Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 537 - Quasi-Heavenly Artifact

It was too late to stop Liu Wuxie—he moved too swiftly. The bamboo arced through the air before crashing against a nearby stone.

Everyone's eyes widened, watching closely as the bamboo began to splinter, something on its surface starting to break apart. Small fragments, no larger than fingernails, flaked off like dirt. The force of the impact shattered the coating, sending pieces tumbling to the ground.

A layer of black material fell away, but Liu Wuxie continued, smashing the bamboo repeatedly. With each strike, more of the black matter crumbled away, until he had repeated the process about ten times.

The bamboo was significantly reduced in size; it was now over an inch wide and had become flat.

The crowd was confused by Liu Wuxie’s actions because there was no spirituality. Was it just a piece of useless wood?

This last segment should be where the treasure was contained based on how it was cut.

Liu Wuxie continued smashing the bamboo on the stone thirty-odd times before finally stopping.

“All done!” A smile rose on Liu Wuxie’s lips, and he removed a clean cloth from the interspatial ring before gently cleaning the object. The dirt on it was completely wiped off, revealing a smooth surface.

In the next second, dazzling radiance shone out from where Liu Wuxie had cleaned, and the light was so bright that many people had to close their eyes.

As Liu Wuxie wiped the cloth from the base to the top, a powerful aura descended from the sky, forcing everyone to lower their heads.

A slender sword was revealed in Liu Wuxie’s hands, and a chunk was missing on the hilt, likely to be broken off during a battle with a sharp weapon.

The blade itself was almost intact and gave off a terrifying sword aura. In the blink of an eye, the sky was covered in a thick layer of sword clouds, capable of ripping the sky apart.

Those with weaker cultivation couldn’t withstand the sword aura and collapsed to the ground, unable to raise their heads.

“Is that an origin artifact?” He Hai was shocked. This sword was at least an origin artifact corresponding with the Nascent Transformation Realm.

“It’s not an origin artifact, but a heavenly artifact, comparable to the True Profound Realm!” someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm spoke out.

“That’s impossible! If it’s a heavenly artifact, it should’ve caused a resonance with the heavens and earth. It must be somewhere between an origin artifact and a heavenly artifact. It’s a Quasi-Heavenly Artifact, and the grade is lowered because it’s damaged,” another expert in the Nascent Transformation Realm arrived, attracted by the powerful sword aura.

This was an almost complete ancient weapon that could drive countless people insane.

There wasn’t a trace of emotion on Liu Wuxie’s face because he was a little disappointed with this sword. Judging from the runes on it, this sword was heavily damaged.

Even so, it was comparable to an origin artifact, which corresponded with the Nascent Transformation Realm. He could break it down and let the Heretic Blade absorb it to promote it into a monarch artifact.

There was a commotion from the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, wanting to devour this sword, but Liu Wuxie forcibly suppressed it.

The sword would’ve flown away by itself if it was a heavenly artifact because only someone in the True Profound Realm could subdue it.

Cheng Chen stood frozen in place, having finally cut open the spiritual bamboo shoot. Just when he thought he would win the bet, even after Liu Wuxie revealed a supreme-grade spiritual essence, the tables turned with the discovery of an almost complete ancient sword.

“This is impossible! How can there be a quasi-heavenly artifact inside a segment of bamboo?” Everyone had disbelief on their faces. It was unbelievable that the Xiang Clan Manor had overlooked such a treasure.

The outer layer was covered in a thick desolate aura that formed into a protective layer that prevented any divine sense from penetrating. This was why everyone thought it was a segment of the bamboo; it was common in barren land.

The sword and spiritual bamboo shoot were equal in value, but after adding the Saint Glazed Liquid and the spiritual essences Liu Wuxie had cut out, his total value far surpassed Cheng Chen’s.

After Liu Wuxie had kept the sword in the interspatial ring, he waved his hand, and the spiritual bamboo shoot disappeared.

“You dare?!” Cheng Chen roared in fury. The spiritual bamboo shoot was the most valuable item he had cut out in his entire life, while the three spiritual essences were worthless in comparison.

“You’ve lost the bet. Hand over the three spiritual essences!” Liu Wuxie demanded according to their agreement.

He had crushed Cheng Chen to an overwhelming advantage, and Cheng Chen couldn’t deny it with so many witnesses present.

“Hand over the spiritual bamboo shoot, or don’t even think of leaving the city alive!” A large group of Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples gathered to surround Liu Wuxie, forcing him to hand over the spiritual bamboo shoot.

“The Saint Glazed Liquid and sword as well!” The Azure Crimson Gate didn’t just want the spiritual bamboo shoot; they also wanted to rob Liu Wuxie.

Cheng Chen had purposely kept the spiritual bamboo shoot outside to show off. If he had kept it in his interspatial ring, it would have been troublesome for Liu Wuxie to take it from him.

After all, it wasn’t a problem for them to escort Cheng Chen away with so many people present.

