Desolate Devouring Art
Chapter 1075 - Cursed Physique

Chapter 1075 - Cursed Physique

At this point, Liu Wuxie had no other choice. Staying put meant certain death.

Whether Tian Wucang's intentions were sincere or not, Liu Wuxie decided to take the risk.

He summoned his true essence and fused it with the Spatial Dao Art, tearing through the Heaven Profound Realm's oppressive pressure as he bolted toward Tian Wucang.

Tian Wucang was crouched behind a crumbling wall.

Although the Heaven Profound Realm expert's oppressive pressure was focused on Liu Wuxie, even the lingering pressure drained the color from Tian Wucang's face.

"Where do you think you're going?" roared the Heaven Profound expert.

He hadn't expected Liu Wuxie to unleash such strength—to take the palm strike head-on and still break free. Infuriated, he immediately mobilized the full might of the Heaven Profound Realm's laws.

However, Liu Wuxie didn't stop. In the blink of an eye, he broke through the blockade and regrouped with Tian Wucang.

"Brother Gu, come with me!" Tian Wucang urged, not wasting even a breath on making any explanations. He darted between the ruined buildings, using the shattered landscape to shield their movements.

Explosions rumbled in the distance as the Heaven Profound expert gave chase in fury. Massive palms slammed down one after another, forcing Liu Wuxie to dodge relentlessly or risk getting crushed to death.

It felt like they were racing against death itself. The mounting pressure was on. Liu Wuxie could anticipate the oncoming strikes, but each one spanned tens of thousands of meters, and the attacker was a Heaven Profound Realm cultivator.

Just then, an even larger palm took form, sealing off every possible escape route.

No matter how Liu Wuxie twisted or turned, he couldn't find a way out.

"I'm not running anymore!" Liu Wuxie growled. Either way, they would die. Instead of fleeing in vain, he would rather face it head-on.

"We're almost there!" Tian Wucang shouted, pushing him to keep going.

As they passed through a dilapidated house, Tian Wucang dove into the courtyard. Abyssal trees filled the space, and their twisted branches proved that someone once lived there, but it had been abandoned a long time ago.

Just as the enormous palm descended, the pressure made the trees explode, sending wooden fragments shooting through the air like arrows.

In the blink of an eye, the gigantic palm hovered directly above Liu Wuxie's head. Its oppressive weight crushed the stones in the courtyard into dust.

Meanwhile, other Heaven Profound Realm experts closed in fast, casting seals to lock down an area with a hundred-thousand-meter radius.

"Brother Gu, jump in! Now!" Tian Wucang cried out. He had pushed aside the stone lid of an ancient well and ducked inside. Poking his head out, he urgently gestured for Liu Wuxie to follow.

With no time to hesitate, Liu Wuxie made his decision. He chose to trust Tian Wucang.

The palm neared—another breath, and it would reduce him to ash along with the courtyard.

Liu Wuxie leaped and dove into the well. The stone lid dropped behind him as he sank into the darkness below.

At that exact moment, a deafening explosion erupted up above. The blast sheared off half the mountain, and buildings collapsed in an instant.

Countless abyssal devils were vaporized under the blast before they could even scream. The shockwave flattened the courtyard where Liu Wuxie stood just a mere breath ago.

As they plunged deeper, the wind howled past Liu Wuxie's ears. He couldn't see anything, but he could sense that Tian Wucang was still nearby.

Chunks of rock tumbled from above, but Liu Wuxie blasted each one to dust with his true essence before any of them could hit him.

"Brother Gu, quick! Grab that piece of wood!" Tian Wucang's voice echoed in the dark. No one knew how deep the well was, and they had been falling for almost a minute now, yet they still hadn't reached the bottom.

Liu Wuxie spotted a large plank of wood and reached for it, grabbing it with both hands. He caught hold of Tian Wucang at the same time, halting their descent.

They clung to the wood, gasping for breath.

"Brother Tian, where are we?" Liu Wuxie asked. He could sense an ominous flow of abyssal energy from the depths down below.

"You'll find out soon. We need to keep moving!" Tian Wucang responded without delay. Clinging to the wall, he shifted a massive stone aside, revealing a dark tunnel behind it.

"We have to move fast! They'll be after us soon!" Tian Wucang urged.

He led the way into the dark passage without pause. The Heaven Profound Realm experts would not give up so easily.

Liu Wuxie followed closely behind and used the large boulder to reseal the entrance. He even tossed the wooden plank deep into the well.

Tian Wucang had likely placed that piece of wood earlier to mark the entrance. Without it, they would never have found their way in.

Moments later, a deafening rumble echoed from above. In a matter of breaths, rubble buried the well beneath tons of debris. If Liu Wuxie had been out there, he would have been buried alive, even if he had three heads and six arms.

The collapse sealed off the path behind them.

Tian Wucang lit a fire starter, and the flickering flame cast a dim glow across the narrow passage. In the dim light, Liu Wuxie could finally make out their surroundings. They were in an underground world.

