Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 22 - Threaten

The lethality of words was by no means beneath weapons. Words could be used as a weapon against someone’s mind and also against a powerful force. This was the art of destroying someone’s mind and not his body.

“Don’t agree to it!” Xu Lingxue bit on her lips, and her voice was so soft that only Liu Wuxie could hear it.

Liu Wuxie was touched when he saw the concern in her eyes.

“Young Master Liu, what do you think? I won’t force you if you admit that you’re afraid.” Wan Zhuoran opened the fan in his hand with murderous intent flashing in the depth of his eyes.

“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed, Wan Zhuoran,” said Liu Wuxie. The concern in Xu Lingxue’s eyes made him change his mind and decide to put an end to the matter. As an Immortal Emperor, he was impervious to the words of others. But he didn’t want Xu Lingxue to worry about him.

“I’ll bet another 100 spirit stones if you’re willing to participate in the beast-taming segment. The spirit stones will be yours if you can last fifteen minutes in the arena.” Xue Yu, who had been silent until now, stood up and emptied the contents of his interspatial pouch. Along with a large number of spirit stones, there was also a valuable spiritual weapon.

The quality of the spirit stones was much higher than the batch he had taken out previously, and this naturally drew countless envious gazes from the surroundings. After all, 100 spirit stones were equivalent to 10,000,000 gold coins, and no one could resist the temptation, especially when they only needed to last fifteen minutes in the arena.

Liu Wuxie was already planning to leave with Xu Lingxue. But he stopped when he heard what Xue Yu said, and he couldn’t help wondering if Xue Yu had gone insane to take out 100 spirit stones.

“Are you interested in having a bet with me? If you refuse, I’ll get someone to erase the Xu Clan tomorrow. Mentor Baili is only interested in Lady Xu’s talent, not the Xu Clan’s. So consider it well because the Xu Clan’s fate is now in your hands.” Xue Yu issued a threat without a hint of emotion. This was nothing to him, and he didn’t care about Baili Qing. He wasn’t worried that Baili Qing would become furious about it because she wouldn’t advocate for someone unrelated to her.

Xu Lingxue clenched her fist with her body trembling. After all, Xue Yu had threatened to destroy the Xu Clan in front of so many people.

Song Ling wanted to speak out, but Song Clan’s members forcibly took him away. No one had expected the Hundred Beast Gathering to progress in this manner.

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Liu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, and his gaze fixed on Xue Yu. The feud that started between them two hours ago had become irreconcilable.

“You have succeeded in provoking me. I accept your wager. But you have no idea the calamity you have brought upon the Xue Clan. Within a year, I will destroy it. And if I fail, I will take my own life!”

Xue Yu was shocked to hear Liu Wuxie’s oath and how domineering he was when he declared that he would destroy the Xue Clan in a year.

Xue Yu’s eyes boiled with boundless murderous intent. He wanted to dash forth and take Liu Wuxie’s life because if someone else dared to speak to him in this manner, that person would’ve already been dead. But he had his concerns because Xu Lingxue was Baili Qing’s disciple.

No one believed Liu Wuxie’s oath, and they all considered it a joke. After all, provoking Xue Clan publicly was no different than courting death.

Liu Wuxie walked towards the arena, leaving behind his back to everyone. Xu Lingxue held her tears back because she knew that Liu Wuxie had agreed to Xue Yu’s bet to protect the Xu Clan.

“Brother Xue, you don’t have to worry about it. I have already made arrangements, and he’ll die when he stands in the arena.” Wan Zhuoran never expected that Xue Yu would fork out 100 spirit stones to force Liu Wuxie to agree to bet with him.

Tens of thousands of eyes followed Liu Wuxie as he made his way down the bridge, step by step. His solitary figure emanated an aura of loneliness and overwhelming power. As they watched him go, they began to question whether the rumors of him being worthless were true.