“I see, so the Azure Crimson Gate is just a bunch of dishonorable scoundrels. It has truly been an eye-opening experience for me,” Liu Wuxie mocked. He didn’t place this garbage in his eyes, and no one could pose a threat to him aside from those in the high levels of the Astral River Realm and Nascent Transformation Realm.

An outburst of ridicule came from the crowd after everyone heard what Liu Wuxie said. After all, the Azure Crimson Gate had the worst reputation among the three major sects.

“You’re courting death!” A disciple in the high levels of the Astral River Realm stepped forward to unleash his aura at Liu Wuxie. If he could obtain Liu Wuxie’s treasures, he could reach the third level of the Nascent Transformation Realm.

There was no way he would let Liu Wuxie leave, and he attacked decisively. He planned to act first to prevent further complications because it would be troublesome if the treasures fell into someone else’s hands.

However, Liu Wuxie didn’t even bother to react or retaliate. When the attack was about to reach him, Madam Li finally acted and swung her cane out, which created a whirlwind.

The Azure Crimson Gate’s disciple was sent flying before he could react and smashed onto the ground. He threw up a mouthful of blood while the other disciples quickly helped him up.

“Let’s see who dares to touch him!” Madam Li swept her gaze around, unleashing her aura in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Everyone stood frozen, not daring to speak. Even the Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples had chosen to remain silent.

“Kneel!” Liu Wuxie pointed with his finger and shot out two ice arrows that struck Cheng Chen’s knees.

Cheng Chen’s kneecaps shattered, and he was forced down on his knees before he could even react. The interspatial ring on his right hand’s ring finger had mysteriously disappeared without anyone noticing.

“You...damn you!” Cheng Chen screamed in agony. He was only in the fifth level of the Heavenly Phase Realm, and he was easily suppressed by Liu Wuxie when he wanted to resist.

“Remember to stay away from me in the future!” Liu Wuxie said and turned to walk away.

Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan quickly followed behind him, and it was almost noon by this point. The crowd automatically parted ways for him, and no one dared to stop them.

No one did anything as they watched the three leave. Madam Li kept a distance from them and didn’t get too close to Liu Wuxie.

“Damn it! Damn it!” Cheng Chen struggled back to his feet only to realize that his interspatial ring was gone, and this made him throw up another mouthful of blood.

“I want you dead!” There were three spiritual essences in his interspatial ring, but they were all in Liu Wuxie’s hands now.

Many people were still on the streets, reluctant to leave. They were trying to figure out how to avoid the House of Tea Art and claim the treasures for themselves.

After Liu Wuxie returned to the inn, he activated the spiritual array before finally feeling at ease.

Madam Li didn’t follow in and vanished after Liu Wuxie entered the inn.

The Mooncave Lake’s gathering was tonight, and they would meet again.

The inn where Liu Wuxie resided had many experts in the surroundings, including even experts in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

Many people attempted to tear apart the spiritual array but were unsuccessful. The spiritual array that Liu Wuxie had set up could even hold up against someone in the Nascent Transformation Realm.

“Brother Liu, you stood out too much today. I’m afraid more than half of the people in the city are after your life.” Chen Ruoyan looked worried. Things had already happened, and they could only take one step at a time.

“I want to refine the treasures to reach the high levels of the Heavenly Phase Realm. At that time, ordinary people won’t be able to threaten my life.” Liu Wuxie signaled the two women not to worry as there was no immediate danger.

However, it might be different after tonight because he would uncover the truth of why the House of Tea Art had stepped out to support him.

He removed all the items, but there wasn’t enough time to refine everything. It would be great if he had a cultivation chamber now and could spend a month inside; only one day would have passed outside. This would allow him to increase his cultivation rapidly.

Liu Wuxie only had half a day, and there was no time for refining the Saint Glazed Liquid. He could only absorb spirituality to change the desolate world and boost his combat strength.

As his cultivation progressed, the challenges would become increasingly difficult. If he could absorb enough spirituality, his overall strength would increase significantly.

“Take them to absorb and strengthen your spirituality!” Liu Wuxie took out two spiritual essences for the two ladies to absorb, hoping they could make a breakthrough as soon as possible.

After tonight, Liu Wuxie planned to find a cultivation chamber for them to go into seclusion together.

The two women didn’t hesitate and returned to their rooms with the spiritual essence.

Liu Wuxie was the only one left, and he summoned the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron before throwing the spiritual essences into it. A terrifying amount of spirituality filled the desolate world, causing the surrounding trees to sway and be imbued with spirituality.

The entire world seemed alive, brimming with vibrant colors. The sky was no longer gray but now had a touch of colorful clouds.

“My spirituality has increased!” Liu Wuxie murmured, took out the second spiritual essence, and threw it into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. Spirituality flowed into the desolate world.

“The desolate world seemed to be transforming from flat to spherical. It’s even starting to rotate on its own!” Liu Wuxie was shocked because the desolate world was previously flat and stretched endlessly.

After spirituality was added, the desolate world evolved into a spherical shape, which was beyond his comprehension.