Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 39 - Night of Massacre

“Third...fifth...ninth...!” Liu Wuxie had eliminated nine patrolling disciples in just an hour, and the surrounding area was cleared.

A disciple who had come out to empty his bladder rubbed his sleepy eyes and called out to his companions, “Tian Hua, Tian Dong, where have you gone?” His voice was loud enough to wake the others.

Two elders emerged from their tent, frowning as they looked around. There was no reply, making the situation even more mysterious. “Elder, where have they gone? Could a demonic beast have intruded on the campground and eaten them?” the disciple asked, pulling up his pants.

The darkness, combined with the rustling of the trees in the wind, created an eerie atmosphere. It was as if ghosts were wandering among them, sending chills down everyone’s spines.

“There’s no demonic beasts’ aura in the surroundings,” said an elder. Demonic beasts were generally large and would cause a commotion if they came.

Suddenly, the Wan Clan’s elder caught a faint whiff of blood on the breeze.

“There’s been a sneak attack!” he roared. Everyone drew their weapons and formed a defensive circle. Twenty-odd people swiftly searched the surrounding area but found no traces of the missing patrolling disciples. The lack of any evidence made everyone’s hair stand on end.

“Elder, could it be that ghosts have eaten them?” It was rumored that anyone eaten by ghosts wouldn’t leave behind any corpses.

The mention of ghosts sent shivers down the spines of the ordinary disciples, and they felt a chill pierce their bodies, raising goosebumps all over.

The Tian Clan’s Elder tried to prevent panic in the group. “Don’t spout nonsense,” he said firmly. “There must be an expert somewhere nearby.”

Hearing this, the others relaxed a little and quickly got dressed. They decided to stay awake until dawn.

The Wan Clan’s elder called out, “Whoever is out there, please show yourself. If we’ve done anything wrong, let us apologize in person.” He wondered if they had intruded on someone’s territory and hoped to resolve the situation peacefully.

“Apologize?” A cold voice echoed from the surroundings, but it was impossible to tell where the voice was coming from. Everyone’s expression became grave.

The Tian Clan’s elder tried to provoke their hidden attacker. “Come out and fight if you have the guts! What kind of man hides in the dark?!” he snorted.

“Your provocation means nothing to me,” Liu Wuxie replied. “Starting now, I’ll kill one of you every fifteen minutes until you’re all dead.” He fell silent, ignoring their further attempts to provoke him. A gentle breeze blew through the campsite, causing the bonfire to flicker as the supply of firewood dwindled.

With the last flicker, the bonfire died out and the camp was plunged into darkness. “Elder, we’re out of firewood,” someone said.

“Two of you, go get some firewood and relight the bonfire,” the Tian Clan’s elder ordered. Two members reluctantly stepped forward and left the camp but didn’t dare go far. The others huddled together nervously, weapons at the ready.

The Wan Clan’s Elder frowned and asked, “Tian Lie, who do you think it could be?” They had been in the Sunset Mountain Range for over a day and had not encountered any experts. And no one in Azure Billow City would dare to challenge their two clans.

Tian Lie looked distressed. “I’m not sure. We were cautious, and I don’t remember us offending anyone.” The loss of six members of the Tian Clan weighed heavily on him.

“ARRRGHHH!” Just when the two elders were talking, two screams came from a distance. The two members of the Tian Clan who had gone to collect firewood were nowhere to be seen.

Tian Lie and the Wan Clan’s Elder rushed to the source of the screams but found no trace of a struggle or any sign of the missing members. They exchanged horrified looks, unable to comprehend what was happening. They had never encountered anyone who could kill without leaving a trace.

Killing was one thing, but for the bodies to disappear made no sense. In their fifty years of life, they had never experienced anything so bizarre.

Tian Lie roared, “Stop hiding and fight us openly if you have the guts!” The two who died were elites of the Tian Clan, and they had a high chance of making it into the Imperial Academy. They had been brought on this mission to temper them and help them grow.

“Don’t be in such a hurry. We’ll have a chance to meet,” came the hollow reply, its source impossible to trace.

