Asura's Gate, Ren Wokuang's Inheritance
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"Welcome, visitors," a resounding voice echoed through the air.
The five individuals found themselves standing upon the surface of a crystal-clear sea, resembling a perfect mirror that reflected the expanse of the sky above.
"So, this is indeed an inheritance ground," Jiang Qiao murmured, her voice filled with awe and realization.
"Zhi..." The violet monkey's eyes widened in wonder, completely mesmerized by the breathtaking surroundings that surpassed its wildest imagination.
Huang Xiaolong and Huang Wei exchanged excited glances, thrilled by the knowledge that they had stumbled upon an extraordinary inheritance ground. On the other hand, Yu Tao remained deep in contemplation, his thoughts drifting.
Yu Tao was no stranger to the concept of inheritance grounds. He had, in fact, explored the ancestral grounds of both his mother's and father's clans. However, the purpose of this particular inheritance ground intrigued him. What was its true intention?
Was it meant to empower and fortify one's lineage?
To discover a befitting disciple to inherit the legacy of an ascended or deceased ancestor?
Or perhaps, it served as a means to designate the rulership of a prominent organization?
"I sense your curiosity about my identity, and thus, I shall reveal myself," the man announced.
In an instant, the sky transformed into a vivid shade of crimson, casting an eerie glow upon the sea.
Yu Tao and his companions were taken aback, unable to move a muscle as an overwhelming aura enveloped them, immobilizing them with fear.
"I am Ren Wokuang, the former divine sovereign of the Asura's Gate!"
"Ren Wokuang‽" Jiang Qiao gasped, her voice trembling with shock and disbelief.
Boom!
A bolt of ominous black lightning crashed down onto the sea, illuminating the surroundings in a blinding flash. As the light subsided, an imposing figure emerged, adorned in attire that unmistakably represented the formidable Asura's Gate.
"Who is Ren Wokuang?" Huang Xiaolong inquired without taking his eyes off the man.
"Ren Wokuang is one of the Martial Spirit World's strongest experts. He is the founder and divine sovereign of Asura's Gate, the second strongest superpower in the Star Cloud Continent. Of this generation's 10 Millennia Ranking List, he's ranked at the 7th place, with the cultivation of Peak Mid-10th Order God Realm. To compare, the Broken Blade Sovereign is tied at the 15th place with a couple other people; his cultivation being at Peak Mid-9th Order God Realm," Jiang Qiao explained.
The others were taken aback by this information.
"Well said." Ren Wokuang smirked.
"However," Jiang Qiao's voice weakened, "what do you mean by 'former divine sovereign'? None of your disciples and subordinates have ascended to your position."
Chuckling, Ren Wokuang said, "Only my legacy disciple is eligible to know the reason for that."
"How will it be chosen?" Jiang Qiao inquired. Though she doubted she would be chosen, she was interested in knowing Ren Wokuang's secrets.
"Oh, that's easy. Thanks to your consumption of the yin-yang life destruction fruit, which I'm rather envious of, and your undertaking of the life destruction trials, I've managed to learn a bit about you. Knowledge which I used as the basis to choose my legacy disciple," Ren Wokuang explained.
The five, although nervous, were interested to know of his analysis.
"Let's start with the violet monkey, or Sun Yong as he was named. You are the least qualified," Ren Wokuang stated.
"Zhi!" Sun Yong tried to argue further but Jiang Qiao clamped his mouth shut.
"You have great aptitude, potential, and will. I believe that you'll be able to reach Peak Late-10th Order God Realm in around 5,000 years. However, you are childish and have no leadership qualities. Therefore, you are unqualified to be the Asura's Gate's sovereign," Ren Wokuang said.
Dumfounded, Sun Yong sounded, "Zhi…"
"Second, is Huang Wei. Based on aptitude and potential alone, reaching Peak Late-10th Order God Realm before the restart of the 10 Millenia Ranking List is plausible. However, as of now, you have a weak resolve. That's not what I'm searching for." Ren Wokuang paused for a moment before continuing, "Moreover, as an owner of the Piercing Twilight Eyes, you're bound to meet that man. Whether you take his offer or not is up to you. You weren't a good candidate to be Asura's Gate's next sovereign to begin with."
