As the fight dragged on, the lack of coordination between the two demonic Gu Masters proved fatal. Unaccustomed to fighting as a team, Huang Mei and Fei Li repeatedly got in each other's way. Pushed to their absolute physical limits as time progressed, Fei Li made a critical positioning mistake, leaving his flank entirely exposed. Fang Zheng seized the opening instantly, driving a lethal strike straight through Fei Li's chest like it was made of paper and ending his life on the spot.
Huang Mei's eyes widened in sheer panic. Seeing Fei Li's corpse drop to the ground, he realized his own death was soon to follow if he continued. Throwing his pride to the wind, he immediately dropped to his knees and folded his hands in surrender.
"Lord Fang Zheng! If this humble one has offended you in any way, I beg for your forgiveness!" Huang Mei pleaded desperately. "If you spare my pathetic life, I will reward you handsomely! Nan Mountain is a mountain of riches - name your price, and it is yours!"
The remaining members of the Ten Tyrants watched in absolute shock as their boss groveled in the dirt, while the surrounding spectators whispered in amazement at Fang Zheng's overwhelming victory.
Fang Zheng looked down at the groveling overlord with a cold, merciless smile. "The only thing I want from you... is your life."
Heng Mei's face went pale. "Wait! Hold on we can nego-"
Before he could finish, Fang Zheng summoned the massive phantom of a Dragon-Elephant, bringing a crushing pressure down upon him. Realizing negotiation was useless, Huang Mei panicked and screamed to his subordinates, "All of you, attack him! Right now!"
The remaining members of the Ten Tyrants glanced at each other, terrified of Huang Mei, but far more terrified of Fang Zheng.
After all, there was no way that even combined they could take on Fang Zheng. Essentially, Huang Mei was demanding that they throw their lives away so that he could escape.
Perhaps, if Huang Mei was a respected clan head of the righteous path, some of his clan elders might even agree to do so.
But the Ten Tyrants?
Since when was there loyalty amongst thieves, or demonic Gu Masters for that matter?
Before they could even make a move, Qing Shu waved his hand, sprouting a dense wall of thorny vines from the earth that separated the henchmen from the duel. "Don't even think about interfering!"
A thick vine burst from the soil, wrapping tightly around Huang Mei's ankle and throwing him face-first into the dirt even as he ran. The vine wasn't strong enough to catch him, but it was more than enough to cause him to stumble. As he struggled to turn around, he looked up just in time to see the colossal foot of the Dragon-Elephant Phantom descending from the heavens.
CRUSH!
Huang Mei, the proud and feared tyrant of Nan Mountain, was reduced to a bloody smear on the ground.
Seeing their leader crushed, the rest of the Ten Tyrants scattered like panicked rabbits. Their retreat wasn't even orderly, scampering around in all directions in a chaotic manner. It was their only way of possibly throwing Fang Zheng off. Qing Shu glanced at their fleeing backs. "Fang Zheng, should we hunt them down?"
Fang Zheng shook his head, dusting off his sleeves. "They're running in every direction; we won't catch them all. They are of no threat at this point." He had killed many people until this point, but Fang Zheng was not one who reveled in killing, even if the others deserved it. "Besides, the trash will take itself out."
Indeed, as the fleeing members of the Ten Tyrants rushed into the surrounding woods, shadowy figures stepped out from the trees to block their paths.
"Leaving so soon? Hand over your gu worms and I might let you live!"
"Give this seat all your primeval stones, kowtow thrice while calling me 'grandpa', and maybe I'll spare your life!"
"Your gu worms or your life!"
Other opportunistic demonic Gu Masters on San Cha Mountain immediately moved in to pillage or extort the leaderless survivors. Ignoring the distant screams and sounds of fighting, Fang Zheng and Qing Shu turned around and walked calmly back into their cave.
***
The Three Kings Inheritance had a strict limit on capacity. Each time a new round began, three massive beams of light erupted from San Cha Mountain, corresponding to King Quan, King Bao, and King Xin.
Accessing each specific pillar required a prerequisite Rank 1 gu worm: Dog Enslavement Gu for King Quan's Inheritance, Exploding Egg Gu for King Bao's Inheritance, and Paper Crane Gu for King Xin's Inheritance. Shang Xin Ci had made a killing buying these gu worms before when they were cheap and selling them now that their worth was nearly equal that of Rank 2 gu worms thanks to Fang Yuan's help.
As cultivators entered, the beams grew progressively narrower until they shrank to the thickness of a pencil before vanishing, after which no one else could enter until the current round concluded.
With a new round beginning, high-ranking Gu Masters clashed fiercely over the right to be the first to enter the inheritance.
When the initial rush involving Rank 4 Peak Stage Gu Masters subsided, Qing Shu stepped forward toward King Xin's Inheritance - a trial centered entirely around the refinement path.
Holding his Paper Crane Gu, Qing Shu stepped into the light and was instantly transported into the interior of the blessed land. Upon entry, a powerful restriction suppressed all of his standard gu worms, leaving only his Paper Crane Gu active.
Qing Shu was not here to compete for the ultimate prize, but rather to pass a few specific rounds as instructed by Fang Yuan. He arrived in a quiet trial room where a hairy man sat behind a stone table laid out with raw refinement materials. The hairy man immediately began processing the components to refine a gu worm.
Qing Shu did not focus on his own table. Instead, he simply followed Fang Yuan's advice. He leaned forward and began effusively praising his opponent.
"Wow... your refinement technique is truly extraordinary! I have never seen such divine control over fire! You are truly wondrous! And your hair, how lustrous and thick it is! I don't think I've ever seen hair like that."
The hairy man paused, his eyes widening in shock. Hairy men were simple-minded creatures, deeply susceptible to praise especially regarding their refinement craft. Overcome with sudden emotion and pride, his concentration slipped for a fraction of a second. The delicate balance of his refinement collapsed, causing the refinement to instantly fail!
A strike of lightning shot down from the heavens, instantly vaporizing the hairy man.
Qing Shu smiled faintly and walked through to the next round. For the first twenty rounds of King Xin's trial, one could easily bypass the hairy men refiners simply by overwhelming them with extravagant flattery. This was a trick that made passing through the first few stages childishly easy but right now, was a closely guarded secret. After the twentieth round, however, the trials featured experienced, master-level refiners who could not be so easily distracted.
Just like that, the contest grew every more difficult until someone managed to clear one hundred such rounds, and claimed the top prize. For the King Xin Inheritance that was Rank 5 Undefeated Hundred Battles Gu!
Another tip that Fang Yuan had given him was that one could take the refinement materials from each round with oneself, making the latter rounds easier.
Having collected the basic completion rewards from the early floors, Qing Shu voluntarily exited the inheritance the first chance that he got.
Upon returning to the mountain surface, he checked a message sent via a investigative gu from Fang Zheng. The message indicated that the timing was right for their next move.
The two met up at back at their headquarters. Fang Zheng handed Qing Shu a bright, glowing yellow worm. "Elder Brother sent this for you via the Moving Perspective Cup Gu."
Rank 4 Golden Yellow Relic Gu!
Qing Shu accepted the gu, rapidly refining it to instantly push his cultivation from Rank 4 Initial Stage up to Rank 4 Middle stage.
Fang Zheng had not yet used his Rank 4 Ambition Gu, as the time was not yet ripe. There were several things to take care of first. "Brother Qing Shu, good luck!"
The two nodded to each other and departed toward their respective targets.