Chapter 158
Chapter 158: Ruan Hong's Sect Crisis Part 1
"In the beginning, he was nothing more than an unremarkable foot soldier within Dragon-Summer Imperial City."
Master Wang's skull face wore an expression caught between envy and dread.
"His Dragon bloodline was so thin it amounted to a pitiful 0.01%."
"And yet, this lowly wretch—from the moment he first stepped onto the battlefield at fifteen!"
"Underwent a frenzied evolution through every life-and-death struggle!"
"From Bloodline Awakening, to Atavism, until he transformed into a 100% pure-blooded supreme Dragon kin!"
"He trampled over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, step by step ascending to the throne of Dragon-Summer Imperial City's【Divine Might Grand Marshal】."
"Even that tyrant himself bent his pride to seek his companionship!"
"They became sworn brothers, bound by no distinction of seniority."
"The two working in tandem—truly unrivaled under heaven!"
"What a pity, however…"
Master Wang let out a cold laugh, his tone shifting to thick mockery.
"When the great Evil Gods descended upon the Savage Realm and scattered their divine grace upon all below—"
"That Grand Marshal, who knew not the height of heaven nor the depth of earth, recklessly chose to pursue godhood on the spot!"
"Presuming to join the remaining defiant divine beings and resist the Evil Gods to the bitter end!"
"He even harbored the absurd fantasy of relocating every living soul in the Blazing Flame Realm!"
"But what he never anticipated was that the Evil Gods' supreme wisdom had long since planted informants within their ranks—and moreover—"
"That informant was lurking right beside the tyrant Ancestral Dragon Emperor himself!"
"And achieved full assimilation without their knowledge!"
"Heh heh heh…"
Master Wang let out an eerie laugh.
The Dried-Corpse Scholars in the seats below were completely captivated, and one could not help but call out.
"Master, since the Dragon God has already attained godhood—"
"Why didn't he simply drape himself in the imperial yellow robe and become Emperor himself?"
"That's right! Why not seize the throne in his place?"
The other scholars chimed in in agreement.
Master Wang waved his skeletal hand dismissively. "And what of attaining godhood?"
"Setting aside their bond of sharing one pair of trousers—"
"Even if the two truly came to blows, the Ancestral Dragon Emperor would not necessarily lose!"
"Within the【Lamentation Imperial Mausoleum】, where Emperors of every dynasty across the ages lie buried—"
"There are sealed reserves of power capable of matching even a deity!"
"Of course," Master Wang's tone pivoted, "if the Dragon God had truly wished to become Emperor back then, an opportunity did exist."
"He merely needed to pay a certain 'trifling' price."
"What price?"
The assembled scholars craned their charred and blackened necks forward.
The corners of Master Wang's skeletal mouth curved upward.
"That would be… offering himself to the First Princess—the Phoenix Sovereign!"
The moment those words landed, the entire lecture hall erupted!
Countless male Dried-Corpse Scholars immediately broke into expressions of envious, hateful longing!
"Why?! Why do we never encounter an extraordinary woman like that?!"
"Waited nearly a thousand years for a blockhead without a shred of romantic sense!"
"Refused so many times and still refused to give up—only sought someone else after he died!"
"Take a look at the women we encountered in our lifetimes!"
"Every word out of their mouths was cars, houses, and bride price—all trying to drain us dry! This world is far too unjust!"
The male scholars beat their chests and stamped their feet in indignation.
At that, the female Dried-Corpse Scholars beside them took offence at once and immediately launched into a full counter-assault.
"Pfft! That's entirely your own uselessness!"
"If you were as invincible under heaven as the Dragon God, we'd wait a thousand years for you too!"
"Exactly! Can't even provide the slightest sense of security, yet spends all day dreaming of marrying a princess—pathetic men!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
"Setting the facts aside, are you women completely blameless?!"
In an instant, the lecture hall devolved into utter chaos, male and female scholars pointing their fingers in each other's faces and hurling abuse.
Masters of the verbal arts, each displaying their unique skills!
The scene was beyond chaotic—even after Master Wang snapped his ruler clean in two, he could not bring it to a stop.
