The Supreme Elder's eyes widened in stunned disbelief as the massive furnace construct materialized, engulfing both him and Yang Khan within its ravenous maw.
"Gu Changgee...you treacherous cur!" the Elder roared, his booming voice laced with fury and betrayal.
"How dare you turn against the Gu Clan like this!"
Gu Changgee merely smirked, his eyes glinting with cold calculation. "Ah, dear Supreme Elder, your sense of righteousness has always been your downfall. You were so focused on eliminating the 'threat' posed by Yang Khan that you failed to see the true danger that was you... And nope! I didn't turn against Gu clan, "
He paced around the struggling forms of the Elder and Yang Khan, who were trapped within the furnace's scorching confines. "You were a useful pawn, no doubt. But most of the times pawns need to be sacrificed for better play,"
The Elder's titan-like avatar thrashed and roared, but its attacks simply dissipated against the furnace's impenetrable defenses.
"You insolent whelp! The Gu Clan will never forgive this betrayal! You ain't be able to answer Patriarch Gu,"
Gu Changgee tsked, shaking his head in mock pity.
"Oh, but you see, that's where you're wrong. The Patriarch Gu will never know the truth of what transpired here today. I'm afraid your legacy will simply...disappear."
With a casual gesture, he intensified the furnace's infernal flames, eliciting agonized cries from both the Elder and Yang Khan as their cultivation and powers were stripped away.
"You... Arghhh! Mark my words... Hhghhh!"
The Supreme Elder's cries of anguish reverberated through the chamber as the Man-Eating Furnace's voracious flames consumed his power.
Gu Changgee watched with a cold, calculating gaze, his lips curled into a cruel smirk having no sympathy for his elder.
Perhaps if Supreme Elder wasn't a righteous man, he could have moved longer but it is what it is.
"The law of power is clear, Supreme Elder," he murmured, relishing the elder's struggles.
"The strong devour the weak. And in this game, I am the apex predator,"
He turned his attention to the battered form of Yang Khan, who was also trapped within the furnace's relentless grasp.
"And you, Young Master Yang...you showed promise. But alas, your potential is wasted in the face of my ambition."
Gu Changgee's fingers danced through a series of intricate gestures, and the furnace's flames intensified further, eliciting agonized howls from both captives.
Their cultivation, their very life force, was being systematically siphoned away.
"Rest assured, your demise will not be in vain," Gu Changgee continued, his voice dripping with false sympathy. "Your power, your essence... all of it will be mine to wield. A small price to pay for the greatness I shall attain,"
The Supreme Elder, his once-mighty avatar reduced to a mere shadow of its former self, glared at Gu Changgee with unbridled hatred. "You...you will never get away with this, you traitor!"
Gu Changgee held up a hand, silencing the elder with a dismissive gesture. "Ah, ah, ah...I wouldn't be so quick to make threats, if I were you,"
Saying that, Gu Changgee looked at the elders, none tried to save the Supreme Elder as they knew the Elder was holding them back.
"Supreme Elder, you were a good man but that's it... Your good behavior is your downfall, it's time, our Gu Family soar through the sky,"
"We will follow the lead of Gu Changgee, we need a cunning and powerful ruler to lead the family..."
"Sorry Supreme Elder but your presence holds back our desires..."
...
Gu Changgee's lips curled into a triumphant smirk as he surveyed the pitiful forms of the Supreme Elder and Yang Khan trapped within the Man-Eating Furnace.
Their agonized cries had long since faded into hoarse whimpers, their once-formidable powers now but a flickering ember.
All the blood in their body was dried and flesh cooked... One could barely imagine how slowly they were dying.
"How the mighty have fallen," he mused, his voice dripping with cold satisfaction. Like a spider patiently waiting at the center of its web, Gu Changgee had carefully orchestrated this moment, meticulously weaving a tapestry of deceit, and fruit?
It sure be tasty.
His gaze drifted towards the other elders, who stood proud, their expressions a mix of trepidation and begrudging acceptance. "You see, my esteemed brethren, true power is not found in blind adherence to antiquated notions of righteousness. No, it lies in the ability to adapt, to seize opportunity, and to ruthlessly discard that which no longer serves our interests,"
Gu Changgee's fingers drummed against the surface of his jade token, its crimson glow casting an ominous glow over his body.
"The Gu Clan has languished for too long, shackled by the weight of tradition and the whims of weak-willed fools. But now, the time has come to spread our wings and soar to greater heights... The Gu Family will reach new heights..."
He paused, letting his words sink in, like the gentle patter of raindrops before the onset of a raging typhoon. "And I, Gu Changgee, shall be the one to lead us there. For I am the storm that will sweep away the old, the lightning that will illuminate a bold new era for the Gu Clan,"
As he directly absorbs the essence as the furnace is connected to his soul.
The sky turned dark, crackling with electricity.
Zhoom* Zhoom*
One by one, Gu Changgee was struck by nine divine lightning that he took head-on.
Turning his gaze towards the elders, Gu Changgee's eyes gleamed with a predatory intensity.
"You have all borne witness to my ascension. The Supreme Elder's stagnant vision has been purged, and Yang Khan's ambitions have been extinguished. Now, the path lies clear before us,"
He extended a hand, fingers outstretched, as if grasping at the very essence of power itself, the Runes slowing out of his body.
[ Ding, You have absorbed the inheritance of Rune Master from Yang khan ]
The elders shifted uncomfortably, their expressions a mix of trepidation and begrudging awe.
Gu Changgee's grand words were like the distant rumble of thunder, promising a storm of unimaginable magnitude, yet none doubt his words.
———
Unknown figure: well well well, that's some bold words.