Chapter 275

Nasus left his cliff tower after a long absence.

When his feet touched the yellow sand again, he first felt a sense of unreality, followed by endless pain—pain from the depths of his heart, pain from his memories.

He had sensed something was wrong earlier... the aura of Void...

He had originally intended to go and investigate, lest those damned monsters destroy Shurima once again... but now, he changed his mind.

Because after that, he felt two more "earthquakes".

The first time, his astrological mirror shattered; the second time, he began to truly feel that immense and evil power.

That scorching power... he was all too familiar with it.

Thousands of years ago, it was he who buried that power with his own hands.

Along with... along with his dearest brother...

Now, that power has burst forth from the earth, and the sarcophagus that sealed the evil wizard has shattered... He must go and stop it all. The restoration of Shurima is imminent.

Shurima... cannot fall twice at that guy's hands...!

"An ancient town..."

Nasus followed the crowd through the city toward the central temple, trying to ignore the stares of passersby. His stature was so striking that idle passersby must have already spread the word of his arrival throughout the city.

Yes, before he could stop Xerath, he had something even more important to do—he had to protect the bloodline of Shurima.

That damned betrayal will absolutely wipe out the Shurima bloodline... He will find a way to locate the royal descendants, sever that bloodline completely, and then rule the country.

In the central square of Vekaura, he could hear from afar people calling out the names of royal descendants. The crowd lined up in a dense crowd, bowing and worshipping, as if they had found hope for Shurima's resurgence.

The past millennium has eroded this city, leaving only its stone skeleton, and much of its former glory has faded into ruins.

These ruins were built over the past few centuries by people who still cherish their homeland and stubbornly believe that the future of their homeland lies in the revival of the past.

As Nasus followed the growing crowd, all he saw were appalling imitations of that forgotten history.

He was very disappointed, but still clung to his last glimmer of hope as he walked toward the temple in the center of Vekaura.

His tall and strong physique proved useful at this moment—the crowded people spontaneously made way for him after seeing his massive, towering muscles, clearing a smooth path for them.

Just as he was about to step forward to search for the descendants of the sun, a hand suddenly grabbed him.

He was getting impatient and initially wanted to ignore the pointless tugging in the crowd, but when he forcefully pulled his arm back, he realized something was wrong—

Grasp his power—it's something no ordinary person could possess.

It was like... a giant beast in the desert had bitten his arm.

"Who..."

Nasus turned around unhappily, only to see a... mortal.

An ordinary mortal.

A man, around twenty years old, wearing a cloak to protect himself from the scorching sun.

"I recognize you, Nasus," the young man said. "I know what you're trying to do, but please don't waste any more time."

"I don't understand what you're talking about..." Nasus wanted to leave immediately, but the moment the other person uttered his name, it attracted the attention of countless people—his name, even after a thousand years, still resonated.

No Shurima is unaware of Nasus, the former Shurima, now the Lost Son.

His enormous, inhuman body is the best evidence of that.

The crowd began to stir, surrounding Nasus —they cheered again, attributing Nasus's appearance to the call of the "Son of the Sun."

The man preaching before the high platform of the temple...

He was a tall, thin man, wearing a long robe covered with iridescent feathers, his wide sleeves like wings, and his turban resembling an ebony beak. The face beneath the turban looked noble and imposing, devoid of pity, and unapproachable.

Exactly the same as Azir.

"He's a fake," the young man said bluntly, pointing at the priest. "Nasus, don't waste your time on this kind of person—now you should come with me to stop Xerath."

"Don't stop me..." Nasus's tone was threatening, but he didn't make a move—he would give any mortal a chance.

He looked at the priest again. This time, the latter also noticed him.

"Are you Nasus?" the priest asked. His voice was deep and resonant, with a royal tone, but Nasus sensed his fear. Claiming to have seen a god descend was one thing; actually witnessing it was quite another.

Nasus was even more disappointed, but the last glimmer of hope in his heart had not yet been extinguished—he had his own way of verifying Azir's bloodline.

That means directly taking a single drop of the opponent's blood.

If he is truly a descendant of Azir, he can sense the divine aura of Shurima in his blood.

The priest straightened his back, puffed out his chest, and looked like a male bird in mating season. "I am Azrahir Seramu, descendant of the Eagle King, the first voice of Vekaura, the One of Light, the Lightwalker, the Protector of Fire, the Messenger of Dawn—"

"A descendant of the Eagle King?" Nasus interrupted him. "You say you are of Emperor Azir's blood?"

Nasus slowly approached under the other person's tense gaze.

He wanted to verify it—it might take a while, but it would be worth it.

However... some people already know the ending and don't want to waste their time.

The young man, who possessed extraordinary strength, drew his long sword from his waist amidst the terrified screams of the crowd.

Then throw it forcefully.

Call out--!

The golden longsword flew out at an incredible speed, before even Nasus could react.

Immediately afterwards, a wail rang out. "Ah--! My hand... my hand...!!"

The golden longsword pierced straight through the priest's palm and pinned it to the scorching, poorly made replica of the Sun Disc.

Seeing this, Nasus's anger reached its peak.

But before he could confront the young man, the priest's gushing blood splattered on his face.

The smell of blood wafted into the jackal's nose.

In an instant, he reached a conclusion—

"Your blood is not of the Ascended lineage... You are not a descendant of Emperor Azir."

Nasus felt incredibly disappointed, and when he looked at the young man again, his eyes held less anger and more confusion.

"Who are you..."

"My Chen Ce," the young man briefly stated.

