Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 914 - Scapegoat
Chapter 914 – Scapegoat
It was nothing short of a miracle for someone to turn the spiritual talismans used by others into their own. Based on the speed displayed by Liu Wuxie, he was undoubtedly the best.
After all, modifying the spiritual talismans that belonged to others required time to study the runes and understand their structure. Even the fastest would take an entire day, but Liu Wuxie had accomplished it in less than half a breath.
The spiritual talismans had perfectly aligned into an array before crashing down abruptly.
“Quick, dodge!” The attackers scattered in panic and retreated as fast as they could. Each spiritual talisman was at the pinnacle of the tenth grade, which meant they were only one step away from reaching the level of a profound talisman.
“Where do you people think you’re going?” Liu Wuxie sneered and continued to form seals with his hands. A terrifying surge of flames descended as the spiritual talismans began to fuse.
All the spiritual talismans combined to form a colossal talisman, one that teetered on the edge of reaching the level of a profound talisman.
“Holy shit!” A black-clad figure collapsed to the ground, scared at the sight of the talisman.
They had been left dumbfounded by Liu Wuxie’s performance.
Even the two elders and the other attackers were equally dumbfounded.
“Explode!” Liu Wuxie roared, and the combined talisman detonated with a deafening roar, creating a pitch-black swirling vortex that devoured all the nearby black-clad figures.
The scene was nothing short of terrifying. The explosion quickly shattered the fabric of space, creating a massive black hole. This was an attack equivalent to the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm.
Even those who managed to retreat far away were heavily injured by the explosion.
“Liu Wuxie, you’re dead!” The three black-clad surviving figures cursed in fury and called out Liu Wuxie’s name.
This left Liu Wuxie momentarily taken aback. He pointed to himself and smiled. “You know me?”
Hardly anyone knew of his identity, and it was intriguing that these people could call out his name in such a desolate place.
Although Liu Wuxie knew they had come prepared, they had effectively exposed their identities by openly calling out his name.
“Liu Wuxie, I’ll kill you!”
The three ambushers lunged forward without a thought for their injuries, launching a reckless assault that risked their lives.
The three were at the Spirit Profound Realm’s low levels and weren’t particularly strong.
In the past, dealing with three opponents at once would have been troublesome. But after reaching the fifth-level True Profound Realm and comprehending the Great Five Elemental Palm, Liu Wuxie’s combat strength had skyrocketed dozens of times.
The Heretic Blade appeared in his hand, and he did not need to waste more time. If he didn’t strike enough fear in them, they might not be willing to reveal who had sent them.
With a single swing, Liu Wuxie’s attack created a shock wave that froze the three. The sheer power also made them wonder if this was truly the power of someone at the True Profound Realm.
Even someone at the higher levels of the Spirit Profound Realm might be unable to unleash such a terrifying attack. The blade aura roared forward like an unstoppable force at the trio.
“Go all out!” one of them shouted, and the black-clad figures ignited their blood essence in desperation.
While Liu Wuxie fought, he remained vigilant of the Grand Elder’s battle. The elder still hadn’t acted, merely observing.
Even after igniting their blood essence, the three black-clad figures couldn’t withstand Liu Wuxie’s attack. The terrifying strike instantly bisected the two black-clad figures.
The last survivor stood frozen, cold sweat dripping from his forehead as he stared at the blade ray hovering above him. It had already torn through the cloth concealing his face.
He was in his thirties, and Liu Wuxie had never seen him before.
“Now, can you tell me who sent you?” Liu Wuxie’s eyes turned cold, and overwhelming murderous intent erupted outward.
The six black-clad figures in the distance exchanged a look before two of them suddenly bolted toward Liu Wuxie.
Though the Fourth Elder sprang into action immediately, he couldn’t intercept them. The two attackers were at the higher levels of the Spirit Profound Realm, and they weren’t someone Liu Wuxie could handle alone.
When the Fourth Elder moved, the Grand Elder’s strike descended and reached the Fourth Elder before the latter could react.
Caught by surprise, the Fourth Elder was sent flying and coughed out blood in mid-air.
“Grand Elder, you…” The Fourth Elder spat another mouthful of blood, and his complexion paled.
“I’m sorry,” the Grand Elder said with a pained expression.
No one stepped in to stop the two black-clad figures as they charged at Liu Wuxie. They had already lost so many comrades, and if they couldn’t kill him, their fury wouldn’t be appeased. What made it worse was that their own spiritual talismans had caused their downfall.
“Why? Why are you doing this?” The Fourth Elder asked confused. Though the patriarch had warned that there was a traitor in the clan, the Fourth Elder had refused to believe it.
“Reasons don’t matter. Ambition takes people down different roads,” sighed the Grand Elder. Perhaps he hadn’t struck to kill the Fourth Elder out of sentiment.
After all, the Fourth Elder had shown him unwavering respect over the years. If not for that, the Grand Elder’s sneak attack would have ended him outright.
“I never imagined that the traitor would be you. How could you betray the clan when the patriarch trusted you so much?” the Fourth Elder roared. They had all been played for a fool by the Grand Elder.
He finally knew why the Grand Elder had volunteered himself for this mission.
“I don’t wish to kill you. You can end your own life,” the Grand Elder said as he turned around, unwilling to deliver the final blow.
