Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 680 - Mu Yueying's Location

"You're associated with this woman?" The man on the left frowned as he looked at Liu Wuxie.

"She's a friend of mine," Liu Wuxie replied.

"You might be one step too late. She has most likely met a grim end," the man on the left said and turned around to leave, uninterested in any further conversation with Liu Wuxie.

"Brother, what do you mean by that?" Liu Wuxie swiftly moved to block their path. He could tell from their tone that they knew Mu Yueying's location.

"Get lost!" the man on the right snarled, finally losing his patience. He struck with his palm, unleashing a powerful attack. They neither knew Liu Wuxie's identity nor trusted the truth of his words, and they had already wasted enough time on him.

The man on the left made no move to stop his companion, silently allowing the attack to proceed.

Facing the incoming strike, Liu Wuxie had two options: step aside and let them leave or confront it directly. Engaging would mean starting a fight, something he wished to avoid for now. However, he wasn’t one to back down easily.

With a swipe of his palm, yin and yang energies appeared, forming a Yin-Yang diagram to resolve the incoming strike.

The two men’s expressions shifted drastically, shock and unease evident on their faces. They hadn’t expected Liu Wuxie to be so formidable, capable of resolving the strike with such ease.

"Brat, who the hell are you?!" The two looked at Liu Wuxie, both on their guard. After all, it was no ordinary feat for someone in the fourth level of the Astral River Realm to resolve their attacks.

I've made myself clear. I'm here to look for her in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield, so I'll appreciate it if you can tell me about her whereabouts," Liu Wuxie said with Mu Yueying's portrait in his hand. His tone was sincere, without any hostility.

"Senior brother, don't waste words on him. He must be someone sent by Yu Lin!" The man on the right drew his sword and positioned himself to attack.

Confusion flickered across Liu Wuxie's face as he wondered who Yu Lin was.

"Don't play dumb! Prepare to die!" The man on the right struck with his sword.

"Don't force my hand!"Liu Wuxie warned, his voice tinged with anger. He had come seeking information about his friend, only to be met with baseless accusations and hostility. They accused him of being associated with Yu Lin and even attacked him. Did they truly think he was a pushover?

"Junior brother, hold on!" the man on the left interjected, stepping between them. If Liu Wuxie had truly been sent by Yu Lin, he would have notified Yu Lin the moment he saw them. There would have been no need for this prolonged exchange.

Liu Wuxie, meanwhile, had already prepared his counterattack, his aura simmering with restrained power. If the man on the right dared to strike again, he would not hesitate to retaliate with lethal force. Cooperation was no longer a guarantee, and if forced, he would extract the information directly from their souls.

"My name is Liu Wuxie, and the woman in this portrait is my friend. If you know her whereabouts, please tell me," Liu Wuxie asked sincerely, and his anxiety was evident.

"You're not someone Yu Lin sent to follow us?" The man on the left scrutinized Liu Wuxie, who didn't look like someone from the Central Plains.

"I have never met this Yu Lin before, and I only entered the Heavenly Nether Battlefield seven days ago," Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head. He didn't even know who the hell this Yu Lin was.

Hearing that Liu Wuxie wasn’t sent by Yu Lin, the two men visibly relaxed. If he had been, they wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him. The only reason they refrained earlier was Liu Wuxie’s remarkable display of skill, which had intimidated them enough to stay their hand.

"We saw the woman you're looking for three days ago, and Yu Lin is pursuing her. She has fled into the depths of the Yin-Yang Valley, and, likely, she has already fallen victim," the man on the left shared everything he knew.

Liu Wuxie wondered who this Yu Lin was and why he was pursuing Mu Yueying.

"Can you please tell me what happened? Why is my friend being hunted, and who is this Yu Lin?" Liu Wuxie asked. He could tell from their tone that they also had a feud with Yu Lin.

Both parties let their guards down as they conversed, and Liu Wuxie also learned their names. The one on the left was Feng Hongguang, while the fiery-tempered one on the right was Song Qi. They both hailed from the Central Plains and were being pursued because they had offended Yu Lin with their words.

Liu Wuxie gleaned valuable information from Feng Hongguang. Yu Lin was a figure of extraordinary status, belonging to the prestigious Yu Clan—one of the Four Great Clans. It was rumored that he carried the direct bloodline of the Yu Clan and wielded formidable strength. Moreover, several powerful experts accompanied him, making him a dangerous adversary.

A month prior, a mysterious treasure had appeared at a lake in the Heavenly Nether Battlefield, and Mu Yueying had obtained it when Yu Lin's group had arrived. Since then, they had relentlessly pursued Mu Yueying.

Mu Yueying had narrowly escaped the pursuit before fleeing into the Yin-Yang Valley. Du Yuan also mentioned he had once seen Mu Yueying being chased.

After piecing everything together, Liu Wuxie fully understood Mu Yueying's dire situation. The mysterious treasure had fallen into her hands, making her the target of Yu Lin's relentless pursuit.

Feng Hongguang and Song Qi, meanwhile, had incurred Yu Lin's wrath due to a misunderstanding. Their words had been interpreted as a challenge to his authority, prompting Yu Lin to hunt them down.

They had only managed to escape thanks to their considerable strength. However, after evading Yu Lin's pursuit, they mistakenly assumed Liu Wuxie was sent by Yu Lin to track them down.

