Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 576 - True Strike

The simple downward strike caused immense destruction, demonstrating power comparable to an attack from someone in the high levels of the Astral River Realm.

Everyone looked shocked and in disbelief.

“Let’s not disturb Young Master Liu’s training and rest!” Murong Yi exclaimed, breaking the silence.

Those who had gathered over quickly left, giving Liu Wuxie space to continue practicing his blade technique. When calmness returned to the courtyard, Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan arranged for a private room, leaving Liu Wuxie alone.

Liu Wuxie raised the Heretic Blade again and channeled a third of his true essence into the strike. At the same time, he comprehended the intent behind the blade technique, not the form. After all, it was so exceedingly simple that it had no specific form in the first place. Although it did resemble a drawing technique, it was fundamentally different.

“What should I name it?”

Liu Wuxie sat on the ground in deep thought.

“Why not just call it True Strike?”

Considering its simplicity, the name was quite fitting.

Liu Wuxie spent the night practicing his blade technique, setting the Heretic Blade down only when the faint light of dawn had appeared from the east.

Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan had changed into tight-fitting outfits, ready for the long journey ahead. Traveling from Serene Sea City to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would take six to seven days.

Murong Yi was already up as well, standing outside Liu Wuxie’s courtyard.

“Young Master Liu, are you leaving today?” she asked. Today, she was in a simple white dress, making her look like a lotus blooming amid clear waters.

“That’s right. Thank you for your hospitality during my stay here in Serene Sea City. Until we meet again,” Liu Wuxie replied.

He then soared to the sky with the two ladies and disappeared into the clouds. He showed no hesitation or delay.

“Madam...” Murong Yi trailed off after Liu Wuxie vanished. Madam Li then disappeared into thin air.

With Liu Wuxie gone, peace returned to the House of Tea Art. Murong Yi walked toward the deepest chambers, which only she was allowed to enter.

There was a thatched cottage up ahead, and a black-clothed elder was seated outside the door.

“He has left, Second Uncle!” Murong Yi sat beside the black-clothed elder and gently leaned against his shoulder.

The black-clothed elder caressed Murong Yi’s head. Warmly, he said, “Go. You have made up your mind, have you not? It’s about time we move the House of Tea Art anyway. The Western Barren has been experiencing unease lately, So I’ll have to return with our clansmen. I will be waiting for your good news.”

The black-clothed elder was the younger brother of Murong Yi’s father; he was also her second uncle.

“I will miss you all!” Murong Yi exclaimed as tears rolled down her cheeks.

They had never been apart in over twenty years. Now that they were going to split, Murong Yi couldn’t help but feel sorrowful.

“I’ll miss you too, but do not fret. Our brief separation will only serve as a foundation for a better reunion in the future,” the black-clothed elder replied as he gazed into the distance. He had only stayed behind for decades to protect his niece and the other clansmen. If not for them, he would’ve long since ventured into the Divine Light Mountain to rescue his elder brother.

He was the only True Profound Realm expert whom Murong Yi had left. Hence, he couldn’t afford to put his life on the line. If the Murong Clan lost its protection, it would fall into ruin.

When Liu Wuxie left Serene Sea City traveled in the opposite direction of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

“Big Brother Liu, this isn’t the right way,” Chen Ruoyan said.

“I know,” Liu Wuxie replied.

Quickly realizing Liu Wuxie’s plan, Jian Xing’er explained, “He’s probably concerned about being ambushed on the way back. He’s taking a detour to avoid the Azure Crimson Gate’s scouts.”

Liu Wuxie nodded. “That’s right.”

This was the only way they could escape the Azure Crimson Gate’s pursuit. With their current strength, they still stood no chance against Nascent Transformation Realm experts. Hence, it was better for them to avoid confrontation.

As he had expected, the Azure Crimson Gate laid down countless traps back to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Had he appeared, he would have faced their ruthless assaults.

Who could’ve anticipated that Liu Wuxie would head in the opposite direction instead, catching the Azure Crimson Gate entirely by surprise?

“He’s really cunning!” Madam Li muttered. With her aura concealed, she had been following Liu Wuxie from afar. She aimed to ensure his safety on his way back to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Soon after Liu Wuxie’s party had left Serene Sea City, the Azure Crimson Gate scouts discovered that Liu Wuxie had deviated from the expected path. When they informed the sect, the experts waiting to intercept turned around to give chase, buying Liu Wuxie precious time.

Meanwhile, upon entering the mountain range, Liu Wuxie’s group disguised themselves before continuing on their journey. Now, they’d be untraceable for as long as they didn’t engage in combat or reveal their true essence. Even Madam Li almost lost track of them, which amazed her.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The journey was safe and uneventful. Liu Wuxie had completely misled the enemy experts, throwing them off his scent.

When news about it reached the Azure Crimson Gate, the sect erupted into an uproar. It seemed they had once again underestimated him.

Liu Wuxie’s unpredictable behavior caught them off guard. By the time they came to their senses, Liu Wuxie had already taken another route.

Considering there were hundreds of ways back to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, the Azure Crimson Gate couldn’t possibly station experts on each route. At best, they could only deploy a dozen people, so Liu Wuxie dared return to the sect with the two ladies.

