Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 714 - Leaving the Western Barren

The return of their patriarch brought stability to the entire Murong Clan.

Time ticked by, and Liu Wuxie had stayed in the Murong Clan's manor for half a month. He remained in the courtyard in seclusion to comprehend divine art, and he would occasionally venture into the Western Barren, hunting demonic beasts to hone his skills.

"Are you really leaving?" a soft voice asked.

"Yeah," Liu Wuxie nodded. He had planned to make a trip to the Central Plains.

He could reach the eighth level of the Astral River Realm based on his foundation, but he couldn't make a breakthrough due to the laws that stalled his advancement. This compelled him to seek higher planes to make a breakthrough.

Most importantly, he longed to uncover the whereabouts of his birth parents.

"Will you come back?" Murong Yi asked. Her parents had just been rescued, and she wished to spend more time with them.

"I will," Liu Wuxie nodded. He caressed Murong Yi's hair with a tender and affectionate expression.

Tears rolled down Murong Yi's cheeks as she dove into Liu Wuxie's embrace after hearing his reply. She said, "Take care of yourself!"

She knew of Liu Wuxie's ambitions and didn't want to stand in his way. The Western Barren was too small for an eagle like Liu Wuxie to spread his wings. She would be burdened with lifelong guilt if she made him stay in the Western Barren.

The two embraced tightly as they watched the sunset on the horizon.

The next morning, Liu Wuxie stood at the courtyard gates. During his time with the Murong Clan, he had immersed himself in books detailing the Central Plains. Since the Murong Clan had been exiled from the region a thousand years ago, much had undoubtedly changed over the centuries.

"Come and visit us when you get the chance!" Murong Shanhe said, patting Liu Wuxie's shoulder with a meaningful glance. He had recovered ninety percent of his strength. His gaze briefly shifted to his daughter—a subtle reminder to Liu Wuxie that someone would be here to miss him.

"I will!" Liu Wuxie nodded, promising Murong Shanhe. He had promised the sect master to attend the Ten Grand Assembly in one year.

After he clasped his fists to bid everyone farewell, he turned into a streak of light and vanished. He had long obtained the route to the Central Plains, which required him to traverse half of the Western Barren.

Watching Liu Wuxie disappear into the horizon, Murong Yi buried herself in her mother's embrace and sobbed uncontrollably.

"You foolish child. You should've gone with him," Murong Yi's mother said, patting her daughter's shoulder. How could she not know that Murong Yi had stayed behind to accompany them? After all, how could Murong Yi possibly leave when they had spent so many years apart?

"Don't worry; he'll return. He has my daughter in his heart," Murong Shanhe consoled. He believed this incident wouldn't sever their bond, and a short separation would only strengthen it at the eventual reunion.

"Big brother is right. Liu Wuxie isn't a heartless person, nor is he someone who will break promises. Otherwise, he wouldn't have honored his word and come to the Western Barren," Murong Tianze said. He understood Liu Wuxie more than anyone else present.

......

When Liu Wuxie soared through the horizon, he maintained a steady pace, which allowed him to marvel at the grandeur of the Western Barren. The surroundings were filled with majestic peaks that pierced the skies and many powerful profound beasts hidden within them.

He could occasionally witness clashes of profound beasts, causing the ground to tremble from the commotion they caused.

The depths of the Western Barren were too dangerous. Murong Tianze had warned him against traveling on the ground unless necessary, especially the mountain ranges where even he didn't dare to venture recklessly due to the potential existence of spiritual beasts.

Spiritual beasts were far beyond the tenth-grade profound beasts. They were comparable to the Spirit Profound Realm for human cultivators. While the difference might seem minor, their power was worlds apart.

After flying all day and night, Liu Wuxie scanned the surroundings with Ghost Eye to ensure there was no danger before landing on a large tree to rest. He rested for only two hours before continuing his journey, circulating the Desolate Devouring Art to draw spiritual energy from the surroundings constantly.

After refining the Divine Fruit, Liu Wuxie noticed a greater affinity with the Desolate Devouring Art. Divine runes nourished the desolate world, making the laws more complete.

Suddenly, whooshing sounds echoed from afar, as if something was coming in his direction. This made him frown, and he retrieved the Heretic Blade, preparing himself for a fight.

"This is weird. There is no aura of any powerful profound beasts in the surroundings, so where did the sound come from?" Liu Wuxie extended his divine sense and failed to detect profound beasts.

At first, he didn't bother much about it, taking it for a small-sized profound beast hunting for food in the surroundings. But when the sound grew closer, it prompted Liu Wuxie to leap down from the tree and land on the ground.

It didn't take long before he saw a small, red, furry creature running in his direction with a jackal chasing after it.

The tiny creature was only the size of a human's fist, and it wasn't slow at all. It appeared before Liu Wuxie with a few darts. This was only a third-grade profound beast that Liu Wuxie could kill with a breath.

He didn't pay much attention to it as it was common for the strong to prey on the weak in the world of demonic beasts.

