Is this NPC even playable if it's not nerfed?

Chapter 188 The Sacred Ruler Escapes with its Treasure, and the Entire City Flees
The Duke Yansheng always had a feeling that he couldn't quite explain.

A very malicious feeling, as if foreshadowing some great disaster.

This malice was directed at his entire family.

It was malicious intent directed at the Kong family.

"It's just a misperception, it must be a misperception. How could my dignified Kong family be doomed?"

“We are descendants of saints, protected by the supreme holy fortune. Who can kill us? Who dares to kill us? Even the infamous Emperor Taizu, the demon king of the past, could not destroy us.”

"Has it been too long of cultivation?"

"How could such a misconception exist?"

Duke Yansheng shook his head. He didn't believe his intuition because it was too far-fetched. Who in the world could destroy the Kong family? Who would dare to defy the world and destroy the Kong family?

His ancestor was the supreme sage Confucius, the saint who created a system for ascending to heaven.

Do you even understand the value of being a descendant of a sage?

……

"Confucianism and Taoism are really difficult, our ancestors. Can you please give us a response?"

The Duke Yansheng knelt in the ancestral hall, looking at the treasures enshrined above, his tone filled with complaint.

As descendants of saints, they were able to come into close contact with these sacred relics that embody righteousness from birth.

Even in the Dharma-ending Age, they can still cultivate righteous energy, but the cultivation is extremely difficult. They need to constantly absorb righteous energy from the items left behind by the sages and transform the righteous energy left behind by the sages into their own righteous energy.

Such cultivation conditions are unique to their Four Saints Clan; even the Great Yong Royal Family has never had them.

Because all the Confucian and Taoist relics in the world are in the hands of the four sage families.

……

The cultivation system of Confucianism and Taoism differs from other systems. The righteous energy of Confucianism and Taoism does not require the circulation of Qi throughout the body. They only need to read books, comprehend the profound principles of heaven and earth summarized by their predecessors, accumulate literary and spiritual energy, and transform this literary and spiritual energy into their own righteous energy through the inheritance of Confucianism and Taoism. This is the orthodox cultivation method of Confucianism and Taoism.

With the arrival of the Dharma-ending Age, due to the flaws in the laws of heaven and earth, the righteous energy cannot be transformed normally. They can only cultivate normally by refining the righteous energy left by their predecessors.

The refining process is very difficult.

The vast majority of descendants of the Four Saints families could not refine even a trace of righteous energy, no matter how hard they tried.

The quality of the artifact can also affect the refining effect.

The higher the level of the relic, the higher the quality of the Righteous Spirit.

Of the four treasures enshrined in the ancestral hall, the Qilin Jade Book is not a relic of Confucian or Taoist saints.

Among the relics of Confucianism and Taoism, the Supreme Sage Ruler is of the highest grade. The Supreme Sage Ruler not only contains endless righteous energy, but also, because it is a treasure used by the ancestral sage to teach other sages, the quality of the righteous energy in it is extremely high, comparable to the legendary immortal energy.

However, the Supreme Sage Ruler is believed to possess a spirit. Since the ascension of the Supreme Sage Confucius, no one has been able to get close to it. If they get too close, they will only be met with merciless beatings from the Supreme Sage Ruler.

It must be said that the Holy Ruler really hurts when it hits people; just one slap is enough to make them feel excruciating pain.

As the current head of the Kong family, the Duke Yansheng was able to sense the Sage Ruler's aversion to them.

Pure disgust.

To this day, they still do not know why the Holy Ruler so despises them, the descendants of the Holy One.

The only things that allow them to properly refine their righteous energy are Confucius's clogs and the original Analects.

Among them, the Confucius clogs were the Duke Yansheng's favorite. They were small in size and could be easily held in his arms. He could feel the noble spirit left by his ancestors and refine it, which was also a kind of enjoyment.

……

"Buzzing..."

Suddenly, the Sacred Ruler emitted a buzzing sound, and a pure and righteous energy overflowed from it, transforming into a stream of light that swept towards the other three treasures.

The Qilin Jade Book was swallowed up by the flowing light and disappeared.

The original text of the Analects disappeared shortly afterward.

"Supreme Ruler, what are you going to do?"

The Duke of Yansheng sensed something was wrong and immediately clutched the Confucius clogs in his arms tightly.

"No, no."

Duke Yansheng mobilized his internal energy to resist the incoming righteous energy.

How could he possibly withstand the righteous energy of the Supreme Ruler? Just when he was about to give up, the originally violent righteous energy suddenly disappeared.

Before the Duke of Yansheng could react, the Supreme Ruler unleashed unparalleled power, blowing the entire roof off.

The Supreme Ruler vanished into the sky as a stream of light disappeared into the sky amidst the despairing gaze of the Duke of Yansheng.

Fly away?

Did the Sacred Ruler fly away?
It flew away with the other two babies.

What the hell.

