Once the blood feud was formed, untangling the conflict wouldn't be easy.
Liu Wuxie had intentionally orchestrated the incident, informing Murong Tianze to exert enough force to kill the profound beasts' offspring. This was the only way he could trigger the profound beasts' bloodlust against the divine race.
The onlookers watched in silence, their hearts pounding with fear. They had severely underestimated the divine race's strength, who held their ground against tens of thousands of profound beasts with no sign of defeat.
Liu Wuxie also watched with his brows locked together, and he wondered if the human race could ever hope to prevail on equal footing with the divine race. The answer was obvious: humans stood no chance against the divine race, and they would be utterly annihilated.
The divinekin's strength lay in their powerful physique and extensive research on the other races. Their divine energy was the nemesis of humans, and their physical bodies were unmatched against profound beasts. Most importantly, they possessed the ability to regenerate from even the most grievous wounds, such as severed limbs.
Facing such a race was nothing short of a nightmare. Had it not been for rescuing Murong Yi's parents, Liu Wuxie would've never provoked the divine race. But he realized then that he was destined to cross paths with them as long as the Ancestral Tree existed in his body. He knew the divine race would never allow the Ancestral Tree to keep growing, which would be a calamity to them.
"A golden opportunity to escape!" Liu Wuxie leaped off the tree and concealed himself in the horde of profound beasts, moving stealthily. He even released the divine dragon's aura, only to realize the profound beasts instinctively avoided him.
The dragon was the king of beasts, revered as the supreme sovereign. Every beast species had to obey a dragon's call.
Liu Wuxie moved like a comet streaking across the horizon, reaching the valley's entrance in the blink of an eye.
"Human!" a powerhouse of the divine race roared, his voice reverberating across the valley. Hovering in midair, he unleashed a devastating palm strike toward Liu Wuxie's direction. He realized everything was orchestrated by the human race, and a human had infiltrated their home for so long undetected. This was nothing short of a humiliation for the divine race.
"This is bad!" Liu Wuxie's heart sank. The divinekin was too powerful, comparable to the high levels of the True Profound Realm. If he faced him head-on with his current strength, it would only lead to his death.
He could only accelerate his speed to try and flee from the valley. As long as he could leave the valley, he could survive.
But how could that divinekin allow Liu Wuxie to escape their home alive? Determined to stop him, the divinekin unleashed waves of crushing power toward him, splitting the mountains in his way.
Right in the critical moment, Murong Tianze showed up. He had been waiting outside to receive Liu Wuxie, and he countered the descending attack with a gigantic palm, forcefully opening a path for Liu Wuxie to escape.
The world trembled under the clash, and as the shockwave of divine energy swept through, Liu Wuxie summoned the Ancestral Tree to absorb it, minimizing the harm Murong Tianze suffered from the divine energy.
"It's the Ancestral Tree! You really do possess it!" The divinekin hovered in the air at the realization that Liu Wuxie's body housed the ultimate nemesis of their race.
The space around them collapsed into multiple swirling black holes. The weaker profound beasts in the surroundings were sent flying before their bodies exploded into fragments in mid-air, painting the sky red.
As the battle between the divine race and profound beasts reached the climax, they realized the divinekin's strength and the continued battle's futility. They swiftly retreated after retrieving the corpses of their fallen offspring. If they continued to fight, it would only lead to heavy casualties on both sides.
After picking up Liu Wuxie, Murong Tianze didn't hesitate to flee. As for Murong Yi and the others from the Murong Clan, they had already retreated to avoid suffering any unnecessary casualties.
They were thankful for the profound beasts that prevented the divine race from chasing after them. Murong Tianze didn't hesitate to rip through space and reappear above the Murong Clan's base.
"Uncle, are you alright?" Murong Yi rushed over at the sight of her uncle.
"Activate the second plan! Everyone evacuate immediately!" Murong Tianze gave the order. The divine race had already discovered their identities. It wouldn't take long before their army descended upon them, and he also couldn't put up any resistance against the divine race by himself, so retreat was their only option.
Murong Tianze had prepared for such scenarios in the past year and created an escape route for the clan. Now that they had exposed themselves to the divine race, it would be impossible for them to stay in the Western Barren any longer.
"I have already evacuated the other clansmen in advance," Murong Yi said. Upon her return, she had ordered the evacuation of the weak, old, and young.
"Retreat and destroy this place immediately!" Despite the reluctance, Murong Tianze still issued the order. This place would be destroyed as the Murong Clan would never return again.
They swiftly descended into an underground passage excavated by the Murong Clan, stretching far into the distance.
After they traveled about a kilometer, thunderous rumbles came from behind, with countless spiritual talismans detonated in unison. Murong Tianze had detonated it before the divinekin arrived, killing the weaker divinekin in the explosion.
Though the divinekin were capable of regenerating even their limbs, they were incapable of survival if they were blown to smithereens.
In just one day, the divine race suffered two devastating blows. First, hundreds of their people were lost to the horde of profound beasts, and then they were caught in the explosion of the spiritual talismans just as they closed in on the humans.
