Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 487 - Life and Death Pledge

No one could understand why Liu Wuxie erupted with such powerful murderous intent, and a figure quickly approached from a distance.

It wasn't long before another person appeared in the courtyard, Jiang Gongming. Others might not know him, but Liu Wuxie naturally recognized Jiang Gongming.

A hint of shock flashed in Jiang Gongming's eyes when he saw Liu Wuxie. He had long heard that all the humans had died on the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, so how did Liu Wuxie come back alive?

They both knew what had happened that day, with Jiang Gongming allowing the Hou Clan to assassinate Liu Wuxie and even allowing the sea demons to kill him on the warship.

Jiang Gongming's face became terrifyingly grim at the sight of the corpses littering the ground and Hou Yue kneeling before Liu Wuxie.

"Liu Wuxie, how dare you kill other disciples so openly in the sect! Release Hou Yue and follow me to the Law-Enforcement Hall to receive your punishment!" Jiang Gongming roared.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when the Law-Enforcement Hall’s deacon appeared, signaling that everything had finally come to an end.

"Jiang Gongming, we'll settle our scores after I'm done killing Hou Yue," Liu Wuxie addressed Jiang Gongming directly by his name, with his murderous intent boiling in his eyes.

"How dare you try and kill another disciple in my presence?! I'll kill you on the spot if you proceed." Jiang Gongming was enraged. He was the Law-Enforcement Hall's deacon, but he was challenged by a disciple openly. How could he maintain his standing in the Law-Enforcement Hall if he let it pass?

"Deacon Jiang, please kill him! He's guilty of killing so many inner disciples!" The disciples hiding in the corner jumped out because they all had a good relationship with Hou Yue.

They hadn’t dared to step forward while Liu Wuxie was on his rampage, but with Jiang Gongming’s arrival, their courage returned. As a deacon of the Law-Enforcement Hall, Jiang Gongming’s presence meant that if Liu Wuxie dared to kill another disciple in front of him, it would be equivalent to courting death.

Fan Zhen and others were anxious because the Law-Enforcement Hall's deacon wasn't someone they could confront at their current level.

The atmosphere grew tense as Liu Wuxie kept his blade pressed against Hou Yue's neck, showing no intention of pulling it back.

"Jiang Gongming, no one can stop me from killing who I want!" Liu Wuxie laughed, and the Heretic Blade pierced into Hou Yue's neck, and the latter began to tremble.

Liu Wuxie was the first person who dared to kill another disciple in front of the Law-Enforcement Hall's deacon.

"Liu Wuxie, you're courting death!" Jiang Gongming was enraged that Liu Wuxie had completely disregarded him in front of other disciples.

Liu Wuxie snorted coldly and exerted more force on the Heretic Blade, sending Hou Yue's head flying away.

The disciples who had voiced their complaints earlier screamed in fear because Hou Yue's head fell right beside their feet. This was a form of intimidation that Liu Wuxie would also kill them if they dared to utter another word.

"Liu Wuxie, die!" Jiang Gongming was enraged and struck his palm at Liu Wuxie. He was at the second level of the Astral River Realm, and his powerful aura was like a tidal wave crashing down on Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, ready to unleash his cultivation at the fourth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm. He had sworn that if he ever returned to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion alive, he would kill Jiang Gongming.

With his cultivation in the fourth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm and the Earth Binding Chains, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to kill Jiang Gongming.

Right then, an even more powerful aura swept out, sending Jiang Gongming flying away.

Liu Wuxie stood in stunned silence, having already steeled himself to kill Jiang Gongming. He was baffled by the unexpected assistance, unsure of who had intervened on his behalf.

"Elder Tian Xing!" Another person appeared in the courtyard with a robust figure resembling a mountain. This person appeared between Jiang Gongming and Liu Wuxie, efficiently neutralizing Jiang Gongming's strike.

"Hall Master, why are you stopping me?" Jiang Gongming questioned after he regained his footing.

"Even if he has committed a crime, you cannot enforce the law!" Elder Tian Xing was domineering because it wasn't up to Jiang Gongming to enforce the law whether Liu Wuxie was guilty. He was taking Liu Wuxie's side, and no one could touch Liu Wuxie with him around.

Elder Tian Xing's appearance plunged the courtyard into a tense silence as he appeared indifferent to the carnage Liu Wuxie had wrought. The fact that Elder Tian Xing showed up only after Jiang Gongming indicated that he had been present all along, deliberately choosing not to intervene. This implied that everything Liu Wuxie had done was under his tacit approval.

"Hall Master, this brat has killed so many disciples, and he should be executed according to the sect's rules!" Jiang Gongming had little reverence for Elder Tian Xing. He was aligned with Elder Qing Mu and showed no signs of compromising. Where would the sect rule stand if Elder Tian Xing continued to protect Liu Wuxie?

"Jiang Gongming, if anyone has violated the sect rules, then you should die!" Liu Wuxie said. He retracted his aura and walked towards Elder Tian Xing, giving the latter a bow for caring for his family and friends while he was away.

"Liu Wuxie, you're bullshitting!" Jiang Gongming pointed at Liu Wuxie furiously.

"Since Elder Tian Xing is present today, let me list your crimes!" Liu Wuxie sneered.

Everyone looked at Liu Wuxie curiously, wanting to know what had happened in the past three months and what the feud between them was about.

"Is this brat insane to oppose a Law-Enforcement Hall's deacon openly? He's finished, and Elder Tian Xing can't protect him forever," the surrounding disciples discussed among themselves.

