Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 820 - Trapping the Azure Dragon

The battle on the ground was a massacre as cultivators fell in droves, their numbers dwindling at an alarming rate. Within moments, hundreds out of thousands had perished.

A battle also broke out in the sky, with ten-odd cultivators at the Spirit Profound Ream lunging at the azure flood dragon.

The flood dragon sensed the danger and swiftly turned back, retreating into the clouds.

"Where do you think you're going!" The cultivators at the Spirit Profound Realm were strong and couldn't be underestimated. They quickly formed an encirclement around the flood dragon, preventing it from fleeing.

"We'll rely on our strength to subdue this dragon!" a middle-aged man said. Everyone had gathered with the same goal, but they were not allies. From this point onward, it was every man for himself.

"Wei Wang is right. There's only one azure dragon, and we'll depend on our ability to subdue it. No one is to interfere with others," said another man.

His words resonated with everyone. People often ganged on those who obtained the treasure, resulting in mutual destruction. Thus, it was best to set the rules beforehand.

For example, if Wei Wang managed to subdue the azure dragon, no one was allowed to interfere or snatch it away. That was the same for others if they managed to suppress it.

After reaching an agreement, everyone launched their attacks and shot into the clouds.

Shortly after, a series of thunderous explosions echoed from the clouds. The clouds had obscured anyone from observing the fight, but Liu Wuxie easily penetrated through them, relying on Ghost Eye, which allowed him to see the fight perfectly.

Wei Wang stood out among the crowd with a cultivation at the third-level Spirit Profound Realm, and he was the strongest of the group. He used his bare fists to fight the flood dragon to an even ground.

The azure flood dragon had a powerful physique covered in dragon scales, and ordinary attacks couldn't break through its defenses. But the others had circled behind it and launched a coordinated assault on its tail.

"Grab its tail!" someone yelled. If they could grab the flood dragon's tail, they would be able to subdue it.

Two cultivators at the Spirit Profound Realm flanked the beast from left and right. The man on the right suddenly struck a palm at the flood dragon.

In response, the flood dragon let out a deafening roar and swept its tail, sending shockwaves through the clouds.

The two cultivators sensed the danger and quickly retreated in response. But it was too late for the man on the right to retreat.

The flood dragon had to experience tribulation to transform into a dragon, much like human cultivators had to face tribulation when making a breakthrough into the Heaven Profound Realm. Because it had undergone tribulation, its physique was comparable to the Earth Profound Realm.

The man's palm strike landed on the flood dragon's tail, but it had no effect whatsoever. Instead, the dragon's tail whipped around and sent him flying, blood spurting from his mouth. His face turned pale, but he quickly retrieved a pill and swallowed it, stabilizing his injuries.

"Damn it!" the man cursed after his injuries were under control. He gritted his teeth as he hadn't expected the flood dragon to be so powerful.

Meanwhile, Wei Wang continued his relentless assault on the flood dragon with his bare fists, and he was the only person the flood dragon was fearful of. His fists were too powerful, and each attack made the flood dragon feel the pain.

"Everyone, help me subdue this flood dragon, and I promise five million high-grade spirit stones each in return," Wei Wang said. He realized only he was capable of subduing this flood dragon among the crowd.

But if he fought the flood dragon alone, it would only end up in mutual destruction. This was why he wanted to find help to increase his odds of success.

Everyone hesitated at the beginning, but they soon found sense in Wei Wang's words. If they continued to fight separately, no one would be able to subdue this flood dragon. They only had a chance if they worked together. Not to mention, Wei Wang had the strongest cultivation among them, and he also had the highest hopes of subduing the flood dragon.

"Fine! I agree! But I also have one condition," said a second-level Spirit Profound Realm cultivator.

"Name it!" Wei Wang's face was grim as there weren't many who dared to negotiate with him. But he could only suppress his anger as his main focus was to subdue the flood dragon.

"I don't want the spirit stones after subduing the dragon. I only want three drops of the azure dragon's blood essence!" The man stated his condition. After reaching their level, they wouldn't lack spirit stones, but a divine dragon's blood essence was different.

"I want three drops of blood essence as well!" With the first person stating his condition, the others chimed in. An azure dragon only had a hundred or so drops of blood essence at most, and there would still be enough left if one person took three drops.

"Deal!" Wei Wang nodded after a brief consideration. However, there was a glint of malice flickering in his eyes, and he planned to settle scores with these people once the azure dragon was subdued.

Now that they shared the same goal, the battle resumed with newfound intensity. They fought without holding back, displaying great coordination. Using their laws, they manifested chains and bound them around the azure dragon.

No matter how the azure dragon struggled, it couldn't escape their grasp. It was only a first-grade spiritual beast and was only comparable to the second-level Spirit Profound Realm for human cultivators.

After the azure dragon was captured, Wei Wang seized the opportunity and threw a punch at the dragon's head, and the impact left the dragon dizzy.

This further fueled the azure dragon's fury as it let out a furious roar, trying to break free. It also unleashed flames from its jaws, covering the sky in intense flames.

The weaker cultivators at the Spirit Profound Realm could only retreat, not daring to get too close to the fire.

