Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 1603 - Second Plan
Chapter 1603 – Second Plan
Vacant houses covered the mountain peak, and Liu Wuxie casually chose one. Once he stepped inside, he quietly arranged several spiritual arrays around the area.
“The first plan has succeeded. Now it’s time to sow discord among the Immortal Slaughter Palace’s upper echelons.”
Liu Wuxie sat cross-legged, reviewing information provided by Meng Hong.
With his current cultivation, he couldn’t touch the upper echelons directly, let alone stir conflict among them. So he chose the most practical route and started with the ordinary disciples instead.
Many disciples in the Immortal Slaughter Palace had backgrounds, and those ties could be his opening.
On the second day, Niu Yichang visited and gave Liu Wuxie a few pointers on cultivation.
Niu Yichang then produced his token and handed it to Liu Wuxie. “Take my token. You can enter the library and the cultivation chambers whenever you want. No one will dare to stop you.”
The token would allow Liu Wuxie to move through the Immortal Slaughter Palace without obstruction.
The moment Liu Wuxie obtained the token, he hurried down the mountain, yet he didn’t go to the library or the cultivation chambers.
After using the sixth-grade spiritual pill to make his “breakthrough” to the fourth-level Origin Conversion Realm, his cultivation shifted dramatically in only a few days.
He crossed several mountains and arrived at the foot of the Thousand Veil Peak, and no one could tell what he intended to do there.
After several days of recovery, the places affected by the explosion looked restored, and only the most remote corners still carried faint scars. Most areas already looked nearly brand-new.
Once he climbed the mountain, Liu Wuxie headed straight for a particular courtyard. Inner disciples lived here, and aside from miscellaneous and outer disciples, the sect focused its true nurturing on them.
The sect distributed vast resources to inner disciples, while elite disciples received even heavier nurturing. The upper echelons had even opened the highest level of the Myriad Profound Pagoda so elite disciples could enter and cultivate.
The Immortal Slaughter Palace’s recruitment also entered full swing. That meant a new wave of disciples would arrive soon, so Liu Wuxie knew he had to speed up his plan.
The Immortal Slaughter Palace truly deserved its reputation as a sect with a legacy of over a million years because its recovery felt frighteningly fast.
“Senior Sister Li Yan, I have come to find you again,” Liu Wuxie said, wearing a roguish grin that perfectly matched Meng An’s usual shameless demeanor. As he spoke, he barged straight into the courtyard, as Meng An had always acted like this.
The moment he stepped in, a cry rang out, “ARGH!”
He saw a man and a woman locked in an embrace. The woman was Li Yan, Meng An’s crush, whom he had pestered in the past. Even after she rose to the inner sect, Meng An still refused to give up.
The man holding Li Yan turned to Liu Wuxie, murderous intent sweeping across his face as he stared him down. “Meng An, you’ve got some nerve! Is the beating you received the other day not enough?”
The man possessed higher cultivation at the sixth-level Origin Conversion Realm. He had beaten Meng An the last time he had sought Li Yan. His name was Zhong Lu, and his father was also an elder of the inner sect. His backing stood far above that of Meng Hong. After all, Meng Hong was only at the fourth-level Void Realm, holding an ordinary standing among the elders.
“Li Yan, I have become Niu Yichang’s disciple. I now have a higher status than him. As long as you’re willing to be with me, I won’t treat you badly,” Liu Wuxie said, even as disgust churned within him at his own words.
Li Yan looked decent enough and could pass as superior, yet her appearance carried a fox-like edge. She had relied on that face to thrive in the outer sect for years, and once she latched onto Zhong Lu, her status had immediately soared.
Using his father’s influence, Zhong Yan had helped Li Yan greatly over the past few months.
When Li Yan heard that Meng An had become Niu Yichang’s disciple, a trace of joy flashed in her eyes. If she could cling to Meng An now, wouldn’t her path upward become clear? She might even have a chance to become an elite disciple.
Just a month ago, Meng An had only been a miscellaneous disciple. How long had it been? Not only had Meng An become Niu Yichang’s disciple, but his cultivation had also reached the fourth-level Origin Conversion Realm, already surpassing hers.
“Meng An, how dare you steal my woman?! Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Zhong Lu snapped. He knew Li Yan valued him because his father held status as an inner sect elder, and he wouldn’t allow her to turn to Meng An and waste all of his earlier investment. Worse still, if his peers learned someone had stolen his woman, they would turn him into a laughingstock.
“That’s right. I have come today to steal your woman,” Liu Wuxie said, openly provoking Zhong Lu.
“Do you think that I wouldn’t dare to give you a beating just because you’re Niu Yichang’s disciple? I’ll teach you a lesson today!” Zhong Lu roared. He remained a little fearful because Niu Yichang had reached the pinnacle of the Heaven Gaze Realm, but he still drew a line to make it clear this feud was between him and Meng An alone.
“This is between us, and it has nothing to do with my master. If you want, we can sign a life-and-death waiver,” Liu Wuxie said, pressing further and forcing Zhong Lu into a corner.
Many people expressed their disgust. “Meng An is too domineering. He only dares to act this wildly based on his status as Elder Niu’s disciple.”
Liu Wuxie welcomed the disdainful remarks because he wanted everyone to detest him.
“Very well. I’ll sign a life-and-death waiver with you,” Zhong Lu said after Liu Wuxie boxed him in.
