Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 123 - Discuss

Instead of drawing his sword, Liu Wuxie relied solely on his physical prowess. With a mere slap, he sent the woman flying, making half of her face swell up, exacerbating her already ugly appearance. As for the two men, Liu Wuxie dispatched them with a kick each, sending them crashing against the wall and leaving them unconscious as they fell onto the ground.

With that, only Tie Ying remained standing. But no matter how he swung the hooks in his hands, he couldn’t even touch the corner of Liu Wuxie’s clothes. His attacks were swift, but Liu Wuxie was too strong.

All the students gathered outside were scared to the point of retreating while Tie Ying dashed to the gate, wanting to escape.

“You think you can escape?” Liu Wuxie dashed forth, chasing up Tie Ying, raising his foot and stomping it down.

Sounds of bones cracking echoed as Tie Ying’s body hit the ground, blood spilling from his mouth and his face turning pale. The battle had ended in just a few moves, leaving the spectating students dumbfounded. They had witnessed a fifth-level Xiantian Realm practitioner defeat five ninth-level students. It was a one-sided slaughter, a sight too horrifying to behold.

Liu Wuxie slowly walked toward Tie Ying with a cold expression without a hint of emotion. He raised his right foot and stepped on the latter’s lower abdomen.

“N-no...don’t cripple my dantian!” Tie Ying stuttered in fear. Losing his dantian meant losing his cultivation. He knew his enemies would eventually come for him, and his strong will to survive made him for mercy.

No one intervened and pleaded for Tie Ying’s group. They watched as Liu Wuxie emitted a terrifyingly suffocating aura like a fiend god. Liu Wuxie asked, “If I were weaker than you, would you have spared me?”

No one replied to Liu Wuxie, and he stomped his right foot down. Before Tie Ying could even scream out in pain, his dantian cracked, and he fainted. After crippling Tie Ying, Liu Wuxie headed towards the other three.

“S-Stay away!” The three, still recovering and unable to stand, retreated in fear. They could only crawl, leaving a trail of urine behind them as they backed against the wall. Overwhelmed with fear, they began to kowtow in Liu Wuxie’s direction, hoping for mercy.

But Liu Wuxie lifted his right foot and crippled all of their dantians.

“Get lost. Go tell Gao Yingzhang not to send a bunch of trash over,” Liu Wuxie commanded, shutting the gate and leaving the five cursing on the ground. Right from the start, Liu Wuxie only spoke three sentences.

“He’s terrifying!” The students gathered outside were filled with fear and began to scatter. Soon, Liu Wuxie’s actions began to spread throughout the academy.

Tie Ying’s group left by crawling on the ground. They didn’t manage to return to Advanced Class Three as they died mysteriously along the way, spewing out black blood. Over the past year, Tie Ying’s group, especially Yuan Shao, had offended many students by harassing numerous female students. This naturally incited anger among many, but they didn’t dare to voice their discontent. Upon learning that the group was crippled, they seized the opportunity to exact revenge on the five.

Four hours had passed since the incident with Tie Ying’s group, and no one came again, and Liu Wuxie’s courtyard became quiet. Many students who passed by chose to avoid his courtyard, not wanting to get involved with Liu Wuxie.

Surprisingly, it was as though the entire academy had become quiet, with everyone staying in their own courtyards quietly. But this was just the calm before the storm.

Liu Wuxie didn’t want to be involved in any trouble, but it was unavoidable for there to be people who courted death.

In the evening, two figures approached Liu Wuxie’s courtyard. Since the gates were destroyed, they entered the courtyard without any hindrance. When they were about a hundred meters away, Liu Wuxie noticed them and frowned.

“Young Master Liu, my name is Zhao Yuanjia, and I am a teacher. I request an audience with you.” The two who came were a man and a woman. The man was roughly in his fifties with a goatee, and the woman had sharp features and looked unpleasant.

Upon opening the door, Liu Wuxie observed the two individuals. He didn’t recognize the man, but he had already introduced himself as Zhao Yuanjia, a teacher at the academy. However, when his gaze fell on the woman, he found the woman familiar but couldn’t recall where he had seen her.

“Young Master Liu, do you not know me?” The woman spoke out, trying her best to appear bewitching. But she didn’t know that this only made her look more disgusting.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was heavy as they sought to build a connection, but Liu Wuxie remained indifferent. Their attempt was met with icy disregard, and Liu Wuxie replied, “I don’t.”

Then again, the objective of anyone who came to look for him at this moment was clear, and he couldn\'t be friends with any of them. This was because his friends wouldn’t come to look for him now.

The woman looked awkward, but she soon composed herself. She adjusted her hair and said, “Speaking of which, we should’ve grown up together.”

Qi Ningyun tried her best to calm herself down with her chest heaving up and down.

