Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 742 - Devil Chamber

Liu Po was already teetering on the edge of his limit at 500 times the gravitational force. The immense pressure bore down on him, not just on his body but deep within his soul sea, causing tremors that made his body quiver uncontrollably.

Likewise, Liu Wuxie's soul sea faced immense pressure, sending waves rippling like a tidal wave. However, his soul sea strengthened whenever he endured a wave. His soul energy didn't increase, but it had been further purified.

Through the relentless compression, Liu Wuxie's soul energy became even purer. It was as if an invisible hand was trying to knead his primordial spirit, removing the impurities and leaving it more translucent.

"600 times the gravitational force!" an exclamation came from the surroundings. After all, only those in the pinnacle of the Nascent Transformation Realm could withstand the 600 times the gravitational force.

Liu Po threw up blood as he finally succumbed. His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees with blood trickling from the corner of his lips. He had already reached his limit and would only strain himself if he continued to hold on. Thus, he had no choice but to come down from the gravity platform.

With only Liu Wuxie remaining, all eyes turned to him. There was no sign of pain on his face, and he looked like he was enjoying the pressure.

"H-He's using the gravity platform to cultivate!" Everyone could tell that Liu Wuxie's physique and cultivation were inferior to cultivators in the Central Plain, as he hailed from the Southern Province.

There were too many impurities in his body, and he had to purify them. After all, the laws in the Central Plains were a few hundred times stronger than those in the Southern Province. Most of the laws in Liu Wuxie's body came from the Southern Province.

However, the impurities within Liu Wuxie's body were rapidly expelled under the relentless pressure of the gravity platform. Most importantly, his primordial spirit had been strengthened in just ten-odd minutes.

"This is too terrifying!" Many people were in shock. Although they had all attempted the gravity platform before, most chose to face the pressure head-on.

However, Liu Wuxie relied on gravitational force to cultivate. The gravity platform's primary purpose was to temper the physique, and Liu Wuxie didn't violate that purpose. Their physique was too weak, so they couldn't bear the gravity platform's pressure and could only face it head-on.

As Liu Wuxie allowed the gravitational force to penetrate through every fiber, his bones, and meridians were being reshaped. Each vein became like a roaring river, and each inch of his flesh pulsated like a mighty dragon.

Liu Wuxie wanted to let out a satisfied roar but suppressed it by force, using his physique to withstand the gravitational force instead.

"700 times the gravitational force!" Everyone had become numb as Liu Wuxie had set a new record with his cultivation in the Astral River Realm. Since the first trial, he had set new records in the clan, upending everyone's understanding.

"Could it be that the laws in the Southern Province are stronger than the Central Plains?" The confidence of many disciples began to be shaken. They were now under the impression that the Southern Province was better than the Central Plains, but they didn't know the Southern Province was like a mundane world compared to the Central Plains.

Under the weight of 700 times the gravitational force, Liu Wuxie's body finally began to sway under the immense pressure. When he opened his eyes to look around, he saw that Liu Po had already stepped down from the gravity platform. The strange gazes from the surroundings reminded him to maintain a low profile.

He forced himself to throw up blood by reverse-circulating his true essence as he got down from the gravity platform. By his estimation, it shouldn't have been an issue for him to withstand 800 times the gravitational force. However, there was no need for Liu Wuxie to carry on since he had achieved his goal.

Though he threw up blood, everyone still looked at him as though they were looking at a monster. After all, 700 times the gravitational force had exceeded the limits of the Nascent Transformation Realm. They had no idea how Liu Wuxie managed to achieve it.

After a few minutes of rest, Liu Po had finally recovered to his peak state. Liu Wuxie only briefly circulated his true essence before all the discomfort in his body vanished, as he was pretending to be injured by the gravity platform.

"Big Brother Wuxie, you're too strong!" Liu Xing couldn't describe his current feelings, and Liu Wuxie was no different from a monster in his eyes. After all, even a profound beast would be crushed to death if it faced 700 times the gravitational force. This meant Liu Wuxie's physique had already exceeded the limit of an ordinary profound beast.

"I had consumed a Crimson Dragon Fruit when I was young, and it gave me an extraordinary physique." Liu Wuxie cooked up a lie to divert everyone's attention away. The Crimson Dragon Fruit contained a hint of divine dragon power. He fabricated this story to be a prelude to the eventual revelation of his True Dragon Physique.

"That explains it!" Everyone finally understood what was going on.

"He's fortunate!" The disciples in Liu Xiaotian's lineage dismissed Liu Wuxie's victory as mere fortune resulting from his consumption of the Crimson Dragon Fruit. After all, an ordinary person's physique couldn't reach the strength of his physique, but it was another question with the Crimson Dragon Fruit.

