Chapter 1277: Quietly Watching You Fake Until You Collapse

A large tent in the central area exploded, sending golden light shooting into the sky. A figure from the Martial Maniac lineage, showing utter disregard, simply destroyed the golden tent and strode out.

He was tall and powerfully built, with long brown hair falling loosely. His bronze-colored physique was very robust, and one arm was bare, revealing a landscape etched upon it.

The man appeared very young. He surveyed his surroundings with an intense, predatory gaze, completely disregarding the evolvers in the Yongzhou encampment. Standing there, his eyes were cold, like lightning streaking across the void.

"Cao De, come here!" he called out. His voice was powerful and deafening, resonating like a vibrating bronze bell.

He had already reined himself in somewhat, having noticed the presence of a Heavenly Venerate, and was not being overly aggressive. Even so, his arrogant demeanor and superior aura still made people realize the formidable power of the Martial Maniac lineage; he didn't even bother to greet the Heavenly Venerate.

Many in the Yongzhou camp frowned, especially Heavenly Venerate Haoyuan, who had returned with Number Nine, his gaze cold. How dared the Martial Maniac lineage shout commands like this? What did they take this place for?

This was the territory of his grandmaster, the Overlord of Yongzhou. No matter how strong the Martial Maniac was, Yongzhou would not bow its head.

The three great overlords of the current era should be no weaker than the Martial Maniac!

At this moment, Chu Feng ignored him, quietly watching his arrogant display to see what he would do next.

In the encampment, many people had unpleasant expressions, especially the old God Kings who had recently been in charge of receiving this envoy; they all felt frustrated and aggrieved.

The envoy, who had come south from the north, was merely a divine-level being. The Heavenly Venerates of the Yongzhou camp, mindful of their status, did not personally meet him.

This was hard on some renowned figures. Although they were seasoned strong individuals and top-tier God Kings, they had to speak kindly to a divine-level evolver, which was truly unbearable.

And this divine-level envoy barely acknowledged them, being extremely arrogant. He was quite disdainful, very cold in attitude, and his words were sharp.

Two old God Kings really wanted to grab him by the collar and ask, "How strong are you really? How great are you that you dare to disdain a God King like this?!"

In fact, the Martial Maniac lineage was indeed very powerful. Instances of God Kings being punished by deities had genuinely occurred, and people from this lineage were always self-assured!

"Cao De, where are you? Did you not hear me? Are you deaf?!"

Ling Yi's expression was cold, and his gaze was sharp. He had called out twice, yet the other party hadn't responded at all. Was he afraid and trying to escape?

Beside the old ancestor of the Nine-Headed Bird race, a God King spoke up with ill intentions, wanting to completely sacrifice Cao De's life, and joined in the scolding.

"Cao De, the envoy is speaking to you, come here quickly! You have no manners, come and pay your respects!"

At this moment, God King Chifeng and a group of Nine-Headed Birds who knew the inside story all wanted to curse and kill this kinsman. Wasn't this just inviting trouble for no reason?

"Who are all of you, acting so pretentious? Is it an addiction?" Chu Feng finally spoke. Being called out repeatedly and reprimanded like this, he was no longer willing to just listen.

"It was you who killed Li Chentian, and you still dare to disrespect the Martial Ancestor?" Ling Yi, the envoy from the northern Martial Maniac lineage, said chillingly.

He stared at Chu Feng, his eyes cold, already regarding him as a dead man. However, he couldn't kill him yet; the Second Ancestor had ordered him to be captured alive and brought back.

Nevertheless, deep down, he was still somewhat surprised. He knew Li Chentian, who practiced the Seven Death Body and should have reached the fifth transformation, making him very strong. Yet, he still lost and was killed.

"I am Cao!"

Chu Feng spoke, announcing his name.

That name? Ling Yi's pupils contracted. Was this intentional?

What he knew was Cao De. How did it become Cao?

In an instant, his eyes turned cold. Was the other party intentionally humiliating his sect's ancestor?

Because, back then, the Martial Maniac's only defeat was at the hands of Li. After more than eight hundred rounds, he was beaten bloody and had to flee.

