Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 489 - Heavenly Dao Society

After assigning Bi Gongyu his task, Liu Wuxie turned his attention to Lan Yu. "Did you uncover anything about the Azure Crimson Gate and the Hou Clan, as I requested?" he inquired.

Prince Yongxian's escape to the Azure Crimson Gate remained an underlying threat.

Liu Wuxie might not be afraid of Prince Yongxian, but he was concerned that Prince Yongxian would return to the mundane world to kill his father-in-law and mother-in-law. Thus, tracking Prince Yongxian down and eliminating the threat once and for all was crucial.

"There wasn't much information. I investigated the Azure Crimson Gate for a long time, but there was nothing on Prince Yongxian. However, I did gather some information on the Hou Clan. They have a total of fifty people in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Aside from those who are dead, there are still twenty of them, consisting of elite and true disciples," Lan Yu said and handed a list to Liu Wuxie.

Finding the Hou Clan members in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was easy. He merely spent some resources obtaining information from other disciples.

Liu Wuxie memorized the names before returning the list to Lan Yu, whose efficiency was commendable.

Given the distance between the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and the Azure Crimson Gate, it was understandable that Lan Yu couldn't gather any information on the Azure Crimson Gate, which Liu Wuxie didn't blame him for.

Liu Wuxie's main reason for bringing his companions into the cultivation world was to delegate minor tasks, freeing up his own time for more important matters.

"Old Fan, how's your investigation on Yi Xuan?" Liu Wuxie turned to look at Fan Zhen, who was responsible for investigating matters related to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

When they had entered the Martial Arts Hall, Liu Wuxie sensed that someone was secretly targeting him, nearly costing him his life. Upon his return, he had already formed a suspicion.

"After months of investigation, I can identify who instigated Yi Xuan to alter the spiritual array in the Martial Arts Hall, even without solid evidence. He's the one behind the plot against you," Fan Zhen reported, recalling all the information he had gathered.

"Qing Mu!" Liu Wuxie said with certainty.

"That's right. He's also behind Bi Gongyu's assault. The elder who injured Bi Gongyu is known to have always followed Qing Mu's instructions." Fan Zhen nodded.

Everything had become clear when Qing Mu appeared in Hou Yue's courtyard three days ago.

"I’ve heard that Yi Xuan’s cultivation surpasses Qing Mu's, and he’s known for his integrity. So how could he be manipulated by Qing Mu, especially in a place like the Martial Arts Hall?" This was what puzzled Liu Wuxie the most. Other disciples had always spoken highly of Yi Xuan as a respected elder.

Qing Mu was merely an elder of the Treasure Pill Peak. Other than his noble status as an alchemist, his cultivation was far inferior to Elder Yi Xuan.

"According to my speculation, it might have something to do with Yi Xuan's grandson," Fan Zhen said, raising his head after a moment of contemplation. He drew this conclusion from analyzing all the information he had.

"What do you mean by that?" Liu Wuxie frowned and allowed Fan Zhen to carry on.

"According to my investigation, Yi Xuan's grandson has become a cripple due to an issue in his meridians and requires the Spirit Restoration Pill. Qing Mu must've promised him something, so Yi Xuan agreed to help him eliminate you." Fan Zhen's experience allowed him to analyze all the information he gathered.

This was also why Liu Wuxie let Fan Zhen investigate this matter, while Lan Yu was better at handling affairs. This made them complement each other.

"I see!" Liu Wuxie believed Fan Zhen's speculation because that seemed the only plausible explanation.

"Wuxie, should we meet Yi Xuan? That way, everything will come to light," Fan Zhen suggested. Considering Yi Xuan's strength, this was the only option if they hoped for a thorough investigation.

If Yi Xuan was truly behind this, Fan Zhen wouldn’t recommend making an enemy of him, as it wouldn’t benefit Liu Wuxie. However, if Qing Mu had manipulated Yi Xuan, his actions could be understood, especially since they were all still alive.

"No rush. I’ll deal with it after my battle with Jiang Gongming," Liu Wuxie nodded, deciding that while he intended to meet Yi Xuan, now wasn’t the right time.

"Bi Gongyu, focus all your attention on refining the Spirit Restoration Pill from tomorrow on," Liu Wuxie said to Bi Gongyu.

"Master, the Spirit Restoration Pill is a ninth-grade pill, and it's impossible for me to refine it without the formula," Bi Gongyu said, looking troubled. After all, it was known that ninth-grade pills could only be refined by those in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Qing Mu had successfully deceived Yi Xuan by claiming he could refine it. Most importantly, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion didn't have a formula for the Spirit Restoration Pill.

If the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had the formula for high-grade pills, the sect master could even refine tenth-grade pills with his cultivation in the True Profound Realm.

However, while many pill formulas had been lost to history, this posed no problem for Liu Wuxie.

"I'll write down the formula for you shortly. After my modifications, the Spirit Restoration Pill will be refined to a seventh-grade pill, with effects even greater than those found on the True Martial Continent," Liu Wuxie assured Bi Gongyu, instructing him to focus on his alchemy studies and promising to provide the formula later.

"Yes, master!" Bi Gongyu fully trusted Liu Wuxie and considered himself a devoted disciple.