The jackal stopped at the sight of Liu Wuxie, baring its fangs to warn him against approaching and meddling in his hunt. It had finally caught up with its prey after a long chase, and Liu Wuxie's presence was unwelcome.

Liu Wuxie had no intention of getting involved and turned away. But as he did, the little creature clung onto his ankle, its tiny body trembling. It looked at Liu Wuxie with tearing eyes that struck him with shock.

After noticing the intelligence in the creature's eyes, Liu Wuxie hesitated and asked, "Are you asking me to save you?"

Only the seventh-grade profound beasts possessed the ability to comprehend human language, and a third-grade profound beast couldn't understand him. Take the jackal, whose intelligence was undeveloped, baring its fangs at him.

To his astonishment, the little creature nodded vigorously, clutching Liu Wuxie's trousers and refusing to let him go.

Liu Wuxie was shocked by the intelligence displayed by this tiny creature. It made no sense for a third-grade profound beast to understand him, and he began to wonder if this was the reincarnation of a powerful profound beast.

But when he sent his divine sense into the tiny creature's body out of curiosity, he discovered nothing unusual about it that made it stand out from ordinary profound beasts. Judging from its skeletal structure, it was no more than three months old.

This further piqued Liu Wuxie's interest as it was rare for a third-grade profound beast to understand the human language. He had heard tales of some divine beasts, like the dragon clan, who could awaken their bloodline at three and transform into mighty dragons. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Other races were born with exceptionally high intelligence, but those races only existed in legends, and he had never seen them before.

This little creature was covered with thick red fur, looking harmless as it blinked its large eyes. If it had been a woman seeing it, her heart would've melted at the sight of this adorable creature. Even Liu Wuxie couldn't bring himself to kill such an adorable creature.

He gently picked up the creature and placed it on his palm to examine it closely. Even after scouring his memories, he found no record of a profound beast like this, which made him wonder if it was a new species.

After all, the universe was vast, and new creatures were born every day. It wasn't unusual for him to come across one he didn't recognize.

When Liu Wuxie placed the tiny creature on his palm, the jackal immediately took on a pouncing stance, preparing to attack Liu Wuxie.

"Get lost!" Liu Wuxie roared. He didn't like profound beasts baring their fangs and claws at him, and he sent that jackal flying with a wave of his hand, throwing it a hundred meters away.

The jackal let out a screech, terrified of the unfamiliar presence before it, and bolted away. Profound beasts like it had likely never encountered a human before, mistaking Liu Wuxie for some kind of demonic beast.

"The danger is gone, and you can leave now," Liu Wuxie said as he gently placed the creature on the ground, allowing it to leave. He had a long journey ahead and couldn't afford to carry this creature with him.

But when he placed the creature on the ground, it clung onto his ankle again, refusing to let him go.

"Are you hungry? I have some food with me." Liu Wuxie took out some roasted meat and placed it before the creature.

The creature didn't hesitate and began devouring the meat with one paw still clutching Liu Wuxie's trousers, refusing to let him go.

"I have to leave now. You can go; there’s no danger in the area," Liu Wuxie said, his tone carrying a hint of impatience.

The creature finished the palm-sized piece of roasted meat in just a few bites, its belly bulging comically like an inflated balloon. Despite Liu Wuxie's repeated words, the creature stubbornly refused to release its grip on his trousers.

Liu Wuxie could have easily kicked the creature away, but he hesitated. Its remarkable intelligence restrained him from resorting to such measures.

When the creature noticed that Liu Wuxie wasn't angry, it began climbing up Liu Wuxie's trousers. It sat on his shoulder, unwilling to come down, frantically gesturing its tiny paws ahead. It could only try to communicate through actions as it couldn't speak the human tongue despite understanding it.

"You want me to take you with me?" Liu Wuxie finally understood what this creature was trying to say.

The tiny creature nodded vigorously with a pleading expression in its eyes.

"I can't take you with me. The place I'm going to is too dangerous and unsuitable for demonic beasts," Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head. The Central Plains was a paradise for cultivators but dangerous for demonic beasts.

The tiny creature began gesturing with its paws again, insisting that it wasn't afraid and was even excited at the prospect of an adventure.

After a long standoff, Liu Wuxie finally gave in with a sigh. At least having someone to talk to could alleviate the loneliness of his journey. Perhaps it would regret it in two days after realizing that the outside world wasn't as fun as it imagined.

So, Liu Wuxie was accompanied by his new little friend on his journey. As this creature's red fur resembled a ball of flame, Liu Wuxie decided to call it Fiery.

The creature also seemed fond of its new name and joyfully flipped on Liu Wuxie's shoulder to celebrate.

As they approached the edge of the Western Barren, Fiery had no intention of returning, and its eyes sparkled with anticipation for the adventure ahead.

"The laws here are growing stronger the farther I go, and my flying speed is slowing down!" Liu Wuxie was shocked. He could feel the immense pressure of laws crushing down on him before stepping into the Central Plains.