Yet at the edge of that clamorous lecture hall, behind a thick stone pillar—
An apparently ordinary Dried-Corpse Scholar was curling his lip in undisguised contempt.
'What a bunch of hopeless idiots.'
'Being sold by someone and still sitting here helping count the coins.'
'Foolishly cursing the very savior who pulled them out of a death trap.'
'If those 3 hadn't risked their lives transferring this mob to this world—'
'You lot wouldn't even have the chance to reincarnate, let alone stand here hosting a debate and screaming in the streets.'
'But forget it—a muddleheaded fool dies and becomes a Cursed Creature, still a muddleheaded fool.'
'Time to get on with what actually matters.'
He finished his low muttered complaints and, taking advantage of the chaos, slipped silently out of the lecture hall.
After twisting through several turns, he made his way back to his own dormitory.
It was a dilapidated thatched hut.
The interior was bare to the extreme—nothing but a wooden bed covered in a layer of straw.
He shut the door and pressed his palm hard against his charred, withered face.
That layer of charred facial illusion receded like a dissolving mask.
Revealing a face with dead-fish eyes belonging to a middle-aged man!
As the disguise fully lifted, his gaunt frame rapidly swelled.
Returning to the body of a powerfully built adult male.
His name was Ruan Hong. He hailed from Southeast Asia and was a serial killer who bore the weight of dozens of lives on his hands.
Back in the original Blue Star, he had been mere moments away from execution.
Yet at the very instant before the gunshot, he was transported to the Savage Realm through the global crossing.
And he had awakened an A-Grade ability right there and then—【Born Phantom Charm】!
This ability allowed him to perfectly disguise himself as anyone he had made physical contact with.
Even inanimate objects—stones, plants, and even blades and swords!
As for those "scholars" who had been screaming at each other in the lecture hall just moments ago—
They were actually his fellow inmates and unfortunate souls who had crossed over alongside him.
By now, that pack of idiots had been completely indoctrinated by the Scholar's Dojo.
Ruan Hong recalled the scene from when they first arrived and could not suppress a shudder.
Back then, their group had been lucky enough to survive to the second day and awaken their abilities.
After that, with no idea where to go, they began wandering aimlessly and stumbled upon this place entirely by accident.
Upon seeing the terrifying skull-faced masters and dried corpses, every single person was scared out of their wits.
Yet these Cursed Creatures had an oddly pleasant demeanor and spoke in a manner utterly reminiscent of Confucian scholars from a Huaxia historical novel.
Full of benevolence and righteousness at every turn, they enthusiastically extended an invitation to enroll.
This had put those brainless inmates completely off their guard.
But who could have imagined that the so-called "enrollment ceremony" required burning them alive before the transformation could be completed!
Ruan Hong had always loved reading trashy web novels, and at that moment he spotted the trap immediately!
'This is literally焚书坑儒 all over again—Burning of Books and Burial of Scholars!'
If he was being honest, even he—a serial killer who killed without blinking—had nearly wet himself in that moment.
Burned alive!
It was said even a certain great man had merely been dropped to his death before being burned!
Watching his inmates shriek in the flames before transforming into Cursed Creatures spouting classical drivel—
Ruan Hong thought fast and used his ability to disguise himself as an already-charred corpse, successfully blending in.
After all, everyone's faces were burned beyond recognition—no one could tell who was who!
'Heh heh heh… I really am Heaven's chosen son!'
Ruan Hong covered his face and could not help but laugh quietly to himself.
Like the protagonist of a novel—turning every calamity into fortune!
First escaping the execution in the real world, then surviving the burning in this cursed place.
More importantly, he had even encountered the kind of windfall befitting a protagonist blessed by fate!
Ruan Hong's gaze dropped to the space beneath the bed.
There, a corpse with eyes that refused to close lay hidden.
It was a soldier clad in a Sakura Nation uniform, with a through-and-through wound at the throat.
And cradled in that corpse's arms was an item radiating black aura!
A red invitation card bearing the pattern of a blood-colored phoenix!
The Phoenix Sovereign's bridegroom invitation!
'Once the wedding procession arrives tomorrow, I can use this card to leave this godforsaken place!'
