Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 143 - Four-Star Alchemist

Xue Chunyu was consumed by a hatred that could only be quelled by killing Liu Wuxie today, even if it meant offending the Treasure Pill Pavilion.

The experts of the Xue Clan surrounded Liu Wuxie, intent on preventing his escape.

“If anyone dares to touch him, I’ll kill you all!” Mu Yueying declared, a small, peculiar cauldron materializing in her hand, radiating a fierce aura.

This caused Liu Wuxie to narrow his eyes, recognizing it as a magical artifact capable of size manipulation.

Weapons were meticulously classified according to the user’s level of cultivation. Common people wielded ordinary weapons; those in the Xiantian Realm utilized spiritual artifacts; individuals in the Spirit Cleansing Realm employed profound artifacts; those in the Marrow Cleansing Realm used vajra artifacts; and those in the True Core Realm operated magical artifacts.

There weren’t many magical artifacts in the Great Yan Dynasty, and Mu Yueying had one.

As Xue Chunyu gazed at the cauldron, his expression darkened. He couldn’t identify it as a magical artifact, but he could feel the intense pressure it emitted. Leaving in such a manner would tarnish the Xue Clan’s reputation in the Imperial City.

“Since that’s the case, don’t blame me for not being polite!” Xue Chunyu decided to take the risk. His son was crippled, and there was no meaning in living anymore. He wanted to take the gamble and kill Liu Wuxie first.

With an order, everyone from the Xue Clan accompanying Xue Chunyu charged forward. Having been nurtured by Xue Chunyu, they obeyed only his commands.

“You all are courting death!” Mu Yueying became furious along with the alchemists behind her. After all, it was no different from slapping the Treasure Pill Pavilion’s face to go against Mu Yueying’s wishes and trying to kill someone there.

A potent shockwave erupted, accompanied by a roar as the Myriad Beast Cauldron was launched from Mu Yueying’s hand. It expanded, encapsulating all members of the Xue Clan within its reach. A fierce gust of wind blew past, and all the Xue Clan members near Liu Wuxie were swallowed by the cauldron, vanishing without a trace. The cauldron represented the maw of the mythical beast, Taotie.

In the blink of an eye, the fifty-odd experts from the Xue Clan had disappeared, leaving only Xue Chunyu standing alone, his eyes filled with boundless terror. Such a horrifying method of mass extermination was unprecedented. Even the surrounding cultivators were so shocked that their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Among the fifty-odd people that Xue Chunyu had brought with him, there were ten-odd in the low levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, but Mu Yueying easily butchered them.

Liu Wuxie wasn’t surprised by this result as he had already anticipated it. The power of a magical artifact was equivalent to an all-out attack on someone in the True Core Realm. This only heightened his curiosity about Mu Yueying’s identity, who managed to wield a magical artifact despite being at the fifth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. This was sufficient to suggest that her identity was far from ordinary.

“Xue Chunyu, do you want me to escort you out?” There was a stark difference between annihilating the Xue Clan’s troops and killing Xue Chunyu. Xue Chunyu held the position of Vice-Minister of Revenue and enjoyed high status within the Xue Clan. While the Treasure Pill Pavilion might not hesitate to kill him, it would certainly invite trouble.

Xue Chunyu’s hands quivered as he glared at Liu Wuxie, his eyes filled with murderous intent, resembling a beast yearning to consume its prey. They had arrived as a group of over fifty, but he was the sole survivor on their return. Grinding his teeth, he spat out, “Brat, stay in the Treasure Pill Pavilion for the rest of your life if you can!”

Xue Chunyu, appearing akin to a forsaken stray dog, exited the crowd. Once the Xue Clan matter was resolved, the Treasure Pill Pavilion’s higher-ups approached Liu Wuxie.

“We meet again?” Mu Yueying looked at Liu Wuxie with a smile, nodding her head.

“Nice to see you again, Lady Mu!” Liu Wuxie cupped his fists together to express his gratitude. This wasn’t the first time Mu Yueying had come to his aid. He knew that if a conflict had erupted, he could have sustained severe injuries, even if he managed to escape. However, it wouldn’t have been easy for Xue Chunyu to eliminate him.

The crowd gradually dispersed, including Jiang Yue and Lan Ruoyu, who were expelled from the Treasure Pill Pavilion.

“I’m aware of your assessment results,” Mu Yueying began, “and I formally invite you to become the chief alchemist of our Treasure Pill Pavilion.” This position was even more prestigious than Master Mao’s.

Master Mao held the position as the Treasure Pill Pavilion’s chief disciple. However, Mu Yueying didn’t seek his opinion when she made the offer to Liu Wuxie. This shocked many alchemists. Master Mao, on the other hand, maintained his composure as he had already reviewed the answers to the three stages of the assessment and had to concede that Liu Wuxie’s alchemical talent surpassed his own.

He was already old and couldn’t make any more breakthroughs in his lifetime. But it was a different case for Liu Wuxie, who was still young and possessed unimaginable potential.

“Thank you for your offer, but as an Earth Grade student of the Imperial Academy, wouldn’t this be inappropriate?” Liu Wuxie questioned, considering the potential inconvenience of holding the status of the Treasure Pill Pavilion’s chief alchemist.

Mu Yueying, however, was quick to counter, “As long as you agree, you only need to visit the Treasure Pill Pavilion once a month, and you’ll receive the same treatment as the other alchemists.” She straightforwardly presented her offer, leaving no room for Liu Wuxie to refuse. This was an approach Liu Wuxie had never encountered before.

The two had only met once, but Liu Wuxie wasn’t surprised by Mu Yueying’s actions.

“Then, I’ll respectfully accept!” Liu Wuxie didn’t hesitate. He observed that Mu Yueying’s cultivation fluctuated with Ghost Eye, and her cultivation seemed sealed. Her cultivation wasn’t as simple as just being at the fifth-level Marrow Cleansing Realm.

