Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1438 - Mud Pellets
Chapter 1438 – Mud Pellets
Most cultivators who arrived from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain headed straight toward the central region, since the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Grand Unity Sect were their first choices for trade. Although other sects offered items similar to Soul Stones, their versions contained far more impurities and were therefore cheaper.
The Divine Alchemy Sect had also created its own version of the Soul Pill, which Liu Wuxie had examined before, but its ability to increase soul energy was limited.
As for the Heavenly Dao Society, not a single cultivator from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain even glanced their way. They had no renowned expert sitting at their booth, so it was only natural that they failed to draw attention. On top of that, their booth sat at the very edge of the plaza, making it almost impossible for anyone to notice them.
Minor clans surrounded the Heavenly Dao Society’s booth, and while they didn’t sell treasures like Soul Stones, they offered strange weapons imbued with traces of soul energy.
This was simply another method of storing soul energy inside artifacts so that cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain could extract and use it after purchase.
After all, not everyone possessed the skill to refine Soul Pills. Storing soul energy in artifacts remained the most direct and reliable solution.
Liu Wuxie had already noticed that cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain focused their cultivation on soul energy. On average, their soul energy surpassed that of cultivators from the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, but their physical bodies were noticeably weaker.
They obviously excelled at soul-based attacks rather than physical combat.
“Soul energy… could the Spirit Clan be in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain?” Liu Wuxie closed his eyes and sank into deep thought, as there was nothing urgent to deal with at the moment.
The Spirit Clan’s Soul Forging Art was an extraordinary soul cultivation technique, and over the years, he had relied on it more than once to survive fatal crises.
Yet no matter how thoroughly he searched, Liu Wuxie hadn’t been able to find any traces of the Spirit Clan and could only shake his head, hoping that they hadn’t gone extinct.
If the Spirit Clan had truly gone extinct, the agreement between him and the Feathered Emperor would lose all meaning.
The Earth-Binding Chains belonged to the Spirit Clan, but Liu Wuxie hadn’t used them in a long time. He could only hope that one day he would fulfill his promise to the Feathered Emperor and return the Earth-Binding Chains to their rightful owners.
The exchange in the plaza continued as a steady stream of cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain crowded before the Heavenly Dragon Sect’s booth. In only two hours, the crowd had already traded away hundreds of Wisdom Stones.
In return, the Heavenly Dragon Sect obtained a large number of astral crystals and various treasures unique to the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. This was merely the first day; the cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain wouldn’t reveal their finest goods so early.
The Grand Unity Sect likewise acquired several hundred Soul Stones. Over the years, more and more Wisdom Stones and Soul Stones had flowed out to the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, but demand remained high.
“Master, what should we do? None of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain’s cultivators is coming our way,” Bi Gongyu said anxiously. They had refined so many Soul Pills that failing to sell them would be disastrous.
They had spent tens of millions of astral stones buying Soul Yang Herbs, not to mention the manpower and logistics behind them. Selling the Soul Pills was the only way to recover their investment and turn a profit.
“No hurry,” Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head as he gestured for Bi Gongyu to relax. Since their product was top-notch, he had no reason to fear that no one would notice it, just as fine wine never worried about being hidden in a narrow alley.
Even from afar, the Soul Pills’ energy had already begun to spread outward. By the end of the first day, the Divine Alchemy sect had also sold a considerable number of their own version of Soul Pills.
“Liu Wuxie, I didn’t expect you to be here as well. What the hell are these? They’re black and ugly,” said an elder from the Divine Alchemy Palace, appearing before the Heavenly Dao Society’s booth with apparent mockery in his eyes.
Liu Wuxie instantly recognized the speaker. It was Feng He, who had teamed up with Bai Ran to make trouble for him during the apprenticeship ceremony.
As a grandmaster alchemist of the Divine Alchemy Sect, it was only natural for him to attend this event.
Human cultivators had already started wandering between booths, searching for what they needed from other forces. The Divine Alchemy Sect’s main goal was to collect information on the pills sold by other sects and buy samples to study.
Two disciples followed behind Feng He, both at the pinnacle of the Void Realm.
“You have the guts to sell these mud pellets? Get lost and scram back to where you came from,” the two disciples mocked.
The Soul Pills refined by the Heavenly Dao Society were pitch-black and unappealing, resembling mud rolled into pellets. No wonder they became the subject of ridicule for the Divine Alchemy Sect’s disciples.
The Divine Alchemy Sect had allied itself with the Grand Unity Sect, so it was only natural for them to stand opposed to the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
Once they heard that Liu Wuxie was here, how could they pass up such a golden opportunity to strike at him?
“Get lost before I lose my temper,” Liu Wuxie said as his eyes snapped open. He had already expected the Divine Alchemy Sect to show up; they were most likely acting under the Grand Unity Sect’s orders.
He also knew that Elder Jian was hiding somewhere nearby, almost certainly relying on some powerful concealment artifact to mask his presence. But even without Elder Jian, Liu Wuxie still had Gong Gong.
After half a month of slumber, Gong Gong had fully awakened once more. This was his third awakening, and his aura now rivaled that of an expert at the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal Realm.
However, Gong Gong hadn’t immediately gone back into slumber, suggesting that he had reached some bottleneck. It was highly likely that the witcher energy within the desolate world could no longer support his continued growth.
The higher Liu Wuxie’s cultivation climbed, the stronger the Witcher Realm would become, and the faster Gong Gong’s strength would rise.
Gong Gong hadn’t spoken, but his expression alone told Liu Wuxie to advance to the Earth Immortal Realm as soon as possible.
If Liu Wuxie reached the Earth Immortal Realm, Gong Gong could enter a fourth or even fifth slumber and awaken at the Heaven Gaze Realm. Of course, stepping into the Earth Immortal Realm was no easy feat for Liu Wuxie.