As for Liu Wuxie, he couldn’t escape with the two black-clad figures surrounding him. His limit was already to fight one at the eighth-level Spirit Profound Realm, and his odds of winning were low against two.
“Hahaha! So that’s why you chose me,” the Fourth Elder laughed bitterly. “Because I trusted you. Because I had no guard up. That way, when this mission fails, I become the scapegoat.”
He continued, voice laced with sorrow, “After my death, you’ll return to the Liu Clan and tell the patriarch I was the traitor… that you barely escaped with your life after a desperate fight. No one will ever suspect you.”
His words struck deep, leaving the Grand Elder momentarily speechless—for everything the Fourth Elder said was true.
The patriarch had already suspected the possibility of a traitor, and with the Fourth Elder dead, Liu Shen could easily pin everything on him and bring the investigation to a close.
“Liu Shen, why didn’t you kill him with one strike?” One of the black-clad figures asked, calling out the Grand Elder’s name directly. After all, the Grand Elder couldn’t seize the opportunity to kill the Fourth Elder.
“We’re from the same clan. I want to give him the dignity of taking his own life,” Liu Shen replied in hesitation. He had betrayed the Liu Clan, and he didn’t want to take the life of a fellow elder.
“Hahaha! What an irony. The once proud and mighty Liu Clan has fallen to this point…” The Fourth Elder let out a bleak laugh. He had seen the clan in its prime and its downfall.
“Enough talk, prepare to die!” the black-clad figure snapped, raising his sword without any intention of delaying further.
“Liu Wuxie, run!” The Fourth Elder stood up, and his body began to swell, preparing to self-destruct to carve a path of escape for Liu Wuxie.
Just when the Fourth Elder was about to self-detonate, Liu Wuxie swiftly formed a golden seal with his hands and injected it into his body, stopping the self-detonation.
“Grandfather, how long are you going to keep watching?” Liu Wuxie turned toward the distance as a grey-robed figure slowly appeared before everyone.
With each step Liu Xiucheng took, the murderous aura around him intensified. He hadn’t revealed himself earlier—he was still deciding what to do with these people.
Liu Shen staggered at the sight of Liu Xiucheng, and his face soon became pale.
“Kill them!” the leader of the black-clad figures barked, ordering the Fourth Elder’s immediate execution.
“How dare you?!” Liu Xiucheng roared, unleashing a powerful shockwave that sent the black-clad figure who was going to attack the Fourth Elder flying away.
This was the terrifying power of someone at the Earth Profound Realm—an overwhelming strength Liu Wuxie was witnessing for the first time. With a single roar, his grandfather had hurled an expert at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm away.
Though there may be a slight difference between them, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth. Those at the Spirit Profound Realm could be found across the Central Plains, but those at the Earth Profound Realm were rare.
This was like how rare cultivators at the True Profound Realm were, while those at the Nascent Transformation Realm could be commonly seen. After reaching the Earth Profound Realm, it would be a thorough transformation that couldn’t be achieved through accumulation alone.
One couldn’t rely on pills alone to reach the Earth Profound Realm. Everyone’s potential was finite, just like Liu Wuxie’s would have been capped at the Earth Profound Realm had he not refined the immortal rune. Without it, reaching the Heaven Profound Realm would’ve been impossible.
But now, everything had changed. After refining the immortal rune, Liu Wuxie’s potential had become boundless and he could even surpass the Heaven Profound Realm.
Most cultivators in the Central Plains had their limits at the Spirit Profound Realm, and only a few could reach the Earth Profound Realm. As for the Heaven Profound Realm, those were even rarer.
“Patriarch… why are you here?” Liu Shen asked, lowering his head, shame clouding his expression. He knew—if the patriarch was present, then he had seen everything.
Even without considering his betrayal and collusion with outsiders, attacking the Fourth Elder alone was already a crime worthy of death.
“Tell me,” Liu Xiucheng said, his voice thick with grief and rage. “Why did you do it? What did the Liu Clan ever do to you, that you’d drag us all toward ruin?”
In the Liu Clan, Liu Shen’s status as the Grand Elder was only second to him. Moreover, Liu Shen also had a high cultivation and the chance of stepping into the Earth Profound Realm.
Liu Xiucheng and even Liu Wuxie couldn’t comprehend why Liu Shen had betrayed the clan.
“Is there any point in asking now? I only hope the patriarch will spare my lineage,” Liu Shen said, falling to his knees.
“I will spare them, but you must tell me why you betrayed the clan!” Liu Xiucheng replied sternly. From Liu Shen’s tone, it was clear his family had no part in his treachery.
“Patriarch, I’m sorry…” Liu Shen gave a bitter smile. A drop of black blood trickled from the corner of his lips. Even in death, he refused to reveal the reason for his betrayal.
Liu Xiucheng’s fury exploded. He struck the nearest black-clad figure with a single blow, instantly killing him.
The remaining black-clad figures were too intimidated to move as they were locked in place by the crushing aura of someone at the Earth Profound Realm. They had a feeling they would die if they dared to move.
Liu Xiucheng walked over to the Grand Elder’s corpse and looked at the latter, his expression filled with pain. The Grand Elder’s vitality had vanished entirely.
Both Liu Xiucheng and Liu Wuxie couldn’t comprehend why the Grand Elder wasn’t willing to speak his secret when he didn’t fear death.
