Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 1080 - Yin-Faced Ghost

Experts at the pinnacle of the Earth Profound Realm surrounded Liu Wuxie, cutting off all paths of retreat.

He threw his head back and let out a roar; the desolate world within him echoed with a long and deep rumble. He unleashed a terrifying surge of true essence that burst through his limbs like a tidal wave.

"Great Dragon Aspect Art!" he roared. The Heavenly Dragon Seal rose to block the descending palm strike, granting him a split-second window to escape.

"We can't let him get away!" someone shouted.

His use of the Death Dao Art only hardened their resolve to kill him. If he managed to reach the Barefooted Elder, it could spell disaster for the entire Eastern Domain.

A thunderous boom followed as Liu Wuxie's Great Dragon Aspect Art clashed against the myriad palm strikes. Shockwaves rippled outward. Black trees exploded, and the force surged into the Ghostwater River, where countless water ghosts—just freed from the ice—were obliterated on impact.

Meanwhile, Fiery carried Tian Wucang through a series of dense groves before arriving at a dark, oppressive forest where the trees seemed to be cloaked in black miasma.

Even Fiery paused, sensing danger. Despite its divine status, the forest's poison still posed a threat. Entering could put its life at risk.

Liu Wuxie soon tore through a gap in the encirclement and rejoined them. However, their pursuers were relentless. They closed in on them fast, surrounding them from every direction. No matter which way he turned, there was no exit.

There was only one option left. They had to head deeper into the forest. Escape was out of the question. Cultivators from the Eastern Domain were swarming the outer region.

To make matters worse, Heaven Profound Realm experts had arrived. With their divine senses, they could scan half of Ghosthead Mountain in an instant. Evading them would be nearly impossible unless Liu Wuxie burrowed underground.

Fiery growled lowly and paced with unease, unsure of what to do.

Liu Wuxie grabbed Tian Wucang, returned Fiery to the beast pouch, and plunged into the forest of toxic miasma.

"Brother Tian, hold this in your mouth," Liu Wuxie said, handing him a Detoxifying Pill. It would help them resist the miasma, at least temporarily. However, it wasn't a long-term solution. The forest's miasma varied in potency, and the Detoxifying Pill was ineffective against miasma infused with poison essence.

Fortunately, they were still in the outer region, where the miasma wasn't too intense. More importantly, Liu Wuxie's Detoxifying Pills were far more potent than those commonly available.

Tian Wucang placed the pill between his teeth, and the two began making their way through the forest. The choking fog severely limited their visibility.

Meanwhile, their pursuers finally stopped at the forest's edge.

Ordinary cultivators dared not enter. The miasma could eat away at their bodies and kill them within moments.

"Damn it! He's gone into the forest! If he finds that man, we're finished!"

Panic spread among the crowd. If they failed to kill Liu Wuxie, the Eastern Domain could fall into darkness, dragging countless innocent people down with it.

"Charge in and kill him!" After a brief discussion, the Earth Profound experts decided to advance. Dangerous or not, the miasma wasn't fatal to them.

"That's right, go in!" Others echoed, popping Detoxifying Pills and stepping into the forest. Killing Liu Wuxie wasn't just revenge. It was a necessity.

Supporting the injured Tian Wucang, Liu Wuxie moved carefully through the dense woods. The forest stretched endlessly. Fortunately, the widened distance gave them precious time.

The forest's terrain worked to their advantage, giving Tian Wucang time to recover. Once he recovered some strength, they could move even faster.

Liu Wuxie activated Ghost Eye, scanning their surroundings warily.

Thick ghost fog was creeping in from all directions, further reducing visibility. Even with Ghost Eye, his sight was heavily impaired.

Meanwhile, more cultivators entered the forest. They spread out and moved deeper into the forest in search of the two.

With no other option, Liu Wuxie moved forward, treading cautiously as the terrain became more treacherous. Swamps dotted the forest floor, and one misstep could mean a slow, suffocating death.

He briefly considered flying, but the skies above were just as perilous. A thick, toxic haze covered the canopy, and even with mastery of the Poison Dao Art, he dared not fly through it.

The toxic miasma differed from poison essence, and it carried a yin-elemental toxin capable of corroding the human body with frightening ease.

"ARGH!" A cultivator cried out. He made a single misstep, plunging into a swamp.

His companions rushed over but dared not get too close. Within seconds, the swamp engulfed the cultivator, leaving only his head visible.

"Quick! Pull him out!" someone shouted as they tossed over a rope, looping it around his neck and yanking with all their strength.

They managed to pull him free, but what emerged made everyone's blood run cold. The cultivator's flesh had melted away; his bones became pitch-black, and only his head was alive.

The cultivator stared in horror at his ruined figure.

"M-My body!" the man screamed. Without a new vessel, death was inevitable. Even cultivators from the Earth Profound Realm could not survive such devastating corrosion. His injuries were so severe that not even an immortal could save him.

Deprived of true essence, his consciousness began to fade away. His primordial spirit floated in the air, trembling and growing translucent by the second.

"I don't want to die!" he screamed, but his primordial spirit soon began to wither, corroded by the swamp's yin-poison.

Without a physical body to shield it, his spirit couldn't resist the environment.

"What a terrifying swamp!" the others whispered, backing away with lingering fear. White bubbles gurgled up from the swamp's surface, and the stench of decay made their stomachs churn.

They were lucky that they were cautious enough. One careless step, and they would have ended up just like him.

