Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1553 - Alone
Chapter 1553 – Alone
Liu Wuxie was surprised by the Heavenly Saint Guild’s attitude.
Liu Wuxie asked with a calm face, “The first impression matters. Don’t the three seniors understand that principle?” It became clear that the Heavenly Saint Guild meant to shield the mastermind behind the counterfeit pills.
“By Young Master Liu’s logic, if one sect invents an alchemy technique, are all other sects supposed to stop themselves from copying it?” asked Ku Rong. His tone sounded amicable, yet a sharp undercurrent churned beneath every word.
Liu Wuxie rose to his feet. Ku Rong’s attitude grated on him, and he didn’t bother hiding it.
“That’s sophistry. Every sect’s alchemy technique has its own core techniques, and the counterfeit Soul Pills have stolen the authentic Soul Pills’ refinement method.”
He hadn’t expected the Heavenly Saint Guild to twist right and wrong to earn resources.
Liu Wuxie knew he wasn’t wrong. If those pills had used his technique fairly, or improved efficiency and surpassed the ordinary, releasing them into the market would at least make sense. However, the Soul Pills flooding the market now were inferior products.
Liu Wuxie had countless ways to earn resources even without Soul Pills, so he didn’t fear losing the market. Yet if counterfeit Soul Pills kept selling, they would inevitably stain the Heavenly Dao Society’s reputation. If something went wrong with Soul Pills, everyone would direct their fury at the Heavenly Dao Society first.
Liu Wuxie didn’t fear becoming enemies with everyone, but he refused to shoulder a disaster created by someone else. He could already tell the enemy wasn’t just trying to seize the Soul Pills’ market. Still, they wanted to crush the Heavenly Dao Society outright, drag their name through the mud, and turn Liu Wuxie into everyone’s enemy.
Liu Wuxie always thought three steps ahead of most, and he hadn’t come here for Soul Pills alone.
Ku Xin declared, smiling coldly, “Our Heavenly Saint Guild is only responsible for the distribution. If Young Master Liu is willing to cooperate with us, we can help you distribute your Soul Pills as well. But if you came to criticize us, then you might have to be disappointed.”
His meaning was obvious. This was the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, and even if there was a problem, the Heavenly Dao Society had no standing to point fingers at them. Rivalries between the four astral domains were nothing new, and true cooperation between them was rare.
Shared interests forged firm alliances, and the moment those interests clashed, partners turned into enemies. Liu Wuxie’s direct questioning had already clashed with the Heavenly Saint Guild’s interests.
“So, the Heavenly Saint Guild plans to shelter the mastermind?” Since they had nothing left to discuss, he wouldn’t waste another breath.
Ku Rong rose to his feet as well, stiffening his posture. “The Heavenly Saint Guild won’t shelter anyone, and we only do compliant business. Without any evidence, Young Master Liu, you are slandering our Heavenly Saint Guild.”
“Is this the decision of the Heavenly Saint Guild’s guild master?” asked Liu Wuxie, his eyes fixed on the three elders. If this truly came from the guild master, Liu Wuxie would blacklist the Heavenly Saint Guild for eternity and mark them as a target.
“Liu Wuxie, you have the Heavenly Dragon Sect backing you up in the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain, but this is the Spirit Martial Astral Domain. If the Heavenly Dao Society wants to enter the market, don’t you know the basic rule of showing respect to the local powers here?” Ku Rong didn’t even bother disguising the implication.
If the Heavenly Dao Society wanted a firm foothold in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, it needed support from local forces. The Skyward Gate alone would never be enough. As for paying respects, it meant honoring the various forces and delivering gifts.
Those who accepted those gifts would tacitly allow the Heavenly Dao Society to do business there. Those who refused would naturally cause trouble.
Liu Wuxie had never been the type to bow his head to others, much less pay respects to enter a market. That had never been his style.
“Since that’s the case, there’s nothing more for us to talk about. I shall take my leave now,” Liu Wuxie replied. He understood the Heavenly Saint Guild not only represented itself but also the various sects lurking behind it.
After all, the Soul Pills’ swift monopolization of the market had naturally left countless sects unhappy. When the Divine Alchemy Sect entered the Spirit Martial Astral Domain’s market, they distributed benefits to the various sects each year.
In contrast, the Heavenly Dao Society offered no benefits and still took a slice of the market share. That alone damaged the interests of too many people. The world of cultivation was cruel like that, and no one became a true power just by being nice.
Ku Xin released a heavy aura that pressed down on Liu Wuxie as he smirked. “Young Master Liu, you think you can come and leave as you please? What do you take the Heavenly Saint Guild for?”
With three experts at the higher levels of the Heaven Gaze Realm, holding Liu Wuxie wasn’t difficult for them.
“So, you three plan to make a move against us?” Liu Wuxie asked with a smile as a terrifying light sphere formed in his palm.
He had forged Qu Wu and Li Huang’s souls with the Martial Soul Art. If he detonated them here, the power wouldn’t fall short of a strike from an expert at the pinnacle of the Heaven Gaze Realm. He didn’t need to kill; he only needed to stall, and then fleeing would be effortless.
Ku Rong shouted, “Martial Soul Art at the level of Heaven Gaze Realm!”
The gravity of the situation flashed in his eyes. If that martial soul exploded there, it would level half of the Heavenly Saint Guild. Even if they killed Liu Wuxie afterward, the cost would be unbearable.
