Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 934 - Illusion Stones

The sudden appearance of an evil spirit cast a shadow over Liu Wuxie's heart. Many beings had slumbered beneath the earth or remained dormant in hidden corners of the world.

With the laws of the True Martial Continent becoming more complete, these beings were awakened and drawn out. The repeated appearance of dark spirits was undoubtedly an ill omen.

Suddenly, Liu Wuxie's soul sea trembled, and a ripple spread out on the pool of faith.

"What's going on? Why is there a reaction at the sight of a dark spirit?" Liu Wuxie was puzzled.

Since he had mastered the Buddhist Clan's Conversion Art, he had only used it once—on Liu Lin.

Could the Conversion Art be effective against dark spirits? A bold thought took root in Liu Wuxie's mind.

Though he detested the Buddhist Clan, he couldn't deny their rich and profound legacy. Among them was a Scripture of Demon Subduing, designed to vanquish all evil. The Conversion Art could be part of it.

However, he wasn't sure about it. If necessary, he could use the Conversion Art again.

The battle erupted on the three platforms, and Lu Ming struck first. He left behind an afterimage and threw a punch at Shen Rong. There were no fancy techniques but raw power.

Meanwhile, Yu Zhibai and Ji Yu stood still on their platform, but that didn't mean their battle hadn't already begun. Their soul energy spread out like mercury, intertwining in a silent struggle.

Only those who were adept in the art of soul could see their fight.

On the left platform, Wu Sha had lunged at Jiang Le's legs with his spear. Each of his attacks had a tricky trajectory, but Jiang Le was no longer the same opponent he had been during their previous battle.

With a fluid motion, Jiang Le leapt into the air, tracing a graceful arc as he dodged the thrust. In the blink of an eye, his right leg shot forward, appearing before Wu Sha like a flash of lightning.

Wu Sha's expression changed drastically, caught off guard by the sudden counterattack.

Though Wu Sha had an advantage in the length of his weapon, it also had an obvious flaw: The spear would become cumbersome once the enemy closed in.

Spears excelled in offense, but they were poor in defense. Daggers were better suited for close-quarters combat. Every weapon had its strengths and weaknesses.

Unable to respond in time, Wu Sha could only retreat.

The crowd was shocked when Jiang Le gained the upper hand in just a single exchange.

"What's going on? Why are they so much stronger than before?" The spectators had seen the previous match between the six, and Jiang Le's group hadn't shown this level of strength back then.

They began to wonder if Liu Wuxie truly possessed the power to transform them so drastically in just a few days, and their curiosity toward Liu Wuxie increased.

Liu Wuxie watched in silence, his eyes fixed on the three platforms. His awareness remained sharp as he monitored the surrounding elders. He knew they'd try to intervene the moment Wu Sha's group began to lose, and he was prepared to stop them.

Suddenly, two loud explosions echoed from the central platform.

Lu Ming and Shen Rong collided—moving too fast for the eye to follow, their fists clashing with explosive force.

The fight was so brutal that many spectators found it difficult to watch. This was a battle of pure strength.

"Great! That feels great!" Shen Rong roared. He didn't flinch even after taking over a dozen hits.

On the contrary, Lu Ming's expression darkened. A strange energy had surged from Shen Rong's body into his arm during the clash.

With a mighty leap, Lu Ming punched at Shen Rong in midair. The dark spirit had made a move, channeling its bloodline into Lu Ming's body.

The entire process was visible to Liu Wuxie through the Ghost Eye.

Lu Ming's strength spiked dramatically, just as it had during his previous fight with Shen Rong. Back then, Shen Rong had held the upper hand, until Lu Ming's power had risen inexplicably—this was the same pattern repeating.

Shen Rong didn't dare to be careless and began to circulate his cultivation technique. His muscles began to bulge and wriggle like worms, creating a horrifying sight.

"Look at his back!" someone shouted as a pair of wings burst from Shen Rong's back. With a powerful flap, he sent rocks and dust swirling into the air.

"Kunpeng bloodline! Such purity!" The surrounding elders were shocked. They didn't expect Shen Rong to possess such purity of the kunpeng bloodline.

Shen Rong raised his fist and punched Lu Ming, unleashing a powerful shockwave when they clashed, with visible ripples spreading out.

The entire platform began to quake violently, teetering on the verge of collapse as two thunderbolts clashed together.

The shockwave spread outward, tossing the surrounding disciples into the air.

Both Shen Rong and Lu Ming drew an arc in the air before they fell to the ground with blood dripping down their lips. The exchange had injured them.

However, Shen Rong wiped the blood off his lips with a hint of madness flashing across his eyes. He was a born fighter, like the divine beast Kunpeng. With every clash, he was slowly being overtaken by the wild, untamed instincts of his bloodline.

