Chapter 1467: Fierce Person's Details

Ye Fan was startled. It was astonishing that someone would demand the Myriad Things Cauldron from him, and with such an excuse.

The leader was a tall, slender, grey-haired old man wearing a tattered Daoist robe embroidered with a purple-bordered silk Bagua pattern. A wooden hairpin was stuck in his grey topknot. His face was wrinkled, his eyes lead-grey, and his expression grim, giving off a stern and unyielding impression.

Behind him was a group of people: old women, middle-aged men, young girls, and even children. All of them, regardless of age or gender, were cultivators. Their approach in such a large group created a considerable presence.

These grand and magnificent palaces, resplendent in gold and jade, were frequented by individuals of extraordinary status. The fact that this group dared to come here to demand an explanation clearly indicated some underlying confidence.

"Ye-surname Sacred Body, return our clan's precious cauldron! It does not belong to you!" a beautiful young girl shouted in a delicate voice, her face full of hostility.

"Exactly, that is our clan's immortal artifact; you cannot claim it for yourself," another man echoed.

The large group stood behind the old man, all with stern, unfriendly expressions. They resembled creditors demanding payment from a villain, their faces etched with indifference and ruthlessness.

Ji Ziyue was dumbfounded, unsure whether to laugh or cry. She knew better than anyone how the Myriad Things Cauldron had come into being. This group's extortion tactics were simply too crude; wasn't this outright robbery?

With a good-natured temperament, she slightly curved her lips into a smile and asked, "You keep claiming this cauldron is yours, but what is your basis? Do you even know its origin?"

"How could we not know? It was left by our ancestor, Emperor Ruthless," the leading old man stated, a cold glint flashing in his lead-grey eyes.

Ye Fan's expression changed, his slight smile vanishing as he adopted a serious demeanor. He recalled certain legends, wondering if these were truly the people from those tales.

The Dragon Horse, however, was not so good-tempered; it was quite volatile. It utterly detested such people who extorted so shamelessly, making it want to slap them all into a pulp. It roared, "You want to snatch even the Myriad Things Cauldron? Why don't you claim the Bell of Wushi and the Desolate Pagoda belong to your family too?!"

Pang Bo and Ji Haoyue also stepped forward, ready for battle. Instinctively, they sensed that someone was looking for trouble, that these newcomers meant ill, and that a bloody fight was likely.

"Who are these people? To actually contend for the origin root of the Myriad Things Cauldron—isn't that demand too excessive?"

"Truly, strange things happen these days. Even if this cauldron is an unparalleled treasure, there's no need to use such an excuse to contend for it, is there?"

Many cultivators within the magnificent palaces were surprised by this scene, whispering amongst themselves, as they did not recognize the group.

Ye Fan, however, frowned. He didn't immediately dismiss these people because he recalled some past events.

Back when he roamed the Northern Region, he had visited Emperor Ruthless's Daoist temple, seen the secret land where the Black Emperor was trapped, and entered the place where the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot had emerged.

Both the Black Emperor and Duan De had spoken of certain secrets, confirming that Emperor Ruthless's lineage indeed had descendants—this was a factual matter.

When Emperor Ruthless passed away, her Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot was left to these descendants. However, tragically, even the greatest legacies eventually end. The Ruthless Emperor's lineage remained confined to a few Daoist temples in the Northern Region until its final decline, fading into obscurity and utterly vanishing.

Originally a magnificent legacy, it tragically perished for various reasons.

Some say that Emperor Ruthless's killing intent was too fierce in her time, harming the natural order, and ultimately bringing disaster upon her descendants, who were cursed by Heaven, leading to the rapid decline of their lineage.

Others say that Emperor Ruthless was astonishingly talented and brilliant, having slain Great Accomplishment Sacred Spirits with flesh and blood bodies, and even ventured deep into the seven great forbidden zones to kill supreme beings within, thus incurring great enmity. While she lived, the world naturally submitted, all beings silent, with no one daring to challenge her. The entire world prostrated at her feet, and she could be called the sole sovereign of ancient times.

However, once she departed, the outcome changed. Whether it was the Sacred Spirits who had transformed into flesh and blood under Heaven's protection, or the Supremes from the forbidden zones, they would emerge to seek revenge, destroy her Daoist temples, and kill her descendants.