When the elders returned to the campsite, they saw the last few embers of the bonfire fading away. The only sound was the rustling of the leaves, like countless hands rubbing together. This made everyone’s hearts rise to their throat, fearing that they might be the next target.

“Gather up into a formation and hold hands. He cannot charge into our formation and kill anyone!” Tian Lie ordered. The remaining twenty-odd people sprung into action. If their attacker appeared, he would become an instant target. It was a simple but effective defense.

As they held hands, awaiting dawn, their courage grew. Soon they would be able to see who was targeting them.

As the minutes ticked by, the tension became unbearable. With only a few minutes left until the fifteen-minute deadline, the wait was torturous. It was like waiting for death itself.

This was exactly what Liu Wuxie wanted—to torture them with fear. Killing them quickly would have been too easy. He moved silently through the darkness, using the Seven Dipper Steps to glide through the air, perfectly blending into his surroundings.

Liu Wuxie drew his sword without any warning signs, unleashing a cold arc in the air and disappearing. The entire process didn’t even take one-tenth of the time to take a breath.

“Wan Qiong, why did you let go of my hand?” a member of the Wan Clan roared. But there was no response, and no one was standing beside him. Wan Qiong had been reduced to a mere piece of skin.

Panic erupted among the group. They had held hands to prevent their attacker from targeting them easily, but this had far exceeded the abilities of any human. Only a ghost could have accomplished such a feat.

“That’s impossible! Not even someone in the Spirit Cleansing Realm can accomplish this!” Tian Lie roared, on the verge of insanity. But no one responded, making their hearts sink as a chill rose from their feet to their heads.

Fifteen minutes later, another person died mysteriously. The group’s emotions shifted from fear to numbness as they waited for the next death.

“Are you human or devil? Come out! I’m not afraid of you!” a disciple of the Wan Clan shouted, having lost all reason. He charged out, swinging his sword wildly.

“Wan Bai, come back!” the Wan Clan’s elder roared. Dawn was approaching soon, and they could definitely last till then.

But it was too late. Blood spurted from Wan Bai’s body, and he slowly disappeared, reduced to a piece of skin that fluttered away on the breeze. The others finally understood why no corpses had been left behind.

“Demon! He must be a demon from hell! I want to go home!” another member of the Wan Clan cried, running into the woods in a desperate attempt to escape the Sunset Mountain Range.

The Sunset Mountain Range was dangerous at night, with demonic beasts roaming everywhere. But this region, leaning against a huge mountain wall, was free of such creatures and often used as a campground by martial cultivators training in the range.

“Come back!” The elder called after him, but it was no use. The disciple collapsed, shivering, as a shadow flashed before their eyes. Tian Lie gave chase but couldn’t catch anyone. The shadow had disappeared, its speed beyond even that of someone in the Xiantian Realm.

As time passed, dawn was still over two hours away. Of the original thirty-odd members of the Wan and Tian Clans, only ten remained, their faces etched with fear.

“Elder, I can’t take this anymore!” a member of the Wan Clan cried out, drawing his weapon and slashing his own neck. He had chosen suicide over the torture of being hunted.

Liu Wuxie’s psychological tactics had worked perfectly, pushing the remaining members to the brink of madness. The Wan Clan’s elder could only roar in frustration as he watched one of his own take his own life. “I don’t care who you are! I swear I’ll tear you to pieces!”

The Wan Clan’s elder dashed out, releasing his Xiantian Spirit. The shockwave toppled the surrounding trees as he joined Tian Lie, their backs against each other.

“Only you are allowed to kill me, but I’m not allowed to kill you? Your two clans are truly domineering.”

They heard the voice clearly this time, and it wasn’t far from them. Looking up, they saw a shadow standing on a tree branch ten meters away, holding a faintly glowing blade in his hand. They only managed to locate him because of this faint light.

“Who the hell are you?! Your voice sounds familiar. Do we know each other?” Tian Lie asked, trying to place the voice.

“Of course, we know each other. You’ve been chasing me for so long, and you don’t even know who killed you? What a joke,” the shadow sneered before leaping down and charging at them.