Desolate Devouring Art

Liu Wuxie had already gathered a huge chunk of information about the Eternal Spirit Mountain.

Ruan Ying hesitantly asked, "Master, should we head in? The heavenly coffin has been acting strangely over the past few days. There's even a mysterious voice coming from within."

If the rumors were true and a deity truly lay sealed within the coffin, then those who managed to enter it could seize the chance to inherit divine powers. Beyond that, such an ancient existence would have left behind priceless treasures.

"There's no rush," Liu Wuxie replied calmly. "Who else has arrived?"

They still needed half a day's journey to reach the mountain's inner region.

Lu Liang stepped forward and handed over the intelligence he had gathered. "Quite a few experts have shown up, especially from the two great academies. The Dragon Emperor Academy, in particular, has dispatched a strong contingent."

"Besides the academies, major sects from across the Central Plains have also arrived," Ruan Ying added. "The Four Great Clans are here, and there are rumors that even Heaven Profound Realm experts are on their way."

Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected the emergence of the heavenly coffin to draw out cultivators of the Heaven Profound Realm.

On second thought, however, it made sense. After the events in Astral Glory City, many Heaven Profound experts had broken their long seclusion.

Once those experts stepped into the world again, they wouldn't return to isolation so soon. They would need time to comprehend and integrate the laws they cultivated.

The rumors of a deity's corpse sealed inside the mystical coffin were enough to tempt even those at the peak of cultivation. For Heaven Profound experts, a deity was an existence beyond reach, divine and unattainable.

However, if they could absorb even a sliver of the divine essence lingering on the corpse, they could shatter the limitations of the True Martial Continent and ascend to a higher plane.

That, ultimately, was the real reason these terrifying figures had made a move.

Liu Wuxie frowned.

He was strong enough to handle opponents at the peak of the Earth Profound Realm, but going against the Heaven Profound Realm was an entirely different matter.

The gap between Earth Profound and Heaven Profound was immense. It was so significant that even the purest laws or strongest true essence couldn't bridge the gap.

Even with peerless law energy, he would still flicker like a candle in a storm before a Heaven Profound cultivator.

After all, those who reached that realm had endured a heavenly tribulation, and the world itself had acknowledged them. Killing a Heaven Profound expert was tantamount to defying the heavens.

Unless Liu Wuxie himself reached the Heaven Profound Realm, opposing such beings meant fighting the laws of the world head-on. Killing one wouldn't just end a life—it would directly defy the natural order.

He knew his limits. Even if he reached the peak of the Earth Profound Realm, his chances against them would still be slim.

"We'll set out for the Eternal Spirit Mountain tomorrow," Ruan Ying suggested cautiously. She had never encountered a Heaven Profound expert and had only heard rumors about them. After all, those beings stood at the top of the pyramid, so they rarely interfered in worldly struggles.

As night fell, more and more cultivators streamed toward Eternal Spirit Mountain.

The night here was cloaked in mystery, like a shroud of mist obscuring the very terrain.

Liu Wuxie stood outside his tent, gazing into the dark distance.

Suddenly, his faith pool stirred.

"The mysterious imprint..." he muttered, his gaze locking onto a distant cultivator, one at the high levels of the Earth Profound Realm.

He remembered how such a mark once enslaved the Grand Elder of the Liu Clan and how the Golden Cauldron Pavilion had forced him into servitude.

Liu Wuxie tried to break the imprint back then, but he failed. When his father gave him the golden parchment, he finally realized that it was a Buddhist technique.

When faith energy first formed in his soul sea, he immediately understood—this was the reason the Golden Cauldron Pavilion tried to destroy the Liu Clan. Faith energy naturally countered the imprint, and it was precisely why the Pavilion sought to erase all traces of it.

"You all stay here," Liu Wuxie said, his voice low. "I'll be right back."

In the next instant, his figure vanished as he followed the old man in secret.

The man seemed ordinary at first glance, but several young disciples accompanied him, likely clan juniors under his mentorship.

"Who's there?" the old man barked, sensing Liu Wuxie's presence and casting a cold, vicious glare toward the shadows.

Liu Wuxie didn't bother concealing himself.

"Can we speak in private?" he asked evenly.

"Who are you? Why are you following us?" snapped one of the youths, eyes brimming with hostility.

Those venturing to the Eternal Spirit Mountain had at least reached the Earth Profound Realm. The weakest among them were still at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm.

And yet Liu Wuxie—only at the eighth level of Spirit Profound—actually dared to approach them by himself alone?

In their eyes, he was courting death.

"Who I am doesn't matter," Liu Wuxie said coldly. "I want to know who you are."

The matter involved the Liu Clan, and he needed answers.

What if the Golden Cauldron Pavilion could attract more members to its clan?

"You're looking for death!" one of the young men roared, lunging at Liu Wuxie with his sword.

The old man made no effort to stop them.

"Get lost." With a single wave of his hand, Liu Wuxie sent them flying backward.

They were older than him and had higher cultivations, but their actual combat power paled in comparison.

A casual flick of his hand unleashed a wave of force that blasted them backward.

The shockwave hit them like a hammer, crashing into their chests and sending blood gushing from their mouths.

