Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 677 - Yin-Yang Valley

Liu Wuxie attacked multiple times and failed to slay the thousand-year deathguard. He tried using Frost Finger but could not penetrate the deathguard’s defenses.

The deathguard’s physique was comparable to an origin artifact. He would need weapons of a higher grade to kill the deathguard.

He had been using Ghost Eye to search the deathguard’s weakness. He searched tirelessly for a long time, but the deathguard was practically invincible. It had no organs, just bones and decaying flesh.

His divine sense probed deeper into the deathguard’s head. Though there wasn’t any flesh on its face, its skull was intact. When the Ghost Eye penetrated through the deathguard’s skull, he soon discovered a secret.

The deathguard still had its soul sea intact, but it was a death crystal, unlike the soul sea in humans.

Since his arrival, Liu Wuxie had been puzzled. As death guards didn’t possess any dantian, he wondered where they stored their heavenly nether energy.

He now understood that the deathguards stored their heavenly nether energy in their skulls. As ordinary deathguards couldn’t form a death crystal, it was only the size of a sesame seed at best.

The thousand-year deathguard’s death crystal was the size of a fava bean, which astonished Liu Wuxie. He couldn’t imagine how much heavenly nether energy it had absorbed to form a death crystal of such size.

Ordinary martial techniques were futile against the thousand-year deathguard. His only solution was to destroy the death crystal, the essence of the deathguard. He didn’t know how much deathly energy was stored inside.

After comprehending the true profundity of the Desolate Devouring Art, he had to absorb much death energy to obtain balance in Yin and Yang.

The desolate world was filled with Yang energy and lacked Yin energy. This was why his true essence had always been violent, and he needed to achieve a harmony between Yin and Yang to achieve a perfect balance.

After pinpointing the deathguard’s weakness, Liu Wuxie leaped to the sky and positioned himself above him.

“What is he trying to do?” The woman exclaimed. They naturally knew the deathguard’s weakness but could do nothing, even if they knew. The deathguard’s skulls were their hardest part and impervious to ordinary weapons.

The thousand-year deathguard saw through Liu Wuxie’s intent and leaped upward, raising its claws and reaching for Liu Wuxie’s legs.

“Break!” Liu Wuxie unleashed various blade auras, forcing the thousand-year deathguard back. Ordinary martial techniques might be ineffective against it, but that didn’t mean Liu Wuxie was out of means.

The Heavenly Dao Book unfurled, and boundless soul energy formed into a long spear. He wanted to test whether he could use soul energy to pierce through the deathguard’s skull. After all, soul energy was invisible and intangible. It penetrated through the deathguard’s hollow eyes, entering its soul sea.

After reaching the fourth level of the Astral River Realm, Liu Wuxie’s soul energy was comparable to the high levels of the Nascent Transformation Realm. If he formed the Soul Shield, ordinary soul energy would be rendered ineffective against him.

What made the Soul Spear even more terrifying was the golden light infused within it from the Heavenly Dao Book. That was the sacred light of heavenly dao, and no demon or spirit could escape it.

“What a powerful surge of soul energy!” The man exclaimed. Most cultivators who ventured into the Heavenly Nether Battlefield knew that the only way to kill deathguards was to destroy the death crystal in their skull.

While such tasks were manageable for ordinary deathguards, they could only flee if they ran into a thousand-year deathguard as ordinary soul energy could not penetrate through its skull. The Heavenly Nether Battlefield was restricted by laws, making it impossible for cultivators at the Nascent Transformation Realm or higher to enter.

Those who reached the Nascent Transformation Realm had to leave the Heavenly Nether Battlefield, or they would be rejected by the laws here. But who would’ve anticipated that Liu Wuxie’s soul energy was comparable to the high levels of the Nascent Transformation Realm?

The soul spear was like a beam of light that pierced into the deathguard’s hollow eyes, burrowing straight into the depth of its skull through the hollow eyes.

Sizzling sounds were produced when the death crystal came in contact with the sacred light, and black smoke dissipated.

The thousand-year deathguard let out an agonizing scream, and its body began to convulse violently.

Liu Wuxie landed gracefully from above, a lingering trace of fear flickering across his face. He knew he had relied solely on his powerful soul energy to slay the deathguard, and had his opponent been another cultivator, the outcome might have been vastly different.

The death crystal within the deathguard dissolved rapidly, vanishing into nothingness, while its skeletal frame collapsed onto the ground and shattered into countless pieces.

Exhaling deeply to release the tension in his chest, Liu Wuxie turned his gaze toward the distance. The couple, who had been hiding in the shadows, emerged with trembling steps. They understood all too well that if Liu Wuxie wished to take their lives, it would be as effortless as lifting a hand.

“Who are you two? Why are the two of you hiding here?” Liu Wuxie asked coldly. Though their reminder had saved him from the thousand-year deathguard’s sneak attack, he knew he couldn’t trust anyone lightly. This was why he remained wary until he was sure of their intentions.

“I’m Ji Qiu, and this is my wife, Tang Hong,” the man clasped his fists together after stopping five steps away.

Tang Hong also nodded lightly as a greeting to Liu Wuxie.