“Are you Qi Ningyun?” Liu Wuxie recalled. This woman shared similarities with Qi Enshi in terms of her appearance. She was older than him and had joined the Imperial Academy two years ago. Her admission to the academy had once stirred up a commotion in Azure Billow City. Now, she was a Profound Grade student, distinguished by her purple robe.

Rumors of her being accepted as a student by a teacher at the Imperial Academy were common in Azure Billow City. So why had she sought him out now?

Back in Azure Billow City, she had been afflicted with yin poison and needed the Nine Yang Fruit for treatment. When the guards from the City Lord Mansion tried to take it from him, he had taught them a lesson. This meant she had been in Azure Billow City at that time.

Logically speaking, she should bear a grudge against him. So why was she seeking him out now? A flood of information rushed through Liu Wuxie’s mind in mere moments. Qi Enshi hadn’t yet informed Qi Ningyun about their dispute.

“I didn’t expect you to remember me!” Qi Ningyun’s eyes flashed with a hint of scorn. While others might be ignorant, she was well aware of Liu Wuxie’s past. He had been considered a wastrel since his youth, squandering his time and earning a reputation as a prodigal in Azure Billow City. She hadn’t anticipated that Liu Wuxie would one day turn his fortunes around, gaining admission to the Imperial Academy with exceptional results. This naturally ignited a spark of envy in her heart.

The jealousy that flashed across her eyes couldn’t be hidden from Liu Wuxie. This person’s desire was overwhelming, and she was willing to employ any means to achieve her goals.

“What do you want?” Liu Wuxie went straight into the topic. He had no favorable impression of the City Lord Mansion, and the conflict with Qi Enshi was inevitable. Qi Enshi would find ways to kill him if he didn’t die.

“I’m here to discuss if you can let me have the Flame Sun Cave’s qualification,” Qi Ningyun said, stating her true purpose.

Liu Wuxie was taken aback, having anticipated a more subtle approach from her. Even the three scorpion brothers had planned to negotiate with ten gold coins, and Yu Yifan had even proposed a mutually beneficial arrangement.

On the other hand, Qi Ningyun simply demanded he let her have the qualifications, showcasing a domineering and arrogant attitude. She might have claimed to want a discussion, but her actions suggested otherwise. As the daughter of a City Lord, she exuded an air of arrogance and disdain for others.

“What if I refuse?” Liu Wuxie wore a harmless smile instead of getting angry, observing Qi Ningyun’s next move.

As a first-class teacher, Zhao Yuanjia wasn’t in a position to speak and could only stand by the side. Even so, his aura as a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert was enough to make others feel tremendous pressure.

“Young Master Liu, your Xu Clan has been facing difficulties recently. As long as you’re willing to let me qualify, your Xu Clan’s status in Azure Billow City will only be second to the City Lord Mansion in the future.” Qi Ningyun’s tone contained a threat that the Xu Clan would be erased if Liu Wuxie dared to refuse. But she didn’t know that the Azure Billow City had already undergone tremendous changes. As she had been in seclusion during this period, she didn’t receive her father’s letter and didn’t know what happened in Azure Billow City.

“Are you threatening me?” With a chill enveloping the entire courtyard, Liu Wuxie’s gaze turned cold. The aura even made Zhao Yuanjia narrow his eyes as the atmosphere made him uncomfortable.

“Don’t misconstrue my words. Aren’t we having a discussion?” Qi Ningyun’s spoiled tone sent a chill down Liu Wuxie’s spine, finding her audacity appalling. A few spectators were outside the courtyard, but their numbers were limited due to fear of getting involved.

“And what if there’s no room for negotiation?” Liu Wuxie knew that Qi Enshi’s letter about wiping out their clans would soon reach the academy, including the disciples of the Wan and Tian Clans. Therefore, there was no possibility of him forming an alliance with Qi Ningyun.

“Brat, don’t take it too far!” Zhao Yuanjia spoke out, releasing his aura and exerting pressure on Liu Wuxie.

“Master, don’t scare him. It’s hard for him to step out of a small place like Azure Billow City. I’d be a sinner if he gets frightened,” Qi Ningyun smirked, ridiculing Liu Wuxie for his humble origins and his lack of exposure to a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert.

Liu Wuxie couldn’t help but smile at the irony of his situation. Once an Immortal Emperor, he was now being threatened by a country he could have effortlessly crushed in the past.

“Dignity is something we fight to achieve, not something others give you. You two can leave now,” Liu Wuxie said, releasing his soul energy to knock back Zhao Yuanjia’s aura, causing the latter to tremble as though a beast had locked onto him. The terrifying aura surged towards his mind, making him feel dizzy and cold sweat rolling down his forehead.