This made Liu Wuxie even more curious about her identity because that sort of seal wasn’t something an ordinary person could achieve, at least not anyone in the Great Yan Dynasty. However, since Mu Yueying bore no ill will towards him and had even assisted him twice, Liu Wuxie agreed to repay the favor straightforwardly.

“Congratulations, Master Liu!” Despite being old enough to be Liu Wuxie’s grandfathers, Sheng Lian and the other alchemists stepped forward to offer their congratulations. Their respect for capability transcended age.

Liu Wuxie accepted their congratulations with grace, displaying neither arrogance nor humility.

“Wuxie, congratulations!” Master Mao came over and cupped his fists together, treating Liu Wuxie as someone equal to himself. After all, they were both four-star alchemists.

“Greetings, Master Mao!” After exchanging pleasantries, an alchemist token for a four-star alchemist was prepared. The token bore the emblem of the Treasure Pill Pavilion at the top and Liu Wuxie’s name at the bottom, along with four stars indicating his rank. The token could be activated by infusing it with soul energy, making it impossible to counterfeit. This token was a testament to the scale of the Alchemy Association, which extended beyond the Great Yan Dynasty.

“I have other matters to attend to. Master Mao, could I trouble you to escort him back to the Imperial Academy?” Mu Yueying requested before taking her leave.

While Xue Chunyu may have departed, the potential for ambushes along the way remained. Furthermore, it was clear that Jiang Yue, having been expelled from the Treasure Pill Pavilion, would not let this matter rest. Predictably, he would go to any lengths to eliminate Liu Wuxie.

“Understood!” Master Mao responded with a bow.

The other alchemists began to leave one after another. It didn’t take long before Master Mao, Sang Yan, and Sheng Lian were the only ones who remained.

As they exited the courtyard, Chen Leyao’s gaze was filled with admiration as she looked at Liu Wuxie. Upon their return to the second floor, Liu Wuxie purchased thousands of herbs, filling his interspatial pouch to the brim.

Relying on his alchemist token as a four-star alchemist, he received a seventy percent discount and saved over a million gold coins. When they passed through the weaponry shop, Liu Wuxie also bought many forging materials, intending to enhance the grade of his blade.

“Master Mao, this is far enough,” Liu Wuxie declared as they reached the entrance of the ten-mile-long street. He signaled that he didn’t require further escort. They were already within the Imperial Academy’s territory, where the Xue Clan wouldn’t dare strike.

“Very well, we’ll part ways here. See you in a month!” Master Mao responded, turning to leave. It was unprecedented for the chief alchemist not to reside in the Treasure Pill Pavilion. He was intrigued by what Mu Yueying saw in Liu Wuxie to extend such a generous offer. However, he didn’t dare to question it and decided to abide by Mu Yueying’s arrangement.

It was already dusk as the three quickly returned to the Imperial Academy.

But when they were halfway through the ten-mile-long street, Liu Wuxie suddenly stopped.

“Big Brother, what’s wrong?” Song Ling asked.

“There’s murderous intent!” Liu Wuxie’s blade appeared in his hand. The murderous intent was faint and hard to detect.

A sword appeared in Chen Leyao’s hand as she went on full alert, scanning the surroundings. The trio instinctively formed a triangular formation, ready to face any potential threat. On either side of them were dense woods, the rustling sounds within adding to the tension. The bushes, towering over a person’s height, swayed ominously in the wind.

Roughly a minute later, everything in the surroundings became quiet except the blowing wind.

“Young Master Liu, is the murderous intent still around?” Chen Leyao didn’t sense the murderous intent after looking around.

The Ghost Eye was like a radar, enveloping and perceiving everything within a radius of a hundred meters.

Liu Wuxie’s gaze abruptly fixed on a tree, sensing a chilling aura emanating from that direction. A figure descended from the sky, lunging towards him. In the blink of an eye, a black longsword was aimed at Liu Wuxie’s neck. Despite being ten meters apart initially, the distance was closed almost instantly.

“An assassin!” Liu Wuxie identified the threat immediately.

The black-clothed assassin’s every movement was slowed down in Liu Wuxie’s eyes. He was in the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm, and even someone in the Marrow Cleansing Realm might fall victim to him.

Assassins were known for their ability to conceal themselves and exploit their surroundings to deliver fatal blows to their targets. However, Liu Wuxie had already locked onto him using Ghost Eye, which likely saved his life.

As the sword came within three inches of him, Liu Wuxie swung his blade, causing sparks to fly. The black-clad assassin was knocked back, landing five meters away. Dressed entirely in black, with only his eyes visible, he blended seamlessly into the darkness, his black sword aiding his camouflage.

“An assassin from the Assassin Pavilion!” Chen Leyao exclaimed after recognizing the assassin's attire.

Liu Wuxie frowned because it would make sense if the Xue Clan ambushed him along the way. But why would they send an assassin from the Assassin Pavilion?

“Impressive. But since you know I’m someone from the Assassin Pavilion, all of you will have to die!” The assassin disappeared into the bush, waiting for the next opportunity to attack. He had a bizarre movement technique that wasn’t any inferior to Liu Wuxie’s Seven Dipper Steps.

This instantly made Liu Wuxie realize that the Assassin Pavilion wasn’t simple.

“The two of you stick close to me!” If Liu Wuxie were by himself, he wouldn’t fear this assassin. But he had to be careful since Song Ling and Chen Leyao were accompanying him. After all, no one knew how many assassins were hiding in the dark.

If they split up, they might fall into their plot, allowing them to be taken out individually. They leaned their backs together as they slowly moved toward the Imperial Academy. They would be safe if they made it back to the Imperial Academy.

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