Chapter Ninety-Four: Hollow and Empty

"Good. You are worthy of my hand!"

Through the billowing dust, the young man’s voice drifted out slowly.

Though his figure could not be seen, Ye Feng’s entire body suddenly turned cold with dread.

It was as if he had released some ancient savage beast into the world.

Then, all at once, heaven and earth plunged into darkness.

In the next instant, a furry beast’s claw came crashing down swiftly toward Ye Feng’s head.

The claw was several zhang wide, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a tangible limb or something forged from concentrated spiritual power.

Even the mere aura it radiated was enough to make everyone present change color.

"Wild Desolation Seal? Could this youngster be descended from the Barbaric Tiger Clan?"

Just as the beast claw howled downward, the Dragon Flood Dragon King in the Demon King Domain suddenly spoke.

"Hold it off..."

Ignoring the Dragon Flood Dragon King, Ye Feng quickly summoned the shadow of the dragon shield, while the broken blade in his right hand swept upward through the air from below.

Yet before the several-zhang blade light could fully take shape, before the dragon within it had time to draw in enough heaven and earth spiritual power, the enormous beast claw merely gave a light wave and shattered the blade light to pieces.

Boom...

The next moment, the claw came down.

The entire earth seemed to suffer a massive earthquake. The instant the beast claw descended, cracks ripped outward from the ground around Ye Feng, spreading in all directions.

At the same time, the surrounding trees also seemed unable to withstand the tremendous impact. In a series of explosive cracks, they burst apart.

All around, nearly everyone had blood seeping from their mouths and noses.

At that moment, everyone stared in shock toward the center swallowed by thick dust and smoke.

Jia Luo and the others were even paler. Though Ye Feng was strong, under that strike like an ancient beast’s claw, even from such a distance they had suffered serious injuries. How much worse must it be for Ye Feng, who stood at the very center?

He Tao, with his baby-face, stared dumbly into the field, his face ashen. By now, he regretted it so much that his intestines felt green with remorse.

"Cough, cough... damn, that really had some bite!"

However, the voice that suddenly rose from within the smoke abruptly cut off He Tao’s regret.

"He’s fine?" After hearing that voice, everyone was stunned once more.

Just how violent had that blow been? Everyone present had felt it firsthand. Yet to think that Ye Feng, who had stood at the very center, was actually unharmed.

"Wild Desolation Seal. Not bad!"

Within the dust, Ye Feng slowly walked out, his whole body ragged and torn like a beggar’s.

"An attack like that, I can still take two more. I just wonder whether you still have the strength left?"

His clothes were in tatters, yet the aura Ye Feng emitted nearly suffocated everyone present.

If that beast claw had felt like an ancient savage beast, then at this moment Ye Feng himself was the king of all ancient feral beasts.

At that instant, his eyes glowed violet-gold as he quietly stared into the swirling dust.

"Cough, cough..."

At last, after quite a while, the figure of the young man with the battle axe appeared before everyone’s eyes.

If Ye Feng looked like a beggar, then this man was the absolute pinnacle of beggars.

One arm hung uselessly at his side, and the battle axe had long since vanished without a trace. Of all his clothing, only a few strips of cloth remained, barely covering the most vital parts.

"I lost," the man said to Ye Feng in defeat. Then he turned and glanced at the heir of the city lord, and continued, "I have fulfilled my promise to you. After today, we owe each other nothing!"

With that, the axe-wielding youth gave one last look at the talisman in his hand, then slowly tossed it away.

"Kid, bring him over. Once that youngster’s ancient bloodline awakens, he will absolutely be a top-tier fighting force!" Before the transmission light could ignite, the Dragon Flood Dragon King hurriedly said.

Although he did not quite understand what exactly the Barbaric Tiger Clan was, just from that one Wild Desolation Seal it was clear that this race truly possessed extraordinary qualities.

The instant the transmission light flared, Ye Feng quickly took out a talisman from his ring, then flashed to the young man’s side and shoved it into his hand.

"Entering the ancient ruin may awaken the ancient bloodline within you."

For a moment Ye Feng had no real reason to keep him here, so he could only improvise on the spot.

And indeed, after hearing Ye Feng’s words, the young man’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"You know the secret of my body?"

While Ye Feng openly tried to recruit him, the heir on the other side turned green with rage. He glared at Ye Feng fiercely, saying nothing.

In the end, the remaining people helplessly cast out the talismans in their hands. A flash of white light passed, and the last dozen or so were teleported away together.

Ignoring the excited crowd scrambling to find their talismans, Ye Feng casually grabbed a shirt from somewhere and tossed it to the young man, saying, "The Barbaric Tiger Clan... I actually don’t know much about them either, but I do know an old monster who knows a great deal."

Moving against the flow of people, the two came beneath a large tree and sat down at random on the ground. The man said, "Before, I was just an ordinary cultivator, mediocre in talent, the kind of person who could be thrown into a crowd and vanish without a trace. But one day..."

Listening to the young man’s story, Ye Feng finally understood that this youth also had a tale of his own.

His name was Kong Kong, and he came from a secluded sect. He had originally been nothing special in terms of talent, but after an event that nearly drove him to utter despair, he was accidentally struck by a muffled thunderclap, and that was how he came by his present abilities.

During this time, he had read countless ancient texts, yet he still could not figure out what exact transformation had occurred within his body.

It was only after meeting the heir of the city lord that he understood that, by some accident, he had obtained a form of ancient inheritance.

Of course, even the heir knew only this much. After promising to continue investigating for him, the heir had managed to get Kong Kong to agree to remain at his side and serve him.

"Do you know what exactly is wrong with my body?" After explaining his background, Kong Kong looked at Ye Feng urgently.

Hearing this, Ye Feng smiled confidently and, following the Dragon Flood Dragon King’s explanation, said, "If my guess is correct, the lightning that struck you was the inheritance of some great expert from the Barbaric Tiger Clan."

After a pause, Ye Feng continued, "Right now, you have only awakened a small portion of that inheritance, such as the Wild Desolation Seal. Within your body flows the blood of the Barbaric Tiger Clan. Once it is fully awakened, your strength will make a tremendous leap."

Upon hearing this, a terrifying light suddenly shot forth from Kong Kong’s eyes, as though deep in his heart there lay a profound and bitter hatred.

"If I awaken my bloodline, can I defeat a master at the Spirit Emperor level?"

...

Ye Feng was speechless, and secretly sought guidance from the Dragon Flood Dragon King through his thoughts.

"If we can gain something from the ruin, perhaps the two of us together could fight against experts below the second level of the Spirit Power realm," Ye Feng said.

"The eighth level of the Spirit Emperor realm... each level is a completely new境界. My enemy is only someone who has just entered the Spirit Emperor realm! But why are you helping me?" Kong Kong asked suspiciously, looking at Ye Feng. After all, while the young master Kong Kong had left that faction, it did not mean he was some ignorant fool. When there is no windfall, kindness usually hides a scheme.

"Nothing more than admiration for talent," someone said, still trying to appear profound.