Liu Wuxie usually addressed everyone by their names, especially since some were older than him. Yet, in terms of experience and mentality, Liu Wuxie had lived for thousands of years and could be considered a true elder.

"Senior Brother Liu, what should we do? You've taken great care of us, and we're starting to feel embarrassed." Everyone had been assigned tasks except for Bai Lin and Tang Tian.

They had remained steadfast with Fan Zhen and the others, even when rumors spread that Liu Wuxie had died on the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, choosing to live and die together. This bond was evident to all.

"Now that you mentioned it, I have something for you to do." Liu Wuxie finally turned to look at Bai Lin and Tang Tian.

"What do you need us to do?" Bai Lin and Tang Tian asked eagerly, feeling more at ease when they had a way to assist Liu Wuxie.

"Can a true disciple form his own faction in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?" Liu Wuxie asked.

"That's right. Every true disciple in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion is groomed as the future sect master, and they're allowed to establish their faction in the sect." Bai Lin nodded because every true disciple had a prestigious status and needed help to advance.

This was why they had to groom their faction. Without it, it would be tough for them to gain a footing in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion after they became the sect master.

"Senior Brother Liu, you want to establish your faction?" Tang Tian asked emotionally. He had already been looking forward to this day.

Since Liu Wuxie brought it up, it was clear that he intended to reach the Astral River Realm quickly and become a true disciple.

"It's only a matter of time, and it’s better to start forming our faction early," Liu Wuxie said, aware that Fan Zhen and the others wouldn’t be enough; he needed more people.

"The most powerful factions in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion are the Lan Ling Gang and the Lesser Blade Association," Bai Lin explained. "These two organizations are highly secretive, with no one knowing the identity of the true disciples behind them. The masterminds operate from the shadows, executing their plans without ever revealing themselves," Bai Lin briefly explained the current situation in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion and got this information from other disciples.

As for members of the two organizations, he hadn't met any of them. Those who could join the two organizations were extraordinary and were at least an elite disciple to be qualified to join.

Liu Wuxie was still an inner disciple, but he was already planning for the future.

The two organizations were established long ago but weren't as prominent. After all, the stronger the founder, the more famous the organization would become.

"Senior Brother Liu's fame has soared after this incident. Many people will flock to you if you raise your arm," Tang Tian said, already envisioning countless followers joining Liu Wuxie's faction.

"That's unnecessary for now. Let's wait until I kill Jiang Gongming. Only then will our reputation reach its peak," Liu Wuxie replied, maintaining his composure. Despite his rising fame, many still doubted he could survive his fight with Jiang Gongming, who was in the Astral River Realm.

"You two can draft some rules and discuss them with Old Fan. Not everyone can join, and Old Fan will have to handle the initial selection process, so I can personally screen them later. We can keep the numbers to ten people," Liu Wuxie said. He wanted to expand slowly for now.

After all, Liu Wuxie would need a lot of resources to establish his faction, and he could only support ten-odd people for now unless he could have his own business to form a healthy cycle to groom more people in his faction.

Alchemy was one of them, so he had brought Bi Gongyu into the cultivation world. The profit from alchemy was considerable, and if Bi Gongyu could continue to grow, the pills he refined would be widely promoted. At that time, Liu Wuxie wouldn't have to worry about resources.

However, all his plans couldn't be carried out overnight, so Liu Wuxie wasn't in a hurry.

Song Ling would mainly guard their base after becoming increasingly proficient in spiritual arrays. Everyone had a purpose and could be utilized to the fullest potential.

"Senior Brother, since we've decided to do this, shouldn't we give this faction a name? Like the Lan Ling Gang and Lesser Blade Association," Bai Lin said as his mind processed rapidly. Since they would do it, they should give it their all, and everyone gathered around to start brainstorming.

"What about calling it Short Blade Society?" Song Ling asked. After all, Liu Wuxie's primary weapon was a short blade.

"This is horrible. There's already a Lesser Blade Association, and there might be conflict if we call it the Short Blade Society." Tang Tian waved his hand immediately because this name wasn't imposing or resounding enough.

Fan Zhen, Lan Yu, and Bi Gongyu were still brainstorming because their faction's name might become famous and echo throughout the cultivation world in a few years.

"Heaven and Earth Gang?" Lan Yu suggested, but everyone quickly rejected this for being too tacky.

"Martial Society?" Bi Gongyu proposed, which drew waves of laughter from everyone.

Liu Wuxie was also vexed. Having led a solitary life in his past life, he was determined to remedy that weakness in this one. He knew he couldn't afford to fight alone again and needed the support of others.

After some time, everyone, including Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing'er, came up with a name. However, others swiftly objected because it lacked something.

"What about the Heretic Spirit Society, taking one word from Wuxie's name?" Fan Zhen suggested. Since Liu Wuxie founded this faction, it was only fitting to be named after him.

"Sounds a little too heretic!" Liu Wuxie shook his head because that sounded too malevolent.

The courtyard was silent because no one could find a good name. His current accomplishment was thanks to the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron and Desolate Devouring Art. Since he would set up a faction, he naturally had to include them.

"Great desolate, which also represents heavenly dao. Let's call it the Heavenly Dao Society!" Liu Wuxie said with his eyes gleaming. His path in this life was a path to create his heavenly dao.