Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 765 - Unity with Heaven and Earth

Liu Wuxie was surprised when he noticed that the Heretic Blade's blade had become translucent. Even a grandmaster blacksmith like him had never seen this occurrence before.

Golden patterns that resembled human meridians had appeared in the depth of the Heretic Blade. This soon made Liu Wuxie's face reflect with sheer amazement. He couldn't fathom how a weapon could develop meridians like humans. It was no wonder why the tribulation would rumble with such intensity outside.

If fully matured, the potential of such a weapon would be limitless, and it might even ascend to the rank of an immortal artifact. Inside, a miniature golden dragon devoured the profound metal essence. That was the Heretic Blade's artifact spirit, a golden divine dragon.

As the aura from the Heretic Blade rose, the artifact spirit's spirituality grew stronger. First, the meridians emerged, and soon after, bone structures began to emerge on the blade. The bones were like the weapon's core, holding the entire blade together in an unbreakable bond.

This meant even cultivators in the True Profound Realm would have difficulty trying to destroy the Heretic Blade.

"Is this the rumored unity of heaven and earth?" Liu Wuxie exclaimed. A blacksmithing technique was rumored to be so advanced that it could achieve unity with heaven and earth.

Such weapons were indestructible and could take on various forms, including human forms. Moreover, they would possess flesh and blood as these weapons could mimic a human perfectly while retaining the ability to take on various weapon forms.

Most importantly, these types of weapons could be cultivated independently and even burrow into the earth to absorb suitable materials and evolve.

However, that concept was a myth, and Liu Wuxie had never witnessed it before. He wasn't sure if it even existed.

Each meridian was akin to a dragon's vein, and each bone was like a dragon's bone. The Heretic Blade also began to advance without limits, bolting toward the rank of an origin artifact. And so, the tribulation began.

The thunderous roar echoed through the sky as lightning struck Liu Wuxie's cultivation chamber, blasting a massive hole in the roof with thunderclouds enveloping the skies above him.

For days, Liu Xiucheng and the others hadn't caught a wink, anxious about the brewing thunderclouds. That was especially the case for Liu Dashan, who would periodically come to check on the cultivation chamber.

As soon as the tribulation struck, Liu Xiucheng and the higher hierarchies of the clan arrived swiftly.

"Patriarch, what kind of weapon is it to cause such devastating commotion?" the Eighteenth Elder asked, his face palpitating with fear. They were cultivators in the Spirit Profound Realm, and even they felt fearful of the aura released by the Heretic Blade.

"Seal off this area, and anyone who leaks a word of what happened today will face my wrath!" Liu Xiucheng ordered. If someone learned that the weapon forged by Liu Wuxie could cause a tribulation, countless people would fight to claim it for themselves.

Meanwhile, disciples discussed among themselves outside. But as they had no idea what was happening, they began to speculate wildly. Some claimed that Liu Wuxie had committed a crime to incur divine punishment, while others said he was practicing a heaven-defying martial technique that summoned the tribulation. There were various speculations without a definitive answer.

Fortunately, Liu Xiaotian wasn't in the clan, nor did anyone from his faction come. They all hoped for Liu Wuxie's demise, so how would they pay attention to him?

"What terrifying tribulation. It contains the flame of destruction along with annihilating lightning," Liu Dazhi said, shuddering with concern.

Liu Dashan stood in the distance with his fists clenched. He barely suppressed the urge to rush over and shield Liu Wuxie from the tribulation, but Liu Xiucheng stopped him.

After all, Liu Dashan would only be a burden if he rushed over, and it was no different from courting death for him to withstand the destructive power of the tribulation with his physique.

"Father, I'm worried that Wuxie can't withstand the tribulation!" Liu Dayue said, and his voice quivered anxiously. The tribulation was beyond comprehension; only someone in the True Profound Realm could withstand them.

As Liu Wuxie was only in the Astral River Realm, there was a high chance the tribulation could kill him. Little did they know that Liu Wuxie had already weathered several tribulations in the past, and the tribulations grew exponentially more powerful each time. The tribulation this time was over a dozen times stronger than the previous one.

However, Liu Wuxie's physique had also undergone a drastic transformation compared to before.

Sensing the raging storm, a dragon roar echoed from the Heretic Blade that shook everyone's eardrums.

"A divine dragon! It's a divine dragon!" Liu Xiucheng exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement. Everyone present belonged to his faction, including several elders and his three sons.

The Dragon Clan had long vanished from the Central Plains, and one could only encounter their remains at best. It had been tens of thousands of years since the last divine dragon was sighted.

After the Heretic Blade ascended to the rank of an origin artifact, it would also give birth to its consciousness, like humans giving birth to their primordial spirit upon reaching the Nascent Transformation Realm.

"Where did Wuxie learn such a heaven-defying blacksmithing technique?" whispered the Eighteenth Elder. The runes Liu Wuxie employed were unlike anything they had ever encountered. Even the Liu Clan, with its ten-thousand-year lineage, had no record of such techniques, let alone others.

"The technique isn't terrifying, but the true marvel lies in the weapon itself. It embodies the laws of heaven and earth, intertwining with Liu Wuxie's dao perfectly. When the weapon reaches the rank of an origin artifact, it can be kept in the dantian for nourishment. This means he can nourish the weapon with his true essence, gradually achieving a union with the weapon," Liu Dazhi said. Despite feeling anxious for Liu Wuxie, there was also a hint of shock in the depth of his eyes.

