Desolate Devouring Art

Zhu Gaoyang's behavior drew widespread contempt from the crowd. Everyone could see that the students inside the arena had already exhausted themselves, and the Azure Flame Dao Hall had simply outperformed them. After giving their all during this competition, how could their own mentor still humiliate them?

"Shut your damn mouth, Zhu Gaoyang. Say one more word, and I'll tear it apart myself," Xiang Zicheng snapped, his thunderous voice crashing down upon Zhu Gaoyang. The man seemed incapable of completing a sentence without insulting his own students, yet everyone regarded him as the most useless person present.

Applause exploded throughout the venue as the crowd openly supported Xiang Zicheng's rebuke.

Zhu Gaoyang's face turned crimson, but he could do nothing in response. Xiang Zicheng was a peak divine immortal, and since recovering his soul sea, he had already set foot in the Golden Immortal Realm. Throughout Eastern Emperor City, only the Thousand Hands Yama could genuinely stand as his equal.

With only one incense stick of time remaining, the Azure Flame Dao Hall continued forging at the same steady rhythm. The Celestial Moon Dao Hall's pace, meanwhile, had slowed considerably. Even without considering quality, the Azure Flame Dao Hall had already produced twice as many weapons.

When Qian Yao finally called an end to the match, Diao Jiuzhi and Ren Fanfan collapsed to the ground, sweat drenching their bodies. The other eight students looked equally exhausted, and several had even fallen unconscious. Their immortal energy and soul energy had been almost completely depleted, leaving their faces deathly pale. Sheer willpower alone had carried them to the end.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall students were also exhausted, but they still retained some strength compared to the Azure Flame Dao Hall representatives.

After completing his count, Qian Yao confirmed that the Azure Flame Dao Hall had forged 104 artifacts. The collection included swords, blades, short blades, spears, brushes, daggers, and numerous other varieties. Not only had they produced a diverse selection, but every artifact possessed exceptionally high quality.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall had completed only 46 artifacts. Its selection was also far more monotonous, consisting mostly of swords.

Forging multiple varieties in a single session naturally demanded far greater skill than repeatedly producing one type of weapon. That distinction alone made the superior side obvious.

This hadn't been a narrow victory. The Azure Flame Dao Hall had utterly crushed the Celestial Moon Dao Hall, leaving no room for dispute.

"Everyone, come forward and examine the quality of these artifacts," Qian Yao said, arranging every weapon across the ground for public inspection.

Xiang Zicheng and the patriarchs of the Kang and Yue Clans entered the arena to inspect the artifacts. Anyone could see that their examination was merely a formality, for the chilling gleam radiating from the Azure Flame Dao Hall's weapons already revealed their extraordinary quality.

Even if the Shen and Zhu Clans wished to reject the outcome, they couldn't produce a reasonable excuse. No one could deny what the entire venue had witnessed with its own eyes. An obvious lie would only invite ridicule, something the patriarchs of dignified clans couldn't afford.

"The Azure Flame Dao Hall's artifacts are unquestionably superior in both quality and quantity," Xiang Zicheng declared. He selected one weapon from each dao hall and struck them together. The Azure Flame Dao Hall's artifact remained completely undamaged, while the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's weapon shattered into fragments.

The other patriarchs ran similar tests and reached the same conclusions. The final verdict soon followed, and the Azure Flame Dao Hall secured an overwhelming victory.

Upon returning from the arena, Diao Jiuzhi and the others bowed deeply before Liu Wuxie.

"Mentor, we didn't let you down," the two students declared in unison.

"You've done enough. Go rest," Liu Wuxie replied.

When Xiang Zicheng and the others took their seats, they directed meaningful glances toward the Celestial Moon Dao Hall. Its defeat meant that one of its mentors now had to die.

The wager Liu Wuxie had proposed was undeniably brutal and bloody, but the Celestial Moon Dao Hall had driven him to that extreme.

"So, which one of you is stepping forward to die?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly. His blade already hung over the Celestial Moon Dao Hall, yet its first victim remained undecided.

Silence gripped every mentor on the Celestial Moon Dao Hall's side, and many trembled faintly with fear. They had sworn the oath together but never determined who would pay the price whenever they lost.

More than a hundred mentors exchanged uneasy glances, each secretly praying that someone else would be selected.

"Don't push us too far, Liu Wuxie," Zhu Gaoyang said, panic finally entering his voice. He had provoked Liu Wuxie and triggered this wager, making him the natural focus of everyone's resentment. By now, many Celestial Moon Dao Hall mentors were secretly gathering their strength, clearly preparing to vent their fury on him.

"Too far? If you think this is excessive, I'll show you what truly pushing someone too far looks like," Liu Wuxie replied, a devilish smile spreading across his face. He had no interest in defending himself, and they could interpret his actions however they pleased.

He had already condemned the Celestial Moon Dao Hall to destruction. Further explanations served no purpose. The open dominance in his attitude sent a chill through everyone present.

"You'll go up there," Zhu Gaoyang said, suddenly seizing a peak Profound Immortal.

The captured man had once taught at the Azure Flame Dao Hall before defecting to the Celestial Moon Dao Hall. His cultivation wasn't especially high and naturally couldn't compare with that of an Origin Immortal.

"You shameless bastard, Zhu Gaoyang," the mentor cursed furiously. His inferior cultivation left him utterly helpless in Zhu Gaoyang's grasp, and no amount of desperate struggling could free him.

Liu Wuxie watched in silence. Whether this man died first or last made no difference to him. Every one of them would perish eventually.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhu Gaoyang snapped the mentor's neck. The brutality of the sight proved almost unbearable to witness. Many Celestial Moon Dao Hall students secretly contacted their clans and expressed their desire to withdraw from the Dao Hall.

