Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 125 - Flame Sun Cave

That was close. I managed to scare him away! Liu Wuxie thought to himself. His spiritual array was teetering on the brink of collapse after containing Zhao Yuanjia for an extended period. If the conflict had persisted, Zhao Yuanjia could have shattered the spiritual array and ended Liu Wuxie’s life.

Liu Wuxie had only inflicted minor injuries on Zhao Yuanjia, relying on the spiritual array, and none of the injuries posed a threat to his life. The latter was a low-level Marrow Cleansing Realm cultivator. The fact that he could accomplish this was heaven-defying enough. He deactivated the spiritual array, confident that he wouldn’t be disturbed that night, and returned to his bed to absorb spiritual energy.

As the morning sunlight filtered through the window, Liu Wuxie ceased his cultivation and rose from his bed. He exuded a potent aura, akin to a sheathed blade, that permeated the entire courtyard. Anyone who dared to approach him in this state would be torn apart by the blade aura he emitted.

Under the pressure of the blade aura, the grand century-old tree began to quiver, its leaves detonating in a flurry, leaving the tree bare. The furniture in the room started to disintegrate, appearing as though it was being eroded. The insides of the furniture were already hollowed out from the corrosion. Through a night of intense cultivation, Liu Wuxie had fully recuperated from his assessment and the long journey to the Imperial Capital.

“The blade intent I’ve mastered is distinct from my previous life. It’s more potent, and I believe this is linked to my unique dantian,” Liu Wuxie reflected as the blade aura surrounding him began to fade. He found it hard to articulate this sensation, but he recognized that his blade technique, cultivation method, and soul sea had diverged from his previous life’s cultivation path. The only constant was his knowledge as an Immortal Emperor.

Walking out of the room, he saw that the courtyard was still in a mess as no one had come to clean up. The doors were broken, which meant he had to spend gold coins to get someone to repair it.

Over the past few days, he had practically grasped the overall layout of the Imperial Academy. Li Shengsheng also gave him a map of the Imperial Academy to ensure he wouldn’t lose his way. As he traversed the thick woods, he encountered very few students since the sun had just ascended. He would sporadically cross paths with some Profound Grade students who were in a hurry.

With a swift tap of his foot, Liu Wuxie quickened his pace. He was keen to avoid any unnecessary complications and didn’t want his entry into the Flame Sun Cave to be noticed.

“That brat is heading to the Flame Sun Cave!” Not long after Liu Wuxie left, two figures came out from the woods. They had been watching Liu Wuxie’s courtyard throughout the night.

“Activate the plan and stop him from entering the Flame Sun Cave!” one of the two said, giving the order to stop Liu Wuxie from entering the cave.

Unaware of this, Lui Wuxie entered the Profound Grade region an hour later. A vast cave lay before him, linked to the underground flames. Consequently, the cave emitted substantial amounts of flame-yang energy daily, making it a haven for cultivators who practiced fire-attributed cultivation techniques.

Liu Wuxie possessed the desolate dantian, consisting of multiple attributes and elements. This meant that any place was a paradise to him. He followed a blue slab path and arrived at the Flame Sun Cave. Following the path, it didn’t take long before he arrived before a majestic hall. One needed to register first to enter the Flame Sun Cave, as not everyone was qualified to enter.

Entering the hall, the interior was relatively simple. In the hall\'s depth, a long passage led directly underground to the Flame Sun Cave.

“Who is it?!” When Liu Wuxie approached, an old man walked over from the depth of the hall. He was the elder responsible for the Flame Sun Cave, guarding this place to prevent anyone from infiltrating. This old man was in his sixties, with half of his hair already turned white. His piercing gaze swept over Liu Wuxie like twin bolts of lightning.

“I am Liu Wuxie, this year’s assessment champion. My reward is ten days of cultivation in the Flame Sun Cave,” Liu Wuxie responded respectfully, presenting the medal awarded to him by Jin Jianfeng.

A peculiar smile played on the old man’s lips as he accepted Liu Wuxie’s medal. “The Flame Sun Cave is currently closed to the public. You may return when it reopens,” he stated, pocketing the medal. His insistence on Liu Wuxie’s departure was unusual.

A chill ran through Liu Wuxie’s gaze as he sensed something amiss. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that the old man was deliberately creating obstacles for him. The coincidence of the Flame Sun Cave being closed upon his arrival seemed too convenient.

“Please tell me when the Flame Sun Cave will be open then,” Liu Wuxie said, suppressing the anger in his heart. He still persevered despite knowing that this old man was intentionally making things difficult for him. He could guess that the Xue Clan was behind it. After all, they held great power in the Imperial Academy, and it was nothing weird for them to bribe an elder.

“Unsure for now. You can go back first, and I will inform you when it’s open,” the old man waved his hand impatiently, signaling Liu Wuxie to leave. He had no intention of giving a precise date. He planned on indefinitely postponing the opening of the Flame Sun Cave until Liu Wuxie left the Imperial Academy.

