Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 95 - Trump Cards

Xue Changqing, undeterred by his missed strike, increased his speed. His sword ray was akin to a bolt of lightning, and his speed far surpassed that of Lui Wuxie. As expected of someone from a prestigious clan, his sword and movement techniques were far superior to those of cultivators from Azure Billow City.

Liu Wuxie was like a leaf in the wind, evading Xue Changqing’s sword technique.

The rubble on the ground was swept up by a powerful gust, creating a current that enveloped a radius of several hundred meters and limited Liu Wuxie’s evasion space.

“Brat, let me see how long you can keep escaping!” Xue Changqing carried on with his sword technique. His attacks were like relentless waves, forcing Liu Wuxie into a defensive position. If this continued, he would eventually be overwhelmed.

Xue Changqing fully exhibited the Thirty-Six Breezespring Sword technique. Having practiced this technique for over a decade, he had achieved high mastery and could unleash powerful strikes with each move.

Whenever Xue Changqing altered his attack, Liu Wuxie identified a slight weakness and targeted Xue Changqing’s vitals. His attacks were so swift that they left Xue Changqing in a cold sweat.

The flaws in Xue Changqing’s sword technique were revealed in the brief moments between each move, lasting only one-thousandth of a second.

Liu Wuxie was like a venomous viper, waiting for the right opportunity to strike Xue Changqing, and such an opponent was terrifying. He was waiting for Xue Changqing to make a mistake to deal the fatal blow.

Like everyone else, Xue Changqing wasn’t perfect and made mistakes. With the help of Ghost Eye, Liu Wuxie managed to see through Xue Changqing’s moves, analyzing and searching for the weakness in his sword technique. Despite identifying multiple flaws, he didn’t dare to take any risks due to their significant power difference.

Even if he attacked, Xue Changqing could retaliate, leading to mutual destruction—an outcome Liu Wuxie wanted to avoid. As such, he used the Seven Dipper Steps and Blood Gleam Blade Art, effectively combining offense and defense. His unpredictable moves made him seem ghost-like, gradually frustrating Xue Changqing. It was humiliating for him that he couldn’t kill what he perceived as an insignificant opponent after such a long time.

As Xue Changqing lost his patience and let out a roar, Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes. “I have waited a long time for this moment. Take my blade!”

He had finished analyzing Xue Changqing’s Thirty-Six Breezespring Sword. Just as Xue Changqing was transitioning between his sword techniques, Immortal Guidance and Crimson Night Rush, Liu Wuxie identified a fatal flaw in his technique that was almost imperceptible.

But Liu Wuxie found it with the help of Ghost Eye. When he slashed down with his blade, his attack turned into a blade ray that appeared before Xue Changqing.

“Oh, snap!” Xue Changqing was alarmed.

Liu Wuxie’s aura began to rise like an awakened tiger. He had constantly been evading, so Xue Changqing instantly realized something wasn’t right when Liu Wuxie suddenly went to offense.

Just as Xue Changqing completed the execution of Immortal Guidance and was about to transition to another move, Liu Wuxie’s blade reached him, disrupting his sword technique. This tactic was dangerous, and not many people dared to try it.

As the gap between them closed, it was too late for Xue Changqing to alter his attack. Ultimately, Xue Changqing resorted to a brute force approach, slashing his sword downward.

His combat experience allowed him to swiftly adapt his move the moment he sensed something was off. A fight shouldn’t be constrained by routines; one must adjust according to the actual situation.

Liu Wuxie had already anticipated Xue Changqing’s response and aimed his blade at Xue Changqing’s abdomen. They were engaged in close combat, where a slight mistake could cost them their lives.

Xue Changqing’s Marrow Cleansing Realm aura was useless against Liu Wuxie. If it were an ordinary Xiantian Realm cultivator, they might have struggled to even approach Xue Changqing.

“Curse it!” Liu Wuxie’s blade was like a relentless leech, sticking close to him. As Xue Changqing made a mistake, it was magnified, and he gradually lost his advantage in the fight. Regardless of how Xue Changqing tried to alter his move, Liu Wuxie’s blade seemed to always find its way to his abdomen.

“Get lost!” Xue Changqing roared, unleashing a powerful aura like ignited gunpowder that forced Liu Wuxie’s blade to shift slightly. The blade cut open Xue Changqing’s abdomen with blood gushing out. It wasn’t a fatal injury, but the pain still made Xue Changqing take a deep breath.

Liu Wuxie’s fighting instincts were terrifying, and even a True Core Realm might not have a better fighting instinct than Liu Wuxie. He rolled on the ground to dodge Xue Changqing’s sword and appeared three feet away.

It might seem that Liu Wuxie had gained the advantage in the fight and had successfully injured Xue Changqing, but he knew that his attack wasn’t fatal and could be considered a superficial wound. But because of that, he would have to bear Xue Changqing’s rage now.

“Good! You have enraged me, and I will tear you into pieces!” A powerful surge of aura erupted from Xue Changqing, causing the band holding his hair to burst apart. This gave him a menacing appearance, with his hair fluttering wildly as his momentum began to rise.

