Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 629 - Counterattack

The remaining ten major sects discussed whether they could cancel the Spiritual Array Tower’s trial.

“Sect Master Bai, we demand an explanation. Why did the spiritual arrays on the tenth floor injure Young Master Bai?” questioned the Transcending Plume Gate’s sect master.

“That’s right. Sect Master Bai, we demand an explanation,” echoed a representative from the Divine Sun Palace. Aside from the Indigo Cloud Gate and Heavenly Origin Sect, the other sects united.

The Indigo Cloud Gate was closely aligned with the Heavenly Origin Sect, but not speaking up didn’t mean they didn’t have any questions for the Heavenly Origin Sect. If the Indigo Cloud Gate suffered immense casualties, it would be a fatal blow to the sect.

“Everyone, please calm down! My Heavenly Origin Sect’s spiritual arrays don’t have any issue, and my son made a mistake that led to his injury,” explained Bai Jin.

“Do you think we’ll believe in that bullshit! I request the trial to be stopped immediately and have the Heavenly Origin Sect’s spiritual arrays inspected!” An elder from the Demonic Heart Palace protested. They were more than happy to see the Heavenly Origin Sect in trouble.

“There have never been such rules since ancient times. Contestants will soon make it to the tenth level, and we will know if there’s an issue with our spiritual arrays,” said Bai Jin as he waved his hand. He also wanted to know what had gone wrong with their spiritual arrays.

They’d never uncover the real cause if they stopped the trial prematurely. Several disciples had already reached the tenth level as the crowd debated and scrutinized the Heavenly Origin Sect. They were the Misty Sect’s Xu Lingxue, Heavenly Treasure Pavilion’s Murong Yi, Indigo Cloud Gate’s Deng Yong, Transcending Plume Gate’s Zhou Ge, Demonic Heart Palace’s Qu Yang, and Azure Crimson Gate’s Wei Xiu.

They were all elite among their sects and simultaneously made it to the tenth level. They belonged to the second batch among all the participants, and the third batch wasn’t far behind them and would likely catch up soon.

“They’ve entered the tenth level!” someone yelled, and everyone grew nervous as time passed, especially the upper echelons of the various sects.

“This is strange. None of them seem injured,” someone remarked. While progress on the tenth level was noticeably slower, the absence of any visible injuries baffled the spectators. They found it odd that the spiritual array designed by the Heavenly Origin Sect had harmed Bai Yuan but appeared to leave disciples from other sects unscathed.

The nine sects finally calmed down after seeing that their disciples were fine. Perhaps Bai Yuan was to blame.

An hour later, the third batch also reached the tenth level. They were the Sky Rift Valley’s Xiao Wencai, Dugu Clan’s Dugu Qiubai, Divine Sun Palace’s Hong Zhi, and several disciples from the Heavenly Origin Sect.

Twenty-odd people progressed quickly, but it was far slower than Liu Wuxie. They chose the empty pathways to enter.

However, what happened next left everyone shocked. When the ten major sect’s disciples went into the pathways, they progressed quickly and were even faster than when they were on the first level.

But when the Heavenly Origin Sect’s disciples entered the tenth level, they suffered the same fate as Bai Yuan. The few Heavenly Origin Sect’s disciples who stepped into the tenth level were all injured without exception. Yet, that was far from over because there were two disciples on the brink of death.

The crowd erupted into an uproar at this scene, and no one could comprehend what was happening. After all, each sect naturally left a backdoor for its disciples, allowing them to progress rapidly through that level.

That was the complete opposite of the Heavenly Origin Sect. The disciples of the other sects progressed rapidly through the tenth level, while the disciples of the Heavenly Origin Sect faced life-threatening dangers.

“Sect Master Bai, what in the world are you doing? Are you seriously using a lethal spiritual array to target your own disciples?” exclaimed the Indigo Cloud Gate’s sect master, thoroughly perplexed. It was unheard of for a sect to disadvantage its own disciples while offering a clear path for those from rival sects.

Something like this had never happened before, and disciples who entered the tenth level began to return. They had braced for a tough battle but realized the tenth level was easy.

As more disciples reached the tenth level, the Heavenly Origin Sect’s disciples continued to face severe obstructions and life-threatening challenges.

“If I find out who’s behind this, I’ll tear that person apart!” Bai Jin said furiously. He was certain that the spiritual arrays were tampered with to target the Heavenly Origin Sect disciples specifically.

As the first to emerge from the tenth level, Liu Wuxie naturally aroused the most suspicion.

“How did you all make it out of the tenth level so quickly? Weren’t any of you attacked by the spiritual arrays?” The Indigo Cloud Gate and Azure Crimson Gate’s upper echelons swarmed Deng Yong and the other returning disciples, eager for answers.

“No, there were no obstacles on the tenth level. We passed through it easily,” Deng Yong replied, his expression mirroring their confusion. He had anticipated the tenth level to be the most challenging but found it surprisingly simple.

“Look at them!” The Indigo Cloud Gate’s sect master exclaimed, pointing toward the Spiritual Array Tower. His words drew the attention of those gathered.

“How did this happen?” Deng Yong and the other disciples who had emerged were stunned to see the Heavenly Origin Sect’s disciples struggling and trapped on the tenth level. The number of casualties among them was steadily rising.

Each returning disciple expressed their bafflement, turning to their sect leaders for answers.

“It’s practically certain that this is Liu Wuxie’s doing!” declared an elder from the Azure Crimson Gate. His assertion drew murmurs of agreement from the sect’s disciples, who viewed Liu Wuxie as the only one capable of such an act.

