Chapter 1890 - Blood Dyeing the Sky

The three Divine Penta Elemental Bolts appeared to lock into a triangular formation in the same instant. In reality, Liu Wuxie had launched them in a meticulously calculated sequence, and the first Divine Penta Elemental Bolt plunged directly into the heart of the crowd.

"Run for your lives!" people screamed.

The teams they had only just assembled disintegrated at once, their members scattering like a flock of startled birds. A cataclysmic shockwave burst through their ranks a moment later, and raging flames followed close behind as the heartfire sealed within the Divine Penta Elemental Bolt engulfed the surrounding area.

All five elemental energies unleashed their fury in succession while sword runes erupted from the blast. Stone spikes ripped out of the ground and pierced the fleeing cultivators with effortless brutality. Vines came next, bursting from beneath the earth to ensnare even those who had run a thousand meters away before strangling them alive. Then a mighty flood roared across the chamber, sweeping away dozens more cultivators and drowning them as the surroundings descended into an appalling spectacle.

Before anyone could react, a thunderous detonation announced the eruption of the second Divine Penta Elemental Bolt. Its shockwave struck before the first could fade, hurling that initial wave another ten meters into the air. Those two explosions alone slaughtered hundreds of cultivators. Agonized screams flooded the chamber while rivers of blood stained the entire underground world crimson.

Shen Can had already withdrawn far from the destruction. He glared at the carnage, his eyes burning so fiercely that they seemed ready to spew fire.

"How did a dignified peak Profound Immortal like me end up in such a pathetic state?"

The blast tore many peak Profound Immortals apart at the waist, and their tormented cries became the final lament of their lives. Their deaths failed to hinder the devastation in the slightest. The second shockwave swept across an even greater area, and regardless of how frantically the cultivators ran, none could outrun the advancing wave.

Then the third Divine Penta Elemental Bolt exploded. Its detonation drove the first and second shockwaves another ten meters higher, sending the surging force roaring almost to the top of the stone walls.

Wind-attribute energy and terrifying ice-attribute energy had also merged with the five elemental energies. Bitter cold swept through the cultivators, freezing countless victims on the spot and turning them into lifeless ice sculptures. Detonating three Divine Penta Elemental Bolts in succession had magnified their destructive power far beyond what they could achieve when thrown individually.

Like an apocalyptic storm, the overlapping shockwaves scoured the entire stone chamber, obliterating everything in their path.

Corpses blanketed the ground from wall to wall. When the last overlapping shockwave finally receded, the survivors remained rooted to the spot, their legs shaking violently and their throats too constricted to produce a single word. Even a rough count placed the number slain by the three Divine Penta Elemental Bolts at over a thousand.

What kind of devastation did that number signify? Fourfold City offered the clearest comparison. Even if every prominent clan in the city combined its forces, their Profound Immortals would barely number more than one thousand. With only three Divine Penta Elemental Bolts, Liu Wuxie had effectively erased the entire foundation of a large city.

The dead had come from every corner of the region. Among them were cultivators from Fourfold City, Moonveil City, the Azure Flame Dao Hall, the Celestial Moon Dao Hall, and the Stormcloud Sect, along with countless rogue cultivators drawn from various lands.

Without a sound, the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron manifested above the battlefield. The corpses strewn across the ground slowly withered until nothing remained but heaps of human skin. The cauldron consumed every trace of energy and law from their bodies, refined them into liquid energy, and poured it into the Desolate World.

Liu Wuxie had massacred so many people without expending more than a negligible amount of his own immortal energy. With only a little over a thousand cultivators still alive, the survivors hurriedly produced their Communication Talismans and tried to summon reinforcements from their respective forces.

Their efforts were doomed from the start. The Ancient Origin Spatial Realm still imprisoned them, preventing any messages from reaching outside. One Communication Talisman after another vanished into the air, yet not a single response returned.

"Everyone, charge at him. He can't possibly have any more of those orbs," one cultivator shouted.

The survivors refused to believe that Liu Wuxie could create an endless supply of Divine Penta Elemental Bolts. Once those terrifying orbs were gone, they were certain they could kill him a thousand times over.

Three more Divine Penta Elemental Bolts materialized in Liu Wuxie's hand, but he made no attempt to throw them. He instead tightened his grip around the Bloodthirst Blade and plunged straight into the crowd.

