Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 582 - Restricting the Primordial Spirit

Liu Wuxie stopped once they had retreated to a safe distance. He then let the two ladies return first so they wouldn’t get caught in the battle.

As they left, he stealthily approached the gravely injured Dan Cheng.

Absorbing Dan Cheng’s energy and essence would help Liu Wuxie greatly. After all, he could probably use the Nascent Transformation Realm’s laws to make a breakthrough. Even if he couldn't, he could at least use them to complete the Heavenly Dragon Seal. Most importantly, every expert in the Nascent Transformation Realm was filthy rich, especially the Azure Crimson Gate elders.

Fortunately, no one could've guessed that Liu Wuxie would sneak back and stop just ten meters away from Dan Cheng. He didn't dare get too close, though. He knew better than to underestimate a Nascent Transformation Realm cultivator—even an injured one.

"Liu Wuxie, you despicable scoundrel!" Dan Cheng spat venomously as he struggled to get on his feet. He couldn't even muster his true essence.

"Those who kill must be prepared to be killed themselves. You should have known that this would happen if you tried to ambush me inside the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's territory. What else did you expect anyway? You people sure are retards.”

Dan Cheng trembled upon hearing Liu Wuxie's insult. This wasn't the first time Liu Wuxie had insulted him; he had also called them retards back in Serene Sea City.

The position of a predator and its prey could switch at any moment. After all, failure to hunt their prey could leave a predator vulnerable.

"I want you dead!" Dan Cheng roared. From his soul sea, he sent a golden powerful figure charging straight toward Liu Wuxie.

Elder Tian Xing, who was fighting in the sky, immediately sensed the danger since the primordial spirit was comparable to an attack from a Nascent Transformation Realm cultivator.

No one expected Liu Wuxie to return, at least not Tian Xing. He had assumed that Liu Wuxie had left the battlefield.

Tian Xing stopped fighting Qian Xuewen to save Liu Wuxie. However, just as he was about to descend, a terrifying seal appeared above Dan Cheng.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal immobilized the primordial spirit. The pressure it unleashed broke the ground and blasted Dan Cheng into a bloody mist.

With Dan Cheng unable to withstand the suppression of the Heavenly Dragon Seal, Liu Wuxie extracted the laws of the Nascent Transformation Realm and used the Sky-Devouring Divine Cauldron to devour them.

The sudden change of events left everyone in shock. Tian Xing stopped descending and quickly returned to block Qian Xuewen's retreat again.

"W-What is this? Why is my primordial spirit immobilized?" Dan Cheng's primordial spirit, a tiny golden figure resembling him, struggled in the middle of the air.

Upon reaching the Astral River Realm, one gained the ability to manifest their primordial spirit. Liu Wuxie could also manifest his, but it was still weak.

Fortunately, breaking into the Nascent Transformation Realm also made one’s primordial spirit evolve and take on their appearance. It would just be an embryo at first, but it would slowly grow limbs and eventually open its eyes. As the essence of a cultivator, it would also contain their memories and cultivation.

The golden figure let out a piercing wail as it struggled.

Since only Tian Xing and Yi Xuan were around, Liu Wuxie wasn’t worried about using the Heavenly Dragon Seal.

When Dan Cheng's primordial spirit was suppressed, the Purgatory Demonic Chains appeared and wrapped around Dan Cheng.

In the blink of an eye, Dan Cheng was reduced to a pile of skin, with his primordial spirit watching helplessly as his physical form vanished. Without a body, the primordial spirit could no longer return unless Dan Cheng could find a new vessel.

"Liu Wuxie! I'll drag you down even if I have to make my primordial spirit explode!"

No one knew better than Liu Wuxie the power of a primordial spirit's explosion. It was so destructive that even Tian Xing would be forced to avoid it.

"Get out of there, Liu Wuxie!" Tian Xing yelled. It was too late for him to save Liu Wuxie now.

However, Liu Wuxie just stood there, unmoving. Since the primordial spirit nourished him, he naturally wouldn't allow Dan Cheng to self-destruct.

"Earth-Binding Chains!" Liu Wuxie shouted without hesitation.

The Earth-Binding Chains shot out like a lightning bolt and wrapped tightly around the primordial spirit, stopping the imminent explosion like a punctured balloon deflating. The ferocious aura vanished as well, leaving everyone speechless.

"This kid..." Elder Tian Xing grumbled. With Liu Wuxie no longer in danger, he focused back on his battle.

It was pure madness for someone in the Heavenly Phase Realm to attack someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm. Although Dan Cheng was injured, his primordial spirit was intact. Even an Astral River Realm cultivator would be in danger if they approached him.

Liu Wuxie only won the fight thanks to luck and his various treasures. After all, Dan Cheng didn't expect him to possess not one but two heaven-defying treasures.

Moreover, right from the start, Liu Wuxie intentionally provoked Dan Cheng to release his primordial spirit. If Dan Cheng hadn't fallen for it, Liu Wuxie wouldn’t have been able to defeat him.

The primordial spirit was certainly powerful, but it had a glaring weakness: it was completely helpless against an overbearing artifact like the Heavenly Dragon Seal. Even then, Liu Wuxie had to use the Earth-Binding Chains as well to secure the deal.

