Desolate Devouring Art

When the black-robed man let his guard down, Liu Wuxie seized the opening and activated Soul Capture.

The man's vision swam as if an unseen force had torn away his soul straight from his body. Scattered thoughts overwhelmed him, and he couldn't muster even a shred of strength.

In less than a thousandth of a second, a golden beam pierced his soul sea and embedded itself into his primordial spirit just as awareness returned to him.

Tension clenched the four women as they watched from the side. The moment the black-robed man revealed the Black Talisman, they became anxious.

"What do we do? Should we help Big Brother Liu?" Chen Ruoyan gripped her whip, poised to rush in.

"Wait!" Xu Lingxue stopped her. "He definitely has a plan."

A minute later, the black-robed man lost his aura, and his expression shifted. When he looked at Liu Wuxie again, his gaze was brimming with reverence.

Within Liu Wuxie's faith pool, a refined, black-robed figure formed—handsome and poised. The same man who had just tried to kill him was now kneeling before him.

"Greetings, Master," he said reverently.

The four women stood stunned. A breath ago, they were witnessing a life-or-death battle. Now, the enemy was kneeling before Liu Wuxie?

"What's your name?" Liu Wuxie asked coolly, letting him kneel.

"My name is Hei Kui, a rogue cultivator," the man answered. "Centuries ago, I discovered a strange cultivation method that allowed me to refine Drought Wraiths. I emerged from seclusion just ten days ago... and I encountered you."

The technique boosted his cultivation and granted him control over Drought Wraiths. He secluded himself for centuries to completely master it. When he emerged, he saw that cultivators were flocking toward Eternal Spirit Mountain, so he brought twelve Drought Wraiths along and began slaughtering his way through.

He slaughtered villagers, roaming cultivators, and even seasoned Earth Profound experts. None of them survived. Using his Drought Wraiths, he killed them all and extracted their blood essence to feed his creations.

Hei Kui recounted the past ten days without the slightest hesitation.

As they listened, the four women's faces darkened, and their fists clenched. They hadn't imagined such cruelty, killing even defenseless mortals.

"Rise," Liu Wuxie said with calm indifference.

Hei Kui rose and pulled off his mask, exposing a face as pale as paper. Years without sunlight had bleached his skin ghost-white and turned his hair a dull yellow.

As a Darkness Dao cultivator, Hei Kui avoided daylight like poison. Sunlight weakened him, so he typically wrapped himself in black cloth when forced to travel under the sun.

At first, Liu Wuxie considered taking the Darkness Dao Art from him, but after seeing the man's appearance and condition, he dismissed the idea. The technique had clearly shown its flaws. Using it promised more harm than good.

Liu Wuxie believed that the True Darkness Dao ought to devour the sun, the moon, and the stars, not just nearby energy and laws.

Still, Liu Wuxie could use Hei Kui's experience as a helpful warning, helping him avoid similar missteps in the future.

"Clean up the battlefield," Liu Wuxie instructed without emotion.

Without hesitation, Hei Kui got to work, clearing corpses and removing traces of battle to avoid drawing other cultivators. Liu Wuxie had already slain the Drought Wraiths. Even if they were still alive, Liu Wuxie would wipe them out. Monsters like them had no place in this world, after all.

When Liu Wuxie returned to the tent, the four women rushed up to him.

"Big Brother Liu, what happened to him?" Jian Xing'er asked, still shaken by the sudden reversal.

"It's a dao technique," Liu Wuxie said vaguely. "It cleanses the heart. He'll change for the better."

He still had no intention of explaining the Faith Conversion Art. That kind of revelation would only bring trouble. The women didn't press further. As long as Hei Kui no longer posed a threat, that was enough for them.

That night, Hei Kui stood watch outside their tent.

His Earth Profound aura cloaked the area, deterring all who drew near. When someone tried to sneak in that night, Hei Kui repelled them with ease. Before, he would have killed them on sight. Tonight, he held back.

At dawn, Liu Wuxie exited the tent with the four women.

Hei Kui stood nearby and respectfully offered clean water for them to wash before setting off.

Liu Wuxie led the way. Hei Kui followed from a respectful distance. The aura of darkness around him made the women feel uncomfortable.

"We'll arrive at Eternal Spirit Mountain by tomorrow," Liu Wuxie said, scanning the road ahead.

As they drew closer, they encountered more cultivators traveling in groups. Elite experts from across the Central Plains had converged on Eternal Spirit Mountain.

"The terrain is so complex," Xu Lingxue commented. "The mountain range twists and tangles, shrouded in poisonous mist. No wonder it's so hard to enter. Ordinary people won't last a day here."