Blackie stormed in from the left as Liu Wuxie carved through from the right, catching the remaining cultivators between the jaws of a pincer attack.

"Die, Liu Wuxie," Jiang Hongran roared, bringing his sword down with murderous force toward Liu Wuxie's neck.

"You're nothing but garbage. I spared you once at the Azure Flame Dao Hall, but you still insist on courting death. You can't blame me for not showing you mercy this time," Liu Wuxie replied, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

The Bloodthirst Blade swept forward with irresistible momentum and shattered Jiang Hongran's sword ray the instant they collided.

Liu Wuxie's voice thundered through the chamber. "Five Elemental Divine Palm!"

After refining all five elemental treasures, he had successfully transformed the Great Five Elemental Palm into a completely new immortal art. He could now wield it openly without fearing that anyone would uncover his identity. That represented the fundamental distinction between a dao technique and an immortal art.

The five elemental energies braided together across the sky before condensing into an enormous palm. Carrying heaven-crushing power, it descended upon Jiang Hongran.

"Damn it!" Jiang Hongran cried as danger seized his senses. He retreated without a moment's hesitation, unable to summon even the slightest courage to resist the Five Elemental Divine Palm.

At that critical instant, Shen Chao and Wei Wenbin attacked from the side. They sought to disrupt Liu Wuxie's assault and stop him from killing Jiang Hongran.

Their approach, however, didn't even stir the slightest concern in Liu Wuxie. He simply ignored them and allowed both men to close the distance.

The colossal palm crashed down, and its overwhelming force pulverized Jiang Hongran on the spot.

Neither Zhu Li nor Shen Can joined the attack against Liu Wuxie. Their instincts warned them that he might still possess more of those horrifying orbs.

By then, Shen Chao's and Wei Wenbin's attacks had reached Liu Wuxie, their killing edges locked firmly onto his neck. However, just before their strikes connected, Liu Wuxie executed Flash, the fifth form of the Divine Ninefold Step, and mysteriously vanished from their sight.

"Blackie," Liu Wuxie called before disappearing. Blackie immediately retreated toward the exit, and at that very moment, the three Divine Penta Elemental Bolts Liu Wuxie had been holding exploded.

Wei Wenbin realized the truth the instant his attack sliced through empty air.

He tricked us.

Liu Wuxie had deliberately presented himself as bait, enticing the largest possible number of cultivators to surround him.

Nearly two thousand cultivators had already died, leaving the chamber much emptier than before. The survivors now stood scattered across the surrounding area, so any further use of the Divine Penta Elemental Bolts would produce far less devastation.

That was precisely why Liu Wuxie had chosen to turn himself into bait and draw them back together. His plan unfolded flawlessly. After leaving the Divine Penta Elemental Bolts behind, he escaped with the Divine Ninefold Step, denying the gathered cultivators even the briefest chance to evade the coming explosions.

Three detonations erupted in near-perfect unison, releasing a trio of devastating shockwaves that tore outward in every direction.

The sickening crack of splintering bones mingled with the wet sound of flesh being torn apart as a dense crimson mist rapidly filled the air.

Another five to six hundred lives perished in the blasts, leaving only a small number of cultivators standing. Fear finally surfaced in Shen Can’s and Zhu Li’s eyes. One conviction consumed Zhu Li's mind. Liu Wuxie could no longer be called human. He was a demon.

Even a Divine Immortal would find it difficult to slaughter so many cultivators with such effortless brutality.

"I curse you, Liu Wuxie! Through every incarnation, may heavenly punishment descend upon you," someone shouted.

Poisonous curses rolled endlessly through the chamber, causing the Heavenly Dao Book to tremble faintly before it erased every curse aimed at Liu Wuxie. He had already comprehended a sliver of the Heavenly Dao. After the Heavenly Derivation Codex had merged with the Heavenly Dao Book, bringing heavenly punishment down upon him was nearly impossible.

A frown crossed Liu Wuxie's face as his gaze swept over the remaining five hundred cultivators.

After paying such a brutal price, they had learnt to keep a considerable distance from one another and were now scattered throughout the chamber. Luring them into one place again would be nearly impossible.

Wei Wenbin and Shen Chao had been standing closest to Liu Wuxie when the three explosions erupted. The devastating impact had vaporized both of them instantly.

Only two Divine Penta Elemental Bolts remained in Liu Wuxie's possession, far too few to exterminate every survivor. The true struggle was about to begin. Yet after coming this far, Liu Wuxie had no intention of letting even one person leave alive.