Liu Wuxie hadn’t anticipated the situation to be so complicated, but rescuing Mu Yueying had now become his top priority. Time was of the essence, and he had to act before she fell into Yu Lin’s hands.

"Brother Feng, I'm grateful for the information. I have to hurry into the depths of the Yin-Yang Valley now to save my friend before it's too late," Liu Wuxie said and bid his farewell to Ji Qiu and Tang Hong before venturing into the valley.

This was because they couldn't provide much help searching for Mu Yueying. After all, even Feng Hongguang and his companion couldn't do anything to Yu Lin. If Ji Qiu and Tang Hong followed him, they could only die for nothing.

He vanished into the Yin-Yang Valley before Ji Qiu could say a word.

"What speed!" Song Qi exclaimed with lingering fear on his face.

"He was concealing his strength. Based on my estimation, even the two of us together might not be able to stand a chance against him," Feng Hongguang whispered, his voice laced with unease.

In the Central Plains, cultivation level wasn’t everything. Prodigies capable of defeating those with higher cultivation levels were not uncommon, and Liu Wuxie appeared to be one of them.

"He killed someone in the pinnacle of the Astral River Realm a few days ago," Ji Qiu said with a wry smile.

After hearing what Ji Qi said, relief washed over Feng Hongguang and Song Qi. They were fortunate that they didn't continue to attack Liu Wuxie, or they might've died as well.

"Do you think he can defeat Yu Lin?" Song Qi asked suddenly.

Since Mu Yueying was his friend, he definitely wouldn't let it go if anything happened to her.

"That's not our concern. The yin and yang energies have been restless recently in the Yin-Yang Valley. It might be an appearance of a treasure, and we can also try our luck. Perhaps we will be lucky enough to find something," Feng Hongguang said. He didn't want to give up and planned to continue venturing. After all, ordinary cultivators couldn't do anything to them as long as they avoided Yu Lin.

......

Liu Wuxie didn’t wander aimlessly as he ventured into the Yin-Yang Valley. Utilizing the Ghost Eye, he refined his search with precision, scanning the environment for any signs of Mu Yueying.

Mu Yueying had activated the Alert Talisman three times, and her objective was to seek help from her father. Since she knew someone would come to save her, she would definitely leave behind traces for her rescuer.

As the Ghost Eye penetrated the layers of the valley, Liu Wuxie’s gaze locked onto a particular tree. Carved into its bark was a peculiar mark resembling a pill.

"This must be a sign left behind by Big Sister Mu!" Liu Wuxie was once the chief alchemist of the Treasure Pill Pavilion and was familiar with this mark. Judging from the traces, it should have been carved a day or two ago.

An arrowhead pointed to the left, and Liu Wuxie didn't hesitate to travel at full speed. As he delved deeper into the Yin-Yang Valley, he often ran into fellow cultivators, but he would vanish before they could react.

As Liu Wuxie continued to perform the Ghost Eye, he noticed several more markings along the way, and these markings seemed to be left in a hurry as they weren't complete.

When Liu Wuxie saw three men ahead, he suddenly descended before them, scaring them. He swiftly captured one of them before they could react.

"Have you seen this person before?" Liu Wuxie asked, taking out the portrait.

Those who instinctively tried to strike at Liu Wuxie were instantly frozen into ice statues. However, he refrained from killing them, using this as a warning to show that he harbored no ill intentions. The man Liu Wuxie had captured trembled in fear, overwhelmed by the sheer power on display.

"Yes, I have seen her before! She fled toward the Black Tomb Cliff!" That man didn't dare to hide anything and revealed everything he knew.

"Thanks!" Liu Wuxie released him, and the two frozen into ice statues began to defrost.

......

The Black Tomb Cliff was a desolate and foreboding place, its atmosphere dominated by biting cold winds carried from the nearby yin mountain. At the edge of the cliff stood a man and a woman, their backs against the sheer drop. Above them, yin and yang energies swirled violently in the sky, forming two massive whirlwinds. These whirlwinds were so ferocious that anyone attempting to fly upward risked being torn apart.

Beneath the cliff lay a dark and seemingly bottomless abyss. Legends spoke of countless deathguards lurking below, born from the innumerable deaths that had occurred over the years. Trapped between the whirlwinds above and the abyss below, the man and woman were completely cornered, with no path of escape in sight.

"Ying'er, I'm content you've come this far with me. You should leave now and save yourself," the man beside the woman said. He had sharp brows, a high nose bridge, and a handsome face.

There was a jagged sword wound across his chest that caused him to bleed profusely. As they had been running for days without any time to rest, infection had begun to set in, making each step a torment.

"Since I have chosen to stand together with you, I will also share your fate—life or death!" Mu Yueying said.

Her mind began to drift to the day she had met him. She had left the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to train, and she would've been killed by the jaws of a demonic beast if he hadn't saved her. Since then, their bond had been forged, and it had only grown stronger throughout the years.

"You're the proud daughter of heaven, and there's no need for you to die with me here. You can run and save your life," the man said as he caressed Mu Yueying's head.

"Lin Tong, I've made up my mind. We will live and die together," Mu Yueying said. Her eyes didn't have a hint of regret, but they were filled with determination instead.

Mocking laughter echoed through the icy winds as the pursuers finally closed in on Mu Yueying and Lin Tong after a relentless month-long chase.

"Run! Carry on running! Let me see where you can run!"