Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 770 - Beast in Human Guise

The man coughed for a full minute and stopped after expelling the clotted blood from his system. When he opened his eyes, he was filled with a blank expression. Then, his eyes drifted upward, and he met gazes with the middle-aged man hovering in the air. Unspoken emotions swelled as their eyes locked, but it was a silent exchange.

"I'm not dead?" The man looked around blankly, and Liu Wuxie caught his every subtle movement. When this man looked at the middle-aged man in the sky, there was fear, hatred, and caution in his eyes.

"You're not dead because your heart is on the right, and the one who attacked you struck your left. This resulted in your heart pulse being clogged. I was the one who saved you," Liu Wuxie said, his mind beginning to process. He was sure that this man knew the middle-aged man in the air. But since they were acquainted, why didn't they talk?

The crowd exclaimed when they heard that the man's heart was on the right side of his chest. This was a rare anomaly, as the humans had their hearts on the left.

Even Liu Wuxie had only discovered this secret through Ghost Eye.

"Thank you for saving my life," the man said. He was fine now and only suffered several fractures on his left ribs, which would recover after a few days of rest.

"Senior, he's alive, as you can see, and I believe this can prove that we didn't kill him!" Liu Wuxie said, turning around to look at the middle-aged man in the air.

Many people gathered in the surroundings, and they all turned to look at the middle-aged man. While the middle-aged man could kill Liu Wuxie's group of three with his strength, silencing all the witnesses would be an entirely different matter.

There were many experts in the Earth Profound Realm present, and it would be unrealistic for the middle-aged man to kill hundreds of people by himself.

The middle-aged man cast a lingering glance at Liu Wuxie, etching his face into memory. Without a word, he turned to the injured man briefly before vanishing into the horizon.

After the middle-aged man left, Liu Wuxie nearly fell to the ground. He was barely holding on under the oppression of someone in the Earth Profound Realm. He would have collapsed long ago if he didn't have the Heavenly Dao Book.

"Wuxie, how are you?" Liu Dashan hurried forward to support Liu Wuxie, whose clothes were soaked with sweat as though he had just been fished out of water.

Liu Wuxie was barely standing after facing the oppressive aura of the middle-aged man, his cold sweat soaking through his clothes. The fact that he managed to endure the pressure of someone in the Earth Profound Realm was nothing short of miraculous. Anyone else in his place would have succumbed long ago.

"Brother, thank you for saving my life," said the youth who clasped his hands together to thank Liu Wuxie for saving his life.

"If I'm not mistaken, he attacked you, right?" Liu Wuxie asked, but his words made the man freeze.

"It's best if you don't delve into it as it doesn't concern you. It will only bring you trouble," said the man, waving his hand. @@novelbin@@

"Do you think he'll let me go?" Liu Wuxie asked, shaking his head. He knew he had offended the middle-aged man by saving the life of this man before him. While the Liu Clan didn't fear someone in the Earth Profound Realm, it was troublesome that they had provoked such an enemy out of nowhere.

"You're right. He's a vengeful person, and he will try to kill me again now that I've survived—and you as well," the man said. This also piqued Liu Wuxie's interest in why an Earth Profound Realm expert would assassinate someone in the Spirit Profound Realm.

“Since that’s the case, why don’t you tell me everything? If I’m going to face his wrath, I think I deserve to know the whole story. At least this way, I won’t die ignorant,” Liu Wuxie replied with a shrug. He had encountered countless experts over the years. While someone in the Earth Profound Realm was powerful, it didn’t mean he was entirely helpless—provided he had the necessary information about his opponent.

The man hesitated briefly before nodding his head. After all, Liu Wuxie was an innocent man who had been dragged into their conflict.

"You're here to participate in the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy's recruitment test, right?" The youth asked, changing the topic. After all, the recruitment test would be held in a few days, and he had also been in Liu Wuxie's position years ago. It had been ten years since his recruitment test, and he had finally managed to gain a footing in the academy with his cultivation reaching the Spirit Profound Realm.

"That's right," Liu Wuxie replied with a nod.

"My name is Ji Lu'an; how do I address you?" The youth introduced himself and clasped his hands in Liu Wuxie's direction.

"Liu Wuxie, disciple of the Liu Clan," Liu Wuxie replied, responding with a similar gesture.

As for Liu Dashan and Liu Xiucheng, they had retreated to a distance to let the two talk.

"This is a long story..." Ji Lu'an sighed with a hint of anger on his face.

"Well, I'm not in a hurry," Liu Wuxie responded. The recruitment test wasn't today, and he wasn't in a hurry; they just had to reach the destination on time.

"His name is Miao Hanxuan, my master—or at least, he was. He's a hypocrite," Ji Lu'an said, gritting his teeth.

