Chapter 655 - Fourth-Level of the Astral River Realm

The other sect's disciples wore the same expression. After all, Liu Wuxie had stolen all the limelight during the five trials, and he was the first to obtain a ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus after entering the Heavenly Mountain.

This made everyone feel bitter. Even some Sky Rift Valley disciples couldn't help feeling envious of him.

"How's the plan going?" Bai Yuan's eyes flashed with a hue of crimson and a tinge of madness. He knew he couldn't wait any longer, or the situation might spiral out of his control, with Liu Wuxie growing stronger at every passing moment.

Unlike Liu Wuxie, they were all affected by the biting cold, and their cultivation had slowed down significantly.

"The snowmen charged down and helped the Misty Sect indirectly when we were about to succeed, allowing her to escape," Yu Tianyi said, gritting his teeth.

He was naturally referring to Xu Lingxue, knowing it was futile to threaten Liu Wuxie with the ordinary disciples of the Misty Sect. Only by capturing Xu Lingxue could they threaten Liu Wuxie.

"Accelerate our plan!" Bai Yuan said coldly. He was desperate to kill Liu Wuxie.

"We have already notified the Azure Crimson Gate and Indigo Cloud Gate to conduct a sweeping search. We'll close in immediately when we have news of her," Feng Ye said. It was a work of fate that they had failed. After all, who could have predicted the snowmen’s sudden rampage, an unexpected outburst that had thwarted their plans?

"This is all Liu Wuxie's fault!" one of the Heavenly Origin Sect disciples spat angrily. "Because he took the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus, the snowmen descended the mountain to attack us!"

Over a dozen Demonic Heart Palace disciples stood quietly in an icy valley, each emitting a chilling and sinister aura.

"The sect master has given the order. If he refuses to submit to the Demonic Heart Palace, we are to kill him without any mercy," said Qu Yang. He was among the strongest participants in the Ten Grand Ceremony and ranked third in the Talisman Tower.

"There's no trace of him ever since he left the mountain. He vanished completely, and it has been days since we last got clues of his location," said Qiu Kui. He had a grim expression with boundless murderous intent released from his eyes.

......

Every corner of the Heavenly Mountain buzzed about Liu Wuxie's recent exploits. The deaths of dozens of disciples at the frozen lake had already faded from memory.

"Senior Brother Qin Dao, it has been ten days, and there's still no news of Liu Wuxie," Sun Shangxiang said grimly. He had joined Qin Dao shortly after entering Heavenly Mountain, and they had been looking for Liu Wuxie ever since.

"He's too lucky to obtain the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus!" Qin Dao said, gritting his teeth with a hue of ferocity in his eyes that made him look like a wild beast.

Then again, strength had played a greater role than luck in the fact that Liu Wuxie could obtain the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus.

......

Meanwhile, Liu Wuxie had been in seclusion for the past two days.

"Now!" Liu Wuxie circulated the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, and the bottleneck to the fourth level of the Astral River Realm finally appeared. The desolate world throbbed, and it expanded by onefold. When he made his breakthrough, he finally reached the mid-phase of the fourth level, unlike how he had only reached the initial phase when reaching the first to the third levels.

His strength underwent a drastic transformation, both in the purity of his true essence and in the laws of the Astral River Realm. Each law was like a galaxy shimmering above the desolate world.

High-grade spirit stones began to explode, their energy converging into the desolate world. When Liu Wuxie had killed dozens of people at the frozen lake, he had collected a significant amount of mid-grade and high-grade spirit stones from them. Now, those spoils were fueling his cultivation.

The disciples of the ten major sects were indeed wealthy, but their wealth now increased Liu Wuxie's strength.

As Liu Wuxie's aura rose, his breakthrough stopped when he was close to the late phase of the fourth level.

Outside the cave, countless vortexes began to form, and a massive vortex that resembled an overturned cauldron appeared in the sky.

Boundless spiritual energy flowed into Liu Wuxie's cave through the vortexes. The high-grade spirit stones weren't the only source, but he also had to refine the laws of the Astral River Realm in the sky.

"Someone's making a breakthrough over there, and the energy fluctuations are incredibly strong!" a cultivator exclaimed as a group of cultivators appeared ten miles from the valley.

They had been conducting a sweeping search for the past few days and were alarmed by the phenomenon. They began to move toward the source, believing it to be the appearance of a treasure.

Farther away, more people began to gather as the vortexes in the sky were too conspicuous, visible even from thousands of miles away.

After Liu Wuxie made a breakthrough in his cultivation, he wasn't in a hurry to come out as he had to consolidate his cultivation. His true essence needed time to harmonize with his body, as every breakthrough brought a tremendous leap in strength. This was why his body needed time to adapt to the changes.

It was like a man who previously could lift fifty kilograms suddenly finding himself able to lift five hundred. Without proper adjustment, he risked destroying everything he touched due to a lack of control over his newfound strength.

Five figures steadily approached from a distance, all dressed in the attire of the Dugu Clan. They stopped short and stood fifty meters away from the cave.

"There's a spiritual array protecting this place!" said a woman clad in a red dress.

"Third Lady, could it be that Liu Wuxie is undergoing a breakthrough here?" whispered a Dugu Clan's disciple.

At the mention of Liu Wuxie's name, a flicker of greed flashed in Dugu Yan's eyes. In the past, her excessive caution had caused her to miss the perfect opportunity to eliminate him.

