Desolate Devouring Art-Chapter 1400 - Alliance

Chapter 1400 - Alliance
Everyone turned toward Liu Wuxie, waiting quietly for his answer.
"We need to gather more people to stand a real chance against the loulan race," Liu Wuxie said, laying out his plan. They would only improve their odds by rallying more allies to rescue those imprisoned by the loulan race.
"That's a good idea," Guan Jinpeng said, echoing Liu Wuxie's view.
"But all the humans who came in had been scattered, many even went into hiding. We have no way of finding them," Bu Wenxing said, a frown creasing his brow.
If they managed to rally all the human cultivators roaming across the Celestial Immortal Star, they could forge a force capable of rivaling any other power. But the planet was vast, and their own group numbered only seven. If they split up and ran into the loulan race, defending themselves would become nearly impossible, and they would only stand a chance if they stayed close to Liu Wuxie.
"That's not hard. I can send the three Blackwind Beasts to search, greatly saving a great deal of time for us," Liu Wuxie said, and the three Blackwind Beasts immediately vanished into the distance.
The Blackwind Beasts displayed terrifying speed and strength as they shuttled through the woods, searching for any trace of human cultivators.
......
In another region, Shi Yuan's group finally came to a halt. Their initial force of more than 300 people had shrunk yet again after suffering repeated attacks from the loulan race over the past few days.
They had only managed to repel the Blackwind Beasts thanks to Shi Yuan's Earth Immortal Realm strength; without him, the consequences would have been disastrous.
"Damn it! How could those Blackwind Beasts control our primordial spirit?" Elder Li grumbled. Even with their high cultivation, they remained helpless against the Blackwind Beasts.
......
As dawn slowly broke, one of the Blackwind Beasts sent back the information it had gathered through the soul runes.
"They've found humans! Let's go!" Liu Wuxie said, then vanished, with Sun Xiao and the others following close behind him. They shuttled through the mountain range for roughly an hour before finally stopping outside a cave.
"Come out. We're humans," Liu Wuxie yelled. Beside him, the Blackwind Beast let out low growls, and the people hiding inside still didn't dare to step out.
Roughly five minutes later, two men and one woman finally emerged from the cave, watching them with wary eyes.
"Are you really humans?" the three asked uncertainly.
"We're humans. This is the Heavenly Dragon Sect's chief disciple, and we're currently rallying the other humans to save the cultivators imprisoned in loulan City. We can only hope to find a way back home if we stand united," Xiao Yuesheng said, stepping forward to explain.
They wanted not only to rescue their fellow humans but also to secure a safe way back to the Indigo Bamboo Astral Domain.
"Really?" asked the woman, hope gleaming in her eyes. They had been hiding here for the past few days, and the loulan race had already captured their companions, leaving only the three of them cowering in the cave.
"That's absolutely true," Xiao Yuesheng replied with sincere conviction.
Even so, the trio remained skeptical, mainly because the Blackwind Beast's presence made them deeply uneasy.
"Then what's with the Blackwind Beast?" asked the man on the right. He still suspected their identities, thinking they might be pawns controlled by the loulan race and used as bait.
"Brother Liu here has mastered the art of the loulan race, and he can control the Blackwind Beast," Xiao Yuesheng said. They had learned Liu Wuxie's real name during last night's introduction.
"Is that possible?" asked the man on the left, though he was already mostly convinced. The Heavenly Dragon Sect's chief disciple's identity alone erased most of his doubts.
"Alright. We'll join you," said the woman in the middle, no longer hesitating.
Not long after, the other two Blackwind Beasts also sent back word that they had found more humans.
"Senior Brother, we'll only waste time like this. This place is easy to defend and hard to attack. Why don't we make this place our camp and gather everyone here before making further arrangements?" Liu Wuxie asked. If they brought everyone with them, the commotion they caused would only draw the attention of the loulan race.
"I was thinking the same," Sun Xiao replied. He hadn't expected his junior brother to suggest it first.
They immediately began setting up spiritual arrays in the surrounding area. With the protection of those arrays, the cave would remain a safe haven.
"Big Brother Xiao, you stay here with the others while I follow my senior brother," Liu Wuxie said. The others moved too slowly, and only his senior brother could keep pace with him. To avoid dragging them into danger, the rest would stay behind and wait for their return.
"Alright. You should be careful then," Xiao Yuesheng said. Over the past few days, he had come to understand that Liu Wuxie was far from ordinary. Although Liu Wuxie appeared to be only at the seventh-level Primal Origin Realm, even cultivators at the sixth- or seventh-level Void Realm were no match for him.
Moreover, Sun Xiao's presence further guaranteed his safety.
Once all the arrangements were complete, Liu Wuxie vanished together with Sun Xiao as they tore through space. Following the guidance sent back by a Blackwind Beast, they arrived at a valley where they found more than thirty cultivators locked in a tense standoff with the beast.
The moment Sun Xiao revealed his identity, the thirty-odd cultivators could barely contain their excitement.
"Brother Sun, we're willing to follow you. Just tell us what you need us to do next," an old man said as he stepped forward.
"All of you follow this path ahead, and there'll be someone receiving your group," Sun Xiao said. He had already arranged for Guan Jinpeng and Bu Wenxing to receive survivors along the path, and they had been keeping in touch through Communication Talismans.
