Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 832 - Golden Flame Strike

Liu Wuxie was shocked by the devastation he had created, the splintered trees and rocks scorched by metal-attribute energy.

"I...did this!?" Liu Wuxie was baffled. He couldn't believe the devastation before him. But exhilaration flashed across his face as he recalled the changes in his blade technique.

"What should I name this blade technique?" The new blade technique retained True Strike's starting stance, with many fused elements. Thus, it could no longer be called True Strike.

Liu Wuxie was soon lost in thought, contemplating a fitting name for this technique. This was a dao technique he had comprehended himself, and others couldn't replicate it. After all, there were ten thousand variations if a dao technique was comprehended by ten thousand people.

It was just like how there were different interpretations of a book in the eyes of various readers. Since Liu Wuxie created this blade technique, it was only proper for him to name it.

"Since the blade aura is golden and infused with explosive flames, let's call it the Golden Flame Strike!" Liu Wuxie said after a brief consideration.

For now, it remained in the initial stage of a dao technique, but if he could develop it to its peak, it might evolve into the Great Golden Flame Art—a technique so refined that he wouldn’t even need a weapon to execute it.

With this new name, the Golden Flame Strike resonated with him on a deeper level, solidifying its presence within his cultivation path.

As he continued using the blade technique, he absorbed the surrounding laws, weaving them into the attack. Each strike unleashed devastating force, further refining the technique. Within a thousand-meter radius, the land was left in complete ruin.

He had now spent two months in seclusion. Not only had his strength risen significantly, but he had also comprehended a dao technique—one that belonged to him alone.

After six hours of relentless training, Liu Wuxie finally sheathed his blade and stood still. A bitter smile rose on his lips when he surveyed the destruction he had caused. With a sigh, he retrieved all the array flags, deciding to rest for the night before setting off the next day.

Although his mission had no fixed deadline, he couldn't delay it indefinitely and had to return in half a year at most.

Fiery poked its head out of the cave and shook its head in apparent disapproval of Liu Wuxie's earlier actions. Liu Wuxie's ferocious blade aura had left it trembling in fear.

Caressing Fiery's head, Liu Wuxie smiled and fed it a spiritual fruit. He spent the rest of the night refining his blade technique, further tempering both his cultivation and mastery over the technique.

At dawn, Liu Wuxie and Fiery left the cave, carefully erasing all traces of their presence.

Suddenly, Fiery nudged Liu Wuxie, gesturing him to climb on its back.

"You want to carry me?" Liu Wuxie asked hesitantly. Fiery was only slightly over a meter tall and didn't seem like a suitable mountain.

Many cultivators used profound beasts as mounts, especially those capable of flight. However, after Fiery’s recent injury, it had undergone rapid growth, and even Liu Wuxie struggled to gauge its true strength.

While it appeared to be at the sixth or seventh grade, its aura alone was enough to intimidate even eighth- or ninth-grade profound beasts. As it continued to evolve, even tenth-grade profound beasts would think twice before challenging it.

Liu Wuxie hesitated to ride it as they were friends, and he had never considered Fiery his mount.

Taking note of his reluctance, Fiery suddenly knelt on its front limbs, gesturing for Liu Wuxie to climb aboard. This gave Liu Wuxie no choice but to climb on its back.

Fiery's fur was surprisingly soft, and it shot out like an arrow with a sudden burst of speed. This left Liu Wuxie shocked. He hadn't expected such incredible speed from Fiery as they weaved through the woods effortlessly.

The trees on both sides flashed in blurs, whipping against Liu Wuxie's ears. Aside from the fact that it couldn't fly, Fiery's speed was already on par with his own.

Not long after they left, a group of people appeared outside the cave, attracted by the blade aura. But the cave was empty when they entered, and even the grass had been burned down by Liu Wuxie.

"He hasn’t been gone for long; his aura still lingers."

Despite Liu Wuxie’s efforts to erase all traces of his presence, a faint aura remained. Such an aura would persist for a while, and powerful cultivators could easily detect it.

An old man at the Spirit Profound Realm searched the surroundings. It didn't take long before his gaze fell on a fragment of a broken weapon lying on the ground.

Liu Wuxie had left in haste, never expecting someone to find this place so soon.

"This is a weapon belonging to our Sky Feather Sect!" A middle-aged man walked over. His gaze fell on the fragment, and he instantly recognized it as a weapon their sect had produced. After all, each sect had its forging technique, which ordinary people couldn't replicate.

"I received word that five of our disciples went missing a few days ago. Could they have perished here?" The old man retrieved the fragment and began to look around, searching for more clues.

"Anyone who dares to kill disciples of the Sky Feather Sect must be hunted down, even if they flee to the ends of the earth. We should split up—he hasn't gone far," said the middle-aged man, determined to find the culprit responsible for their disciples' deaths.

