Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 429 - Punishment

Liu Wuxie was the first to dare seize points from disciples of the Law-Enforcement Hall. The disciple standing before him was dressed in a white robe, looking elegant without arrogance.

After all, anyone who could reach the Heavenly Phase Realm wasn't ordinary, regardless of their character or wisdom. They had far surpassed ordinary people and couldn't be measured by common standards.

"Are you Liu Wuxie?" The white-clothed youth maintained a three-meter distance from Liu Wuxie with a hint of doubt on his face. He began to examine this youth, who was much younger than him.

His divine sense scanned through Liu Wuxie multiple times, wanting to see what was so special about him. But he couldn't find anything different about Liu Wuxie from ordinary people.

"That's right!" Liu Wuxie was on guard because the other party had the Law-Enforcement Hall's emblem on his left sleeve. His odds of winning were low against someone in the Heavenly Phase Realm, almost close to none.

This meant the other party could easily kill him, but he couldn't sense any murderous intent on his face, which gradually relaxed Liu Wuxie.

"My name is Luo He, a disciple of the Law-Enforcement Hall. You should know my purpose for coming here, right?" the youth introduced himself with a smile.

"To avenge those three?" Liu Wuxie probed. It was normal for him to think this way since Luo He was also a Law-Enforcement Hall's disciple.

"Those three have been using the Law-Enforcement Hall's name to extort money for years. Even if you hadn't killed them, I would’ve done it myself sooner or later. As for avenging them? Hmph!" Luo He expressed his stance clearly.

The Law-Enforcement Hall knew of Ma Shiyan and the other two's actions. In recent years, many people had complained about them, seriously affecting the Law-Enforcement Hall's reputation.

"Since you're not here to avenge them, you must be here to hand me my punishment!" Liu Wuxie lowered his last wisp of vigilance.

"I'm curious how someone your age could do so many crazy things." Luo He didn't deny it, essentially admitting he was here to issue Liu Wuxie's punishment. After all, Liu Wuxie had violated the sect's rules by seizing others' points publicly, and even Elder Tian Xing couldn't protect him.

They needed to address the situation, or other disciples would start panicking. If they did nothing and everyone mimicked Liu Wuxie's actions, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion would descend into chaos.

"I believe you'll also do the same if someone puts a knife to your throat," Liu Wuxie explained, which was straightforward. He was forced to retaliate and had never provoked any trouble.

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Everyone knew why Hou Ye and Ma Shiyan had targated him, and he believed Luo He would do the same if he was in the same position.

"Do you know what you did might ruin your future?" Luo He said in a regretful tone. Liu Wuxie had a bright future ahead of him, but he had jeopardized it because of some garbage.

"I'm prepared to face the consequences since I've done it." Liu Wuxie was ready to accept the consequences since he had seized the points from the three medals.

"This is your punishment. The sect won't pursue this matter if you can complete it." Luo He took a jade slip from his bosom and tossed it to Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie caught the jade slip and read the information inside. Curious, he said, "But it doesn't seem to mention when I should set out or when I have to complete it."

Since there wasn't a date, this meant Liu Wuxie would delay it indefinitely.

"You should thank Elder Tian Xing for that. He mentioned that you've been busy recently and have an upcoming visit to the Celestial Spirit Cave. He said you'd go once you’ve finished everything, and he bought time for you," Luo He said straightforwardly. He couldn't understand why Elder Tian Xing would quarrel with the other elders for a disciple.

If it were another disciple, the punishment would’ve been executed immediately after it was issued.

Liu Wuxie couldn't afford to leave as he had to train Fan Zhen and the others. Moreover, the Celestial Spirit Cave's reward would soon be issued, making it even more impossible for him to leave the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

The sect's rules were typically inflexible, but Elder Tian Xing had intervened and removed the date from the punishment.

Liu Wuxie fell silent and placed the jade slip in his interspatial pouch. He knew Elder Tian Xing had faced tremendous pressure because of him.

It wasn't hard to tell Elder Tian Xing must be having a tough time lately dealing with the other higher-ups because of him.

"Thank Elder Tian Xing for me!" Liu Wuxie said sincerely.

He was grateful to Elder Tian Xing for taking care of him. Without Elder Tian Xing, it would have been tough for him to deal with Elder Wu Yang's provocation. He knew he owed Elder Tian Xing several favors.

"Elder Tian Xing has a message for you," Luo He said solemnly.

"Please go on!" Liu Wuxie was all ears.

"He told me to tell you to survive!" Luo He said and left as he had completed his task.

Liu Wuxie fell into deep thoughts as he looked at Luo He's silhouette. He knew he had affected the interest of some, such as some Law-Enforcement Hall's elders.

It was clear Ma Shiyan and his companions dared to extort and rob other disciples because someone was backing them, someone with a status no inferior to Elder Tian Xing.

