Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 766 - Gate Opened

This was Liu Wuxie’s last resort, as he had used all means he could think of, and he had already consumed all the pills in his interspatial ring. This was because his physique had grown too powerful.

Even though his father had given him some pills after he returned to the Liu Clan, the pills couldn’t meet his demand. His physique was comparable to cultivators in the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm, and only the finest ninth-grade pills could have some effect on him.

As for tenth-grade pills, those weren’t resources the Liu Clan could provide casually. After all, the entire Liu Clan didn’t belong to Liu Xiucheng alone, and the clan prioritized talent. This meant those with greater talent would receive more resources.

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie had just returned to the Liu Clan and was still under observation.

In desperation, Liu Wuxie threw the mysterious horn into the desolate world, and countless branches extended out from the Ancestral Tree and devoured the horn.

Lightning rumbled across the horizon, and the heavens felt offended that Liu Wuxie wasn’t killed. The lightning manifested into a hammer cast down from heaven.

“Fuck!” Liu Wuxie exclaimed. That was the Thunder God Hammer, which was on a whole new level compared to the flame of destruction in terms of terror, and the hammer struck down before Liu Wuxie could respond to it.

The hammer struck Liu Wuxie head-on amidst the storm, tearing his body apart. But in the final moment, the True Dragon Physique and Heavenly Dao Book shielded his skeleton, though the flesh covering it was entirely incinerated.

Liu Wuxie was only left with his skeleton now, and all the flesh had vanished aside from his head and chest.

“Wuxie!” Liu Dashan let out an anguished cry, witnessing his son enduring unimaginable torment. His lips bled from biting them, and he nearly fainted at this sight.

Liu Xiucheng and the others were filled with anxiety, knowing there were only two possible outcomes of the tribulation.

The first was obtaining a victory over the tribulation, earning the heavens’ acknowledgment. This meant Liu Wuxie wouldn’t have to face another tribulation if he reforged the Heretic Blade again if he triumphed this time. With the appearance of the Thunder God Hammer, Liu Wuxie had to withstand the power to conquer the heavens’ will.

As for the second outcome, he would die under the tribulation, and there was no third outcome. No one could intervene to help in this situation.

This was why experts in the Heaven Profound Realm were so rare in the Central Plains compared to cultivators in the Earth Profound Realm. This was because those who made a breakthrough to the Heaven Profound Realm would have to withstand the tribulation to earn the heavens’ acknowledgment with less than a 50% success rate.

This meant five out of ten would fail in their breakthrough to the Heaven Profound Realm and would be killed by the tribulation. As a result, many cultivators preferred to stay at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm rather than risk their lives under the tribulation.

Another potential solution against the tribulation was using an artifact capable of withstanding it. However, such treasures had to be highly connected to the user, meaning they had to be a life artifact equivalent to the cultivator’s clone.

In a nutshell, the artifact was used as a decoy to withstand the tribulation’s wrath, allowing the cultivator to escape unscathed.

Though the artifact would be destroyed under the tribulation, the owner would survive and only suffer minor backlashes, and they could recover from it by recovering for a few years.

This method gained popularity over the years. Refining a second primordial spirit or clone served as a defense against tribulation and a lifeline in unexpected deaths. The moment the body died, the second primordial spirit or clone could carry on living.

Liu Wuxie had forgotten to breathe under the intense pain that had numbed his body. He could sense his energy diminishing and his vitality slipping away.

Unlike those in the Nascent Transformation Realm, Liu Wuxie couldn’t escape death with his primordial spirit. This meant he would die if his physical body were destroyed.

The Ancestral Tree continued to absorb the horn, which had disappeared, converting into a surge of mysterious energy. At the same time, the disappearance of the mysterious horn also produced a large Divine Fruit. It was several times larger than the ones Liu Wuxie had consumed.

Without any hesitation, Liu Wuxie plucked the Divine Fruit and swallowed it. This was because he knew he would die if he didn’t act now. If the essence in his body vanished, he would be reduced to a mortal even if he managed to survive, losing his talent and foundation.

Liu Wuxie didn’t want to see that happen. After all, he had gone through countless hardships to come this far, and he naturally wouldn’t be willing to lose everything now.

The moment Liu Wuxie consumed the Divine Fruit, it converted into boundless energy containing wood-attribute energy that surged through his body. The majority of the energy flowed to his soul sea, blasting the first gate open that already had a crack on it.

As divine force poured through the gate and coursed through Liu Wuxie’s body, he felt as though he was basking in the sunlight, and his flesh began to regenerate rapidly in less than half a breath.

More importantly, his body now contained a surge of divine force. The energy wasn’t weaker than the True Dragon Physique and ancient deity’s power, regardless of whether the Dragon, Witcher, or Divine Clans had a more extended origin than the human race.

