Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 490 - Yang Zhan

The name might not have seemed particularly impressive at first, but it carried an air of mystery upon closer reflection. After all, the heavenly dao was invisible, yet its existence was universally acknowledged. Everyone sought the heavenly dao, believing it held the key to immortality.

The sky, once clear, suddenly darkened, and a heavy downpour followed a clap of thunder. A thunderbolt struck Liu Wuxie’s courtyard, but he intercepted it in time, preventing destruction.

“What’s happening? It’s just a name, yet it draws down heavenly punishment. Do the heavens forbid the establishment of the Heavenly Dao Society?” Liu Wuxie frowned in confusion. He had faced a thunder tribulation when refining the Heretic Blade, and now he was confronted with another just for naming his faction.

“The heavenly dao doesn’t allow any blasphemy. Naming our faction after the Heavenly Dao could be seen as challenging it. Hence, it’s no surprise that we face punishment,” Fan Zhen explained. He had been studying diligently in the Book Collection Hall and had gained significant knowledge, equating his understanding to Liu Wuxie’s. The tribulation was a natural consequence of defying the heavenly dao.

Throughout history, no one had dared to name anything after heavenly dao, not even martial techniques or cultivation techniques.

“I’m destined to walk a path no one has, and I’ll tear anything apart that stands in my way. If heavens stand in my way, I’ll tear it apart. If the earth blocks my path, I’ll destroy the earth!” Liu Wuxie declared, and he felt like a god with boundless golden radiance behind him.

When he released the aura belonging to the dragon clan, the boundless dragon’s aura suppressed Fan Zhen and others, almost forcing them to kneel.

Unbeknownst to them, Liu Wuxie had the Heavenly Dao Book in his soul sea; this meant he was destined to rule over Heavenly Dao and not be bound by it.

The lightning came and left quickly because this was just a name. The sky soon became clear as though nothing had happened. However, everyone could feel their blood boiling, and the Heavenly Dao Society was established just like that.

However, a loud crash pulled everyone back to reality. The gate to their courtyard was destroyed. It happened without any warning, and no one expected someone to cause trouble for Liu Wuxie at this moment.

After all, Liu Wuxie’s life-and-death battle with Jiang Gongming was just seven days away, and everyone would bear with it even if they had any feud with him.

Their feud with Liu Wuxie would dissipate like smoke if Jiang Gongming killed him. But if Jiang Gongming were killed by Liu Wuxie, those who harbored ill intentions toward Liu Wuxie would probably clamp their tail between their legs.

A robust man walked into Liu Wuxie’s courtyard, holding onto a person whose legs were crippled and could only kneel and crawl. A group of people was behind him, but they didn’t dare to get too close.

Everyone in the courtyard instantly became alert and took their combat stance under Fan Zhen’s signal. It didn’t matter who the intruder was, but anyone who dared to trespass their courtyard would have to die.

Liu Wuxie didn’t recognize the robust man, but he recognized the youth he was holding on to.

“Yang Xiao!” This man was Yang Xiao, who had made a bet with Wei Dong during Liu Wuxie’s duel with Elder Wu Yang, and he had even threatened Liu Wuxie after losing his bet.

Liu Wuxie had crippled Yang Xiao's legs back then. He had heard that Yang Xiao's elder brother was an elite disciple, which meant this robust youth was Yang Zhan, Yang Xiao's older sibling.

This man was known to be a fanatic for battle, and he had been in seclusion until recently. When he learned that his young brother’s legs were crippled, the first thing he did after coming out of seclusion was to seek revenge against Liu Wuxie. He couldn’t wait for seven days and wanted to cripple Liu Wuxie right away.

"Who’s Liu Wuxie?" Yang Zhan’s eyes swept across the room before locking onto Liu Wuxie. The commanding aura Liu Wuxie radiated was unmistakable.

Fan Zhen also exuded an aura of authority, but only Liu Wuxie made him feel a sense of danger.

“You’re Yang Xiao’s elder brother?” Liu Wuxie took a step forward to acknowledge his identity. This person was only in the third level of the Heavenly Phase Realm, and Liu Wuxie could easily kill with one slap.

This was no surprise, as Liu Wuxie had concealed his true strength upon his return, only revealing his cultivation to be at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dipper Realm. Had he shown his real power, Yang Zhan would likely have fled in horror.

“How dare you injure my younger brother and cripple his cultivation? I demand you to kneel before my younger brother, kowtow, and cripple your limbs. If you do that, I will consider sparing your life!” Yang Zhan’s voice was cold and filled with murderous intent.

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became incredibly tense.

"It seems we don’t have to wait seven days for Liu Wuxie’s death!" the disciples behind Yang Zhan whispered among themselves. While Liu Wuxie had killed someone in the first level of the Heavenly Phase Realm, few believed he could stand against someone at the third level.

“Don’t be so sure about that. Do you all still remember the outer sect’s competition? He’s fond of concealing his true strength, and I suspect his actual cultivation might not be in the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dipper Realm.” There were still many people who were optimistic about Liu Wuxie. After all, who would sign the Life and Death Pledge if they weren’t confident?

“We’ll find out soon.” Everyone stopped their discussions and looked at Liu Wuxie, awaiting his response.

“I don’t wish to kill anyone now. Leave with that trash immediately!” Liu Wuxie had just established the Heavenly Dao Society and wasn’t in the mood to kill. His words were domineering, with no fluctuation in his aura, but he gave off the pressure of a mountain.

