Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 37 - Conspiracy

contemporary romance

The black-clothed leader crumpled to the ground, powerless, as the blade pierced his dantian.

Liu Wuxie was immediately overcome with intense dizziness because of using Ghost Eye. His soul sea had been greatly depleted and was on the brink of collapse. “Deacon Qi, finish them off quickly!” Liu Wuxie shouted.

After facing the black-clothed leader, Liu Wuxie had already reached his limit and could barely maintain his composure. As the strange luster in his right pupil became dim, Liu Wuxie closed his eyes to recover.

The remaining four soldiers were so shocked that they forgot to escape. They couldn’t believe that their commander was defeated by Liu Wuxie, who was only in the Xiantian Realm.

Deacon Qi recovered from his shock and stepped forth with his blade, catching the remaining soldiers by surprise and killing three with one strike. The last remaining soldier managed to escape.

“Where do you think you’re running to!” It would become a nightmare for the Xu Clan if one of them escaped, and they had to silence everyone. After all, the imperial court would pursue every death of a soldier from the Terrabreak Army.

Deacon Qi hurled his blade, impaling the fleeing soldier to the ground. The soldier had only made it ten steps before the blade pierced his body, causing blood to gush from his wound and stain the carriages of Iris Gold Ores red. With all the soldiers now slain, Deacon Qi’s face still bore traces of fear as he retrieved his blade and approached Liu Wuxie.

“Young Master, are you alright?” Deacon Qi’s tone was respectful. He changed his attitude towards Liu Wuxie, even offering him a deep bow.

“I’m fine. I’ll be alright after some resting. Clean up the battlefield quickly and erase all traces.”

The fifteen guards swiftly fetched fresh water to wash away the bloodstains on the cliffs. It took them two hours to restore Phoenix Gorge Peak to its original state, leaving no trace behind. A few guards went to the canyon's entrance to find the two escaped fouls and brought them back, tying them to the carriage.

As for the corpses of the Terrabreak Army’s soldiers, they were incinerated to ashes. Only the commander remained, kneeling on the ground.

“Boy, you’re doomed! After killing soldiers of the Terrabreak Army, even if you flee to the end of the earth, you will have nowhere to hide. Just wash your neck clean and wait to be beheaded.” The black-clothed leader tore off his mask, revealing the face of a bearded middle-aged man. He looked ferocious and let out sinister laughter.

After two hours of recovery, Liu Wuxie’s soul sea was fully restored. He opened his eyes and looked at the black-clothed leader without a hint of emotion in his eyes.

“You make it sound like you would spare our Xu Clan if we were to spare your lives,” Liu Wuxie sneered. It was strange that soldiers of the Terrabreak Army were present, and they would naturally try to silence any witnesses. The only way to eliminate any evidence of their presence in Azure Billow City was to eradicate the Xu Clan.

Liu Wuxie unsheathed his blade and approached the black-clothed leader, placing it on his neck. His dantian was destroyed, and he was no different from an ordinary person.

“You’re right. But your Xu Clan is doomed for offending the Terrabreak Army. Not even the current Emperor can protect you!” The black-clothed leader let out a sinister laughter. As Liu Wuxie had surmised, they had come to seize the Xu Clan’s Iris Gold Mine and destroy the clan, ensuring that no one knew of their presence.

Song Tianhao hadn’t been entirely truthful. He must have known that soldiers of the Terrabreak Army had arrived, but he didn’t dare reveal their existence for fear of being implicated. He had only told Liu Wuxie that someone had come to Azure Billow City.

“Tell me, what’s your name, and who sent you here?” Liu Wuxie questioned coldly. It was weird that the Terrabreak Army got involved in a dispute between clans, especially risking being punished for ambushing the Xu Clan. So there must be someone behind them.

“Young man, you’re wasting your time. Soldiers of the Terrabreak Army like myself undergo rigorous training, and you can forget about extracting any information from me.” The black-clothed leader spat on the ground and showed no regard for Liu Wuxie. In his eyes, Liu Wuxie had only managed to defeat him by resorting to some nefarious sorcery; if they were to engage in a direct confrontation, Liu Wuxie would have been the one to fall.

The fifteen guards of the Xu Clan were scattered in the surrounding area, with some even stationed at the entrance to prevent anyone from entering the canyon.

“Young Master, I’ve heard that soldiers of the Terrabreak Army undergo the most grueling training, including a section specifically designed to ensure that they cannot be interrogated by their enemies. They are subjected to torture, and any who fail to keep their lips sealed face military punishment.” Deacon Qi approached, frowning. The Terrabreak Army was renowned for its strictness.

When the black-clothed leader heard what Deacon Qi said, he had pride on his face. Anyone who could join the Terrabreak Army was highly talented.

“Is that so? Let me see how tight your lips are then!” Liu Wuxie didn’t release any overwhelming aura, and he merely sheathed his blade before walking to the black-clothed leader’s back.

For some reason, the black-clothed leader shuddered when Liu Wuxie came behind him. After all, Liu Wuxie was too unpredictable, and he didn’t know what Liu Wuxie was trying to do.

“I can let you leave if you can last ten breaths.” As Liu Wuxie spoke, his right hand fell on the black-clothed leader’s neck, and a peculiar light drilled into the latter’s body. Shortly after, the black-clothed leader began to tremble.

“ARGGGGGHHHH!” The black-clothed leader let out a shriek before he could even take a breath. This scared Deacon Qi, and he wondered what Liu Wuxie did. After all, the black-clothed leader’s facial expression had become distorted from the pain.

The Xu Clan’s guards looked over in their direction fearfully, and they didn’t dare to get close. The black-clothed leader’s scream made their hair stand on end.

