Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 93 - Encirclement

As Liu Wuxie continued his journey, the next two days were uneventful. He traversed two major cities, drawing ever closer to the Imperial City. However, the tranquility was unsettling, as Liu Wuxie was well aware that the Xue Clan wouldn’t miss such a prime opportunity to eliminate him.

“In two days’ time, I’ll need to navigate through a desolate mountain range. Once I cross it, I’ll arrive at the Imperial City,” Liu Wuxie mused, standing atop a mountain and surveying the expansive range before him. This route was frequently used by merchants, but they were all currently at rest, spending the winter season with their families as the year drew to a close.

While it typically took two days to cross the mountain range, Liu Wuxie, in an effort to expedite his journey, chose to travel through the night to reach the Imperial City at the earliest. Once inside the city’s boundaries, he would be in a safe zone; the Xue Clan wouldn’t risk carrying out a public execution.

Switching into attire that was snug and ideal for travel, Liu Wuxie launched himself forward with a gentle tap of his foot on the ground, effortlessly covering a distance of over ten meters. He had mastered the Seven Dipper Steps to perfection.

The night was crystal clear, with the moon casting a bright glow in the sky. The year-end assessment of the Imperial Academy was just half a month away.

Liu Wuxie streaked past the woods and ran for six hours. When it was close to dawn, he slowed down and consumed several Origin Yang Pills to ensure his true essence remained at its peak to be prepared for any unexpected events.

He took a seat under a tree, his senses fully alert. Nothing could escape his sharp gaze. A gust of cold wind swept past him, prompting Liu Wuxie to open his eyes. Having circulated the Desolate Devouring Art and absorbed all the spiritual energy within tens of thousands of meters, there was no point in continuing.

“This is strange. Even the insects have gone silent.” Liu Wuxie executed the Ghost Eye with his vision reaching a kilometer away. The surroundings were eerily silent, which was unusual. After all, even if animals were hibernating, smaller beasts should have been out foraging for food.

“Murderous intent!” Liu Wuxie detected a faint, almost indiscernible aura of malice in the atmosphere with the help of the Ghost Eye. His Ghost Eye carried on to extend as trees ahead of him gradually became invisible and could no longer obstruct his view. After he scanned the area, a chill ran down his spine.

“What a brilliant setup!” Unlike ordinary people who couldn’t see beyond a few kilometers, Liu Wuxie’s Ghost Eye gave him a clear view of the entire mountain range.

More than a hundred individuals were converging on him from various directions. None of them were weak, with the majority being in the Spirit Cleansing Realm, and even more in the Xiantian Realm. Most notably, there were experts in the Marrow Cleansing Realm among them, blocking his escape route and setting a trap for him.

“Qi Enshi, you certainly hold me in high regard to deploy the City Lord Mansion’s forces against me,” Liu Wuxie sneered. He vanished, unwilling to sit idly by as they encircled him.

Taking advantage of the night, Liu Wuxie perfectly concealed himself. Paired with the Ghost Eye, he was invincible. His enemies dared not light any fire and could only navigate under the cover of night. Thus, all factors were in Liu Wuxie’s favor.

“The Blackwind Cliff is a pretty good place!” Liu Wuxie scanned the entire mountain using a map and stowed it away, making a beeline for the Blackwind Cliff. The Blackwind Cliff was flanked by cliffs on three sides, preventing them from surrounding him completely and rendering their plan ineffective.

As the hundred people gradually closed in, Liu Wuxie headed towards the Blackwind Cliff. Along his journey, he would run into the troops of the City Lord Mansion. As Liu Wuxie pushed his speed to the limit, he left behind a black shadow, passing through the woods and only revealing a rough silhouette under the moonlight.

Liu Wuxie seemed to have an innate understanding of the terrain, knowing where trees were located and where rocks obstructed his path. With the assistance of the Ghost Eye, these obstacles were no hindrance to him.

“Damn it, that kid is trying to flee!” A distant roar echoed. They had been vigilant but hadn’t anticipated Liu Wuxie detecting them so swiftly.

“Stop him! Don’t let him get away!” They had mobilized a large force and would be hard-pressed to explain to the city lord if they allowed Liu Wuxie to slip away. Ten-odd people approached quickly, executing their movement techniques. No longer concealing their presence, they exuded a formidable aura as they charged towards Liu Wuxie.

“Momentous Gleam!” Liu Wuxie was the first to strike, slicing through a large tree in front of him and enveloping the group of ten. He could easily handle one or two Spirit Cleansing Realm experts, but facing such a large number of them would be challenging; especially considering they were part of the City Lord Mansion’s forces and had been well-trained in teamwork. Individually, they might not be the strongest, but collectively, they posed a significant threat and could eliminate anyone within the same cultivation level if they combined their strengths.

However, their opponent was Liu Wuxie, and their mission might have been successful had they been dealing with anyone else.

Liu Wuxie’s blade auras shifted direction as he demonstrated his mastery of the Blood Gleam Blade Art, which had become an extension of himself, albeit at the cost of a significant amount of true essence to counteract the exhaustion.

“Shit, something’s wrong!” The group of ten quickly realized that something was amiss, but it was too late. They had severely underestimated their adversary. All of them were skewered onto a large tree, wounded by the blade aura imbued with blade intent that instantly extinguished their life force.