Consequently, even with their formidable techniques and the Heaven-Devouring Pot, Emperor Ruthless's lineage ultimately perished and was erased from the world. This is why Duan De later went to pay respects, searched through various ruins, and eventually unearthed the Heaven-Devouring Lid.

Ye Fan stared at the group, particularly the leading old man, hoping to discern something about them, such as whether they had cultivated the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Arts. However, he found nothing.

"Are you descendants of Emperor Ruthless's lineage?"

"Since you know, then hand over the Myriad Things Cauldron," several young men and women replied with cold expressions.

"Is this true?" The crowd erupted in an uproar. Everything they witnessed today was too incredible. Emperor Ruthless had shaken the past, present, and future—were these her descendants?

"Impossible!" Pang Bo shook his head forcefully. Having heard many rumors about Great Emperors, he wondered how Emperor Ruthless could have descendants.

"You're lying, the Empress never married in her life." Ji Ziyue blinked her large eyes, her expression turning cold. As a woman, she greatly admired and respected the exceptionally brilliant Emperor Ruthless, and she despised those who spoke nonsense merely to seize a weapon.

Emperor Ruthless, who defied all ages, was one of the few individuals revered as a Heavenly Emperor after Emperor Dizun. The Southern Ridge Heavenly Emperor was renowned throughout the world, and there was now considerable evidence directly pointing to her being Emperor Ruthless.

Of course, this was merely a revered title for a period, not her true Imperial title.

In any prosperous era, during any great turmoil, or for anyone who single-handedly fought bloody battles across the world, shocked all ages, and accomplished unprecedented feats, it was inevitable to be revered as a Heavenly Emperor and respectfully addressed as such for a time.

"Emperor Ruthless, with her defiant nature, naturally looked down on all men and never married in her life," Ye Fan explained, shaking his head.

Emperor Ruthless was lonely and destitute. In her youth, she relied on her elder brother for survival, but soon her only relative was taken away by the Feathered Divine Dynasty, leaving her alone. She had been a child beggar, wandering aimlessly, and was later raised by people in a mountain village.

After achieving the Dao, she looked back and found only heartache, with little joy. Her descendants were not of her bloodline; they were the young men and women from that village, to whom she bequeathed her Daoist lineage.

Everyone was stunned, filled with many emotions for a moment.

These were historical truths pieced together by Duan De and the Black Emperor. As for their exact veracity, Ye Fan couldn't definitively say right or wrong, as Emperor Ruthless's entire life was shrouded in mist, making it difficult for later generations to truly comprehend.

"Emperor Ruthless was merely a mortal body, considered too ordinary with no cultivation talent in her youth, and was completely disregarded by the Feathered Divine Dynasty. Who would have thought... it was precisely because of this that the extraordinary Empress who shook the world emerged."

"Human Sacred Body, are you going to return it or not?" Several young people behind the grey-haired old man shouted, their expressions cold and impatient, as if they were genuine creditors demanding their belongings.

"So, you are the descendants of that village? Wasn't it said that this lineage disappeared, and even the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot was buried in the yellow earth? What evidence do you have?" Ye Fan asked calmly. He was certain that these people had not cultivated the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Arts, as they lacked that aura.

"If just anyone can jump out and claim to be the son of Emperor Wushi, the descendant of Emperor Qing, or the grandson of Emperor Dizun, can they also inherit everything from them?" Pang Bo sneered.

The crowd burst into laughter.

"Exactly! If someone stands up and claims to be Emperor Dizun's grandson, can they then rule over us and be revered as the supreme god by the entire universe?"

Many scoffed internally, while others directly shouted their disdain aloud.

"As her descendants, we naturally have some evidence; come and see." At this, the grey-haired old man unfurled a scroll. Etched upon it was a Heaven-Devouring Pot, emitting immortal might. Wisps of black light overflowed, so dazzling that people couldn't open their eyes.

The crowd gasped. It was merely a scroll, yet the beautifully shaped, human-like pot depicted on it was so lifelike, as if it had a spirit and was about to emerge.

These were wisps of Imperial might!

"Is a scroll left by our ancestor not enough?" the grey-eyed old man asked.

