Desolate Devouring Art

The individual event was still underway, but curiosity overwhelmed many experts, drawing them down into the arena. They crowded around Zhang Dashan, intent on witnessing how the runes condensed into seals and fused flawlessly with the artifact.

Even an Origin Immortal might have struggled to perform that process with such effortless fluidity, yet Zhang Dashan made it appear natural. The students who had abandoned Liu Wuxie finally began to regret their decision. They had left the Azure Flame Dao Hall for the Shadow Divination Dao Hall, only to transfer again and enter the Celestial Moon Dao Hall.

Zhang Dashan, Xiang Rulong, and the others had chosen a different path. They followed Liu Wuxie from the beginning, and each now shone brilliantly upon the stage.

"What a magnificent technique," Xiang Zicheng praised, openly displaying his admiration.

"Absolutely. He hasn't merely incorporated ancient blacksmithing techniques. He has fused them seamlessly with modern blacksmithing methods," the Kang Clan's patriarch said, stroking his beard in approval.

Shen Guang and Zhu Chaoyang remained silent, their expressions darkening to a terrifying degree. If Zhang Dashan won, the Celestial Moon Dao Hall would have to sacrifice another mentor.

At this rate, Liu Wuxie might single-handedly destroy the entire Celestial Moon Dao Hall without requiring the Azure Flame Dao Hall to take any action.

Once the Celestial Moon Dao Hall lost all its mentors, its collapse would become inevitable.

The final seal entered the longsword, completing Zhang Dashan's artifact. Ancient patterns mimicking tangled roots stretched across the blade, bearing no resemblance to the ordinary snowflake runes commonly seen upon swords.

No one could yet determine which artifact possessed superior quality. Judging by appearances alone, however, Zhang Dashan's sword looked far less impressive than Tong Gu's.

A faint dark gleam flowed across Tong Gu's sword, lending it a sense of tremendous weight. Shen Guang lifted the weapon, plucked a strand of hair from his head, and released it above the edge. The falling hair split cleanly in half the instant it touched the blade.

"Sharp enough to cut a falling strand of hair. Now this is an excellent sword," Shen Guang praised Tong Gu's artifact, openly declaring its exceptional quality. After all, severing falling hair and slicing through iron like mud were common methods of evaluating a weapon.

"You call that an excellent sword? I see nothing but garbage," Xiang Zicheng mocked.

Tong Gu's sword was certainly excellent, but its internal structure lacked the stability of the weapon forged by Zhang Dashan. The ability to sever falling hair or slice through iron measured only superficial sharpness and couldn't determine an artifact's true quality.

"Do you honestly believe I'm afraid of you, Xiang Zicheng? Let's clash the two swords right here and see which one stays intact," Shen Guang snapped. He had tolerated Xiang Zicheng's mockery long enough and now intended to pit the weapons directly against each other.

"That's exactly what I had in mind," Xiang Zicheng replied, picking up the sword Zhang Dashan had forged.

Neither man drew upon immortal energy. Xiang Zicheng's cultivation surpassed Shen Guang's, so using immortal energy during the test would have given him an unfair advantage. A straightforward clash was sufficient to reveal which artifact was superior.

They didn't use immortal arts or circulate their immortal energy. They relied solely on the most basic of strikes.

The surrounding spectators hurriedly retreated, afraid that the collision's aftermath might reach them.

The two swords crashed together, scattering sparks throughout the arena as a prolonged metallic hum rolled through the air. That resonant sound alone proved that both weapons were fine artifacts.

After the clash, Xiang Zicheng and Shen Guang stepped apart and examined the swords in their hands. The surrounding spectators immediately crowded closer, sending their divine senses into both weapons to inspect their interiors.

Before anyone could complete the examination, a succession of cracking sounds emerged from the sword Shen Guang held. Fractures spread across the snowflake patterns covering its surface, and the entire blade shattered into countless fragments within the blink of an eye.

