Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 940 - Sacred Grounds Opening

Liu Wuxie sat across from Elder Madman in a tidy room. It was evident Elder Madman had anticipated his visit.

"Can you tell me more about the Han Clan?" Liu Wuxie asked. It was surprising that his first question was about the Han Clan.

After all, Han Feizi's behavior over the past few days had only deepened Liu Wuxie's curiosity about the Han Clan. He was beginning to realize just how much of the Central Plains remained shrouded in mystery. Even after reading all the books in the Liu Clan's Book Collection Pavilion, he had only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg.

"A hidden clan," Elder Madman said plainly.

Liu Wuxie's expression soured. He already knew that the Han Clan was a hidden clan, but his question remained unanswered.

"Can you be more specific?"

He hoped to learn more than just that the Han Clan was a hidden clan.

"Spirit Guardians," Elder Madman replied again, this time with two words.

Liu Wuxie frowned as this was the first time he'd heard of such a title. But what were they?

"Will you elaborate further?"

He was frustrated that Elder Madman didn't make himself clear each time and always spoke in riddles.

"I can only tell you that the Spirit Guardians once broke many of their vows. You'll learn the truth when you reach the Earth Profound Realm. The Han Clan's fate is tied to yours in many ways, and you'll find out about them sooner or later," Elder Madman said, waving his hand to stop further questioning from Liu Wuxie.

He wouldn't have kept the information from Liu Wuxie if it were something he was free to share. But since he couldn't speak of it, pressing him further would be futile. Just like Han Feizi, Elder Madman was also bound by silence.

Liu Wuxie silently etched the name 'Spirit Guardians' into his mind, planning to investigate it in the future.

"Master, do you know about the Soaring Bloom Order?" Liu Wuxie asked his second question.

The news of a bounty placed on his head had already spread throughout the academy.

"I do," Elder Madman replied.

Liu Wuxie continued, "The mastermind appeared and offered to form an alliance with me."

Strangely, Elder Madman didn't react to the news. Logically, he should have been furious—someone had dared to target a disciple of Heavenly Gate Peak, and Elder Madman was known for his explosive temper. Yet, this time, his calmness was unnerving.

"I know," Elder Madman replied with a bitter smile. Clearly, he was aware of everything that happened on the Heavenly Gate Platform.

"Master, do you know who he is?" Liu Wuxie asked. This was what he wanted to know. After all, he knew his master couldn't match the black-clad figure in strength.

"Knowing and not knowing, what difference does it make?" Elder Madman muttered, almost as if he were speaking to himself.

Although he was the master of Heavenly Gate Peak, Elder Madman still wasn't considered part of the academy's upper echelon—not until he reached the Heaven Profound Realm. Only those who crossed that threshold gained access to the academy's deeper secrets.

"What should I do next?" Liu Wuxie asked.

He didn't expect Elder Madman to confront the mastermind. Though he couldn't gather much information through this conversation, the information about the Spirit Guardians was a start.

"Just focus on cultivating and don't think much about it," Elder Madman advised, trying to comfort Liu Wuxie. For now, Liu Wuxie's path forward was clear: he needed to grow stronger.

A grave look flashed across Liu Wuxie's eyes as he left Elder Madman's hut.

Through the ten-minute conversation, he had already gathered a lot of information.

First, the Han Clan wasn't as simple as they appeared, and they were tied to the entire True Martial Continent.

Second, something was stirring. A shift had begun across the continent, and it likely concerned its very future. And he, Liu Wuxie, was the chosen one, standing at the very heart of the storm.

Third, there were many superpowers in the True Martial Continent besides the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy and Dragon Emperor Academy. They were mysterious factions, such as the Golden Cauldron Pavilion, hidden from the public eye.

And finally, the Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy's upper echelons weren't united.

When Liu Wuxie returned to his hut, he found his three senior brothers and Han Feizi waiting for him.

It was time for them to head to the sacred ground, as the sect's teleportation array had already been activated. Many disciples were already making their way over.

The sacred ground was vast and boundless, once home to many hidden forces, though most had long since perished over time.

In recent days, Liu Wuxie had read about the sacred ground. The sacred ground was a continent like the True Martial Continent. It had formed after the astral domain had shattered and was preserved, much like the True Martial Continent.

At some point, the laws of the sacred ground had changed—perhaps due to a natural disaster or a man-made catastrophe—though no one knew exactly why. This had resulted in the fall of the sacred ground.

If Liu Wuxie hadn't repaired the profound talisman, the True Martial Continent would have shared the same fate in less than a century.

The specifics of the sacred ground had long been lost to time.

Thousands of years ago, a spatial rift had appeared tens of thousands of miles away from the True Martial Continent. It opened once every five years, allowing people to enter the sacred ground.