Such a weapon was unheard of, and only those who reached the Spirit Profound Realm could store their weapons in their bodies to nourish with true essence. This meant Liu Wuxie had far surpassed his peers.

"He's a monstrous genius!" the other elders exclaimed. Such a feat wasn't attainable by ordinary people, and they now knew why Liu Wuxie could rise in the Southern Province and find his way to the Central Plains.

The tribulation showed no signs of stopping as thunderbolts continued to descend. But there was no expression on Liu Wuxie's face as he looked at the lightning dragons coiling above his head, baring their claws in the sky.

"Come at me! Today, I will tear this very sky apart!" Liu Wuxie declared as he stood up, unleashing a terrifying aura that contained a sliver of an Immortal Emperor's will imbued in it.

This made those observing from afar shudder involuntarily, including Liu Xiucheng, who couldn't withstand the sliver of an Immortal Emperor's will.

"What's going on? Why is my soul trembling?" The Eighteenth Elder stammered and nearly collapsed to the ground in fear.

No one could make sense of what was going on. The will flashed momentarily, and no one knew where it came from. But no one believed it came from Liu Wuxie and brushed it off as a coincidence.

The heavens reacted as though it had been provoked. After all, only Liu Wuxie dared to challenge the heavens, who claimed to tear the sky apart.

As the deafening rumble filled the skies above the Liu Clan, the unusual phenomenon here also caught the attention of Astral Glory City. Countless experts began to rush over, but they were stopped by the Liu Clan's protective array, unable to take another step forward.

"Could it be an ancestor of the Liu Clan making a breakthrough to the Heaven Profound Realm?" discussed the onlookers gathered outside the Liu Clan. After all, such a terrifying phenomenon could only be caused when someone made a breakthrough into the Heaven Profound Realm.

"That's impossible! Based on my understanding of the Liu Clan, none of their ancestors are close to reaching the Heaven Profound Realm, at least not for another century," exclaimed an onlooker as an expert in the Heaven Profound Realm appeared amidst the spatial ripples.

His arrival immediately drew greetings from the onlookers, as this person was the lord of the Astral Glory City.

Had Liu Wuxie known that re-forging the Heretic Blade would draw such an assembly of experts, he would've been utterly astounded.

The news from outside the gate soon reached Liu Xiucheng, who hadn't expected the gathering of such a formidable crowd.

When a thunderbolt landed on the Heretic Blade, a metallic clang reverberated across tens of thousands of miles. Those with weaker cultivation were forced to cover their ears as they collapsed on the ground, unable to bear the sound ringing against their eardrums.

Only those in the Nascent Transformation Realm could barely hold their footing, while the expressions of those in the True Profound Realm turned grim. No one was spared from the soundwave.

After being tempered by lightning, the Heretic Blade's quality leaped to a new level. After all, it was unavoidable for there to be minor flaws when forging a weapon, while lightning was the embodiment of pure yang elements in heaven and earth. It represented the ultimate destruction, but the dormant vitality would be reignited after extreme destruction.

This is why withered trees sprout anew after being struck by lightning. Lightning contains both destruction and life, granting life to a tree on the brink of death, like electricity can jump-start a stopped heart.

The tribulation sought to destroy the Heretic Blade, but the vitality within nourished the blade simultaneously. After the Heretic Blade was upgraded, it now required an immense influx of energy to replenish itself, and the lightning from tribulation was the perfect nourishment.

The heavens grew enraged after failing to destroy the Heretic Blade as a thunderbolt with the thickness of a water barrel descended from the sky.

The cultivation chamber where Liu Wuxie stayed had long been reduced to ruins, unable to withstand the bombardment of lightning. The thunderbolts even left large craters on the ground after their havoc, and some buildings collapsed under the relentless onslaught.

This forced Liu Xiucheng and others to retreat even further.

As for Liu Wuxie, who stood at the epicenter of the thunderclouds, his entire being was enveloped in lightning with lightning arc flickering on his body, and the slightest mistake could lead to his annihilation.

"True Dragon Physique, refine it!" Liu Wuxie bellowed as he used the tribulation to temper his body. But in mere moments, his skin was torn apart under the tribulation, a spectacle too harrowing to witness as tears welled up in Liu Dashan's eyes.

If Liu Dazhi and Liu Dayue hadn't held him back, he would've rushed over, unable to bear the sight of his son enduring such torment. @@novelbin@@

The Heretic Blade released a light hum as lightning tempered it. After the blade gave birth to a skeletal frame, it became indestructible and was only vulnerable to Liu Wuxie himself.

But if Liu Wuxie were killed, the Heretic Blade would become a weapon without an owner.

"Heal!" Liu Wuxie mobilized the Ancestral Tree and channeled wood-attributed energy into his body to heal his injuries. Even so, the healing speed couldn't keep up with the destruction.

Thunderbolts rained like a storm, striking Liu Wuxie and leaving his arm stripped to bare bones. This was a harrowing sight to the onlookers, and Liu Wuxie would die if he couldn't heal himself in time, even if he had succeeded in refining the Heretic Blade.

Moreover, Liu Wuxie had consumed all the treasures he had, and he only had a few pills left.

"The mysterious horn!" Liu Wuxie immediately recalled the mysterious horn. Since it came from a divinekin, the Ancestral Tree should be able to absorb it, and it might spark a miracle.