One night passed, and Ye Qingcheng lay sweetly in Yun Fan's embrace. Having been taught a lesson by Lin Tianxin and Jiang Xueyan, Ye Qingcheng had learned her ways.
She chose gentleness over violence.
Yet, even so, Yun Fan's combat prowess was formidable, and she was in a state of defeat throughout.
As soon as she woke up, however, she went to the restroom.
Because she was full.
Afterward, the two set off for Jiangnan.
...
After escaping from the Marquis of Champions, Yuwen Chengdu began to seek allies, as the gap between him and the Marquis of Champions was too great.
One person was no match for the Marquis of Champions.
With the Yuwen family's ambition for the throne shattered, he could no longer use the life force of all beings to help him break through.
Therefore, his situation was very dire.
At this moment, Yuwen Chengdu arrived at an ancient ruin in the frontier. As he recited a spell, the desert began to crack open.
An underground ancient city emerged from the desert.
As he walked through the ancient city, a voice echoed in his ear: "Why did you awaken me?"
"The era of darkness is upon us, do you not want a share of it?" Yuwen Chengdu said with a smile.
"I have long calculated that this era would not be so simple, so I do not wish to emerge at this time!" The other party said indifferently, "Youngster, you may leave! I do not wish to make a move!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Chengdu showed no intention of leaving and continued, "I fear that is not up to you!"
"Why?"
"Because your archenemy has already revived, and even if you do not emerge, he will come looking for you!"
"Archenemy?" The other party's eyes widened in surprise. His archenemy had died two thousand years ago. The three of them, peerless masters, had besieged the opponent, and in the end, at the cost of two lives, they had managed to kill that legendary figure of all ages. He himself had been on the verge of death and had been in a deep slumber, thus he did not emerge to take part in the subsequent era of darkness. Now, hearing Yuwen Chengdu say that his archenemy had revived, he simply did not believe it.
Yuwen Chengdu smiled and said, "The Marquis of Champions is not dead!"
"What?" Upon hearing this, the other party, who had been slumbering in the shadows, immediately awoke. He was a powerhouse whose physique was even taller than Yuwen Chengdu's. He exuded a savage aura all over. He was the Xiongnu King, one of the masterminds behind the dark turmoil of the Martial Emperor era. However, during that era, the masterminds of the turmoil did not fare well. Besides the peerless powerhouse, Emperor Wu, there were two generals who were unparalleled in their prowess: the Marquis of Champions and Wei Qing. During that era, the Xiongnu tribe was almost wiped out, so the three peerless masters of the Xiongnu, along with other dark instigators, jointly ambushed the Marquis of Champions. Yet, even with such a formidable lineup, the Marquis of Champions killed them until only he remained, barely clinging to life. After killing the Marquis of Champions, he went into a deep slumber, fearing retribution from Emperor Wu. He never expected that the Marquis of Champions was still alive today.
"Youngster, you are lying to me. I watched with my own eyes as the Marquis of Champions' body exploded, taking countless powerhouses with him in mutual destruction!" He simply did not believe it. In fact, even Yuwen Chengdu had not believed it before, but there was nothing that could be done; reality was just that cruel. If not for the Marquis of Champions, his family would likely have ascended to the throne by now. But now, his family was gone. Thus, he immediately revealed his wound. In an instant, the Xiongnu King's expression changed. That's right, the aura emanating from this scar was precisely the aura of the Marquis of Champions. He had not expected him to still be alive. The Xiongnu King's eyes were filled with fury, for he and the Marquis of Champions were mortal enemies. Since the Marquis of Champions was not dead, he was in danger. He then said, "The Marquis of Champions was the chosen one of that era. Even though the three of us were at the same level, half a step into the Mahayana realm, we were still defeated by him! Now that he has revived, the aging me is no match for him!"
Yuwen Chengdu said, "Senior, you worry too much. You are aging, but he has declined even more severely! Even after I escaped, he did not have the strength to pursue me!"
Upon hearing this, the Xiongnu King's eyes lit up with excitement. He was a realm higher than Yuwen Chengdu, and their strengths were vastly different. If what Yuwen Chengdu said was true, then the Marquis of Champions was indeed weakened, and he might be able to defeat him if he went all out.
"Are you sure what you said is true?" he asked Yuwen Chengdu.
Yuwen Chengdu said, "I am sure. He is too meddlesome. What business does this world have with him? It has been two thousand years, why is he still meddling?"