Looking at the carnage after the explosion, the divine race's experts could only roar in frustration. They hoped they could dig through the ground to find the humans. But when they saw the entrance, Liu Wuxie's group was already a thousand miles away.
The vastness of the Western Barren made it impossible for the divine race to search every corner. When the group emerged from the tunnel, they found themselves in a different region.
"This place isn't safe. The divine race won't let this go after suffering such heavy losses," Murong Tianze said. He led everyone across the steep mountains, snowy peaks, and swamps for five days and nights without rest before they finally escaped the divine race's search range.
They were still in the Western Barren but had already reached the outskirts. The Western Barren's scale was even larger than the Southern Province.
This place was closer to the Central Plains and connected to the Northern City, which gave them a strategic advantage. They occasionally encountered human cultivators training in this area.
"There's a manor we built over the past year up ahead," Murong Tianze said, pointing to an estate. Ever since returning from the Southern Province, he had ordered the construction of the Murong Clan's new home. Though the manor was incomplete, it wouldn't affect habitation.
Initially, Murong Tianze had planned to move the entire clan over in another year, but no one anticipated had Murong Yi's sudden return.
"Second Master, you're back!" The Murong Clan's disciples responsible for constructing the manor ran out to receive them.
"Seal the manor, and no one is allowed to enter!" Murong Tianze gave the order. No humans or demonic beasts were permitted within ten miles of the manor.
The defensive spiritual array was activated, and dozens of hidden sentinels were within the perimeter to alert them at the first sign of trouble.
When they entered the main hall, everyone else was dismissed aside from the clan's higher hierarchy.
Murong Yi was still emotional when she learned that her parents were rescued, though she had yet to see them. Her parents were captured when she was still an infant, and she didn't even know what her parents looked like. Yet, despite never growing up in their presence, the unbroken bond of blood still tied her to them.
Murong Tianze sank into his chair, gasping for breath. He had been fighting with tenth-grade profound beasts for the past few days, and he was exhausted. Yet, his eyes gleamed with determination as he swallowed several pills to regain strength.
Liu Wuxie stood at the center of the hall and summoned the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron. A black swirling vortex appeared above the hall as Murong Shanhe and the other captives of the Murong Clan emerged.
Only a select few from the Murong Clan’s higher hierarchy were present, ensuring the existence of the Sky Devouring Divine Cauldron remained a closely guarded secret.
"Big Brother!" Murong Tianze stood up from his chair and rushed forward at the sight of his elder brother. Despite the unkempt beard and frail figure, he recognized his brother at first glance.
"Second Brother!" The two brothers had lived for centuries but embraced each other tightly, tears streaming down their faces.
As more people emerged from the black hole, there were two hundred and forty people. Their injuries no longer posed an issue to them through the nourishment of liquified spiritual energy. They only needed some rest to recover their strength fully.
"Yi'er, come and meet your parents," Murong Tianze said.
Murong Yi stood by the side with tears streaming down her face. This was the first time she had seen her parents in her life.
Murong Shanhe and his wife also turned to look at Murong Yi.
"Father, Mother, forgive me for letting you suffer for so long!" Murong Yi said, choked with emotion as she fell to her knees.
Everyone in the main hall began to tear up at this sight.
"We've not suffered. Stand up, don't cry!" Murong Yi's mother came forward to support her daughter before examining her closely.
Everyone in the main hall began to greet each other. Even though they hadn't met in the last two decades, there was no estrangement between them.
Right then, Murong Shanhe walked over to Liu Wuxie.
"Young lad, you've saved the Murong Clan, and I, Murong Shanhe, will never forget this debt of gratitude," Murong Shanhe said and gave Liu Wuxie a deep bow.
But before he could bow, Liu Wuxie had already rushed to stop him. He replied, waving his hands, "Your words are too heavy, and I merely did what needed to be done."
After Murong Tianze transmitted a message about Liu Wuxie's relationship with Murong Yi to Murong Shanhe, the latter burst into hearty laughter. Though his strength was still recovering, he could see that Liu Wuxie's talent was the finest he had ever seen in his lifetime, and his daughter wouldn't suffer with such a prodigy.
Upon learning of their patriarch's return, the other members of the Murong Clan guarding outside began to burst into cheers, lifting their spirits that had been suppressed for the last two decades.
A banquet was held at night to welcome the patriarch's return. Liu Wuxie was seated beside Murong Shanhe, and Murong Tianze was absent as he had to recover from his injuries.
The feast brought joy to everyone who attended, and Liu Wuxie also rested in the manor.
"Wuxie, thank you!" Murong Yi said, leading Liu Wuxie to his courtyard.
"Do we need such formalities between us?" Liu Wuxie asked, his gaze fell onto Murong Yi's face, causing the latter to blush and look away shyly.
"It's late, and you should get some rest," Murong Yi said and fled. She feared losing control and crossing boundaries that shouldn't be crossed.