“There’s a small town up ahead. Let’s stop and rest there,” Liu Wuxxie said.

The two ladies’ true essence was nearly drained after traveling non-stop for three days. Unlike Liu Wuxie, who had a huge true essence reserve, they had just reached the Heavenly Phase Realm recently. Hence, their true essence wasn’t refined enough.

The three descended onto a bustling street. The town wasn’t big; it only had a small population of a few million people.

This town was insignificant compared to the massive cities that could accommodate billions of people. One could easily see the other end of the street.

It felt good to have solid ground under their feet. As planned, the trio passed through the street to find a decent teahouse to rest before returning to their journey.

The Azure Crimson Gate would soon react and change their ambush. This meant the paths would become increasingly dangerous the closer they got to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

After all, now that they had lost track of Liu Wuxie, their best option was to guard the areas near his destination. Hence, although Liu Wuxie wasn’t in any immediate danger, the real threat had to be waiting for him outside the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s gates.

The three ordered a pot of tea to quench the dryness of their throats due to the journey. Liu Wuxie had disguised himself as a scholarly middle-aged man, Jian Xing’er as his wife, and Chen Ruoyan as his daughter—a happy and peaceful family.

As they drank tea, Liu Wuxie scanned the surroundings with his Ghost Eye. He was prepared to escape with the two the moment he noticed something amiss.

The sun was already descending, and the day was drawing to a close.

A group of locals walked back from the other end of the street, having just ended their day. To earn a living, they mainly ventured into the nearby mountains to hunt demonic beasts and harvest herbs to sell to merchants.

The scene reminded Liu Wuxie of Azure Billow City. Like this town, it also housed millions who lived happy and simple lives despite the harshness of reality.

Jian Xing’er finally relaxed after checking the map. “We should be safe here. Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples often pass through this town.”

Chen Ruoyan nodded in agreement. They should have escaped the Azure Crimson Gate’s pursuit by now too.

Liu Wuxie didn’t want to dampen their spirits. Hence, he chose not to reveal that the real danger was yet to come.

While they were drinking tea, they heard a heart-wrenching cry from below the teahouse. “Sirs, please don’t take my daughter!”

The two ladies peeked out the window and saw two young men dressed in white, dragging a young lady with them. Behind them was an older woman who clung to one of the men’s sleeves, begging him not to take her daughter.

“This is your fault for failing to pay your monthly tax! You’ve left us no choice but to sell her to the brothel! Now, get lost!”

The youth whom the older woman was clinging to kicked her on the stomach, sending her flying and crashing onto the wooden post beneath the teahouse. The impact made her cough out blood.

Jian Xing’er’s face turned cold. “Those are disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion!”

The two youths in white clothes were elite disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. She couldn’t believe that they were bullying a defenseless woman.

“Don’t get involved!” Liu Wuxie warned.

They couldn’t afford to reveal their true essence now. Otherwise, the Azure Crimson Gate’s experts would be able to track their auras down.

He had long learned how to grow indifferent to the death of ordinary people. People died every day, and he knew that he couldn’t save everyone.

The two ladies reluctantly withdrew their heads and covered their ears. They tried their best not to get involved, but the heart-wrenching cries from below made it impossible for them to stay still.

The woman who had been kicked crawled up with great difficulty, dragging a trail of blood behind her.

“Mother!” the young lady screamed.

She bit down fiercely on the arm of the youth who was holding her, catching him off guard. As he winced in pain, the young lady bit him even harder, tearing a piece of flesh away from his hand.

Enraged, the young man kicked the girl as well. The attack sent her flying all the way to the front of her mother.

Covered in blood, the two hugged each other.

“You dare bite me?! I’ll kill you!”

The man’s anger continued to boil. His clothes were torn, and his shoulder had been reduced to a bloody mess with deep imprints of the young lady’s teeth. Small chunks of flesh that the girl had spat out were also lying on the ground.

A crowd gathered around them, but no one dared to step forward. Instead, they merely watched as the two Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples humiliated the women.

Venting his anger, the youth gripped his sword and swung it at the helpless pair.

The townsfolk closed their eyes, unable to bear the violence. How could defenseless women possibly stand a chance against two elite disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?

A heavy sigh echoed from the surroundings, but there was nothing the crowd could do.

Just when the sword was about to slit the young lady’s throat, a ray knocked it off course. It slicked into the wooden pillar beneath the teahouse, causing the entire building to shake.

“Who dares interfere?!” the youth looked at the teahouse with cold light flashing in his eyes, sensing that the icy energy had come from within.

“Why make things difficult for two helpless women? Are you not an elite disciple of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion? How much do they owe you? I’ll pay their debt,” Liu Wuxie answered.

Not wanting any trouble, he hoped the two disciples could calm down. He was even willing to fork out some spirit stones to save the two women.

“How dare you meddle in my business?! Do you hate your life that much?! You’re right, though. We are elite disciples of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion elite. If you know what’s best for you, then come down and beg for mercy!”

The youth swung his sword toward the teahouse, making everyone flee out of fear that it would come toppling over them.

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