Huang Wei didn't respond. He was confused at the second half of Ren Wokuang's statement.
"Yu Tao. You are the most and least qualified of the group." Ren Wokuang sighed as his smile wavered a bit. "You regained your status as a connate cultivator near the end of your life destruction tribulation, yet you exchanged it with a power I do not know of. Your aptitude and potential is greater than the Absolute Oblivion Sovereign and Cursed Golden Dragon Emperor combined. However, you are carefree and lack interest in rulership, which is a shame considering you have the qualities of a natural-born leader."
Ren Wokuang's words left the others astonished. In his assessment, Yu Tao is the epitome of a perfect cultivator!
Meanwhile, Yu Tao was taken aback by how Ren Wokuang had discovered the exchange he made. Even High Gods were said to be unable to detect such disturbances!
"Let us proceed," Ren Wokuang continued, turning to Jiang Qiao. He offered her an apologetic smile. "Jiang Qiao, you are the second most qualified of becoming my successor. In terms of aptitude and potential, I am not your equal. Unfortunately, you were outshined by Huang Xiaolong."
Jiang Qiao's face brightened with a smile. Regardless of whether she secured the right to be Ren Wokuang's successor, hearing his praise brought her great joy.
With a triumphant expression, Ren Wokuang turned his attention to Huang Xiaolong, wearing a wide grin. He said, "You, Huang Xiaolong of the Luo Tong Kingdom, stand as the sole equal to Yu Tao. However, unlike him, your ambitions lie in establishing a hegemony that will reign over the Martial Spirit World. It is for this reason that I proclaim you, Huang Xiaolong, as the next sovereign of my Asura's Gate!"
As Ren Wokuang made his declaration, the skies responded with rumbling thunder and crackling lightning, as if acknowledging the momentous occasion.
Suddenly, three artifacts materialized before them: a manual, a ring, and a pair of sabers. These items emanated a blend of awe-inspiring and majestic radiance.
Turning his gaze towards Huang Xiaolong, Ren Wokuang proceeded to explain the significance of each item. "These artifacts are vital components of my inheritance. The ring is the Asura Ring, a high-grade divine rank spatial ring that holds invaluable treasures and serves as a symbol of your authority as the sovereign of Asura's Gate. Any disciple or elder, regardless of their status, must bow and obey the possessor of this ring. Failure to do so would be seen as treason against the sect. The manual contains a profound cultivation technique and two martial skills that originated from the Nether World or Hell of the Myriad Realms, representing cultivation legacies of great power. Lastly, the sabers are replicas of my Blades of Asura, a pair of top-grade heaven rank weapons. The stronger you grow, the stronger it becomes."
The five individuals stood in awe, realizing the immense value of the three artifacts presented before them.
"Before we proceed, for the sake of your safety, I must ask: do you wish for me to eliminate your companions and keep this grand occasion a secret, or shall they bear witness to this moment, risking potential danger in the future?" Ren Wokuang's eyes gleamed with a cold glint as he extended his hand, forming a fist. Blood-red runes surrounded Yu Tao and the others, ready to strike them down at a moment's notice.
Helplessly, they turned their gaze towards Huang Xiaolong, awaiting his decision.
Huang Xiaolong shook his head and replied, "There is no need for me to sacrifice their lives merely to conceal this secret."
Ren Wokuang raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Huang Xiaolong's response. "And how can you be so certain?"
"There are several reasons," Huang Xiaolong confidently stated. "Jiang Qiao and Huang Wei are both dedicated to the clan's development, so exposing your successor would serve them no purpose. As for Yu Tao, he couldn't care less about such matters. Furthermore, his word holds great weight, which most people would find hard to bear. While Sun Tao may be unpredictable, who would believe whatever he says? After all, many opportunistic individuals must have had exploited your name for personal gain. Additionally, just like the others, what would Sun Tao gain from betraying us? You claimed that my innate aptitude surpasses the greatest experts in the Martial Spirit World, which means it may only take a couple centuries to reach your level. For individuals like us, a couple centuries is insignificant. By then, anyone allied with me would prosper."