Today's battle had even attracted the elite disciples' attention, but no one got close and stood far away.

"Wuxie, just say it if you have anything on your mind. I'll uphold justice for you." Elder Tian Xing reassured Liu Wuxie. If Jiang Gongming had made a mistake, he would uphold justice, even if it meant killing Jiang Gongming.

"I believe everyone knows that I was escorted by Jiang Gongming to the Blood Sea Abyssal Island three months ago, but you all didn't know what Jiang Gongming did as a Law-Enforcement Hall's deacon," Liu Wuxie said. He swept his gaze around the room, and his voice was loud enough to reach every corner.

As Liu Wuxie recounted the events of the escort mission, Jiang Gongming staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground. Everyone present was aware of Jiang Gongming's allegiance to Elder Qing Mu's faction, and it was no secret that his true objective during the escort was to ensure Liu Wuxie's death along the way.

However, no one had anticipated that Liu Wuxie would not only survive but also return in such a formidable state.

Liu Wuxie recounted every detail of the escort and the events that followed, particularly how Jiang Gongming had deliberately orchestrated the Hou Clan to kill him—a heinous crime in itself. Furthermore, Jiang Gongming's collusion with sea demons to eliminate a sect disciple was deemed unforgivable.

With multiple crimes listed, Jiang Gongming would inevitably have his position stripped and be reduced to a miscellaneous disciple.

"Jiang Gongming, is what Liu Wuxie said true?" Elder Tian Xing exuded a powerful aura as he questioned Jiang Gongming.

At this moment, many elders came out of the dark and quietly observed the situation.

Jiang Gongming's face shifted between red and pale as he struggled to respond.

"Elder Tian Xing, you’re merely trying to shift the blame. Everything that brat has said is just his one-sided account. Where’s the evidence to support his claims?" A figure with a greedy air descended.

Liu Wuxie squinted, realizing that someone high up in the sect was scheming against him. The motive was clear: his actions had disrupted their resource flow by killing Ma Shiyan and others. He hadn’t expected it to come from someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

"Elder Qing Mu!" The crowd erupted in surprise. Elder Tian Xing had long been rumored to support Liu Wuxie, while Elder Qing Mu sought his elimination. Their feud had persisted for a century, and any disciple favored by Elder Tian Xing became a target for Elder Qing Mu.

"Liu Wuxie, do you have any evidence to support your claims?" With someone backing him up, Jiang Gongming's courage returned, and he questioned Liu Wuxie instead.

What Liu Wuxie said was true, but no one had witnessed it besides the two. The Hou Clan's members were dead, leaving no witnesses.

No matter what Liu Wuxie said, Jiang Gongming could simply deny it. They couldn't travel to the Blood Sea Abyssal Island to confront the sea demons, and the Jade Blood Yaksha, the only potential witness, was already dead at Liu Wuxie's hands.

"I said so much, not because I expect you to admit it, but because I plan to kill you." Liu Wuxie's tone was cold because he had already anticipated this outcome long ago. The reason why he said so much was because he wanted to lure out the mastermind. Now that he had achieved his goal, he did not need to waste any more words.

"What a joke! I'm standing right here, and I'll see how you can kill me!" Jiang Gongming was fearless. Elder Tian Xing couldn't do anything to him without evidence to prove his crime.

"Today, I will issue a challenge to Jiang Gongming. We will meet on the Life-Death Stage ten days from now, and only one of us will leave the stage!" Liu Wuxie swiped his finger through the air as the blood flew up on the ground, forming into various strange runes before forming into a Life and Death Pledge.

Liu Wuxie squeezed a drop of blood essence and injected it into the Life and Death Pledge.

"Once the Life and Death Pledge is signed, it cannot be altered!" The surrounding disciples were in an uproar; they couldn't comprehend what Liu Wuxie was trying to do. After all, using one's blood essence to inscribe the Life and Death Pledge meant a fight to the death.

This meant it wouldn't matter even if a victor had emerged, and one had to die on the stage for the Life and Death Pledge to be destroyed. Otherwise, the pledge would act like a curse to bind the two parties, halting their cultivation progress indefinitely.

Elder Tian Xing could not stop because Liu Wuxie had already inscribed the Life and Death Pledge. This meant the pledge would take effect the moment Jiang Gongming signed it.

"He's insane! Jiang Gongming is a cultivator in the Astral River Realm, on par with a true disciple!" Many shouted at Liu Wuxie, deeming him reckless. They felt he should have kept a low profile after surviving the Blood Sea Abyssal Island.

Jiang Gongming hesitated because he felt a tinge of fear from Liu Wuxie's gaze. He couldn't help turning to look at Elder Qing Mu, which the latter nodded in return.

After all, this was an excellent opportunity to kill Liu Wuxie, and Elder Qing Mu naturally wouldn't let it go. As for Liu Wuxie's act of killing Hou Yue and others? It no longer mattered because for a disciple to challenge someone in the Astral River Realm was unprecedented since the establishment of the sect.

"Liu Wuxie, I'll grant your wish since you're courting death!" Jiang Gongming squeezed out a blood essence and injected it into the Life and Death Pledge, which took effect immediately.

The Life and Death Pledge suddenly embedded itself into Liu Wuxie and Jiang Gongming’s soul seas, acting like chains that shackled their primordial spirits.

The pledge was sealed before anyone could fully grasp the situation. It used blood as its guide and the heavens as its medium. As soon as it was signed, a thunderous rumble echoed from the sky, and both parties had a Life and Death Curse inscribed into their bodies.