Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 637 - Talisman Tower

Everyone watched in stunned silence, wondering what could have caused Bai Jin to slap Wang Ba across the face. Although Bai Jin was the sect master and Wang Ba a mere elder, the two had worked closely together ever since Bai Jin had assumed leadership of the Heavenly Origin Sect.

Wang Ba stood frozen, his hand clutching his reddened cheek as tears welled up and rolled down his face. For a dignified elder like him, being slapped in public was a humiliation of the highest order.

"S-Sect Master...you...you slapped me?!" Wang Ba stammered, his voice trembling with disbelief. He was at a loss, unable to comprehend what mistake had earned him such a harsh punishment. After all, the other elders had also examined the spiritual arrays and ghost runes. So why was the blame falling solely on him?

Bai Jin had a hint of regret flashing across his eyes. The slap was delivered in a moment of rage without any forethought.

"Elder Wang, don't take it to heart. The sect master only acted in a fit of anger," the other two elders stepped forward to comfort Wang Ba. After all, an internal conflict would be disastrous at this moment.

However, the Heavenly Origin Sect was no longer the united force it once appeared to be. Liu Wuxie had successfully sown discord among its ranks during the first trial.

"What have I done wrong for you to slap me?!" Wang Ba's anger boiled. He had worked tirelessly for two days to refine pills for the injured disciples.

No one answered him as Bai Jin turned away, unwilling to meet Wang Ba's eyes.

The surrounding people began to discuss among themselves, and many second-tier sects even laughed at the Heavenly Origin Sect. This was an embarrassment for the Heavenly Origin Sect, which was the head of the ten major sects.

"It seems like the Heavenly Origin Sect has tampered with their challenge again, only to be resolved by Liu Wuxie," someone remarked.

After all, Bai Jin had given Wang Ba a slap across the face and reprimanded him.

"Liu Wuxie is truly formidable in repeatedly resolving the Heavenly Origin Sect's underhanded tactics."

Most people harbored no hostility toward Liu Wuxie. Over the past few days of interaction, they had come to realize that he wasn’t as overbearing as the rumors had suggested.

Amidst this, Liu Wuxie was focused on the task before him. The meteorite iron hovered before him as he continued injecting spiritual runes. The ghost rune was still around, and he had only severed the connection between the ghost runes and the ghost talisman.

Wang Ba's ghost talisman had become ineffective, and they could no longer control the ghost runes in the meteorite iron.

As Liu Wuxie injected more spiritual runes into the meteorite iron, the ghost rune began to retreat before it was completely vanquished.

An hour later, the meteorite iron was finally tempered—clear and flawless, its impurities entirely removed. Liu Wuxie placed the meteorite iron on the crystal orb, which gave off a purple glow.

The crowd fell silent again, and Liu Wuxie took first place. Elder He was already waiting for him when he descended from the tower.

"Well done. You didn't let me down. Was the meteorite iron tampered with?" Elder He asked as he patted Liu Wuxie's shoulder. They were worried that Liu Wuxie might not secure first place in this trial.

"Yeah," Liu Wuxie nodded, keeping the details to himself. When he returned to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's area, he entered the cultivation chamber.

Others were still forging artifacts, and Bai Yuan finally reached the tenth level by noon, followed closely by Deng Yong.

The two had reached the tenth level simultaneously. The tenth level was Bai Yuan's territory, and it would be tough for Deng Yong to gain benefits.

After much struggle, Bai Yuan obtained second place with a slight advantage, while Deng Yong obtained third. This was the best result Bai Yuan had received out of all the trials thus far.

He was ranked beyond thirty on the Spiritual Array Tower, third on the Alchemy Tower, and second on the Blacksmithing Tower.

The Blacksmithing Tower was closed at dusk, and all the disciples who couldn't complete the trial exited it.

The rankings for the top ten were announced, with the Demonic Heart Palace's Qiu Kui taking fourth, Murong Yi securing fifth, and the Sky Rift Valley's Cai Hongxing coming in sixth...

At the evening ceremony, Liu Wuxie obtained another Ascension Pill. He still didn't consume it, as two Ascension Pills weren't enough to bring him to the next level.

"Sect Master, this is an unused meteorite iron that we retrieved," an elder said, coming with a meteorite iron and placing it before Bai Jin.

Bai Jin picked up the meteorite iron and examined it with his divine sense. He could sense the ghost rune within.

"Hand me the ghost talisman," Bai Jin demanded as Wang Ba handed it over reluctantly, looking aggrieved. But when he infused his true essence into the ghost talisman, there wasn't any reaction from the ghost rune within the meteorite iron.

"Sect Master, I suspect Liu Wuxie severed the connection between the ghost runes and ghost talisman," said an elder of the Heavenly Origin Sect.

"What did he use to sever the connection between the two? This makes no sense!" Bai Jin and the three elders of the Heavenly Origin Sect were seated in the tent.

Aside from Wang Ba, the other two elders were Qian Chong and Zhang Bei. The one who spoke was Qian Chong, and his face was terrifyingly grim.

"There's a possibility that he has found an ancient inheritance that has granted him mastery over the five arts," Bai Jin muttered grimly.

The five arts corresponded with spiritual arrays, blacksmithing, alchemy, spiritual talismans, and martial arts, representing the cultivation world.

Qian Chong and the other elders nodded, acknowledging that possibility.

"Elder Wang, don't take it to heart. I believe the sect master didn't mean to blame you, and it is all Liu Wuxie's fault that our sect was humiliated. He must be eliminated at all costs," Zhang Bei comforted Wang Ba.

As the sect master could not lower his position, the other elders could only do their best to resolve the discord.

"I'm not angry with the sect master," Wang Ba replied. What's done was done, and it wasn't like he could return the slap to the sect master.

