Desolate Devouring Art - Chapter 915 - Mysterious Imprint
Chapter 915 – Mysterious Imprint
Liu Xiucheng was enraged. The Grand Elder’s betrayal was a devastating blow to the Liu Clan. After all, the Grand Elder held a high position in the clan, not only because of his formidable strength but also because he was a role model for other elders.
Turning his cold gaze to the remaining black-clad figures, Liu Xiucheng could only vent his anger on these people.
“Tell me, who are you people?!” Liu Xiucheng said, his voice cold with murderous intent. He had unleashed his aura at the Earth Profound Realm on these people, rendering them immobile.
He had already killed one, which meant there were five left, with two standing before Liu Wuxie.
The black-clad figures exchanged glances before taking out spiritual talismans and hurling them toward Liu Xiucheng. They knew their chances of survival were slim against an expert at the Earth Profound Realm.
However, they had to try even if their odds were one in a thousand.
“Grandfather, capture them alive!” Liu Wuxie reminded. He knew they would lose their lead if these people died.
When the three black-clad figures threw out their spiritual talismans, they didn’t hesitate to flee.
“Not a chance!” Liu Xiucheng waved his hand and knocked out all the incoming spiritual talismans before they could get close. He then waved his hand against the three black-clad figures.
“Kill that brat!” Realizing that their survival was impossible, the three black-clad figures roared and were determined to kill Liu Wuxie.
Since Liu Xiucheng was focused on capturing them, he didn’t have time to protect Liu Wuxie. If he protected Liu Wuxie, the three black-clad figures could escape, placing Liu Xiucheng in a dilemma.
“Grandfather, don’t care about it!” Liu Wuxie yelled. He knew his grandfather was concerned for his safety.
The two black-clad figures surrounded Liu Wuxie, wielding their swords with their aura unleashed, aiming to kill in one decisive strike. They planned to find a way to escape after killing Liu Wuxie.
“Boy, you can die now!” The two sneered. As long as Liu Wuxie perished, their mission wouldn’t be considered a failure.
Liu Xiucheng was still hesitating about going after the black-clad figures or helping his grandson.
Before he could act, Liu Wuxie roared and soared to the sky. The violent wind in the sky parted under the overwhelming divine dragon’s power.
“Great Five Elemental Palm!” Liu Wuxie executed the Great Five Elemental Palm again after performing Soaring Dragon. It was still incomplete when he had used it to kill the Pomfret King, as that was his first attempt.
However, it was different this time, as his enemies were humans. They weren’t like Pomfret Kings. They knew how to dodge and counter with their dao techniques.
The palm was like five colossal mountains descending from the sky, filling the entire canyon. The narrow passage further restricted their movements, which meant the two black-clad figures could only face the Great Five Elemental Palm head-on.
Liu Xiucheng narrowed his eyes when he saw Liu Wuxie’s attack. He knew his grandson had secured an unshakable advantage.
“What kind of dao technique is this? Why does it have an endless cycle of energy?” the black-clad figure on the right roared.
He wasn’t wrong, and this was the profundity of the Great Five Elemental Palm. The five elements could have an endless cycle unless one were cut off. Otherwise, the Great Five Elemental Palm would continue to grow stronger through the cycle of elements, forming a millstone in the sky.
However, it was just a dao technique and had yet to reach the Great Divine Five Elemental Art level.
The palm crashed down with devastating might and the force of rumbling thunder.
“King’s Sword!” The two black-clad figures executed the same sword technique with seamless coordination.
“So, you really are from the Wang Clan!” Liu Wuxie exclaimed. Both Liu Xiucheng and the Fourth Elder also recognized the sword technique being used.
It was a well-known technique of the Wang Clan, famed in name, but lacking the true dominance befitting a king.
The Four Great Clans were well acquainted with each other’s martial techniques.
Liu Wuxie had never practiced the Liu Clan’s martial techniques. Though there were spirit-grade martial techniques, they didn’t suit him.
The King’s Sword shattered into countless fragments before disappearing into the canyon as the colossal palm descended on the two black-clad figures. The two were crushed and reduced to dust before they could even scream, erased from existence.
Only two interspatial rings were left on the ground, which Liu Wuxie retrieved with a flick of his wrist.
Meanwhile, his grandfather’s battle was also drawing to a close. He had easily killed the two black-clad figures and captured the remaining one.
The Fourth Elder’s condition had stabilized, and he was in no immediate danger. He slowly approached the Grand Elder’s corpse and sat down.
“Why?” the Fourth Elder asked in a trembling voice, tears streaming down his cheeks.
They had grown up together. Though they weren’t biological brothers, they shared a closer relationship than that. This was why he couldn’t accept the Grand Elder’s betrayal.
Liu Wuxie also felt sad. They had already known who had attempted to intrude on the patriarch’s study but had chosen not to expose the Grand Elder.
“Fourth Elder, don’t take it to heart,” Liu Wuxie said softly. Even after being wounded by the Grand Elder, the Fourth Elder held no resentment.
“You already knew, didn’t you?” The Fourth Elder rose to look at the patriarch and Liu Wuxie.
The patriarch’s appearance was not coincidental; they had foreseen this moment.
“We knew!” Liu Wuxie nodded.
