Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 585 - Hostage

Faced with Xu Zhi’s aggressive stance, Liu Wuxie maintained his composure and prepared to leave Old Century Trading with the contract in hand.

His reaction surprised not only Lan Yu but also Xu Zhi and Du Weihe. They struggled to reconcile the calm demeanor before them with the rumors that painted Liu Wuxie as a ruthless figure known for using extreme measures. Watching him now, they assumed that perhaps Liu Wuxie’s reputation was exaggerated. He hadn’t retaliated or shown any anger under Xu Zhi’s provocations.

As Liu Wuxie moved to exit, Xu Zhi stepped forward, blocking his path with a sneer. It was clear that they had no intention of letting him leave alive.

"You intend to fight here?" Liu Wuxie asked, murderous intent radiating from him. He wasn't angry because he had more important matters to attend to, and killing several lackeys of the Lesser Blade Association was meaningless.

Liu Wuxie knew that Qin Dao, the true mastermind, had orchestrated everything. Killing Xu Zhi or Du Weihe here and now would only bring more adversaries out of the shadows and alert his enemies. He preferred to bide his time until the Heavenly Dao Society had firmly established itself in Treasure City. Only then would he move against the Lesser Blade Association and their network of shops.

His plan was simple: to cut off the Lesser Blade Association's source of income. Without resources, their members would be left alone, and the Lesser Blade Association would crumble without him doing anything.

It was already proven in Serene Sea City that killing someone didn't necessarily need a blade. He had killed so many people even without drawing his weapon.

People died daily, but Liu Wuxie had successfully etched his name in everyone's memories. He had relied on words and his brain to tarnish the Azure Crimson Gate's reputation.

"Since you’ve come, don’t even think about leaving!” Du Weihe interjected, his patience at its limit. He and Xu Zhi had been waiting for this moment, prepared to confront Liu Wuxie.

They were both in the Astral River Realm, and they closed in on Liu Wuxie, sandwiching him in the middle. An additional expert stood watch at the entrance, ensuring there was no chance of escape.

"Why don't we sit down and talk things through peacefully?" Bei Chengsi stepped forward, believing there was no need for violence. He hoped to ease the tension between the two parties.

The Old Century Trading was wrong here, and he had personally tested the talismans produced by the Heavenly Dao Society. They were mighty, far surpassing any typical talismans. If they could be widely distributed, it would bring an immense fortune to Old Century Trading.

"Get lost! You're in no place to interfere!" Xu Zhi roared and sent Bei Chengsi flying with a wave of his hand. He crashed to the ground, landing heavily as blood spilled from his mouth.

Bei Chengsi was a businessman, and he had no interest in cultivating. Judging from his large frame, it was easy to see his lack of interest in cultivation, and he had only barely reached the first level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

Moreover, he had reached his current cultivation level relying on excessive amounts of pills. His large frame was due to the medicinal effects accumulated within his body, and he couldn't absorb them entirely.

"Master, you go first. We'll hold them off!" Lan Yu stepped forward.

Although the events from Serene Sea City had spread throughout the Southern Province, everyone knew that Liu Wuxie had relied on a strategy to kill the Azure Crimson Gate disciples. He hadn't lifted a finger, so few people knew his strength.

Most people still believed that Liu Wuxie had only accomplished that much, relying on his intelligence and mediocre combat abilities. But in the face of absolute strength, intelligence was useless.

"Don't even think about leaving today. All of you will die today!" Xu Zhi sneered, and the murderous intent he gave off increased. He was somewhat arrogant for someone in the second level of the Astral River Realm.

The man who stood guard at the entrance had a sword in hand, ensuring that Liu Wuxie's group was entirely cornered.

"Liu Wuxie, I'll be honest with you. There's a reason we shelved your talismans in a corner instead of taking them down. It was to lure you into the Old Century Trading to kill you," Du Weihe chuckled, confessing to the trap they laid for Liu Wuxie.

The Lesser Blade Association knew they had no chance to deal with Liu Wuxie in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion with the protection of Elder Tian Xing and Elder Yi Xuan.

But in the Treasure City, this was their turf, and Liu Wuxie wouldn't be that lucky with no one protecting him.

Even if they killed Liu Wuxie, Elder Tian Xing couldn't avenge him because this was a common conflict between fellow disciples.

"You think I don't know?" Liu Wuxie smiled, showing no panic. It was apparent why the talismans weren't removed from the shelves but placed in a corner. The talismans were bait to lure him into their trap, and he had long figured it out.

"So what if you knew? Today is the day you die!" Xu Zhi wasn't surprised because Liu Wuxie was reputed for his intelligence. But looking at the latter now, he seemed no different from any ordinary people caught in their snare.

"You three garbage think you can kill me?" Liu Wuxie patted Lan Yu's shoulder to get him to step aside and not stand in his way. With Lan Yu's pathetic strength, he could be killed with one slap.

"You dare insult us? Let's see how ‘garbage’ like us kill you today!" Xu Zhi trembled with rage upon being insulted. After all, he was a true disciple of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Each true disciple attained their current height through countless hardships, and only a few thousand could be promoted to a true disciple out of hundreds of thousands of disciples. After all, the breakthrough to the Astral River Realm was no easy feat.

With that, Xu Zhi lunged at Liu Wuxie, his hand reaching for the latter's throat.

Yet, he was no different from the garbage in Liu Wuxie's eyes. He had killed cultivators in the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm, and Xu Zhi wasn't even worthy of licking his shoes.

