Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 167 - Guo Zhong’s Death

“An excellent blade! It should have a name now!” Liu Wuxie caressed the blade as traces of blade aura climbed up his shoulders through his hand and coursed through his body. It was an affinity coming from the blade as though it had acknowledged him as master.

“Let’s name it Heretic Blade!” The ‘Xie’ in his name also meant heretic, and ‘blade’ signified blood, befitting a blade that would draw blood upon being drawn.

Liu Wuxie placed his hand on the hilt of the blade. The blade intent enveloped the blade as he focused his gaze on the anvil at the center of the chamber.

“Cut!” With a flash of the blade, Liu Wuxie swung it down onto the anvil.

With a resounding crack, the anvil, crafted from divine iron of exceptional quality, burst into fragments. It was such that an average profound artifact wouldn’t even leave a mark on it.

Liu Wuxie smiled because the sharpness of the Heretic Blade far exceeded ordinary profound artifacts.

“This is great! The Heretic Blade can even confront ordinary Vajra artifacts!” He spent the remaining time to forge a scabbard. By the time he finished, dawn had broken, leaving him with twenty-nine days.

As Liu Wuxie emerged from the forging chamber, a fist hurtled towards him, giving him no chance to react. “Back off!” Liu Wuxie bellowed, countering swiftly with a punch of his own. The collision of the two fists sent a potent shockwave rippling outwards, causing nearby trees to snap under the force.

A figure stood outside the forging chamber, eyes filled with murderous intent fixed on Liu Wuxie. This individual had set up camp outside the chamber the previous day, lying in wait to ambush Liu Wuxie upon his exit.

“Guo Zhong, you’re courting death!” Liu Wuxie was enraged. The one who attacked him was Guo Zhong.

When a powerful shockwave swept out, Liu Wuxie and Guo Zhong retreated. Liu Wuxie returned to the safety of the forging chamber while Guo Zhong was thrown ten meters back. This took Guo Zhong by surprise, as Liu Wuxie’s strength had far surpassed his estimations. Had it been anyone else in Liu Wuxie’s position, they would have been killed by his lethal attack.

His pride was deeply wounded when he was unceremoniously dumped into a mud pond the day before. Though not a teacher, he held a distinguished position as a Master Blacksmith.

“Brat, you got lucky and managed to avoid my attack.” Guo Zhong wore a sinister smile as he approached Liu Wuxie. He was determined to kill Liu Wuxie to make an example out of him. This was to prevent newcomers from being disrespectful to him.

As Liu Wuxie emerged from the forging chamber, the murderous aura around him intensified with each step he took.

“You’re finished!” Liu Wuxie declared, unsheathing his blade. Having already claimed numerous lives at the Imperial Academy, he had no qualms about adding another to his tally, especially since he had already been penalized for his previous killings.

“Kid, your arrogance knows no bounds. Allow me to teach you a lesson today. You’re the first to dare disrespect me in this place,” Guo Zhong retorted, launching himself at Liu Wuxie like a shooting star and throwing a punch. His true essence manifested itself as a punch, hurtling towards Liu Wuxie.

“Allow me the privilege of ending your life to rid this place of vermin,” Liu Wuxie retorted, executing the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance and soaring skywards like a divine crane. This sudden move caused Guo Zhong to lose sight of Liu Wuxie, and he instantly realized he was in a precarious situation.

A blade swung down, leaving a huge gash on Guo Zhong’s back that stretched to his waist, covering him in blood.

Liu Wuxie didn’t intend to kill Guo Zhong outright, instead opting to slowly torture him to death. He continued to swing his blade, inflicting more wounds on Guo Zhong’s body.

In no time at all, Guo Zhong was covered in dozens of wounds. His back, chest, and arms were all marred by injuries. Blood gushed from the wounds, eliciting screams of agony from Guo Zhong.

Every time Guo Zhong threw a punch, Liu Wuxie would disappear before it could reach him, pushing the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance to the limit. Despite this, all Guo Zhong could see were Liu Wuxie’s afterimages.

The scene was a gruesome spectacle of one-sided carnage as the number of wounds on Guo Zhong began to multiply, soon reaching a staggering count of one hundred and fifty. This was part of Liu Wuxie’s plan to use Guo Zhong’s blood as a tribute to the blade. The creation of a powerful weapon often required blood to awaken the artifact’s spiritual essence.

Guo Zhong was so severely injured that even his soles were wounded, and his entire body was drenched in blood. His punches gradually lost their speed, and before long, he could barely muster the strength to lift his bloodied hand.

Liu Wuxie’s final strike landed on Guo Zhong’s dantian, causing the latter’s true essence to overflow from his dantian, marking the end of his life.

Liu Wuxie sheathed his blade and departed without sparing a glance at Guo Zhong. He didn’t have time to bid farewell to Li Shengsheng and others as he headed straight for the ten-mile-long street, leaving the academy to complete the three tasks assigned to him.

A month could be long or short, depending on the circumstances. The three tasks might seem simple, but completing them wouldn’t be easy. The one who assigned the tasks to him had no intention of letting him come back alive.

The janitor discovered Guo Zhong’s nearly lifeless body. Horrified by the sight of Guo Zhong, he immediately alerted the entire academy, wondering who could be so ruthless as to inflict over two hundred wounds on him.