"The worst part is how fallen leaves have blanketed the swamp. You can't tell until it's too late," someone muttered. "One wrong step, and you're dead."

Everyone slowed down, moving with extreme care.

Doubt began to spread among the group. Several cultivators hesitated, visibly considering retreat.

"Those who turn back will die!" a cold voice barked. An expert at the Quasi-Heaven Profound Realm stepped forward and struck down one who tried to leave, killing him on the spot.

They couldn't afford to back down. If Liu Wuxie managed to survive and reach his goal, the entire Eastern Domain could be doomed.

There was no turning back now. Even if it would cost them their lives, they would swarm the forest en masse to find and kill Liu Wuxie.

Meanwhile, far away in the Eighteen Peak Cities, a Heaven Profound aura burst forth, tearing through the skies as a terrifying presence sped toward Ghosthead Mountain.

Deep within the forest, Liu Wuxie relied on Ghost Eye to navigate the deadly terrain, carefully avoiding hidden swamps ahead.

"Brother Liu, the swamps are getting thicker," Tian Wucang warned. He had somewhat recovered from his injuries and was now able to walk on his own, but his energy remained low.

Though he had heard tales of this forest, he had never ventured this deep into it.

Liu Wuxie nodded slightly. He had already noticed the worsening terrain. He slowed his pace further.

"Liu Wuxie! He's here!" someone shouted from behind.

Someone had caught their trail.

The forest was vast, but it wasn't infinite. Someone was bound to discover them sooner or later unless Liu Wuxie moved faster, which carried immense risk.

The swamps ahead had been absorbing poisonous energy for countless years. Even with his True Dragon Physique and Divine Thunder Physique, Liu Wuxie dared not act recklessly within it.

One misstep could spell certain death, after all.

Worse still, the deeper parts of the swamps carried a strange suction force. If anyone fell in, not even flying techniques could rescue them.

The suction force within the swamp was deadly; anyone unfortunate enough to fall into it would be dragged under instantly, vanishing without a trace.

Behind Liu Wuxie, countless figures emerged from the toxic haze, their weapons gleaming as they struck from the shadows. Each one radiated a menacing aura, all of them Earth Profound Realm cultivators at the lower levels.

There was no time to dodge. With more enemies incoming, Liu Wuxie had to end this quickly. He raised the Heretic Blade high and brought it crashing down.

A violent blast of blade energy tore through the air resistance like a storm and flew toward the pursuers.

Cultivators at the early stages of the Earth Profound Realm posed no real threat to Liu Wuxie. Just a single strike was enough to annihilate them.

The sheer force of the blade aura made their faces change into that of horror. None of them expected that Liu Wuxie could wield such overwhelming power.

The outside world believed that Liu Wuxie was still at the Spirit Profound Realm. It turned out that their intelligence was outdated.

With retreat no longer an option, Liu Wuxie resolved to fight. Now that they had exposed themselves, battle was inevitable. A devastating wave of blade energy surged out, sweeping across the forest like a divine judgement. Its pressure swept across thousands of meters in the blink of an eye.

"This is bad!" several attackers shouted, panic twisted their expressions.

However, it was too late. The crushing aura descended upon them like a mountain, suffocating them under its weight. Struggling to resist, they hastily mobilized their energy.

But in doing so, they disrupted their defenses against the surrounding miasma.

Tendrils of black ghost fog seeped into their bodies. The moment the toxic yin poison entered them, one of the weaker cultivators shrieked in agony, clawing at his face.

Blood gushed from his eyes and mouth, painting a horrifying scene.

"What's happening to us?!" another yelled, trembling in fear. Before they could react, the ghost fog overwhelmed them, spreading its corruption.

"Brother Liu, be careful! The ghost fog is getting thicker. There might be Yin-Faced Ghosts nearby," Tian Wucang warned in a hushed tone.

Humans cultivated by drawing on spiritual energy, while ghosts thrived on absorbing ghost fog, dense with yin-element laws unique to the Ghost Realm.

That was why there weren't any ghost cultivators in the Central Plains. There was no ghost fog to sustain their techniques, and thus, members of the ghost clan couldn't survive there.

However, the depths of Ghosthead Mountain were their domain.

Yin-Faced Ghosts were the most terrifying kind of ghost. They could merge completely with ghost fog, and even if one was standing right beside you, you probably wouldn't notice before it was too late.

Liu Wuxie continued slashing with the Heretic Blade, cutting down one enemy after another. These low-level Earth Profound cultivators stood no chance. Every swing of the Heretic Blade cut down enemies like wheat against a scythe.

"We need to go. Something's wrong here," Liu Wuxie muttered, unease creeping into his voice.

A deep, instinctual warning rang through his bones. Both the Heavenly Dao Book and the Ancestral Tree within him trembled in alarm, urging him to retreat immediately.

Moments after they departed, a ghostly face appeared where Liu Wuxie stood. It let out a chilling chuckle.

"Such rich vital essence... If I devour him, I'll become a Ghost Emperor," it whispered before vanishing like a dream.

Elsewhere in the forest, more ghost faces materialized within the mist; they were summoned by the Yin-Faced Ghosts.

"Who's grabbing my leg?!" a terrified scream echoed in the distance.

Cultivators struggled as invisible hands clutched at their limbs, immobilizing them.

Within moments, grotesque ghost faces descended silently, sinking their fangs into their prey and draining their vital essence.

"Yin-Faced Ghosts! There are so many of them!" Screams of dying cultivators echoed through the forest as chaos erupted beneath the mist.