On the scroll, there was also a woman with high-piled hair, solemn and majestic, beautiful to the extreme. The Heaven-Devouring Pot rested in her palm, emitting wisps of black light.

This was astonishing; it truly seemed to have been drawn by an Emperor!

In ancient times, when ancestors were about to pass away, they would have portraits drawn for their descendants to revere. The demonic pot indicated that this was indeed the work of a Great Emperor, clearly Emperor Ruthless.

"Is this what Emperor Ruthless looked like? It is said that no one in later generations has been able to glimpse her true appearance from the ancient stone carvings," everyone stared, deeply shocked, gazing up with unwavering eyes.

"This was left by our ancestor, is it sufficient as proof?" the leading old man's grey eyes shone.

Ye Fan asked, "If you are descendants of Emperor Ruthless, why don't you go to the Eastern Wasteland to seek the Heaven-Devouring Pot instead of being more concerned about my Myriad Things Cauldron?"

"We will naturally make a trip to the Big Dipper," someone replied.

Ignoring them, Ye Fan stepped forward, avoiding the wisps of black light from the demonic pot, and stared intently at the woman in the painting for a long time, golden light constantly flowing from his Divine Eye.

"This is not Emperor Ruthless. This woman lacks her bearing; her appearance and aura are dissimilar. I have seen her indistinct figure during tribulation lightning. This was drawn and added later by a descendant, placed alongside the pot!"

Ye Fan solemnly revealed this truth, staring sternly at them.

"Nonsense! How could this be drawn by later generations? The demonic pot bears the imprint of Imperial might; can that be fake? If it wasn't left by our ancestor, who else could obtain it?" the old man sneered repeatedly.

Pang Bo stepped out and said, "This is truly absurd. Even if you were descendants of Emperor Ruthless, which is debatable, you wouldn't necessarily have a reason to demand it. How many rare treasures have existed since ancient times? If one person obtains a treasure, does that mean it can never change hands again?"

"What's most despicable is your vile impersonation of Emperor Ruthless's descendants!" Ji Ziyue also lightly rebuked.

As for the Dragon Horse, at this moment, it seemed possessed by Duan De, the Black Emperor, and Tu Fei. Saliva flew from its mouth as Daoist talismans emerged, loudly scolding and cursing. Its voice and spittle actually transformed into resonating Dao laws; in short, it was a foul-mouthed spewer.

Ye Fan's eyes glowed as he stared at the ancient scroll. His unique Heaven Origin Eye, extraordinarily special, exuded a wisp of law, restoring the truth.

The scroll instantly transformed: the woman vanished, leaving only the Heaven-Devouring Demonic Pot, and faintly within the pot, a character appeared: "Seal!"

Ye Fan immediately shouted, "What descendants? This is clearly an imprint drawn by Emperor Ruthless to seal demons! Most likely, you are ancient devils from a certain region who have now re-emerged!"

Everyone was greatly astonished. Indeed, within the pot on the scroll, there was the character "Seal," and wisps of Imperial might emanated from it, though nearly faded, they felt very real.

"You have desecrated our ancestor's portrait, destroying her illusory form! Your sins are unforgivable; you deserve death! Today, we demand an explanation!" the old man roared sternly.

Ye Fan's eyes blazed. Staring at the group, he shouted, "No matter how well you conceal yourselves, you cannot hide from my Heaven Origin Eye! The blood within your bodies has a terrifying fluctuation; it clearly does not belong to the human race. How could you be from Emperor Ruthless's lineage? Most likely, you are a clan of enemies sealed by Emperor Ruthless, who have now re-emerged. You seek revenge on Emperor Ruthless and wish to destroy everything she left behind."

The crowd burst into an uproar, a cacophony of voices, and everything descended into chaos.

"Human Sacred Body, you deceive the world and steal fame! You are an executioner who has secretly harmed many fellow cultivators. Today, I shall expose you as the greatest demon in this world!" Just then, another group of people arrived, led by an old man whose voice was stern and severe.

Everyone was stunned. What was happening?

Ji Haoyue and the others realized with a start that this was clearly aimed at them. The Human Sacred Body now had a formidable reputation. What a powerful alliance it must be to dare to act like this, especially considering this was the human race's final trial, not an ordinary place.