Chapter 301: The Reborn Patriarch Kneels
For a full hour, the subterranean chamber remained silent save for the deep, resonant rhythm of his breathing.
Finally, with a slow, grinding hiss of escaping steam, the excessive beast fur began to recede back into his pores.
His massive 7-foot frame condensed slightly, the brutal musculature shifting and smoothing out as he transformed back into a human guise.
However, he no longer looked like the haggard, broken beggar who had been scavenging in the dirt.
The successful breakthrough and the integration of the demonic beast blood had completely restored his vitality.
His features aligned once more, making him look exactly like the original Patriarch of the Peng Clan, but with a far more menacing, predatory edge.
A thick, midnight-black beard now framed his sharp, rejuvenated jawline, and his eyes, completely devoid of their original human color, burned with a permanent, glowing crimson light.
He clenched his fists, the air crackling around his knuckles as he felt the boundless, terrifying sea of Nascent Soul energy surging through his rejuvenated meridians.
Plunging his consciousness inward, he looked down into his dantian.
There, sitting in a meditative posture atop the repaired nine-layered spiritual altar, was his newly formed Nascent Soul.
It was an ominous, dark entity, colored a deep, blood-red and heavily laced with veins of pitch-black demonic Qi, perfectly embodying the forbidden strength he had claimed.
Opening his crimson eyes, Peng Kai slowly stood up, then dropped heavily onto one knee before the barbaric silhouette of Ni Tian.
His deep, resonant voice vibrated with absolute submission, backed by a terrifying, lethal intent that shook the dust from the cavern ceiling.
"Thank you, Brother Ni. The Patriarch of the Peng Clan has officially returned... and the Golden Cauldron Merchant Union will burn to absolute ash."
Shen Yu looked down at the kneeling Patriarch, a dark, wicked smirk pulling at his lips.
He uncorked his tarnished wine gourd, taking a long, unhurried swig before letting out a gruff, booming laugh that reverberated off the damp cavern walls.
"Good. Very good," Shen Yu rumbled, wiping a stray drop of liquor from his black-bearded chin with the back of his hand.
"Master knew you wouldn’t disappoint. A dog with a taste for blood and a burning grudge always bites the hardest."
Peng Kai remained bowed, his broad shoulders tensed with suppressed power, his crimson eyes gleaming like twin embers in the gloom.
"I am Master’s blade, Brother Ni. Just give the word, and I will tear through their lines myself."
"Patience, Peng Kai," Shen Yu said, his gravelly voice dropping into a dangerous, measured tone.
"A rabid beast running blindly into the streets is easily put down by the city guards. We do not strike like frantic fools, we strike like a sudden collapse of heaven and earth."
He took a step forward, his heavy boots crunching against the shattered stone floor, stopping right in front of the kneeling Nascent Soul master.
"For the next two days, stay buried in this ruin," Shen Yu commanded, pointing a thick, calloused finger at the blood-stained altar.
"Consolidate your realm. Master the wild, violent nature of that Vajra Bear blood surging in your veins."
With a flick of his wrist, Shen Yu tossed a dark, metallic token down and a note at the Patriarch’s feet.
Etched into its surface was a single, sharp character: Ni.
"On the third day, slip into Crimson Iron City under the radar and head directly to this address. Show them this token. I have already made all the necessary arrangements for your stay," Shen Yu instructed, his eyes glinting with cold calculation.
"Remember your instructions," Shen Yu warned, his voice echoing menacingly off the decaying walls.
"Do not move, do not draw attention, and do not strike until you receive my explicit signal."
"Understood, Brother Ni," Peng Kai growled, catching the token and clutching it firmly in his fist.
Without another word, Shen Yu offered a brief, dismissive nod and stepped backward into the gloom.
A subtle ripple of Qi swept through the damp air as he activated his Phantom Steps, his massive form instantly blurring into a weightless shadow that vanished completely into the dark corridor.
Once clear of the oppressive, fog-laden subterranean ruins of the Mist Cloud Forest, Shen Yu brought his high-speed movement to a silent halt amidst a dense canopy of ancient trees.
With a effortless flick of his mind, he shed the savage, fur-clad disguise of ’Ni Tian.
His skin paled back to a smooth, porcelain clarity, his bulging, barbaric musculature condensed back into a slender yet powerfully refined frame, and his hellish red gaze dissolved back into deep, mesmerizing emerald pools.
Tapping his storage ring, he pulled out his pristine, dark green robes and let the fine silk drape elegantly across his shoulders.
A smile touched his lips as he glanced back at the distant ruins.
Turning around, he blurred into a streak of green light, sprinting at blinding speed back toward Crimson Iron City.
Upon entering the city undetected, he headed straight for his secret base beneath the tea house, stepping into the subterranean corridors and pushing open the door to Li Na’s private office.
The moment his silhouette materialized inside the room, Li Na immediately stood up from her desk.
She stepped out from the shadows, bowing deeply with her hands firmly clasped before her.
"Young Master," she greeted smoothly, a subtle glint of instinctual awe flickering in her eyes.
"The secret reports from Southern Frost City and Thousand Waves City have just arrived. Everything is proceeding precisely as you envisioned."
Shen Yu walked over to the desk, his dark green robes sweeping behind him as he took a seat in the plush leather chair.
He leaned back, resting his chin casually on his hand while his deep emerald eyes locked onto Li Na.
"Deliver the details," Shen Yu commanded smoothly.
-x-
A/N:
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Hey everyone!
The bonus Chapter will be coming out a little later today, but in the meantime, enjoy this update!