Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 90 - Overlord Fist

The Xue Clan would definitely set up an ambush on the road, and it wouldn’t be easy to reach the Imperial Capital safely.

“Azure Billow City’s scale is too small, and I can only grow faster in the Imperial Capital!” Liu Wuxie affirmed.

A brief silence filled the room following Liu Wuxie’s declaration. Bi Gongyu understood that Azure Billow City could no longer cater to Liu Wuxie’s talent and that his departure was inevitable.

“I’m familiar with the route. Let me accompany you; we can look out for each other,” Bi Gongyu offered after some thought. Although he couldn’t provide much assistance to Liu Wuxie in the Imperial Capital, he knew the way well.

“I appreciate your offer. The new pills will be released soon, and I believe the Treasure Pill Pavilion will be quite busy. So, I won’t disturb you any further. Also, when I leave, please don’t see me off; I prefer to depart alone,” Liu Wuxie said as he exited the Treasure Pill Pavilion. He had repaid all necessary debts, and from now on, Bi Gongyu would have to rely on himself.

Liu Wuxie returned to the Xu Clan with the carriage of herbs, devoting himself to alchemy. There were still ten days before the Imperial Capital’s recruitment, and it would take about five days to travel from Azure Billow City to the Imperial City. This meant that Liu Wuxie still had five days to prepare.

After three days and nights of diligent work, Liu Wuxie managed to refine thousands of Origin Yang Pills. These third-grade pills were packed with energy. Daily consumption could not only accelerate the absorption of spiritual energy but also strengthen one’s foundation.

The material required for the Golden Spirit Pills was too costly, and Liu Wuxie couldn’t collect all the herbs at once. That would have to wait till he reached the Imperial Capital, and the Origin Yang Pills were enough for him to consume for a few months.

He left behind a thousand pills for his father-in-law, aiming to allow him to quickly reach the second level of the Marrow Cleansing Realm so he could face the City Lord Mansion with ease.

A thick cloud of spiritual energy formed above Liu Wuxie’s head as he ingested ten Heavenly Spirit Pills and ten Origin Yang Pills simultaneously, causing a significant impact on his dantian. His goal was to reach the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm before departing, thereby increasing his chances of survival on the journey to the Imperial Capital.

The Desolate Devouring Art, akin to a ravenous beast, opened its jaws wide to consume the dense spiritual energy in the sky. As the energies converged, they formed a thick mist in the sky, and spiritual energy condensed into rain that fell upon Liu Wuxie.

After refining the essence from two Marrow Cleansing Realm experts and resolving the resentment in his body, his cultivation was stuck in the pinnacle of the Xiantian Realm, and he could make a breakthrough at any moment.

The Heavenly Spirit Pills condensed into liquid as they poured out of the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. Shortly after, Origin Yang Pills dissolved into pure yang energy coursing through his body. With the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, Liu Wuxie only spent two hours refining the twenty pills.

If anyone else were in his place, they would need between ten to fifteen days to fully refine the pills. A remarkable scene unfolded as several hundred liquids flowed into his dantian, causing Liu Wuxie to emit a golden glow from every pore, absorbing spiritual energy and the essence of heaven and earth.

Each of Liu Wuxie’s muscles and veins greedily devoured the energy in the liquid. As his meridians began to expand, some hidden acupoints began to appear. With 108 acupoints, a human could reach the Marrow Cleansing Realm upon clearing all the acupoints. The Marrow Cleansing Realm was a transformation of the body.

Liu Wuxie was still in the Xiantian Realm, and his hidden acupoints showed signs of appearing. This was unprecedented as a terrifying aura swept out with Liu Wuxie reaching the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm. But that didn’t stop there as his aura began to climb and showed the tendency to surpass the Spirit Cleansing Realm.

This naturally shocked Liu Wuxie because the Desolate Devouring Art would create a terrifying phenomenon with every breakthrough. He already knew the Desolate Devouring Art was extraordinary, but the cons were also obvious. As his cultivation level increased, so too would the resources he required, reaching staggering levels.

As the cloud in the sky was consumed by the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, it transformed into a liquid that poured into his dantian, enabling the mysterious sapling within his dantian’s world to grow taller. The spiritual energy above the Xu Clan had long been absorbed, and everyone was accustomed to it, as this wasn’t the first time such an event had occurred.

The most those from the Xu Clan would do was glance in the direction of Liu Wuxie’s courtyard before helplessly resuming their activities.

Liu Wuxie devoted an entire day and night to cultivation. After consuming fifty Origin Yang Pills and ten spirit stones, his cultivation finally stabilized at the intermediate phase of the fifth level of the Xiantian Realm.

When he opened his eyes, lightning flashed across them with a powerful energy rippling out. The expansion speed of Liu Wuxie’s dantian slowed, and the mountains grew taller and wider with the entire world awakening.

There were still six days left till the recruitment of the Imperial Academy, and the Song Clan’s party had already departed for the Imperial Capital. The four clans sent their disciples over whenever the Imperial Academy held a recruitment. If lucky, their disciples might be accepted into the Imperial Academy, such as Wan Clan’s Wan Zhuoran. The latter must’ve known that the Wan Clan was destroyed.