When Ma Shiyan and his companions extorted and robbed other disciples, they kept some of the loot while a portion went into the pocket of their benefactor.

Liu Wuxie didn't ask who it was because he knew Luo wouldn't tell him even if he asked. The Law-Enforcement Hall was infested with parasites that even trash like Zhu Sheng could thrive in it.

He didn't think much about it because he couldn't get involved with his current cultivation. It was fine for now, with Elder Tian Xing protecting him. But this wasn't a long-term solution because the person behind the scenes would surely try to kill him.

It would be an indirect blow to Elder Tian Xing if he died.

"In the end, my cultivation is too low!" Liu Wuxie smiled bitterly. He was strong and could kill someone in the ninth-level Heavenly Dipper Realm, but he was still an ant in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

Luo He could kill him with just one move. Moreover, true disciples were above elite disciples, who had equal status with the elders.

He would have to become a true disciple if he wanted authority to wrestle with the higher-ups.

"The jade slip might not specify the time, but it cannot be delayed too long, or it will place Elder Tian Xing in a terrible situation," Liu Wuxie murmured. The cultivation chambers opened once more, and he continued to guide the five.

Four days had passed outside, equivalent to four months in the cultivation chambers. During this time, the strength of the five underwent a drastic transformation.

The Divine Phaseless Art was a powerful cultivation technique within the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, nearing the level of a heaven-grade technique. With a mentor like Liu Wuxie, the five disciples made rapid and significant progress in their cultivation.

Fan Zhen reached the Heavenly Dipper Realm in the third month after absorbing hundreds of thousands of spirit stones, closely followed by Chen Ruoyan.

With steady accumulation, she not only made up for the one year's worth of lost time but also advanced rapidly in her cultivation. After reaching the Heavenly Dipper Realm, Chen Ruoyan regained her confidence and stood proudly in the cultivation chamber like a peacock.

Bi Gongyu reached the Heavenly Dipper Realm in three and a half months, Lan Yu reached it close to the fourth month, and Song Ling reached it at the end of the fourth month.

When the five stepped out of the cultivation chambers, they felt reborn. They looked at each other and couldn't believe it was real.

After four months of hard work, Song Ling had visibly slimmed down, with his robes hanging loosely.

"Wuxie, we didn't disappoint you and have all broken through!" Fan Zhen cupped his fists in gratitude to Liu Wuxie for his guidance.

Despite the four months they had spent in the cultivation chambers, it had only been four days outside, and it felt like a lifetime for them.

"Time is tight. Here are five sets of martial techniques, each catered to you five. I'll bring you five to the Martial Hall." Liu Wuxie wasted no time and led the five to the Martial Hall. When they passed by the Array Tower, he left Song Ling behind.

"Try and reach the seventh level. Give up if you can't persist, and take this opportunity to familiarize yourself with spiritual arrays while practicing your martial techniques. If you can integrate this fist technique into the spiritual runes, it will benefit you greatly in spiritual arrays."

Leaving Song Ling behind, Liu Wuxie led the other four to another area. This was the Martial Hall, which was more magnificent than the Array Tower.

The Martial Hall was filled with various chambers, divided into simulation combat and deathmatches. The simulation combats wouldn't result in death, causing only minor injuries at most. However, deathmatches involved real opponents, posing a genuine risk of death. As a result, most people avoided choosing the deathmatch option.

Liu Wuxie had wanted to train in the Martial Hall before but hadn't had the chance.

"Two modes: which one will you pick?" Liu Wuxie asked for their input. Simulation combat was safe but didn't fully draw out the true power of martial techniques. In contrast, deathmatches brought out one's full potential by placing them in real danger.

Fan Zhen had told the others about Liu Wuxie killing the Law-Enforcement Hall's disciples, and his verdict had arrived. This meant he would have to leave the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion soon to face his punishment.

"Deathmatch!" Lan Yu was the first to make the choice.

"Deathmatch!"

"Deathmatch!" They went all out because they didn't want to drag Liu Wuxie down. Their cultivation might've risen, but their combat strength was still weak.

"Alright. You all have three days to master and apply the martial techniques in actual combat. Don’t be overly ambitious; surrender if you can’t win," Liu Wuxie instructed." The combat would end as soon as they surrendered.

The four nodded and entered four chambers while Liu Wuxie went straight to the seventh level. He also wanted to temper himself in the next three days.

He passed through a long corridor and saw disciples coming out frequently, all looking exhausted. He found an empty chamber and inserted his token, picking Deathmatch.

The gate closed when he stepped into the chamber, isolating him from the outside world. This building was originally built with spiritual arrays, but physical fights had replaced them.

Before Liu Wuxie could go into his stance, a powerful sword aura descended, with power comparable to the eighth level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

There were nine levels, with the first level representing the first level of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, and so on.