A suffocating stalemate descended over both sides. None of the surrounding cultivators dared to move forward, while Liu Wuxie stood perfectly still.

Repeated bombardment from the Divine Penta Elemental Bolts had fractured the entire chamber, covering its walls with innumerable cracks. Fine threads of light entered through those openings. Once the walls collapsed, everyone would finally be able to escape the Ancient Origin Spatial Realm.

"Shen Can, Zhu Li, weren't you two dying for the chance to kill me? What's stopping you from stepping forward now?" Liu Wuxie asked, making no effort to hide the mockery in his stare.

Shen Can and Zhu Li both wore exceptionally grim expressions. Neither man was a fool. For all they knew, Liu Wuxie might still have more of those terrifying orbs hidden on him.

"Don't let your arrogance consume you, Liu Wuxie. We'll uphold justice today by putting down a demon like you," the surviving Zhu Clan members roared as they stepped forward.

Their declarations rang with righteousness, but none of them had the nerve to take another step closer.

The swords in the survivors' hands shook beyond their control. Liu Wuxie had already crushed their morale into dust.

At that moment, an enormous boulder suddenly broke loose overhead and thundered to the ground. The crash startled more than three hundred cultivators, sending them diving away like terrified birds.

A faint smile touched Liu Wuxie's lips. Fear had already shattered their dao hearts, and he knew the remaining cultivators could no longer present much of a threat.

"Since none of you dare to come to me, I'll take you out one at a time," Liu Wuxie said as he launched the first attack. He left Blackie behind to guard the exit and ensure that no one escaped.

After advancing to the third-level Spirit Immortal Realm, Liu Wuxie no longer found it difficult to kill peak Profound Immortals. With the Five Elemental Divine Palm and Divine Mystic Yin Needle at his command, the task became easier still.

Liu Wuxie raised the Bloodthirst Blade toward the heavens, its gleaming edge carrying the cold menace of death's scythe. He abruptly charged toward the cultivators on the left, terrifying them into fleeing toward Shen Can and Zhu Li. Not one dared meet him head-on.

No one would have believed that a mere Spirit Immortal could drive so many experts into a panicked retreat. Numerous high-level Profound Immortals fled among them, yet none dared to turn and face Liu Wuxie.

Shen Can and Zhu Li shook their heads, tightened their grips on their swords, and shot toward Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie deliberately avoided their combined assault. The moment for a direct confrontation with those two had not yet come.

At the same time, a vast number of cultivators surged toward the exit. Their frantic offensive placed Blackie under crushing pressure as it struggled to contain hundreds of cultivators at once.

Without warning, Blackie flung hundreds of crystals into its mouth and crunched them. As soon as the crystals entered its stomach, a terrifying torrent of primal chaos energy erupted from its body. Its strength soared violently, as though it had just broken through.

No demonic aura or immortal beast aura emanated from Blackie, leaving the explosive growth of its physical strength as the only clear indication of its advancement. Even before this breakthrough, its combat power had already rivaled cultivators at the low levels of the Origin Immortal Realm.

Following the breakthrough, Blackie's combat strength rocketed straight to the higher levels of the Origin Immortal Realm. It swept its black staff horizontally across the crowd and blasted more than a hundred charging cultivators through the air.

After slipping past Shen Can's and Zhu Li's attacks, Liu Wuxie deliberately turned his blade on the weaker cultivators. Every sweep of the Bloodthirst Blade reaped another life, and the rhythm of his slaughter only continued to accelerate.

"Combine your strength, all of you. Liu Wuxie has reached the end of his rope. If we stand together, we can kill him," the surviving Zhu Clan elders shouted.

Yet every cultivator fought solely for himself. Many died before they could even understand what had killed them, while others had lost all will to resist. Liu Wuxie could therefore cut them down one after another with almost no effort.

Had the surviving cultivators been willing to risk their lives and fight as one, even Liu Wuxie would have struggled to massacre them so easily.

The survivors ignored those pleas entirely. Each of them clung to the same selfish fantasy, believing that if they kept running and waited for someone else to kill Liu Wuxie, perhaps they alone might survive.

"Please, Liu Wuxie! Don't kill me," a peak Profound Immortal begged, dropping desperately to his knees as the Bloodthirst Blade came descending from above.