It’s too lacking to rely on Ghost Eye, and I must practice another powerful martial technique to protect myself. Liu Wuxie made up his mind. This trip to the Imperial Capital was dangerous, and he would die if there were the slightest mistake. The drawbacks of the Ghost Eye were too obvious, and his soul energy would be exhausted whenever he used it. Once his soul energy was exhausted, he would be at his opponent’s mercy.

However, he couldn’t execute martial techniques that were too powerful either because the power was enough to tear his body apart. After searching through his memory, he found a set of fist techniques.

“Indeed, the potential for enhancement of this fist technique is immense, and I am only able to execute its rudimentary form,” Liu Wuxie acknowledged. A series of fist maneuvers materialized in his soul sea. The full technique was beyond his current capabilities due to its formidable power, but he could gradually refine it in tandem with his cultivation progress.

“Overlord Fist!” Unlike the flamboyantly named Blood Gleam Blade Art, this martial technique was straightforward. It concentrated true essence into the Overlord Fist, enabling a sweeping attack on enemies.

Liu Wuxie had been diligently practicing the basic fist technique in anticipation of this day. His aim was to condition his physique to withstand the demands of the Overlord Fist. Upon entering the yard, he clenched his right fist, triggering a potent shockwave that radiated around him. His meridians bulged as energy surged into his fist.

“Shatter!” With a forceful punch from Liu Wuxie, a powerful shockwave erupted, causing the courtyard walls to crumble under its might.

Liu Wuxie had significantly underestimated the power of the Overlord Fist. It proved to be even more potent than the Blood Gleam Blade Art, and controlling its power posed a considerable challenge for him.

After expending 30% of his true essence, Liu Wuxie’s attack caused such a disturbance that the entire Xu Clan was thrown into a state of panic, believing they were under siege. The force of Liu Wuxie’s punch led to the collapse of numerous buildings.

The sudden commotion prompted everyone to rush out of their rooms, under the impression that an earthquake had occurred. After all, it was a startling sight to see houses collapsing without warning.

The upheaval drew the attention of many in the Xu Clan, including Xu Yilin, who was in the main hall. As they emerged, their foreheads creased with worry, at a loss for words at the sight before them. A half-meter-deep ravine had formed along a fifty-meter stretch of pathway, and five courtyards lay in ruins. Fortunately, as it was daytime, no injuries were reported amidst the destruction.

“Madman!”

“Freak!”

“Monster!”

......

A chorus of reactions echoed from the surroundings. Rather than anger, there was a sense of joy because the stronger Liu Wuxie became, the safer Xu Clan would be.

“Wuxie, did you cause all this?” Xu Yilin looked at the mess with disbelief as he walked through the ruins. The collapse of the houses was not a concern as they could always be rebuilt. The Xu Clan had a substantial daily income and was not lacking in resources.

“Ah... I got carried away with my cultivation. I’ll be more careful in the future and avoid practicing within the clan,” Liu Wuxie responded, appearing somewhat embarrassed.

Shortly after everyone dispersed, the debris was swiftly cleared away. Liu Wuxie found himself relocating to a new courtyard, a change he didn’t mind given his impending departure from Azure Billow City the following day. He inspected his meridians and detected a tear, accompanied by a twinge of pain—likely a repercussion of the Overlord Fist.

However, the discomfort was within his tolerance, and he knew that such injuries would heal after a brief period of rest. This was merely the initial stage of the Overlord Fist. As he advanced to higher levels, he would require a robust physique to wield the Overlord Fist effectively.

The technique’s power was immense. Even seasoned experts in the Spirit Cleansing Realm or those at its pinnacle might struggle to execute it. Liu Wuxie pondered inwardly.

Executing the Overlord Fist would exhaust 30% of his true essence. If someone in the pinnacle of the Spirit Cleansing Realm tried to execute it, they would die with their true essence exhausted.

On the last day, all the higher hierarchies of the Xu Clan came to send Liu Wuxie off. Xu Yilin had offered to accompany Liu Wuxie to the Imperial Capital, but Liu Wuxie declined, preferring to undertake the journey alone.

“Master...” Hu Shi suddenly came over and fell on his knees, bursting into tears.

Until this point, the identity of Hu Shi’s mentor in forging techniques had remained a mystery. It was now revealed that Liu Wuxie had been secretly instructing Hu Shi, enabling the Xu Clan to weather numerous crises.

“Stand up. You’re a man, so why the tears? I’m only leaving for a short while, and it’s not as if I won’t return,” Liu Wuxie said, appearing somewhat irate. He disliked farewells and maintained a detached demeanor to avoid feeling sad.

The previous day, Xu Yilin had presented Liu Wuxie with an interspatial pouch found on Wan Rongzhe. The pouch, offering ten square meters of storage space, was given to Liu Wuxie to facilitate the storage of his belongings upon his arrival in the Imperial Capital.

Once everything was packed, the entire Xu Clan congregated at the clan’s gates—from high-ranking members to ordinary servants. All eyes were on Liu Wuxie; their expressions tinged with a hint of reluctance at his departure.

Many people wiped their tears quietly because who would’ve thought that the trash they had been ridiculing would become the hero of the Xu Clan?

As Liu Wuxie took his leave from the Xu Clan, he refrained from looking back, fearing that the sight might stir up emotions and cause him to shed tears. He quickened his pace instead. Everyone has a tender side, and Liu Wuxie was no exception.

The warmth he had experienced over the past month was something he would cherish and remember fondly.