Though it was Liu Wuxie’s first time using the chains, it didn’t hinder him. The black chains appeared out of nowhere before the three like demonic dragons baring their fangs.

Although the three couldn’t see the black chains, they could sense something was wrong. The surrounding air became heavy, and an invisible power locked them in place.

When they realized what was happening, it was already too late. The black chains were like demonic dragons starving for countless years. The chains shot out and locked the three in place.

The moment the chains bound onto them, barbed spikes burrowed into their flesh, drawing out screams that echoed through the night sky. The three couldn’t escape the chains’ merciless grip no matter how hard they tried.

Then, something even more terrifying unfolded. The three men’s bodies began to shrivel as their energy was slowly drained away. The pitch-black chains devoured their life force, channeling it back into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron before converting it into liquid form.

"This..." Liu Wuxie was stunned by this scene; he couldn’t believe his eyes.

After evolving, the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron could drain and refine energies from a person’s body even faster. He didn’t have to summon the cauldron; he could drain their energies through the chains.

"What power!" Even Liu Wuxie felt terrified by the chains.

In mere moments, only three shriveled husks remained, collapsing to the ground. The vitality and energy of the Azure Crimson Gate experts had been utterly consumed.

Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan, standing side by side, were left speechless. The battle had ended so swiftly that they barely had time to process what had happened. The three opponents, once formidable, were now nothing but lifeless shells, their lives snuffed out by the cauldron’s devouring chains.

With a quiet hiss, the chains returned to the depth of the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron as if nothing had ever happened. This opportunity also gave Liu Wuxie a clearer understanding of the chains’ function.

The chains were primarily designed for imprisonment, but in combat, Liu Wuxie realized he still had to rely on his own skills. If the trio’s primordial spirits hadn’t been injured, they might have been able to react in time and evade the chains.

"Let’s go!" Liu Wuxie said. He could sense more powerful figures approaching. He grabbed the two ladies by hand and fled from the scene, vanishing into the inn.

In their courtyard, Liu Wuxie fortified the spiritual array to prevent anyone from breaching it.

Many powerful cultivators were in the surroundings but wouldn’t carelessly intrude in the courtyard. After all, it would be embarrassing if they tried and failed to breach the spiritual array.

Meanwhile, Madam Li stood frozen, uncertain of what to do next. She was still in disbelief at how Liu Wuxie had killed his enemies and left unscathed.

When the Azure Crimson Gate’s men arrived, they were furious to learn that the three of their best had fallen.

"It must be the House of Tea Art! The House of Tea Art’s experts must’ve secretly helped Liu Wuxie kill our Azure Crimson Gate disciples!" Several elders of the Azure Crimson Gate arrived, and they learned that the trio had died mysteriously.

That was the case in the eyes of others. The chains were invisible to others; they could only see Liu Wuxie remain in place after executing the dao technique.

Thus, it was only logical for the Azure Crimson Gate to conclude that someone had secretly aided Liu Wuxie in killing their disciples.

Even Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan shared the same thoughts. After all, the death of those three men was too strange, as if their bodies had suddenly shriveled on their own, turning into a pile of skins.

"Big Brother Liu, what happened earlier? Why did they just disappear all of a sudden?" Chen Ruoyan asked in a trembling voice when they returned to their courtyard.

Jian Xing’er, too, had her curiosity piqued. She could only assume that the House of Tea Art must’ve intervened to help them.

"That’s a secret for now," Liu Wuxie gave them a cryptic reply. The Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron was too ominous and his greatest secret. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, but he didn’t want to scare them with the truth. After all, anyone would worry if such an ominous item like the cauldron was in their body.

The two women didn’t press further, sensing Liu Wuxie’s reluctance. They trusted that Liu Wuxie had his reasons.

After such a long seclusion, it was time for them to rest for the night. When they returned to their respective rooms, Liu Wuxie sat on the bed with his divine sense entering the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron.

Liu Wuxie watched as rows of liquid hovered above the cauldron, drained from the three cultivators by the devouring chains. Having completed their task, the black chains vanished, retreating into the cauldron’s depths, like phantoms returning to the underworld.

With a single motion, Liu Wuxie poured the collected liquid into his desolate world. A tremendous power surged through him, scattering like rain across the desolate landscape within. Though his cultivation hadn’t significantly risen, the purity of his true essence had increased, enriched by the Astral River Realm’s laws contained within the liquid.

As the refinement continued, more laws from the Astral River Realm manifested within his body. In terms of true essence, Liu Wuxie was now on par with cultivators in the Astral River Realm, even though he hadn’t formally stepped into that realm yet. In his desolate world, the laws had multiplied to tens of thousands.

Typical cultivators in the low levels of the Astral River Realm only had a few thousand laws in their bodies. That comparison alone made it easy to see how formidable Liu Wuxie had become.

Meanwhile, the night was anything but peaceful in Serene Sea City. The enraged higher-ups of the Azure Crimson Gate stormed into the House of Tea Art, demanding that the culprits responsible for the deaths of their disciples be handed over.

However, the House of Tea Art swiftly tossed the elders out. It became clear that the House of Tea Art was shrouded in even more mystery, likely backed by an expert of the True Profound Realm, as not even the Azure Crimson Gate’s elders could gain any advantage over them.

