Devouring Ghost had occupied Linggu Haonan's body, and Linggu Haonan was a ninth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm expert, standing at the peak of the realm. The cultivation level had subsequently dropped due to the conflict in the two's astral energies; after all this time of adapting to the new body, Devouring Ghost had remained at the seventh-stage Dragon Ascension Realm.
The two Emperors before him were mere second-stage and third-stage Dragon Ascension Realm experts. It was way too easy for Devouring Ghost to kill them by himself, not to mention there was Du Xuanhao standing to the side as backup.
Xiang Shaoyun did not bother paying any attention to Devouring Ghost and the others. Instead, he went and caught the youth flying toward him. The youth looked to be about two years younger than him. He had a handsome face, and from his temperament, he looked like the young master of some influential family. Unfortunately, he seemed to have fallen from grace.
"Save my Grandpa Wu, go save him!" the youth shouted with a commanding tone the moment Xiang Shaoyun caught him.
Xiang Shaoyun replied indifferently, "Think about yourself first."
"I am giving you an order. Are you deaf?" the young man berated, seemingly not knowing the circumstances he was in.
Pa!
Xiang Shaoyun slapped the young man on the face without hesitation, sending the young man rolling away for a bit.
"You are ordering me?" Xiang Shaoyun stepped forward and asked coldly.
He had the intention to rescue the youth, but the youth's attitude was rather revolting.
The young man rubbed his face, glaring at Xiang Shaoyun. "Y-you dare hit me? Do you believe—"
"Would you believe me if I told you I'd kill you right this instant?" Xiang Shaoyun interrupted with a thick murderous intent.
The youth shivered and sobbed, "P-please don't kill me. I am the young master of the Dong Clan. If you kill me, you will only invite trouble to yourself."
"Who is Dong Ziwan to you?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"Y-you know my big sister?" the youth asked.
"If it wasn't for your sister, you would have been dead by now," said Xiang Shaoyun as he raised his brow.
He then ignored the youth and flew toward the heavily injured Emperor. The only reason he had decided to save the pair and have Devouring Ghost and the others act was because he found that the youth bore some resemblance to Dong Ziwan.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be bothered to meddle in the affairs of others. He arrived before the injured Emperor and found that the Emperor's armor had been completely destroyed. The Emperor, on the verge of death, had a deep and terrible wound.
A drop of spring water and a few stalks of healing spirit medicines appeared in Xiang Shaoyun's hand. He reached out and said, "Open your mouth, swallow them, and you will live."
The old man did not hesitate, and he mustered the final bit of strength he had to swallow everything in Xiang Shaoyun's hand. He also concurrently took out a king medicine from his storage ring and swallowed it. Finally, as his vitality started recovering, the energy circulating within him quickened.
The old man opened his eyes and begged weakly, "P-please save Dong Ziming!"
"Don't worry. He is fine. Your pursuers have all been killed," said Xiang Shaoyun.
The old Emperor grew excited, but he quickly shut his eyes, calmed down, and focused on recovering. He was already incapable of combat and wouldn't be able to do anything anyway. Since the young man before him was showing him kindness, he could be at ease and focus on healing for now.
Meanwhile, Devouring Ghost had already ended combat, and the three pursuers had been killed. Both Devouring Ghost and Du Xuanhao returned to Xiang Shaoyun and stood by his side without asking anything.
Xiang Shaoyun took the initiative and told them, "These two might be related to a friend of mine, so I couldn't watch on without helping."
A look of realization hit Devouring Ghost's face, and he nodded. As a follower, one ought to know one's position. There were things one did not need to know, and Devouring Ghost had always been very clear about that.
He took out the three storage rings he had gotten from the three Emperors and handed them to Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun did not accept them. Rather, he said, "See if there is anything that you need in there. If there is, just take it for yourself."
Since Devouring Ghost had occupied a body cultivating a different power from his original body, he did require some items to help him fully fuse and regain his strength.
Devouring Ghost thanked, "Thank you, young master."
Day by day, his admiration for how Xiang Shaoyun handled things grew. He also found that Xiang Shaoyun really resembled his previous master a lot, and the only thing lacking comparatively was that sense of overbearingness.
But that was something that could be developed, and it would arrive if he was given time to grow. Devouring Ghost searched all three rings, and after taking what he needed, he handed the rest to Xiang Shaoyun.
Once again, Xiang Shaoyun walked to Dong Ziming, who was at a loss as to what to do.
"Tell me what happened," said Xiang Shaoyun indifferently.
A timid look appeared on Dong Ziming's face as he asked, "W-what do you want to know?"
He had always been an arrogant person and would never easily bow before others. But that slap to his face had planted a seed of fear in his heart.
"Why were you being pursued?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.
"I-it's those Tai Clan bastards! They colluded with the Xing Clan, trying to completely destroy our Dong Clan!" Dong Ziming complained indignantly.
"How strong are those two clans? And how strong is your clan?" asked Xiang Shaoyun. Back then, he had guessed that Dong Ziwan had an extraordinary background. What he saw here had only reaffirmed his guess.
"I thought you knew my big sister? You don't know about the great Dong Clan?" Dong Ziming asked, his arrogance seeping out again.
Xiang Shaoyun knocked Dong Ziming's head in a displeased manner and said, "Cut the crap. Just answer what I ask."
"They are both tier-4 organizations that we have always suppressed. The Dong Clan is a tier-5 organization, the sole overlord of the Five Denseforest Cities. Even the Tai Clan and the Xing Clan have to bow before us. But three years ago, our ancestor got himself seriously injured on a trip outside the city and has ultimately passed away, stroking the ambitions of the Tai and Xing Clans. And now they are finally making a move against us. Those bastards! They will all die miserably! They think our Dong Clan can be bullied so easily?" Dong Ziming said, gnashing his teeth furiously.
"Looks like your Dong Clan will still be fine in the meantime. Why are you being pursued, then?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.
"It's my big sister Dong Ziwan's fault. She rejected the proposed marriage with the Illusionary Palm Society and even fled home. I was out looking for her when those people found me and started chasing after me," complained Dong Ziming.