Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 451 - Acquaintance

The gate was opened as Liu Wuxie and Gu Yu walked in. When the gate closed, they were isolated from the outside world, their surroundings enveloped in a spiritual array set up by an expert in the Astral River Realm, making it impossible for anyone to break out.

Kuang Shi was an elder of the Azure Crimson Gate and had an exceptional status. Regardless of alchemy or spiritual arrays, he was highly proficient in them.

This place held a large number of slaves who were imprisoned after being captured. This time, the three major forces had suffered heavy losses, not to mention warships couldn't enter. This meant they could only scour other parts of the Blood Sea Abyssal Island for slaves.

When Liu Wuxie and Gu Yu entered, hundreds of eyes turned to them simultaneously. Most people were indifferent because they were all captured, and the Wild Lion Gate was too powerful—anyone who dared to defy it would be killed.

"The two found a relatively clean spot to sit because others had occupied the better spots."

"Big Brother Liu, what should we do next?" Gu Yu felt lost because this was the first time he had encountered something like this, with life and death beyond his control.

"We’ll take it one step at a time. The Blood Sea Abyssal Island is in a state of upheaval, and the situation outside is chaotic. With the three forces battling each other, frequent sea demon assaults, and the abyssal devils lurking, it’s safer for us to stay here for now," Liu Wuxie transmitted to Gu Yu.

Gu Yu nodded. He had a mature mind despite a young age.

As Liu Wuxie had speculated, the Blood Sea Abyssal Island was in chaos. Many small forces were wiped out, and those who did not submit were killed. Abyssal devils or sea demons also killed those who tried to escape.

"You two, stand up and pay your respect to our new boss!" Five youths walked over and stood before Liu Wuxie. They had already formed a small group in just a few hours, with a cultivator in the third level of the Heavenly Phase Realm as the leader.

They had formed a small group to band together despite being captured and made into slaves. The stronger the group, the more influence they had. If they could gain the Wild Lion Gate's attention, they could escape the status of slaves and become a captain.

"I don't want to kill. Go somewhere else if you want to find lackeys," Liu Wuxie said coldly. After reaching the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, he could easily kill someone in the third level of the Heavenly Phase Realm with one strike.

There were hundreds of slaves here, with varying strengths. If they were gathered together, they would become a formidable force. However, relying on this much to confront the Wild Lion Gate was only sufficient if they could find more allies, such as the Ding Feng Hall.

They had lost contact with the outside world in the concentration camp, and Liu Wuxie had no idea about Ding Feng Hall's current situation. The Wild Lion Gate had only brought them here and left them to fend for themselves.

They had to bide their time until the chaos outside subsided before being sent to the mines to continue their labor.

"Hahaha!" Laughter erupted around them as onlookers found it absurd that someone in the Heavenly Dipper Realm would dare speak so defiantly. Even Che Yong, the leader in the third-level Heavenly Phase Realm, wore a disdainful smile.

“Where did this brat get the courage to defy Che Yong? He’s asking for trouble!” whispered the crowd. Che Yong, who had once been a powerful figure before being captured and reduced to a mere slave, was now down to only two remaining followers after last night’s battle. His previous recruits had either been killed or scattered, leading him to join the Wild Lion Gate and recruit new companions.

He didn't settle down after coming here and relied on his strength to recruit new companions.

"Brat, you dare defy our big brother? You must be courting death!" The two youths recruited by Che Yong roared, intending to flatter the latter.

Everyone quickly backed off, creating an ample open space because they didn't want to get involved. Everyone was plotting how to escape this place. No one wanted to remain as a slave and be trapped there for life.

They could only escape if they could reach a higher level in their cultivation.

"Scram!" A powerful aura swept out from Liu Wuxie, causing the entire area to tremble.

Che Yong narrowed his eyes, surprised by Liu Wuxie's formidable presence. Despite not having fought, he sensed a palpable danger from Liu Wuxie’s aura, indicating that the latter was far from ordinary.

"Go probe him!" Che Yong ordered a youth who had just joined him to test Liu Wuxie's strength.

"Let me teach him a lesson!" The youth who was called out rubbed his fists together, his face full of malice.

No one in the Blood Sea Abyssal Island was kind-hearted, and everyone had blood on their hands.

Gu Yu stood up, wanting to fight because there was no need for Liu Wuxie to personally deal with someone in the first level of the Heavenly Phase Realm.

"Be careful!" Liu Wuxie didn't stop him because Gu Yu needed tempering.

Senior Gu had left Gu Yu to him with one purpose: to temper him and let him grow up.

Gu Yu stood up and nodded. He didn't draw out the ancient sword in this fight.

"Die!" The youth struck with his palm, unleashing a powerful aura that manifested into a demonic palm.

"You're the one who will die!" Gu Yu snorted. He had matured a lot over the past few days, with the tenderness on his face fading. When he struck out with his palm and unleashed an ancient power, a trace of surprise flashed in Liu Wuxie's eyes.

Gu Yu’s Sky Dragon bloodline granted him the might of ancient divine beasts, making him appear as though a celestial dragon had descended to the mortal realm.

As the two fighters clashed, their confrontation was brief yet explosive, quickly drawing the attention of the Wild Lion Gate. Several people rushed over, mistakenly thinking there was a rebellion among the slaves.