However, everyone had to leave the sacred ground within six months, or they would be trapped inside until the next opening. Many cultivators had been stranded in the sacred ground over the years, unable to escape in time.

"Let's go," Liu Wuxie said. He could see the excitement in the eyes of his three senior brothers.

Only Han Feizi looked somber, most likely still affected by his father's injury. Otherwise, he should've been thrilled about entering the sacred ground.

The group of five descended the Heavenly Gate Peak. By now, most of the other disciples from the other peaks had already departed. Some disciples stayed behind, as those in the Nascent Transformation Realm wouldn't survive in the sacred ground.

This was because there was something unusual about the laws in the sacred ground. They were more intense than those of the True Martial Continent, and those at the Nascent Transformation Realm would be crushed if they entered.

Even cultivators at the True Profound Realm couldn't fly within the sacred ground, and only those at the Spirit Profound Realm could barely manage flight.

It wasn't unusual that the intense pressure made it impossible for those at the Nascent Transformation Realm to enter, but it was strange that those at the Earth Profound Realm couldn't enter either. They would be crushed if they forced their way into the sacred ground.

This made no sense at first, which led Liu Wuxie to speculate that the human inhabitants of the sacred ground had likely perished in a similarly peculiar pattern. Those who were either too strong or too weak had been eliminated. Over time, the entire human race had vanished from the continent.

The Heavenly Spirit Celestial Academy had constructed a teleportation array to transport its disciples to the sacred ground. Disciples could only enter in batches, and Liu Wuxie, having arrived late, had to wait at the back of the queue.

"The teleportation array can only send us to the entrance of the spatial rift, and we will be separated when we enter it," Han Feizi shared whatever he knew about the sacred ground.

He hailed from a hidden clan, which meant he had more information than Liu Wuxie.

As thousands of disciples vanished one after another, those still waiting in line grew increasingly excited.

Humans had once lived in the sacred ground, which meant there were countless treasures to be found, even after so many years of exploration.

After roughly two hours of waiting, it was finally Liu Wuxie's group's turn. When they entered the teleportation array, the other disciples in the same batch stole glances at Liu Wuxie.

However, he ignored the surrounding gazes and closed his eyes to wait for the teleportation array to be activated.

As a flash of light engulfed them, Liu Wuxie was pulled into a spatial passage that resembled a kaleidoscope.

An hour later, when everyone emerged from the teleportation array, they found themselves atop a large meteor that floated in the void. When they looked down, they saw that the True Martial Continent had shrunk to the size of a palm, hovering in the universe.

They were now at the brink of the astral domain's crystal wall. They could enter another world if they passed through the wall.

Given their current strength, they couldn't open the crystal wall. Even someone at the Heaven Profound Realm couldn't accomplish that.

Meteors hovered in the surroundings, each crowded with people. They all gazed into the distance with excitement.

Liu Wuxie turned to look at the crystal wall that gave off a faint radiance a thousand meters away.

"That's the spatial rift?"

There were many types of spatial rifts, some deadly, some calm, and some leading to unknown realms. There were also passages of time that led to the past or future. However, those were only legends, and Liu Wuxie wasn't sure if they were true.

He had seen spatial rifts before, such as when two previously isolated continents suddenly became connected one day. The same was true of sacred ground.

"Should we go in?" Shen Rong asked, as there were already others entering the spatial rift.

"Here are five Communication Talismans. I hope they still work once we're inside," said Jiang Le, distributing five talismans to the group.

Han Feizi shook his head. "They won't work. The laws inside the sacred ground are completely different from those on the True Martial Continent. Spiritual talismans don't function there, let alone Communication Talismans."

Though he hadn't been there before, he had read about it in his clan's records.

"Seriously? How strange!" Yu Zhibai exclaimed with disbelief.

They had all been too focused on cultivating lately to dig into the details of the sacred ground.

Liu Wuxie had many Communication Talismans on him, but he didn't take them out, as he had already read that they were useless inside. They could only rely on themselves.

"How are we going to regroup?" Shen Rong asked.

"There's no way. We can only rely on luck and have to head to the exit in six months. Miss it, and we'll be stuck in there for five years," Han Feizi replied with a shrug, looking helpless.

Liu Wuxie finally chimed in, "Once inside, find a safe place. You've all studied the map; avoid the uncharted zones." Everyone nodded, including Han Feizi. Uncharted zones meant danger, and a single misstep could result in their death.

By now, most of the surrounding disciples had already entered the spatial rift.

"Let's go," Liu Wuxie said and took the lead.

He rose into the air and sped toward the spatial rift.

They were still within the bounds of the True Martial Continent, where flight was possible. But once inside the sacred ground, things would be different.

As Liu Wuxie approached the sacred ground, no one knew what awaited him on the other side.