The Fourth Elder’s shoulders slumped as he turned around. He needed time to process everything.
Liu Wuxie wanted to say something but couldn’t form any words.
“Give him some time alone. He will come to terms with it,” Liu Xiucheng said, patting Liu Wuxie’s shoulder.
They had withheld the truth from the Fourth Elder, putting the Fourth Elder’s life at risk at the hands of the Grand Elder. It was a gamble, but they also knew the Fourth Elder would agree without hesitation if they told the Fourth Elder beforehand.
They had withheld the truth from the Fourth Elder, placing his life in jeopardy at the hands of the Grand Elder. It was a gamble, but they also knew that, had they told him in advance, he would’ve agreed without hesitation.
Thankfully, the Grand Elder hadn’t forsaken his humanity and killed the Fourth Elder.
Both Liu Xiucheng and Liu Wuxie turned to the captured black-clad figure. When they tore away the cloth masking his face, neither of them recognized him.
“You’re not from the Wang Clan!” Liu Xiucheng immediately realized something was wrong as this person didn’t belong to the Wang Clan.
The Four Great Clans knew each other too well, especially those at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm. Elites of that level were thoroughly documented within each clan, and this man wasn’t among them.
The man, who appeared to be in his forties, let out a low, sinister laugh.
Fortunately, Liu Xiucheng had sealed his acupoints in advance, preventing him from taking his own life, even if he had poison hidden in his mouth.
“The Liu Clan won’t last for long. Soon, you will all be wiped out!” The black-clad figure laughed.
Liu Xiucheng and Liu Wuxie knew there was more to uncover—something deeper that had yet to reveal itself. It felt as though an invisible net had already been cast over the entire Liu Clan.
Ever since Liu Xiucheng was poisoned, the Liu Clan has been steadily declining, especially in recent years, as they were pushed to the brink of survival.
Liu Dashan was forced to leave the Liu Clan, leaving the clan without a rightful heir. Liu Xiucheng’s mysterious poisoning had also escalated into a fierce power struggle over the patriarch’s position.
They knew Liu Xiaotian couldn’t orchestrate everything. But they could unravel the mysteries if they could find Ba Jiao—the mastermind who had poisoned Liu Xiucheng.
“Don’t blame me for being ruthless since you refuse to speak!” Liu Xiucheng said and attempted to invade the black-clad figure’s mind with his divine sense, forcefully searching his soul.
However, the black-clad figure wasn’t afraid as he had undergone rigorous training, rendering him indifferent to death.
Strangely, he didn’t scream, causing Liu Xiucheng to frown suspiciously.
“Grandfather, what’s happening?” Liu Wuxie asked. His grandfather was at the Earth Profound Realm, so how could he fail to search the black-clad figure’s soul sea?
“There’s something strange about his soul sea,” Liu Xiucheng said. “There’s a seal on it, making it impossible for ordinary divine sense to penetrate.”
When he had attempted to enter the black-clad figure’s soul sea earlier, he discovered a powerful seal enveloping it. He couldn’t break through even with his cultivation at the Earth Profound Realm. Could this seal have been placed by someone at the Heaven Profound Realm?
“What kind of seal is this…?” Liu Wuxie murmured as he extended his divine sense. It spread like liquid mercury, sliding into the outer layer of the black-clad figure’s soul sea—but it stopped there, blocked entirely by an invisible barrier.
He had cultivated the Soul Forging Art and was versed in protecting his soul sea. He wondered if the black-clad figure also practiced a similar soul technique.
However, what Liu Wuxie discovered was far from ordinary. The black-clad figure hadn’t practiced any known soul techniques. Instead, a strange, worm-like imprint was etched into his soul sea. It was unlike anything Liu Wuxie had seen before.
The moment his divine sense touched the imprint, the imprint began to wriggle and unleashed a powerful force to repel Liu Wuxie’s divine sense.
“This is interesting!” Liu Wuxie’s curiosity deepened as he examined the imprint. This was neither a spiritual rune nor a seal; it was likely a long-lost technique.
There were many secrets in this world, many of which Liu Wuxie had yet to encounter.
“Don’t waste your efforts. No one can enter my soul sea to extract any information from me,” sneered the black-clad figure.
Liu Wuxie considered torturing him for answers, but quickly dismissed the idea. The imprint was deeply embedded in the black-clad figure’s soul sea, and any injury would activate the seal and kill the man instantly.
Since interrogation and soul-searching were useless, did that mean they couldn’t extract even a shred of information from him?
However, Liu Wuxie didn’t give up and continued to direct his divine sense at the man’s soul sea, but he failed each time.
He knitted his brows together and circled the black-clad figure’s soul sea, trying to find a weakness.
After scanning the black-clad figure with his divine sense, he soon noticed another anomaly other than his soul sea, his dantian. The true essence, refined by the black-clad figure, carried a golden hue that didn’t seem like metal-attribute energy but something else.
“Heavenly Dao Book!”
Liu Wuxie had run out of options and could only turn to the Heavenly Dao Book—his final hope. He prayed it could uncover the origin of the imprint or absorb it to advance the book’s sequence.
The moment the Heavenly Dao Book materialized, it radiated a dazzling brilliance, spreading light as it enveloped the black-clad figure’s soul sea.