"Brother Tian, how do you know about this place?" Liu Wuxie asked, surprised that the abandoned well concealed such a hidden chamber.

Had it not been for Tian Wucang, he would have died at the hands of the Heaven Profound experts.

"I've been hiding from the Abyssal Emperor's guards for years," Tian Wucang said. "One time, I jumped into this well with nowhere else to run and ended up discovering this place."

For years, he had been living like a rat in the dark, scurrying from one hiding place to another.

As they walked deeper into the tunnel, the space ahead gradually expanded.

"What is this place?" Liu Wuxie asked, surveying the widening surroundings. It didn't resemble a palace. It looked more like a tomb.

"This is a burial chamber," Tian Wucang answered calmly.

He had explored this place before and had already memorized its layout. Leading the way, he brought Liu Wuxie to a vast hall where a massive stone coffin rested in the center. Tens of thousands of years had passed, yet nothing managed to damage the coffin.

Liu Wuxie examined their surroundings. They had descended at least ten thousand meters underground. They were so deep that not even a Heaven Profound expert's divine sense could reach them.

"The well was destroyed. How are we supposed to get out of here?" Liu Wuxie asked, frowning once he realized there was no other exit.

Tian Wucang had never considered this problem. He had only been using this place for temporary refuge, after all, resurfacing from the well once the search for him had died down.

Today, the well collapsed, and experts at the Heaven Profound Realm were involved. They would need to dig a new way out of this place.

"Brother Gu, why are you looking for the Barefooted Elder?" Tian Wucang asked, his expression grave.

"How do you know that I'm searching for him?" Liu Wuxie was surprised that Tian Wucang had figured it out.

"It's not just me. Everyone in the Eighteen Peak Cities, and even across the Eastern Domain, knows that by now," Tian Wucang sighed.

When the bells tolled, he knew someone had dared to ask about the Barefooted Elder.

"It's strange," Liu Wuxie muttered. "Whether humans or abyssal devils hear the Barefooted Elder's name, they either panic or try to kill me. But you didn't flinch, nor did you alert the others."

Liu Wuxie had avoided asking Tian Wucang directly, unsure of how he would react. He had no intentions of harming someone who saved his life. Now that Tian Wucang had brought it up first, he decided to speak directly.

"That's because I'm also a Harbinger of Misfortune," Tian Wucang said quietly, slumping to the ground.

Liu Wuxie felt a jolt in his mind. Everything clicked—why they were hunting him down, and why others feared him.

"Could you explain in more detail?" Liu Wuxie asked, his hopes rising. Tian Wucang probably had a clue to finding the Barefooted Elder.

After a brief pause, Tian Wucang asked, "Have you ever heard of the Cursed Physique?"

Liu Wuxie nodded. He had read about it in ancient texts, and it was said to be a one-in-a-billion physique. He suspected that Tian Wucang had that constitution, which was the key to cultivating the Curse Dao Art.

"I've heard of it, but not much," Liu Wuxie admitted honestly.

Even ancient records described those with the Cursed Physique as doomed for extermination. Everyone would kill, even infants at birth, once they discovered the presence of that condition.

Those who survived rarely lived long, as people believed the Cursed Physique brought disaster to all around them.

"The skies of the Eastern Domain didn't always look like this," Tian Wucang said. "When I was born, the sun turned red, and the skies never returned to normal."

He had longed for a normal life, but shortly after birth, the elders discovered his Cursed Physique. Only his identity as the son of an Abyssal Emperor spared him from immediate execution.

Even so, the pressure was unbearable, and eventually, his father had to abandon him. Without his father's protection, Tian Wucang became an outcast with no choice but to fend for himself.

He had been wandering for years now, constantly fleeing from those who sought to kill him. He lived in the shadows, hiding wherever he could. He was always on the run.

"I see..." Liu Wuxie nodded. He hadn't expected Tian Wucang's story to be so tragic.

"Brother Gu, I bring misfortune with me," Tian Wucang said with guilt. "They hunted you today because you spoke to me last night. If we survive this, you should leave the Eighteen Peak Cities immediately."

He believed Liu Wuxie's suffering stemmed from their contact.

"People say the Cursed Physique brings disaster, but nothing in this world stays absolute," Liu Wuxie replied calmly, "Don't you know that when something reaches an extreme, it often reverses?"

"Great misfortune, when it peaks, can turn into great fortune. So stop blindly believing the rumors. The Cursed Physique isn't as terrifying as you think."

Fate was never fixed.

Tian Wucang could tell Liu Wuxie was trying to comfort him, but he still lowered his head, revealing a face full of pain. Suddenly, he looked up and asked, "Brother Gu, you still haven't told me why you're looking for the Barefooted Elder."

"I have something I need to ask him," Liu Wuxie replied.

Now that Tian Wucang had revealed the truth about himself, Liu Wuxie no longer feared broaching the subject. Since the tomb had them trapped for now, they might as well talk. Perhaps the path forward hid somewhere within.