"By the way, Xuanyuan, how much did you gain from this trip to the Thousand Mysteries Secret Realm?" Ye Xuankong asked, looking curiously at Ning Xuanyuan beside him. "You caused such a huge commotion. Surely you didn't come back empty-handed?"
"Take a look for yourself." Ning Xuanyuan instinctively wanted to plant his hands on his hips. An inheritance no one could find for so many years has now fallen into my hands. I'm so pleased with myself.
"Oh?" Ye Xuankong's eyes flashed. He had actually entered the Thousand Mysteries Secret Realm many years ago, but had come away with nothing. The matter had remained a small obsession in his heart. "You obtained the inheritance?"
"Mm." Ning Xuanyuan nodded. Qin Lang and the others standing around him also looked over, visibly moved by his answer.
"There were two inheritances in the Thousand Mysteries Secret Realm, from the Evil Emperor Xuantian and Empress Qianxun respectively." Ning Xuanyuan hid nothing from Ye Xuankong. Ye Xuankong's wholehearted protection earlier had also earned him Ning Xuanyuan's recognition as an elder brother.
As for Qin Lang and the others, they were all his personal guards, so he naturally had no need to be guarded around them.
"The Evil Emperor Xuantian? Empress Qianxun?" Ye Xuankong's gaze sharpened. He clearly knew more than Ning Xuanyuan about certain events from ages past.
Both of them had been supreme experts in ancient times. Rumor even had it that the Evil Emperor Xuantian had touched the threshold of that level, just one step away from breaking through the void.
"You got your hands on both inheritances?" Ye Xuankong asked hurriedly. Even with his temperament, he could not help feeling a surge of excitement.
"No, I only obtained the Evil Emperor Inheritance. As for the empress's inheritance, that girl from the Moon Spirit Palace took it." Ning Xuanyuan shook his head and recounted what had happened in the secret realm.
"To think Empress Qianxun didn't die back then, and that she had such a connection to the Moon Spirit Palace's divine maiden." Ye Xuankong looked astonished as he slowly digested the shocking news.
"But it's still remarkable that you obtained the Evil Emperor Inheritance. According to ancient legends, the Evil Emperor Xuantian created his Sword-and-Saber Divine Art from the insights he gained throughout his life. He once used it to wipe out an entire lineage. He roamed the eight regions, rarely finding a worthy opponent."
Ning Xuanyuan nodded. "Three sword techniques, three saber techniques, and three combined sword-and-saber techniques. Their power is truly extraordinary."
Evil Emperor Sword Technique: One Sword Concealed in the Void, Hundred Swords Without End, Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin.
Evil Emperor Saber Technique: One Saber Cuts Through the Void, Ten Sabers Break the Extreme, Thousand Sabers Without End.
Sword-and-Saber Divine Art: Sever Wind and Clouds, Destroy the Mortal World, Shatter Heaven and Earth.
In the secret realm, Ning Xuanyuan had defeated Li Tianxing with one sword strike and killed Ao Mo and Teng Yi with one saber strike the first time he used them.
Li Tianxing had survived only because Ning Xuanyuan had held back. Otherwise, his bones too would have been buried in the desolate mountains.
And those had only been the sword and saber techniques used separately. How terrifying would their power be when sword and saber were combined? Ning Xuanyuan himself was quite curious.
"Back then, the Evil Emperor Xuantian roamed the eight regions, defeating countless mighty figures under heaven with a saber and a sword. No one knows how many people wanted to become his disciples and cultivate under him, but the Evil Emperor was aloof and unrestrained, with his eyes set above his head. Even the prodigies of ancient clans and heirs of great lineages could not catch his eye."
"The Evil Emperor often lamented that he had been born at the wrong time, in an eternal night, seeking but a single defeat and unable to find it. Despite possessing a Sword-and-Saber Divine Art, he had no one to pass it on to. Only after his earthshaking battle with Empress Qianxun did he disappear without a trace."
