Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1412 - Jian Yiming
Chapter 1412 – Jian Yiming
The Heavenly Dragon Sect’s guest quarters were already filled even before the day of the apprenticeship ceremony. The sect even opened a special zone to house the upper echelons from the many different sects.
Countless prodigies also flocked to the Heavenly Dragon Sect, all drawn by Liu Wuxie’s fame. Many cultivators had never received an invitation at all and came purely as onlookers, hoping to catch a single glimpse of Liu Wuxie.
After all, the number of cultivators in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain was beyond counting, and only hundreds of thousands had qualified to participate in the Myriad Race Ceremony.
“The Grand Unity Sect has arrived!” The elder in charge of receiving guests announced loudly so the greeters could prepare themselves.
“The Grand Unity Sect came? I don’t remember us sending them an invitation,” discussed a few reception elders, exchanging uneasy looks. They honestly did not know whether they should even receive the Grand Unity Sect.
In the distance, tens of thousands of cultivators gathered from every corner of the astral domain, hailing from countless planets and forces, all turned to look when they heard that the Grand Unity Sect had arrived.
“What’s going on? The Grand Unity Sect and the Heavenly Dragon Sect have always been enemies, and it has been hundreds of thousands of years since they last had any interaction. Why did they show up uninvited?” asked the Profound Azure Gate’s sect master.
There were many forces in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, but only the Grand Unity Sect deserved to be called a super sect.
Since that ancient battle, the Heavenly Dragon Sect had declined to the level of a first-tier sect. Even so, among the first-tier sects, the Heavenly Dragon Sect still stood at the very top.
Aside from the Profound Azure Gate, the other first-tier sects included the Nine Dragon Palace, the Divine Sun-Moon Palace, the Comet Temple, the White Mist Villa, the Absolute Frost Palace, and many others. Without exception, every one of them ranked among the strongest forces in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.
“This is getting interesting. The Grand Unity Sect actually showed up uninvited. I’m afraid that the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s apprenticeship ceremony won’t go so smoothly now,” said the lord of the White Mist Villa, stroking his beard with an odd expression.
As the upper echelons of the various great powers in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, they naturally knew one another. They gathered together, chatted over tea, and, unsurprisingly, most of their conversation revolved around Liu Wuxie.
“Let’s see how the Heavenly Dragon Sect will handle this. Since the Grand Unity Sect dared to come, they must’ve come prepared.
“It’s a big occasion today for the Heavenly Dragon Sect, and the Heavenly Dragon Sect won’t make trouble with the Grand Unity Sect openly because guests are guests,” said the palace lord of the Nine Dragon Palace.
The reception elders and disciples instantly felt unsure about how to handle the situation. They decided to report it to the sect’s upper echelons.
The elder leading the Grand Unity Sect’s delegation had gray hair and sharp features; his very presence resembled a longsword.
More importantly, the aura he exuded had already brushed against the Quasi-Immortal Realm. He was not the sect master of the Grand Unity Sect, but his cultivation alone proved that his status was extraordinary.
“I didn’t expect the Grand Unity Sect to send out Senior Jian Yiming. He rose to prominence hundreds of thousands of years ago, and he hasn’t appeared in public for a long time until now,” whispered the Absolute Frost Palace’s palace master, clearly recognizing the Grand Unity Sect’s leader.
Hundreds of thousands of years earlier, Jian Yiming had blazed across the heavens like a rising star, with rumors claiming that his swordsmanship had reached a level comparable to immortals.
However, he had not drawn his sword in public for a very long time, and no one knew how terrifying his sword arts had become at this point.
Even so, his three disciples were famous throughout the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain. His eldest disciple, Song Siqi, was publicly hailed as the Sword Emperor; his second disciple, Wei Tong, bore the title of Sword King; and his third disciple, Pei Hong, carried the name of Sword Maniac.
The three disciples each possessed their own unique strengths, and the eldest, Song Siqi, had inherited Jian Yiming’s legacy in full, even comprehending the Sky Soaring Sword.
