Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 964 - Thunder Saint Pearl

Liu Wuxie's hands continued to trace through the air as draconic laws materialized in the hall.

Lu Liang and Ruan Ying stood by the side, their eyes filled with undisguised shock. Neither of them had expected Liu Wuxie to be so powerful.

However, the shorter assassin remained calm, expressionless, as if none of it concerned him.

Qiu Zhengyi channeled all his true essence into his strike, fighting desperately for his life.

"Let me show you the dragon clan's dao technique that I have just comprehended," Liu Wuxie said calmly.

He fused his aura into the Great Dragon Aspect Art. A spectral divine dragon materialized, coiling majestically around the hall before merging with the Heavenly Dragon Seal.

A resounding dragon's cry echoed through the hall, nearly rupturing everyone's eardrums.

"That's a dragon clan's dao technique! You have comprehended a dragon clan's dao technique?!" Qiu Zhengyi could hardly believe what he was seeing.

It was an ironclad rule that humans could only cultivate dao techniques belonging to their race, and Liu Wuxie had shattered this norm.

"You can die now!" Liu Wuxie said.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal expanded, crashing down from the sky like a golden mountain.

"No!" Qiu Zhengyi screamed.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal's power now rivaled the Earth Profound Realm after being empowered by the Great Dragon Aspect Art. A dazzling radiance engulfed Qiu Zhengyi before he vanished without a trace.

It wasn't Liu Wuxie's intention to kill Qiu Zhengyi. He had planned to convert the latter into his devotee but underestimated the Great Dragon Aspect Art's power.

"I slipped," Liu Wuxie smiled awkwardly.

He could kill someone at the Quasi-Earth Profound Realm in one strike. Then again, this also meant he had a real chance of victory if he faced someone at the first-level Earth Profound Realm.

That single strike drained half of his true essence. The true essence required to use the Heavenly Dragon Seal was too great. He had managed it only by relying on the boundless reserves of the desolate world. Had it been Gu Yu instead, the Dragon Clan Scepter would've drained all of his true essence.

After killing Qiu Zhengyi, Liu Wuxie turned to the shorter man.

"I don't wish to kill you. If you release your divine sense, I will consider sparing your life," Liu Wuxie said. He didn't care who this man was—what mattered was to convert this assassin into his devotee.

"Don't waste your effort," the shorter assassin said impassively as black blood trickled from his lips.

Liu Wuxie froze at this sight. He hadn't expected the assassin to end his own life by ingesting a deadly poison, and he recognized the black blood. It was exactly like when the Liu Clan's grand elder, Liu Shen, took his own life, refusing to reveal the reasons behind his betrayal, even in death.

"Conversion Art!" Liu Wuxie unleashed the Conversion Art without hesitation, burrowing into the shorter assassin's soul sea.

"The mysterious imprint?" Liu Wuxie exclaimed. "You're someone from the Golden Cauldron Pavilion! Why are you an assassin in the Black Plume Pavilion?!"

A bitter smile rose on his lips when Liu Wuxie discovered his identity. But it would die with him.

The mysterious imprint dissolved the moment the Conversion Art entered the assassin's soul sea. This enabled Liu Wuxie's divine sense to forcibly read the assassin's memories, successfully seeking information about the Golden Cauldron Pavilion.

"The Eternal Spirit Mountain!" Liu Wuxie found information on the Eternal Spirit Mountain from the assassin's memory.

However, the memories were fragmented, and the assassin had taken his last breath when Liu Wuxie's divine sense had entered his mind. The poison's potency shocked him. It was capable of killing an expert in just half a breath.

Liu Wuxie fell into deep thoughts as he stood in place. Why would an assassin from the Black Plume Pavilion carry the imprint belonging to the Golden Cauldron Pavilion? Was he an assassin of the Black Plume Pavilion or an expert from the Golden Cauldron Pavilion?

Perhaps he was an undercover agent sent by the Golden Cauldron Pavilion to the Black Plume Pavilion. Or maybe the two forces were one, to begin with.

Liu Wuxie couldn't figure out the answer no matter how he pondered. However, he was certain that the Golden Cauldron Pavilion wanted him dead, just as the Black Plume Pavilion. It didn't matter if they were one, as they were still his enemies.

"You two," Liu Wuxie called out to Lu Liang and Ruan Ying, "were your identities assigned by the Black Plume Pavilion, or did you choose them yourselves?"

One was a disciple of the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, and the other was from a powerful sect. Both held high status in their respective forces.

"We were given a list of options after our training," Lu Liang answered. "We made the choice ourselves from the list provided."

They had each selected their identities from a limited list provided by the Black Plume Pavilion.

"Was a force named the Golden Cauldron Pavilion among the choices provided?" Liu Wuxie asked.

These two weren't weak and had likely come in contact with some information.

However, Lu Liang and Ruan Ying exchanged a look before shaking their heads. They had never heard of the Golden Cauldron Pavilion.

The options provided included the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, the Dragon Emperor Academy, and the various sects. Ruan Ying had chosen the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy, while Lu Liang had decided to join a powerful sect.