They had only one final trial remaining: the devil chamber. If Liu Wuxie could continue to win, he would gain the freedom to cultivate freely and no longer be bound by the instructors' supervision.

"Big Brother Wuxie, you must be careful during the final trial. It will be a test of your willpower, and those without sufficient resolve will have their dao heart shattered," Liu Xing reminded Liu Wuxie.

Although Liu Wuxie wouldn't die, the shattering of the dao heart was no different from death to a cultivator.

Liu Wuxie nodded. He knew even a tiger would use its full strength to hunt a rabbit and compete with others. Failure wasn't an option, as it determined his status within the Liu Clan.

Liu Po stood up and entered the devil chamber without hesitation, and a hint of fear was reflected in the depth of his eyes. Even an instructor would feel uneasy in the devil chamber, not to mention an ordinary disciple.

The surrounding mockery vanished as no one dared to raise their voices on the final trial.

"The devil chamber is up ahead. You'll enter an illusion upon entering, and the one who can last the longest will win," Liu Xing said. Like the gravity platform, the one who could last the longest would win the trial.

Liu Wuxie realized that the four trials were meticulously designed. The power stone tested a disciple's foundation strength, as those with frail physiques were unsuited for the path of cultivation. The rolling logs tested movement technique and adaptability. The gravity platform tested physique and soul energy. The devil chamber tested the dao heart.

As expected of the Four Great Clans, each trial was meticulously designed. Even the trials that appeared simple could unearth a person's potential.

Even if one could make it through the three trials, all would be for naught if they didn't have a firm dao heart. The dao heart might not be visible, but it truly existed and took a deep root within every cultivator.

After all, without unrivaled talent, one would never become an expert without the right mindset.

Liu Wuxie and Liu Po entered the devil chamber together, and Liu Wuxie felt as though he was devoured by an abyss when he stepped in. He swiftly sat down to prepare himself for the trial.

He anchored his primordial spirit and sank into his soul sea, remaining steadfast no matter what came his way.

A sharp sword suddenly stabbed toward his soul sea in the next second. The sword was swift, and an ordinary person would try to resolve this sword the first thing.

His consciousness stirred but swiftly returned to the depths of his soul sea. As the sword drew closer, his primordial spirit began to tremble, and he was on the verge of being torn apart.

The sword aura was extremely real, and Liu Wuxie could even sense a chill running down his spine. He felt his primordial spirit would be torn apart if he didn't resist.

"This is all an illusion!" Liu Wuxie reminded himself. He had a powerful dao heart and wouldn't be easily affected. But he didn't know nine out of ten disciples failed this test. Most of the disciples couldn't even last three breaths during their first time in the devil chamber.

Outside the devil chamber, disciples began to murmur among themselves, their voices filled with curiosity.

"How long do you think Liu Wuxie can last?" Most disciples' attitudes toward Liu Wuxie had changed, and they began to address him by name.

"Three breaths, perhaps?" some speculated.

Everyone had witnessed Liu Wuxie's powerful physique, but no one thought his dao heart could compete with the instructor's. After all, his coming from the Southern Province didn't change the fact that he wasn't on the same level as prodigies in the Central Plains.

"No, his eyes are clear, and his steps steady. He has a firm dao heart," remarked another, who noticed something from Liu Wuxie's eyes. They had never seen eyes so clear as Liu Wuxie as though nothing could cause a fluctuation in Liu Wuxie's heart, and this alone was terrifying.

Liu Wuxie naturally wasn’t aware of the discussion outside. When the sword was a few millimeters away from his soul sea, Liu Wuxie chose to close his eyes.

Time passed, and Liu Wuxie slowly opened his eyes after it felt like an eternity. When he opened his eyes, he realized that the sword was gone, and a bead of sweat slid down his forehead.

Although he knew it was an illusion, it was unbelievably realistic. He didn't dare relax, as this was only the beginning, and his dao heart nearly shattered as a result.

Suddenly, a strange bubbling sound came from the surroundings, and Liu Wuxie felt as though his body was submerged in a pool of liquid with a thick stench of blood trying to burrow into his nostrils.

"T-This is all blood!" Liu Wuxie was inwardly shocked. His body had suddenly sunk into a pool of blood, and his senses were overwhelmed by the retching blood stench. It felt uncomfortable, like hands grabbing onto his body.

"S-Save me!" Screams came from around Liu Wuxie, and a harrowing scene unfolded before him.

Corpses were floating in the blood pool, reaching out at him, begging him to pull them out of the blood pool.

By instinct, Liu Wuxie extended his hand to one of the corpses, but a faint hum came from the Heavenly Dao Book that washed over his mind.

"What a powerful illusion!" Liu Wuxie said with a grave expression.