"Hmph!" The Xiongnu King snorted, "I dislike busybodies the most. Furthermore, he and I are archenemies. Join hands with me to kill him, and then let's conspire for the life force, how about it?"
Yuwen Chengdu nodded upon hearing this, "Agreed. Senior may not know, but the beings of this era far surpass those of our time. Even a conservative estimate would be more than tenfold! Therefore, reviving in this era is the most correct choice!"
"That's wonderful!" The Xiongnu King exclaimed with joy, "If I can obtain enough life force in this era, not only will I recover my peak strength, but I may even be able to advance further!"
"Then Senior's dream may come true. As long as we eliminate the troublesome enemy, the Marquis of Champions, this world will be ours to command!" Yuwen Chengdu flattered.
Upon hearing this, the Xiongnu King impatiently said, "Then let's go. Since the Marquis of Champions is no longer the Marquis of Champions of yesteryear, he is destined to die at my hands!"
"Good! Straightforward!"
...
Upon returning to Jiangnan, the Marquis of Champions summoned Yun Fan to a secret chamber.
"Senior!" Yun Fan respectfully bowed. If not for the Marquis of Champions' intervention last time, Yuwen Chengdu would have been a great trouble. He might have had the strength to fight if he broke through to the questioning realm, but unfortunately, the questioning realm was not so easy to break through, even for someone with extraordinary talent.
The Marquis of Champions said, "There will likely be a great battle ahead!"
"Senior, I am ready!" Yun Fan said resolutely. Although darkness was terrifying, his destiny was to break through the darkness and lead all beings towards light.
The Marquis of Champions said, "You will not need to act this time!"
"What?" This decision startled Yun Fan. If that was the case, there could only be one possibility: the opponent's strength far exceeded his own. That was why the Marquis of Champions had made this decision.
The Marquis of Champions said, "I do not have much time left, so I must train you! By then, even if I am not here in this era, you will still be here to protect the common people!" He conveyed his intentions to Yun Fan.
"Senior, is there truly no other way?" Yun Fan felt a sense of desolation in his heart. The peerless genius, the Marquis of Champions, who had spanned two thousand years, was to end with such a tragic and bleak conclusion.
The Marquis of Champions said, "To survive, one must devour the power of all beings. Do you think I would do that?" Yun Fan understood upon hearing this. He knew the Marquis of Champions would never do such a thing. Otherwise, why would he protect the world? He could have simply devoured the life force of all beings.
At this moment, the Marquis of Champions said, "I have lived too long and no longer wish to continue living, so I need a successor! That person is you!" This was also why he had sought out Yun Fan in the first place, because Yun Fan not only had the world in his heart but also the bearing of Emperor Wu. Therefore, Yun Fan was absolutely capable of bearing the title of successor and taking his place to protect this era. Of course, the Marquis of Champions' ambition did not stop there. If possible, he hoped that Yun Fan would quell the darkness. And that there would be no more darkness in the future.
At this, he said to Yun Fan, "I have understood your physique quite well. Although there were no physique powerhouses like you in my era, there was once a person who pushed this kind of physique to its absolute peak!"
"Who was that person?" Yun Fan asked curiously.
"The God of Slaughter, Bai Qi!" The Marquis of Champions said directly. Upon hearing this, Yun Fan's expression changed drastically. During several eras of darkness, the two powerhouses who had dominated the eras of darkness were Emperor Qin and Emperor Wu. And the God of Slaughter, Bai Qi, was the foremost fierce general under Emperor Qin, whose strength echoed throughout heaven and earth. He had not expected that the God of Slaughter, Bai Qi, was a demonic physique. Amidst Yun Fan's shock, he continued, "Your physique requires the devouring of others' power to strengthen yourself. It was the same for Bai Qi back then! But he eventually took a wrong step and was executed by Emperor Qin!"
"Which step did he take wrongly?" Yun Fan asked, confused.
The Marquis of Champions said, "He pushed the demonic power to its absolute peak, but he also pushed the demonic nature to its absolute peak. In the end, Emperor Qin had no choice but to deal with him! Otherwise, he would have become the peak of darkness!" Upon hearing this, Yun Fan's expression changed. In his judgment, the evil thought within his body was the demonic nature, and he could not suppress his demonic nature. As long as the evil thought provoked him a few times, he would fall into the trap.
