Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1529 - Bottom of the Mysterious Canyon
Chapter 1529 – Bottom of the Mysterious Canyon
This territory lay deserted, and every cultivator who came had terrifying cultivation; even the slightest misstep in speech could easily invite disaster.
Liu Wuxie wouldn’t have feared such a crowd at his peak, but he needed to keep a low profile right now. He dragged Achiel into a concealed spot, then sat down to rest.
“Tell me more about the Sacred Soul Flower,” Liu Wuxie said. He had no memory of it, and it should have been a local treasure of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. Many details never made it into the records of the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.
“Rumors say the Sacred Soul Flower is a holy flower that blooms only once every ten thousand years,” Achiel said, sharing everything he knew. “Each time it blooms, it won’t last more than three days, and it will wither on its own if it isn’t collected.”
“What else?” Liu Wuxie asked. He refused to believe that a single holy flower could draw so many experts unless it were an invaluable treasure.
“The Sacred Soul Flower contains powerful soul laws,” Achiel continued. “Once refined, it will bring unimaginable benefits to the soul sea. If you can get your hands on it, the Soul Forge Art will be able to undergo a qualitative transformation.”
Liu Wuxie lifted a brow. He had planned to resume their journey immediately, yet he hadn’t expected the Sacred Soul Flower to carry such miraculous value. He had already pushed the Soul Forge Art to its limit, and while it had improved slightly since entering the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, the effect still felt small, raising its power only by a narrow margin.
If he refined the Sacred Soul Flower, it wouldn’t just transform his soul, but it would also strengthen his primordial spirit. Moreover, he would have a higher chance of reaching the third-level Earth Immortal Realm by relying on the Sacred Soul Flower.
This trip to the Spirit Martial Astral Domain brimmed with danger. Just because the Grand Unity Sect wasn’t here to hunt him didn’t mean he was safe; the Spirit Martial Astral Domain wasn’t his territory, and he had to weigh every step.
“Is there any phenomenon when the Sacred Soul Flower appears?” Liu Wuxie asked. The mountain range stretched vast, and some sign had to accompany the Sacred Soul Flower’s emergence.
“There will be rainbow light appearing in the sky at night,” Achiel said, describing the phenomenon tied to the Sacred Soul Flower’s appearance.
The last time the Sacred Soul Flower had appeared was ten thousand years ago, and Achiel had only learned about it from books within the Spirit Clan. Just last night, a rainbow light had appeared in the sky, and it made sense that Liu Wuxie and Achiel hadn’t known, since they had only arrived today.
A day had already passed, leaving only two days before the flower withered. If no one found the Sacred Soul Flower, it would wither, and everyone would have to wait another ten thousand years.
As the sky gradually darkened, bonfires lit up across the mountain range, and far more cultivators had gathered than Liu Wuxie had expected. At least a thousand people had converged on this mountain range.
“Feathered Emperor, look at the sky,” Achiel said.
Liu Wuxie had sat with his focus inward, circulating the Desolate Devouring Art to heal his injuries, leaving him no time to watch his surroundings. He had even tasked Achiel with keeping watch.
When Liu Wuxie opened his eyes and looked up, he saw exactly what Achiel had described: rainbow light. It looked less like a glow and more like a rain of rainbow light pouring onto the mountain range, because the Sacred Soul Flower would only appear at night.
“This is a phenomenon of heaven and earth,” Liu Wuxie murmured, shock flickering across his face. Such a phenomenon only appeared when a treasure emerged, which meant the Sacred Soul Flower’s grade was far higher than he had imagined.
“Feathered Emperor, the Sacred Soul Flower has appeared,” Achiel said, anticipation rising in his expression. If he refined it, his cultivation would surge by a huge margin.
A strange flower floated into the sky to absorb the energy of heaven and earth, and rainbow light wrapped around the Sacred Soul Flower like a cocoon.
That sight made countless cultivators rise immediately as they crept forward, afraid to startle the Sacred Soul Flower. The flower had awakened its spirituality after ten thousand years of cultivation, and it would burrow into the mountain range at the slightest hint of danger, making it nearly impossible for anyone to find it again.
This was already the second day, and the soul energy released by the Sacred Soul Flower grew even stronger, rolling toward the crowd like a tidal wave.
Ever since Liu Wuxie had broken through into the Earth Immortal Realm, Gong Gong had fallen into deep slumber. That meant Liu Wuxie couldn’t rely on help now and would have to depend on himself during this period.
Bonfires dimmed out one after another as everyone used the cover of night to inch closer to the Sacred Soul Flower, drawing out various artifacts. Some formidable experts even set up barriers to trap the Sacred Soul Flower within.
“Feathered Emperor, should we join the fight as well?” Achiel asked. This opportunity felt too precious to miss.
“Not yet. There are too many experts around, and we won’t stand a chance,” Liu Wuxie replied as he shook his head. Although the Sacred Soul Flower was a treasure, he had to secure their safety first. If they rushed in like this, they wouldn’t even qualify as cannon fodder.
Whistling sounds cut through the distance as experts at the Heaven Gaze Realm arrived, drawn by the Sacred Soul Flower. It counted as a treasure even to them, which only made Liu Wuxie less willing to step in.
He knew his odds worsened drastically against Heaven Gaze Realm experts, and he couldn’t even guarantee survival until his body fully recovered.
The Sacred Soul Flower immediately sensed danger due to the approaching powerful aura.
With a sharp whistle, it vanished and shot toward the depths of the mountain range.
In an instant, countless experts followed after it, and the entire mountain range erupted into deafening noise.