Huang Xiaolong's response surprised Ren Wokuang. If the cultivators who discovered his inheritance land had won the right to be his successor, they would have silenced or erased their companions' memories of the situation. Yet this young cultivator, still at the Houtian Realm and inexperienced in the wider world, placed such trust in his words and his companions.
Whether it was confidence or naivety remained to be seen in the future.
"Fair enough." Ren Wokuang grunted. "I will place a protection spell on them. It will last for at most a hundred years, so you had better be as strong as I was by then."
"That will be sufficient. Thank you," Huang Xiaolong expressed his gratitude.
The blood-red runes encircling the others lost their menacing aura, gradually shrinking and integrating with them, now exuding a sense of protection.
"Let us proceed with the ceremony," Ren Wokuang declared.
The ceremony was simple yet profound. In the first half, Huang Xiaolong gained the recognition of the three inheritances, while the second half involved his recitation of the Asura's Gate's principles and a pact with Ren Wokuang.
Soon after the ceremony concluded, Ren Wokuang's remnant gradually dissipated, having fulfilled its purpose.
"Will I ever meet the real you?" Huang Xiaolong asked, a hint of longing in his voice.
"Of course, I haven't died yet. Until then, take care of my sect," Ren Wokuang paused before adding, "and restore the former glory of the Martial Spirit World. Farewell, Huang Xiaolong."
"Likewise, Old Sovereign," Huang Xiaolong replied, though he wasn't certain if Ren Wokuang had heard his words.
As Ren Wokuang's remnant will finally dissipated from the Mortal Plane, the independent space trembled, and runes began to gather above Huang Xiaolong.
After a moment, the symbol of the Asura's Gate descended and imprinted itself onto Huang Xiaolong's forehead.
"Congratulations, kid. You now possess the independent space of an expert at the peak stage of the God Realm. While this space may not be as impressive as the others, including the one Ren Wokuang created within the Asura's Gate, it still holds its uses," Jiang Qiao remarked.
"Indeed, but I think we should step out first to see if anything has occurred," Yu Tao suggested.
Everyone agreed, especially Sun Yong, who had spent over a week inside the independent space.
"Hopefully, we will reappear where we were before," Huang Xiaolong commented as he guided everyone out of the independent space.
Yu Tao found himself standing in the room he had assigned to himself. As he glanced outside, a disturbance caught his attention. He peered through the window and saw an ominous light emanating from the northern skies. A sizable gathering of clan members had already formed in that direction.
Without hesitation, Yu Tao leaped out of the window and made his way toward the source of the strange phenomenon. As expected, Jiang Qiao was already present, and both Huang Xiaolong and Huang Wei were approaching.
"What is happening?" Yu Tao inquired of one of the elders who was present.
"Young Master Yu, one of the grand ancestors from the Heaven's Might Empire has entered our Broken Blade Empire and engaged in a heated confrontation with our sovereign after a disagreement. They have been locked in battle for an hour now," the elder explained.
"An hour? Are you certain?" Yu Tao furrowed his brow. "Considering the presence of numerous 9th and 10th Order God Realm experts in the imperial capital, that grand ancestor should have perished by now."
"Indeed. However, according to the reports we received from the empire's Disaster Resilience Department, the sovereign is humiliating that grand ancestor to the death."
"Now that makes sense." Yu Tao had long been a staunch supporter of the empire's sovereign, recognizing his ability to govern with the qualities befitting a true leader.
"Zhi!" a howl resounded from afar.
"A 4th Order Houtian Realm demon beast!" a clan member exclaimed.
"What, are you serious?"
"How did it get in? It isn't even one of those helpful demon beasts!"
"So that's the little shit that's been eating the produce on the fruit orchard section!"
"Catch it!"
As most of the clan members ran after the frightened Sun Yong, Yu Tao engaged in conversation with the others that remained and arrived.
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