After three rounds of beast battles, the arena was slick with blood and littered with chunks of flesh. Most people would have lost their nerve at the sight, but Liu Wuxie strode calmly onto the field. All eyes were on him as he became the center of attention. The crowd watched him with a mix of excitement, ridicule, and raucous cheers.

“Let’s invite the demonic beast out!” The host gave the order, and the fence was opened. The beast tamer chased a gigantic demonic beast out. This demonic beast was three meters tall, and the ground rumbled like an earthquake when it moved.

“T-This is the Earthshock Blaze Tiger!” A buzzing noise came from the entire arena, and the demonic beast shocked everyone. Only those who comprehended the Xiantian Spirit could face such a demonic beast. It released a mighty roar the moment it appeared, and the sheer shockwave from its roar made many low-leveled cultivators bleed from their seven orifices.

The roar created a powerful air current that swept out, and it charged towards the arena with the surrounding blood stench stimulating its bloodlust.

“This is a first-grade, fifth-level demonic beast, the Earthshock Blaze Tiger. It might have a massive size but has ordinary combat power. Even so, Young Master Liu, you have to be careful.” The host’s voice spread throughout the colosseum through the loudspeaker in his hand. A first-grade, fifth-level demonic beast wasn’t powerful, and it was roughly equivalent to the fifth or sixth level of the Houtian Realm for human cultivators. But that was for ordinary people. Liu Wuxie was notorious for being a trash who couldn’t cultivate.

When the Earthshock Blaze Tiger entered the arena, it huffed a white mist from its jaws. It had starved for days, and the demonic energy in its eyes was so dense that it nearly condensed.

Wan Zhuoran, I swear I’ll kill you if anything happens to him! Xu Lingxue swore inwardly. Liu Wuxie didn’t have a choice and went up to the arena to protect the Xu Clan, and this was all Wan Zhuoran’s scheme.

Liu Wuxie stood facing the Earthshock Blaze Tiger. His sword hung at his waist, concealed by a red cloth, obscuring the blade from view.

“Look! The beast tamer left!” An exclamation sounded out. With the departure of the beast tamer, the Earthshock Blaze Tiger was free to do as it pleased. No longer restrained by the tamer’s control, it could unleash its full strength.

“This is the same as giving Liu Wuxie a death sentence! Without the beast tamer, he’ll die for sure!” This was Wan Clan’s scheme. The beast tamer would leave after bringing the demonic beast into the arena. At that time, Liu Wuxie’s fate could only be determined by the heavens.

But that wasn’t all as a massive iron cage suddenly rose from the ground, covering the entire arena.

“This...” Everyone was dumbfounded at this moment. Liu Wuxie and the Earthshock Blaze Tiger were trapped in the cage with no means to escape. It seemed like the Wan Clan would stop at nothing to kill Liu Wuxie.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please do not misunderstand. The cage is to prevent the Earthshock Blaze Tiger from escaping and hurting the innocent. This is not targeted at Liu Wuxie, and we will lower the cage to let him out immediately if Young Master Liu surrenders.” The host explained, but no one would take him seriously. If the cage was to prevent the Earthshock Blaze Tiger from hurting the innocent, did that mean it could hurt Liu Wuxie however it wanted?

This was a genuine battle between trapped beasts. Liu Wuxie and the Earthshock Blaze Tiger were trapped in the cage, and only one could leave it alive.

Liu Wuxie smiled and looked at everyone from the Wan Clan, capturing their disgusting faces in his mind. He already decided to let the Wan Clan live in fear every day after he reached the Xiantian Realm. The reason why the Wan Clan dared to bully him was because he was too weak.

If his father-in-law had been present, he wouldn’t have allowed the Wan Clan to push Liu Wuxie around. Xu Lingxue cried out in protest, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the clamor of the crowd.

“Master Huo, should we stop them?” Lei Tao couldn’t watch any longer. The Wan Clan had already crossed the bottom line and had resorted to all means to kill Liu Wuxie.