What is this?
How could the things left by our ancestors have disappeared?
Duke Yansheng struggled to his feet and was about to call upon the family elders to discuss how to retrieve the treasure when a figure appeared in the sky.

The crimson flames dyed the sky red.

A terrifying aura swept through the entire city of Qufu.

"Lu Yuan from Wangyou County has come to exterminate the entire Kong family."

"Those who are not involved, leave immediately."

"Anyone who remains in Qufu City after one hour will be considered an accomplice of Confucius and will bear the consequences themselves."

Looking down at the city of Qufu, Lu Yuan calmly delivered his final announcement.

Although Qufu is the ancestral home of the Kong family, there is no distinction between the inner and outer city of Qufu, which is very troublesome. Lu Yuan has no way to distinguish the Kong family members from others.

In order to avoid harming innocent people, Lu Yuan gave the people of Qufu City one hour. If they had not left Qufu City after one hour, then they should not blame Lu Yuan for being ruthless.

I've already given you a chance to live. If you don't leave, then it's none of my business.

……

Did something just fly by?
Lu Yuan realized this too late.

……

"Holy crap, Lu Yuan really came. The forum guys were right, Lu Yuan is a vengeful guy, and he really did come to block the Kong family's spring."

"Brother, shall we leave? If we don't leave now, we'll never get out. With Lu Yuan's destructive power, he could blow Qufu up with one punch."

"Leave? Leave my ass! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Have you all forgotten about that martial arts technique worth fifty million?"

"If they can take advantage of the Yan family's misfortune, we can take advantage of the Kong family's misfortune too."

"Lu Yuan's attack on the Kong family is the perfect opportunity for us to fish in troubled waters. We'll sneak in during the chaos and loot the place. Dying will only reduce our level, but if we succeed, we'll all be financially independent. Just think, a local-level martial arts manual sells for 50 million. If we find a heaven-level martial arts manual, we'll ascend to immortality immediately."

"Going all in is a kind of wisdom, we go all in."

"Later, we'll hand over all the equipment and money to the third brother. He'll take them away from Qufu and find a quiet place to hide. We'll sneak in and loot while things are in disarray. Once we've sold anything, we'll trade it to the third brother. Even if we die, we'll still make a profit."

"Brothers, think about it, fifty million! This job is definitely doable."

Most of the players in Qufu have safely evacuated, while a small number have already decided what they will rob later.

Anyway, the Kong family will be expelled from the register soon, so no one will hold them accountable afterwards.

Why wouldn't they make such a worry-free and highly profitable deal?
People are not rich without windfall, and horses are neither night nor fat.

Let's do it, brothers.

……

Qufu City.

"Hey, hey, hey, you guys, aren't you leaving yet? Hurry up and leave. Lu Yuan isn't joking. If you don't leave now, you're not leaving at all."

As a player was carrying a bag of luggage and preparing to leave, he saw his neighbors, who seemed to have no intention of leaving. They were sitting together, staring blankly at Lu Yuan in the sky.

He would also offer his comments from time to time.

The player had a good relationship with this NPC neighbor, and they had been getting along for almost a year. After thinking about it, the player still reminded them.

"Leave? Why would you leave?"

"This is our home, why should we leave?"

The neighbor's child looked blank, with a hint of innocence in his eyes.

"That's right, Little Egg. The conflicts in the martial arts world have nothing to do with us ordinary folks. How could their fighting affect the whole city? It's not that exaggerated."

The neighbor's man said with a smile.

"Old Li, I'm not trying to scare you, but this could really affect the whole city. You'll all die if you don't leave."

The players had no choice but to explain to them just how terrifying Lu Yuan's combat power was. The neighbors' expressions changed immediately after hearing this.

"He could blow a mountain away with one punch?"

"Little Egg, you're not kidding, are you? You can't joke like that."

The man next door was trembling slightly in the calves.

"Why would I lie to you?"

"I've known you for almost a year, don't you know what kind of person I am?"

"I, an immortal and indestructible superhuman, am running away, and you still think it's a joke?"

"Old Li, look at them, they've run away too. If you don't run, you're just waiting to die."

"He can not only blast a mountain down with one punch, but not long ago he also blasted down a city, Lanling City. You've heard of it, right? The Yan family of Lanling City, also one of the Four Saints families, offended him and was blasted down by him with one punch. Only a big crater remains in the inner city of Lanling City. If you don't believe me, go ask Old Zhang. Old Zhang is a storyteller, and he knows a lot about things in the martial arts world."

The player was quite helpless. He had already said what he needed to say, and whether the Li family left or not was their own business.

"what?"

"Can even a saintly family be destroyed? Who is he, and how can he be so ruthless?"

Old Li was so scared that he wet his pants and sat down on the ground with a thud.

"Him? He has a very prestigious title: Blood-Handed Butcher Lu the Demon Lord. Have you heard of him?"

"No, but this title must belong to a demon. Never mind, let's go."

"Survival is the most important thing."