Only Liu Wuxie and Gu Yu had survived the Blood Sea Abyssal Island, and Dugu Yan had long harbored the thought of killing him to uncover his secrets. Yet, her hesitation had cost her dearly, leaving her to stew in regret whenever she thought about it.

If she could kill Liu Wuxie and claim his secrets, she might ascend to the position of the strongest prodigy. Such a feat would not only elevate her standing but could also catapult the Dugu Clan from its current ninth rank to the pinnacle of the sects.

"Notify the clan's other disciples immediately!" Dugu Yan gave the order. She had missed the opportunity once and didn't want to miss it again. She was determined to kill Liu Wuxie and seize his secrets.

After all, no one could surpass Liu Wuxie in martial techniques or other fields among the younger generation.

The other Dugu Clan's disciples took out Communication Talismans to notify the other Dugu Clan's disciples, not wanting to let anyone claim the prize first.

"Third Lady, what if it's not Liu Wuxie making a breakthrough here?" They still hadn't confirmed if it was Liu Wuxie making a breakthrough there, and it would be a little inappropriate for them to summon the clan's disciples based on speculation.

"Do you think just anyone can cause such a massive commotion during a breakthrough at this level in the Astral River Realm?" Dugu Yan asked sharply, her gaze fixed on the disciple who had spoken.

What Dugu Yan said was right. Who could create such a huge commotion aside from Liu Wuxie in a breakthrough?

Several groups of Dugu Clan's disciples had appeared within a radius of a few hundred miles and rushed over upon receiving the news.

"Third Lady, the spiritual array is too powerful, and we can't break it!" reported one disciple, frustrated by their failed attempts.

"Only he can set up such an exquisite spiritual array. We can only force our way through," Dugu Yan said, taking out a spiritual talisman, planning to break through the spiritual array forcibly.

Over a dozen spiritual talismans were thrown into the spiritual array in the blink of an eye, causing the valley to shake violently with rocks falling on Liu Wuxie. But he didn't suffer any injuries relying on his powerful physique.

"Break the spiritual array faster and kill him before he can consolidate his cultivation!" Dugu Yan commanded, urging everyone to speed up. After all, it wouldn't be easy for them to kill Liu Wuxie once his cultivation consolidated.

Liu Wuxie shook the rubbles off and slowly rose to his feet, his eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

"You're all courting death!" Liu Wuxie said coldly as he stepped out of the cave, his murderous intent sweeping over the area like a storm. Fortunately, he had already completed his breakthrough, and consolidating his cultivation, while beneficial, wasn’t critical at the moment. Being interrupted now didn’t carry the same dire consequences it would have during the breakthrough itself, when any disturbance might have caused his energy to run amok.

Although the spiritual array hadn't broken under the spiritual talismans, Liu Wuxie couldn't focus on consolidating his cultivation due to the commotion. When he stepped out of the cave, he saw five figures.

"Dugu Yan, you're courting death!" Liu Wuxie roared.

Dugu Yan froze when she sensed the terrifying aura released by Liu Wuxie. Everyone was looking at Liu Wuxie's tracks; she should have been happy she had found him. But there was a hint of fear on her face when she sensed the suffocating pressure crushing down.

"Liu Wuxie, hand over the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus!" said a Dugu Clan's disciple.

"You five fools dare to come to take the ten-thousand-year Snow Lotus from me? I'll do the honor to send you all on your way," Liu Wuxie said, waving his palm. The ice elements manifested into a mountain containing the power of the Annihilation Fist. The power he released was too terrifying, causing the surrounding space to collapse.

Even Liu Wuxie was shocked by his newfound strength after reaching the fourth level of the Astral River Realm.

"Liu Wuxie, how dare you! You're courting death!" Dugu Yan swung her sword down in an attempt to resolve Liu Wuxie's attack.

"You people are the ones who are courting death by approaching me," Liu Wuxie said with a smile laced with cruelty. He rarely killed women, but that didn't mean he wouldn't. Dugu Yan had crossed his bottom line. He might have spared them if the Dugu Clan had left him alone. But since they had chosen to provoke him, he saw no reason to hold back.

After reaching the fourth level of the Astral River Realm, he needed a battle to temper his cultivation, which would save him the time required to consolidate his foundation.

Dugu Yan’s sword struck the descending palm with all her might, but it failed to leave even a mark. The massive palm continued its descent, slamming into one of the Dugu Clan’s disciples. Despite being at the seventh level of the Astral River Realm, the disciple had no chance to resist and was instantly reduced to a bloody pulp.

Fear flashed in Dugu Yan's eyes when she realized she had gravely underestimated Liu Wuxie's strength.

"Attack together! Hold him off until the reinforcements arrive," Dugu Yan roared. If they managed to hold Liu Wuxie off until the other experts arrived, there would be no escape for him.

"You think a few insects can hold me off? What a joke of the century!" Liu Wuxie sneered. He remained rooted to the ground and didn't even bother to draw his blade. With another casual motion, his palm descended once more, killing a Dugu Clan's disciple in the eighth level of the Astral River Realm.

The sheer ferocity displayed by Liu Wuxie was too terrifying, like a wild beast that struck Dugu Yan's heart by killing two disciples in a breath.

"Third Lady, run!" The remaining two disciples charged at Liu Wuxie, attempting to hold him off with their lives to allow Dugu Yan to escape.