Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 681 - Earthquake

The Heavenly Nether Battlefield was vast and treacherous, and killing someone wasn't easy unless one possessed overwhelming strength.

Mu Yueying was strong, and her strength couldn't be underestimated even if she wasn't comparable to prodigies from the Central Plains. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived the month-long pursuit and escaped several times.

"Yu Lin, do you want to take it this far?!" Lin Tong glared angrily at the man walking toward them.

"You dare covet what belongs to me?! For that, you two must die!" Yu Lin chuckled coldly, confidently walking forward. He stopped ten meters from Mu Yueying, a smug smile plastered across his face. Behind him stood over a dozen powerful cultivators, their expressions filled with disdain and arrogance.

"What a joke! We're the ones who found that thousand-year spiritual fruit first, and you pursued us when you heard it from someone!" Lin Tong mocked. He had never met someone so shameless.

In truth, Lin Tong and Mu Yueying had stumbled upon a thousand-year spiritual fruit. When they took it, the news was leaked to Yu Lin.

Thousand-year spiritual fruits come in various shapes and sizes, and the one obtained by Lin Tong was extraordinary. It was an extremely rare Indigo Mist Fruit. Before they could consume it, Yu Lin's group had caught up to them.

The pursuit had lasted an entire month, with Yu Lin's group relentlessly chasing them no matter where they fled.

"Everything in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield belongs to me! Hand it over obediently, and you can jump down the cliff!" Yu Lin declared in an overbearing tone, claiming that all treasures in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield belonged to him.

"Dream on! Over my dead body!" Mu Yueying said, her face masked with unyielding determination.

The Alert Talisman in her hand was only left with the last usage, and using it for the final time would mean her death.

Knowing they would die regardless of whether they handed over the treasure or not, she resolved to go down fighting, determined to make their enemies pay a heavy price.

During the pursuit, Lin Tong had considered handing over the Indigo Mist Fruit several times to save their lives, but Mu Yueying had stopped him. This meant they would’ve no path of retreat, and even if they did, another relentless pursuit would follow.

"Senior Brother Yu Lin, let's fulfill their wish since they're courting death!" Over a dozen youths were standing behind Yu Lin, and they didn't want to waste any more time. After all, they had already lost their patience during the pursuit.

"Be careful. They're strong!" Yu Lin nodded. They had used various trump cards before they could finally corner Mu Yueying.

Over a dozen youths stomped forward, releasing their aura in the Astral River Realm that swept toward the two in the form of a hurricane.

Lin Tong and Mu Yueying were pushed back until they stood at the edge of the Black Tomb Cliff. Loose stones tumbled down the cliff into the abyss, producing loud echoes.

"Ying'er, I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Lin Tong said and charged forward. He had decided to hold them off, tearing an opening to allow Mu Yueying to escape.

"I chose this path willingly!" Mu Yueying replied. How could she not know Lin Tong's intentions? She could naturally tell he was trying to use his life to buy her a chance to escape.

And so, the battle began. Lin Tong was weakened and faced over a dozen enemies, narrowly escaping death multiple times.

Mu Yueying, though powerful, was severely outnumbered. Against any of them individually, she could hold her ground, but she knew that once Yu Lin joined the fray, her chances would diminish drastically.

After a series of weapon clashes, Lin Tong and Mu Yueying were sent flying, coughing up blood as their faces turned pale.

The two were severely injured from the earlier clash. The situation grew increasingly unfavorable for Mu Yueying and Ling Tong. After all, they were mentally and physically exhausted during the month-long pursuit.

In addition, those who had recently discovered treasures had also met the same fate: they were killed, and their treasures were stolen.

Even Feng Hongguang and his companion were hunted over verbal disputes.

Yu Lin and his followers treated the Heavenly Nether Battlefield as their territory, demanding a share of any treasure found. They relentlessly pursued those who refused.

"Throw the man down the cliff, and the woman will be left for you guys to enjoy," Yu Lin said with a sinister smile.

"Thank you! Young Master Yu!" The dozen people accompanying Yu Lin let out lecherous laughter. They had been in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield for close to three months, and they had defiled any women they came across.

The group advanced further, cornering Mu Yueying and Lin Tong over to the cliff's edge. The abyss was behind them, and the yin and yang's swirling whirlpools were above them. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Right then, a figure swiftly approached like a drawn blade, appearing before Mu Yueying.

Mu Yueying's eyes widened with shock and a glimmer of hope as she caught sight of Liu Wuxie. A pang of guilt struck her heart, knowing she hadn’t been able to properly welcome him into the cultivation world.

"Who are you, and why are you standing in our way?!" one of the pursuers demanded, pointing a longsword at Liu Wuxie.

"I don't want to kill, so get lost!" The other party had too many people, and Liu Wuxie didn't want to waste time with them. If they were to fight to the death, it would only result in mutual destruction.

Moreover, Lin Tong was severely injured while Mu Yueying's true essence was incredibly exhausted. There was no way Liu Wuxie could look after them while fending off so many people. The only option was to force them to retreat.