Other elders had no time to intervene, and Meng An’s sudden charge into the Thousand Veil Peak felt strange. Since he had become Niu Yichang’s disciple, shouldn’t he have cultivated quietly instead?
In everyone’s eyes, Meng An’s actions were too extreme, yet the reason still sounded plausible. After all, Zhong Lu had taught him a lesson not long ago. Now that Meng An’s strength had increased, it felt natural that he would return for revenge.
Many disciples shook their heads, openly looking down on Meng An.
“Meng An is being impulsive. He has managed to turn his fate around with great difficulty, and he should cherish it. Instead, he is making enemies with an inner disciple over a woman.”
“Even if he has become Elder Niu’s disciple, it won’t change the fact that he’s still a miscellaneous disciple. A chicken will never become a phoenix, no matter how pretty the feathers become.”
Mockery spread through the crowd, yet Liu Wuxie ignored every word. Some people envied his rise, while others mocked his arrogance, but Liu Wuxie didn’t care about any of it.
“Senior Brother Zhong, don’t agree to it!” Li Yan urged anxiously. She couldn’t bear the consequences if either of them died.
If Zhong Lu died, his father would blame her. If Meng An died, Elder Niu would come after her, and she would still be the one to suffer.
Many inner disciples sneered with disdain. “Who knows how many women Li Yan has slept with over the years? She’s reaping what she sowed.”
“No need to wait for another day. I want to settle it with you today,” Liu Wuxie said because he needed to move fast and start the conflict with Zhong Lu.
“Very well. We’ll meet on the Deathmatch Stage.”
The inner sect had a Deathmatch Stage nearby.
With Meng An pressing so aggressively and leaving him no room, Zhong Lu knew he would become a laughingstock if he backed down now. Not only would his reputation be ruined, but his father’s reputation would take a hit as well.
The two left the courtyard together and headed for the Deathmatch Stage. Once they climbed onto the platform, Liu Wuxie took out a life-and-death waiver and signed his name at once, writing “Meng An” instead of “Liu Wuxie” without hesitation.
Zhong Lu signed the waiver, and it took effect immediately.
Liu Wuxie signed quickly to ensure no one could intervene in this fight. He knew someone must have already gone to inform Zhong Lu’s father, so he had to kill Zhong Lu before his father arrived.
A longsword appeared in Liu Wuxie’s hand, and he swept it in a circle, sending a ferocious sword aura toward Zhong Lu.
“Hmph, I was too soft to have spared your life previously. I won’t hold back today,” Zhong Lu roared, drawing his sword and clashing head-on with Liu Wuxie.
Liu Wuxie only used Immortal Slaughter Palace’s martial techniques, and every strike aimed to kill. Although his cultivation was lower than Zhong Lu’s, his mastery of martial techniques forced Zhong Lu into a struggle to respond.
Inner sect elders were already rushing over from afar, so Liu Wuxie knew he had to finish this quickly.
Liu Wuxie’s swordplay shifted as he unleashed a top-tier sword art from the Immortal Slaughter Palace. “Sword of Yin-Yang!”
Zhong Lu instantly sensed danger and tried to defend, but he reacted a beat too late. “Shit!”
“Zhong Lu, you injured me the other day, and nearly killed me, and you dare steal my woman? I’ll repay you with blood today!” Liu Wuxie roared. He needed a justification to kill, and he needed it to sound firm.
The longsword released a ferocious sword ray that tore through the resistance of space and appeared directly before Zhong Lu.
“Damn!”
Zhong Lu’s heart sank as he retreated rapidly, trying to leap off the platform. Even with the waiver binding him, he would rather flee than die here, and in the worst case, he could beg the sect’s upper echelons to mediate later.
“Where do you think you’re going?!” Liu Wuxie roared, refusing to let Zhong Lu escape.
A sword ray flashed from Liu Wuxie’s wrist, and this sword technique split the sword ray into two. The sword ray pierced Zhong Lu’s neck and severed his head. The entire exchange lasted only three breaths from start to finish, blood spraying into the air and dyeing the disciples around the platform red. No one could believe Meng An had killed Zhong Lu with a single sword strike.
“Someone died!” someone cried, and the shout carried far.
At the same moment, inner sect elders arrived, and Meng Hong stood among them.
“Meng An, why did you kill him?” the elders demanded. Meng An had just become Elder Niu’s disciple and yet had slain an inner disciple.
“What’s the problem? I killed him in a death match,” Liu Wuxie stated, taking out the life-and-death waiver and tossing it to the elders.
“Meng An, I want you dead!” a furious voice erupted as a figure descended like a hawk and attacked without hesitation.
It was Zhong Yang. Zhong Lu was his only son, treasured since childhood. He had always granted his son whatever he wanted while turning a blind eye to his actions.
Meng Hong stepped forward and planted himself in front of Zhong Yang, blocking him from harming Liu Wuxie. “Why don’t you try?”
“He killed my son, and I want his life!” Zhong Yang roared, having already lost all reason, and he struck toward Liu Wuxie with his palm, unleashing a terrifying aura at the pinnacle of the Void Realm.
The other elders rushed to stop him at once. “Zhong Yang, don’t!”
If Zhong Yang killed Meng An, it would be the same as offending Niu Yichang.
Zhong Yang let his rage swallow him whole, and he struck with full strength, shattering space along its path as his attack descended straight down onto Liu Wuxie.