Having carved out a path, Liu Wuxie didn’t linger and bolted to the Blackwind Cliff. Being pragmatic, he continued his journey after a swift swing of his blade, recognizing that he couldn’t afford to engage in a drawn-out battle at this juncture.

Liu Wuxie had witnessed formidable warriors fall on the battlefield when heavily outnumbered. Therefore, he knew he couldn’t give his opponents a chance to form an array, a tactic for which the Terrabreak Army was renowned, and their formation was famous throughout the Great Yan Dynasty.

If the Terrabreak Army managed to form a formation, they could easily wipe out an entire city from the map. Liu Wuxie wasn’t confident that he could face a formation, so he resorted to a guerrilla tactic. This was the best method. If there weren’t any Spirit Cleansing Realm experts around, he might have chosen to face them head-on. However, both in terms of numbers and skill level, he was at a disadvantage.

“We can’t let him escape! Chase after him!” News swiftly spread as the other three groups rushed toward Liu Wuxie’s location. They were over a hundred meters away, and the ground trembled as over a hundred people charged forward, alarming countless demonic beasts in the surroundings.

As Liu Wuxie neared the Blackwind Cliff, he quickened his pace due to the pressing time. Utilizing the Seven Dipper Steps, Liu Wuxie was practically gliding just above the ground. His footfall on the dried leaves stirred up a gust of wind, causing the leaves to rustle and flutter in the air.

Upon reaching the Blackwind Cliff within minutes, Liu Wuxie retrieved flags from his interspatial pouch to set up the Azure Wood Killing Array. To prepare for this situation, he had refined ten flags using the remaining materials back in the Xu Clan.

Even after mastering the Overlord Fist, Liu Wuxie felt uneasy. So, he had refined these array flags as a precautionary measure and ended up utilizing them. The Blackwind Cliff, being flanked by cliffs on three sides, was an ideal location for setting up an array. Liu Wuxie had chosen this spot for its strategic advantage.

When the ten black flags were planted into the ground, they seemed insignificant, yet unbeknownst to many, this unassuming array could unleash immense power. The flags drew strength from heaven and earth, and the steep terrain here made it an ideal location for the array.

The City Lord Manion’s troops arrived swiftly. A force of hundred and fifty people formed a wave, charging at the Blackwind Cliff, causing the rocks at the cliff's edge to crack under the pressure. Liu Wuxie stood at the cliff's edge, blade in hand, waiting patiently.

“Liu Wuxie, you can’t escape now!” A figure in the Marrow Cleansing Realm stepped forward, his face becoming familiar under the moonlight.

“It’s you?” Liu Wuxie wore an expression of surprise. This person was one of the three from the Xue Clan who wanted to kill him in the Azure Billow City. This implied that Xue Changnian and another person must have returned to the Imperial City, leaving this person behind to execute him. After all, deploying a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert to eliminate someone in the Xiantian Realm seemed excessive.

“Liu Wuxie, I didn’t anticipate our paths crossing so soon!” Xue Changqing sneered. The memory of being slapped by Mu Yueying in Azure Billow City was still fresh in his mind. This grudge had been simmering in his heart, and all of it was due to Liu Wuxie. If not for Liu Wuxie, he wouldn’t have been humiliated in public.

“I’m curious. How did you end up with the troops from the City Lord Mansion?” Liu Wuxie asked with a smile. However, he had already predicted that the Xue Clan would join forces with the City Lord Mansion.

“In this world, everything revolves around interests. Since we share common interests, why shouldn’t we form an alliance?” His answer was reasonable. After all, they had a common goal, which led them to unite and strengthen their forces to increase their chances of eliminating Liu Wuxie.

Xue Changqing alone didn’t stand a high chance of killing Liu Wuxie, especially in such an enormous mountain range, as Liu Wuxie could easily evade him. This was why he joined forces with the City Lord Mansion, who had scouts along the way tracking Liu Wuxie.

“So, how do you guys plan on killing me?” Liu Wuxie nodded. It was likely that these three didn’t leave the Azure Billow City that day and went to the City Lord Mansion to devise this plan.

“I will skin you alive!” Xue Changqing declared, but he quickly retracted his sentence. “No, no, no. That would be an easy death for you. I want to torture you slowly and let you understand the consequences of offending the Xue Clan!”

Xue Changqing’s words echoed in Liu Wuxie’s ears.

“Let me see if you have what it takes,” Liu Wuxie shrugged nonchalantly. They were free to attempt whatever they wished, provided they had the ability to do so. The cliff was just behind him; he could jump off if things went south.

“Senior Xue, what’s our next move?” The leader of the City Lord Mansion’s troops stepped forward. This individual was at the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

“Be careful. This brat is crafty. Send a few people to probe him.” Xue Changqing had been observing Liu Wuxie for the past month and knew he was dealing with a cunning individual who warranted caution. After all, it wasn’t every day that someone in the Xiantian Realm could kill a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert; they had to ensure there were no traps.

“You lot, go!” The leader of the City Lord Manion’s troops, directed a group of ten on the right.

“Roger that!” The ten men advanced, closing in on Liu Wuxie as a chilly wind swept up the cliff, causing Liu Wuxie’s robe to billow.