Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 679 - Yin and Yang

Liu Wuxie's face flashed with a glimmer of joy upon receiving Mu Yueying's news.

At the same time, Du Yuan's face also expressed a strong desire to survive. When he finally remembered where he had seen Mu Yueying before, he yelled, "I recall now!"

"Speak!" Liu Wuxie urged.

"I'll tell you if you're willing to let me go," Du Yuan sneered, planning to use the information to threaten Liu Wuxie. He could tell that the woman in the portrait was important to Liu Wuxie, and this might be his only lifeline if he used it right.

"You're courting death!" Liu Wuxie was enraged. He detested threats the most. When he swung the Heretic Blade down, Du Yuan's right arm vanished with blood spraying around.

The pain made Du Yuan scream. He had never met someone like Liu Wuxie before—someone who was merciless and did not hesitate to take action.

"Let me repeat my question—where did you meet her?" Liu Wuxie's voice grew colder with each word. He didn't mind searching Du Yuan's soul if no other options were left.

Liu Wuxie's sharp gaze sent a chill down Du Yuan's spine, momentarily distracting him from the pain. He understood the gravity of the situation; survival was not an option, regardless of whether he spoke or remained silent. If he cooperated, his death would be swift and painless. If he refused to reveal the information, it would be slow and tormenting.

Blood continued to drip from the Heretic Blade as Liu Wuxie placed it on Du Yuan's left arm. The Heretic Blade would descend to sever it if he remained silent.

"I saw her in the Clear Spring Lake ten days ago, and there seemed to be a man with her. They were both being pursued," Du Yuan confessed. He had only caught a fleeting glimpse while passing by, but the sight of Mu Yueying's figure had left a lasting impression on him.

"And do you know the direction they fled in?" Liu Wuxie continued to ask.

"The southwest!" Du Yuan answered after a moment of recollection.

The direction Mu Yueying had taken aligned with Liu Wuxie's current path to the Yin-Yang Valley, a mysterious region situated to the west near the Western Barren. It was a boundless and ancient forest.

"One last question: are there any prominent clans in the Central Plains with the surname Liu?" Liu Wuxie asked. Since Du Yuan came from the Central Plains, he was likely familiar with the forces there.

He had previously learned from Gu Yu's grandfather that there was a clan in the Central Plains with the surname Liu, but he needed to find out if it was connected to his parents.

"Which one are you referring to?" Du Yuan asked cautiously. Several Liu Clans existed in the Central Plains, and he couldn’t be certain which one Liu Wuxie wanted information about.

"Tell me everything you know," Liu Wuxie demanded. He still wasn't sure if his parents came from the Central Plains. After all, it wasn't an ordinary feat for them to vanish without a trace overnight. Even his father-in-law, who had searched the region surrounding Azure Billow City for a hundred miles, had found no clues.

"The most prominent one is one of the Four Great Clans," Du Yuan quickly explained. "But there are also smaller Liu Clans scattered across the Central Plains." Though he wasn’t an expert, he had a general understanding of the Four Great Clans. He had read about them even if he had never encountered them personally.

The information was similar to that shared by Gu Yu's grandfather, who had also told him there was a Liu Clan among the Four Great Clans.

"Do you know a man called Liu Dashan?" Liu Wuxie asked, despite knowing there wasn't much hope. After all, it had been so many years without any news of his parents, and he didn't know if they were alive. He wanted to find them and ask them why they abandoned him.

Du Yuan's blank expression at the mention of Liu Dashan’s name said it all. Without hesitation, Liu Wuxie struck, his blade slicing cleanly through, decapitating Du Yuan in one swift motion. With the deed done, he swiftly gathered their interspatial rings and tidied up the battlefield. He knew it wouldn’t be long before the deathguards arrived, drawn by the scent of blood to consume the remains.

......

"Brother Liu, we can't thank you enough. We can't imagine the consequences without your help," Ji Qiu said, his face brimming with gratitude. Liu Wuxie had saved them twice in several days.

"You're too polite," Liu Wuxie said with a nod. He remained courteous, knowing he still needed their assistance to locate the Yin-Yang Valley. If they perished along the way, he would have to rely solely on himself to navigate its perilous terrain—a task that could take an eternity.

Moreover, Du Yuan had mentioned that Mu Yueying was being pursued, which wasn't good news. He knew how strong Mu Yueying was, and the fact someone could pursue her meant it must be a formidable foe.

Even Liu Wuxie wasn't sure he could face such adversaries. Time was of the essence—he had to find Mu Yueying immediately and bring her out of the Heavenly Nether Battlefield.

......

The trio pressed onward, avoiding unnecessary delays except for brief periods of rest. On the seventh day, they arrived near the fabled Yin-Yang Valley.

The valley was flanked by two colossal mountain ranges—a fiery volcano on one side and a glacial icy peak on the other. Between these extremes lay a massive ravine, its depths filled with vibrant plant life and towering trees that rose majestically from the ground.

The volcano's searing heat and the icy peak's frigid cold made their edges inhospitable to life. Yet, in the valley's center, a perfect balance of temperatures created an environment ideal for flourishing life.

The trees were brimming with wood-attribute energy, and the Desolate Devouring Art began devouring the surrounding spiritual energy even before Liu Wuxie got close. The mysterious tree in the desolate world swayed as if it was notifying him of a treasure.

