Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1456 - All-Out Battle
Chapter 1456 – All-Out Battle
Everyone could no longer describe what they felt; each of them sensed their dao hearts shatter.
“There’s also a problem with my artifact spirit. Can you help me repair it?” Dozens of people rushed over in the blink of an eye, all eager to have their artifact spirits repaired.
“It’s only a demonstration today. If you want to purchase the blacksmithing rune, please visit the Heavenly Dao Society,” Hu Shi replied as he shook his head. His answer matched Lan Yu’s word-for-word, and they still refused to accept any orders. They had once asked their master the very same question.
However, Liu Wuxie had only responded with a mysterious smile. Every one of his schemes linked seamlessly to the next, and Nightmare City served merely as his opening move. The time to accept orders had not arrived yet.
The surrounding cultivators couldn’t understand why Liu Wuxie would pass up such a perfect opportunity to take orders.
Even the upper echelons of the Heavenly Dao Society and the Heavenly Dragon Sect failed to grasp what went on in Liu Wuxie’s mind. His methods were far too secretive and unpredictable for anyone to see through.
What looked like a casual gesture actually hid countless traps, and one misstep would see them die without ever knowing why. This wasn’t the first time he killed without drawing blood.
People around the platform clawed at their heads in frustration. They desperately wanted to buy a blacksmithing rune, yet the Heavenly Dao Society rejected every single one of them.
Even when many sects tried to sweeten their offers, Liu Wuxie refused to budge.
“All of you shut up! This young master is about to take the stage!” Song Ling yelled as he strode forward, instantly diverting the attention of those still clamoring for blacksmithing runes.
“What is the Heavenly Dao Society going to display this time?” By now, everyone had grown half-numb, since everything the Heavenly Dao Society revealed so far had shaken the foundations of the cultivation world.
If Liu Wuxie’s display continued like this, the other sects could lose their businesses altogether, and they would be forced to cooperate with the Heavenly Dao Society, as that would be their only option.
“This is a talisman rune with the same effect as the array rune and blacksmithing rune. After fusing it into a profound talisman, it can increase the level by an entire grade,” Song Ling said. He kept it brief, then swiped his finger through the air to draw out a rune.
Everyone’s expression changed the moment they saw the talisman rune.
“What profound talisman rune!” An elder from the Divine Sun-Moon Palace stepped forward, shock etched across his face. No one in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain understood profound talismans better than they did, and the majority of the profound talismans on the market originated from their sect.
“This is a seventh-grade profound talisman, and it has already reached its limit. Can you really raise it by another level?” asked the same elder from the Divine Sun-Moon Palace as he took out a profound talisman.
Everyone watched intently while Song Ling fused the talisman rune into the profound talisman.
The crowd swiftly backed away, knowing that forcing a rune into a profound talisman usually ended with the talisman detonating, and within moments, a vast clearing opened around them. Even the elders of the Divine Sun-Moon Palace retreated to a safe distance.
The profound talisman twisted in mid-air as the talisman rune burrowed into it like an earthworm, spreading through every inch of the talisman’s structure.
The process lasted for roughly a minute before the profound talisman finally settled down.
“That’s it?” asked the elder of the Divine Sun-Moon Palace as he carefully stepped forward to inspect the profound talisman. The others still refused to approach and could only probe it at a distance with their divine senses.
“This is interesting. Someone has completely rearranged the profound talisman’s spiritual runes,” the Divine Sun-Moon Palace’s elder exclaimed.
He had forged this profound talisman with great effort, yet it had remained stuck at the pinnacle of seventh grade for a long time with no path forward. A tiny talisman rune had just resolved that problem in an instant.
Over on the Grand Unity Sect’s side, everyone kept silent while an invisible murderous intent slowly spread out from their ranks. The entire exhibition segment had turned into a one-man show for the Heavenly Dao Society.
This year’s event in Nightmare City was drawing to a close, and every other sect’s products had lost their luster before the Heavenly Dao Society’s wares.
“Wuxie, the Grand Unity Sect is going to make a move,” Zhuge Ming said after sensing that faint thread of killing intent. The items the Heavenly Dao Society had just revealed were no longer a simple commercial threat to the Grand Unity Sect.
