Desolate Devouring Art

Liu Wuxie pushed himself to the limit—faster than a comet streaking across the heavens. In the blink of an eye, he crossed a hundred miles.

But before he even arrived, the sharp stench of blood assaulted his senses.

"No!" Liu Wuxie cried out as he descended from the sky.

Fresh blood soaked the ground. Someone had died only moments ago.

He landed in a clearing where a violent battle had scarred the earth. The air brimmed with chaotic spiritual energy, and he instantly sensed remnants of the four women's auras.

But no matter how deeply he scoured the area with his divine sense, he couldn't locate them.

He found three corpses lying in the grass nearby, each clad in black.

The Black Plume Pavilion had sent those assassins.

Each assassin had reached the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm, far too powerful for the women to face alone.

"Big Brother Liu!" a familiar voice called from behind him.

He spun around to see Xu Lingxue running toward him, followed by Murong Yi, Chen Ruoyan, and Jian Xing'er.

"Are you all alright?" Liu Wuxie rushed forward, inspecting each of them in turn. To his immense relief, they were all unharmed.

But that only raised more questions—if they were safe, then who had killed the assassins?

"We're fine!" Xu Lingxue's voice trembled, the lingering fear still evident in her eyes.

"Who's there?!" Liu Wuxie extended his divine sense again, vigilant for any remaining threats. His gaze shifted past Xu Lingxue, landing on the red-dressed woman standing silently behind her.

The moment Liu Wuxie's eyes met hers, his pupils shrank.

He couldn't sense her cultivation level at all—not even whether she was in the Earth Profound Realm or the Heaven Profound Realm.

What struck him even more was her beauty, which rivaled even Xu Lingxue's. Her eyes sparkled with a mysterious charm, capable of captivating souls with a single glance.

She stood taller than Xu Lingxue, her long, graceful legs revealed beneath a crimson dress. Even "devilish figure" felt like an understatement.

With a teasing smile, she winked at Liu Wuxie upon their first meeting.

Xu Lingxue was elegant and graceful; Murong Yi, dignified with a touch of seductive charm; Jian Xing'er, bright and virtuous; and Chen Ruoyan, playful and endearing.

But this woman's aura was unfathomable, a strange fusion of flirtation, nobility, and aloof coldness.

Immediately, Liu Wuxie summoned the Heretic Blade. His instincts screamed danger. This woman could kill them all in a single breath if she so wished.

"Big Brother Liu, Lady Ye saved us." Xu Lingxue quickly stepped forward, fearing he might attack their savior.

"She saved you?" Liu Wuxie asked, still wary, though he slowly lowered the Heretic Blade.

"Yes! We were ambushed on the road and had no way to fight back. She happened to pass by and killed the assassins. She saved us," Xu Lingxue explained hurriedly.

Liu Wuxie studied the red-dressed woman again. She appeared about his age, yet radiated terrifying strength.

"I'm Liu Wuxie. Thank you for saving them," he said, cupping his fists respectfully.

"I'm Ye Hongyi," the woman replied with a smile. "But you can just call me Hongyi."

"Lady Hongyi, may I ask where you're from—and what brings you here?" Liu Wuxie asked, his tone still cautious. He still couldn't shake the feeling that something about her didn't add up. Was this really just a coincidence? Or part of a deeper scheme by the Black Plume Pavilion?

"Young Master Liu," Ye Hongyi said with a soft laugh, twirling a strand of her long hair with effortless grace, "Do you always interrogate strangers like this?"

"I won't pry if you'd rather not say," Liu Wuxie replied politely. "Regardless, I owe you a great debt. If you ever need help in the future, I'll do all I can."

He knew everyone carried secrets. She could've lied, but she hadn't even tried. He backed off solely because of her honesty.

"I'll remember your words," Ye Hongyi said. "Who knows? I might need your help someday. Now that you've reunited, I'll be taking my leave."

She finished speaking and vanished without a trace.

Liu Wuxie couldn't even sense how she vanished.

"Big Brother Liu, weren't you a little too rude just now?" Xu Lingxue pouted, unhappy with how he questioned their savior. The other three women also looked displeased.

"Never bear malice, but never let down your guard," Liu Wuxie said calmly. "She just happened to pass by and save all four of you? Isn't that just a little too convenient?"

"If she wanted to hurt us, why would she help us?" Xu Lingxue argued, clearly thinking Liu Wuxie was overthinking it.

Liu Wuxie gave a helpless smile. Arguing with women would only make things worse. As long as they were safe, he would let it go.

