Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 165 - Punishment

The force of Liu Wuxie’s punches created a whooshing sound as Bai Zhan pounced forward like a tiger. His true essence also formed a mysterious energy that resembled a vortex. He was incredibly fast, and the force of his punch was three times stronger than the previous day. This time, Bai Zhan didn’t hold back and unleashed his full power.

There was no room for Liu Wuxie to evade because the two were only ten meters away, and Bai Zhan appeared before him in the next moment. Liu Wuxie raised his fist, going into the Overlord Fist posture. He knew his blade technique wasn’t strong enough to deal with someone like Bai Zhan.

The force of Bai Zhan’s punch sealed the surrounding space. But everyone watched as Liu Wuxie’s figure charged forward like a gentle breeze. When their punches flew at each other, a buzzing noise was produced in the surroundings, and an explosion could be heard from the rapid compression of air.

The surrounding students covered their ears helplessly. The two punches collided in one-thousandth of a second, producing a powerful shockwave.

The blue slabs on the ground were swept up into the sky, caught in the vortex formed between Liu Wuxie and Bai Zhan. The force of the vortex was so intense that it reduced the slabs to ashes.

Liu Wuxie and Bai Zhan’s figures disappeared, and everyone could only sense a suffocating power coming from the vortex. The shockwave from their clash was akin to a level fifteen tornado, sweeping everything in its path. Even students standing a hundred meters away were caught in the tornado, crying out in pain as they were thrown to the ground.

The vortex concealed the events within, with only the sounds of collisions and occasional bone-cracking noises reaching the ears of the onlookers, sending chills down their spines.

After a minute, the vortex dissipated. Two figures were ejected from it, blood splattering in the air. With a resounding crash, Bai Zhan’s body slammed into a tree. In contrast, Liu Wuxie’s figure traced an arc in the air, reminiscent of a celestial crane. He landed on the ground after a somersault, taking several steps back. Each step left a footprint on the ground, marking his retreat.

Liu Wuxie and Bai Zhan stood in disarray, their clothes torn and tattered. A fist mark was visible on Liu Wuxie’s left side of the chest. Bai Zhan was in a similar state, with blood trickling from his lip.

Liu Wuxie’s Overlord Fist was domineering, and it felt like lightning when it landed on Bai Zhan, leaving his body numb.

The two stood silently, not making any further moves as Bai Zhan’s fighting spirit intensified, his eyes filled with a murderous intent.

“You’re the first to survive my attack, making you worthy of being my opponent,” Bai Zhan declared, a statement he was entitled to make given that no one had ever withstood his punch since he gained fame. He took a deep breath to calm himself, readying for another attack. It had been a while since he had such a thrilling fight.

Liu Wuxie remained expressionless. He had used seventy percent of his strength earlier, and they were evenly matched. He knew he needed to bring out his full strength to kill Bai Zhan.

As Bai Zhan approached, flames enveloped him with a powerful shockwave.

Liu Wuxie began to circulate his true essence. Since he couldn’t settle this matter peacefully, he could only kill Bai Zhan. When he unleashed his murderous intent, the surrounding airflow became slow and heavy.

A man clad in a purple robe arrived, his booming voice interrupting the duel between Liu Wuxie and Bai Zhan. “Who’s Liu Wuxie?” he demanded.

“That’s me!” Liu Wuxie responded, eyeing the purple-robed man warily, wondering if this was yet another person out to get him.

The man relayed a message from the headmaster. “You should be expelled for killing six students, but the academy has decided to give you a chance since this is your first offense. This is the punishment book. If you can complete the task within a month, the academy won’t pursue this matter. But if you fail, you will be expelled after a month.” He handed the book to Liu Wuxie.

Upon receiving the book, a devilish smile spread across Liu Wuxie’s face. He had anticipated this outcome. The academy had to take action due to the deaths of so many students. Without any punishment, other students might follow his example and instigate a massacre in the academy.

Liu Wuxie understood the headmaster’s rationale. As long as he wasn’t expelled, no task would be too daunting for him. Having reached the Spirit Cleansing Realm, he saw this as an opportunity to venture out, as staying in the academy wouldn’t contribute to his growth.

“Thank you, Senior Brother!” Liu Wuxie expressed his gratitude. Liu Wuxie had noticed the purple-robed man earlier, but the man had kept his distance until now, likely stepping in to mediate the conflict between Liu Wuxie and Bai Zhan.

“My name is Gong Ao, and we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other in the future. You only have one month. Pack up and complete the task as soon as possible,” Gong Ao said and left.

As Gong Ao left, all eyes turned to Liu Wuxie in surprise. In the meantime, Bai Zhan withdrew his aura.

Upon opening the book, Liu Wuxie found three tasks listed, all to be completed within a month. Some students nearby approached to take a peek at the book.