If the Heavenly Dao Society put them onto the market, the consequences for the Grand Unity Sect would be disastrous.
However, even that was secondary. When Liu Wuxie stubbornly refused to accept any orders on the spot, the Grand Unity Sect caught a glimpse of the greater plan behind his actions.
If Liu Wuxie’s plan succeeded, the blow to the Grand Unity Sect and the Divine Alchemy Sect would be devastating.
Just moments ago, Elder Yan had successfully contacted the sect master, who had ordered them to kill Liu Wuxie at all costs, just as they had attempted to do during the Myriad Race Ceremony.
“I’ve waited a long time for them,” Liu Wuxie said with a cold smirk. This was precisely why he had arranged for Lan Yu, Hu Shi, and Song Ling to take turns on stage. Every performance had one goal: to force the Grand Unity Sect and the Divine Alchemy Sect into an all-out war so he could collect some interest today.
“All irrelevant people, leave immediately!” Feng He roared, hurling a palm strike straight at Liu Wuxie.
If he could kill Liu Wuxie, he could finally vent the hatred that had been festering in his chest.
Everyone nearby froze in disbelief, including cultivators from the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. The exhibition segment hadn’t even ended yet, so no one understood why the Divine Alchemy Sect suddenly attacked Liu Wuxie.
The assault came far too abruptly, catching everyone off guard. Still, they retreated without hesitation, unwilling to be dragged into the coming slaughter.
“Don’t you think it’s too late to strike now?” Liu Wuxie replied with a devilish smile that instantly sent chills down the spines of everyone in the Divine Alchemy Sect. They had a terrible premonition, but they couldn’t put it into words.
“Feng He, you’re courting death!” Zhuge Ming struck, his palm crashing down toward Feng He.
“Zhuge Ming, your opponent is me,” Elder Yan said as he made his move. Dozens of experts from the Grand Unity Sect surged forward, forming a triangular siege with the Divine Alchemy Sect and the Giant Spirit Hall.
This was the first time Liu Wuxie had ever seen Elder Jian draw his sword. The instant the blade left its sheath, the sky itself changed; the sun and moon dimmed, and darkness shrouded the heavens above Nightmare City.
“We’ll help as well. Let’s support the Heavenly Dragon Sect!” Several sects on good terms with the Heavenly Dragon Sect stepped forward and prepared to join the battle.
“Everyone, fall back! We don’t need any help to deal with garbage like them!” Liu Wuxie yelled as everyone from the Heavenly Dao Society leaped into action, forming a tight encirclement around the Grand Unity Sect, the Divine Alchemy Sect, and the Giant Spirit Hall.
“What a joke. Do you really think a bunch of garbage can trap us?” Zhang Li sneered coldly.
The Heavenly Dao Society had brought fifty or sixty people into Nightmare City, but only Luo Hai truly counted as an expert.
A’Li stepped out and swung his fist, blasting Zhang Li and Wang Lai flying.
Zhuge Ming and Elder Yan clashed fiercely, neither able to gain the upper hand. Elder Jian, however, intercepted Feng He and severed his arm with a single stroke.
Today, Elder Jian stood as the most terrifying existence on the field, and the clash quickly erupted into a full-blown war. The remaining elders from the Grand Unity Sect charged straight toward Liu Wuxie without a shred of hesitation.
“Everyone, attack with everything we’ve got! Don’t let them escape!” Experts from the Divine Alchemy Sect and the Giant Spirit Hall rushed forward while elites like Elder Yan kept powerhouses such as Zhuge Ming pinned down.
The battle soon settled into a stalemate, and the situation turned dangerous for the Heavenly Dao Society. The Heavenly Dragon Sect had brought only a few experts, and Liu Wuxie’s refusal to allow other sects to intervene pushed them into an even more disadvantageous position.
“What the hell is Liu Wuxie doing? Why isn’t he letting the other sects help?” asked the elder of the Nine Dragon Palace, his face full of confusion.
Over the years, the Heavenly Dragon Sect had gathered many allies, such as the Heavenly Fire Villa and the Windfull Pavilion. These forces were no match for the Divine Alchemy Sect.
“Quick, go protect Liu Wuxie!” Zhuge Ming forced Elder Yan back with a palm strike and shouted at the others to move toward Liu Wuxie.