"He's dead, Liu Wuxie. Now let the competition continue," Zhu Gaoyang said, tossing the corpse aside. His face revealed no pity or sympathy, making him appear no different from a cold-blooded murderer.

The sight of the corpse filled the mentors who had defected from the Azure Flame Dao Hall with a crushing sense of impending doom. Regret turned their intestines nearly green. None had shared any personal feud with Liu Wuxie, leaving them to wonder why they had ever joined the Shadow Divination Gate. Had they never made that choice, none of this would have happened.

The individual blacksmithing event followed, and Zhang Dashan entered the arena.

Eighteen forging cauldrons were removed from the stage, leaving only two behind.

"Tong Gu, everything depends on you now," Zhu Gaoyang said to the young man beside him.

Tong Gu was Zhu Gaoyang's personal disciple and the most talented blacksmithing student within the Celestial Moon Dao Hall. He had inherited much of Zhu Gaoyang's legacy.

"Rest assured, Master. No matter what happens, I'll win this match," Tong Gu replied, overflowing with confidence.

He had already witnessed Zhang Dashan's blacksmithing abilities. Zhang Dashan might have performed exceptionally during the class assessment several months earlier, but Tong Gu remained convinced that an enormous gulf separated them.

"Good. Win this match, and I'll hold a celebration in your honor," Zhu Gaoyang said, patting Tong Gu's shoulder before signaling for him to enter the arena.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall needed only one victory. It no longer cared how many others died along the way. Liu Wuxie's life was the only prize it wanted.

Zhang Dashan already stood inside the arena, his expression as calm and tranquil as still water. Despite the countless lives hanging upon the result, he felt no pressure whatsoever.

"Begin the individual blacksmithing event," Qian Yao announced.

Tong Gu and Zhang Dashan started forging immediately. Since this was an individual event, each participant would create only one artifact, and its quality alone would determine victory.

Zhang Dashan selected the most primitive method of blacksmithing and brought his hammer down one measured strike at a time. Every impact released a deep, resonant note that rolled across the arena.

"What an ancient blacksmithing technique. Will he even finish within two hours?" someone asked.

The individual event enforced a much stricter time limit, while traditional forging methods were notoriously slow.

Even if Zhang Dashan produced an artifact of exceptional quality, failing to complete it in time would still cost him the match.

In comparison, Tong Gu's forging speed was astonishing. After only fifteen minutes, he had already completed the sword embryo.

"Tong Gu is truly extraordinary. His blacksmithing skills have surpassed even his master's and become far more refined," Shen Guang remarked with a faint smile. No one at the venue desired Liu Wuxie's death more intensely than he did.

The expulsion of several Shen Clan mentors from the Azure Flame Dao Hall had inflicted enormous humiliation upon the entire clan.

"I agree, but this match still hasn't been decided," Zhu Chaoyang replied.

The Zhu Clan had endured the same humiliation after several of its mentors were expelled from the Azure Flame Dao Hall. The two patriarchs echoed each other openly, showing no concern for the surrounding crowd.

"The match isn't even over, yet you're already bragging? The stench of dog shit spilling from your mouths is unbearable," Xiang Zicheng mocked. The Xiang Manor had always maintained a hostile relationship with both the Shen and Zhu Clans.

His ridicule immediately provoked laughter from the crowd.

Shen Guang nearly lost his temper, but Zhu Chaoyang quickly restrained him.

"Why get angry over something so trivial? We need only wait for Liu Wuxie to die. Once that happens, let's see how long Xiang Zicheng can keep jumping around so arrogantly," Zhu Chaoyang said with a cruel smile.

Time continued dwindling. Zhang Dashan's sword had only begun taking shape, while Tong Gu had already reached the final stage of forging.

"Why won't Zhang Dashan increase his speed?" the Azure Flame Dao Hall's mentors asked anxiously. They looked ready to climb into the arena and help him complete the artifact themselves.

With only fifteen minutes left, Zhang Dashan abruptly changed his method. His hands formed seals at dazzling speed, causing runes to materialize in the air one after another.

"That many runes?!" An uproar swept across the venue. In less than half a breath, Zhang Dashan had inscribed nearly a hundred runes, overturning everything the spectators understood about blacksmithing.

"It's an artifact seal!" cries erupted as the runes fused and formed a complete seal that hovered in mid-air.

"This can't be real..."

Numerous accomplished blacksmiths occupied the venue. Many could inscribe artifact seals themselves, yet none had ever witnessed someone merging a hundred runes into a single seal.

"The number of runes is still rising!"

Astonishment held the crowd captive as hundreds of runes continued appearing beneath Zhang Dashan's inscriptions. The moment each group manifested, its runes merged into a complete seal, and the process repeated endlessly.

"What kind of blacksmithing technique is he using? Why have I never witnessed anything like it?" the Stormcloud Sect's sect master asked with a deep frown.

Zhang Dashan's technique appeared ancient at first glance, yet it also incorporated modern forging methods, blending both systems into a flawless whole. It contained the essence of two different eras.

Zhu Gaoyang's heart suddenly tightened. The instant those artifact seals appeared, an inexplicable sense of foreboding surged through him. Tong Gu's blacksmithing skills weren't inferior to Zhang Dashan's. The true danger came from the fact that no one present could understand Zhang Dashan's technique.

Tong Gu's technique was impeccable, and the sword he had refined appeared flawless. It seemed almost too perfect, without even the smallest visible defect. Yet that perfection itself presented a problem. An artifact that had already reached perfection possessed no room for further growth. So-called perfection existed only because nothing superior had appeared yet.

The moment someone refined a higher-grade sword, Tong Gu's supposedly perfect artifact would no longer merit such praise. A person who had seen only a hill could never imagine the majesty of a towering mountain. The same principle applied to the artifacts.

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