“Elder, what did the Xue Clan promise you to intentionally make it difficult for an Earth Grade student like me?” Liu Wuxie’s eyes flashed without a hint of emotion. A powerful aura also swept out from him as he was genuinely enraged. If the Xue Clan targeted him openly, he wouldn’t fear. However, using such an underhanded method made Liu Wuxie look down on the Xue Clan.

“Who are you to question my methods? If you don’t leave now, don’t blame me for my discourtesy!” The old man was incensed, spinning around and releasing his Marrow Cleansing Realm aura at Liu Wuxie. His cultivation was at the first-level Marrow Cleansing Realm, sufficient for his role as the guardian of the Flame Sun Cave.

Those whose cultivation was at the high levels of the Marrow Cleansing Realm were teachers in the Imperial Academy. They naturally wouldn’t come to this remote place to guard here. Only elders who didn’t have a high status would be sent here.

“I’m not going anywhere today and will enter the Flame Sun Cave!” Liu Wuxie stepped forth, releasing an aura no weaker than the old man\'s. This naturally startled the old man because he didn’t expect Liu Wuxie to have such a terrifying aura.

There wasn’t anyone here, and even if they fought here, no one would know about it. This was probably why the Xue Clan dared to be bold. After all, no one would know even if Liu Wuxie died here.

However, Liu Wuxie had another option: to seek out the academy’s higher-ups and request an investigation. But this would mean enduring a few days of humiliation, even if he could eventually cultivate in the Flame Sun Cave, an outcome Liu Wuxie did not desire.

The Xue Clan exploited this, targeting Liu Wuxie, who was too proud and solitary to seek help from the academy’s higher-ups.

“Brat, I’ll stand my ground here today. If you can bypass me, consider it your victory.” The old man wore a cruel smile. This was as good as telling Liu Wuxie that the Flame Sun Cave wasn’t closed; he simply didn’t want to let Liu Wuxie in, blatantly obstructing him. He was also signaling to Liu Wuxie that he wouldn’t hinder him now or in the future.

Liu Wuxie reflected on Xue Pinzhi’s words, acknowledging the deep-seated influence of the Xue Clan within the Imperial Academy. The clan had numerous disciples studying at the academy, and several faculty members were also from the Xue Clan.

“Well, I apologize for what’s about to happen!” Liu Wuxie sneered that someone in the first-level Marrow Cleansing Realm dared to stop him. His short blade materialized in his hand as they faced off, a storm brewing around them that caused the nearby stone pillars to shake and rocks to tumble down.

The old man narrowed his eyes, his expression shifting slightly. He didn’t dare to underestimate Liu Wuxie and took out a smoking pipe. The Xue Clan had warned him about Liu Wuxie’s prowess and cautioned him not to underestimate the situation.

A heatwave surged from underground as magma began to spew out, accompanied by a dense fire-attribute spiritual energy. With a deep breath, Liu Wuxie could sense an impending breakthrough. He lunged forward, leaving an afterimage in his wake, and swung his blade towards the old man’s chest and back.

Liu Wuxie had no intention of killing the old man, who was responsible for guarding the place. Any harm to the old man would escalate the situation. He understood the difference between crippling a student and killing a teacher.

Over the past few days, Liu Wuxie had been feeling that someone in the academy was protecting him. If he were an ordinary student, he would either be crippled or expelled from the academy for killing so many people. However, he didn’t know who was backing him up for the time being.

The old man didn’t dare to be careless as they fought in the hall. The blade and smoking pipe clashed in the hall, and their clashes formed into a powerful air current sweeping out.

A powerful aura of a Marrow Cleansing Realm expert swept out as the old man was furious to be suppressed by someone in the fifth-level Xiantian Realm. This was humiliating for him, and his murderous intent leaked out.

Liu Wuxie, on the other hand, exercised caution. While he had the capability to kill someone in the first-level Marrow Cleansing Realm, he couldn’t afford to reveal all his trump cards as this wasn’t a fight to the death. His objective was to gain entry into the Flame Sun Cave while maintaining a low profile in front of the old man.

Using the Seven Dipper Steps, Liu Wuxie managed to dodge every move coming from the old man, making the latter furious. The Xue Clan had tasked him to stop Liu Wuxie no matter what. He was implicated in the Xue Clan’s underhanded dealings, and failure to complete this task would result in severe punishment from the clan.

The old man’s smoking pipe left a trail of afterimages as it spewed out flames, enveloping Liu Wuxie. The old man, having cultivated here, had a deep understanding of fire attributes.

With a dismissive snort, Liu Wuxie moved with a speed that was nothing short of astonishing. The longer their battle lasted, the more the old man was taken aback, as Liu Wuxie’s combat prowess surpassed his own. This seemed implausible, given that he was in the Marrow Cleansing Realm, and his combat abilities were supposedly inferior to someone in the Xiantian Realm. If word of this got out, it would be met with disbelief.

Yet, the reality was that Liu Wuxie, relying on his speed, was able to easily confront the old man. Simultaneously, he used the Ghost Eye to identify the old man’s weaknesses.