Chapter 1378 - Fifth-Level Primal Origin Realm

No one could stop Liu Wuxie once he decided to kill. In his eyes, cultivators at the first-level Void Realm were nothing more than trash.

When the giant palm closed, it felt like a claw crushing down around Xie Tao. The sight stunned everyone present, leaving them rooted in place in disbelief.

They couldn't comprehend how someone only at the fourth-level Primal Origin Realm could erupt with such overwhelming power. Xie Tao stood completely dumbfounded as well. He was a first-level Void Realm expert and had spent the past two days ridiculing Liu Wuxie.

Liu Wuxie had endured it in silence, but he had never accepted it.

Xie Tao finally realized that Liu Wuxie's silence had never been submission; the moment to kill him had simply not arrived yet.

Since Xie Tao had come seeking death on his own, he couldn't blame Liu Wuxie for showing no mercy. Liu Wuxie clenched his palm around him, and Xie Tao instantly froze in mid-air.

The Demonic Purgatory Chains sealed his laws and pinned him in place.

"Wu Xie, you dare lay a hand on me?!" Even now, Xie Tao still couldn't accept that Liu Wuxie had subdued him so easily.

Meanwhile, Wu Zhong had already slipped back to the edge of the battlefield, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

"I have been putting up with you, not because I fear you but because you're no different from a mere ant in my eyes," Liu Wuxie said with a contemptuous smile. His fist tightened, and Xie Tao exploded into a bloody mist that rained down from the sky.

Just like that, Liu Wuxie crushed the so-called dignified first-level Void Realm expert to death in his grasp. His laws and energy flowed straight into the desolate world.

Liu Wuxie prepared to use this opportunity to push his cultivation to the next level.

Killing Xie Tao alone served as a powerful deterrent, and for the moment, he believed no one would dare act rashly against him.

That deterrence, however, would not last forever. He knew that seizing over a dozen astral crystals would inevitably provoke envy, and the only path forward was to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible.

Wu Zhong didn't hesitate; the instant Xie Tao died, he turned and fled, vanishing thousands of kilometers away.

Liu Wuxie glanced in the direction where Wu Zhong had escaped; murderous intent flashed briefly in his eyes, but he knew it was already too late to chase after him.

He then poured all the liquid stored in the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron into the desolate world, which contained the energy of four Bloodking Bamboo Shoots.

One of those shoots was a thousand years old, and a single one could give even Void Realm cultivators an excellent chance of breaking through, let alone someone still in the Primal Origin Realm.

As the Desolate Devouring Art began to circulate, a terrifying vortex formed around him, devouring all the spiritual energy within a radius of ten thousand meters.

An even more shocking scene followed: several massive boulders in the distance began to tremble violently. Several Bloodking Bamboo Shoots were torn straight out of the rock, unable to withstand the suction of the Desolate Devouring Art.

Those Bloodking Bamboo Shoots dissolved into pure energy mid-air and surged into the desolate world.

Liu Wuxie's aura climbed steadily. Over the past few days, he had been stabilizing his cultivation and digesting all the gains from the Myriad Race Ceremony.

Impurities riddled the energy and laws he had plundered by killing thousands during the ceremony. If he failed to refine them properly, they would harm both his body and the desolate world itself.

Hence, this period of consolidation had been so crucial for him.

His true essence condensed into the shape of a dragon and charged toward the gate of the fifth-level Primal Origin Realm, erupting in a mighty aura that swept out in all directions.

He also subtly activated the Great Spatial Mythical Art, forming a barrier that prevented anyone from drawing close. The crowd could only stand and watch as he made a breakthrough; even those harboring ill intentions had no way to interfere.

Rumbling echoed from within Liu Wuxie as powerful shockwaves blasted outward, grinding the nearby rubble into fine dust. The shockwaves alone forced Shangguan Xue and the others to stagger back dozens of steps.

As his cultivation continued to climb, the desolate world rapidly expanded. Astral stones could no longer keep up with his consumption. People usually reserved astral crystals for Void Realm cultivators, yet astral stones already failed to satisfy Liu Wuxie's needs at the Primal Origin Realm.

He took out three astral crystals and tossed them into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. Demonic flames immediately wrapped around them, breaking them down into pure energy.

Time flowed by as the astral crystals slowly melted. The energy they contained remained astonishingly pure and terrifyingly dense.

"What pure energy! It even contained a hint of the dao's laws," Liu Wuxie murmured.

He finally understood why so many Void Realm experts were desperate to obtain astral crystals for cultivation. It turned out astral crystals held traces of the dao's laws.

Anyone who wished to step into the Earth Immortal Realm had to comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, and the more of those laws they absorbed, the greater their chances of making a breakthrough.

None of the onlookers realized that Liu Wuxie had refined three astral crystals in one go. If they had known that, their reaction would have been impossible to deduce. After all, each astral crystal contained a terrifying amount of power, comparable to a million astral stones.

However, the two couldn't be measured purely by quantity, as astral crystals possessed dao laws that astral stones lacked.

"What a terrifying aura! Who the hell is this Wu Xie?" Cang Hua muttered, eyes filled with shock as his curiosity toward Liu Wuxie's true identity deepened.

Ye Feng was equally stunned. He had invited Liu Wuxie into their squad simply because they happened to share a table at the inn; he had never imagined that the seemingly harmless youth could be so overwhelmingly strong.

Only Shangguan Xue watched with a faint smile. Although Liu Wuxie had hidden his identity carefully, something about what she was seeing tugged at the back of her mind, especially the name "Wu Xie," which gave her a subtle hint.

Liu Wuxie spent two full hours before finally stepping firmly into the fifth-level Primal Origin Realm.