As the Sky-Devouring Divine Cauldron dragged Dan Cheng's primordial spirit in, the Demonic Purgatory Chains reappeared and bound Dan Cheng's primordial spirit even more tightly, eliminating any possible escape route.

Once Liu Wuxie was done, he finally sighed in relief. He had gambled his life despite being fully aware of the danger he faced.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal's suppression, the Earth-Binding Chains' confinement, the Sky-Devouring Divine Cauldron's devour ability, and the Demonic Purgatory Chains' restrainment were a series of perfectly timed moves. Had any of the steps failed, Liu Wuxie would have died. Dan Cheng's primordial spirit could have killed him as well if it managed to narrow the distance between them to three meters.

"Curse you, Liu Wuxie!"

Dan Cheng’s words echoed faintly from within the Sky-Devouring Divine Cauldron. He struggled and wailed, but his attempts were futile. No one could hear him.

The cauldron’s demonic aura and flames relentlessly dissolved Dan Chen’s primordial spirit. Due to the powerful laws of the Nascent Transformation Realm, Liu Wuxie needed time to fully break it down and fuse it with the desolate world. Fortunately, he had all the time he needed.

Liu Wuxie swiftly vanished, leaving Qian Xuewen and Li Wuhai stunned. They couldn't believe such a dignified elder had been killed so easily.

Unable to accept this outcome, the two desperately tried to escape and bring the news back to the Azure Crimson Gate.

Elder Tian Xing and Elder Yi Xuan didn’t let them, however. They attacked their targets relentlessly, forcing the latter to lose even more ground.

Amid their battle, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion elders finally arrived. They sealed off the surroundings, preventing Qian Xuewen and Li Wuhai from escaping.

Seeing no way out, Qian Xuewen and Li Wuhai's attacks faltered. With the help of the other elders, the two were quickly slain, and Tian Xing collected their corpses.

Liu Wuxie wanted their corpses, but Tian Xing rejected his request. The bodies were evidence, so he couldn't just hand them over to Liu Wuxie. Instead, he hit Liu Wuxie on the head for recklessly putting his life in danger.

The entire sect trembled upon learning of Liu Wuxie's return. Tales of how he toyed with his enemies in Serene Sea City had long reached the sect, making him renowned for skillfully maneuvering his way into killing so many Azure Crimson Gate disciples.

When Liu Wuxie returned to his abode, Fan Zhen, Bai Lin, and the others were already waiting for him. Everyone looked thrilled to see him again, but worry was also evident in their expressions. Their smiles even looked forced.

Bai Lin took a deep breath and squeezed out a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Welcome back, Junior Brother Liu.”

Everyone, including Bi Gongyu and Fan Zhen, also lowered their heads. As the closest to Liu Wuxie, their reaction clearly showed that something was wrong.

"Speak. There are no outsiders here. Did the Heavenly Dao Society face any trouble?" Liu Wuxie asked, sweeping through the crowd before settling on Fan Zhen.

"You've just gotten back, Wuxie. You should just rest for today. We can talk again tomorrow," Fan Zhen insisted.

"Speak before I get mad!" Liu Wuxie coldly growled. The air in the room turned gelid, making everyone lower their heads even further.

Jian Xing'er and Chen Ruoyan had returned to their courtyard. Unlike the others, they didn't get involved in the Heavenly Dao Society.

"Our businesses have been blocked from all sides. Aside from the Spirit Restoration Pill, we haven’t been able to sell anything for a month now,” Fan Zhen finally revealed. He took out the accounting record and presented it to Liu Wuxie, who quickly learned that their profits were far lower than he had anticipated.

Due to the sect's involvement, only the Spirit Restoration Pill sales remained steady. Their spiritual talismans only incurred losses. They had put massive resources and manpower into producing them, yet now they just remained piled up.

"What's going on? Is something wrong with the quality of our talismans?"

Liu Wuxie looked at Lan Yu, who oversaw the spiritual talisman business. If the talismans were flawed, the issue should've been addressed long ago.

"Our talismans are fine, but our sales channels have been cut off," Lan Yu admitted. Their initial excitement had clearly been struck down by reality.

"The Lesser Blade Association!" Liu Wuxie instantly concluded.

Elder Tian Xing, their Law-Enforcement Elder, couldn't interfere if no lives were threatened. Elder Yi Xuan couldn’t meddle in their affairs either unless they were in a life-or-death situation.

No one from the Heavenly Dao Society was injured or had their cultivation interrupted. They suffered no humiliation or severe injuries in the few months that Liu Wuxie wasn't around. Since they were fine, Elder Tian Xing and Elder Yi Xuan couldn't intervene.

The Lesser Blade Association was known for its underhanded tactics. Liu Wuxie had even experienced it first-hand.

"That's right. They infiltrated the shops we were working with and placed our talismans in the corner with outrageous prices, making it impossible for even just one to be sold," Lan Yu replied.

Liu Wuxie slammed his right palm on the armrest, shattering it into pieces. "This is outrageous!"

The Heavenly Dao Society only signed the sales channel contract with the shops. They didn’t specify the product placement.

"On top of that, the Heavenly Dao Society's reputation has been steadily declining. Many disciples who joined us decided to leave, and our talismans sales have..." Lan Yu trailed off.