Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 600 - Another Duel

“Master, Liu Wuxie dared to take another life in front of you, disrupting the talisman event. He should be executed!” Tian Lie growled, barely suppressing his anger. His junior brothers weren’t in any better position because they were gripping tight on their swords, ready to strike at any moment.

“Liu Wuxie, you dare take another life in my presence? If you don’t give me an explanation today, don’t even think about leaving this place alive!” Grandmaster Hai stopped his disciples from attacking, but that didn’t mean he would let Liu Wuxie off. If he didn’t kill kim, his name would plummet.

“Oh? You want to make a move against me?” Liu Wuxie looked at Grandmaster Hai with a mocking smile. If the latter dared to strike, Liu Wuxie would counter with the Earth-Binding Chains and Heavenly Dragon Seal, determined to peel a layer of skin off Grandmaster Hai even if he couldn’t kill him.

“I’ll kill you today to cleanse the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion!” Grandmaster Hai roared.

His words won him applause from the Lesser Blade Association. “He must be a spy sent by the Azure Crimson Gate to defame the pills of our Heavenly Treasure Pavilion!”

Grandmaster Hai slowly advanced toward Liu Wuxie, his murderous intent radiating from him. Qing Mu was his best friend, and he could give his friend a gift by killing Liu Wuxie today.

However, Liu Wuxie merely stood still, unfazed.

“Liu Wuxie, kneel and beg for mercy!” the Lesser Blade Association members yelled.

Ye Dao sheathed his blade. He knew he didn’t need to intervene as Grandmaster Hai would kill Liu Wuxie.

“Old bastard, you think someone like you can kill me? What a joke!” Liu Wuxie sneered.

He naturally had his own trump cards, which gave him the confidence to disrupt the Lesser Blade Association’s sales channel and enter Treasure City alone. However, he preferred not to rely on them unless absolutely necessary, as doing so might hinder his plans in the long term.

Grandmaster Hai trembled angrily and struck Liu Wuxie with all his might. His attack bore down like a mountain, leveling the nearby buildings and showcasing his power in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

This was the true power of someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm, capable of ripping through space with their laws. The laws formed a prison that trapped Liu Wuxie within, leaving him no room to escape.

The spectators all backed a thousand meters away, fearing getting caught in the crossfire.

Liu Wuxie’s hair tie snapped, and the Heretic Blade appeared in his hand, ready to strike. But right then, a grey figure tore through space and appeared before Liu Wuxie, shattering Grandmaster Hai’s laws manifestation with a resounding slap.

Grandmaster Hai was storming in Liu Wuxie’s direction earlier. But the next moment, he was sent flying, spinning in the air before crashing to the ground.

No one had expected that an expert would lurk nearby, attacking Grandmaster Hai all of a sudden.

“Yi Xuan, how dare you?!” Grandmaster Hai struggled back to his feet. He had broken a few bones, with blood trickling down his lips.

“How dare you raise your hand against a disciple being an elder? Don’t you feel ashamed? Yi Xuan retorted, his voice laced with disdain. “I’ve already held back out of respect for your status as an elder. Step back! This is a conflict between the younger generation—don’t you feel any embarrassment interfering in their affairs?”

Ever since Yi Xuan’s grandson had been healed and he’d slain an elder of the Azure Crimson Gate, he had gradually reclaimed his fierce spirit. Liu Wuxie’s actions in Serene Sea City had only strengthened Yi Xuan’s loyalty toward him.

Grandmaster Hai was left momentarily speechless by Yi Xuan’s pointed words. Yi Xuan was right; it was indeed unbecoming for an elder to meddle in a conflict between the younger generation.

“This brat dares to cheat in my territory, and it’s only right for me to kill him!” Grandmaster Hai snapped. Despite his low rank within the Nascent Transformation Realm, his status relied heavily on his position as a spiritualist. Without it, he would hold little authority.

On the other hand, Yi Xuan was at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm.

“All these years, and you’ve learned nothing. How dare you claim to be a grandmaster in spiritual talismans? In my eyes, the spiritual talismans you crafted are nothing but rubbished compared to Liu Wuxie’s,” said Yi Xuan.

Grandmaster Hai’s expression darkened as Yi Xuan repeatedly humiliated him, even challenging his pride in the field of spiritual talismans. How could he simply endure this?

“That’s nonsense!” Grandmaster Hai retorted. “A tenth-level spiritual talisman is nothing but legend. When has one ever appeared in the Southern Province? There’s only one explanation for this—he cheated!” He was clearly struggling to defend his own limitations; after all, his own skill was capped at crafting eighth-level talismans, with ninth and tenth-levels well beyond his reach.

“You’re nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well, oblivious to the vast sky beyond,” Yi Xuan sneered. He knew well of Liu Wuxie’s mastery over spiritual talismans. After all, Song Ling’s expertise in talismans stemmed directly from Liu Wuxie’s teachings, and if the disciple’s skill was that high, what more could be expected of the master?