"Brother Wu, congratulations on your breakthrough to the fifth-level Primal Origin Realm," Shangguan Xue said warmly as she hurried over, nearly pressing herself against his chest.

"Lady Shangguan, you're being too polite," Liu Wuxie replied, taking a step back to keep some distance between them.

"Brother Wu, congratulations on your breakthrough," Ye Feng said, stepping forward to clasp his hands respectfully. Not only had Liu Wuxie harvested multiple Bloodking Bamboo Shoots, but he had also secured astral crystals and used them to advance his cultivation.

"It's just a minor breakthrough, and I'm grateful that everyone stood guard for me," Liu Wuxie said. He offered the proper courtesies, even though he had already set up a barrier earlier to stop anyone from getting close while he was in the middle of his breakthrough. If they had attacked him with everything they had, they still could have affected him.

"We're a squad, and it's only natural for us to guard you during your breakthrough," Ye Feng replied. His attitude from the beginning had left Liu Wuxie satisfied; when Xie Tao had come for his life, Ye Feng had spoken up on his behalf.

Even so, those words remained mere courtesy, as fractures had already formed within their squad.

More and more people gathered around them. Now that Liu Wuxie had advanced to the fifth-level Primal Origin Realm, he could slay first-level Void Realm opponents with ease. It would not be long before news of the astral crystals spread everywhere.

"Let's carry on," Ye Yuwen said.

Their squad had shrunk to eight members. Though they had lost two Void Realm cultivators, their overall strength had actually risen. Since Liu Wuxie was capable of killing a first-level Void Realm expert in a direct clash, it meant his overall combat prowess was already on par with a third-level Void Realm expert.

Now, everyone addressed him politely. As before, Ye Yuwen took the lead while Liu Wuxie remained at the rear.

"Should I call you Wu Xie, or should I call you Wuxie?" Shangguan Xue whispered, deliberately slowing her steps to walk beside him.

At her words, Liu Wuxie halted and turned his gaze on her, his eyes as sharp as twin blades.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" he asked. Just because Shangguan Xue had helped him earlier did not mean he regarded her as a friend. In truth, he did not trust even a single person in this squad.

Everyone harbored their own hidden agendas; they lacked the strength to lay them bare.

Under Liu Wuxie's chilling stare, Shangguan Xue's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately regretted speaking so carelessly.

"N-Nothing. I was joking with you," Shangguan Xue said, quickly changing the subject. That single look from Liu Wuxie had frightened her to the core, and she knew he could easily kill her if he wished.

"Some jokes shouldn't be made casually," Liu Wuxie said. He drew back his aura and strode ahead, leaving Shangguan Xue standing there in a daze.

By the time she regained her senses, cold sweat had soaked her back, and she realized that she had brushed past death by a hair's breadth.

"What a terrifying gaze," Shangguan Xue muttered as she hurried to catch up, determined not to fall behind again. She dared not mention what she said again.

Liu Wuxie remained outwardly courteous toward Shangguan Xue, as though nothing had happened between them.

As they advanced, he began sweeping the area, digging up more than a dozen Bloodking Bamboo Shoots in the span of two hours. Although he didn't need them for himself, he could still reserve them for those close to him.

He rushed to the Blood Fiend Battlefield immediately after returning. Since bringing his family and friends into the astral domain, he hardly had any time to raise their strength.

The hostile glares from earlier had vanished, replaced by sycophantic smiles. Everyone trailed after Liu Wuxie like attendants, and whenever he started to dig, two teammates would rush forward to help him excavate, handing over any Bloodking Bamboo Shoots they unearthed without hesitation.

As the squad ventured deeper into the valley, each person began to profit, uncovering a Bloodking Bamboo Shoot now and then. During this time, they naturally received Liu Wuxie's quiet guidance on where to search and where to dig.

Since these people now treated him with respect, he couldn't simply hoard everything for himself. On average, whenever Liu Wuxie obtained three Bloodking Bamboo Shoots, he would make sure one went to the others.

Before they knew it, three days had passed in the Blood Fiend Valley, and Liu Wuxie alone had collected over fifty Bloodking Bamboo Shoots.

The other seven squad members had also filled their storage, and Liu Wuxie even guided Shangguan Xue to a three-hundred-year-old Bloodking Bamboo Shoot, allowing her to make a smooth breakthrough to the first-level Void Realm.

As a result, Shangguan Xue offered to dual cultivate with Liu Wuxie, but her suggestion only left him speechless. What was he in her mind? Some starving beast desperate for a partner?

News of the squad's astonishing haul soon spread throughout the Blood Fiend Valley.

"There are so many people following behind us," Shangguan Xue said. Now that she had reached the first-level Void Realm, her senses were much sharper than before.

Liu Wuxie had noticed their tails from the very beginning and chose to ignore them.

"They're obviously here for us," Ye Feng said, his expression turning grave. With such a massive harvest, it was only natural that others would grow jealous.

Eventually, a series of whistles sounded from behind as the pursuers lost their patience. By now, Liu Wuxie's squad was already heading toward the outer region of the Blood Fiend Valley.

They had planned a five-day expedition, and with only one day remaining, they were preparing to return to the city to rest. If the pursuers hesitated any longer, they would miss their chance, as blood fiends could appear at any moment outside the valley.

Launching an attack inside the Blood Fiend Valley was far more convenient.

In the blink of an eye, more than forty cultivators surrounded the squad.

"It's him! He's the one who obtained twelve astral crystals and a thousand-year Bloodking Bamboo Shoot!" Wu Zhong said, stepping out from the crowd. It turned out that he had already joined another squad.

The new squad's overall strength was formidable. Their leader had reached the fourth-level Void Realm, his strength unfathomable, while the rest of their members mostly hovered around the first level and the second level of the Void Realm. Among all the squads present, theirs was unquestionably the strongest.