"Understood!" the old man said, then led his group off in the direction Sun Xiao pointed.
......
Time passed, and the two of them gathered more than five hundred people in just one day, a number that far exceeded Sun Xiao's expectations. Many among them were even disciples of the Heavenly Dragon Sect.
The moment they saw Liu Wuxie and Sun Xiao, many burst into tears on the spot, overwhelmed by emotion.
"Junior brother, what now?" Sun Xiao asked softly after sending that group on their way.
"There are almost no other human presences within a radius of a hundred thousand miles. We'll have to venture deeper," Liu Wuxie said. They had practically found everyone they could in the surrounding region, and people now packed the cave.
Under Guan Jinpeng's command, everyone began training in an orderly fashion, forming teams so the loulan race would miss them off guard.
By evening, Liu Wuxie's breathing had grown heavy as his true essence neared exhaustion.
"Junior brother, let's take a rest," Sun Xiao said. As a cultivator at the Quasi-Earth Immortal Realm, he possessed a bottomless reservoir of true essence, but Liu Wuxie was only at the Primal Origin Realm. The fact that Liu Wuxie had managed to hold out for so long already shocked him.
"There's a small group ahead of us. Let's go," Liu Wuxie replied as he slowed his pace. He took out several astral crystals and tossed them into the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron, rapidly restoring his true essence.
As their vision opened up, a large complex of buildings appeared before them. Judging by the style and layout, it was once a loulan settlement, but human cultivators now occupy it.
Several humans patrolled atop the wall, and they naturally detected Liu Wuxie and Sun Xiao as the two approached.
"Have you two come to join us?" one of the patrolling cultivators called out.
Over the past few days, many cultivators have found this place and come seeking shelter.
Liu Wuxie and Sun Xiao exchanged a glance, an odd amusement flickering in their eyes. The surrounding buildings had been heavily fortified, making it difficult for Blackwind Beasts to break into this place and turning it into an ideal stronghold.
When Sun Xiao explained their purpose, the patrolling cultivators immediately burst into mocking laughter.
"Are you kidding me? Sneak into loulan City to rescue the prisoners? Do you know how 'death' is spelled? I advise you to give up on it and join us. We can build a new life here, and we can carve a majestic city of our own," one of the patrolling cultivators said, voicing the group's disdain.
Liu Wuxie used Ghost Eye to peer into the buildings. He hadn't expected to see over three hundred humans inside, along with many imprisoned blood fiends.
The patrolling cultivators weren't entirely wrong—if everyone stayed here and reproduced, the human population would reach terrifying levels after a few hundred years.
"Can we meet your leader?" one of them asked. There had to be a leader of this stronghold, or the place would have long since fallen into chaos.
"Our leader is busy and has no time to see you. You're welcome to join us if you want. If not, you can get out of here," said one of the patrolling cultivators bluntly, leaving the two to make their own choice.
Most cultivators who arrived chose to stay, since finding a safe sanctuary on the Celestial Immortal Star was no easy task.
"Senior brother, let's go," Liu Wuxie said, giving a slight shake of his head.
Someone had already brainwashed these people thoroughly. Even if they agreed to leave with him, uniting their hearts would be impossible, and trouble would erupt sooner or later. Since that was the case, it was better to give up on them entirely, especially when there were still other human cultivators scattered across the planet.
Sun Xiao immediately swallowed the words he had been about to speak.
"Why leave in such a hurry since you've come all the way here?" a voice called from within the buildings as a burly old man emerged, landing before Liu Wuxie and Sun Xiao and releasing an Earth Immortal Realm aura.
This stronghold did have an Earth Immortal Realm expert, who explained how it had gathered so many people.
"Our paths aren't the same. Do you plan to force us to stay?" Sun Xiao asked, his expression turning cold. He had already been displeased by the patrolling cultivators' tone earlier.
"What path?" the burly old man snorted. "Surviving is all that matters. As long as you two are willing to join us, you will receive status only second to mine. What do you think about it?"
The old man could sense that Sun Xiao possessed a terrifying cultivation, far stronger than that of any pinnacle Void Realm cultivator he had seen before. If he could recruit such an expert, it would greatly strengthen this camp.
"Not interested!" Sun Xiao said, turning away to leave.
Everyone had their own path. Since these people wanted to spend their lives on this planet, there was nothing Sun Xiao could say that would change their minds.
"Why not at least take a look inside since you're here?" the burly old man asked, flickering forward to appear before Sun Xiao. He had no intention of letting the two leave and released his Earth Immortal Realm aura, planning to force Sun Xiao into submission.
"Are you threatening me?" Sun Xiao asked as he unleashed a powerful aura that sent the nearby patrolling cultivators flying.
The burly old man's eyes narrowed at once. He could tell that the aura Sun Xiao released wasn't any weaker than his own.
"Who are you, and why do you look so familiar?" the burly old man asked, finally taking a proper look at the two of them for the first time.
"Not your business," Sun Xiao replied as he took another step forward, forcing the burly old man to retreat a step in turn.
Liu Wuxie watched from the side, secretly surprised; he hadn't expected his senior brother to be so domineering.