Liu Wuxie fell into deep thoughts once more. If what they said was true, the shorter assassin's true identity was not that of an assassin from the Black Plume Pavilion but rather someone from the Golden Cauldron Pavilion.

However, that made little sense, as the Black Plume Pavilion trained its assassins from childhood and never recruited outsiders.

Piecing everything together, he arrived at the most plausible explanation. The shorter assassin had originated from the Black Plume Pavilion. But he was captured by the Golden Cauldron Pavilion during one of his missions and branded with the mysterious imprint in his soul sea.

He was forced to serve both factions. Both forces had spread their reach across the Central Plains, and that alone was terrifying. Who knew how many others were similarly enslaved?

No one would know if someone close to them was an assassin or if someone had been branded with the imprint. However, Liu Wuxie soon set the thought aside. The truth would reveal itself one day.

He was confident he could find the masterminds of the Golden Cauldron Pavilion and the Black Plume Pavilion as long as he lived. And when that day came, he intended to ask them why they wanted him dead.

There were no other resources besides spirit stones inside the two deceased assassins' interspatial rings. As Lu Liang had previously informed him, he had already expected this scene.

When on missions, assassins carried almost nothing, ensuring no clues could be traced back to their origin. Aside from their weapons, they carried only some spirit stones to replenish their depletion.

After retrieving the array flags, Liu Wuxie sat quietly in the hall as Lu Liang and Ruan Ying dragged the bodies away, clearing the battlefield.

Gu Yu remained in seclusion and would likely need two more days.

Liu Wuxie was in no rush and could afford to wait.

They had received more news from the mysterious sea region recently.

"Master," Ruan Ying said, stepping forward. "Word just arrived from Jiang Nan. The Thunder Saint Pearl has appeared in the mysterious sea region. Many experts are heading there. Should we join them?"

"The Thunder Saint Pearl?" Liu Wuxie's eyes lit up. "That's a treasure! If I can obtain it, it can help me reach the Spirit Profound Realm!"

He had heard of the mysterious sea region enveloped in lightning but hadn't paid much attention to it at first. It turned out the Thunder Saint Pearl was the cause of all that lightning.

Even cultivators at the Earth Profound Realm would covet such a treasure. For a Thunder Saint Pearl to form, it needed to be nurtured for tens of thousands of years.

The Thunder Saint Pearl contained the immense power of heaven and earth. If consumed by an ordinary person, it could strengthen the primordial spirit and forge the Divine Thunder Physique.

Though Liu Wuxie already possessed the True Dragon Physique, he didn't mind obtaining the Divine Thunder Physique either. Combining the two would further boost his strength, granting him the strength of a divine dragon and the ferocity of thunder.

"Master, we should hurry up!" Ruan Ying urged. "The news came a few days ago, and others might seize it if we're too late."

This was indeed a rare opportunity, especially for Liu Wuxie, who was at the pinnacle of the True Profound Realm. If he missed it, such an opportunity would be hard to come by again.

For thousands of years, the sacred ground had opened once every five years. People had already plundered most treasures, and even the uncharted zones had become crowded with increased human activity.

"Very well," Liu Wuxie said with a nod. "Ruan Ying, come with me. Lu Liang, stay behind. Once Gu Yu emerges from seclusion, rendezvous with us."

Leaving Gu Yu behind was dangerous. However, Lu Liang, being at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm, was capable of dealing with ordinary opponents to keep him safe.

The Black Plume Pavilion's assassins also had a mysterious method for relaying urgent messages across great distances, if needed.

"Yes, master!" Ruan Ying beamed with joy that she could finally head to the mysterious sea region.

Lu Liang bowed respectfully, not daring to disobey Liu Wuxie's orders, and stayed in the ancient castle.

Without wasting another moment, Liu Wuxie hurried away, leaving a letter for Gu Yu, which he entrusted to Lu Liang.

Then, he departed with Ruan Ying, rushing toward the mysterious sea region. It wasn't a short journey. Even at full speed, it would take them at least half a month to reach their destination, and there was no guarantee that the Thunder Saint Pearl would still be around by the time they arrived.

If this had been the True Martial Continent, it would have taken them only a few days to reach their destination. However, they could only rely on their feet, as flight was not convenient.

Fortunately, Fiery had nearly recovered from its injuries, and the aura it exuded was even stronger than before.

"We'll ride Fiery," Liu Wuxie decided. "It'll save us a lot of time."

After its evolution, Fiery gained the ability to fly, and its speed was even faster than most cultivators at the Spirit Profound Realm.

Ruan Ying leaped onto Fiery's back behind Liu Wuxie as Fiery streaked across the sky like a blazing comet.

Many cultivators caught a glimpse of the long trail left behind by Fiery and wanted to chase it. After all, if they could obtain a divine beast, not only would it be a powerful mount, but it would also be a powerful ally in battle.

However, Fiery had already vanished by the time they took to the skies.

Four days later, a region enveloped in lightning appeared before Liu Wuxie, with countless lightning bolts flashing across the sky and stretching into the horizon.

"What a terrifying lightning region," Ruan Ying said, her face paling as she dismounted from Fiery.

The entire sea region shimmered under the constant assault of lightning, with thunderbolts hammering down into the water.