An invisible aura swept out from Liu Wuxie and surged toward Yang Zhan, causing his clothes to flutter. Yang Zhan narrowed his eyes in disbelief—Liu Wuxie’s simple words had caused a fluctuation in heaven and earth.

“Big Brother, you must avenge me!” Yang Xiao was placed on the ground, kneeling. He let out a cry and begged his elder brother to avenge him. No one knew what he had gone through in the past three months, suffering countless scornful gazes and humiliation, all thanks to Liu Wuxie.

His hatred for Liu Wuxie was so strong that he wanted to charge over and tear him into pieces.

“He’s going to die today. Don’t worry about it!” Yang Zhan took a deep breath to suppress his shock. He still didn’t know where this pressure came from, but he would be humiliated if he left like this.

He was an elite disciple, while Liu Wuxie was only an inner disciple. If he were scared away by one sentence, he would become a laughingstock in the sect. He couldn’t afford that kind of humiliation, and retreating before a fight was a taboo for cultivators.

With every step Yang Zhan took toward Liu Wuxie, his aura grew more powerful. He radiated an intensity that matched rogue cultivators from the treacherous Blood Sea Abyssal Island, and it was clear that he wouldn't back down easily.

When he released his overwhelming aura in the Heavenly Phase Realm, the entire inner sect shook, with many disciples gathering over.

“It’s Liu Wuxie again. Can’t he stay out of trouble?” It didn’t take long before seven to eight hundred people gathered outside Liu Wuxie’s courtyard. Even people stood on the walls to look down into the courtyard.

“He’s in danger now. Yang Zhan became an elite disciple five years ago, and his strength cannot be underestimated.” Many people recognized Yang Zhan, especially those who had joined the sect with him. They even showed a hint of envy because Yang Zhan had become an elite disciple while they were still struggling in the inner sect.

Yang Zhan stopped five steps from Liu Wuxie and assumed a fighting stance. A broad sword appeared in his hand, clearly marking him as a strength-type opponent.

“All of you step back!” Liu Wuxie commanded, his voice calm yet authoritative. He knew Fan Zhen and the others were still too weak to handle someone like Yang Zhan, and they needed to rise to the Heavenly Phase Realm soon if they were to truly assist him.

Fan Zhen and others retreated to a corner, clearing space for Liu Wuxie and Yang Zhan.

“Liu Wuxie, you can die now!” Yang Zhan attacked first, swinging his broad sword down, wanting to cleave Liu Wuxie apart from the middle. This was a ruthless attack that unleashed thunderous might right from the start.

Ruthless heavenly phase power descended from the sky, but Liu Wuxie was unaffected. He remained in place with a hint of disdain hanging on his lips.

He didn’t know where Yang Zhan got the guts to cause trouble for him with his pitiful strength. He raised his hand, and an invisible palm appeared in the air.

“Manifestation of true essence! Has he reached the Heavenly Phase Realm?!” Exclamations came from the surrounding disciples.

With a simple strike, Liu Wuxie gathered a large amount of true essence to form a palm, and this was a method only exclusive to the Heavenly Phase Realm. Powerful cultivators could even manifest heavenly images to sweep through their enemies.

“I knew it! How could Liu Wuxie possibly be in the Heavenly Dipper Realm?” Those who had guessed that Liu Wuxie had reached the Heavenly Phase Realm looked proud.

When the palm descended from the sky, its aura was ten times stronger than the aura Yang Zhan gave off.

Yang Zhan’s sword aura was ruthlessly obliterated. He retreated continuously, but Liu Wuxie’s palm was like an insurmountable mountain before him.

“This is impossible! How can your strength be above mine?!” Yang Zhan roared and poured all his true essence into his sword.

“You’re just a pathetic frog in a well!” Liu Wuxie didn’t want to waste any more time with Yang Zhan and continued to exert force with his hand, suppressing Yang Zhan to the point that he couldn’t even raise his head.

Yang Zhan continued to retreat and stopped when he was ten meters away.

Yang Xiao’s face paled with fear as he watched from a distance, disbelief filling his eyes. How could his elder brother, an elite disciple of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, be struggling against Liu Wuxie?

“Cross Slash!” Yang Zhan had no choice but to resort to a formidable sword technique he had learned in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. He first slashed his broad sword vertically before switching to a horizontal cut.

The Cross Slash took effect and managed to stop Liu Wuxie’s incoming attack, but that was all to it because this level of power was insufficient to defeat Liu Wuxie.

If Liu Wuxie wanted, he could kill Yang Zhan in one strike. However, he knew it wasn’t the right time to reveal too much of his strength because Jiang Gongming’s spies were likely in the crowd.

The more strength he revealed, the more cautious Jiang Gongming would become. He aimed to catch Jiang Gongming off guard, like how he had killed Qin Shi with the Pentabolt Talisman in the Imperial Academy.

The Earth Binding Chains were too powerful, and Liu Wuxie didn’t want to use them because it might bring him unnecessary trouble. If he used the Earth Binding Chains, it might even draw the attention of cultivators in the Nascent Transformation Realm to come after him.

Liu Wuxie understood the danger of possessing a heaven-defying treasure without the strength to suppress everyone. If he revealed the Earth Binding Chains, even experts in the True Profound Realm might be tempted, not to mention those in the Nascent Transformation Realm.