Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 164 - Nine Heavenly Crane Dance

Even though it was night, the courtyard designated for the Miscellaneous Hall was brightly illuminated. The inhabitants of this place were the elders of the Miscellaneous Hall.

“Are you done with the investigation?” Fan Yeping asked coldly, emanating a powerful murderous intent.

“I have looked into the matter. Liu Wuxie is responsible for the deaths of numerous students, and the headmaster intends to penalize him,” a young man with a piercing gaze stood before Fan Yeping and reported.

“Do you have the specific information on the punishment?” Fan Yeping asked. Many disciples who were punished would be demoted to the Miscellaneous Hall to take on the miscellaneous tasks as a form of punishment. If nothing went wrong, Liu Wuxie would soon be sent to the Miscellaneous Hall, falling into his hands. This meant that he could torment Liu Wuxie without restraint.

“I received news that his punishment will be special. He won’t be demoted to the Miscellaneous Hall; you must be prepared. You won't get another chance if you don’t kill him now.” The youth’s face was concealed in the darkness, with his back facing the lamp. His face couldn’t be seen except for his sharp eyes.

“Regardless of how he’s punished, I want him dead! Thank you for delivering the message at night, and I’m grateful for it.” Fan Yeping bowed to the young man. It made no sense for an elder to bow to a student, and this only meant that the young man had an extraordinary status.

“As long as you can kill him, I will help you regain the status as a teacher.” The young man disappeared into the night without a trace.

After the young man’s departure, Fan Yeping was the only one left in his courtyard, clenching his fists tightly. His days in the Miscellaneous Hall had been filled with humiliation, as he was tasked with the menial job of cleaning up trash and maintaining the toilet. Once a respected teacher, he was reduced to this lowly state, thanks to Liu Wuxie.

The young man who visited him that night had brought a tantalizing piece of information. If Fan Yeping could eliminate Liu Wuxie, the young man promised to restore his status as a teacher. Under normal circumstances, Fan Yeping would have dismissed such a claim. But there was a certain conviction in the young man’s words that made him believe.

Liu Wuxie was in the process of making a breakthrough throughout the night, reaching the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm. He didn’t carry on because he lacked spiritual energy and intended to stabilize his foundation.

The transition from the Xiantian Realm to the Spirit Cleansing Realm was a significant transformation, necessitating Liu Wuxie to strengthen his foundation. As he formed seals with his hands, the Desolate Devouring Art advanced to the second stage, leading to visible changes on the surface of the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron.

During his self-detonation in the Celestial Realm, Liu Wuxie had witnessed the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron shatter into innumerable fragments. The cauldron within his dantian was merely a projection, not the real artifact. He pondered whether the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron would revert to its original state and re-emerge in the world as he progressed in the Desolate Devouring Art.

The branches of the ancient tree, which had grown several meters, returned to his body, continuously absorbing the spiritual energy from the outside world. This meant that Liu Wuxie’s cultivation would continue even during mundane activities like eating or sleeping.

As his time in the cultivation chamber ended, Liu Wuxie stood up after stabilizing his cultivation. A powerful shockwave of aura swept out from him, crashing against the walls.

The walls emitted sizzling sounds, akin to arrows striking them. If it were someone in the Xiantian Realm facing him, they would be riddled with holes, but it left no marks on the walls.

The sound of his bones cracking echoed around, reminiscent of popping beans. The Bone Refining Pills were working their magic, transforming every inch of Liu Wuxie’s body. The runes on his bones intertwined, making his entire skeleton appear as one.

Liu Wuxie continued to observe his condition, puzzled by the runes. He speculated that they were a result of the Desolate Devouring Art, which was transforming his body.

“What a powerful airflow!” Liu Wuxie needed time to get used to his cultivation. When he clenched his fists, a powerful airflow appeared in the surroundings.

“Overlord Fist!” Liu Wuxie raised his hand and punched the wall without hesitation. The shockwave he created formed a dragon-shaped true essence, covering a distance of several meters in an instant and reaching the wall.

He had only used fifty percent of his strength out of concern that he might destroy the five-layered golden pagoda because he couldn’t control his strength. According to his estimation, his current strength wasn’t weaker than the fourth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

With his rising cultivation level, it would become progressively difficult for Liu Wuxie to challenge those with higher cultivation levels than him. While he could challenge those in the Spirit Cleansing Realm with his cultivation in the Xiantian Realm, it didn’t necessarily mean he could take on those in the Marrow Cleansing Realm with cultivation in the Spirit Cleansing Realm. Such a feat had been unheard of since ancient times.

With a loud bang, a powerful rebound force sent him flying away, crashing against the wall behind him. The impact made him throw up a mouthful of blood from the shock to his internal organs.

The five-layered golden pagoda began to shake violently, causing alarm among the cultivating students. Many were frightened to the point of wetting their pants, thinking that the pagoda was on the verge of collapse. However, the shaking was short-lived and soon subsided, restoring calm.

A fan-shaped crater appeared on the wall in front of Liu Wuxie. Ever since the five-layered golden pagoda was forged, no one had been able to damage the walls like this. At the center of the crater was a fist mark left behind by the Overlord Fist.

“This is my strength?” Liu Wuxie looked at his fists with disbelief. He knew the Overlord Fist could be promoted, but he didn’t expect it to be so powerful.

“Relying on the Overlord Fist, it shouldn’t be an issue for me to kill someone in the fourth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.” Liu Wuxie took a deep breath and shook his arms with excitement. The surrounding spiritual energy poured into his dantian as the previous attack had consumed half his true essence.