At the break of dawn, Liu Wuxie stepped out of his room, stretching his limbs as he felt the refreshing energy coursing through his body. After a long period of seclusion, the night’s rest had rejuvenated him completely.

Jian Xing’er and Chen Ruoyan also emerged from their rooms, their complexions radiant after a good night’s sleep. A faint celestial aura lingered around them, enhancing their already ethereal beauty. They seemed like fairies who had descended from the heavens, their otherworldly temperament shining brightly in the early morning light.

As they stepped out of the courtyard, Madam Li was already waiting. When she looked at Liu Wuxie, there was a hint of respect in her eyes.

Everyone had attributed last night’s events to the House of Tea Art, believing that they had aided Liu Wuxie in eliminating the three disciples from the Azure Crimson Gate.

In reality, only the House of Tea Art was aware that they hadn’t sent anyone to assist Liu Wuxie that night. The sole exception was Madam Li, who had accompanied Liu Wuxie back to the inn herself.

Only the House of Tea Art knew that Liu Wuxie had relied on his ability to kill the three disciples.

Nonetheless, the House of Tea Art had no reason to correct this misconception. They preferred to be misunderstood, as the association with Liu Wuxie proved more advantageous for them.

"My apologies for making you wait," Liu Wuxie said when he exited the courtyard. After all, Madam Li had been standing guard to protect them throughout the night.

"Let’s get going. The young lady should also be ready," Madam Li replied with a hint of respect. Her regard for Liu Wuxie had grown to rival that of Murong Yi’s.

Liu Wuxie didn’t correct her. He knew their respect was tied to the hope that he would agree to save Murong Yi’s family in the Western Barren.

When they reached the House of Tea Art, an exquisite carriage was waiting at the entrance. After last night’s events, no one dared to look down on the House of Tea Art anymore.

After all, it had proven how formidable the House of Tea Art was that even the Azure Crimson Gate’s elders were kicked out. This meant anyone who wanted to harm Liu Wuxie would have to think twice or find a way to avoid the House of Tea Art, preventing their involvement.

Murong Yi emerged from the House of Tea Art with a veil covering her face.

Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing’er also wore a light veil, aware that their beauty would cause unnecessary trouble in the bustling stone-betting event.

"Young Master Liu," Murong Yi said courteously as she bowed toward Liu Wuxie.

"Greetings, Lady Murong," Liu Wuxie replied, returning her polite greeting. This was simply an exchange of manners.

The four climbed into the carriage, with Madam Li taking the reins herself. Their destination was the guild established by the three major sects.

The carriage had a large interior. Liu Wuxie and Chen Ruoyan sat on the left side, while Jian Xing’er and Murong Yi were on the right.

The carriage passed through the bustling streets and stopped an hour later.

"Young Lady, we’ve arrived!" Madam Li’s voice called out. She quickly sat beside the carriage, and Chen Ruoyan was the first to step out.

The streets were packed with people outside, and a crowd was flooding in from the surroundings. In front of them was a massive dome-shaped building, reaching a height of thirty meters and covering an area of several thousand square meters.

The building had multiple entrances, and people steadily filled in. It was so large that it could comfortably accommodate tens of thousands of people.

In addition to experts from the three major sects, the nearby prominent and second-tier sects have also arrived. On this particular day of the night, Serene Sea City was always bustling with activity.

Tens of thousands of stones were shipped into Serene Sea City from the barren land. The group of five entered through the east gate, and the inside was filled with people.

"Lady Murong, we’ve been expecting you. Please, come this way," a young man said as he stepped in front of the group as soon as they entered.

The dome-shaped building was like a gigantic exhibition hall, with large amounts of stones inside. The interior was divided into several areas based on the quality—low, intermediate, and high grade.

The three major sects occupied the majority of the prime spots. Some large clans had also sent men into the barren land to excavate stones.

Though their numbers couldn’t compete with the three major sects, they also had a small area catered to them, where they displayed their stones for potential buyers.

Each stone had a price tag to help facilitate purchases for anyone interested. There were even areas catered to cutting the stones, where skilled experts were hired to ensure the treasure inside wasn’t damaged.

The group was approached by a youth as soon as they came in.

"And who might you be?" Murong Yi asked, her brows furrowing slightly.

"I am Duan Xing, responsible for attending to special guests. There’s a private lounge where you can rest and wait for the stone-betting event to start. Please, follow me," the youth introduced himself with a respectful bow. They were workers hired by the three major sects for the guild to manage it, and the profits would be divided between the three sects.

They would draw a portion of the sales from others. If the Xiang Clan Manor wished to sell their stones in the guild, the guild would draw a portion of the sales for each stone sold, and that commission fee would be divided among the three major sects.

Hundreds of clans, like the Xiang Clan Manor, competed and hoped to sell their stones for a reasonable price. Some merchants brought their stones over from the various shops, hoping to try their luck in the bustling market.

However, the odds of someone finding a treasure were pitifully low. Of tens of thousands of stones, only a few contained spiritual essences.

This was the nature of stone gambling—it was all about luck. If one was lucky, one could cut open a spiritual essence cheaply. But if they weren’t lucky, they would be disappointed even if they spent a mountain of spirit stones.

Murong Yi turned to look at Liu Wuxie, silently asking for his opinion—should they explore the hall, or should they rest in the lounge?

"Let’s go," Liu Wuxie said calmly. With Ghost Eye, he didn’t have to look around and could find a place to wait.

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