Gu Yu stepped back as his opponent was hurled through the air, spewing blood before crashing into and embedding himself in a wall. The sheer force of the combat stunned the hundreds of slaves who witnessed the scene, astonished by the youth’s immense power despite his apparent age of only fifteen or sixteen.

Che Yong's face changed drastically, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. It was unbelievable for someone in the Heavenly Phase Realm to be sent flying with one strike by someone in the Heavenly Dipper Realm.

"What are you all doing? Who allowed you to fight?!" Three men came over, all donning purple robes. They were the captains of the Wild Lion Gate, responsible for guarding the concentration camp.

These three weren't strong and were only in the first level of the Heavenly Phase Realm, and Che Yong could deal with them by himself. But no one dared to act because it wasn't that they hadn't resisted before. When they were first captured, they had tried to escape several times, but a few of them were killed by the experts hidden in the dark.

"There's nothing going on. We were having a small argument!" The two youths beside Che Yong stepped forward with smiles on their faces.

"All of you stand up! Who started the fight?" The three captains were relentless because they knew they would be in more trouble in the future if they didn't teach them a lesson, which would affect the Wild Lion Gate's unity.

"It's this brat over here! He's unwilling to be managed by the Wild Lion Gate. I suggest to have him killed!" The youth pointed at Liu Wuxie, slandering him for starting the conflict, and no one was more shameless than him.

The three captains turned to look at Liu Wuxie. One of them froze when he saw Liu Wuxie, and a powerful murderous intent swept out from him.

"Liu Wuxie, it's you!" This was a familiar voice, and Liu Wuxie turned to look in the Wild Lion Gate's direction.

"Xiao Yanlong? You're alive?" Liu Wuxie was surprised because he hadn't expected to see a familiar face in the Blood Sea Abyssal Island. Then again, they were enemies because Xiao Yanlong was the disciple of Qin Shi, who had sought revenge after Liu Wuxie killed his master. Because of that incident, he was expelled from the Imperial Academy.

Qin Shi had disappeared since then, but Liu Wuxie hadn’t expected him to have entered the cultivation world.

Liu Wuxie had searched for Xiao Yanlong's whereabouts in the past, but there were no clues.

"Liu Wuxie, I bet you didn't expect us to meet in this situation?" Xiao Yanlong sneered. He had been disheartened ever since he was expelled from the Imperial Academy.

Xiao Yanlong had met a cultivator from the cultivation world by chance, someone who had come to the mundane world to gather poison. Seeing this as a chance to advance, Xiao Yanlong became the cultivator's disciple. However, upon entering the cultivation world, he discovered that his master had sinister plans to turn him into a poisoned corpse.

Unwilling to accept this fate, Xiao Yanlong took advantage of a moment when his master’s guard was down and killed him. Afterward, he fled to the Blood Sea Abyssal Island to escape retribution from his fellow disciples. There, he joined the Wild Lion Gate and worked his way up to become a small captain, living among them for over six months.

Xiao Yanlong's eyes blazed with fury upon seeing Liu Wuxie. He held Liu Wuxie responsible for the setbacks that had prevented him from becoming the headmaster of the Imperial Academy. If not for Liu Wuxie, he might have ascended to the position of headmaster, or at the very least, a vice-headmaster, wielding significant influence in the mundane world.

"Well, that's a surprise. I got Prince Ruyang to search the entire capital for you after you left the Imperial Academy, but there was no trace of you. I didn't expect you to have entered the cultivation world," Liu Wuxie said honestly.

There was no way for Liu Wuxie to feel at ease if Xiao Yanlong was alive, and this was a formidable enemy because he was ruthless.

"This is all thanks to you. I might've lost a lot, but I also gained a lot. I am now a small captain in the Wild Lion Gate, with dozens of people as my subordinates. Now that you are in my hands, I will make your life worse than death!" Xiao Yanlong wasn't in a hurry to kill Liu Wuxie.

The slaves, gathered to fill the void left by the three major forces' losses, were incredibly valuable. While the leader couldn’t kill them outright, inflicting pain without death was permissible.

"You couldn't kill me a year ago, and you won't succeed now either," Liu Wuxie said dismissively. Xiao Yanlong, though somewhat formidable and a threat, was not considered a true enemy. Liu Wuxie had been concerned about Xiao Yanlong not because of personal fear, but because he might pose a danger to the Xu Clan.

Now that he had run into Xiao Yanlong in the cultivation world, he did not need to worry because he could kill someone like Xiao Yanlong with one slap.

Then again, now wasn't the right time to kill Xiao Yanlong because the latter was a member of the Wild Lion Gate, and killing him meant Liu Wuxie couldn't leave alive either.

"You're right. It may be difficult for me to kill you, but you're now a slave of the Wild Lion Gate. I will make your life hell!" Xiao Yanlong was aware of Liu Wuxie's strength, someone who had risen from being garbage to prominence.

Liu Wuxie caught up with all the so-called geniuses and left them in dust in just six months. His cultivation might only seem to be in the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dipper Realm, but Xiao Yanlong knew even those in the low level of the Heavenly Phase Realm weren't his match.

If Xiao Yanlong wanted to kill Liu Wuxie to avenge his master, he needed to rely on the Wild Lion Gate.