The auras of the two abyssal devils burst forth with overwhelming power as they struck at once. Their combined might far surpassed that of any ordinary cultivators.
Had they faced a typical human, this ambush would have succeeded. Unfortunately for them, they had run into Liu Wuxie.
"So, you're all seeking death? Then I'll oblige," Liu Wuxie said coldly.
No one could ever close the rift between humans and abyssal devils. With a surge of killing intent, Liu Wuxie unleashed the Soul Spear without hesitation.
Two spears of soul energy shot toward the approaching enemies; they moved as sharp as lightning and as quickly as one's thoughts. Even now, Liu Wuxie refrained from channeling his true essence, intending to kill them without exposing his identity.
Liu Wuxie's spears pierced straight into the two devils' soul seas and tore through their defenses with ease.
Liu Wuxie's primordial spirit and soul energy had long since reached a level equivalent to the upper echelons of the Earth Profound Realm. Thus, these devils were utterly powerless before him.
They froze mid-motion, and their faces were frozen as well. They were killed in an instant.
Tian Wucang remained silent and unmoving. He neither fled nor intervened. As for the third abyssal devil still trapped by the Earth-Binding Chains, he let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Die," Liu Wuxie said coldly.
With a flick of his fingers, the Earth-Binding Chains constricted around the third abyssal devil like a serpent, twisting tighter until the devil's body collapsed, lifeless.
All of it happened in the span of two breaths. The battle ended before it could truly begin.
Afterward, Liu Wuxie turned slowly toward Tian Wucang with murderous intent flashing faintly in his eyes. He prepared to eliminate the witness. If word of this fight were to spread, his entire plan could fall apart.
Tian Wucang met his eyes calmly. "Brother Gu... if you must kill me, go ahead."
His voice sounded low, but it was firm. He sensed Liu Wuxie's hesitation as well as the possibility of being silenced.
If Tian Wucang hadn't stood up for him earlier, Liu Wuxie would have already made a move. They were, after all, not much more than strangers. There was no bond between them worth risking his mission for.
However, Liu Wuxie drew a long breath and lowered his hand.
"Who are you? And why were those devils hunting you?" he asked. He had made the decision not to kill Tian Wucang, but he had to confirm that the youth wasn't a threat first. Anyone capable of attracting the attention of three noble-blooded abyssal devils was anything but ordinary.
Tian Wucang sighed deeply and slumped to the ground. He looked pale and exhausted.
Liu Wuxie took his time. He dealt with the three corpses and then leaned casually against the wall, waiting for a reply.
"I'm the son of an Abyssal Emperor," Tian Wucang finally said.
Liu Wuxie's expression stiffened.
An Abyssal Emperor, the equivalent of a Heaven Profound expert among humans, was a supreme existence. They were revered and unmatched.
As his son, Tian Wucang ought to have been born into honor and power. What was he doing here, hiding in squalor?
"You must be wondering how I ended up ," Tian Wucang said bitterly, forcing a pained smile.
Liu Wuxie nodded slightly. Curiosity stirred in him. With such a lineage, Tian Wucang ought to have inherited tremendous strength and stood high above others.
"My father rules the Abyssal Peak. He commands countless abyssal devils and sires hundreds of descendants," Tian Wucang explained, "I'm just one of them."
He paused for breath, his voice tightening as he added, "My mother was human, so from the moment I was born, my bloodline was considered impure. Among the heirs, they consider me dead last."
The fight for succession was ruthless. Every heir battled for a chance to ascend the throne. Having mixed blood, Tian Wucang had neither standing nor backing. Thus, they cast him aside without mercy.
"Even so, you're still an Abyssal Emperor's son. You shouldn't have fallen this far," Liu Wuxie said softly. Though he barely knew the youth, he understood the pain of being cast out.
"It has something to do with my body. Forgive me; I can't say anymore," Tian Wucang said softly. It wasn't that he didn't trust Liu Wuxie, but he genuinely couldn't talk about it.
Liu Wuxie frowned. He could tell Tian Wucang that wasn't lying. There was something peculiar about his physique, and it was likely the reason the Abyssal Emperor had decided to exile him.
However, the young man was unwilling to elaborate, so Liu Wuxie didn't press him.
"What did they want from you?" Liu Wuxie asked again.
"That's..." Tian Wucang hesitated, visibly struggling to find the words.
"If you can't say, then forget it," Liu Wuxie replied, shaking his head. He had no desire to dig into another man's secrets.
By dawn, he planned to set off toward other regions of the Eighteen Peak Cities to continue his search for the Barefooted Elder. He believed Tian Wucang wouldn't betray him, not only because they had fought side by side but also because the youth was a target himself.
If he were to speak of what happened last night, he'd only be inviting his death.
Ordinary abyssal devils were likely unaware of Tian Wucang's identity, which was the only reason he was still alive. Now that the Abyssal Emperor's guards had caught up to him, however, the respite would soon end.
Silence blanketed the night as it passed.
