Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 613 - Stomping to the Lesser Blade Association Headquarters

The two hurried back and returned to Liu Wuxie’s abode in just fifteen minutes. Everyone was gathered here upon hearing that Liu Wuxie was ending his seclusion today.

Over the past month, the Treasure Pill Peak’s trajectory had fallen into place. This meant Bi Gongyu had more free time and was among the crowd today. Upon seeing Liu Wuxie, the group stepped forward to greet him.

When Liu Wuxie swept his gaze through the crowd, he quickly noticed Song Ling, who had visibly lost weight. The latter had been preoccupied with creating spiritual talismans lately, and he hadn’t even had time to rest. He had lost so much weight that Liu Wuxie almost didn’t recognize him.

“Song Ling, come over!” Liu Wuxie beckoned, and Song Ling quickly made his way over.

“Big brother!” Song Ling addressed Liu Wuxie with warmth, like a true brother. While others had treated Liu Wuxie as their superior, Song Ling’s bond with him was more relaxed. When the Heavenly Dao Society was established, everyone had quickly adjusted their position to see Liu Wuxie as their leader.

“It has been tough on you lately. Take a few days to rest!” Liu Wuxie patted Song Ling’s shoulder. The latter had to nurture newcomers and not handle everything himself.

“It’s fine, I’m not tired!” Song Ling laughed heartily. He was as cheerful as ever, even though he had lost some weight.

“What’s wrong with your hand?” Liu Wuxie soon noticed that Song Ling was hiding his right hand. He grabbed Song Ling’s hand and saw a fresh knife wound at the base of his thumb. The cut was deep and exposed the bone beneath, and it was clear that he had sustained the cut recently.

“It’s nothing. I accidentally cut myself,” Song Ling replied with a chuckle, concealing the hint of hatred in his eyes. While others couldn’t notice it, Liu Wuxie naturally noticed the resentment Song Ling was giving off.

“Song Ling, do you still treat me as your brother?” Liu Wuxie’s expression turned grim, and an imposing aura radiated from him, causing everyone around to feel suffocated under the weight of his presence.

“Of course, you are my brother!” Song Ling responded at once. He was the only child of his parents, and he had long considered Liu Wuxie his brother. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have followed Liu Wuxie’s footsteps into cultivation.

“Then tell me—what’s with that knife wound?” Liu Wuxie asked in a stern voice. Since Song Ling treated him as his older brother, he felt he needed to take the place of Song Ling’s father to look after him. He could tell that this wound wasn’t caused by accident.

“Brother, don’t worry about it. The wound is already healing, and it won’t hinder my work to craft spiritual talismans,” Song Ling chuckled. Due to prompt care, the wound wasn’t severe, and it would heal by itself in just a few days.

A terrifying chill swept out from Liu Wuxie, making everyone shiver and too intimidated to speak.

“Do I have to force it out of every single one of your mouths?!” Liu Wuxie questioned. His tone was terrifyingly cold, and he could only force the truth out of their mouths if they refused to tell it.

“It’s done by Song Guang; he’s one of Qin Dao’s most trusted brothers,” Bai Lin said, taking a step forward. He was responsible for most of the Heavenly Dao Society’s operations in the sect.

Bi Gongyu was responsible for alchemy, and Song Ling was responsible for spiritual talismans. Their focus would gradually shift from handling everything independently to supervisory work in the future.

A terrifying murderous intent erupted from Liu Wuxie, spreading rapidly like a suffocating wave. Everyone, including Jiang Xing’er, turned pale under the crushing weight of his fury.

“Very well!” Liu Wuxie took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress his murderous intent. He thought the Lesser Blade Association wouldn’t pose any threat after having all of their income crippled, but he didn’t expect them to go after Song Ling—an offense he couldn’t forgive.

“Wuxie, the Ten Grand Ceremony is about to start, and this isn’t the right time to create further conflicts. We can resolve this again after everything ends,” Fan Zhen interjected.

Everyone withheld the truth from Liu Wuxie because they didn’t want to distract him from the Ten Grand Ceremony. Qin Dao was a formidable foe; going head-to-head with him now wouldn’t be wise.

The Heavenly Dao Society might have disrupted the Lesser Blade Association’s income, but they were still a formidable force to be reckoned with in sheer numbers. The reason why they withheld the truth from Liu Wuxie was to protect him.

Even if the Heavenly Dao Society had been snowballing through the recent incidents, they were still inferior to the Lesser Blade Association, which had been developing for a decade.

“Old Fan, you know my temper. I will give respect when I receive respect. But if anyone dares to offend me, I won’t hesitate to kill them!” Liu Wuxie said.

Fan Zhen had witnessed Liu Wuxie’s growth in Azure Billow City, his time at the Imperial Academy, and his current achievements in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Thus, he understood Liu Wuxie too well to know that he could do nothing to stop the latter. This was precisely why they hesitated to tell Liu Wuxie, worried the latter might do something impulsive.

“Wuxie, Qin Dao has returned, and there’s no harm to put up with it for now!” Fan Zhen smiled bitterly. He knew the frustration Liu Wuxie felt, and they were also furious.

“I can’t wait!” Liu Wuxie’s eyes were cold, and boundless murderous intent filled the entire abode. He grabbed Song Ling’s shoulder and commanded, “Bai Lin, lead the way!”

Bai Lin didn’t dare to disobey Liu Wuxie’s order and glanced at Fan Zhen, who shook his head helplessly. Everyone knew they couldn’t change Liu Wuxie’s mind.

