C22 The Gluttonous Ning Gao

The massive palm imprint surged forward with overwhelming force. Ning Gao gripped his fists tightly as the Qi and blood within him roiled.

A blood-red aura, the essence of malevolent blood, coalesced in Ning Gao's hand. With a punch, he struck with the ferocity of a tiger pouncing down the mountain.

Boom!

The enormous palm imprint shattered. Ning Gao's foot lashed out, striking Lin Zhi squarely in the chest.

Lin Zhi staggered back several steps and dropped to one knee, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.

"Just accept your fate as my prey!" Ning Gao declared, his presence emanating an aura as if it were drawn from the depths of hell.

...

Elsewhere, Xue Hong finally made it back to the camp.

"Old Xue, where's Brother Ning?" Lee Hu inquired.

"He's keeping watch over there. I've come back to report," Xue Hong replied.

"What's the current situation?" Wang Bin asked.

"The Snow Lotus and Snow Flower mercenary groups are involved, and they've both dispatched their elites. Lin Zhi and Liu An are here too," Xue Hong explained between breaths.

"You left Brother Ning out there? That's too risky!" Lee Hu expressed his concern for Ning Gao.

"I instructed Brother Ning to stay alert. Let's hurry and back him up!" Xue Hong urged.

"Alright, brothers, let's go support Brother Ning!" Lee Hu unsheathed his saber and called out.

...

Ning Gao was drenched in blood, with over a dozen corpses strewn before him.

Liu An stared at Ning Gao, his eyes filled with terror. He couldn't fathom how a mere six-star middle-level Apprentice could wreak such havoc.

"We've never crossed paths before. Why have you dealt such a harsh blow?" Liu An questioned.

"There's no grudge. I simply wanted to, so I did," Ning Gao said, his smile as chilling as that of a demon.

At that moment, Lee Hu arrived with the Snow Tiger Mercenary Group in tow.

"Holy smokes! Is this just a nightmare?" Xue Hong was astounded by the sight.

"He's an absolute fiend!" Wang Bin exclaimed.

Ning Gao turned to greet them, "Brother Hu, you've arrived."

"Your talent is downright frightening," Lee Hu remarked.

"Lee Hu, you scoundrel! How dare you send an ambush against us!" Liu An, seeing Lee Hu, hurled insults.

"I never expected your Snow Lotus and Snow Flower Mercenary Groups to be this weak," Lee Hu said with the look of someone who felt unjustly accused.

Ning Gao turned to face Liu An and his companions, declaring, "You're out of luck running into me today."

"Brothers! Attack!" Lee Hu commanded, leading his Snow Tiger Mercenary Group in a charge toward Liu An and his group.

"Nine Moon Yin Yang Thrust!"

Xue Hong executed a mid-tier yellow level martial technique, his spear thrust sending several men to their doom.

"Sky Flying Immortal Fist!"

Wang Bin tightened his fists, unleashing a top-tier yellow level martial skill, his fists flying relentlessly. Each punch he delivered snatched away a life.

"World Without Law Blade!"

Lee Hu performed a top-tier yellow level martial skill, his long saber dancing through the air, the blade's light merging with the shadows, its energy radiating outward with lethal intent.

"Endless Fist!"

Liu An launched a top-tier yellow level martial skill, aiming a punch directly at Lee Hu's chest.

"Brother Hu, watch out!" Ning Gao cried out.

Lee Hu quickly raised his blade to shield his chest, fending off Liu An's strike.

Bang!

A powerful punch struck Lee Hu's blade, sending him reeling back dozens of steps.

Ning Gao delivered an airborne kick to Liu An, his momentum as overwhelming and fearsome as a raging wave, an unstoppable force that inspired dread.

The strike hit Liu An.

Bang!

Liu An crashed to the ground, coughing up blood.

Ning Gao landed, his gaze fixed on Liu An with the intensity of a wolf eyeing a lamb within its grasp.

The prey seemed cooked and ready, victory apparently assured.

Lin Zhi clenched his fists and lunged at Ning Gao, his fists flying with murderous fury.

Ning Gao spun around, his kick connecting with Lin Zhi's abdomen.

Lin Zhi expelled blood and hit the ground hard.

Ning Gao seized Lin Zhi by the neck, hoisting him high into the air.

In that moment, Ning Gao was the embodiment of a demon, a fearsome entity that seemed to have emerged from the depths of hell, leaving death and destruction in his wake.

The sight of blood excited him; his very presence seemed to be an omen of slaughter.

With a slight increase in pressure, a sickening snap echoed as Lin Zhi's neck broke.

Ning Gao dropped Lin Zhi's body to the ground and shifted his steely gaze toward Liu An.

"What do you want?!" Liu An stared back at Ning Gao as though he were a demon incarnate, his eyes brimming with boundless terror.

With a swift kick, Ning Gao struck Liu An squarely in the chest.

Pain shot through Liu An, and with a sweet taste in his throat, he coughed up fresh blood.

Ning Gao's fist then found Liu An's neck.

Crack!

In an instant, life left Liu An's body, and he was cast into the abyss.

Turning his back on the lifeless form, Ning Gao faced the members of the Snowflake and Snow Lotus mercenary groups, advancing toward them with deliberate steps.

