Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 577 - Imposter

The teahouse’s remaining three pillars failed to withstand its weight, causing the entire structure to start collapsing. The customers drinking tea on the second floor swiftly leaped out, and Liu Wuxie was no exception. He gently landed on the ground near the two youths.

"What crime have they committed? Why are you trying to kill them?" the enraged Jian Xing'er asked. She didn't recognize either of the two elite disciples.

"I advise you to mind your own business and leave immediately!" the youth who had been sent flying by the cold ray demanded. His arm was still trembling from the collision earlier.

He didn’t fear the two women. After all, he could tell that they were only in the low levels of the Heavenly Phase Realm. However, he couldn’t say the same for Liu Wuxie. The man’s aura was deep and unfathomable, like a vast, immeasurable ocean.

"We won't interfere if you let them go," Chen Ruoyan said as she stepped forward. They didn't want trouble in the first place. After all, it could expose their whereabouts.

"These two failed to pay their monthly tax! We have to sell the daughter to make up for it. Now, go bug someone else or we’ll have to resort to force!"

Perhaps it was because they couldn't determine Liu Wuxie's cultivation, but the two men weren't afraid.

Jian Xing'er frowned. "I've never heard of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion collecting monthly taxes. Which peak did you come from?"

Since the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had its own assets, they prohibited their disciples from extorting money from commoners. Nevertheless, these two still seemed to have visited this remote place to exploit commoners.

With a sword still in his hand, the young man raised his head proudly. "Have you not heard of me? I am Liu Wuxie, the prodigy of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion! I single-handedly toyed with the Azure Crimson Gate!"

It seemed Liu Wuxie's achievements in Serene Sea City had long since spread throughout the Southern Province.

Liu Wuxie exchanged glances with the two women, finding amusement in their eyes. They couldn't believe that someone was actually using his name to deceive and bully the weak.

"You're Liu Wuxie?” Smiling devilishly, Liu Wuxie clasped his hands. “My apologies for not recognizing you.”

His eyes glinted coldly.

"Now that you know who I am, why are you still here? Get lost!" the impostor snorted. He found Liu Wuxie's name quite helpful recently. It always worked like a charm.

"I have heard many things about you, Young Master Liu, including the time you effortlessly crushed two clans and toyed with the Azure Crimson Gate. That’s why we look up to you as our role model. However, I did just get word that you were in Serent Sea City until recently. How did you get here so quickly?" Liu Wuxie asked with a playful smile.

"Where I go is none of your business. Don't blame me for what happens next if you refuse to leave!"

The impostor raised his sword at Liu Wuxie, intending to strike. The mighty sword aura he unleashed sent a powerful wave of energy sweeping toward Liu Wuxie and forced bystanders to retreat.

"Tell me, Young Master Liu. How much do they owe you? I'll pay you on their behalf. How does that sound?"

Liu Wuxie wanted to avoid exposing them in front of a crowd. He planned to interrogate them somewhere more private and learn more about the imbecile who dared use his name.

The impostor boldly raised five fingers. "Fifty thousand spirit stones!"

The mother and daughter could hardly make fifty thousand a year. Fifty thousand a month was just outright extortion.

"Lies! Don't believe him! We only owe them a hundred spirit stones," the mother and daughter argued. They got back on their feet and wiped the blood off their lips.

"You're courting death!"

The enraged young man swung his sword at the woman, hoping to kill her for meddling in his affairs. After all, easy prey didn't come around often.

Meanwhile, the other youth's attention remained on Chen Ruoyan. Though she had disguised herself, all she really changed was the birthmark on her face. Hence, her outstanding figure still caught his attention and ignited his lust. However, his disgusting gaze did nothing but anger Chen Ruoyan.

The sword was intercepted before it could even strike.

"I can’t help but be curious. Why do ordinary people like them owe the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion a monthly tribute? If you can give me a valid explanation, I'll pay whatever debt they have accumulated.” Liu Wuxie's eyes grew colder. “However, if you turn out to be outright extorting them, what then?"

The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was a righteous sect. If its disciples extorted commoners, then they would essentially be tarnishing its reputation. The fact that they were using his name to commit such a crime only made things worse.

"The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's affairs have nothing to do with you! If you’re so insistent on staying, then die!"