The attacks that Xue Changqing released were twice as strong as before. He was furious that he was forced this far by an ant, and it would be humiliating to him even if he managed to kill Liu Wuxie. Thus, he could only try to vent out all his anger by chopping Liu Wuxie into pieces.

Liu Wuxie wore a grave expression. He might not have feared Xue Changqing’s aura in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, but he knew that technique was useless against sheer power. He could only employ the method once, and any subsequent use would be less effective as his adversary would be prepared.

Abandoning the Blood Gleam Blade Art, Liu Wuxie sheathed his sword. Today, one of them would perish as there was no possibility for peaceful coexistence. He raised his right hand, assuming the Overlord Fist stance. He resolved to confront Xue Changqing directly, testing the limits of his Overlord Fist and his ability to combat someone in the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Both were preparing for their next move when Xue Changqing, with a deep breath, swung his sword down at Liu Wuxie, bellowing, “Die!”

His sword aura covered the sky, enveloping the Bloodwind Cliff. This was Xue Changqing’s strongest attack, which was to compress the entire Thirty-Six Breezewind Sword into a single move.

This gave no room for Liu Wuxie to dodge, and he could only face it head-on as he was enveloped in a powerful sword aura.

“Don’t be so sure about who will be killed!” Liu Wuxie charged forth like an eagle, and he roared, “Overlord Fist!”

His punch was like a loud explosion that resounded, and echoes could be heard coming back from the cliff that nearly blew Xue Changqing’s eardrums. Xue Changqing was taken aback by this unexpected move, and before he could react, Liu Wuxie’s attack was already in motion.

The clash of their powers resulted in a deafening explosion and a fearsome shockwave that radiated several kilometers from their epicenter. The ripple-like shockwaves obliterated the surrounding trees, and even the array flags couldn’t withstand the impact, disintegrating instantly.

When the array flags were destroyed, the surroundings returned to normal, and they were still standing on the Blackwind Cliff.

Liu Wuxie started to cough up copious amounts of blood. He had only unleashed half of the Overlord Fist’s full power back at the Xue Clan, which had depleted thirty percent of his true essence. This time, he had pushed the Overlord Fist to its limit, draining eighty percent of his true essence and nearly emptying his dantian.

Executing the Overlord Fist to this extent not only made the Blood Gleam Blade Art impossible to perform but also caused him intense pain throughout his body due to the depletion of his true essence.

Xue Changqing was also far from unscathed. His internal organs had been displaced by the impact, causing him to vomit blood and stagger back several steps before regaining his balance.

Both of them paused their battle, blood trickling from their lips. If word got out that Liu Wuxie had severely injured a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert with a single punch, it would likely send shockwaves throughout the Great Yan Dynasty.

The murderous intent in Xue Changqing’s eyes grew even denser because he knew that he couldn’t afford to let Liu Wuxie go. If Liu Wuxie were to grow stronger, he would eventually become the Xue Clan’s nightmare.

Despite his severe injuries, Xue Changqing gripped his sword and slowly advanced towards Liu Wuxie. He was resolved to kill Liu Wuxie, even if it meant risking his own life for the sake of the Xue Clan.

Liu Wuxie stood still, his hands hanging by his sides. His dantian was severely depleted of true essence, rendering the Blood Gleam Blade Art useless. As his right eye began to focus, he prepared to use his final trump card, the Ghost Eye. He hoped that, combined with the damage from the Overlord Fist, the Ghost Eye could finish off Xue Changqing.

“Brat, tell me the name of that fist technique, and I can consider letting you die without suffering!” Xue Changqing’s eyes flashed with greed as he recalled the fist technique Liu Wuxie had used earlier. If he could learn it, wouldn’t he be able to fight those with higher cultivation than him?

As Xue Changqing slowly closed in, Liu Wuxie opened his eyes and looked at him, sneering, “You want to know?”

Even Liu Wuxie was shocked by the power of Overlord Fist. The strength of all his martial techniques had transformed when executed with his desolate true essence, exceeding his expectations, whether it was the Ghost Eye or the Overlord Fist.

“Tell me how to practice it, perform a few kowtows on your knees, and cripple your cultivation. I might then spare your life,” Xue Changqing coaxed. He wanted to coax Liu Wuxie into teaching him the fist technique before killing him.

“Don’t waste your effort!” Liu Wuxie smiled devilishly, noticing Xue Changqing had let down his guards.

As Xue Changqing came within three meters of him, intending to place his sword on Liu Wuxie’s neck to force the fist technique out of him, strange beams of light shot out from Liu Wuxie’s eyes. Taken by surprise at such close range, Xue Changqing hadn’t expected that a mere gaze could be lethal. As he looked into Liu Wuxie’s eyes, the beams penetrated his own, charging into his mind.

“ARGGGH!” Xue Changqing screamed as his sword fell to the ground. He clutched his head and began rolling on the floor.

Once Liu Wuxie reached the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm, his golden soul sea strengthened, allowing him to release his soul energy like a sword, easily tearing apart Xue Changqing’s soul sea. Not giving Xue Changqing a chance to recover, Liu Wuxie brought his blade down on Xue Changqing’s head.

After all, Xue Changqing was in the Marrow Cleansing Realm and could recover quickly. If that happened, Liu Wuxie would be the one in danger.