The Azure Crimson Gate and Heavenly Origin Sect rarely interacted due to the vast distance separating them. However, the two sects now found themselves united against a common enemy.

For the Azure Crimson Gate, aligning with the Heavenly Origin Sect was a strategic move—a desperate solution to survive after losing their dominance in the alchemy market.

“Liu Wuxie, stand up!” Wang Ba roared after hearing the accusations against Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie frowned and opened his eyes to look at Wang Ba unhappily. He insulted, “Who let this stray dog out of his leash to disturb my meditation?”

He had been quietly sitting here to meditate and hadn’t interacted with anyone, but the Heavenly Origin Sect kept harassing him.

“Did you tamper with the spiritual arrays on the tenth level?” Wang Ba growled with his teeth gritted. He wanted nothing more than to kill Liu Wuxie, but it was a pity that no one could approach Liu Wuxie with Mu Tianli around.

“What’s wrong with the tenth level?” Liu Wuxie asked, baffled. But there was a faint smirk on the corner of his lips.

“What happened? Shouldn’t you know better? Tampering with the spiritual arrays is punishable by execution under the rules of the Ten Grand Ceremony!” Wang Ba bellowed, his voice ringing with rage. The elders of the Azure Crimson Gate immediately chimed in, demanding Liu Wuxie's punishment.

“What a joke. Where is the evidence for your accusations?” Liu Wuxie chuckled, his tone laced with sarcasm.

“If not for you, why would the spiritual arrays on the tenth level target my Heavenly Origin Sect’s disciples?”

They had no evidence, and they didn't know where to find it. After all, they didn’t even know how Liu Wuxie pulled it off.

“You should ask yourself that! You’re the one who set up the spiritual arrays on the tenth level, right? Have you betrayed your sect to deliberately create a trap to target your own disciples?” Liu Wuxie retorted, stepping back theatrically, feigning fear.

Since Wang Ba wanted to accuse him, he wouldn’t mind throwing the accusations back at him. Once the accusation was confirmed, Wang Ba would lose his position in the Heavenly Origin Sect.

“Bullshit! I would never betray my sect! If you don’t explain, I’ll unite with the other sects to destroy your Heavenly Treasure Pavilion!” Wang Ba roared. He had a fiery temper and was on the edge of losing it after being provoked by Liu Wuxie.

“Who the fuck do you think you are? Why should I give you an explanation? You accused me of tampering with the spiritual arrays—then bring the evidence to back it up! Without it, your claims are nothing but baseless accusations,” Liu Wuxie sneered, his disdain evident. He knew the ten major sects were far from united, and Wang Ba's threats held no real weight.

Wang Ba, an expert at the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm, could no longer restrain his anger. Provoked repeatedly by Liu Wuxie's insults, his aura flared as he took a step toward him, his fury boiling over.

“Wang Ba, don’t blame me for being impolite if you continue to slander a disciple of my Heavenly Treasure Pavilion,” Elder He interjected, stepping between Liu Wuxie and Wang Ba. A flicker of amusement danced in Elder He’s eyes, barely hiding his satisfaction. He was confident that Liu Wuxie had tampered with the spiritual array, but he also knew no evidence could be produced to prove it.

The two sides stood firm, and neither was willing to yield as the death toll of the Heavenly Origin Sect’s disciples continued to climb.

“Liu Wuxie, tell us how to stop the spiritual arrays!” Wang Ba demanded. His heart was aching to watch his disciples fall one by one.

“Well, perhaps the heavens couldn’t stand the Heavenly Origin Sect’s action and cast down retribution,” Liu Wuxie said, shrugging and maintaining a calm demeanor against Wang Ba’s fury.

“Sect Master Bai, why don’t you tell us what array your Heavenly Origin Sect prepared for the tenth level? Perhaps we can join forces to reduce the casualties,” suggested the Sky Rift Valley’s sect master, offering a gesture of goodwill.

“Sect Master Quan is correct. Why not share the details of your spiritual array so we can collectively mitigate the losses?” echoed the Transcendent Plume Sect’s sect master, stepping forward to support the proposal.

“Agreed,” added the Dugu Clan’s patriarch.

More sects began to join in, including the Misty Sect and Indigo Cloud Gate. They all wanted to know what spiritual array the Heavenly Origin Sect had prepared.

Bai Jin could only grit his teeth in silence. If he revealed the spiritual arrays, wouldn’t that be the same as telling everyone that they had set up a lethal spiritual array to target the other nine sects? While the Heavenly Origin Sect was strong, there was no way they could contend with the combined forces of the nine other sects.

“I think he doesn’t dare to speak!” Liu Wuxie’s voice sounded laced with mockery. It wasn’t because Bai Jin didn’t want to speak, but he didn’t dare.

This instantly made everyone suspect that the Heavenly Origin Sect was hiding something. After all, they weren’t going to steal the spiritual arrays, but they only wanted to know what the Heavenly Origin Sect had added when setting up their spiritual arrays.

“Please listen to me! My Heavenly Origin Sect has only set up an ordinary Seven Spiritual Array,” Bai Jin said. When he looked at Liu Wuxie, it made Liu Wuxie’s nerves tense because the murderous intent was too strong.

“How can there be casualties if it’s just a Seven Spiritual Array?” the Sky Rift Valley’s sect master asked curiously.

The Seven Spiritual Array was the same as the Seven Snare Array, prioritized trapping, and there wouldn’t be any casualties if one didn’t face it head-on forcibly.