"Xuanyuan, now that the Evil Emperor Inheritance has fallen into your hands, go into seclusion as soon as you return and devote yourself to studying it. When you enter the Myriad Heavens Battlefield someday, it will give you an extra measure of protection," Ye Xuankong said solemnly.
"Go into seclusion to cultivate?" Ning Xuanyuan blinked, his expression a little odd. "There's no need. I've already learned his entire inheritance."
"Mm, you're right. The Evil Emperor Inheritance is vast and profound, the culmination of his life's work. You really can't grasp all of it in a short time... Wait!"
Ye Xuankong spoke casually, but halfway through, he suddenly realized what Ning Xuanyuan had said. He whipped his head around. "What did you say? You've learned the entire Evil Emperor Inheritance?"
"Yes." Ning Xuanyuan nodded. "Three sword techniques, three saber techniques, and three combined sword-and-saber techniques. That's only nine in total. I've already learned them all, so there's no need to go into seclusion."
Ye Xuankong: "..."
"Are you serious?" Ye Xuankong suddenly felt his heart race and his breath grow short.
"Of course I am." Ning Xuanyuan scratched his head, sorely tempted to say, Look at you, acting like you've never seen the world. "How about you help me test them out when we get back, big brother?"
A brilliant light suddenly flared in Ye Xuankong's eyes. He stared at Ning Xuanyuan, then his lips curved into a smile. "Are you sure you want me to help you test them?"
Seeing Ye Xuankong's gaze suddenly grow heated, Ning Xuanyuan felt a chill on his back. "Well, I'm not entirely sure. Let me think about it some more," he said weakly.
The smile on Ye Xuankong's lips slowly widened. He raised a hand and patted Ning Xuanyuan on the shoulder. "No need to think about it. I agree."
Ning Xuanyuan: "???"
Did I just ask for a beating?
Blood Prison City, outside the imperial palace's Ancestral Land.
The Asura Emperor stood proudly, with Qin Lang and the other four standing respectfully behind him, their hands clasped behind their backs as they looked ahead.
In the open space outside the Ancestral Land, two figures stood facing each other a hundred zhang apart.
Ning Xuanyuan's face was bitter. He had not expected the seemingly refined and courteous Ye Xuankong to be a genuine battle maniac at heart. They had only just returned to Blood Prison City, and before Ning Xuanyuan had time to rest, Ye Xuankong had brought him straight here.
Not only that, he had even invited the Asura Emperor over.
Now things had truly gotten out of hand.
In a sense, this battle could be considered the first clash between the old and new generations of Blood Scions. Though Ye Xuankong did not have the title of Blood Scion, he held that status in all but name. In fact, if not for Ning Xuanyuan, Ye Xuankong would have been the obvious choice for Blood Scion. Otherwise, the Asura Emperor would not have sent him to the Myriad Heavens Battlefield so early.
First, to temper him; second, to earn military merit.
If his virtue did not match his position and his name did not match his deeds, how could he win everyone's respect and ascend the throne as Human Emperor?
As for Qin Lang and the others, they had not the slightest thought of laying claim to the position of Blood Scion.
"Xuanyuan, are you ready?" His long hair dancing, Ye Xuankong looked like an elegant young noble, as fair as jade upon the road. Yet a disquieting glimmer flickered in his long, narrow eyes. His gaze was identical to the Asura Emperor's.
"How about we eat something first?" Ning Xuanyuan clung stubbornly to the end, making one last effort.
Ye Xuankong shook his head, smiling without a word.
"Xuankong," the Asura Emperor suddenly said. "In this battle, apart from suppressing your cultivation realm, you are not allowed to hold back. If you lose, you'll be responsible for the Night Watch Army's pay for the next year."
"As for you, if you lose, you'll stay on the Myriad Heavens Battlefield for a year. You're not allowed to come back." The Asura Emperor turned to Ning Xuanyuan and added.
He truly loved watching a spectacle and didn't care how big it got!
Ning Xuanyuan glared at the Asura Emperor and forced out a few words through gritted teeth. "Old man, you're ruth-less!"