“Since you claim that he hasn’t cheated, does he dare to prove it with a duel—right here, with no testing pillar, with me?” Tian Lie stepped forward and proposed a challenge.

Tian Lie knew brute force wouldn’t work against Liu Wuxie; his only hope for revenge lay in other methods. Yi Xuan had already stated he’d interfere if elders intervened in the conflict between juniors, but since Grandmaster Hai had done just that, Tian Lie seized his opportunity.

Three days ago, when Liu Wuxie had left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, Tian Xing had asked Yi Xuan to protect Liu Wuxie, fearing that Liu Wuxie might run into danger.

Tian Xing held control of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, while Yi Xuan handled the Treasure City. The two worked together seamlessly, and Liu Wuxie had been aware of Yi Xuan’s presence nearby, but he wouldn’t call upon him under normal circumstances.

Yi Xuan turned to Liu Wuxie, silently seeking his opinion. He had no real obligation to step into Tian Lie’s challenge, as he wasn’t a member of the Heavenly Dao Society. His support for Liu Wuxie was driven by goodwill alone, and having aided Liu Wuxie in eliminating the Azure Crimson Gate expert and repelling Grandmaster Hai, he felt he’d repaid any debt owed.

“You want to challenge me?” Liu Wuxie asked, amused, with a cold smirk.

Tian Lie let out a menacing laugh, “What’s the matter? Are you afraid? I won’t stop until I’ve killed you today!”

“I’ll grant your wish since you’re courting death!” Liu Wuxie replied, accepting the challenge.

The air between the two parties became tense, and Tian Lie was confident. His attainment in spiritual talismans was unmatched in the Treasure City, surpassing Ye Dao.

Grandmaster Hai was helped to his feet by his two disciples, Lu Jie and Wei Pengtian. Though he had only suffered a few broken bones, he knew that if Elder Yi Xuan had unleashed his full power, he would likely have been a corpse.

The crowd retreated to clear space because the stage had long been ruined from the previous duel.

Tian Lie wasted no time and took out a seventh-grade talisman paper. His technique had vastly exceeded Bing Kaifu.

Liu Wuxie had also produced a seventh-grade talisman paper from his interspatial ring, causing gasps in the surroundings.

“He’s only in the Heavenly Phase Realm, but he knows how to craft a seventh-grade talisman?” many wondered in confusion.

“He’s only showing off here because Elder Yi Xuan is here to back him up!” The Lesser Blade Association members sneered. If not for Elder Yi Xuan, Liu Wuxie would’ve died by now.

The situation had changed, and they could only try to kill Liu Wuxie through a duel.

“Senior brother, kill him!” Lu Jie stepped forward to support his senior brother.

Nodding to his junior brother, Tian Lie waved his hand and began converging spiritual runes in the surroundings, eliciting cheers from the onlookers.

“What an excellent technique!” Many spiritualists praised it. They were more familiar with Tian Lie’s technique, unlike Liu Wuxie’s.

Amid the applause, Tian Lie’s hands moved swiftly, with each spiritual rune wrapped around the talisman paper like a serpent. In just one breath, dozens of spiritual runes had appeared neatly aligned on the talisman paper.

The spiritual runes were high quality, and it was certain to ensure that this would turn out to be a seventh-grade spiritual talisman.

On the contrary, Liu Wuxie’s movements were like before, causing ripples in the air with a single stroke.

This time, everyone watched closely and even used a Memory Talisman to record Liu Wuxie’s technique. They watched for a long time and couldn’t detect any excess movements, not to mention cheating. It was a display of raw skill.

Spiritual runes appeared one after another before Liu Wuxie and flew into the talisman paper as if an invisible force had drawn them.

“What an ingenious technique! Could his skill really surpass ours by that much?” murmured several spiritualists, their confidence beginning to waver as they watched Liu Wuxie’s seamless movements, each action as fluid as flowing water.

Grandmaster Hai’s eye twitched with a deep unease settling over him. Liu Wuxie’s technique was too advanced, and each movement was smooth, like flowing water.

Tian Lie’s performance also drew applause from the surroundings, and he was done crafting his spiritual talisman after fifteen minutes. This was a Heavenly Flame Talisman, and it could unleash blazing flames to incinerate his opponent if thrown out.

This talisman was highly sought after in Treasure City and valued at tens of thousands of spirit stones. It was so popular that the supply couldn’t meet the demand.

Shortly after, Liu Wuxie was also done crafting his spiritual talisman, but there was no golden glow this time. This made everyone wonder if this insignificant-looking talisman could unleash such power. No one knew, and they could only wait for the result.

“Liu Wuxie, the rules are simple. You take my spiritual talisman head-on, and I’ll take yours—no holding back, life or death!” Tian Lie said with a ferocious gleam in his eyes.