A low, almost imperceptible roar echoed, sending chills down their spines as if a savage beast had locked its sights on them.

Ning Gao hastened his stride and seized an iron sword.

With each swing of the blade, shadows danced, and blood sprayed in all directions.

A trail of crimson was laid before Ning Gao, marking the path of the mighty.

In that moment, Ning Gao had shed all semblance of humanity; he was a wild creature, a monster driven solely by the urge to slaughter.

Nothing in this world could stand in his way.

He was the Deity of Carnage, a being whose very existence was defined by the act of killing.

In that instant, Ning Gao was transformed. He was the Taotie, a mythical beast known for its voracity and ferocity.

The Taotie, a symbol of relentless slaughter, possessed the power to consume all in its path.

Legend had it that a pure-blooded Taotie could swallow the heavens and the earth whole.

Everything was prey to the Taotie; everything could be devoured.

Surrounded by a sea of fallen bodies, Ning Gao surveyed the carnage and wrung the blood from his garments.

Drawing a deep breath, he prepared for another breakthrough.

The spiritual energy within him surged, propelling him toward new heights.

He shattered several minor realms in succession!

An eight-star Apprentice!

He had leaped from a seven-star Apprentice to an eight-star Apprentice in one bound!

Good heavens!

What an astonishing feat!

Few throughout history could claim such an achievement.

Ning Gao had done it; he was no failure!

What did it matter that he had only a grade-one aptitude? He could still shock the world, still ascend to the pinnacle of the continent!

For eighteen long years, he had bottled up his rage, and now he was on the brink of explosion!

Every single person who had scorned, humiliated, laughed at, or exiled him would feel his wrath, as he sought retribution piece by piece.

Ning Gao was never one to turn the other cheek; he lived by the creed of an eye for an eye, a grudge for a grudge.

In this world, those who repay evil with kindness are only inviting more mistreatment.

It's a harsh truth that good people rarely receive their due rewards!

Ning Gao didn't consider himself a good person; he embraced being a villain.

An absolute scoundrel!

Compassion was foreign to him. To achieve power, he would not hesitate to exterminate every Adept if necessary.

Power was the ultimate truth!

Only the powerful could dictate the rules!

And he, Ning Gao, would establish his own set of rules!

"Brother... Brother Ning," Lee Hu spoke, his voice laced with dread.

Ning Gao, with the air of a demon, could instill fear in anyone.

But then, Ning Gao turned with a sunny smile and said, "Brother Hu! Let's head back."

In that moment, Ning Gao was the epitome of a cheerful young man, a stark contrast to the ruthless killer he had just been.

...

Back at the camp, the weariness of battle settled in, and everyone took to their rest.

Ning Gao sat in meditation, channeling the 'Phoulish Blood Scripture,' a faint crimson glow radiating from his body.

His consciousness transported him to a battlefield strewn with corpses.

The earth was stained a deep crimson from the blood of countless souls.

This battlefield was the final resting place of innumerable lives.

"Could this be the Primeval Battlefield? It's absolutely horrifying!" Ning Gao observed the bone-littered field, his heart quaking with fear.

A thunderous roar pierced the silence.

Looking up, Ning Gao beheld a massive blood-red dragon soaring above, its eyes a fiery red.

The very ground seemed to quake beneath its presence!

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Slay all the living beings before you! For the sake of slaughter! For the sake of slaughter!"

A sinister voice echoed in Ning Gao's mind.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" His eyes turned a deep shade of red as a boundless aura of slaughter emanated from him.

Ning Gao's internal energy roiled with a surge of murderous intent that shot straight to his brain.

"Ah!"

Ning Gao let out a long howl, a sound drenched in the aura of slaughter.

He was like a demon from the deepest circle of hell, where the only fate for those before him was death!

Slaughter was his birthright, his very existence defined by it.

...

Ning Gao's eyes snapped open, his body drenched in sweat, hands shaking uncontrollably.

"Must I continue this path of killing?" Ning Gao stared at his hands, imagining them stained with fresh blood.

"No! I don't want this! Why? Why can't I control myself?" he quivered, a single tear glistening as it rolled down his cheek.

"You have no choice. If you seek vengeance, if you aim to rise to the pinnacle of the continent, if you desire the respect of all, then embrace it," a sinister and fierce voice echoed in Ning Gao's mind.

It was the voice of Ta Glou, or perhaps it was the voice of Ning Gao himself, consumed by his lust for killing.

"I seek revenge. I want my name to command respect. I will be remembered, Ning Gao, supreme above all," he rasped, his eyes bloodshot, veins on his forehead bulging.

Crack! Crack!

His fists tightened, emitting a sound.

He looked up at the crescent moon above.

"Lee family, Ning family. I, Ning Gao, will return. Are you prepared to become my prey?"

The chilling wind howled, Ning Gao's black hair dancing with it.

While everyone else slept, Ning Gao remained awake.

This continent would soon be shaken by Ning Gao.

From this moment on, he would embody the essence of slaughter, no longer concealing his murderous nature, annihilating any creature that dared block his path.

He was the demon, intent on slaughtering any who obstructed his path!

He was the god, endowed with the power to consume all!

He was Ning Gao.