When the elder of the Forging Pavilion came, Guo Zhong was barely alive with one breath left.

“Guo Zhong, who did this to you?” The elder of the Forging Pavilion asked, helping Guo Zhong up.

Since the establishment of the Imperial Academy, there had never been an incident of a Master Blacksmith being murdered.

With great difficulty, Guo Zhong pointed at the forging chamber that Liu Wuxie used.

“Go and check who used that forging chamber!” the elder instructed. Within fifteen minutes, he was informed that the individual in question was Liu Wuxie.

As Guo Zhong drew his last breath, his eyes were filled with resentment. He found it hard to accept that his end had come at the hands of someone he considered insignificant.

“Elder, what should we do? Guo Zhong is the nephew of Vice-Headmaster Qin. If we can’t explain his death, we will all be expelled!” A deacon, shaking with fear, expressed his concern. He had not anticipated Guo Zhong’s influential connection to Vice-Headmaster Qin.

“Quick, notify Vice-Headmaster Qin!” The elder of the Forging Pavilion, his body stained with blood, managed to rise from the ground. His clothes had been soaked with blood when he had carried Guo Zhong earlier.

The deacon swiftly ran out, not daring to waste a single moment.

Qin Shi came out of the room when he received the news. The news of his nephew’s death ignited a fierce rage within him.

“Master, what’s going on?” Xiao Yanlong, who made it a point to greet his master every morning, was taken aback by his master’s fury. It was unusual to see his master in such a state, and the intense aura of anger emanating from him was almost enough to knock him off his feet.

“Guo Zhong is no more!” Qin Shi, seemingly in a state of frenzy, was unable to muster any strength. He alone knew the truth that Guo Zhong was not his nephew but his son, born from a clandestine affair with his sister-in-law.

“How did Big Brother Guo die?” Xiao Yanlong was familiar with Guo Zhong. They were not just acquaintances but shared a good rapport. After all, Guo Zhong would pay his respects to Qin Shi every few days.

“Follow me!” Qin Shi, too, was in the dark about the specifics. The deacon who had brought him the news had only urged him to rush to the Forging Pavilion, where he would learn the details.

Without taking time to freshen up, the master and disciple made haste to the Forging Pavilion, reaching their destination in fifteen minutes.

Guo Zhong’s body, still warm, lay drenched in blood, his face the only part not covered in it.

Upon seeing Guo Zhong’s lifeless body, Qin Shi swayed on his feet, and Xiao Yanlong quickly moved to steady his master.

The elder stood to the side, holding his breath in the tense atmosphere. Students who happened to pass by opted to take a detour, not daring to approach the Forging Pavilion.

The three headmasters, Baili Qing, Qin Shi, and Fan Zhen, each had their distinct characteristics. Baili Qing was aloof and domineering, Qin Shi was ruthless and would stop at nothing to achieve his objectives, while Fan Zhen was just and adored by the students.

Xiao Yanlong bent down to inspect Guo Zhong’s lifeless body. He counted two hundred and forty wounds, each strategically placed to avoid vital areas. The longest wound stretched over thirty meters, while the shortest was only a few inches. This indicated that Guo Zhong wasn’t merely killed but was slowly tortured and endured excruciating pain until he bled out.

“What a brutal method!” Xiao Yanlong rose, his face twisted in a grim expression. He wondered who Guo Zhong had crossed to warrant such a savage end.

His fate was sealed when he attacked Liu Wuxie. Had Liu Wuxie not reacted swiftly, it would have been him lying here instead of Guo Zhong. Liu Wuxie was never known to show mercy to those who threatened his life.

“Who killed him?!” Qin Shi asked coldly as he forcibly calmed his anger.

The elder of the Forging Pavilion, a man in his fifties of average height, quickly rose to his feet. He recounted the events of the previous day, including the conflict between Guo Zhong and Liu Wuxie. They had been resting when Guo Zhong was killed, and thus did not witness the act.

Before Guo Zhong’s demise, he had pointed towards the forging chamber from which Liu Wuxie had emerged. A quick check of the records confirmed that Liu Wuxie was indeed the last one to use the chamber.

“Liu Wuxie! Always Liu Wuxie!” Qin Shi clenched his teeth in anger. He had been hearing a lot about Liu Wuxie recently, but he never imagined that his son would fall at Liu Wuxie’s hands.

Xiao Yanlong frowned upon hearing the story. Shouldn’t Liu Wuxie have left the academy after receiving the punishment book? Why did he come to the Forging Pavilion?

“Where is he right now?” Qin Shi couldn’t contain his murderous intent. No matter where Liu Wuxie was, he had to kill him that day to avenge Guo Zhong’s death.

“Someone has already been dispatched to track him. He departed from the academy two hours ago and is en route to Mulberry Town,” the elder reported. He had covertly sent someone to tail Liu Wuxie and had just received word that Liu Wuxie was headed for Mulberry Town.

“I want that bastard to never return to the Imperial Academy!” Qin Shi declared, hoisting Guo Zhong’s body and making his way out. With each step he took, droplets of blood fell to the ground, drawing the gaze of numerous bystanders.

“Master, I have already sent someone to eliminate him. He won’t be able to return,” Xiao Yanlong said, following behind Qin Shi closely.