“What brought you two here?” Liu Wuxie’s tone softened when he noticed no hostility in their eyes judging from his experience.

“We lost our way and stumbled into this city. But who would have expected this city to be swarming with deathguards? This is why we hid in the shadows and dared not move. We attempted to escape several times, only to be hunted by them. Were it not for your appearance and killing that thousand-year deathguard, we wouldn’t have survived,” Ji Qiu said, giving Liu Wuxie a deep bow. If Liu Wuxie hadn’t appeared in the city, they would have lost their lives here sooner or later.

“Where are you two from?” Liu Wuxie asked. It would be great if they also originated from the Southern Province.

“We’re from the Northern City!” Ji Qiu replied.

“The Northern City?” Liu Wuxie had only heard that there was a massive city in the north; a boundless city encompassing the entire northern region. It was also his first time hearing that an entire realm was in the form of a city.

The two nodded in acknowledgment. They had entered the Heavenly Nether Battlefield for over ten days and fended off numerous low-level deathguards during their time there. They weren’t weak either, with cultivation in the eighth level of the Astral River Realm.

“Young friend, how can we address you?” Ji Qiu asked. He was in his thirties, and it wasn’t inappropriate for him to address Liu Wuxie as a “young friend.”

At his current age, reaching the eighth level of the Astral River Realm was considered mediocre, even by Southern Province standards. This was why he had ventured into the harsh environment of the Heavenly Nether Battlefield—to push his limits, unlock his full potential, and strive for a breakthrough into the Nascent Transformation Realm.

“I’m Liu Wuxie, from the Southern Province,” Liu Wuxie replied. He didn’t hesitate to reveal his identity.

“Greetings, Young Master Liu!” Ji Qiu clasped his hands together. The trio gradually lowered their guards and found a clean spot to rest.

“Brother Ji, have you seen this woman during your time here?” Liu Wuxie asked as he took out Mu Yueying’s portrait.

Ji Qiu exchanged a glance with Tang Hong, and both shook their heads. “We haven’t seen her. If we had, we’d certainly remember.”

“Time is running out. I need to continue my search,” Liu Wuxie said, unwilling to waste any more time. Mu Yueying’s activation of the Alert Talisman was a clear sign that she was in danger.

“Brother Liu, searching aimlessly like this could take you a year without results,” Ji Qiu advised. “I suggest you head to a particular place.”

The Heavenly Nether Battlefield was vast, and finding someone here was no different from finding a needle in a haystack.

“Where?” Liu Wuxie asked, his eyes gleamed with urgency.

“The Yin-Yang Valley!” Ji Qiu said.

“What kind of place is that?” Liu Wuxie frowned. He could tell from the name that it wasn’t a good place. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“It’s a massive valley, but I’ve heard it has started releasing a rare substance in recent months. This has drawn many cultivators, so your friend might have gone there if she knew about it,” Ji Qiu explained.

Liu Wuxie quickly searched his memory for any mention of the Yin-Yang Valley but came up empty-handed. He had spent half a day combing through the details Mu Tianli had given him, but those records were years old. The Yin-Yang Valley must have been discovered only recently.

“Brother Ji, do you know the exact location of the Yin-Yang Valley?” Liu Wuxie could only clasp his hands together to ask about the valley.

“We were originally planning to head to the Yin-Yang Valley. Since you’re also heading there, why don’t we travel together?” Ji Qiu suggested. They also planned to explore the Yin-Yang Valley.

“Let’s not delay and depart immediately!” Liu Wuxie said, heading straight out of the city. The trio set off on their journey, with Ji Qiu occasionally pulling out a map to correct their direction.

Despite their efforts, they took the wrong path multiple times and had to retrace their steps or search for new routes. Without the map, Liu Wuxie couldn’t imagine how tedious it would have been to navigate the vast and treacherous Heavenly Nether Battlefield.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Along the way, they encountered several deathguards, but Ji Qiu and Tang Hong handled them with ease. As long as they didn’t run into a thousand-year deathguard, they were confident they could hold their ground.

“Brother Ji, can you tell me more about the Northern City?” Liu Wuxie asked, breaking the silence of their monotonous journey. He was eager to learn more, knowing that his steps would one day cover the entire True Martial Continent. Gathering information now would only benefit him in the future.

“The Northern City isn’t as complicated as you think. Due to the unique geography, the Northern City is built on a vast plain. The City Lord is called Bei Ming, an expert in the Spirit Profound Realm,” Ji Qiu began his story.

“The Spirit Profound Realm?!” Liu Wuxie exclaimed. After all, True Profound Realm was the strongest in the Southern Province.

“A powerhouse in the Spirit Profound Realm might be considered an expert in the Northern City, but I’ve heard there are experts in the Void Realm in the Central Plains. They’re the true experts representing the apex power on this continent,” Ji Qiu said. He knew more information than Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie was struck speechless. He had thought he could overlook the entire True Martial Continent if he reached the True Profound Realm, but he realized how naive he had been. According to his calculations, there were likely realms far beyond the Void Realm.

Only those who reached the Immortal Realm could shatter the restraints of this plane to ascend to the Celestial Realm. Perhaps because Liu Wuxie had saved the couple, their bond deepened over the days.