Liu Wuxie was stunned in place. He didn't expect the middle-aged man to be Ji Lu'an's master. But why would a master try to kill his disciple? The two had pretended not to know each other earlier and were unwilling to acknowledge each other's identity.

"Wait... I'm starting to get confused now. Why would he try to kill you if he's your master? And why did you two pretend not to know each other earlier?" Liu Wuxie asked, baffled. He couldn't figure out what was happening despite his high intelligence. He could only guess that it was Miao Hanxuan who had attempted to kill Ji Lu'an.

"Ten years ago, I entered his tutelage with two others, a junior brother and sister. We shared a close relationship for years, but everything changed a year ago," Ji Lu'an said. He didn't hide anything from Liu Wuxie, who had saved his life. It wasn't fair for Liu Wuxie, who had the right to know the story since he was dragged into this matter now.

Liu Wuxie had already offended Miao Hanxuan because of him, and Miao Hanxuan wouldn't let him go because of his vengeful nature, regardless of whether he could join the academy. Moreover, Miao Hanxuan would try to kill him again with a failed attempt.

"Did he do something unforgivable?" Liu Wuxie asked tentatively. A master was a mentor, akin to parents, responsible for guiding and enlightening their disciples.

"Years ago, my junior sister and I were deeply in love and pledged ourselves to one another. But who would have imagined that beast in human guise would commit such vile, unspeakable acts!" Ji Lu'an's voice trembled as he clenched his fists with murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Liu Wuxie frowned and hoped what he feared wasn't true. He had experienced many things in his lifetime as an Immortal Emperor, and he had seen even the most despicable acts done by beasts in human guise. But he didn't interrupt and allowed Ji Lu'an to continue.

"One year ago, I visited my junior sister and heard cries from her room. When I pushed the door open, I saw that beast on her..." Ji Lu'an couldn't continue, but Liu Wuxie knew what he was trying to express. He knew the former had lost the courage to carry on.

"So he tried to silence you to protect his secret?" Liu Wuxie deduced. It was a predictable response for someone caught in such heinous acts.

"He attacked me the moment he saw me, but my junior sister went down on her knees, begging him to spare my life," Ji Lu'an said, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. As he spoke, he gritted his teeth so hard that his lips cracked under the pressure.

Liu Wuxie could feel the weight of Ji Lu'an's anguish. He didn't need the details to know how deeply such betrayal and humiliation could cut. Silently, he placed a hand on Ji Lu'an's shoulder, offering a wordless gesture of consolation.

"My junior sister submitted to that vile creature's demands to save me, sacrificing her dignity and happiness. Do you know how I have lived in the past year? That beast tried to kill me several times, fearing his deeds might be exposed and result in his reputation being tarnished," Ji Lu'an roared, his voice hoarse in fury. But he knew he would only get himself killed if he had charged over that day.

"So, you didn't dare to leave the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy the past year because he would target you if you did, right?" Liu Wuxie surmised. He had pieced the story together and had a rough understanding. He could imagine the turmoil Ji Lu'an had gone through by staying in the academy.

"That's right. We've pretended not to know each other for the past year and would act like strangers even if we crossed paths. But I needed a herb desperately yesterday and had no choice but to leave. That’s when he ambushed me, struck me down, and buried me alive. As for the rest, well, you already know," Ji Lu'an said, his fists clenched tightly.

Liu Wuxie now understood the feud between Ji Lu'an and Miao Hanxuan. He also didn't expect the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, a sacred land in the eyes of many, to harbor such darkness.

However, that didn't deter his determination to join the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy. That was because his goal wasn't only to accelerate his cultivation but also to search for the Astral Domain Path.

"Brother, I would live on if I were in your position. Don't let your junior sister down, who used her life to save yours. You can only find a chance to avenge her by living on," Liu Wuxie said in a firm tone. He wasn't trying to comfort Ji Lu'an as things had already happened, and the latter could only look forward.

"I won't die easily until I save my junior sister. I have to leave now in case he's still nearby. I hope we can meet again in the academy," Ji Lu'an said and vanished, not daring to stay there for another moment.

Only within the academy’s confines did Miao Hanxuan refrain from killing Ji Lu’an openly. After all, they were master and disciple in name, and Miao Hanxuan wouldn’t dare risk everything, fearing Ji Lu’an might expose his vile actions. This fragile balance kept them at odds—Miao Hanxuan, constantly seeking an opportunity to silence Ji Lu’an, while Ji Lu’an could only endure and focus on increasing his cultivation as quickly as possible.

Even if he could tarnish Miao Hanxuan's reputation by exposing his deeds, his junior sister would be killed.