“What? He has to eradicate the Scarlet Dragon Association? How is this a punishment? It’s more like a death sentence!” A gasp of disbelief echoed through the crowd as they learned that Liu Wuxie’s first task was to dismantle the Scarlet Dragon Association, a task about which Liu Wuxie knew nothing.

“The second is to investigate the disappearance of the academy’s students in the Western Breeze Mountain Range. That’s even more challenging given the one-month deadline. It would be impressive if he could even complete the first task,” several students commented, rendered speechless by the daunting tasks.

A month ago, a group of mysterious people had appeared in the Western Breeze Mountain Range, resulting in the disappearance of several students. Despite the academy’s lengthy investigation, no clues had been found.

Liu Wuxie closed the book, the first two tasks alone were enough to give him a headache, let alone the unseen third task. It was uncertain whether he could even complete them.

Stowing the book in his clothes, Liu Wuxie made his exit. This time, Bai Zhan didn’t obstruct him. “Our feud isn’t over. I hope you make it back alive,” Bai Zhan said, his eyes still radiating a murderous intent. The earlier battle had presented him with another opportunity for a breakthrough, and he promptly headed to the third floor.

The news of Liu Wuxie receiving the punishment book spread like a whirlwind in the academy in less than an hour.

When Liu Wuxie returned to his courtyard, Li Shengsheng came over with the other eight students from Advanced Class Seven.

“Junior Brother Liu, I would advise against going to Mulberry Town. The Scarlet Dragon Association is more complex than it appears,” Li Shengsheng warned, his expression serious. He explained that investigating the Western Breeze Mountain Range wasn’t dangerous as it merely involved observation. However, eradicating the Scarlet Dragon Association was a far more challenging task.

“Tell me more about it!” Liu Wuxie urged. He had already accepted the punishment book and knew that failure to complete the tasks would result in his expulsion. This was contrary to his goal of maintaining access to the academy’s resources. Moreover, he recognized that he couldn’t remain in the academy indefinitely and saw this as an excellent opportunity to explore the outside world.

“The Scarlet Dragon Association is led by three incredibly powerful individuals. I’ve heard that the grand leader has reached the second level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. They once joined forces to kill a fourth-level Marrow Cleansing Realm expert, which made them infamous in Mulberry Town. They’re known for committing various crimes, including murder and looting. The Great Yan Dynasty has sent troops to eradicate them on multiple occasions, but they always retreat to the mountains whenever there’s movement. That’s why it’s difficult to eliminate them,” Li Shengsheng elaborated, producing a stack of prepared information.

“Junior Brother, the Scarlet Dragon Association might be supported by the Heaven Govern Academy in secret. This is because the grand leader was once a student of that academy,” Zhao Cheng whispered, stepping forward to avoid his words being overheard.

The fact that the Scarlet Dragon Association managed to escape each time suggested that they were receiving inside information.

Upon hearing this, Liu Wuxie’s brow furrowed. If the Heaven Govern Academy was indeed supporting the Scarlet Dragon Association, eliminating them could lead to conflict with the academy. However, he had no choice but to face the situation head-on.

“Thanks for informing me.” Liu Wuxie cupped his fists to express his gratitude. Everyone understood he had to leave the academy since the punishment book was issued.

“If you find yourself cornered, you can seek help from our teacher and ask him to speak to the headmaster. This punishment seems unfair to you,” Wang Yonghao suggested, offering to join Liu Wuxie in seeking Jin Jianfeng’s help to have the punishment revoked.

The other students nodded in agreement because the punishment was unusually harsh. In the past, punishments typically involved sending students to the Miscellaneous Hall or, in severe cases, confining them. This was the first time such a punishment had been issued.

Just then, Jin Jianfeng stormed into the courtyard, his face etched with anger.

“Greetings, Teacher!” The ten students bowed, and Jin Jianfeng waved his hand.

“Kid, come back alive!” Jin Jianfeng knew their concerns and approached Liu Wuxie, patting his shoulder reassuringly.

Was he pressured? Liu Wuxie was perceptive, and Jin Jianfeng’s attitude told him that the headmaster was likely forced by someone. However, he was unsure who was calling the shots.

“Don’t overthink it for now. The headmaster didn’t assign the punishment, and your primary task is to survive,” Jin Jianfeng advised before departing, taking a few sips from his gourd.

A silence fell over the courtyard. The fact that even their teacher was powerless in this situation suggested that the instigator behind this was incredibly influential. This led them to wonder who wanted Liu Wuxie dead.

After bidding them farewell, Liu Wuxie retreated to his room to ponder over the situation. Given that the person was capable of meddling with the academy’s affairs, he concluded that it could only be someone from the royal clan.