"Our odds of winning in the Talisman Tower tomorrow aren’t high," Qian Chong admitted with a frown. "I’ve examined his talismans—they’re exceptionally formidable."

The Heavenly Origin Sect prided itself on its mastery of spiritual talismans, yet even Qian Chong, an elder of their sect, openly acknowledged their inferiority to Liu Wuxie’s skill. His conclusion wasn’t baseless; he had thoroughly investigated Liu Wuxie’s abilities, and what he uncovered left little room for optimism.

In the past, anyone who dared to diminish the sect's morale to praise the enemy would have faced the sect master's wrath. Yet, a heavy silence fell over the four in the tent.

They possessed talismans produced by Liu Wuxie, and the quality far surpassed anything produced by the Heavenly Origin Sect—not just slightly, but by a significant margin.

"The talisman trial isn't just about crafting spiritual talismans. Aside from engraving spiritual runes, it was also about deciphering talismans. I refuse to believe that someone barely twenty can decipher so many complicated talisman arrays," Zhang Bei shared his opinion as he broke the silence.

The next day’s trial wasn’t merely a contest of crafting spiritual talismans and evaluating their quality. If that were the case, the participants could simply craft their talismans in one place, and the most powerful one would win. There would be no need for the rigorous challenge of climbing the tower.

Talisman arrays were laid on each level, and only those who passed the array could move on to the next level. This was similar to the Spiritual Array Tower.

That night, the ten major sects gathered in hushed discussions, strategizing and debating the outcome of the upcoming trial.

By dawn, all the disciples emerged from their cultivation. Through a night of meditation, Liu Wuxie had recovered to his peak state, his aura radiating like a sword waiting to be sheathed.

The layout of the Talisman Tower was different from that of the other towers. It was more vast, unlike the Alchemy and Blacksmithing Towers, which had a slender form.

"You already know the rules, and each level will involve the knowledge of spiritual talismans. Some require solutions, while others demand dissolving. As for the actual challenge, you'll know after going in," Mu Tianli said as he gathered all the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples.

His gaze ultimately lingered on Liu Wuxie with a silent nod to convey his expectations for the latter.

As for the last trial, it would take a lot of work for Liu Wuxie to rank first. Thus, it was enough for him to be ranked first on the four previous towers.

Over a thousand disciples began to enter the Talisman Tower. Liu Wuxie chose the first pathway and entered a brightly lit chamber. An incomplete spiritual talisman was hanging on the wall, waiting to be completed. Once the spiritual talisman was completed, he would be able to advance to the next level.

"If there's no surprise, the first place of this trial will fall into Liu Wuxie's hands again."

Liu Wuxie's spiritual talismans and alchemy attainment had long spread across the Southern Province. This time, no one mocked Liu Wuxie; even the Heavenly Origin Sect’s disciples had chosen to be silent.

"What is this spiritual talisman? Why haven't I seen it before?"

Everyone outside the tower eagerly watched, their eyes fixed on Liu Wuxie's chamber to see how he would tackle this unprecedented challenge.

"I've never seen this spiritual talisman before. This is weird..."

Many spiritualists were present, and they had never seen the spiritual talisman hanging on the wall. The chambers on each level were the same, and everyone, except disciples from the Divine Sun Palace, fell into deep thoughts.

The incomplete spiritual talisman was imprinted in Liu Wuxie's soul sea and appeared in the Heavenly Dao Book. This book could be used for analysis. After all, he had relied on it to fuse the Annihilation Fist.

When the incomplete spiritual talisman appeared in the Heavenly Dao Book, it began to change, and more runes appeared on it.

Meanwhile, some disciples from the Divine Sun Palace had already completed their challenge.

"This is the Transformation Talisman. No wonder it's so rare in the market!" After the Divine Sun Palace’s disciples were done with their challenge, someone from the crowd finally recognized the spiritual talisman.

This spiritual talisman could temporarily change one's appearance. However, the transformation would only affect external features, leaving the internal structures unchanged—a tool often used for deception.

Many participants managed to identify the nature of the spiritual talisman and began to complete it.

On the contrary, Liu Wuxie remained still.

"This is weird. Why isn't Liu Wuxie moving? Can it be that he has never seen this spiritual talisman?" murmurs came from the crowd as everyone held great hopes for Liu Wuxie in the Talisman Tower. It would be surprising if he couldn't obtain first place in this trial.

"What's so strange about it? Even if he's talented with spiritual talismans, that doesn't mean he’s capable of crafting every kind of spiritual talisman," an Azure Crimson Gate disciple sneered, dismissing the attention on Liu Wuxie. He assumed Liu Wuxie’s knowledge was limited to a handful of talismans and reasoned that it was natural for him to be unfamiliar with such a rare one.

However, what happened next was a resounding slap to their faces as Liu Wuxie began to move after the Azure Crimson Gate’s disciples were done speaking.

With a swipe of his finger, Liu Wuxie began drawing spiritual runes and infusing them into the talisman paper.

"What strange runes! They don’t look anything like the ones drawn by the Divine Sun Palace disciples." Liu Wuxie's actions naturally drew the attention of thousands of spectators.

"He's wrong! He made a mistake!" cried the disciples of the Divine Sun Palace who weren’t participating in this trial.

Hearing that Liu Wuxie was making a mistake, those from the Heavenly Origin Sect felt relieved. If Liu Wuxie really made a mistake, it would be a chance for them to turn the tables around.

However, their relief was short-lived, with a resounding slap to the faces of everyone who doubted Liu Wuxie. The spiritual talisman on the wall emitted a dazzling golden radiance and a terrifying aura.

Spiritual talismans were graded, with ordinary ones capable of unleashing power only at the third level. However, the spiritual talisman drawn by Liu Wuxie had reached an astonishing tenth level!