Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 147 - Killing

Elder Bi’s exclamation drew everyone’s attention to him, leaving Ji Yang bewildered.

Liu Wuxie’s alchemist token was the highest attainable four-star alchemist token, and it turned out to be authentic. It was like a large boulder smashing on everyone’s heads, making them dizzy. The ongoing mockery of Liu Wuxie was forgotten as their faces mirrored their astonishment.

“Elder Bi, are you sure that you’re not mistaken? Is that truly the token of a four-star alchemist?” The alchemist token had Liu Wuxie’s name engraved, along with the mark that solely belonged to the Alchemy Association. It was something that no one could forge. Everyone present was an alchemist, and their alchemist tokens also had a corresponding mark to prove their authenticity.

“A four-star alchemist who’s not even twenty? How is this possible?!” The man in the purple robe, who had been flung aside earlier, appeared dumbfounded. He had intended to seek revenge against Liu Wuxie, but this unexpected news took him by surprise.

Ji Yang clenched his fists in suppressed rage. He was supposed to be celebrated as the youngest four-star alchemist in the Great Yan Dynasty. His accomplishment wasn’t widely known yet, but he hadn’t anticipated being overtaken so swiftly. One could only imagine the turmoil he was experiencing.

He had maintained a gentlemanly image throughout the years. But at this moment, veins bulge on his face, his expression becoming ferocious. The title of the youngest four-star alchemist had been his lifelong goal, and he had even neglected his cultivation to focus on alchemy. Now that he had achieved his goal, Liu Wuxie’s revelation was a slap in the face, shattering all his dreams. Thus, anyone could imagine the fury he was feeling.

The one-star alchemists who had earlier ridiculed him now wore forced smiles. They were insignificant compared to Liu Wuxie; they were mere fireflies against the brilliance of the moon. If word got out that one-star alchemists had mocked a four-star alchemist, they would become the laughingstock.

All present reluctantly accepted the truth, their heads bowed. Yet, a few individuals, plagued by doubt, turned their hopeful gazes towards Elder Bi, wishing for him to confirm the authenticity once more.

“I have checked it thrice, and this alchemist token is genuine!” Elder Bi respectfully handed the alchemist token back to Liu Wuxie with his attitude changed. Then again, that was understandable because Liu Wuxie was the youngest four-star alchemist in the Great Yan Dynasty, and anyone would want to curry favor with such a genius.

This also meant that Ji Yang’s achievement had become history, with the title of the youngest four-star alchemist going to Liu Wuxie just a few days after Ji Yang had obtained his. Everyone knew that Liu Wuxie’s talent as an alchemist had far surpassed Ji Yang.

“Since that’s the case, the key belongs to me, right?” Liu Wuxie kept his alchemist token and smiled at Elder Bi.

“Of course!” Elder Bi respectfully handed the key to Liu Wuxie, who had arrived first.

“Thank you, Elder!” Liu Wuxie expressed symbolic gratitude before taking the key and heading to the fourth-grade alchemy chamber, leaving everyone else bewildered in the hall.

“Hold it right there!” Ji Yang stepped forward, blocking Liu Wuxie’s path to the fourth-grade alchemy chamber.

“What do you want? Didn’t you see that I’m also a four-star alchemist? Not to mention that I came here first. If you want to use the alchemy chamber, wait until I’m done.” Liu Wuxie looked at Ji Yang in annoyance.

Other alchemists gathered around, but no one dared to mock or intervene this time. They were not qualified to meddle in the conflict between two four-star alchemists.

“Surrender the key, and I can spare your life!” Ji Yang’s voice was cold. He didn’t have much time and needed to refine fourth-grade pills to stabilize his cultivation in the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Liu Wuxie had taken the reward for the alchemy competition, and Ji Yang had spent a considerable sum to purchase a fourth-grade pill upon returning to the academy. The pill had enabled him to reach the Marrow Cleansing Realm forcibly, but this came at the cost of his foundation, which required fourth-grade pills to repair. If he missed this chance, it would be tougher for him to repair his foundation. Thus, he had to enter the fourth-grade alchemy chamber today, no matter what!

“What a joke!” Liu Wuxie couldn’t be bothered to deal with Ji Yang and continued to the fourth-grade alchemy chamber, increasing his speed.

“You’re courting death!” The man and woman behind Ji Yang made their moves. Their swords unleashed a sharp sword aura at Liu Wuxie’s neck, planning to land a fatal blow. In their eyes, Liu Wuxie was simply courting death by snatching the alchemy chamber from Ji Yang.

If Liu Wuxie died, the title of the youngest four-star alchemist would fall onto Ji Yang once again. This was the same as killing two birds with one stone. Not only could they kill Liu Wuxie, but they could also restore Ji Yang’s honor.

The two didn’t have high cultivation as they were Ji Yang’s lackeys. They were only in the first-level Spirit Cleansing Realm, but in their eyes, it was more than enough for them to deal with someone in the Xiantian Realm.