He was only left with an hour in the cultivation chamber, and he wanted to make full use of it. He didn’t need to practice the Overlord Fist because there was only one move. However, the stronger he grew, the more powerful the Overlord Fist would become. But now that he had reached the Spirit Cleansing Realm, he wanted to cultivate several martial techniques to protect himself better.

“Time to change my movement technique!” Liu Wuxie had already reached the pinnacle with the Seven Dipper Steps. It was more than enough for him in the Xiantian Realm, but the enemies he encountered were increasingly stronger. He searched his memories, and there weren’t many martial techniques suitable for his current cultivation level.

“Let’s go with this one!” A martial technique from the Celestial Realm surfaced in his mind. Although he couldn’t fully utilize it with his current cultivation level, he believed he could modify it to suit his needs. In just fifteen minutes, Liu Wuxie had successfully adapted the new movement technique.

Liu Wuxie decided to name his new movement technique the “Nine Heavenly Crane Dance.” This simplified technique consisted of nine forms, each corresponding to a common posture of a celestial crane, such as pecking, soaring, and spreading its wings. This allowed him to execute the technique to its fullest potential.

Thus, he spent his remaining time in the cultivation chamber to practice the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance. His body would alternate between his own form and that of a celestial crane. When he executed the movement technique, he would disappear and leave behind a rough outline flashing in the cultivation chamber.

After spending fifteen minutes, Liu Wuxie finally grasped the movement technique entirely, and next was to use it in actual combat. He was still uncertain about his blade technique because he wasn’t satisfied with the modifications he had made to several blade techniques, which had decreased their grade.

For now, Liu Wuxie relied on the Blood Gleam Blade Art. He could always find one at the academy if he needed a new blade technique. With the Ghost Eye and Overlord Fist at his disposal, he was capable of handling experts from the lower levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. Even if he couldn’t defeat them, escaping with his movement technique shouldn’t pose a problem.

“My time is almost up!” Liu Wuxie adjusted his clothes and headed out, removing the jade token as the door opened. Upon exiting, he headed to the counter, noticing that the damage from the previous day had been repaired.

Handing the jade token over, Liu Wuxie went down the pagoda. When he stepped onto the second floor, many people were surprised, pointing fingers at him.

“That brat is out. There’s a show to watch now,” the crowd murmured in hushed voices. Liu Wuxie, having reached the Spirit Cleansing Realm and thus expanded his divine sense, could hear them. He was now able to sense everything within a few hundred meters radius.

“Bai Zhan is waiting outside. His inability to cultivate on the third floor is because of him, and the sudden disappearance of spiritual energy on the second floor led to his failure to make a breakthrough,” they whispered. Bai Zhan had been outside for two hours but hadn’t left, choosing instead to wait.

A crowd had gathered outside the five-layered golden pagoda, their eyes frequently darting towards the gate as if anticipating someone’s arrival.

Liu Wuxie emerged, his brow furrowed in annoyance. He hadn’t expected Bai Zhan to blame him for his failed breakthrough, a blame as absurd as attributing constipation to gravity. However, he quickly dismissed the thought. Having just achieved a breakthrough, he needed an efficient sparring partner to test his newfound strength, and Bai Zhan seemed to be the perfect candidate.

As Liu Wuxie stepped out of the pagoda, Bai Zhan’s imposing figure stood in his path, surrounded by a crowd of over a hundred students. “Liu Wuxie is out!” someone exclaimed, drawing attention to his emergence. Bai Zhan’s eyes glinted maliciously as he clenched his fists, ready for the confrontation.

“Brat, today will be your end. You’re the reason why I failed to make a breakthrough!” Bai Zhan said in an eerie tone, unleashing a powerful aura that shattered the blue slabs on the ground. He had held back during his clash with Liu Wuxie on the third floor the previous day.

“I don’t know you, nor do we have any grudges. But since you’re intent on confronting me, go ahead!” Liu Wuxie retorted, uninterested in explaining himself. If Bai Zhan were determined to kill him, he would simply retaliate.

When Liu Wuxie and Bai Zhan released their aura, a powerful aura in the Spirit Cleansing Realm enveloped Liu Wuxie.

“Look, Liu Wuxie has reached the Spirit Cleansing Realm!” A commotion arose among the onlookers as they realized Liu Wuxie had achieved the Spirit Cleansing Realm. This was unwelcome news for many who had previously ridiculed him.

“Didn’t they say he won’t be able to make a breakthrough because of his special constitution? How is his cultivation rising so quickly?”

No one was optimistic about Liu Wuxie when he had triggered the Nine Stars Illumination during the assessment. This had led to no teacher taking him under their wing, leaving him to develop independently. Consequently, everyone was taken aback when Liu Wuxie achieved a breakthrough much faster than most, despite his unique constitution. They could only wonder about the extent of his power if he continued at this pace.

The students who had enrolled in the academy alongside Liu Wuxie were still stuck at the ninth level of the Xiantian Realm, while Liu Wuxie had advanced to the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

Bai Zhan’s face was etched with seriousness. He had just come across information about Liu Wuxie, specifically about how he had slain someone in the fifth-level Spirit Cleansing Realm with a single blade strike. This revelation made Bai Zhan approach this battle with the utmost gravity. Furthermore, he had no room for retreat. He had already made a declaration and stood to lose his place in the academy if he failed to eliminate Liu Wuxie today.

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