'I might even be selected—marry that so-called First Princess and reach the pinnacle of life!'
Ruan Hong stroked the invitation with greedy fingers.
That Sakura Nation soldier was no decent sort either—the invitation had clearly been stolen.
Unfortunately, the man's luck had run dry, for his theft had brought him right across the path of Ruan Hong, who had been wandering in search of an exit.
Ruan Hong had immediately activated his ability and transformed into a sharp blade, cutting the man down from behind in a single strike!
'I am the protagonist of this world!'
Ruan Hong raised the invitation high, as though he could already see Lady Luck beckoning him with open arms.
Yet just as he was drowning in fantasies of becoming king, dominating all, and building a harem—
"Aaaaaaah!!!!"
A scream of pure terror suddenly rang out across the sky!
Immediately after came a cascade of wails and the thunderous crash of collapsing structures!
'What's happening?!'
Ruan Hong's heart lurched violently.
The overwhelming sense of danger made him instantly disguise himself as a Dried-Corpse Scholar once more. He shoved the door open and sprinted outside.
The sight that greeted him sent him plummeting into an abyss of dread!
Countless scholars and skull-faced masters were fleeing in a wild, frenzied panic!
Ruan Hong seized a female scholar who had just been screaming insults at people in the lecture hall moments ago and demanded urgently:
"What's happening?!"
The female scholar was trembling all over, stammering incoherently.
"Dra—Dragon—"
"Dragon what?!"
"Shhk!"
Before the words had even finished, a chain descended from the heavens and drove clean through the female scholar's chest!
"Aaaaaah!"
Amid a burst of agonized screaming, the female scholar was wrenched away by a tremendous force in an instant!
Dragged off and swallowed by the sky!
Ruan Hong's entire body went numb!
'What the hell!'
'This is absolutely the sect suffering a catastrophic wipeout! I need to hide immediately!'
Without a moment's hesitation, he snatched up that life-saving invitation.
He crashed headlong through the back wall of the thatched hut and sprinted madly toward the small hill behind the Dojo.
He had to find a concealed vantage point and assess the situation.
Reaching the hillside, Ruan Hong immediately activated his ability and disguised himself as an inconspicuous grey boulder.
Pressing down on top of the invitation.
'Phew… I should be safe now…'
'Let me see just which blind fool dares come here and cause trouble—'
'What… what the hell?!'
When Ruan Hong looked toward the center of the Dojo from his perspective as a stone, his vaunted psychological fortitude shattered completely.
'What kind of monster IS that?!'
'Even the demonic cultivators in novels aren't this broken!'
For there, standing atop the ruins at the center of the Dojo, was a figure clad in armor—a towering, imperious presence!
Like a death god descended to annihilate the world, the figure held in hand a lantern that continuously billowed black smoke.
From the lantern's flame countless black chains shot outward!
Ensnaring every fleeing scholar and master!
Pulling them like skewered candied hawthorns into that eerie lantern!
And among those figures being dragged and hauled away—
Ruan Hong could clearly make out Master Wang, who had only just been holding court from the podium moments ago!
The Master Wang of right now bore not even a fraction of a great Confucian's bearing.
His pair of skeletal claws clawing at the ground, carving 10 deep crimson furrows into the stone tiles, shrieking in absolute terror.
"Don't take me! Please don't take me!!"
"Ancestral Dragon Emperor, Your Majesty! I was wrong!! "
Master Wang stared at that figure wrapped in crimson-black armor.
It was a primal, instinctive terror that transcended a thousand years—born from the depths of the soul!
"I will never speak ill of you and the Dragon God again!"
"I beg you, please don't burn me! Aaaah!!"
Accompanied by one final shriek—
Master Wang's skeletal body was mercilessly hoisted by the chains.
Drawn into the Sovereign Lantern burning with black fire, imprisoned within.
And there in the center of the ruins—
Jiang Nan listened to the old skeleton's dying wails and furrowed his brow slightly.
Thoroughly puzzled.
In those scattered fragments of memory within him, he had never once heard of himself being the Ancestral Dragon Emperor.
'Who is that?'
Bunny-Bunny