This mountain range was designated as a training ground for their Sky Feather Sect's disciples, and they naturally had to investigate since their disciples had died there.

Aside from the Sky Feather Sect, experts from the other forces were also searching for something.

"This is weird. The residual energy here belongs to someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm, and there are no traces of laws from the True Profound Realm or Spirit Profound Realm!" Several Spirit Profound Realm cultivators studied the lingering aura, all arriving at the same conclusion—it belonged to someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm.

It made no sense for someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm to come so deep into the mountain range.

"He must've obtained some kind of treasure and refined it here. Look at these blade marks! It's not achievable by someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm," someone pointed out as they walked over to the ravine created by Liu Wuxie.

That was true for most, as someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm couldn't comprehend dao techniques or create such a huge commotion. Someone quietly left the group to track the lingering aura left behind by Liu Wuxie.

As Fiery sped forward, the grass parted in its wake, leaving a clear trail behind. If Liu Wuxie had known he was being tracked, he would have chosen a more discreet route.

To avoid exhausting Fiery, they traveled for two hours before Liu Wuxie dismounted and sat on the ground, patting Fiery’s head to signal it to rest.

They had encountered several profound beasts, but they were all slain. Liu Wuxie had also harvested many spiritual fruits from their territories. He kept some for himself and gave the others to Fiery.

He could consume spiritual fruits daily to strengthen his physique. Aside from spiritual fruits, Liu Wuxie consumed Azure Yang Pills like candies.

Slaying the five disciples from the Sky Feather Sect had brought Liu Wuxie a vast fortune, including countless spirit stones, thousands of Azure Yang Pills, spiritual fruits, and the bones of profound beasts. The five had spent a long time training in the mountain range, accumulating significant wealth—but now, it all belonged to him.

Once he left the mountain range, he planned to sell these resources, converting them into spirit stones. Over the past two months, he had consumed nearly seven million spirit stones, and he would need even more to reach the ninth-level Nascent Transformation Realm, let alone the True Profound Realm.

After a brief rest, Liu Wuxie contemplated his path forward, unaware that danger was approaching him.

Just as he was about to leave, Fiery suddenly stood up, ears perked and fangs bared, growling toward a dense cluster of trees in the distance.

Liu Wuxie quickly rose to his feet and activated Ghost Eye, his vision piercing through the foliage. Two figures were hidden behind the trees, keeping their distance as if hesitant to approach.

"Come out! There's no point in hiding," Liu Wuxie said with a frown. He had spent two months in the mountain range without encountering another person—aside from the five Sky Feather Sect disciples.

Two strangers appearing out of nowhere had placed Liu Wuxie on high alert. He began to wonder if his location had been exposed.

The incident at the Azure Dragon Mountain had long since passed, and they should've given up their pursuit of him.

The two men stepped out from behind the trees, positioning themselves on either side of Liu Wuxie, effectively cutting off his escape route.

"Who are you two, and why are you following me?" Liu Wuxie asked, his tone neutral and devoid of hostility. It was possible this was just a coincidence—that they were merely training in the mountain range like he was.

"Boy, were you the one who cultivated inside the cave a hundred miles away?" the middle-aged man on the right asked coldly, stopping ten meters away from Liu Wuxie.

They had been there when the Sky Feather Sect had arrived and learned that someone had obtained a treasure. After discovering that this cultivator had gone into seclusion in the cave, they had immediately set out to investigate. However, they hadn’t expected to run into Liu Wuxie by chance.

Though they had never encountered him before, they instantly recognized him as the one who had cultivated in the cave. His aura and cultivation left no room for doubt.

Liu Wuxie’s gaze turned cold. He hadn’t expected to be discovered so soon. When he left, he hadn’t sensed anyone nearby, which meant they must have arrived after his departure.

"What do you want?" Liu Wuxie asked, neither confirming nor denying their suspicions. He wanted to gauge their true intentions.

"Simple. Hand over the treasure you found, and we might consider sparing your life," the man on the left said. For some reason, both men felt an unsettling aura emanating from Liu Wuxie. Though they had come seeking the treasure, their instincts urged them to leave as soon as they obtained it.

"Treasure?" Liu Wuxie was momentarily stunned. He didn't know he had anything of value aside from the Heavenly Dragon Seal and Earth-Binding Chains.

The Heretic Blade still couldn't be considered a treasure, and it was futile for him to give them the dao technique he had comprehended. So, what was the treasure they spoke of?

"Boy, drop the act. Do you think we don’t know the truth? How else could someone at the Nascent Transformation Realm cause such a massive commotion? Hand over the treasure immediately!" The man on the left snapped, his patience wearing thin.

Both men were at the pinnacle of the True Profound Realm, fully confident that dealing with someone at Liu Wuxie’s level would be effortless.