Lu Ming's expression darkened, his eyes flashing ominously.

"Third Senior Brother, keep moving and avoid a frontal confrontation as much as possible," Liu Wuxie's voice rang out in Shen Rong's ears.

Given Shen Rong's personality, he was bound to clash headfirst. This was why he had previously lost; he would grow weaker the more they clashed, while Lu Ming only would only grow stronger with time.

Although Shen Rong wasn't fond of this fighting tactic, he didn't dare to disobey Liu Wuxie.

Lu Ming had already begun wielding the dark spirit's power, and his strength had nearly doubled. Had Shen Rong chosen to clash with him head-on, Lu Ming was confident he could have brought him down in three strikes.

On the left platform, Yu Zhibai strode the seven dipper pattern, a footwork taught to him by Liu Wuxie. When combined with the Soul Forging Art, it amplified its power.

By contrast, Ji Yu's soul energy was twisted and dark, something Liu Wuxie had sensed from the moment he laid eyes on him. It was a clear sign that Ji Yu had cultivated a sinister soul technique.

Unlike the Soul Forging Art, which was filled with spirituality and would conjure soul energy into a spear, Ji Yu's soul energy carried an eerie chill.

Their soul energy had already clashed multiple times. Each collision released a shockwave, with neither side able to gain the upper hand.

"Second Senior Brother, try your best to stall for time. His soul energy isn't as powerful as yours," Liu Wuxie's voice entered Yu Zhibai's ears. He warned Yu Zhibai not to act rashly, as the odds of him falling into his opponent's trap would increase this way.

Yu Zhibai trusted Liu Wuxie's words completely and soon took a defensive stance.

Oddly, Ji Yu was thrown off when Yu Zhibai changed his tactics and a flicker of hesitation appeared in his eyes. No one knew why he hesitated.

He wasn't the only one waiting. Everyone was waiting, though they didn't know what for.

Liu Wuxie's gaze shifted to Jiang Le. His senior brother had already grasped the essence of this footwork technique and had further mastered it during the fight, allowing him to execute it smoothly.

The attention of more than seventy percent of the crowd fell on Jiang Le.

"Such elegant footwork... Why haven't I seen this in the Exquisite Pavilion before?" murmured someone. Many True Profound Realm cultivators watched curiously.

Some recognized Jiang Le as someone who excelled in speed, but his combat strength was considered average and his footwork was his only notable skill.

Yet, now he moved with the grace and speed of a phantom.

"This doesn't make sense. If he had this technique before, why didn't he use it in their last fight?" And that was why everyone was baffled.

If Jiang Le had performed this technique in the battle a few days ago, he wouldn't have lost so badly.

"They have clearly received the guidance of an expert," said a Myriad Phase Cavern disciple.

"Could it be Elder Madman?"

Many also considered Liu Wuxie, but soon dismissed the idea.

After all, Liu Wuxie was only at the fifth level of True Profound Realm, and there was no way he could help Jiang Le's group to grow so much in just five days. This meant it was highly likely that the mentor was Elder Madman.

"This is getting interesting now. Let's see how the White Dragon Peak resolves this crisis," sneered one of the Half-Moon Peak disciples.

As long-time rivals of White Dragon Peak, they were naturally thrilled to see them in trouble.

Jiang Le burst forth, his legs lashing out like a mantis's scythes—swift, precise, and explosive.

This left Wu Sha with no choice but to abandon his spear and opt for a longsword instead. At first, switching weapons allowed him to suppress Jiang Le. However, he soon found himself in a disadvantageous position again when Jiang Le shifted his attack pattern to target Wu Sha's lower body and back.

The White Dragon Peak elders exchanged glances and nodded, as if they had reached a secret consensus.

Watching them closely, Liu Wuxie's eyes narrowed, a mocking smile tugging at his lips.

"So, they can't hold back any longer?!"

He had long suspected that the White Dragon Peak elders were involved in his senior brothers' defeat, and he focused all his attention on preventing history from repeating itself.

An invisible ripple of energy spread across the central platform, enveloping both Yu Zhibai and Ji Yu.

"Just as I thought—it's an illusion!" Liu Wuxie observed the ripple of energy as three White Dragon Peak elders held five-colored stones in their hands.

"Illusion Stones!" There were two known ways to create illusions. One was to set up an illusion array, but that was impossible with so many witnesses nearby. An illusion array would have been far too conspicuous.

That left only one possibility: they were using Illusion Stones, channeling their energy to conjure illusions.

Illusion Stones were rare, mythical minerals capable of projecting false images into the minds of anyone who looked at them. Even a single Illusion Stone was rare—let alone three appearing at once.

The three elders had secretly drawn energy from the Illusion Stones and projected it toward the platform to ensnare Yu Zhibai in an illusion.