Their faces turned pale; they were overcome with shock and disbelief. They couldn't understand how he had injured them so effortlessly. Deep down, they knew that if Liu Wuxie truly meant to kill them, they would be corpses by now.

"Stand down!" the old man barked, waving his hand.

If they were to continue, they would only humiliate themselves even further.

Though reluctant, the young men and women backed off ten meters, gritting their teeth as they formed a tight circle to block Liu Wuxie's escape.

"Who are you exactly? Why are you following me?" the old man asked. His poisonous glare had dimmed, replaced by a wary caution.

He could feel a heavy pressure emanating from Liu Wuxie, and it was so heavy that even lifting his head became difficult.

"You're from the Golden Cauldron Pavilion, right?" Liu Wuxie asked.

He raised a hand, summoning a mysterious barrier that sealed off the surrounding space, cutting off all sound and interference.

At the mention of the Pavilion, the old man staggered. He masked it quickly, but Liu Wuxie didn't miss a thing. The Golden Cauldron Pavilion's mysterious imprint was unlike faith energy, which altered belief.

It had only one function, which was to bind the primordial spirit. The moment a branded person entertained thoughts of betrayal, the imprint would tear their soul to pieces.

Liu Wuxie remembered clearly that his Grand Elder had chosen suicide over revealing the mastermind behind it all. That alone spoke volumes about the imprint's terrifying nature.

Once marked, a person would become a slave for life. Disobedience meant certain death.

"Who are you, and how do you know about the Golden Cauldron Pavilion?" the old man asked. Quietly, he gathered his strength, getting ready to strike.

"My identity doesn't matter," Liu Wuxie replied. "What matters is that I can remove the imprint in your soul sea and give you your freedom."

He kept his name hidden. His goal was to test if faith energy could truly dissolve the imprint.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the old man growled. "If you don't leave now, don't blame me for what happens next."

He summoned his weapon, ready to act at any moment.

"Since you won't talk, I'll just have to force the answer out of you," Liu Wuxie muttered.

He had no time to waste. The Eternal Spirit Mountain belonged to the Golden Cauldron Pavilion, and if more of their experts were alerted, he would be in danger.

He lifted his palm, preparing to subdue the old man in a single blow. The imprint acted as a strange and lethal trap. Any disturbance could trigger it and instantly kill its host.

Liu Wuxie had searched his memory countless times and found nothing like it. This imprint didn't belong to the True Martial Continent; it had to have come from a higher plane.

"Brat, if you're looking to die, then don't blame me," the old man snarled. To reveal secrets about the Pavilion was to commit treason, and the punishment was death.

He had no choice but to strike Liu Wuxie down.

Without hesitation, he lunged at Liu Wuxie, swinging his heavy smoking pipe with the full force of an eighth-level Earth Profound Realm cultivator.

"How stubborn," Liu Wuxie muttered, irritation flashing through his eyes.

He had come to help, but not only was his offer rejected, but the old man even had the gall to attack him.

Liu Wuxie struck without hesitation, unleashing the Great Five Elemental Palm. It descended like a raging tempest, obliterating the old man's attack.

Disbelief filled the old man's eyes as he stared wide-eyed at Liu Wuxie.

He hadn't expected Liu Wuxie to bethisterrifying.

The next instant, he froze and was immobilized where he stood.

The young men and women nearby stared in horror. They wanted to intervene, but none of them dared move.

Liu Wuxie had already sealed the area with his Spatial Dao Art. No one could get close to them.

Seizing the moment, Liu Wuxie stepped in front of the old man. He activated the Ghost Eye and surged forward with faith energy, forcefully penetrating the man's soul sea.

Despite being an eighth-level Earth Profound cultivator, the old man's soul energy was weaker than Liu Wuxie's. To prevent the imprint from activating and killing its host, Liu Wuxie had to dissolve it before it could react.

Once his divine sense entered the soul sea, Liu Wuxie quickly located the black imprint.

Faith energy surged like a spring, pouring into it.

The moment the imprint touched the energy, something strange happened—it began fading away.

"It's effective!" Liu Wuxie exclaimed.

This was his first real attempt. Until now, he had only theorized that faith energy could counter it, but now, he was sure of it.

The imprint that once shackled the old man's soul slowly began to unravel. In less than half a breath, the imprint faded completely.

......

Far away, deep within a colossal palace hidden in the depths of Eternal Spirit Mountain, a black-robed figure suddenly turned toward the mountain's outskirts.

"Someone dispelled my imprint?" she muttered.

As the figure turned, her face appeared. She was strikingly beautiful, cold, and seductive.

"Liu Wuxie," she murmured with a haunting smile. "Should I kill you... or let you live?"

Somehow, she knew who had done it.

......

Back in the mountains, Liu Wuxie sensed the precise moment the imprint disappeared and withdrew his divine sense from the old man's soul sea.

The old man stood frozen, trembling. The force that had been shackling him for so long was finally no more.

At that moment, Liu Wuxie's barrier collapsed, and normal space converged on them.

The young men and women immediately rushed forward to strike.

"Stand down!" the old man shouted.

They stopped immediately and lowered their weapons with confused expressions, waiting for an answer from their clan elder.