With no choice, Bai Lin could only lead the way, while the others started to follow, only to be held back by Fan Zhen.

Since Liu Wuxie hadn’t asked them to join, it was best for them to stay behind. After all, this trip to the Lesser Blade Association would be dangerous, and Liu Wuxie might be unable to look after so many people if everyone went.

Large-scale slaughters were strictly prohibited within the sect. However, even when they occurred, the sect often refrained from pursuing them further, as the deceased could not be brought back to life.

Everyone was baffled when they greeted Liu Wuxie upon seeing him, only to be ignored. This piqued everyone’s interest, and they followed behind the group of three.

Most of the sect was focused on preparations for the Ten Grand Ceremony the next day. Many disciples were making a final push, hoping to use the ceremony as a platform to gain fame and recognition. The opportunity to obtain treasures made the event highly coveted.

Fifteen minutes later, the group of three reached a towering mountain, where Bai Lin stopped.

“This is the Lesser Blade Association’s headquarters. Song Guang should be inside as well,” Bai Lin said, pointing at the mountain’s summit. A crowd gathered behind the trio, but they didn’t dare to get too close to Liu Wuxie’s intimidating pressure.

“Let’s go!” Liu Wuxie said as he released his hold on Song Ling.

With no room for retreat, Bai Lin had no choice but to push forward. The mountain wasn’t particularly large, and the journey to the summit was only about a hundred meters. The path was well-kept, flanked by gardens brimming with herbs that flourished in neat rows.

“Hold it right there! This mountain belongs to a true disciple, and trespassing is punishable by death!” shouted one of the ten-odd disciples who descended to block their path.

However, their expressions shifted the moment they recognized Liu Wuxie. They hadn’t expected him to appear at the Lesser Blade Association’s headquarters. As members of the association, they were well aware of his reputation.

“Fuck off!” A powerful aura swept out from Liu Wuxie with a wave of his hand, and the disciples standing in his way were thrown down the mountain.

Liu Wuxie restrained himself from causing a massacre, mindful that they were within sect grounds where limits had to be observed. He was here for one purpose: to settle the score with Song Guang.

As they continued to the summit, more disciples rushed down upon hearing that intruders were attempting to block Liu Wuxie’s ascend.

However, they all shuddered and stepped back with a single glare from Liu Wuxie. They were only in the Heavenly Phase Realm, while the aura Liu Wuxie gave off was in the pinnacle of the Heavenly Phase Realm.

Even some disciples in the Astral River Realm didn’t dare to block Liu Wuxie’s path. After all, there were too many legends about Liu Wuxie, and the Lesser Blade Association already suspected that Liu Wuxie had killed the likes of Xu Zhi and Ye Dao.

Even those in the Astral River Realm couldn’t be Liu Wuxie’s match, and they would only be courting death if they went up against him.

Left with no choice, the members of the Lesser Blade Association formed a defensive circle around Liu Wuxie, their weapons drawn and at the ready. Each time Liu Wuxie took a step forward, they retreated a step, carefully maintaining a five-meter distance between them.

In this tense formation, Liu Wuxie ascended to the summit, the journey taking roughly five minutes. As he reached the top, the scenery shifted dramatically. The summit was divided into several distinct areas, including rows of houses and a large platform, vast enough to accommodate thousands of people.

The platform, typically used as a gathering spot for Lesser Blade Association members, was now crowded. Those present moved to encircle Liu Wuxie, their numbers growing as they positioned themselves to block his path.

Liu Wuxie’s group of three stood in the center of the platform, and Bai Lin looked around the crowd only to realize that Song Guang was nowhere to be seen.

“Liu Wuxie, how dare you invade this place. Today, this place will be your grave!” yelled a disciple on the third level of the Astral River Realm, his eyes filled with a menacing gleam.

"Get Song Guang out!" Liu Wuxie roared, his voice echoing across the summit. He had no intention of wasting time with the others and was determined to kill Song Guang before the sect’s upper echelons intervened. Their arrival would only complicate matters.

"Do you think Boss Song is someone you can meet just because you demand it? I suggest you turn around and leave while you still can," a man taunted, his tone laced with mockery.

Liu Wuxie suddenly vanished from the encirclement. He had long reached the pinnacle in the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance with his breakthrough, and not even an afterimage was left behind when he vanished.

Before anyone could react, the taunting man was sent flying with a resounding slap, his cheek grotesquely swollen as teeth fragments and blood scattered into the air.

“Starting now, I will cripple one person every five breaths until Song Guang stands before me,” Liu Wuxie declared, his chilling gaze sweeping across the crowd.

Fear rippled through the Lesser Blade Association members; they knew that Liu Wuxie’s threats were never empty. Just like that, tension continued to build as five breaths passed, but no one dared to flee because they would lose their footing in the faction if they did.

No one from the Lesser Blade Association dared to speak. That slap from Liu Wuxie had smashed apart their courage.

Moments ticked by. When the time was up, Liu Wuxie vanished again, reappearing in an instant to send another disciple flying. This time, his kick shattered the disciple's dantian, effectively ending his path as a cultivator.

“First person,” Liu Wuxie declared, raising a single finger.

This immediately caused panic among the crowd as someone quickly ran to get Song Guang. They knew no one could leave unscathed if Song Guang didn’t arrive.

No one had ever dared to challenge the Lesser Blade Association in such a brazen manner—until now. Liu Wuxie was establishing a new and fearsome precedent.

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