To battle Li for so long and still manage to escape was also extremely rare!

One must know that back then, Li even dared to strike at forbidden zones, setting fires that quietly burned through most of them. That powerful figure was utterly fearless, daring to do anything.

Of course, this was a great humiliation for the Martial Maniac. He had been undefeated his entire life, one of the strongest mythical figures, and he was very indignant.

He believed that he had been defeated by Li's mystical arts, but he himself had no fear of Cao. From then on, he went into seclusion, appearing in famous mountains and great rivers to search for several lost invincible techniques.

Finally, he truly found them. For instance, the complete Time Art, hailed as one of the top three supreme mystical arts in history!

This was not the rudimentary 'Slaying a Thousand Autumns' that Li Chentian had used, but a profound and invincible art that transcended all ages.

Unfortunately, when the Martial Maniac wanted to find Li again, his opponent was already dead, having vanished from the mortal realm. There was no way to exact revenge or fight another battle.

Throughout the long years, from prehistoric times until now, aside from entering famous mountains and great rivers to find the most powerful mystical arts in history, the Martial Maniac had remained in seclusion, growing ever stronger, looking down upon all ages.

In fact, Ling Yi knew, having heard it mentioned by powerful figures within his sect, that when the Martial Maniac Ancestor delved deep into the most terrifying famous mountains and great rivers in his search, he had once encountered a mythical figure from prehistoric times who was in slumber.

As a result, the Martial Maniac boldly took action, fiercely battling a supreme expert who had once dominated an era. He eventually succeeded in killing him, staining the mountains and rivers with blood. He bathed in the baptism of the supreme blood, then roared madly, shaking countless star remnants from the sky. The scene at that time was utterly terrifying.

Unfortunately, that area of famous mountains and great rivers was considered a forbidden land, untrodden by anyone, and few outside could sense what had occurred.

If this were to spread, it would be enough to shake all ages, adding another supreme mythical achievement to the Martial Maniac's record.

Therefore, when Ling Yi heard Cao De claim to be Li, his pupils contracted. This was a provocation, a deliberate targeting. He deserved to have his soul extracted and burned in a Sky Lamp.

"Get over here!" Ling Yi pointed directly with his finger and gave Chu Feng a cold smile.

Chu Feng showed no anger, knowing that this person would end up miserably. He was quite calm and unperturbed, saying, "Why aren't you coming to pay respects to my Master Nine?"

"You want who to pay respects?!" Ling Yi said coldly. It had always been people from other sects who sought audience with their lineage, coming to pay respects to the Martial Maniac's descendants.

He had never heard of anyone daring to demand *them* to pay respects. Now, beams of eerie light shot from his eyes as he swept his gaze across everyone.

He didn't show much respect even to Heavenly Venerates, because behind him stood a powerful sect that could swallow mountains and rivers, overlooking the rise and fall of the mortal realm, and never feared anyone.

"So you really did invite someone, is he your master?" Ling Yi looked at Number Nine, sizing him up. He didn't sense any aura that would make his heart palpitate.

He didn't quite believe that this was an ultimate being who could swallow the sun and moon with an open mouth or plunge the world into darkness by closing his eyes. He felt that any direct disciple of the Martial Ancestor, upon emerging, could command a region and wipe out those so-called top great sects.

Such a being and such a lineage were nothing. Facing the northern Martial Maniac lineage, they could only bow their heads.

Ling Yi looked at Number Nine and said indifferently, "You've taught a good disciple. Do you know that he has brought great disaster upon your lineage, and the misfortune of your sect's destruction will descend upon you?"

At this moment, Old Six-Eared Macaque, Chifeng, Li Jiuxiao, Qi Rong, and the others were speechless. They all remained silent, not uttering a single word, just quietly watching.

If the Martial Maniac himself were present, he would have the right to say anything.

Even if one of his direct disciples were to emerge and arrive here, they would have the confidence and could command a region, looking down upon all heroes.

But for him, an envoy, to dare to speak to Number Nine like that, even Heavenly Venerate Qi Rong's face twitched. He thought this person truly possessed remarkable courage.