“Don’t worry about it. Didn’t you say Liu Wuxie sent Zhou Tong flying with a slap?” Master Huo smiled. Since Liu Wuxie could send Zhou Tong flying with a slap, this meant he was at least between the sixth and seventh levels of the Houtian Realm; it wouldn’t be easy for the Earthshock Blaze Tiger to kill Liu Wuxie.

“What will happen to our cooperation if anything happens to him? The emergence of the Heavenly Spirit Pill will raise the position of our Treasure Pill Pavilion even in the imperial capital. We might even have the opportunity to be transferred to the Imperial City!” That was what Lei Tao was concerned about. The Imperial City was their goal, as Azure Billow City was too small.

“Let’s just carry on watching. Since he can win three beast battles and fool the Wan Clan, do you think he’ll die so easily?” Master Huo waved his hand. The reason why he didn’t intervene was because he trusted Liu Wuxie. He could sense a mysterious power in Liu Wuxie that couldn’t be ignored.

“Father, that’s my big brother! Do something to save him!” Song Ling ran over and begged his father to stop this mess. After two hours of interaction, he had already considered Liu Wuxie his brother.

“Bring him down!” The face of the Song Clan’s patriarch was ugly because it wasn’t worth it to offend the Wan Clan for Xu Clan’s son-in-law. The Wan Clan had already become Xue Clan’s lackey and showed a faint tendency to surpass the Song Clan. So Song Clan couldn't fall out with Wan Clan, especially at this juncture.

No one stood up for Liu Wuxie. On the contrary, many spectators roared in excitement. After all, the beast-taming segment was more visually stunning than the beast-battle segment.

“Earthshock Blaze Tiger, eat him!” The Tian Clan’s members roared excitedly, with countless people following suit.

The Earthshock Blaze Tiger’s body suddenly swelled up, becoming more prominent. As it released a roar, it ground its paws before charging toward Liu Wuxie, causing the arena to tremble under its gallop.

The tension in the air was palpable as everyone held their breath. No one was optimistic about Liu Wuxie’s chances against the three-meter-tall Earthshock Blaze Tiger. Many people covered their eyes, unable to bear the thought of watching Liu Wuxie being torn apart and devoured by the beast. They could already imagine his stomach bursting open, his intestines spilling out, and his blood staining the arena.

As the Earthshock Blaze Tiger got closer, it was only ten-odd meters away from Liu Wuxie, and Liu Wuxie had no room for retreat. He could not leave as the iron cage behind him was made of refined iron, and he could only fight the Earthshock Blaze Tiger head-on. Only one could leave the arena alive—he or the Earthshock Blaze Tiger—and there was no second option.

Everyone held their breath as they listened to the Earthshock Blaze Tiger’s gallop echoing in the entire colosseum.

Xu Lingxue bit her lip so hard that blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, but she felt no pain.

Xue Yu smiled as he watched the Earthshock Blaze Tiger release its suffocating demonic energy, ready to swallow its prey in one gulp. If Liu Wuxie were to die, Xue Yu could use the power of the Xue Clan to pressure the Xu Clan. Then Xu Lingyue would be at his mercy and would have no choice but to become his woman.

“Is he insane? Why isn’t he dodging?!”

The Earthshock Blaze Tiger was already three meters away from Liu Wuxie, but Liu Wuxie had no intentions of dodging. Even if he couldn’t beat the Earthshock Blaze Tiger, he should be able to run for some time. Even if he had to surrender, he would at least be alive.

Everyone watched the Earthshock Blaze Tiger open its jaws, biting at Liu Wuxie’s head. If the Earthshock Blaze Tiger really bit down, Liu Wuxie would be decapitated.

This scene brought a smile to the faces of Wan Zhuoran and Tian Yequan, including the members of their clans, because Liu Wuxie would finally die.

But just when they were anticipating watching Liu Wuxie being killed, the Earthshock Blaze Tiger suddenly stopped and lay beside Liu Wuxie like a docile cat.