Liu Wuxie remained motionless, allowing Xu Zhi's hand to approach.

This made Lan Yu and others anxious, wondering why Liu Wuxie wasn't retaliating. But despite their worry, they didn't dare to intervene, fearing they would disrupt Liu Wuxie.

Bai Lin held onto his sword, prepared to charge forward to back Liu Wuxie up at any moment.

"Liu Wuxie, you can die now!" Xu Zhi's hand was only inches away from Liu Wuxie's neck, and a cruel grin formed on his lips. If his strike landed, he would leave five bloody holes in Liu Wuxie's throat.

Projecting the primordial spirit outside the body was only possible after reaching the Nascent Transformation Realm. Thus, anyone would die with their throats pierced, even if they were in the Astral River Realm.

"You're the one who will die. Let's start the destruction of the Lesser Blade Association with you!" Liu Wuxie had returned to crush the Lesser Blade Association. He intended to teach them a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget, making it clear that the Heavenly Dao Society was no pushover.

Space in the Old Century Trading froze abruptly, and Xu Zhi's hand couldn't move any further. Moreover, Liu Wuxie's hand appeared out of nowhere, a thousandfold faster than Xu Zhi's. With a swift move, Liu Wuxie grabbed onto Xu Zhi's throat and lifted him off the ground.

Everyone was shocked by this scene. They were in disbelief that Liu Wuxie was so powerful that he could easily kill someone in the Astral River Realm. No wonder he called them garbage because they were no different from the garbage before him.

Du Weihe and the man at the entrance turned pale, fear evident in their eyes. The guard’s sword trembled visibly in his hand, betraying his nerves.

None of them had seen how Liu Wuxie retaliated. Just moments ago, they saw how Xu Zhi's hand was only inches away from Liu Wuxie's neck, but he stopped without warning. Everything was too strange.

Even cultivators in the Astral River Realm couldn't see what had happened, let alone Lan Yu and the others.

"ARGH!" Xu Zhi let out a hoarse scream.

Liu Wuxie's hand was like a clamp that choked his neck, making him wail in agony.

"Now, tell me. Who's the garbage?" Liu Wuxie asked with a devilish smile on his lips while he exerted more force with his hand.

Xu Zhi flailed wildly, his hands reaching for Liu Wuxie's head but always falling short.

"Liu Wuxie, you're courting death!" Du Weihe acted along with the man guarding the entrance. They unleashed a powerful energy shockwave that sent the tables and chairs flying across the room.

Bei Chengsi, the weakest among everyone present, couldn't even get close. He was feeling anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

If the Lesser Blade Association members died in the Old Century Trading, his days of peace would be over. It was inevitable that the Lesser Blade Association would vent out their anger on him.

He was just a humble businessman, and he was not a match for a superpower like the Lesser Blade Association.

Liu Wuxie snorted, and he crushed Xu Zhi's neck with a swift grasp, whose lifeless body crumpled to the floor.

After eliminating Xu Zhi, Liu Wuxie vanished, leaving Du Weihe and the other man’s attacks to strike empty air. He knew he had to end this quickly; if they shifted their focus to Fan Zhen and the others, it would be disastrous.

Fan Zhen and the others were too weak and couldn't withstand attacks from the Astral River Realm cultivators.

With a flash, the Heretic Blade appeared and descended, cleaving the man who guarded the previous entrance into two before he could even scream.

This left Du Weihe frozen, paralyzed in fear. He was terrified by Liu Wuxie's display of strength. He was the only one left and knew he wasn't Liu Wuxie's match. Thus, he didn't hesitate to run towards the window, planning to escape.

"Did I say you could leave?" Liu Wuxie had given them a chance to live earlier, but they didn't know how to cherish that chance.

He initially planned to dissolve the Lesser Blade Association without spilling blood. If he could strike a blow to their finances, the faction would collapse on its own, and that was his true goal. This was because he wanted to avoid the Heavenly Dao Society gaining a reputation for slaughter.

However, these people couldn't blame him for being ruthless since they brought it upon themselves.

The window was frozen when a cold ray flew out, blocking Du Weihe's escape path. The Frost Finger could even suppress cultivators in the high levels of the Astral River Realm, let alone someone in the low level.

In a desperate bid, Du Weihe lunged at Bei Chengsi, intending to use him as a hostage. With the escape route sealed, he saw no other option. Bei Chengsi was too far from Liu Wuxie, and by the time Liu Wuxie noticed, Du Weihe had already seized him, pressing his sword against Bei Chengsi’s neck.

Holding his captive firmly, Du Weihe roared, “Liu Wuxie, if you take another step, I’ll kill him!”

"What does his life and death have anything to do with me?" Liu Wuxie replied with a shrug. Bei Chengsi had no ties to the Heavenly Dao Society or personal connection with Liu Wuxie.

Those words left Du Weihe stunned. He realized that what Liu Wuxie said was right because Bei Chengsi was just a business partner of the Heavenly Dao Society, and his life and death meant nothing to him.

Du Weihe only wanted to take a hostage out of desperation, but it appeared that he had miscalculated by picking Bei Chengsi.

"The Heavenly Dao Society is cooperating with Old Century Trading. The partnership will come to an end if this fatty dies, and you will be the one to suffer losses. Let me go, and I won't harm him," Du Weihe's voice softened, only trying to survive.

"No one has ever dared to threaten me, and you are the first. You can die now," Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, and a spear flew out at lightning speed.

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