Liu Wuxie didn’t speak loudly, but his voice still spread far. Everyone present possessed decent cultivation, and they could hear even a mosquito’s buzz, let alone his words.
Many cultivators turned toward Liu Wuxie, their expressions strange. Legends about him had long spread throughout the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.
“Liu Wuxie, did you just tell us to get lost?!” roared the two disciples standing behind Feng He.
The Divine Alchemy Sect wasn’t a first-tier sect, but because their pills were circulating throughout the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, their disciples received respect wherever they went.
Anyone who wished to buy their pills had to maintain a good relationship with them.
Last year, the Divine Alchemy Sect immediately blocklisted someone who spoke rudely to them. From that day on, the Divine Alchemy Sect never sold them a single pill, and that incident only fueled the sect’s arrogance until they practically saw themselves as a first-tier power.
“You heard me right. I told you lot to get lost,” Liu Wuxie repeated.
His blunt words instantly set off a stir, followed by bursts of laughter. Many cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain turned to look over, curious about the commotion, and a growing crowd began to gather.
Each sect had dispatched a sizable group, leaving only one or two people to guard their booths while the rest roamed freely to broaden their horizons.
Liu Wuxie had merely warned them earlier, but now, he had openly ridiculed them, making the three from the Divine Alchemy Sect tremble with rage.
“Why bother stooping low to his level? Does he really think that anyone will buy these ugly black lumps? What a joke!” sneered the Divine Alchemy Sect’s disciple on the left, mocking the Heavenly Dao Society in an attempt to salvage some pride.
“My senior brother is right. If you manage to sell these mud pellets, I’ll kneel and bark like a dog for you,” the disciple on the right added.
The Divine Alchemy Sect had already sold hundreds of pills and amassed a massive haul of astral crystals, along with several rare blacksmithing materials. It was only the first day, and ten more remained.
The Spirit Martial Astral Domain was rich in blacksmithing ores, especially astral crystals. A significant portion of the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain’s astral crystals came from there. Aside from the Blood Fiend Battlefield, the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain had only a few astral crystal mines, all controlled by powerful sects.
“Oh? Do you mean what you said?” Liu Wuxie asked with a devilish smile.
If a disciple of the Divine Alchemy Sect knelt and barked like a dog for him, the spectacle would shake the entire Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.
After all, the two disciples standing before him were clearly elites among the true disciples, given their cultivation at the pinnacle of the Void Realm. If they knelt and barked here, the Heavenly Dao Society’s name would spread overnight.
In the future, whenever people mentioned the Heavenly Dao Society, they would also remember how the Divine Alchemy Sect’s disciple had barked like a dog in public.
“Liu Wuxie, you’re not seriously deluded enough to think that anyone will buy these mud pellets, are you?” mocked the disciple on the left, whose name was Zhang Li. The disciple on the right was called Wang Lai.
Many cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain had arrived, but most sects hadn’t sold a single item yet, which was perfectly normal compared to previous years. Only the first-tier sects could consistently sell their products.
Some clans had been attending this event for decades without ever selling anything, as their goods didn’t suit the Spirit Martial Astral Domain’s needs. That was why no one believed a minor force like the Heavenly Dao Society could sell its products here.
The cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain weren’t fools. Since they came here strictly to trade, they naturally favored the well-known powers whose reputations and product quality stood in a league of their own.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect’s name was a golden brand even in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, and the same was true for the Grand Unity Sect, which was also widely recognized there.
The Divine Alchemy Sect had failed to embarrass Liu Wuxie during the apprenticeship ceremony, so they were determined to humiliate him here instead.
As the crowd around them swelled, many people wore amused expressions, but none stepped in.
Several elders from the Heavenly Dragon Sect wanted to interfere, yet Zhuge Ming stopped them with a shake of his head. He had witnessed Liu Wuxie’s capabilities firsthand when the latter treated his wife.
“Since you’re all so certain that these ‘mud pellets’ can’t be sold, why don’t we make a bet? If I manage to sell any, you will kneel and bark like a dog. Likewise, I will admit that these mud pellets are garbage if I can’t sell any,” Liu Wuxie said, smiling as he looked at the two Divine Alchemy Sect disciples.
Since the Divine Alchemy Sect had come seeking humiliation, there was no reason for Liu Wuxie to show them any mercy. But openly admitting that the ‘mud pellets’ were trash would deal a massive blow to the Heavenly Dao Society, and no one would ever buy from them again.
Zhang Li and Wang Lai both turned toward Feng He. They clearly wanted to accept the wager, but neither dared agree without Elder Feng’s approval.
“Add another condition on top of that. If you can’t sell these mud pellets, the Heavenly Dao Society isn’t allowed to step into the alchemy market in the future,” Feng He said.
By now, everyone knew how skilled Liu Wuxie was in alchemy, and the Divine Alchemy Sect had already received word that the Heavenly Dao Society planned to enter the alchemy market.
That condition was the same as pulling the ground from beneath the Heavenly Dao Society’s feet. If Liu Wuxie failed to sell a single “mud pellet,” the Heavenly Dao Society would be barred from competing with the Divine Alchemy Sect in alchemy ever again.
It was a ruthless move aimed at cutting off their lifeline.
This was no longer a trivial quarrel but a calculated attempt by the Divine Alchemy Sect to blacklist the Heavenly Dao Society from the alchemy world entirely.
The events on the True Martial Star had already spread far and wide. In just a single year, Liu Wuxie had elevated the Heavenly Dao Society into a superpower on that planet, enough to make the Grand Unity Sect treat them as a serious threat.
In their eyes, the only solution was to crush the Heavenly Dao Society while it was still in its cradle and leave it with no chance to grow.
