Chapter Four: Nangong Feng

As Yaoye entered the cave, he noticed a figure not far ahead, and the air was thick with an oppressive force. Hurrying forward, he discovered it was a corpse. Yaoye let out a sigh.

"What is this?" he murmured, seeing a piece of cloth draped over the knees of the cross-legged corpse.

Picking it up, he realized it was a blood-written testament. It read: "I, Nangong Feng, entered the domain of the Sword Saint at the age of fifty. I once swore to follow the example of my forebears and dedicate myself to eradicating the demon race. Thus, when I heard rumors that the demon general sealed at the Cliff of Annihilation was stirring, I came to investigate and reinforce the seal. Yet I arrived too late. I had believed the seal only held a demon general, but it was, in fact, a demon lord whose strength had waned to that of a general. Even so, defeating such a demon cost me all my strength, and only by risking my own life could I utterly destroy it.

If fate allows someone to inherit my legacy, may you shoulder the mission to protect this land. Here I leave you my elixirs, the martial techniques I created, and my weapon, the Bloodcry Sword. Do not bring shame to this sacred blade. There is a teleportation array here for your escape!"

Reading this testament, Yaoye felt his heart tremble with deep respect for this powerful human. He slowly knelt before Nangong Feng's corpse, bowing deeply, and spoke:

"Senior! I, Yaoye, swear here and now that for as long as I live, I will dedicate myself to exterminating the demon race. This is not only your dying wish, but the cause of my own clan’s destruction. Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will not flinch..."

"Damn the demon race! I will wipe you out to the last!" Remembering the annihilation of his clan, Yaoye could not suppress the murderous urge in his heart. When he calmed down, he began digging a grave by the corpse.

After burying Nangong Feng, Yaoye gathered the man’s relics. Taking up the Bloodcry Sword, he said, "I will never allow your former master to be shamed, and I will let you drink the blood of demons. From now on, you shall be my companion!"

The blade trembled slightly, as if in response.

Suddenly reminded that the destruction of his clan was all because of the Creation Cauldron, Yaoye angrily reached for his chest, intending to rid himself of this cursed object.

But his hand found nothing. Alarmed, he tore open his shirt, muttering to himself, "I can’t lose it! It cost the lives of my entire clan!"

Upon tearing his clothes, he saw a small pattern of a cauldron on his chest.

Yaoye hurriedly examined himself internally, finding nothing amiss. He tried to activate his inner power, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea—no response at all. On a whim, he willed his spiritual energy toward the cauldron pattern. Suddenly, his mind was stabbed by a sharp pain, and clutching his head, he screamed in agony, "Ah! Ah!" His vision went black and he collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

Slowly regaining consciousness, Yaoye gazed at the mark on his chest with intense curiosity.

"Forget it, I won’t worry about that for now. I need to find a way out first! The teleportation array requires at least the Unfettered Realm to pass through!"

As the young demon king of the demon race, Yaoye knew at least this much. Resolving himself, he picked up Nangong Feng’s martial arts manual and began to read.

He was deeply drawn to the "Heaven-Defying Art" that Nangong Feng had created. Yaoye could not help but admire him as a genius, and was moved by his philosophy. The very first page declared: "To reach the pinnacle of martial arts, one must possess a robust body; your constitution determines how far you can go..."

When Yaoye flipped to the last few pages, he discovered a map of the teleportation array. Overjoyed, he exclaimed, "There’s hope for escape—wonderful!"

He then took out the jade bottle and found that the elixirs left for him were Marrow Cleansing Pills, which would greatly aid his external cultivation. External skills could not be mastered overnight.

Thoughtfully closing the book, Yaoye resolved to design a cultivation plan for his own external techniques. Though born a beast, with innate advantages, he had no intention of giving up on training his external skills.

Drawing on the ancient texts he had studied among the demon race, he would forge his own unique path. At this time, Yaoye was only a third-tier demon beast.

The demon race each possessed their own inherited arts, but these could only be awakened during the coming-of-age ceremony, relying on the power of ancestral blood. Thus, Yaoye had yet to learn any true martial skills.