"What a joke! You're only in the fourth level of the Astral River Realm, and you want to play the hero?" Sneered the man standing at the front, who brandished his sword and charged over.

"Wuxie, watch out!" Mu Yueying called out.

Another fight broke out before Liu Wuxie could exchange a few words with Mu Yueying, and his eyes turned cold when he saw the incoming assault. He knew that a battle was unavoidable. But since these people wanted a fight, he would give them a fight.

Liu Wuxie raised the Heretic Blade, swinging down with an untraceable trajectory.

The expressions of the twenty-or-so people opposite Liu Wuxie shifted drastically as he assumed his stance. The incoming attack was so swift and bizarre that they couldn’t follow its trajectory.

"Wang Rui, come back!" Yu Lin called out, his tone tinged with urgency.

But it was too late. Wang Rui had already made up his mind to kill, and there was no way he could retract his attack in time, even at Yu Lin's command.

In his mind, Liu Wuxie was only in the fourth level of the Astral River Realm, and he was in the ninth level. When his sword was three meters away from Liu Wuxie, the Heretic Blade had descended.

A series of explosions occurred in mid-air, and a vacuum pathway was created before Liu Wuxie. The attack shattered Wang Rui's longsword, unable to withstand the blade aura released by Liu Wuxie.

This left Wang Rui shocked. He couldn't imagine what kind of power had destroyed his monarch artifact so easily.

"NO!" Wang Rui exclaimed, but it was already too late for him to react. By the time he wanted to retreat, Liu Wuxie's second attack had already arrived. The second strike was even more powerful than the first.

With Liu Wuxie's newfound proficiency in True Strike, a simple strike was filled with countless variations despite looking simple. The Heretic Blade was locked onto Wang Rui no matter how he tried to escape.

Wang Rui's body split apart and was cleaved into two by the Heretic Blade. The scene was gruesome, with blood and flesh raining down.

Everyone was stunned by the sight of Liu Wuxie killing someone at the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm. Even Yu Lin, known for his composure, stood dumbstruck at the display of power.

When everyone came to their senses, gasps and screams could be heard from Yu Lin's party.

"How dare you kill Wang Rui! I want you dead!"

Despite Wang Rui’s death, the remaining twenty people in the group charged at Liu Wuxie, their combined aura surging like a tidal wave. The sheer force of their advance caused the entire Black Tomb Cliff to tremble, sending loose rocks tumbling into the abyss below.

"Can you still run?" Liu Wuxie asked, turning to Mu Yueying and Lin Tong. He could try to kill his way out with them if they could still make a run.

"I can!" Mu Yueying said with great difficulty, biting on her lips.

Lin Tong was covered in his blood, but there wasn't a frown on his face. He stood with unwavering determination despite the pain. He walked over and stood behind Liu Wuxie.

The entire yin mountain began to shake violently as though something had awakened. The yin and yang energies in the sky began to gather and swirl even more violently, creating a loud rumble of lightning.

A horrifying sight began to unfold as the plants in the ravine between the two mountain ranges began to uproot, and no one knew what was happening.

"What's going on? Is it an earthquake?" Those who were preparing to attack looked at each other and even temporarily forgot about Liu Wuxie.

Moments later, the volcano began to tremble as well, spewing magma high into the air. The balance of energies tipped as Yang energy surged to its zenith, burning with fierce defiance. But the yin mountain was not outdone, as an endless tide of deathly energy erupted from its depths—cold, sinister, and oppressive.

Cracks began to spiderweb across the ground, spreading rapidly.

"This is bad! The Yin-Yang Valley is collapsing!" Many cultivators watched in horror as an endless abyss of darkness consumed the towering trees and solid ground, leaving destruction in its wake.

"A thousand-year deathguard! A thousand-year deathguard has appeared!" Exclamations came from the surroundings as someone had run into a thousand-year deathguard.

Upon hearing the appearance of a thousand-year deathguard, a hint of solemnness appeared on Yu Lin's expression. The thousand-year deathguards were tough to deal with based on their impervious defenses, as ordinary weapons were powerless against them.

"We need to leave immediately!" Liu Wuxie quickly fled with Lin Tong and Mu Yueying, putting a distance between them and Yu Lin's party in the blink of an eye.

"Quick, after them!" Yu Lin bellowed, enraged. It was a humiliation that he failed to kill Mu Yueying and even lost one of their men.

It was a pity that the upheaval of the yin mountain hindered their chase. Many cracks appeared in their path, blocking their way. The surroundings were trembling, and the entire valley was sinking.

For those trapped in the Yin-Yang Valley, the only way out was to ascend towards the skies. The yin and yang energies grew stronger as they swirled, resembling a millstone. Those who flew up were instantly shredded into pieces as their blood rained down.

"I don't want to die!" Screams echoed from the Yin-Yang Valley.

Liu Wuxie narrowly escaped death with Lin Tong and Mu Yueying, navigating his way using Ghost Eye.