Ordinary treasures couldn't attract the mysterious tree's attention, so it had to be a heaven-defying treasure.

Since Liu Wuxie had received the Southern Province's blessing, he realized his fortune had increased.

......

"Look at the sky!" Tang Hong pointed to the sky between the two mountain ranges. There were two swirling masses of energy: Yin and Yang. They were like two fishes intertwining, chasing after each other's tails.

In the Ten Grand Ceremony, Liu Wuxie had comprehended a hint of Yin and Yang. The deathly energy in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield was too strong, so this icy mountain was formed, filled with chilling yin energy.

Yin and Yang couldn't thrive without each other. The extreme limit of Yang was Yin, and vice-versa. Since ancient times, Yin and Yang have coexisted, like how places with only sunlight and darkness couldn't sustain life. On the contrary, life would only grow in areas with a balance of Yin and Yang.

"This is a paradise!" Ji Qiu exclaimed in excitement.

"This is no paradise, but a forbidden zone instead," Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head. The environment here was harsher than he had imagined.

"Brother Liu, what do you mean by that?" No matter how Ji Qiu looked at it, the ravine was filled with life and spiritual energy. Cultivating here would achieve twice the result with half the effort.

"That isn't a simple icy mountain but one formed with countless accumulations of deathly energy," Liu Wuxie said with a frown.

The surrounding temperature plummeted where yin energy reached its peak, creating ice that blanketed an entire mountain—thus forming the yin mountain. If Liu Wuxie’s observation was correct, the other mountain should be a volcano harboring boundless magma beneath its surface. This was a perfect example to how the Yin and Yang coexist together.

"The yin mountain must have formed first, serving as the foundation before the appearance of the fiery mountain range," he added.

"Brother Liu, are you suggesting that there are countless corpses buried beneath that yin mountain?" Ji Qiu asked. He no longer treated Liu Wuxie as ordinary after seeing how he slew someone at the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm with one strike.

Their conversations along the journey had only deepened his respect for Liu Wuxie’s profound knowledge and sharp eloquence.

"More or less," Liu Wuxie replied. He had already seen through the yin mountain relying on Ghost Eye. He could see countless corpses buried beneath, piled high in eternal slumber. If they were disturbed, their awakening would unleash horrors beyond imagination. A thousand-year deathguard was pale compared to the apocalypse they might trigger.

There might even be ten thousand-year deathguards beneath, and there would only be death if one entered recklessly.

But if Mu Yueying had truly entered this place, he had to try and look for her even if there was danger. Besides, he wasn’t overly concerned; with the protection of the Soul Forge Art, he was confident in his ability to escape if the situation turned dire.

"There are fights ahead!"

As the ravine was overgrown with plants that obscured their view, they could only hear the commotion to determine that someone was fighting a thousand meters away.

"Let's go take a look!" Liu Wuxie said. Finding Mu Yueying would be easy as long as there was someone around.

The trio descended and dove into the vast mountain range. The icy mountain loomed with a deathly chill while the volcano raged with relentless heat, and charging in recklessly would be dangerous.

They stopped fifty meters from the sound and dared not get too close. They saw two humans locked in a battle with several deathguards.

"What's going on? Why are there deathguards here?" Ji Qiu whispered, his voice trembling with unease. He had a natural fear of the deathguard, a scar left by the thousand-year deathguard in the city.

Liu Wuxie didn't speak, his gaze fixated on the two humans. Judging from their martial techniques, he could tell they weren't from the Southern Province.

"Should we help?" Ji Qiu turned to look at Liu Wuxie. He didn't dare to make decisions.

"No need. Those deathguards are no match for them," Liu Wuxie replied calmly. The two people were strong, and they weren't any weaker than Du Yuan.

Then again, there were no weaklings among those who entered the Heavenly Nether Battlefield. As expected, the two men swiftly killed the three deathguards before they turned to look in Liu Wuxie's direction.

They were spotted, which meant the trio could be detected from so far away.

"Come out!" one of the two barked as he unleashed a sword aura. Many people had rushed over recently, and there would be deaths every day.

Ji Qiu drew his longsword to deflect the incoming sword aura, but the action inadvertently exposed his group.

At first, the two men assumed Liu Wuxie's group were seasoned experts, but their wariness faded after assessing the trio's cultivation levels.

"What are you doing here, spying on us?" The man on the right roared, his face hinting at anger.

"We're only passing through," Ji Qiu explained quickly. He didn't want to make enemies for no reason.

"Forget it. They don't seem to be with Yu Lin, judging from their appearance," the man of the left dismissed.

With that, the two men turned away, ignoring Liu Wuxie’s group and preparing to leave. Their hurried demeanor suggested they were fleeing from something—or someone.

"Hold up!" Liu Wuxie called out.

The two men stopped abruptly, their fury igniting. They had already decided to overlook the trio’s apparent spying, yet now they were forced to pause.

"You've already tested my patience, boy. Are you courting death?" the man on the right growled, drawing his weapon and preparing to act against Liu Wuxie.

"Please don't misunderstand. I mean no harm, and I only wish to ask if you recognize this woman," Liu Wuxie said, taking out Mu Yueying's portrait.