Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 15 - Dog

This time, Xu Lingxue didn’t cover her face with a veil. Since she was going to the Hundred Beast Gathering as a representative of the Xu Clan, she naturally had to show respect to the Wan Clan. It would be impolite if she went with her face covered.

Xu Lingxue and Liu Wuxie attracted every servant’s attention when they came out of the Xu Clan. After all, Xu Lingxue was a fairy in their hearts.

When they went up to the prepared carriage, the interior of the carriage was spacious. They sat facing each other, and no one spoke. In the end, Liu Wuxie broke the silence because he could sense that the Hundred Beast Gathering wasn’t that simple. He asked, “How much do you know about the Wan Clan?”

“A century ago, the ancestor of the Wan Clan went from rags to riches overnight. He obtained a beast-taming art and used it to establish the Beast Colosseum for martial artists to hone their skills. It attracted many prodigies from the imperial capital. The current patriarch of the Wan Clan, Wan Rongzhe, is a man of great ambition. He tamed a fourth-grade demonic beast and gained widespread renown throughout the Great Yan Dynasty for his feat,” explained Xu Lingxue, who possessed knowledge of all the clans in Azure Billow City.

“Beast-taming art? Interesting...” Liu Wuxie rubbed his nose. In his previous life, some sects specialized in that and had unique skills in taming beasts.

Coincidentally, he had the chance to engage in an exchange with the sect master of the Beast Master Gate and gained a wealth of knowledge about taming beasts. He discovered that the so-called beast-taming technique was simply a matter of understanding certain behaviors of demonic beasts that could be used to aid in their taming.

The actual beast-taming art required an understanding of the demonic beasts’ behaviors and proficiency in their language. There were many types of demonic beasts. Some highly intellectual ones could even take the human form and speak the human tongue after their cultivation reached a certain level.

But the intelligence of most low-graded demonic beasts was inferior to humans, and the best way to tame them was to grasp their behavior, using their weaknesses to control them.

Liu Wuxie naturally wouldn’t tell Xu Lingxue about it. As the carriage made its way, the destination was the largest colosseum owned by the Wan Clan, where the Hundred Beast Gathering would take place. It spanned over ten miles in radius and was situated against the backdrop of the Sunset Mountain Range. It had four gates: one reserved for demonic beasts and three open for all to enter and exit freely.

About an hour later, the carriage stopped at the east gate. Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue got off the carriage and handed their invitation to the Wan Clan’s guards, who led them in enthusiastically.

After crossing the covered bridge, they arrived at a spacious area. The walls were adorned with carved lapis, imparting a simple yet aged ambiance. Below the bridge were several smaller arenas, their floors stained with blood and emanating a pungent odor.

The view suddenly expanded after crossing the covered bridge, and they entered the viewing area. This place was roughly tens of thousands of square meters and divided into several regions. They were mainly divided into three levels, and the regions were further divided into different sizes.

The west gate was meant for commoners, the north gate was reserved for small clans, and the east gate was for the four big clans and talented geniuses from all over. The levels were strictly classified, with the west region being the smallest, with neatly arranged tables that could accommodate about a thousand people.

When Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue came in, this place was bustling with people. Many people had already arrived, and both of their arrival naturally attracted much attention.

“Lady Xu, Young Master Liu, please come inside.” Disciples of the Wan Clan came forth and greeted them passionately, inviting them in. Apart from the city lord, the four big clans represented the upper hierarchy of Azure Billow City. But it was a little weird today. There were several tables other than those reserved for the four big clans. They were clearly prepared for distinguished guests, and several youths were chatting at that table.

“Thank you,” Xu Lingxue said, moving her cherry lips, and her voice attracted many people’s attention.

“Isn’t that the Xu Clan’s princess? What is she doing here?” A chorus of exclamations erupted from the crowd, drawing all eyes in their direction. Many were eager to catch a glimpse of Xu Lingxue’s true appearance. Even the commoners’ section was abuzz with excitement as they caught sight of her.

The commotion disrupted the conversation of the youths seated at the top, and they also turned their attention over. The young man in the middle immediately squinted his eyes, and his gaze fixed on Xu Lingxue. His eyes radiated a strong possessive desire which only appeared briefly before disappearing.

“Who is she?” The youth asked with his breathing becoming hurried. He was born in the imperial capital and had seen countless beauties. But Xu Lingxue was a fusion of all the beauties he had seen, and she was simply perfect.

“Young Master Xue, her name is Xu Lingxue. She’s the princess of the Xu Clan, and she married a trash a few days ago. But I heard that she’s still a virgin despite her marriage.” The youth seated on the right quickly stood up, wearing a flattering smile as he shared Xu Lingxue’s information. His name was Tian Yequan, and he was a talented descendant of the Tian Clan. He was also on the list of the invited guests.

The gathering this time was unusual because the patriarchs of the four big clans had yet to show up, as though this was a banquet specially held for the younger generation.

“I seemed to have heard about her in the imperial capital. There are rumors that she’s the greatest beauty of the capital, and it looks like she’s far more beautiful than rumored.” Xue Yu nodded. It was no longer surprising to him that rumors of such a beauty had spread throughout the imperial capital.

“It’s a waste for such a beauty to marry a trash. Only our Young Master Xue is worthy of such a delicate beauty.” The young man on the left stood up with the same flattering expression as Tian Yequan. His name was Wan Butong, the strongest younger generation of the Wan Clan. It was rumored that he had already comprehended the Xiantian Spirit.

The flatters from Tian Yequan and Wan Butong naturally brought a smile to Xue Yu’s face.

Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue both sat down at a table. In front of their table was a table reserved for the Song Clan. On the left was the Wan Clan, and on the right was the Tian Clan. The arrangement alone showed that the Xu Clan ranked at the bottom of the four big clans.

Sensing the fiery gazes from the surrounding, a hint of displeasure appeared on Xu Lingxue’s face, but she endured it. Her father told her to watch, listen, and speak less after coming to the Hundred Beast Gathering.

As for Liu Wuxie, a sneer rose on the corner of his lips. He scanned the crowd, taking in the faces of all those present.

“Young Master Xue, do you want me to invite Lady Xu?” Wan Butong said in a fawning tone. The Xue Clan was well-known in the imperial capital and was a colossus, unlike their small clan in Azure Billow City.

But Xue Yu didn’t reply and stood up after a brief pondering. He felt that it should be more sincere if he invited her over personally. The trio got up, with Wan Butong and Tian Yequan following behind Xue Yu as they walked to Xu Lingxue. As for Liu Wuxie, they had subconsciously ignored him.

“My name is Xue Yu, the direct descendant of the Xue Clan in the imperial capital. I’m here to extend my greetings to Lady Xu.” Xue Yu greeted warmly like a gentleman and emphasized his status as the Xue Clan’s direct descendant. After all, Xu Clan might have some position in Azure Billow City, but they were nothing in the imperial capital. On the other hand, the Xue Clan had experts in the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

Xu Lingxue merely responded with a nod, but her face didn’t reveal any surprise. She had naturally heard of a powerful clan like the Xue Clan.

“I wonder if Lady Xu will do me the honor and watch the proceedings with me at my table? The view is much better compared to here.” Xue Yu pointed to his table. What he said wasn’t wrong because the view was the best on his table, overlooking the entire colosseum. On the contrary, only about half of the colosseum was visible from the Xu Clan's table.

“Thank you for the invitation, but I must respectfully decline. I appreciate the offer, but I prefer it here,” Xu Lingxue rejected while gritting her teeth. She didn’t like Xue Yu’s possessive gaze.

“Lady Xu, it’s your Xu Clan’s honor to be invited by Young Master Xue. Don’t take it too far!” Tian Yequan interrupted. The Xu Clan and Tian Clan had already torn their facade, and he couldn’t be bothered to put on an act any longer. After forming a connection with a colossus like the Xue Clan, the Tian Clan could do whatever they wanted in Azure Billow City.

Those words were sinister, and he was trying to suppress Xu Lingxue based on Xue Yu’s identity. If Xu Lingxue didn’t give Xue Yu the honor, this was the same as insulting the Xue Clan. In the future, it would be difficult for the Xu Clan to gain a foothold in Azure Billow City, and this was Tian Yequan’s vicious scheme of killing two birds with one stone. Not only did he manage to please Xue Yu, but he also struck a blow at the Xu Clan.

“Why do I hear a dog barking here?” Liu Wuxie’s voice cut in, surprising everyone. Not only did he interrupt their conversation, but he even insulted Tian Yequan by calling him a dog. After all, Xu Lingxue was his wife in name, and they had gone through all the ceremonies except consummating their marriage...

If he didn’t take action when someone was trying to flirt with his wife, he wouldn’t just be trash but an incompetent man.

“Trash, who are you calling a dog?!” Tian Yequan roared and slammed on the table, attracting the surrounding gazes.

The Song Clan’s representatives arrived at this moment and looked at Tian Yequan and Liu Wuxie with puzzlement.

“Who’s the dog scolding?” Liu Wuxie retorted.

“The dog’s scolding you!” Tian Yequan followed up. But as soon as he finished, he realized he had a slip of the tongue. But it was already too late as everyone in the surroundings laughed out loud.

“Y-Y-You! How dare you call me a dog?!” Tian Yeqian became furious because he fell for Liu Wuxie’s trap in his words and called himself a dog.

A smile rose on Xu Lingxue’s lips when she saw Tian Yequan going insane. Liu Wuxie had successfully launched a counterattack against Tian Yequan without using any foul words. But she soon worried because the Xu Clan couldn’t afford to offend the Xue Clan.

Xue Yu’s gaze turned to examine Liu Wuxie for the first time. He heard from others that Liu Wuxie was a piece of garbage in Azure Billow City, and he was indeed a piece of garbage judging from his cultivation. After all, cultivators were well-respected in the True Martial Continent, and their cultivation determined everything.

“Pretty eloquent there, Young Master Liu. I’m impressed. But I heard you can’t cultivate and were kicked out of the bridal chamber on your wedding night. I wonder if that’s true,” Xue Yu said sarcastically. The Tian Clan and Wan Clan had been trying to suck up to the Xue Clan in recent years, and he was here after receiving their invitation. So humiliating the Tian Clan was no different from trying to humiliate him.

The Tian Clan was like a dog raised by Xue Yu, and he couldn’t just stand aside to watch when his dog was bullied. So Xue Yu didn’t hold back his mockery, and Liu Wuxie’s affairs had already been a joke in Azure Billow City.

Liu Wuxie’s face sank, and Xu Lingxue’s face became cold upon hearing that. They never expected that there would be so much trouble before the Hundred Beast Gathering even started.

“I would’ve left Azure Billow City if I were him. I don’t understand where he got the cheek to remain in the city,” Wan Butong followed suit. He naturally wouldn’t miss this opportunity to flatter Xue Yu.

“That’s right. Someone like him living in the world is simply a waste of oxygen,” Tian Yequan followed behind.

After hearing what they said, a hint of murderous intent flashed across Liu Wuxie’s eyes, and he had already given them a death sentence in his heart.