Having run out of patience, the youth shifted his focus to killing Liu Wuxie. Although he was just an impostor, his swordsmanship was still impressive. At the very least, it was decent for someone in the high levels of the Heavenly Phase Realm.

He swung his sword at lightning speed, the attack instantly appearing before Liu Wuxie.

The bystanders closed their eyes, unable to watch any longer. Only Chen Ruoyan and Jian Xing'er remained indifferent. After all, they knew all too well that Liu Wuxie could obliterate a group of Heavenly Phase Realm cultivators with a slap.

Liu Wuxie caught the sword between his two fingers, stopping it a few inches away from him.

The impostor's expression darkened in disbelief. Only someone with a much higher cultivation could pull off such a feat.

He tried to pull the sword away, but no matter how much strength he exerted, it remained firmly pinched between Liu Wuxie's two fingers. Out of desperation, he struck Liu Wuxie's shoulder with his left palm instead.

"Trash!"

With a hand strike, Liu Wuxie blasted the impostor away before he could react. The impostor smashed into a wall in the distance, creating a man-shaped dent.

The other youth froze, not knowing what to do. Liu Wuxie had just defeated his senior brother with one move, a clear sign that he was far too strong for him to defeat.

"Y-You dare harm a disciple of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion? You're dead!"

Too cowardly to face Liu Wuxie head-on, the young man stumbled as he retreated.

Liu Wuxie scoffed coldly and unleashed a powerful soul energy, forcing his enemy to the ground. The youth screamed and wailed in pain.

The bystanders looked at Liu Wuxie in so much awe that it seemed as if they were looking at a deity.

"Madam, what's the story here?" Chen Ruoyan asked as she approached the mother and daughter. “Tell us, and we'll uphold justice for you.”

The two and the crowd responded with a heavy sigh of despair. Helplessness was written all over their faces.

Chen Ruoyan gave the women a pill for their injuries, and they swallowed it in response.

Liu Wuxie wasn't in a hurry. After all, the two Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's disciples were at his mercy now. They slumped where they sat.

As her complexion improved, the mother explained, "It all started three months ago. These two walked into the town, claiming they were here to protect us. They demanded each household to pay a hundred spirit stones and told us that those who couldn't meet the quota would be driven out of the town.”

"How outrageous! Why didn't anyone resist?"

Chen Ruoyan was infuriated. The Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had no such rule! This was all those youth’s doing!

"Resist?" a middle-aged man interjected, anger evident in his tone. "We tried, but they slaughtered everyone who did. We were forced to venture into the mountain range, putting our lives on the line just to pay the tax. In just the past few months, we’ve already lost hundreds of people.”

Since only ordinary people lived in the town, they had no means to put up a strong resistance. Hence, they were forced to comply with the youths’ demands.

Not only did he lose his brothers to the two Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples, but he also lost many friends to the demonic beasts in the mountain range.

Liu Wuxie and his companions got the gist of the situation now. These two elite disciples’ tyranny would've continued if they hadn't run into Liu Wuxie today.

"Do they have any other accomplices?" Jian Xing'er asked the man, intending to rid the town of any other trash.

"No, it's just the two of them," the man replied truthfully.

The two elite disciples seemed to have relied solely on their status to wreak havoc in the town. They even defiled several of the town’s women.

Everyone in the town was furious, but they couldn’t even dare retaliate. After all, the two belonged to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion.

"You can all go home now. Starting today, no one will be demanding tributes from you anymore," Liu Wuxie said, dismissing the crowd. He then walked over to the two youths, grabbed them, and leaped into the sky.

Upon exiting the town and entering the mountain range, he threw the two onto the ground.

“Who are you? What peak are you two from?" Liu Wuxie questioned coldly.

The impostor struggled to his feet. Pretending to be calm, he replied, "My name is Liu Wuxie, the founder of Heavenly Dao Society. I advise you to let us go while we can still forget what happened today."

Liu Wuxie's expression turned colder. "How could the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion produce scums like you two?"

With a palm strike, he reduced the impostor’s left arm to ashes. The impostor let out heart-wrenching screams, but no one was around to hear his cries.

"I'll ask you one last time. Who are you, and why are you pretending to be Liu Wuxie?" Liu Wuxie said, his voice now filled with murderous intent.

The impostor had just used his name to commit crimes. He had to find out the truth now or else more people would steal his identity and oppress the weak and innocent.