When Liu Dashan and the others were feeling anxious, Liu Wuxie’s body began to heal, and the aura he gave off began to rise, reaching the pinnacle eighth level of the Astral River Realm. He was only one step away from the ninth level but ultimately stopped at the quasi-ninth level.

However, the strengthening of his physique didn’t stop. His physique was already comparable to the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm. Through the tempering of lightning and the reshaping of divine force, his body was now comparable to the first level of the True Profound Realm.

“What exquisite divine force! I seem to have a clearer grasp of the dao techniques’ usage now,” Liu Wuxie marveled as he stared at his arm. Divine arts were extraordinary powers, no different from a miracle. This was like how someone could survive even if beheaded or how the limb could be reattached.

Ordinary techniques had their names, but a divine art was different. Like the manipulation of Yin and Yang energies by Liu Wuxie, it would be called the Great Yin-Yang Art if executed through divine force, and this was the true power of divine arts.

For another instance, Liu Wuxie’s ice dao technique could also evolve into the Great Divine Frost Art if empowered with divine force. This was something only the sovereigns of heaven and earth could wield.

Even Liu Xiucheng couldn’t comprehend divine force when he ascended to the Earth Profound Realm. Even if he could, it wasn’t enough for him to empower a powerful dao technique with it.

However, Liu Wuxie had opened an entire gate, which meant he could have an endless flow of divine force through his body without needing to cultivate. Although the energy from the first gate wasn’t strong, it was enough for Liu Wuxie’s current needs.

“Still, the amount of divine force is too little to execute a powerful divine art,” Liu Wuxie muttered. If he could empower his Ice Dao technique with divine force to reach the level of a divine art, the might would multiply by over tenfold.

“What is this power that’s healing Wuxie’s body?” Liu Xiucheng had vast knowledge, but even he was stumped by this scene, not to mention the others, who were dumbfounded as they watched Liu Wuxie’s body heal.

“What a powerful physique! I can feel that Wuxie’s body has become much stronger after healing,” Liu Dazhi exclaimed with disbelief. Even from a distance, he could sense the brimming energy emanating from Liu Wuxie.

The tension etched on Liu Dashan’s face also faded after seeing Liu Wuxie healing.

As Liu Wuxie had withstood the Thunder God Hammer, the thunderclouds began to disperse. He had received the heavens’ acknowledgment, permitting him and the Heretic Blade to exist.

The Thunder God Hammer’s power also nourished the Heretic Blade, making its bones and meridians even more refined.

As the Heretic Blade cooled down, the meridians on the blade vanished and faded into the blade.

When Liu Wuxie reached out and gripped the Heretic Blade, he felt an undeniable connection to it. He swung it lightly, and the blade moved seamlessly, slicing through the air with no resistance, even without channeling his true essence.

“What power!” Liu Wuxie could sense the Heretic Blade’s transformation.

“Is this unity with heaven and earth?” Liu Wuxie still wasn’t sure, but it felt like the Heretic Blade had become one with heaven and earth.

“Return!” With a single thought, the Heretic Blade shrank to the size of a toothpick. Such an ability was astonishing, as only dao artifacts were known to expand and shrink at will. Yet, the Heretic Blade, now an origin artifact, had achieved this extraordinary capability.

After all, dao techniques corresponded with the Spirit Profound Realm.

With another thought, the Heretic Blade vanished and retreated into the desolate world.

He could nourish the blade with his true essence, making it an extension of himself. He could even let the Heretic Blade merge into him, achieving perfect unity with the blade. This state would allow the blade and user to complement each other and flawlessly execute powerful blade techniques.

A bitter smile rose on Liu Wuxie’s lips after he looked around. He hadn’t anticipated that this seclusion would cause such a huge commotion that the Liu Clan would be heavily impacted.

He sat down without hesitation and began to examine his body. He could sense that the density of his meridians and bones had been strengthened tenfold, but the most significant change was the divine force coursing through his meridians like mercury.

When his divine sense entered the desolate world, he noticed that the Ancestral Tree’s trunk had grown significantly in size after absorbing the mysterious horn. Its lush and abundant leaves swayed gently upon seeing him as if to greet him.

This piqued Liu Wuxie’s curiosity as the Ancestral Tree’s reaction was as though it had recognized him as its master.

As for the Heretic Blade, it hovered quietly in a corner, immersed in true essence. True essence constantly nourished the blade to increase its harmony with Liu Wuxie, making it an extension of himself. This meant he could direct it with absolute precision with one thought. @@novelbin@@

When the thunderclouds dispersed, the experts gathered outside the Liu Clan began to disperse, and rumors soon spread across Astral Glory City. Many believed that an ancestor of the Liu Clan had made a breakthrough into the Heaven Profound Realm.

But no one could imagine that the commotion was caused by Liu Wuxie, including the Liu Clan’s disciples. They were still discussing among themselves what had happened in the Liu Clan.

When Liu Wuxie entered his soul sea, he was absolutely stunned by what he saw. He muttered, “How can this be?!”