“Sharp eyes. So, do you plan to keep me around now?” Liu Wuxie asked as he flipped his hand, and the martial soul vanished from his palm.
The three elders’ faces sank. From the instant they heard Liu Wuxie had arrived, they had lain in wait. If they captured him, the Soul Pill refining technique would fall into their hands.
With the Heavenly Saint Guild’s influence, they could wipe out the counterfeit Soul Pills whenever they pleased.
The moment Liu Wuxie finished speaking, he turned and walked out without hesitation. The three elders could only watch him leave in silence.
Ku Zhong raged, shaking his head. “Are we going just to let him leave in this manner?”
They had kept the counterfeit Soul Pills hidden from the guild master, betraying the Heavenly Saint Guild’s founding intent.
In the past two months, the Heavenly Saint Guild had earned a massive fortune, but suspicion had risen in waves. Many cultivators in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain had taken Soul Pills before; even if counterfeit Soul Pills were cheaper, their effects couldn’t match the genuine ones.
What the Heavenly Saint Guild had done was no different from helping evil.
After leaving the Heavenly Saint Guild, Liu Wuxie slipped into the city and shook off several tails with a few flashes.
He furiously glanced back in the Heavenly Saint Guild’s direction.”Heavenly Saint Guild, you’ll pay for this,” he swore under his breath.
“Let’s head to Kaya City first.” Liu Wuxie decided. With the Heavenly Saint Guild’s trail severed, he could only pivot to Kaya City and hope to dig out something else. He boarded a teleportation array and left immediately, because Howling Moon Star had become unsafe.
He was well aware that his arrival in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain would soon become known. In no more than half a month, the news would travel back to the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.
Liu Wuxie needed to break through quickly, aiming to reach the higher levels of the Earth Immortal Realm as soon as possible. Only then could he manipulate the Heavenly Deity Monument, and with the Heavenly Deity Monument in hand, he could even face opponents at the higher levels of the Heaven Gaze Realm.
One day later, Liu Wuxie arrived in Kaya City, which sat on the Spirit Martial Star, the mother planet of the Spirit Martial Astral Domain.
The moment Liu Wuxie stepped into the city, he disguised himself as an ordinary middle-aged man, ensuring no one could recognize him even if he vanished into the crowd. He then contacted Zhen Yiming. He had been investigating here for nearly a month and likely had some leads.
Liu Wuxie checked into an inn, and by evening, Zhen Yiming arrived.
“Greetings, Master!”
Zhen Yiming’s exhaustion clung to his face. He had barely slept these days, keeping constant watch on that building.
“Sit down and speak,” Liu Wuxie said, gesturing for Zhen Yiming to take a seat.
Zhen Yiming sat and placed a stack of documents on the table, along with several Memory Talismans laid out before Liu Wuxie.
“Master, I haven’t been able to trace the source of the goods, but I’ve gathered the necessary evidence through other channels. The Spirit Martial Astral Domain consumes thirty thousand Soul Pills a day, and demand far exceeds supply,” Zhen Yiming reported.
The number made Liu Wuxie spring to his feet.
Even the Heavenly Dao Society couldn’t produce thirty thousand pills in a day. Even with the Universal Gourd, they produced only about 8,000 to 10,000 pills daily. Liu Wuxie couldn’t imagine what kind of treasure could refine so many pills every day.
He picked up the Memory Talismans and reviewed them one by one, letting each scene unfold before him.
Every midnight, several mysterious figures entered the building, stayed for about 2 hours, then left again. They likely delivered Soul Pills to the Heavenly Saint Guild, and from there, the pills spread across the entire Spirit Martial Astral Domain.
Thirty thousand might not be exact, but it couldn’t be far off. Compared to the Heavenly Dao Society’s few thousand, the gap was terrifying.
“Have you ever tried entering that building?” Liu Wuxie asked as he set down the Memory Talismans. The enemy had acted with extreme caution, and those mysterious figures all possessed cultivation at the pinnacle of the Heaven Gaze Realm. With Zhen Yiming’s level, controlling them was impossible.
“I can’t get in. You need a special medal to enter, and I only saw one person enter in the last twenty days,” Zhen Yiming replied, shaking his head. He suspected secret passages existed, but he hadn’t found them.
“Who went in?” Liu Wuxie asked, and he felt a faint certainty that this person might be the breakthrough.
Zhen Yiming replied with a bitter smile, “They all had their faces concealed, and I only saw his silhouette. But if I see him again, I will be able to recognize him.”
Liu Wuxie pondered briefly, then said, “Our task now is to find a way into the building. Once we’re inside, we’ll know who’s the mastermind behind the counterfeit pills.”
With no options left, Zhen Yiming turned to Liu Wuxie. “Master, do you have a plan?”
Liu Wuxie said after thinking it through, “Use your connections to investigate. Check whether any establishments have been recruiting alchemists over the past few days.”
Liu Wuxie had no friends here and could only fight alone in the Spirit Martial Astral Domain, which meant Zhen Yiming was the only person he could use.
“Understood!” Zhen Yiming replied before standing up. He then crushed a Communication Talisman to contact his friends and family.
The trail had cut off again, and Liu Wuxie began to pace in the room with his brows locked. Going to the Skyward Gate now wouldn’t help much, because they were likely just as stuck.
Liu Wuxie said after a brief pause, “Make a trip to Skyward Gate and tell Huang Li to come meet me here.” He couldn’t understand how the Skyward Gate had failed to find the mastermind after so long, and he also couldn’t understand why they showed no movement at all.
