talismans, and the Divine Sun-Shooting Tower. Each touched a cornerstone of cultivation. The Divine Sun-Shooting Tower, packed with spiritual arrays, proved the most dangerous; every cycle claimed lives.
The festival was no mere celebration. Even blacksmithing carried risk. Competitors had to procure their own materials within the designated area in White Moon Valley. Better materials meant higher-grade finished artifacts. Skill mattered, but so did luck. Failure to find good materials meant one’s placement would suffer.
Compared to the other three, blacksmithing proved relatively safe, but each event had its own unique character. From the map Liu Wuxie had studied, White Moon Valley sprawled like a world of its own, complete with mountains, swamps, rivers, lakes, and even seas.
On the second day, the Heavenly Dragon Sect roared to life—departure day for White Moon Valley. This time, the sect fielded a fearsome contingent: three thousand disciples. Some volunteered; leaders appointed others. No one wanted to miss the ceremony. A top-ten finish could bring resources that propelled cultivation forward.
Liu Wuxie left his courtyard for the assembly point. Many elders would lead the group, and experts from the Earth Immortal Realm would accompany them. Those not competing had already gone ahead to White Moon Valley to claim the best positions. Experts from other planets had also arrived. Thousands of planets participated, including representatives from Sky Cloud Star and Tranquil Meteor Star.
By the time Liu Wuxie reached the rendezvous point, the martial field was already teeming with people. Nearly half were at the Primal Origin Realm. Quite a few
Origin Conversion Realm disciples also attended, though almost all stood at the eighth or ninth level. Few stood at the lower levels, and the fact immediately made Liu Wuxie stand out.
Heads turned to him the moment he appeared.
“It’s him!” Inner disciples who had seen him in the Book Collection Pavilion recognized him immediately. Thousands of gazes converged, a tidal wave of attention he ignored as he closed his eyes and stilled his breath.
“He actually reached the fourth level of the Origin Conversion Realm? So fast?!” Murmurs rippled through the crowd, the speed of his ascent leaving them stunned.