The origin of Jian Yiming’s name lay in that very Sky Soaring Sword. Even now, no one had ever successfully broken that sword style. As for Jian Yiming’s original name, no one remembered it anymore; it had long faded into obscurity.
People only remembered his breathtaking sword, and thus he became known as Jian Yiming—the sword that only rang once.
Standing behind him was a man in his thirties with a sword strapped to his back. He was Song Siqi, Jian Yiming’s eldest disciple. Pei Hong stood behind Song Siqi, while Jian Yiming’s second disciple, Wei Tong, was absent—rumor had it he had ventured into the starry skies in search of materials for forging a sword.
The presence of these three alone drew countless gazes. Pei Hong’s swordsmanship was slightly inferior to that of his senior brother, but he could still be considered invincible among his peers.
Pei Hong did not practice the Sky Soaring Sword but a peerless sword technique that Jian Yiming had obtained beyond the astral domain—the God Slaughtering Sword—which he had specifically passed on to Pei Hong.
This sword technique was famed for its extreme speed and power. It focused on unleashing a single fatal strike that melded speed and force into one, which was precisely how the sword art had earned its name.
No one knew whether the Sky Soaring Sword or the God Slaughtering Sword was stronger than the other, as the two had never clashed in earnest.
However, there were rumors that Song Siqi’s swordsmanship surpassed his master’s, as he had devoted himself to the sword to the extent of taking the life of his wife, who had grown up with him.
After severing all emotional ties, Song Siqi finally comprehended the supreme sword intent of the Sky Soaring Sword to the point that even Jian Yiming occasionally sighed and admitted he was inferior to his own disciple.
Then again, Song Siqi was a ruthless man who had killed his wife to prove his devotion to the dao.
Jian Yiming ignored the murmurs around him, acting as though he hadn’t heard a single word. His presence alone made it obvious why the Grand Unity Sect had sent the three of them here.
“Is this how the Heavenly Dragon Sect treats your guests? Your guests are here, and you let them stand here waiting?” Jian Yiming questioned, waving his hand as a thin sword aura shot out, surging forward like a torrent of steel needles.
The reception elders, all at the Void Realm, failed to withstand the pressure of someone on the verge of the Quasi-Immortal Realm and retreated under that crushing might.
The Grand Unity Sect’s display of force amounted to a blatant challenge to the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
Buzzing sounds rippled through the surrounding space as an elderly man stepped out of the spatial distortions and waved his hand, releasing an invisible force that scattered the strands of sword aura.
An upper echelon of the Heavenly Dragon Sect had arrived, and Liu Wuxie would have recognized this elder immediately had he been present. The elder was Chi Heng, the first to support Liu Wuxie’s proposal to build the interstellar teleportation array aside from Zhuge Ming.
“Chi Heng, you’re too late,” Jian Yiming said, looking at the elder with a faint smile. He refrained from attacking further; with a Heaven Gaze Realm expert from the Heavenly Dragon Sect present, there was no way a real fight would break out here.
Besides, starting a battle on someone else’s territory would be sheer foolishness, and they would ultimately suffer the greater loss.
“Our Heavenly Dragon Sect is naturally honored to be in the presence of the Grand Unity Sect giving their congratulations,” Chi Heng said, extending his hand in welcome.
Since the guests had already arrived, turning them away would only make the Heavenly Dragon Sect appear narrow-minded.
Moreover, the Grand Unity Sect had only sent three people, and the Heavenly Dragon Sect had no justifiable reason to refuse them entry.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect could not afford even the slightest mishap during today’s ceremony. If the Grand Unity Sect dared to cause trouble, the Heavenly Dragon Sect would surely react, as they were by no means an easy target to bully.
Chi Heng personally led the three of them to a fine courtyard with conditions superior to those of the other sects. No one voiced any objections; in fact, most of the guests preferred to stay as far away from the Grand Unity Sect as possible.
Thanks to the events at the Myriad Race Ceremony and in the Blood Fiend Battlefield, the Grand Unity Sect’s reputation plummeted to the abyss. Combined with the oppressive aura Jian Yiming exuded, which made everyone uncomfortable, no one dared approach the three of them lightly.