The Marquis of Champions said, "Therefore, I plan to grant you a great fortune, using the next two enemies for you to devour!" Upon hearing this, Yun Fan's expression changed. Of course, inwardly, there was more confusion. He did not understand why the Marquis of Champions, knowing that the demonic nature of demonic powerhouses could not be controlled, still wanted him to walk this path. Was he not afraid that he too would fall into darkness? At this moment, the Marquis of Champions seemed to have seen through Yun Fan's thoughts and asked, "How about it? Are you afraid?"
"A little!" Yun Fan said awkwardly. It was impossible to say he wasn't afraid. He was afraid that one day, he too would be consumed by his demonic nature and become a numb God of Slaughter. This was not the outcome he desired.
The Marquis of Champions said, "Do you know why I made this decision?"
"I don't know!" Yun Fan replied somewhat perfunctorily, but that was indeed the truth. How could he know? The Marquis of Champions said, "Because I see that the righteousness in your heart far outweighs your demonic nature. Therefore, I hope that you will control your demonic nature, not that your demonic nature will control you. As long as you can precisely control your demonic nature, this demonic nature may not necessarily be entirely bad!" After all, demonic physiques were naturally powerful.
"Senior, although I have no confidence, I am willing to try. After all, that senior from a thousand years ago succeeded!" Yun Fan said. Unfortunately, the outcome for that demonic powerhouse a thousand years ago was not good. If this era could not do without him, then even if the outcome was not good, what did it matter? He was willing to bear it alone.
The Marquis of Champions said, "Let me withstand the revived enemies for you. After this, darkness will be temporarily halted!"
"Thank you, Senior!" Yun Fan bowed. Given time, he would eventually be able to quell the darkness, but unfortunately, time was too short. To have broken through to this realm at his age was already an extremely rare occurrence. If he were given ten more years, he would have enough time to achieve enlightenment.
...
As expected, a few days later, Yuwen Chengdu and the Xiongnu King attacked. Upon seeing the Marquis of Champions, even the Xiongnu King was shocked. As expected, the Marquis of Champions was not dead. The fear in his heart could not be concealed, as the Marquis of Champions was the nightmare of his life. However, upon seeing the Marquis of Champions' extremely weak vitality, he chuckled. After all, his peerless archenemy of two thousand years had finally come to an end. He had even been forcibly revived. At this moment, the Xiongnu King said dismissively, "Marquis of Champions, your survival has indeed exceeded my expectations. In this era, I will personally end your life!"
The Marquis of Champions said, "You are merely a defeated general clinging to life!"
"Even if I am clinging to life, at least I am alive!" He said contemptuously to the Marquis of Champions, "You are even weaker than I am. You cannot change anything in this era!"
"Is that so?" At this moment, the Marquis of Champions directly attacked the Xiongnu King.
Simultaneously, Yuwen Chengdu also made his move. Although his strength was not comparable to theirs, he could still provide assistance. At this moment, the battle between the two sides was raging, and in an instant, the three fought dozens of moves. At this moment, the Xiongnu King was panting heavily, for he had faced the full-force attack of the Marquis of Champions. It was a miracle that he had not yet fallen. Yuwen Chengdu, on the other hand, was much more relaxed, as the Marquis of Champions' attention was not focused on him. As these dozens of moves wore on, the Marquis of Champions' vitality grew even weaker. The Xiongnu King seemed to see victory within his grasp. The longer it dragged on, the more favorable the situation would be for him.
"Marquis of Champions, you could not defeat me even after dozens of moves. In this era, you are destined to be defeated by my hands!" If it were in that era, he would not have lasted a dozen moves under the Marquis of Champions, but times had changed. He had more confidence in defeating the Marquis of Champions.
"Senior, don't give him time to recover!" Yuwen Chengdu reminded him from the side.
"Alright! Let's attack together!" With that said, the Xiongnu King immediately launched his attack, and he was even using his full strength. Yuwen Chengdu also stopped being low-key and unleashed all of his strength. In an instant, the Marquis of Champions was about to face the combined assault of two peerless powerhouses. At this moment, Yun Fan was watching from below. The power emanating from the three was too terrifying; even he was far inferior. He really wanted to help the Marquis of Champions share the pressure, but the Marquis of Champions had instructed him not to interfere in this battle, no matter what.
As Yun Fan watched with concern, the Marquis of Champions repelled the two and said, "You wanted to see my peak strength? Then I shall fulfill your wish!" With that, a dazzling light emanated from him. Immediately, his vitality rapidly recovered, and a transcendent power enveloped him.
"Not good, Mahayana realm, Emperor realm!" The two were instantly terrified. A pressure that inspired fear enveloped them. At this moment, the Marquis of Champions ushered in his peak moment.