Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 168 - Perish

Instead of heading straight to the Imperial City, Liu Wuxie made his way towards Mulberry Town after leaving the ten-mile-long street. His decision to kill Guo Zhong was not a rash one but rather a response to his deep-seated disdain for those who resort to sneak attacks, a line that Guo Zhong had crossed.

Despite having already punished Guo Zhong the previous day, Liu Wuxie found that Guo Zhong showed no signs of remorse and even attempted another sneak attack. This was the catalyst for Liu Wuxie’s decision to end Guo Zhong’s life. Furthermore, Liu Wuxie needed blood as a tribute for his blade. Given that Guo Zhong was the one who attacked him, it was only natural for Liu Wuxie to use Guo Zhong’s blood as an offering.

The journey from the Imperial Academy to Mulberry Town required three days, but time was essential for Liu Wuxie. Utilizing the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance, he was able to glide through the air, his true essence forming the wings of a celestial crane. With each flap of these wings, Liu Wuxie could cover a distance of over ten meters.

The Seven Dipper Steps couldn’t achieve this feat. Moreover, one could only shape their true essence after reaching the Marrow Cleansing Realm. However, Liu Wuxie was an exception to this rule due to his true essence being comparable to the high levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

During his journey, Liu Wuxie took rest stops in the open air and encountered no threats. In just half a day, he reached the expansive Mulberry Town. Despite its name, the town was vast, spanning several hundred miles. It was situated between the mountain range of the Imperial Academy on the right and the Western Breeze Mountain Range on the left.

Liu Wuxie had another task to accomplish: investigating the mysterious disappearances of students in the Western Breeze Mountain Range, where many had gone missing in the previous month.

Not long after Liu Wuxie left the Imperial Academy, the Xue Clan dispatched experts to chase after Liu Wuxie.

In addition, several assassins from the Assassin Pavilion vanished into the night, their destination being Mulberry Town.

Thus, an assassination plot against Liu Wuxie gradually began to unfold. Whether Liu Wuxie would return to the Imperial Academy alive remained uncertain.

An old man had been waiting for two days at the sole entrance of Mulberry Town, marked by a mulberry tree. His patience was wearing thin as the individual he was waiting for had yet to arrive.

“Could it be that he didn’t come to Mulberry Town first but went to the Western Breeze Mountain Range instead?” Fan Yeping pondered aloud, munching on the food in his hand. He had learned three days ago that Liu Wuxie would be coming to Mulberry Town and had set up to wait for him in advance.

“That’s impossible. If he were to head to the Western Breeze Mountain Range first, he would have to take a detour and waste time. It would make more sense for him to come to Mulberry Town before heading to the Western Breeze Mountain Range,” Fan Yeping dismissed his own speculation, shaking his head as he continued to eat.

On the third morning, Liu Wuxie finally saw Mulberry Town. The existence of an organization like the Scarlet Dragon Association in such a place was not surprising. Mulberry Town served as a vital transit point, linking three major cities. It was a favored rest stop for many traveling merchants.

The Scarlet Dragon Association held significant influence here, and every merchant caravan passing through the town had to pay a protection fee.

Mulberry Town was home to over a million martial arts practitioners. It was also known for its rare Mulberry Silkworms. The resilient silk produced by these silkworms was used to craft golden silk armor, a type of armor impervious to ordinary weapons and worn by the Terrabreak Army.

The robust silk of the Mulberry Silkworms, produced in substantial quantities annually, was a major draw for merchant caravans, especially during winter when the silkworms spun their silk. This was the time when merchant caravans from various regions would flock to Mulberry Town.

“After crossing this hill, I will reach Mulberry Town!” Liu Wuxie ate some food and increased his speed. Traveling through the mountain range required careful conservation of strength. Despite its remoteness, the area saw occasional passersby.

Upon reviewing the information provided by Li Shengsheng, Liu Wuxie was taken aback by the extent of the Scarlet Dragon Association’s tyranny. Just last year, a hundred merchant caravans were massacred for failing to pay sufficient protection fees.

Several villages nearby that resisted them were also wiped out. Over the years, the Scarlet Dragon Association had stained their hands with the blood of countless victims.

While Liu Wuxie would never harm the innocent, he considered eliminating the Scarlet Dragon Association as an act of eradicating evil. After all, they had committed innumerable heinous crimes, growing stronger through their acts of plunder. They had seized a vast area of the mountain range, claiming it as their territory and making it nearly impossible for ordinary people to mount an attack against them.

In the past, the Great Yan Dynasty had dispatched troops to confront the Scarlet Dragon Association, but the association members would vanish into the depths of the mountain range by the time the troops arrived. Once the troops retreated, the association would reemerge and resume their activities.

As time passed, the Great Yan Dynasty found it challenging to deal with them, and even sending Marrow Cleansing Realm experts over had little effect. The three leaders rarely showed themselves, and their stronghold was filled with a network of secret passages. When formidable foes came to attack them, they would hide in those secret passages. Relying on the stored supplies was enough for them to last more than a year.

Armed with this information, Liu Wuxie formulated a plan in his mind. If he wanted to eradicate the Scarlet Dragon Association, he would have to infiltrate them first.

The Scarlet Dragon Association’s stronghold was strategically located along the mountain, with a single entrance that made it difficult for others to launch an attack. Infiltration by outsiders was virtually impossible. A direct assault by Liu Wuxie would likely result in his own defeat. Therefore, his best bet was to attempt to infiltrate the association.

Suddenly, a potent sword aura descended from above. Throughout his journey, Liu Wuxie had remained vigilant, always on guard for potential ambushes.

Leaving the Imperial Academy meant that he was no longer under its protection, making him a target for various factions, particularly the Xue Clan. He had anticipated that the Xue Clan would send assassins after him, but he hadn’t expected them to strike so soon.

Strangely enough, the attacker was not an expert from the Xue Clan but someone Liu Wuxie recognized. He swiftly drew his blade and parried the incoming attack.

The forceful clash sent the sword and its wielder flying into the bushes.

“Fan Yeping, long time no see!” Liu Wuxie, holding his blade, looked towards the bushes with a smirk. He hadn’t expected his first adversary to be Fan Yeping, which was quite a surprise.

“Liu Wuxie, we finally meet again!” Fan Yeping got up from the bushes with an ugly expression. Not only did his sneak attack fail, but he was sent flying by Liu Wuxie’s counterattack. However, as he was in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, he was confident in his strength and attributed his failure to a momentary lapse in concentration.

“Third-level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm? Impressive! You’re worth killing!” Liu Wuxie wasn’t angered. If someone was seeking death, he wouldn’t mind obliging. After all, he profited every time he killed someone, and he was currently broke after depleting nearly all his resources.

Fan Yeping, being in the Marrow Cleansing Realm and a teacher at the Imperial Academy, was likely to be quite wealthy.

“Still being so arrogant even at the brink of death. Prepare to meet your end!” Fan Yeping roared in fury. As an expert at the third level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm, he found it greatly insulting to be ridiculed by someone like Liu Wuxie, who was in the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

When Fan Yeping swung his sword down, he performed an unpredictable sword technique, a testament to his experience as a veteran teacher.

Liu Wuxie, aware of the stakes, didn’t dare to let his guard down. His fighting prowess had reached the fourth level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. Still, his cultivation was only in the first level of the Spirit Cleansing Realm, creating a significant disparity between them.

Executing the Blood Gleam Blade Art, a ray of light flashed from his blade, unsettling Fan Yeping due to the unpredictability of Liu Wuxie’s technique.

Liu Wuxie’s fighting prowess far surpassed Fan Yeping, easily sealing Fan Yeping’s path of retreat in just a few moves.

“Fan Yeping, bring out your true strength!” Liu Wuxie challenged. Fan Yeping initially underestimated the power of the incoming blade, as it made no sound, slicing through the air. However, upon clashing with the sword, he instantly realized his mistake.

The force behind Liu Wuxie’s strike was comparable to the fourth level of the Spirit Cleansing Realm, and despite raising his sword to block, Fan Yeping found himself slightly lagging.

With a huge collision, a terrifying outburst of true essence swept out from the Heretic Blade, striking an impact on Fan Yeping’s sword. An unbelievable scene unfolded next as Fan Yeping’s sword let out a cry with cracks appearing on it.

“How is this possible?! I’m using a profound artifact!” Fan Yeping looked at his sword in disbelief. What grade of weapon was that blade to exhibit such powers?

“So what if it’s a profound artifact? I can still destroy it!” Liu Wuxie sneered. Even profound artifacts were graded into different levels, and Fan Yeping’s weapon was merely the lowest grade among profound artifacts and couldn’t be compared to his Heretic Blade.

Executing the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance, true essence manifested into a pair of wings, lifting Liu Wuxie into the air. This scene shocked Fan Yeping even more; he couldn’t believe someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm could levitate.

Liu Wuxie’s display left him puzzled. Recalling back to the assessment, Fan Yeping regretted deeply that he didn’t cripple Liu Wuxie then.

“Striding the Wind!” Fan Yeping gritted his teeth, swinging his sword at Liu Wuxie’s legs.

In response, Liu Wuxie sprang up, hovering upside down as he swung his blade. This straightforward attack caught Fan Yeping off guard. After all, the simpler the attack, the more useful it would be in combat.

When the blade and sword collided, a powerful shockwave swept out. The nearby grass couldn’t withstand the corrosion of blade aura, and the ground soon became bare, as though a sickle had harvested it.

As Liu Wuxie’s true essence continued to shape, Liu Wuxie remained suspended in the air. With a sudden dive, Liu Wuxie aimed his blade at Fan Yeping’s head.

This sudden attack surprised Fan Yeping; he could only pull his sword back to block.

He had unleashed the full power of the Profound Azure Sword Art perfectly. Ordinary people would have a tough time breaking through his defenses, but unfortunately, he ran into Liu Wuxie. With Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie could see countless flaws in Fan Yeping’s sword technique.

Liu Wuxie left footprints in the air, altering the path of his blade to appear behind Fan Yeping, exploiting a flaw in the latter’s sword technique.

This unexpected move shocked Fan Yeping, who couldn’t adjust his move in time. He rolled on the ground to dodge the lethal blow, breaking out in a cold sweat. He had underestimated Liu Wuxie’s strength and nearly paid the ultimate price.

However, Liu Wuxie didn’t give him the opportunity. The best response to someone who sought his life was to end their life. As the blade released a buzzing sound, terrifying sword intent swept out, forming a blade aura that locked onto Fan Yeping.

This blade made Fan Yeping sense the threat of death, scaring him greatly as he retreated involuntarily.

“Fan Yeping, you won’t be able to escape!” Performing the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance, Ghost Eye, and Blood Gleam Blade Art was enough to deal with someone like Fan Yeping.

Liu Wuxie descended, sealing off Fan Yeping’s path of retreat, and swung his blade out. His blade still didn’t produce any sound, but Fan Yeping didn’t dare to be careless this time.

“Liu Wuxie, I’ll kill you!” Fan Yeping went all out, determined to kill Liu Wuxie even if he had to put his life on the line. If he allowed Liu Wuxie to continue living, it would spell disaster for him. Fan Yeping lost his sense of reason in his desperation to regain his status as a teacher.

“You’re not worthy!” Liu Wuxie sneered. Not everyone was worthy of dying alongside him.

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