The sword aura was a mere three steps from Liu Wuxie, and his life would be in peril if it wasn’t halted. Yet, no one, including Elder Bi, intervened. After all, both Ji Yang and Liu Wuxie were alchemy prodigies, and aiding one would inevitably offend the other. Hence, they chose neutrality. Whether Liu Wuxie could survive was left to fate.

The sword aura released a powerful shockwave that formed into a gale, obstructing the sight of many people and causing Liu Wuxie’s clothes to flutter.

“Hmph!” Liu Wuxie was enraged. Did these people assume he was fearful of Ji Yang because he hadn’t retaliated? He simply didn’t want to squander his time on them. Since they believed he was scared, he resolved to eliminate them.

A blade materialized in Liu Wuxie’s hand, emanating a terrifying intent that swept across the hall. The entire space was engulfed in his blade intent, the pressure so intense that it left many gasping for breath, their heads bowed under the strain.

Everyone was surprised that someone in the Xiantian Realm could release this much power, far surpassing someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm. That was a harsh reality. Ji Yang was standing not far away, and even he couldn’t withstand the suppression of Liu Wuxie’s blade intent and took a big step back.

Consequently, his two subordinates met an unfortunate fate. The blade intent engulfed them, disorienting their sense of direction. The floor tiles began to crack and crumble under the force of the blade intent.

Rumbling sounds could be heard, with the entire hall shaking, showing signs of collapsing. As for the crowd, they had long retreated from the hall, fearing that they might be implicated.

“What a powerful blade intent! To be a four-star alchemist and comprehend blade intent at such a young age is simply astounding!” Those who could comprehend blade intent were considered geniuses among geniuses.

As a former Immortal Emperor, Liu Wuxie had already comprehended blade intent in his past life. So comprehending it again was easy, and it had long surpassed the scope of ordinary blade intent. When the shockwave swept out, a massive vortex appeared as the man and woman disappeared along with Liu Wuxie.

Blood splashed on the stone pillars in the hall while the man and woman were sent flying away in Ji Yang’s direction. This gave Ji Yang no choice but to catch them, but they were already lifeless.

There was a thin wound on their necks with blood flowing out. They weren’t entirely dead yet, and their eyes held a glimmer of life, silently pleading with Ji Yang to avenge them.

“ARGHHH!” Ji Yang’s hair tie snapped as he erupted in fury, letting out a primal roar. He gently laid the two lifeless bodies on the ground and looked ahead, where Liu Wuxie had vanished.

The door to the fourth-grade alchemy chamber creaked open as Liu Wuxie stepped in and closed it behind him, cutting off all contact with the outside world. After dispatching Ji Yang’s lackeys, Liu Wuxie didn’t stick around to confront Ji Yang. Given his current strength, he could have easily defeated Ji Yang.

However, Ji Yang was the esteemed disciple of Shangguan Cai, and he likely possessed a treasure that ensured his safety. A clash between them could result in mutual damage, an outcome Liu Wuxie wanted to avoid. His goal was to refine pills and elevate his cultivation to the Spirit Cleansing Realm first.

So, after sending the two lackeys flying away, Liu Wuxie left the hall and took the opportunity to enter the fourth-grade alchemy chamber, leaving Ji Yang behind, screaming like a madman.

“Isn’t he too bold to kill another student openly? Isn’t he afraid of the punishment from the academy?” The crowd gathered to look at the two corpses in shock. After all, killing another student in the academy was prohibited, which Liu Wuxie violated openly.

“In just half a month since joining the academy, nearly thirty students have perished at his hands. He’s nothing short of a fiendgod!” Information about Liu Wuxie had been thoroughly unearthed. If they knew that Liu Wuxie was responsible for the recent demise of Wan Zhuoran’s group, their astonishment would likely intensify.

Ji Yang cast a fleeting glance at the fourth-grade alchemy chamber before departing with the two bodies. Once the alchemy chamber was sealed from the inside, it was impenetrable, even to those in the advanced stages of the Marrow Cleansing Realm. The only option was to wait for the occupant to emerge.

After entering the alchemy chamber, Liu Wuxie wasn’t in a hurry to start refining pills, and he looked around the chamber to familiarize himself with the surroundings first. The entire chamber was massive, roughly over a hundred square meters.

The third-grade alchemy chamber required five credits a day, and the fourth-grade alchemy chamber was free as a reward from the academy.

There were neatly arranged shelves on both sides, and Liu Wuxie took out the herbs from his interspatial pouch and arranged them meticulously. This was to ensure convenience for himself when refining pills.

The center of the chamber was a massive cauldron roughly 1.2 meters tall with a diameter of one meter. Such a massive cauldron was rare, even in the market. At the bottom of the cauldron was a tunnel that drew fire from underground.

This tunnel was likely linked to the underground magma beneath the Flame Sun Cave. After all, the Imperial Academy had a massive underground lava and an entire spiritual vein. Only a place like this could be considered paradise and suitable for establishing a force.

After arranging the herbs, Liu Wuxie wasn’t in a hurry to start refining. He took an hour to calm himself down from the fight earlier because he couldn’t afford any mistakes when refining pills, especially a fourth-grade pill. He emptied his mind, entering a selfless state before walking towards the cauldron.