"How could this..." Shen Guang stared blankly at the broken remains, unable to understand how such a fine longsword had suddenly disintegrated.

The weapon in Xiang Zicheng's grasp presented a stark contrast. Its surface remained utterly flawless, without even the finest hairline crack.

"You cheated, Xiang Zicheng. You secretly used your Divine Immortal Realm laws to attack the sword, Shen Guang roared, accusing Xiang Zicheng of deliberately destroying Tong Gu's artifact to secure Zhang Dashan's victory.

"I warned you that the sword was garbage. You were the fool who still dared to use it against mine," Xiang Zicheng replied, staring at Shen Guang with open contempt.

"You're a dignified Divine Immortal, Xiang Zicheng, so act like one. Even if Tong Gu's sword was inferior to Zhang Dashan's, one collision couldn't possibly have shattered it so easily. You must have interfered," Zhu Gaoyang declared, stepping forward to openly support Shen Guang.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall's mentors advanced one after another and collectively laid all responsibility upon Xiang Zicheng. "Exactly! He must have recognized that Tong Gu's sword was superior. That's why he agreed to the test and used the collision as an excuse to destroy it!"

Everyone else wisely remained silent until the truth became clearer. Shen Guang had obviously prepared a trap from the outset by deliberately provoking Xiang Zicheng into testing the two artifacts against each other.

Xiang Zicheng naturally had no reason to refuse the challenge. Once Tong Gu's sword shattered, however, Shen Guang needed only to insist that Xiang Zicheng secretly used his Divine Immortal Realm laws to destroy it. Since Xiang Zicheng had no way to prove otherwise, the entire situation had become an obvious attempt to frame him.

"Bullshit! I never used any Divine Immortal Realm laws. Tong Gu simply forged a piece of trash," Xiang Zicheng retorted. A terrifying aura erupted from him, carrying faint traces of laws belonging to the Golden Immortal Realm.

"Are you planning to suppress us with your cultivation, Manor Lord Xiang?" Zhu Gaoyang demanded, immediately accusing Xiang Zicheng of using his strength to intimidate them.

"Your conduct was indeed inappropriate, Manor Lord Xiang. A gong produces no sound until someone strikes it, just as the truth cannot emerge without being tested. Falsehood can never become truth, and truth can never become falsehood. Everyone here watched Tong Gu's sword break apart in your hands. Even if its quality was inferior, a single clash shouldn't have shattered it. Do you disagree?" the Thousand Hands Yama asked as he stepped into the arena.

No one had anticipated a mere blacksmithing event would attract so many powerful experts, especially given the complicated relationships binding them. It now became clear that the Thousand Hands Yama supported the Celestial Moon Dao Hall.

Eastern Emperor City was home to two superpowers—the Eastern Emperor Pavilion and the Xiang Manor. The Shadow Divination Dao Hall had risen so rapidly because the Eastern Emperor Pavilion had supported it from behind the scenes. However, with the disappearance of the Shadow Divination Gate and the Shadow Divination Dao Hall, the Eastern Emperor Pavilion had lost every investment it had made in them.

With that connection exposed, the Thousand Hands Yama's intense murderous intent toward Liu Wuxie became entirely understandable.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall's mentors stepped forward in succession and continued to place all blame on Xiang Zicheng. "The pavilion master's reasoning is sound. Even an inferior sword shouldn't shatter after one collision. Xiang Zicheng must have tampered with it," someone declared.

"What a ridiculous accusation. Tong Gu's sword was simply inferior. None of us detected the faintest fluctuation of Divine Immortal Realm laws," the Azure Flame Dao Hall's mentors retorted immediately. Refusing to yield, they advanced and formed a line behind Xiang Zicheng.

Everyone understood that the competition had moved far beyond a simple struggle for victory. Lives now depended upon the result.

The two sides settled into a tense stalemate, and both appeared to possess reasonable grounds for their arguments. With no conclusion in sight, numerous gazes instinctively shifted toward Liu Wuxie, who had remained silent throughout the confrontation.