Indeed, the poisonous fog and warped geography made it nearly impossible for outsiders to penetrate the mountain's depths.

"Hei Kui," Liu Wuxie called out, "how much do you know about the Eternal Spirit Mountain?"

Hei Kui immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"I don't know much," he admitted. "But I've heard that a meteor shower once struck the Eternal Spirit Mountain. The impact drastically changed the terrain, giving it its current form."

People claimed a meteor shower had shaped the complex terrain of the Eternal Spirit Mountain.

"That's all?" Liu Wuxie asked, unconvinced.

"There's also a legend..." Hei Kui lowered his voice and looked around cautiously. "They say a deity lies buried here."

"A deity?" Liu Wuxie frowned. The notion was hard to believe. Could deities even die, much less be buried in a remote place like the True Martial Continent?

"I don't know the full story, but it's only a myth. They say that the True Martial Continent used to be part of the Astral Domain. Maybe this deity was buried here before the continent broke away," Hei Kui explained.

Generations had passed the tale down; it was one of those whispers that refused to fade with time.

"Go scout ahead and report back if there's anything unusual," Liu Wuxie ordered.

He wasn't about to rush blindly into the mountain. He needed to locate Yuan Ying and the others first and confirm their whereabouts.

"As you command!" Hei Kui nodded and instantly vanished into the dense mist of the Eternal Spirit Mountain.

"Big Brother Liu, why aren't we entering?" one of the women asked. They were already at the mountain's border, so why wait?

"We're waiting for someone," Liu Wuxie answered calmly. He didn't explain, but he had already sent a message to Ruan Ying and the others. Judging by their pace, they ought to arrive here in a day or two.

The group camped nearby and watched waves of cultivators stream into the Eternal Spirit Mountain, each seeking fortune, power, or perhaps the truth behind the legends.

Two days later, Lu Liang arrived first, followed closely by Ruan Ying. Jiang Nan and He Hai'an had stayed behind in the mountains to gather intelligence.

"Greetings, Master!" the two greeted respectfully upon seeing Liu Wuxie.

Their conversion flooded them with faith energy, making Liu Wuxie seem divine in their eyes. In their eyes, he wasn't just a leader—he was a god.

"No need for formalities," Liu Wuxie said, motioning them toward a quiet, concealed spot. He led them away from camp to avoid any possible eavesdroppers.

Meanwhile, the four women stood guard.

"Master, we've been waiting for you. Something incredible has happened in Eternal Spirit Mountain!" Ruan Ying said, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Speak," Liu Wuxie instructed.

"Two months ago, we entered the mountain just as you instructed. At first, it was completely barren. But then, a month ago, something unbelievable occurred. A giant coffin rose from the earth," Ruan Ying said, retrieving a Memory Talisman from his sleeve.

He handed it to Liu Wuxie. The talisman activated and projected an enormous illusion before them. With a deep rumble, the earth cracked. Mountains shattered, rivers reversed course, and valleys caved in. It was like something had torn the world apart.

Then, from the largest fissure, a massive coffin slowly emerged.

Just as Ruan Ying described, it wasn't merely large; it was incomprehensible. A heavenly coffin, stretching for seemingly thousands of miles, occupied nearly half of the Eternal Spirit Mountain.

Its emergence triggered celestial phenomena across the sky. The sky and earth trembled, and light seemed to distort in the air. There was no way to hide its appearance.

When Liu Wuxie saw it, his brows furrowed. Something about the coffin's design struck a familiar chord. It spanned a thousand miles in length and more than eight hundred miles in width, larger than most cities.

"Has anyone entered it?" Liu Wuxie asked, curious whether anyone had revealed any secrets.

"No," Lu Liang replied. "Strange patterns cover the coffin, and it repels any attempt to approach. There's no visible entrance, and even divine sense can't probe it. No one's been able to get close."

The four had been camping near it for a whole month, watching countless factions try and fail to break through the barrier. Not even brute force was helpful.

"Anything else of note besides the coffin?" Liu Wuxie asked. While the coffin was important, his real purpose lay deeper, tracing clues about the Golden Cauldron Pavilion, the same faction that had tried to poison his grandfather.

No one had repaid that debt yet.

"Yes. Another force is hiding deep inside the Eternal Spirit Mountain," Ruan Ying reported. "Over the past few weeks, many cultivators have disappeared. The forbidden zones deeper inside swallowed most of them."

He pulled out a crumpled map and pointed to a marked area.

The zone swallowed everyone who entered, leaving no trace behind.

"Good." Liu Wuxie nodded, tossing two pills toward Lu Liang and Ruan Ying.

They caught them without hesitation. Neither needed to ask what they were, as anything their master had handed over to them would be no ordinary item.