“Young Master, what did you do to him?” Deacon Qi’s legs trembled as he looked at the black-clothed leader’s body twisted into a ball with crisp crackling sounds coming from his bones. The black-clothed leader’s kneecap was bent upwards, which made him look like a deformed monster.

“The Paralysis Hand and Myriad Stinging Art,” Liu Wuxie said indifferently, as though he was saying something casual.

It wasn’t hard to comprehend what the two techniques meant, but were they really that painful? As a matter of fact, this was on a whole new level compared to torturing interrogation.

“I’ll confess! I’ll confess! Just spare me!” In just five breaths, the black-clothed leader struggled to say those words. This was because the pain he was experiencing was unbearable, originating from the depths of his soul rather than his physical body.

Soldiers of the Terrabreak Army underwent training to endure physical torture, and they could grit their teeth and bear it. But the Myriad Stinging technique was on a whole different level. The pain would penetrate the mind, causing suffering worse than death.

When Liu Wuxie had said ten breaths, he had overestimated the black-clothed leader. The soldiers of the Terrabreak Army weren’t as formidable as he had thought. Liu Wuxie patted the leader’s back a few times, and the pain gradually subsided. The leader’s clothes were drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of water.

“You’re not a human! You must be a devil! A monster!” The black-clothed leader’s face was covered in fear, with his body trembling.

Deacon Qi nodded in agreement with the black-clothed leader. Such a heaven-defying technique was simply unheard of, and Liu Wuxie was no different from a devil at this moment.

“Go on. Tell me, who sent you here?” Liu Wuxie shifted a rock over and sat on it. He wasn’t in a hurry because no one usually passed by this canyon.

“My name is Zhou Hu, a 1000-Man Commander of the Terrabreak Army’s Heaven Battalion. A few days ago, I passed through Azure Billow City and paid a visit to the City Lord Mansion. By chance, the patriarchs of Tian and Wan Clans were there, discussing the recent events in Azure Billow City,” Zhou Hu revealed.

As Liu Wuxie had speculated, this had something to do with the Tian and Wan Clans. But he never expected that the City Lord Mansion was also involved.

“Given the high status of the Terrabreak Army, how could the Tian and Wan Clans order you to do their bidding?” This was what puzzled Liu Wuxie the most. After all, the Terrabreak Army had no quarrel with the Xu Clan, so why would they risk getting into trouble? If word of this were to spread to the Great Yan Dynasty, they would be in deep trouble.

“The City Lord used to be a soldier of the Terrabreak Army, and we’re comrades with a deep relationship. I was here for business and visited an old friend, running into this matter coincidentally. Qi Enshi mentioned the current situation of Azure Billow City and asked me for a favor. We just have to scare the Xu Clan and seize some resources. We didn’t even plan on hurting anyone initially.” Zhou Hu didn’t dare to hide a single thing and came clean.

“So, you guys were the ones who robbed the goods a few days ago?” Liu Wuxie asked. The Xu Clan’s goods were robbed a few days ago, losing ten-odd guards. But the entire transportation team wasn’t wiped out.

“Yeah.”

“Then why did you attempt to kill everyone today when you only robbed our goods a few days ago?” Liu Wuxie pressed. The Terrabreak Army had intended to kill everyone present, and their motives were not as simple as mere robbery.

“That’s because we got greedy. The Tian and Wan Clans offered us 10,000,000 gold coins to do their bidding and ensure that no one knew of the Terrabreak Army’s involvement. I lost a large sum of gold coins in the Imperial Capital last month, so I agreed to their proposal since I was in need of money,” Zhou Hu admitted.

They hadn’t used their crossbows when they robbed the goods a few days ago, and not many people were aware of their involvement. They had planned to stop there until the Tian and Wan Clans appeared, offering them 10,000,000 gold coins to do their bidding.

“Why did the Tian and Wan Clans hire you to target my Xu Clan instead of sending someone else to intercept us?” It was a considerable sum to spend 10,000,000 gold coins to hire the Terrabreak Army. With that amount of money, they could have hired a hundred thousand mercenaries to guard the area; there was no need to involve the Terrabreak Army.

“I’m not sure about that, but I heard they have something more important to attend to.” Zhou Hu only knew so much. He just wanted to make some money and almost lost his life.

As expected, the two clans were trying to lure Xu Yilin away from the Xu Clan. When Xu Yilin entered the Sunset Mountain Range, they could take the opportunity to seize the Xu Clan’s assets, and it was a seamless plan.

“I never expected a 1000-Man Commander of the Terrabreak Army to be as foolish as a pig. You don’t even realize that you’re being used. If I’m not mistaken, you must have evidence of Qi Enshi’s shady dealings, right?” Liu Wuxie’s face twisted with contempt.

Liu Wuxie’s words caused the black-clothed leader to react as if he had been struck by lightning. He suddenly stood up, facing Liu Wuxie with a look of horror, as it further proved that Liu Wuxie was a monster.

“H-How did you know about that?” Zhou Hu stammered, his face contorted with fear.

Deacon Qi was puzzled, wondering how Liu Wuxie could know so much and deduce so many things from a single event.

“It’s simple. Since you and Qi Enshi are comrades, I find it hard to believe that the soldiers of the Terrabreak Army are completely clean; he must have done something shady. Am I right?” Liu Wuxie said. Zhou Hu nodded, for the Terrabreak Army had a fearsome reputation, and who could guarantee that they had never harmed innocent people?

“You claimed to have come here to visit your friend, but in reality, you probably intended to blackmail Qi Enshi since you mentioned earlier that you had lost a lot of money. He would have tried to placate you at first, telling you that you had to do something for him if you wanted the money, which was to rob the Xu Clan’s goods. So you agreed to it.”

Zhou Hu’s mouth hung open as he listened to Liu Wuxie’s words, completely stunned.