This outcome was within Liu Wuxie's expectations. After all, the flood dragon was alone, and there was no way it could face so many experts. It was only a matter of time before it was captured.

As the roar grew more berserk, the Twin-Headed Serpents on the ground lunged themselves at the surrounding humans, unfolding an intensified massacre.

The flood dragon was the leader of the Twin-Headed Serpents and had summoned them to kill the surrounding humans.

Fiery perched on Liu Wuxie's shoulder, watching the battle with a mix of concern and contemplation. At times, it furrowed its brows, only to relax them moments later. Suddenly, it raised its paws toward the sky, gesturing at Liu Wuxie.

"You want me to save this flood dragon?" Liu Wuxie asked, deciphering what Fiery wanted to say.

If the flood dragon was given a few more thousand years, its bloodline could fully evolve into that of an actual divine dragon. At that time, it could break free from the True Martial Continent's restrictions and ascend to a higher plane. There was even a possibility it might ascend to the Dragon Realm.

Fiery nodded emphatically. It also possessed the bloodline of a divine beast and felt a kinship with the flood dragon.

The death of ordinary profound beasts meant nothing to it as they were no different from lowly creatures. Only divine beasts were worthy of being called the beast clan.

Liu Wuxie fell into deep thought as he weighed his options. Saving the flood dragon would mean offending Wei Wang and the other Spirit Profound Realm cultivators, with no clear benefit in return. Even if he succeeded, there was no guarantee the flood dragon would repay him. The risk far outweighed the reward.

Moreover, with his current strength, subduing the flood dragon was impossible. The gap between them was simply too vast.

However, Fiery rarely asked him for anything. Refusing now might damage their bond, and gaining the favor of such a powerful creature could prove useful in the future.

Most importantly, the bigger question was—how would he escape afterward?

Fiery pointed to the abyss on the ground. Now that the Twin-Headed Serpents had emerged, the chasm lay empty, offering a potential escape route.

Liu Wuxie continued to weigh his options carefully as he knew he would be hunted by over a dozen Spirit Profound Realm experts if he saved the dragon.

The flood dragon continued to struggle, letting out anguished roars.

Unable to watch any longer, Fiery grew increasingly restless as a fellow divine beast, even itching to charge out.

"Fine. I'll take the gamble. I possess the dragon clan's bloodline, and I can't stand by to watch a dragon die," Liu Wuxie said after making his decision. He could only take one step at a time, regardless of whether this was a benevolent or an evil dragon.

He also prepared his path of retreat as he secretly brought out the Heavenly Dragon Seal. Only it could help him save the flood dragon, and the laws within could also boost its strength.

The moment Liu Wuxie took out the Heavenly Dragon Seal, the flood dragon sensed it and turned to Liu Wuxie with desperate hope in its eyes.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal contained the will of a dragon, and it released a bizarre red glow after sensing its kind being bullied. Even without Liu Wuxie's command, it soared into the sky.

The ten experts were fully focused on subduing the flood dragon, paying no attention to Liu Wuxie. Even if they had noticed him, they wouldn’t have taken him seriously—after all, who would expect someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm to interfere and ruin their plans?

When the Heavenly Dragon Seal flew out, it radiated a dazzling golden light, descending from the sky like a divine decree.

As the golden laws enveloped the azure flood dragon, its aura surged, merging with the Heavenly Dragon Seal and growing exponentially stronger.

"Who dares to interfere!" One of the cultivators at the Spirit Profound Realm was enraged. The flood dragon's aura grew stronger. It broke free from the chains before striking several people with its tail, sending them flying away.

The moment the Heavenly Dragon Seal had served its purpose, it swiftly returned to Liu Wuxie’s palm. Without hesitation, Liu Wuxie turned and leaped into the abyss. From a distance, Wei Wang caught sight of the scene.

"It's that brat who managed to escape from the Twin-Headed Serpent's attack!" a cultivator beside Wei Wang exclaimed, recognizing the Heavenly Dragon Seal’s aura.

After the azure flood dragon broke free, it didn't hesitate to burrow into the abyss and vanished.

The Twin-Headed Serpents, which had been fighting the other humans, suddenly retreated and returned to the abyss.

The desperate cultivators finally had a chance to breathe. They knew that if the battle had continued, only the Spirit Profound Realm cultivators would have stood a chance of survival—the rest would have been slaughtered.

The battlefield fell silent in mere moments, leaving the mountain in devastation.

Nearly four hundred cultivators had died, and those at the Nascent Transformation Realm had been slaughtered entirely. There were also heavy casualties among those at the True Profound Realm, while those at the Spirit Profound Realm remained unscathed.

"Damn it!" Wei Wang slammed his palm against the ground in frustration. He had been so close to subduing the flood dragon that he couldn't stomach the failure. The other cultivators at the Spirit Profound Realm were also enraged, as they could have obtained three drops of blood essence each if they had succeeded.

"Wei Wang, there's no need to worry. The dragon has only escaped underground—there's nowhere for it to hide from us," said one of his companions. As long as the flood dragon was still in the mountain, there was nowhere for it to hide.