Chapter 559 - Stone-Betting Event

Chapter 559 - Stone-Betting Event

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.

"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.