The neighboring family didn't dare to linger either. They packed some belongings and fled the city with their bags.

Most ordinary people didn't have anything valuable at home; one bag was enough for each person to carry. The only ones with more wealth were the rich families in the city, but they had horse-drawn carriages, and an hour was enough for them to travel.

……

yamen.

"Master, inform the officials to leave immediately."

"We can't stay in Qufu any longer. If we don't leave, we'll all die."

The prefect of Qufu, looking anxious, ordered his men to leave immediately.

His ability to become the prefect of Qufu suggests that his relationship with the Kong family was certainly extraordinary.

He himself was a student of the Confucius family. Not only him, but his father, his sons, and his grandsons were also students of the Confucius family.

To outsiders, the prefect of Qufu was a staunch follower of the Confucius family, but in reality, that was not the case.

When the Kong family was at its peak, he was naturally the most loyal dog of the Kong family.

But at this moment, the Kong family is about to perish. If he doesn't run away, does he really intend to live and die with the Kong family?

He is not stupid.

Even husband and wife will flee for their lives when disaster strikes, let alone him, who is just a dog of the Kong family.

"Sir, the Kong family..."

"What Kong family? From now on, there is no Kong family. I don't want to die with the Kong family."

"Let's go."

……

the Kongs.

"You bastard, what does Lu Yuan mean by this?"

"He dares to come and exterminate my entire Kong family?"

"If he touches me even once, I will make sure he is infamous for eternity and is insulted by students all over the world."

The elder of the Kong family pointed at Lu Yuan in the sky and angrily rebuked him.

He never imagined that his Kong family would one day be threatened with extermination.

That's incredibly arrogant.

Who are they?

They are the Confucius family, a family with a history spanning thousands of years.

Their ancestors were the founders of the Confucian and Taoist systems, immortals who ascended to heaven. What is Lu Yuan? He is just an ordinary mortal who cannot cultivate. He only relies on some divine power and dares to utter arrogant words about wiping out his entire Kong family.

Too arrogant.

"Second Elder, why doesn't he dare? He has already wiped out the Yan clan, what's one more Kong clan?"

"To be infamous for eternity? Do you think he cares?"

"When he destroyed the Yan clan, did he care about anything?"

The Third Elder poured cold water down the road.

"Stop arguing, now is not the time for infighting."

"Since Lu Yuan has come knocking on our door, it means that Brother Lan may have met with some misfortune."

"We should now gather the clan members and the Confucian scholars in the city to unite our strength against Lu Yuan."

The Fourth Elder mentioned the First Elder, Kong Que Lan Rende Gong, and said that the conspiracy against Lu Yuan was a joint discussion within the Kong family because Lu Yuan's existence threatened their family's position.

Because the Yan family was destroyed, a division arose within the Confucian school. The two remaining followers harbored rebellious intentions, and the Kong family, in order to restore their prestige, plotted a conspiracy against Lu Yuan.

They thought the current crown prince was brainless.

They planned to provoke conflict between Lu Yuan and the imperial court, and make the court their pawn.

But to everyone's surprise, the reckless crown prince suddenly became clever. He didn't take the bait, and the court pretended not to see it. The conflict didn't involve the court, but instead, he suffered the consequences.

Lu Yuan himself disregarded the rules and went straight to the ancestral land of the Kong family.

Based on their understanding of Lu Yuan, the Grand Elder Kong Que Lan had probably already met with misfortune.

"Can the combined strength of everyone be enough to fight against Lu Yuan?"

"If we had the Sacred Ruler, we might still have a chance to survive, but the Sacred Ruler is gone. Patriarch, can you explain what happened to the Sacred Ruler?"

The Third Elder stared at the Duke of Yansheng, his tone hostile.

How could the family's most treasured possession have disappeared?

And three of them disappeared all at once?
As the head of the family and the only eyewitness, the Duke Yansheng needs to give an explanation to the many elders.

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?"

"Is the fate of the Holy Ruler something I can control?"

"You suspect I stole it?"

"Are you out of your mind? Do you think I can get close to the Holy Ruler and touch it?"

The Duke Yansheng was furious.

He glared fiercely at the Third Elder.

The other elders nodded unconsciously upon hearing the Duke Yansheng's response; the Duke Yansheng's explanation was correct.

"Notify the family members to gather the students in the city and prepare for battle."

The Duke Yansheng carried Confucius's clogs as he went out.

He raised his head and looked at Lu Yuan, ready to fight him to the death.

Today, either Lu Yuan dies, or the Kong family perishes.

……

"All members of the Kong family should go to the ancestral hall."

“Bring the Analects with you.”

The city of Qufu below suddenly became lively.

Disciples of the Kong family, dressed in white robes and carrying books, hurried towards the Kong family residence throughout the city.

This stands in stark contrast to the civilians fleeing on the road.

Lu Yuan knew that the Kong family was gathering their strength, but he did not stop them. He simply waited quietly for the time to come.

……

(End of this chapter)