When dawn arrived, Liu Wuxie stepped out into the morning light. The rain from the night before had cleared the air, leaving the sky above the Eastern Domain unusually crisp. A faint sweetness lingered in the breeze, making the accursed land feel—for a fleeting moment—as if it were part of the human world.
"Farewell," Liu Wuxie said, cupping his hands to Tian Wucang before leaving.
Tian Wucang stood and watched Liu Wuxie's silhouette fade into the distance. A bitter smile curled on his lips.
"That man... was no ordinary cultivator," he muttered to himself.
Liu Wuxie resumed his journey, heading straight for the Abyssal Peak. He couldn't afford to set foot in the human districts. He took the quieter streets and chose his path carefully, ensuring that there were escape routes nearby in case of an ambush.
As he turned into a narrow alley, he spotted two abyssal devils cleaning up garbage. They were clearly low-ranking servants with weak cultivation.
In a flash, Liu Wuxie immobilized them, seizing one in each hand.
"I won't kill you as long as you answer my question honestly," he said coldly.
The two abyssal devils nodded frantically, terrified for their lives.
"Do you know anything about the Barefooted Elder?" Liu Wuxie asked directly, wasting no time at all.
At the mention of that name, both devils froze in horror, eyes widening in panic. Then, without warning, they threw their heads back and howled.
"Die!" Liu Wuxie snapped both their necks without hesitation.
"Damn it. Even abyssal devils won't talk about the Barefooted Elder," Liu Wuxie muttered, tossing their corpses aside before vanishing into the shadows.
Moments after he left, a patrol of abyssal devils arrived. They spotted the bodies and Liu Wuxie's fading presence.
Soon, alarm bells echoed throughout the Abyssal Peak. The alarm spread like wildfire through all eighteen peaks. Countless experts emerged from seclusion, rallying toward the Abyssal Peak at terrifying speeds.
"Seal off the Abyssal Peak! Don't let even a single soul escape!" someone bellowed.
In mere moments, a complete lockdown commenced. Even Heaven Profound Realm experts descended from the skies, sealing off every possible route of escape. Their divine senses also swept across the city like a storm.
The overwhelming response stunned Liu Wuxie. Was all this necessary for a single question?
"All abyssal devils, return to your homes!" the Abyssal Emperor commanded from midair, his voice shaking the skies.
The streets were emptied in the proverbial blink of an eye.
They slaughtered wanderers, drifters, and outcasts without hesitation. Blood flowed through the alleys like rivers amidst the never-ending slaughter. They would rather butcher a thousand innocents than allow one suspect to slip away.
Liu Wuxie had nowhere to return to.
He dashed through the winding streets, using every technique at his disposal to mask his presence. However, Heaven Profound experts were scanning every inch of the Abyssal Peak, so it was only a matter of time before they found him.
Heaven Profound cultivators from the other seventeen peaks had joined the hunt, tearing through the district with cold efficiency. They slaughtered anyone remotely suspicious on the spot.
The entire city became a battlefield of silence and slaughter.
"What did I do wrong?" Liu Wuxie gritted his teeth as he hid behind a crumbling wall. His mind raced for a way out, but there was none.
He couldn't defeat even one Heaven Profound expert, let alone dozens. Divine senses swept through the air like an invisible tidal wave.
"There!" someone shouted. One of the Heaven Profound experts had locked onto him.
A deafening boom split the air.
The expert struck with a tremendously powerful palm attack, but Liu Wuxie narrowly dodged it. The explosion blasted the building behind him into rubble.
"That was close..." he exhaled shakily.
Unfortunately, it was too late. He was fully exposed. Countless divine senses locked onto him from all directions.
"He's a human!" someone shouted. The illusion had shattered. He had been fooling ordinary abyssal devils with his disguise, but Heaven Profound experts saw through it instantly.
"Kill him!" shouted the same voice as a second strike slammed down.
An unbearable pressure descended from above, squeezing out the air from Liu Wuxie's lungs.
A massive palm, radiating with starlight, manifested in the sky. Its momentum sealed off every single direction, denying any chance of escape.
Liu Wuxie wanted to cry.
He had only asked about the Barefooted Elder. Could that truly warrant such ruthless slaughter? Was the Elder's name truly that forbidden?
The palm roared toward him. They didn't give him a chance to speak—no questions, no trial, only death.
Liu Wuxie tried everything. He activated his true essence, summoned defensive talismans, and manipulated space, but nothing worked.
This was the unshakable authority of a Heaven Profound Realm expert. As beings at the pinnacle of the True Martial Continent, they commanded the laws of heaven and earth.
Even the most desperate resistance was like throwing an egg against a mountain.
Liu Wuxie closed his eyes. He had yet to find the Barefooted Elder, and now, he was about to die without understanding why he was going to die. It was a cruel joke of fate.
"Brother Gu! Over here!" A familiar voice suddenly rang out.
Liu Wuxie's eyes snapped open.
The voice belonged to Tian Wucang, and his voice sliced through the storm like a lifeline.