It was a spectacular scene to watch more than ten experts at the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal Realm unleash their attacks at once. Strangely, though, their combined onslaught failed to damage Nightmare City in the slightest. The blue stone slabs beneath their feet remained completely unscathed.
Right at that moment, a glowing orb appeared in the hand of every member of the Heavenly Dao Society.
Zhuge Ming’s aura continued to climb. He didn’t have the time to worry about Liu Wuxie when he faced two peak Earth Immortal Realm opponents at once.
Elder Jian was in the same predicament, besieged by the combined forces of the Grand Unity Sect’s elders and the experts from the Giant Spirit Hall.
“What is Liu Wuxie trying to do? Is he going to watch as members of the Heavenly Dao Society die right before his eyes?” The elder of the Heavenly Fire Villa could hardly bear to watch. If they had joined the fray earlier, they might have kept the battle balanced, making it far harder for the Grand Unity Sect to kill Liu Wuxie.
“Let’s just watch. I believe Liu Wuxie must have his reasons,” said the elder of the Windfull Pavilion, choosing to trust Liu Wuxie’s judgment.
A series of explosions thundered across the battlefield as violent shockwaves forced Qiao Bian, Han Feizi, and the others to retreat. The enemy drove them out of the core of the battlefield.
The Universal Gourd appeared above and hovered quietly in the air, ready to pull them in at any time.
“Elder Zhuge, Elder Jian, prepare to retreat!” Liu Wuxie said, quietly transmitting his voice to the Heavenly Dragon Sect elders and telling them to wait for his signal.
“Alright!” Zhuge Ming said. He decided to place his complete trust in Liu Wuxie.
Elder Jian nodded.
Meanwhile, the elders of the Divine Alchemy Sect and the Giant Spirit Hall had already forced their way to within fifty meters of Liu Wuxie.
“Liu Wuxie, die!” The elder of the Giant Spirit Hall let out a vicious laugh. At last, he had a chance to vent the humiliation of being slapped by Elder Jian earlier.
“Do you really think trash like you can kill me? What a joke!” Liu Wuxie mocked, and a sphere of light shot out from his palm.
With a sharp buzz, space trembled, and a figure emerged, standing in front of the two elders of the Giant Spirit Hall.
“What’s that?” The elders of the Giant Spirit Hall jolted in alarm. The figure before them had no physical body, yet it wasn’t a simple soul either; its existence felt utterly bizarre.
The onlookers were just as stunned, since none of them had ever seen anything like it.
“Isn’t that Shen Tian? I remember that Liu Wuxie had already killed him!” Someone recognized the figure as Shen Tian, a man whom Liu Wuxie had once slain.
“It’s the Martial Soul Art!” The events on the Celestial Jade Star had already spread far and wide, and it was now common knowledge that Liu Wuxie had mastered the Martial Soul Art, allowing him to create all kinds of martial souls to battle.
“It’s just a mere trick. Do you think a mere third-level of the Earth Immortal Realm can stop me?” The Giant Spirit Hall’s elder snorted. He didn’t even regard Shen Tian’s martial soul as worth his attention.
After all, Shen Tian had only reached the third-level Earth Immortal Realm, and even empowered by Liu Wuxie’s Martial Soul Art, the martial soul would at best rival a fifth-level Earth Immortal Realm expert.
The Giant Spirit Hall’s elder couldn’t compare to Elder Yan, but his cultivation stood at the seventh-level Earth Immortal Realm.
He felt more than confident dealing with Shen Tian’s martial soul, and it was no surprise that he looked down on it.
“Back away!” Liu Wuxie roared.
Zhuge Ming and Elder Jian did not hesitate and immediately retreated beyond the perimeter together with the other elders of the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
At that very moment, the Universal Gourd swelled in size.
Glowing orbs flew from the hands of every member of the Heavenly Dao Society. As soon as those light spheres left their bodies, everyone from the Heavenly Dragon Sect and the Heavenly Dao Society, Liu Wuxie included, vanished without a trace into the Universal Gourd.
Luo Hai and the others had only recently learned the Martial Soul Art, and Liu Wuxie had ordered them to throw out every martial soul they had prepared.
In an instant, hundreds of glowing orbs streaked in from all directions, filling the battlefield with a dazzling sight.