"Your side cheated in this round, Liu Wuxie. According to the rules, you must take your own life in front of everyone," Zhu Gaoyang declared, looking triumphant.

With so many experts surrounding Liu Wuxie, killing him through a direct attack would have been exceedingly difficult.

"Cheated, you say?" Liu Wuxie repeated, a faint mockery lifting the corners of his mouth. He stepped forward and appeared in the arena. Taking Zhang Dashan's sword from Xiang Zicheng, he pointed it directly at Zhu Gaoyang.

"You insist that I cheated? Fine, then I cheated. What the fuck are you going to do about it?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Liu Wuxie abruptly redirected the blade toward a Profound Immortal mentor from the Celestial Moon Dao Hall.

No one could have anticipated Liu Wuxie would attack without warning before such an enormous audience. He didn't even bother to explain himself.

The targeted mentor instantly drew his weapon and raised it above his head to intercept the attack.

Before countless astonished eyes, Liu Wuxie brought Zhang Dashan's sword down with tremendous force.

The two weapons collided, and the Celestial Moon Dao Hall mentor's sword exploded into fragments. The mentor's cultivation was at the higher levels of the Profound Immortal Realm, while Liu Wuxie stood at only the third-level Spirit Immortal.

The instant his opponent's sword shattered, Liu Wuxie released the Divine Mystic Yin Needle and effortlessly pierced the mentor's defenses. At the same time, he poured immortal energy into Zhang Dashan's sword. A divine dragon erupted from the blade, creating a terrifying spectacle above the arena.

"What a horrifying sword. It actually contains the power of a divine dragon," people muttered.

The surrounding spectators stared in shock. With one attack, Liu Wuxie had already demonstrated the true value of Zhang Dashan's sword. Yet everyone understood that the matter hadn't ended.

While every gaze followed the longsword, Liu Wuxie seized the opening. The instant the Celestial Moon Dao Hall mentor's defenses collapsed, the divine dragon lunged forward, closed its jaws around his head, and crushed it apart.

The battle ended as suddenly as it had begun. With Liu Wuxie's current strength, killing a high-level Profound Immortal in a direct confrontation wouldn't have been easy. Through a sudden attack, however, he still possessed a considerable chance of succeeding.

The dead mentor had never imagined that Liu Wuxie would abruptly try to kill him. Consequently, he failed to unleash his full strength from the beginning.

The entire blacksmithing arena sank into deathly silence as everyone stared at the headless corpse sprawled across the ground. Only sharp breaths echoed through the surrounding air.

Liu Wuxie remained standing upon the arena, blood dripping steadily from the longsword in his hand. The divine dragon had already disappeared into the blade's depths.

Zhu Gaoyang trembled with fury, unable to believe that Liu Wuxie had slaughtered a Celestial Moon Dao Hall mentor before his very eyes.

The Celestial Moon Dao Hall's hall master prepared to intervene, but Gongye Zhang immediately rose to confront him. Both hall masters locked eyes in a tense standoff. If either man acted first, the other would retaliate without hesitation. The conflict would then escalate from a mere competition between Dao Halls to an outright battle.

Such a battle could claim countless lives and cause large numbers of students to perish.

"Does anyone else still have an objection?" Liu Wuxie asked coldly, demanding an answer.

After speaking, he turned his gaze toward the Thousand Hands Yama. The moment the latter sided with the Celestial Moon Dao Hall, Liu Wuxie's murderous intent toward him had already awakened.

No one answered. That single attack had delivered the clearest explanation possible. Whoever stepped forward now would only bring disaster upon himself.

Liu Wuxie had effortlessly destroyed an artifact wielded by a high-level Profound Immortal. If Xiang Zicheng had truly cheated earlier, he wouldn't have limited himself to shattering the sword in Shen Guang's hands. He could have injured Shen Guang on the spot.

The entire arena remained utterly silent, and not one person dared speak.

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