“The three of you can rest here for now. Someone will come to escort you when the ceremony begins, and do forgive us if there’s any discourtesy,” Chi Heng said.
His courtesy remained flawless, leaving Jian Yiming with no opening to find fault when it came to the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s hospitality and arrangements.
After Chi Heng departed, Jian Yiming waved his hand and unfolded his domain, enveloping the entire courtyard and turning it into an independent world that not even a Quasi-Immortal’s divine sense could penetrate.
“Master, is that Liu Wuxie really that much of a monster as rumored?” Pei Hong asked. They had roamed the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain for more than a decade and met countless so-called prodigies, yet without exception, all those geniuses had died under their swords.
He and his senior brother had been outside training for the past six months and didn’t know much about what had happened in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain during their absence. They had just returned and were immediately greeted by wave after wave of stories about Liu Wuxie.
The Grand Unity Sect had probably sent the three of them here to humiliate Liu Wuxie, and everyone could see through that goal, but no one said it openly.
Since the Grand Unity Sect had come, however, the Heavenly Dragon Sect would still receive them as guests, whether they chose open challenges or petty schemes.
“Do not underestimate him,” Jian Yiming said. A man of few words, he always spoke sharply, like a sword itself, even when instructing his disciples.
“Master, why don’t we…?” Song Siqi asked, sliding his thumb across his own neck, clearly suggesting that they kill Liu Wuxie during the apprenticeship ceremony.
If they actually killed Liu Wuxie during the ceremony, the three of them would never leave the Heavenly Dragon Sect alive.
“Just probing is enough and nothing more. Hua Feiyu will be present, and it won’t be easy to kill Liu Wuxie,” Jian Yiming said. Trying to kill a Heavenly Dragon Sect disciple on the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s own grounds was no different from courting death.
“I really don’t understand what’s going on in Shi Yuan’s head for him to grow so afraid of Liu Wuxie. He even told the sect master to kill Liu Wuxie, even if we have to go as far as waging war on the Grand Unity Sect. How can there be someone stronger than Senior Brother?” Pei Hong said angrily.
The Grand Unity Sect had initially planned not to send anyone to the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s apprenticeship ceremony at all. Only after Shi Yuan returned did he persuade the sect to eliminate Liu Wuxie at any cost.
No one understood Liu Wuxie’s terrifying potential better than Shi Yuan. Despite only being at the Primal Origin Realm, Liu Wuxie had managed to instill fear in an Earth Immortal like him.
If news of that were to spread, people would refuse to believe it.
Only four hours remained before the auspicious time for the ceremony, which was when Liu Wuxie would finally emerge from the Immortal Stone Cave. They had allotted him only two days, but he actually cultivated inside for nearly three days without interruption.
In fact, everyone wished he could stay in seclusion even longer.
Anyone with discernment could tell that the apprenticeship ceremony would be anything but simple, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface.
The first-tier sects were even looking forward to the Grand Unity Sect waging war on the Heavenly Dragon Sect. If the two forces truly clashed, every other sect would gain a chance to carve out a piece of their territory.
The power structure in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain had remained unchanged for hundreds of thousands of years, and many people had long grown bored with the status quo. This was especially true for the older generation, who cast hopeful gazes at the younger prodigies, wishing that the rising stars could overturn the situation and lead their sects to soar into the heavens.
“Junior Brother Liu, it’s getting late. Please bathe and change as soon as possible,” said a man in his thirties. He had been waiting outside the Immortal Stone Cave for Liu Wuxie, and he stepped forward with a smile as soon as he saw him emerge.
“And you are?” Liu Wuxie asked.
“My name is Shi Lu, and Elder Chi Heng is my master. This apprenticeship ceremony is being organized and overseen by my master,” the youth said, introducing himself politely.
“Greetings, Senior Brother Shi Lu!” Liu Wuxie said quickly, cupping his fists in salute.
He remembered Elder Chi Heng clearly. He was the elder who had stood firmly on his side during the heated debate in the main hall and had even offended the Lingqiong Clan for his sake.
It was almost certain that the Lingqiong Clan would also attend this ceremony.