The Heaven Gaze Realm experts displayed terrifying speed and caught up with the Sacred Soul Flower in the blink of an eye.
Strands of domain power appeared, locking down the surroundings and holding the Sacred Soul Flower in place.
Liu Wuxie knew that once the Sacred Soul Flower fell inside a domain, it wouldn’t be able to flee. Earth Immortals below pressed closer, and several experts at the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal Realm struck at the domain.
“You’re all courting death!” the three Heaven Gaze Realm experts roared as they slammed their palms down, obliterating rocks and trees and killing dozens of Earth Immortals in a bloody, horrifying display.
The massacre instantly intimidated the remaining cultivators, and none dared to get closer. Such was the power of Heaven Gaze Realm powerhouses: overwhelming, ruthless, and absolute.
Cold sweat dripped down Achiel’s back at the sight, and he felt lucky they hadn’t rushed in earlier. If they had followed those Earth Immortals, they would have likely ended up as a puddle of blood as well.
Those strikes carried soul energy as well, and they shattered the Earth Immortals’ souls outright. As the domain’s power continued to strengthen, the Sacred Soul Flower began to thrash violently.
Rainbow light in the sky intensified and lit the entire mountain range like broad daylight, and three palms reached toward the Sacred Soul Flower at the same time.
It became obvious those three weren’t allies; they had merely arrived together.
With a loud rumble, the three palms collided, blasted each other away, and sent shockwaves rippling outward, carving fine cracks across the domain.
The Sacred Soul Flower transformed instantly, turning into a needle that slipped through the crack. Rage twisted across the faces of the three Heaven Gaze Realm powerhouses at that outcome.
Their palms vanished at once as they turned into thunderbolts and chased after the Sacred Soul Flower. Yet after only a few breaths, the Sacred Soul Flower vanished again.
“Ah, what a pity…” Achiel sighed, disappointment plain on his face.
Snatching from Heaven Gaze Realm experts was harder than ascending the heavens. A faint smile tugged at Liu Wuxie’s lips because he had already locked onto the Sacred Soul Flower with Ghost Pupil earlier.
The three powerhouses chased for half the night, yet the Sacred Soul Flower vanished and sank beneath the earth. After all, it could take many forms, and it would need to reveal itself again before anyone could collect it.
“Damn it! This is already the second day! If we can’t retrieve it tomorrow, the Sacred Soul Flower will vanish,” the three Heaven Gaze Realm powerhouses roared in frustration. They had likely appeared last night and returned tonight.
“There’s only one way for us to collect the Sacred Soul Flower. We must cooperate, and if we continue to fight among ourselves, none of us will be able to get it,” the Heaven Gaze Realm powerhouse on the right said.
The other two nodded, knowing their interference had directly caused their failure.
“There are three of us, and there’s only one Sacred Soul Flower. Are you planning to take it?” the burly man on the left asked.
“Since that’s the case, how about this? After we get our hands on it, whoever wants it can compensate the other two with resources of equal value. If the price is right, the other two can give up,” the Heaven Gaze Realm powerhouse in the center said.
“I have no objections,” the man on the right agreed. People could put a price on anything as long as they treated it like an item.
The man on the left stayed silent, which served as a tactful acknowledgement. They couldn’t afford another failure because if they missed their chance tomorrow, none of them would gain anything.
“Feathered Emperor, where are we going now?” Achiel asked. Night had deepened, and most people had begun resting, leaving Achiel baffled by Liu Wuxie’s sudden decision to move.
“To collect the Sacred Soul Flower,” Liu Wuxie said. He and Achiel communicated through their soul energy, then slipped away from the area.
Achiel’s eyes gleamed when he realized Liu Wuxie truly intended to collect the Sacred Soul Flower. During his time in the Heavenly Dao Society, he had heard countless legends about Liu Wuxie.
They crossed several canyons and climbed over a mountain peak, and only then did the sky begin to brighten. The number of cultivators around them dwindled, because most still lingered near last night’s gathering place.
“Feathered Emperor, how much longer do we have to go?” Achiel asked. His physique couldn’t compare to Liu Wuxie’s, and he had barely rested for the past two days.
“We’re almost there,” Liu Wuxie said as his gaze pierced through the mountain ranges with Ghost Pupil, quickly locking onto a location.
The Sacred Soul Flower wouldn’t appear in daylight, so it hid deep underground. It would only surface at night.
They soon entered a swamp forest.
After crossing the swamp forest, their view opened, unveiling a massive abyss before them. It looked bottomless, like the gaping maw of a beast.
“Feathered Emperor, don’t tell me that the Sacred Soul Flower is down there,” Achiel said, uncertainty in his voice.
“It’s down there. Let’s go,” Liu Wuxie said, then jumped straight into the abyss.
Achiel spread his wings and followed close behind. They didn’t know how long they descended, because the abyss seemed unimaginably deep; even after an entire minute, they still hadn’t reached the bottom.
Eerie wind whipped around them, sending the temperature plummeting. White frost formed on Achiel’s wings, and he began to shiver from the cold.
Liu Wuxie barely felt it because frost laws in his body dispersed the chill with ease.
They passed through a layer of fog, and only then did they finally see the canyon floor below. A cold pond lay there, and that was where the biting chill originated.
Strange trees ringed the pond, their branches coated in frost, yet they weren’t dead.
After the two landed, they immediately began to survey their surroundings.
“Where are we?” Achiel asked as he folded his wings and scanned the area.
“Let’s check the surroundings first,” Liu Wuxie said. He needed to inspect everything and ensure their safety before taking another step.