They resumed their journey.

Yet moments after they departed, Ye Hongyi returned to the clearing.

"Liu Wuxie, we'll meet again very soon," she murmured with a faint smile before vanishing once more.

......

Several days passed, and the group began encountering more cultivators as they neared the Eternal Spirit Mountain.

To avoid trouble, Liu Wuxie told the women to veil their faces with gauze. Their beauty was too striking—it would only invite unnecessary attention.

"We'll reach the Eternal Spirit Mountain in three more days," Liu Wuxie said after checking the map.

They had spent half a month crossing half of the Central Plains.

"There's a village up ahead. Let's rest there for the night and continue tomorrow," one of the women suggested.

"Alright," Liu Wuxie nodded and led the group toward the village.

Simple, ordinary folk had lived in the ancient village for generations. But as they neared, Liu Wuxie suddenly caught the distinct smell of blood in the air.

"There's danger!" he said sharply, halting in his tracks.

Silence hung over the village like a shroud. No people in sight.

From the open windows and narrow alleys, a pungent stench of fresh blood seeped into the air.

"You all stay here. I'll check it out," Liu Wuxie said, and in a flash, he vanished into the village.

This was a small village with only a dozen houses, and each one had a large hunting bow hanging from the main beam. Generations of hunters had kept this village alive.

When Liu Wuxie gently pushed open one of the doors, a thick stench of blood surged out, hitting him like a tidal wave. Inside, the floor held five sprawled corpses—an elderly man, a middle-aged couple, and two young children. The youngest girl couldn't have been more than four or five.

The little girl still clutched her mother's hand, even in death, as though unimaginable fear had consumed her final moments.

Liu Wuxie's heart tightened at the sight.

He had taken many lives on his path, but he had never harmed the innocent, especially not children. Though they were only ordinary villagers, someone had butchered them mercilessly. Who could be this cruel?

After inspecting their bodies, Liu Wuxie estimated they had been dead for about three days. With a heavy heart, he stepped out and moved to the next house.

Meanwhile, Xu Lingxue and the other three women had entered the village out of concern for him. When they saw the corpses inside the homes, grief and righteous anger surged through them.

"Big Brother Liu, this is too horrible. Let's bury them," Xu Lingxue said, unable to bear the thought of leaving the villagers' remains to rot.

Every home told the same story—death had spared no one.

"Big Brother Liu, come take a look at this," Jian Xing'er called out. Among the group, she had the sharpest eyes, and she had noticed something off about one of the bodies.

Liu Wuxie had been digging graves, but he immediately rushed over. His brows furrowed when he saw the wound.

"Do you know how they died?" Xu Lingxue asked. She trusted Liu Wuxie's experience and insight.

"Humans didn't kill them," Liu Wuxie said after a quick inspection.

"Then... could it be a profound beast?" Murong Yi frowned as dusk began to settle over the village.

"No," Liu Wuxie said grimly. "It was a Drought Wraith."

The four women stared at him in stunned silence. "What's that?"

"A type of monster," Liu Wuxie explained, his voice low. "They aren't humans or profound beasts, but they have humanoid forms with fangs."

He had encountered one before and knew firsthand how deadly they were.

"They feed on human blood like zombies—but unlike mindless corpses, they're intelligent."

Liu Wuxie's expression turned serious.

"We can't travel at night," he said. "We'll camp here until morning."

Drought Wraiths hunted only after nightfall. If he were alone, he wouldn't have cared—but with the four women, he had to be cautious. If they encountered one, or worse, a group of them, he couldn't guarantee their safety.

The group quickly pitched a temporary tent for the night. After burying the villagers, Liu Wuxie returned to stand guard outside. He took out a spiritual array compass crafted by the Heavenly Dao Society and placed it near the tent.

The formation ensured that not even a Drought Wraith could sneak up unnoticed.

"Big Brother Liu," Murong Yi asked, her brows still furrowed, "This place is remote, and no one ever comes here. The villagers had likely built and preserved this place for centuries. Why would Drought Wraiths suddenly attack?"

"More cultivators have been heading toward Eternal Spirit Mountain lately. The surge in human activity might've drawn the Drought Wraiths out." He paused, narrowing his eyes as another thought surfaced. "Or maybe..."

"Maybe what?" the four women asked at once.

"Never mind," Liu Wuxie said, shaking his head. "I might just be overthinking."

He didn't want to worry them further and urged them to get some rest. They would leave at dawn.