Hadn't they seen that Heavenly Venerate Silver Dragon was missing a leg? This was the price paid in blood, which they had personally experienced.

However, people felt that this young divine-level evolver couldn't be blamed. Because normally, he truly would have such confidence, representing his sect to deliver a decree. Who would dare to disobey, who would dare to literally eat him alive?!

"Cao De, kneel and receive the decree!"

Ling Yi stood proudly, holding a golden scroll. Even before it was unrolled, it already exuded an inexplicable Dao rhythm, and a terrifying aura permeated the air.

At the same time, he looked at Number Nine and said, "A teacher's laxity leads to ill-disciplined students. Cao De has brought great disaster, and you bear responsibility as well. If your lineage does not wish to be purged, I suggest your entire sect goes north to beg for forgiveness. Perhaps then there will be a sliver of hope."

At the crucial moment, he finally didn't reprimand Number Nine into kneeling as well.

However, uttering such words still left people speechless. Regardless of whether the lineage from the First Mountain Under Heaven could provoke the Martial Maniac, to actually *eat* this junior envoy now... that was still quite normal.

Huh?!

Ling Yi was suddenly astonished, because he found that the bony creature beside Cao De was actually gnawing on something. It was bloody, and it was... a leg!

Why did it look so familiar?

Ling Yi's pupils contracted, and then he abruptly looked down. Immediately afterward, he shrieked. "My leg, how is one missing!?"

He could hardly believe it. Where did this fiend come from, to actually be eating his leg? The movement was too fast. He hadn't even reacted before the other party was already crunching on it, not even spitting out the bones!

"Who are you? Which lineage are you from, daring to be an enemy of the Martial Ancestor...?" he bellowed. "I am an envoy from the north, representing the will of the Martial Maniac lineage!"

Ling Yi roared, filled with anger, shock, and boundless terror.

"Martial Maniac? The name does sound familiar lately," Number Nine said, quite indifferently. "Isn't he that crazy person who was beaten bloody by Sanlong?"

At this moment, let alone Ling Yi, even the strong cultivators of the entire Yongzhou camp were dumbfounded, all inexplicably shocked.

Someone who dared to directly call Li "Sanlong"—their identity must be terrifyingly high, an ancient monster from prehistoric times. And at the same time, he actually evaluated the Martial Maniac as "crazy"?

"Who are you?!" Ling Yi roared.

Then, he fell to the ground, lying prostrate there, because his other leg had also disappeared, and blood stained the cold, hard ground.

"Ah..." he shrieked, filled with immense terror.

Chu Feng spoke, "This is my Master Nine; you can call him Ancestor Nine. And, well, Li comes from this lineage, and my name is Cao. You should understand now, right?"

"Understand what?" Ling Yi was drenched in cold sweat from the pain. He wanted to scream loudly, but after a moment of calm, when he understood the relationship, a shiver of dread immediately ran down his spine.

"Where exactly are you from?!" he stammered, roaring.

"Only just thought to ask now?" Chu Feng curled his lip, then still told him, "Li's sect is the First Mountain Under Heaven. I presume your lineage should be aware of it. Naturally, we came from there."

At this moment, Ling Yi's vision darkened. While feeling terrified, he also felt endless regret. "This is just too damn unlucky. How did I encounter a monster from this lineage?"

If the Martial Maniac had any single blemish on his record, it would undoubtedly be due to his duel with Li. Although Li had reappeared now and the Martial Maniac was unafraid, the fact remained that he had suffered a great loss and been dealt a severe blow by Li once. This fact could not be changed.

At this moment, someone was even more terrified than Ling Yi. Their hair stood on end, their entire body was covered in goosebumps, and their whole body stiffened. That was the old ancestor of the Nine-Headed Bird race.

His vision darkened, and he felt dizzy. He finally understood why he had felt faint traces of abnormality earlier. After all, his divine sense was keen and very powerful; he had experienced a momentary special sensation, but he had ultimately become distracted and somehow ignored it.

Now it seemed, a supreme master had caused his senses to malfunction.

This made him tremble, feeling that something very bad might happen to him.

At this moment, he still didn't know Number Nine's hobby.