Then he turned his head to look in the other direction.

Not far away, a fierce magical power was sweeping across the sky.

Beneath the dark clouds, destructive power is being unleashed...

"Come with me directly to Xerath. If we cooperate, we can take care of him before he finds the Sage of the Sun... but I have one condition."

"Hmm?" Nasus found the other's words utterly foolish—he knew how terrifying Xerath's power was, and that he and a mere mortal could never possibly defeat Xerath. But he was still somewhat curious about what the other was trying to say.

Chen Ce's next words made him laugh out loud:

"My condition is... after it's done, you have to give me Xerath to eat."

Chapter 119 Xerath's Sashimi: Clean and Hygienic

After verifying the false claim of being a "descendant of the Eagle King," Nasus left Vekaura.

According to the original plan, he should continue searching for the true descendant of the Eagle King and ensure his safety—he must protect the royal bloodline before Shurima rises again.

If Xerath finds him first... that cunning and ruthless wizard will leave no survivors. He's determined to destroy all of Shurima! To eradicate him completely!

The desert sun blazed down as Nasus walked with his head half-lowered.

But what he saw was not only his own shadow, but also... a shadow much smaller than his own.

The young man named Chen Ce.

"Stop following me... You'll only be throwing your life away..."

Nasus's voice was low and hoarse, as if it had long since rusted within the tower on the cliff.

"The power of the gods... is far beyond what a mortal like you can withstand..."

"I'm not really following you," Chen Ce said with a smile, gazing into the distance—where an extremely powerful magical force emanated from another city. "I'm just going to find Xerath."

Didn't you hear the rest of my sentence...?

"But I feel like I can go toe-to-toe with Xerath."

"Don't think that just because you helped me once, I'll save you... In the face of the entire Shuriman Empire, anyone can be sacrificed..."

"I don't need you to save me, I just need you to help me shove Xerath's head into the ground." Chen Ce tightened his hat, his tone calm yet serious.

"Since we happen to be traveling the same way, why don't we take out Xerath first and then go find the Shurima?"

Upon hearing this, Nasus remained silent for a moment.

Then, a hint of helpless laughter crept into his voice. "You simply don't understand how terrifying Xerath is... His power has transcended the limitations of the mortal realm..."

"I understand," Chen Ce shrugged.

In terms of understanding Xerath, Azir is undoubtedly number one, and he is definitely number two.

He even knew more about some of the more obscure details than Xerath's "good brother" Azir.

He knew Xerath's origins, past, rise to fame, and final betrayal, and naturally understood his strength as well—that despicable, ambitious desert wizard was indeed terrifyingly powerful.

Even when he was still a mortal, Xerath possessed the ability to easily wipe out an entire royal guard. He was skilled in countless tricks, and his magical prowess alone was terrifying, not much less than that of the old woman LeBlanc.

And now, he has gained the power of Ascended.

Although the Ascended power he received didn't belong to him—he forcibly took Azir's Ascension Ritual —the power he gained wasn't too far off. While not quite at Aatrox's level, it was at least average among all Ascended.

With unparalleled magical skill and powerful Ascended abilities, he is now undoubtedly a "T1" level character in Runeterra.

In terms of damage output, he's like a weakened version of Syndra plus a weakened version of LeBlanc; in terms of physical strength, he surpasses Nasus and Renekton in Ascended power. Taken together, his head-on combat ability can even overwhelm most Aspects.

Clearly, Nasus was aware of this as well.

That's why he lacks confidence—he doesn't intend to kill Xerath with his own power; his only goal now is to preserve the Shurima.

For this goal alone, he was prepared to risk his life.

So... to be honest, Chen Ce wasn't very confident that he could solo kill Xerath without using the Darkin Scythe.

Therefore, he needs Nasus's help.

He might not get the upper hand on his own, but with "King of the Warriors of Shurima" on his side, there's definitely no problem.

"It's precisely because I know Xerath's strength that I invited you to help me deal with him... Here's what we'll do: I promise you, whether we can defeat Xerath today or not, I will take you to find the true descendant of the Eagle King."

As soon as he finished speaking, Nasus stopped in his tracks.

He slowly turned around and looked down at the other person—his tall stature and inhuman appearance were indeed very intimidating.

Do you know where the Eagle King's descendants are?

"I suppose so," Chen Ce smiled. "I've already sent my companions to meet you."

The moment Chen Ce realized that Cassiopeia's "scheme had succeeded," he was already prepared—based on his understanding of the original timeline.

The descendant of the Eagle King refers, of course, to Sivir —the fallen mercenary and the last bloodline of the Shurima royal family.

If all goes well, after being ambushed and killed by Cassiopeia, she will encounter the resurrected Azir, who will bring her "corpse" to the Dawn Oasis to be resurrected.

Therefore, if Kai'Sa immediately goes to the ruins of Dawn Oasis, she will basically be able to find Sivir, who has been resurrected but is still very weak.

"You know the Eagle King's descendant...you know who he is..." Nasus narrowed his jackal eyes, a dangerous aura emanating from those long, narrow slits.

He knew nothing about the young man before him, yet the man repeatedly revealed many secrets... not only did he know what he wanted to do, but he also knew where the person he was looking for was...

How could the secrets of Shurima have fallen into the hands of an outsider...?

This young man is not of the desert bloodline...

"Who exactly told you all this...? Who are you really...?"

"Well..." Chen Ce scratched his head, and without hesitation, he pulled out the excuse he had prepared in advance—without hesitation, "betraying" an old friend: