"Pilgrimage, devout and sincere, comes from the sacred land of Yao Guang, prostrating with every step, just to pay homage to this king. Why do you come here with murderous intent?"
Nangong Zheng said calmly, glancing at the black and gold cauldron with dragon patterns above the burly older man's head!
"Pilgrim? I've come to fight you to the death! My name is Qin Xu!"
The newcomer introduced himself, and the man frowned slightly, annoyed by the other's pretentious manner.
He stood with his hands behind his back. Although he was very old, he was vigorous and exuded a kingly aura, which was quite astonishing. He stared coldly at Nangong Zheng.
"Qin Xu, the leader of the Ruthless Clan?" Nangong Zheng smiled faintly.
"If you win, the Ruthless lineage will respect you!" Qin Xu narrowed his eyes.
"If you lose, your essence will belong to me!"
He spoke coldly, his expression indescribably cruel, his tall body like a black mountain, exuding an extremely oppressive aura.
"The king of Zhongzhou is dead. You are only a beginner in the path of slaying, no match for me. I can suppress you with one hand!" Nangong Zheng said with a faint smile.
"Such arrogance! We are both kings, and the outcome is still uncertain. Let's have a battle without using our ultimate weapons, shall we?" Qin Xu snorted coldly, clearly displeased with the other party's disdain.
Although he brought the Dragon Pattern Black Gold Cauldron, he didn't really want to use it, because he knew that he now controlled the Devouring Demon Jar. If the ultimate weapons clashed, it would cause quite a commotion and might alert the Holy Land. That's why he made this suggestion.
"Very well, I will grant your wish!" Nangong Zheng nodded.
"kill!"
Qin Xu charged forward, his eyes like icy swords, his killing intent surging as he attacked Nangong Zheng!
However, Nangong Zheng merely swung his palm, and with a boom, it was as if a divine hand from beyond the heavens were pressing down, like a divine whip being lashed out, exuding overwhelming power!
Bang!
Qin Xu was sent flying by the slap, his body covered in blood, his form almost rotten, his black hair stained red with blood and stuck together in clumps.
Cough cough!
Qin Xu coughed up blood, his chest heaving violently, his eyes wide open in disbelief!
With just one move, Qin Xu was defeated, and defeated cleanly and decisively!
Everyone was shocked. Qin Xu was a King of the Dao and the leader of the Ruthless lineage. They never expected that he would be severely injured in a single exchange!
"Such strength is astonishing!"
"Without a sage, who can rival us!"
"Truly a peerless figure among humans!"
The many men in gray were all amazed by Nangong Zheng's strength. Their resentment towards him lessened considerably, since the Ruthless Clan revered strength above all else. Now, with an even more powerful figure leading them, their future looked incredibly bright.
"Qin Xu greets the leader!"
Qin Xu, being quite sensible, sat up and performed a deep bow, essentially admitting defeat.
There are only two ways to deal with Nangong Zheng: one is to eliminate him, since he knows too much. If he were to spread the word, their lineage would surely face annihilation!
Unfortunately, they can't do it! Nor do they have the capability!
The second option is to recognize him as the leader, acknowledge his dominance over the Ruthless lineage, and allow him to lead them. This would allow the Ruthless lineage to continue, potentially grow stronger, and even reach its peak!
Immediately, Nangong Zheng placed a restriction on Qin Xu, controlling him and thus taking control of the Ruthless lineage!
Subsequently, Qin Xu passed on the legacy of the Ruthless Man lineage to Nangong Zheng.
It includes unparalleled martial arts techniques such as the Devouring Heaven Demon Art and the Undying Heaven Art.
"As expected of the legacy of a ruthless person, it truly is an astonishing treasure!" Nangong Zheng exclaimed inwardly.
"The ruthless one rises, Prince Nangong!" someone shouted.
Everyone was cheering, and the atmosphere was enthusiastic. In the middle of the scene, only a young man in blue remained silent, seemingly preoccupied, and out of place with his surroundings.
"Young man, what's your name?!"
Nangong Zheng suddenly felt a slight stirring in his heart and looked at a young man in blue. This man was ethereal and otherworldly, possessing the wisdom and spirit of heaven and earth, and was quite extraordinary. He was completely out of place among the group of people in gray.
"Replying to Senior Nangong, my name is Hua Yunfei!" the young man in blue replied respectfully, cupping his hands in greeting.
Hua Yunfei!
Nangong Zheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he suddenly realized that this person was Hua Yunfei.
It turns out to be Hua Yunfei. Speaking of which, Hua Yunfei in the original novel was also a tragic character. He was extremely talented, but because the ruthless lineage manipulated him, he embarked on a path of being an enemy of Ye Fan and others, and ultimately perished in his struggle against fate.
"Senior, this boy is the successor of the contemporary Devouring Heaven Demon Art!" Xiang Feng said.
"The other true successor is the Holy Son of Yao Guang. He cultivates the Undying Heavenly Art and is expected to reach the peak in the future and challenge for the Emperor's throne!
Upon hearing the introduction, Hua Yunfei's expression remained unchanged, but a hint of sadness and disappointment flashed in his eyes.
In each generation, the Ruthless lineage selects two exceptionally gifted children as their successors. One of these successors cultivates both the Devouring Heaven Demon Art and the Undying Heaven Art, remaining dormant and waiting for the opportune moment.
The other false successor only cultivates the "Devouring Heaven Demon Art," deliberately exposing himself to the World to protect the true successor. Once the false successor's identity is exposed, he will become the target of everyone's attacks, either being killed by other cultivators or being harvested by the true successor.
"This successor isn't up to par!" Nangong Zheng shook his head, glanced at Hua Yunfei, and expressed his disapproval.
He also wanted to use the Devouring Heaven Demon Art to cultivate something, not to fulfill the Holy Son of Yao Guang, but to fulfill his little tree!
"This person has exceptional talent and excellent comprehension; few in the entire Eastern Wilderness can compare to him!" Qin Xu said, somewhat puzzled.
Hua Yunfei was someone they carefully selected from the Eastern Wilderness back then.
"You are all too ignorant. Take a look at this person before you speak!"
Nangong Zheng's mind stirred slightly, and he summoned the Human Emperor Banner, releasing a stone king.
The egg inside the stone king is snow-white and crystal clear, revealing its true form through the stone.
"Is this... a fairy egg?!" Qin Xu was incredibly excited. He wanted to touch it but then pulled back, his fingers trembling.
Inside was an egg, mysterious and unpredictable, which emerged through the wall and imprinted its shape in the void, flowing with auspicious light.
"Divine flames surge like a tide, and radiance shines like fire; this must be the divine egg of the immortal phoenix!"
The gray-clad members of the Ruthless Clan were extremely excited. What kind of divine object was this?
"A heaven-defying source! If we devour it, the creation will be boundless!" Xiang Feng exclaimed excitedly. He had lived for over three thousand years, and this was the first time he had ever seen such a divine object. The source contained within it completely surpassed that of those divine bodies, Dao embryos, and heavenly demon bodies.
"Leader, what's the origin of this egg?" someone asked.
"This is the child of the Immortal Emperor!" Nangong Zheng said calmly.
"What!"
"The Undying Emperor, son of an ancient god!"
This single stone stirred up a thousand waves, and everyone was shocked. The Undying Emperor, the child of the supreme god of the ancient races, this was too amazing!
"What do you think would happen if he cultivated the Devouring Heaven Demon Art? As a pawn!" Nangong Zheng smiled slightly.
"If the Emperor's son cultivates the Devouring Heaven Demon Art, it would be somewhat unworthy for the Holy Son of Yao Guang, as his true successor, to devour him!" Qin Xu hesitated for a moment before saying this.