Chapter 98 - 82: Heavenly Upheaval, Earthly Branches Twelve Sects

In the Xu Family Manor.

In an open clearing near the lake, Xu Guang held a Big Spear. His expression was completely unruffled, and his eyes held a hint of emptiness.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.

Xu Guang moved with it. A flurry of spear shadows danced in the air, resembling drifting snow filling the sky—yet it also carried the heavy presence of a mountain.

At a certain point, he abruptly retracted his stance. The boundless spear shadows seemed to converge into one spot. A harsh, cracking sound echoed as the air itself seemed to fracture inch by inch, and the Big Spear came to a sudden halt in midair.

The air seemed to pause for a split second, and the dancing willow catkins slowly drifted to a stop.

Xu Guang opened his eyes, his gaze burning bright. A familiar sensation welled up within him once more, but this time, it was incredibly detailed!

Even without thrusting the Big Spear, it felt as though a massive mountain was descending from the heavens. Though it hadn’t yet landed, billowing clouds of dust were already rising in his mind’s eye.

With one hand gripping the tail of the Big Spear steadily, Xu Guang pushed it forward. His movement was as effortless and calm as a man in his twilight years. Yet the surrounding airflow was whipped up like a raging tide, rapidly crashing outward to both sides. The bare, towering tree nearby had countless branches pressed down by the sheer force.

"Is this the Mastery Realm?" Xu Guang narrowed his eyes, recalling the previous changes. "To think that something as profoundly mysterious as Martial Intent has absolutely nothing to do with Power, but is instead related to... Will."

[Physique: 78.3, Will: 40.1]

After condensing his Martial Intent, his Will Attribute had surpassed 40 points, allowing Xu Guang to finally sense the connection between the two. Sure enough, none of the Attributes displayed by the Searcher were useless, he sighed in marvel to himself.

With his Spear Intent unleashed, Xu Guang could distinctly feel the changes within himself. It was a Realm impossible to describe with words. Whenever he held the Big Spear, it felt like an extension of his own arm, allowing him to maneuver it into performing unimaginably complex attacks.

Just as Xu Guang was preparing to consume another Bright God Pill to push the Golden Willow Step—which was also stuck at a bottleneck—into the Mastery Realm, a burning sensation suddenly flared up in his body. He had experienced this sensation several times before; it was the feeling of a bloodline awakening.

It was Du Fei’s bloodline, one known as Qing Yin. Its specific manifestation allowed him to spray a burst of green mist from his pores. This mist had slight adhesive properties, capable of faintly delaying the attack speed of enemies caught within it while slightly strengthening himself. It wasn’t particularly strong, but its advantage lay in its bizarre nature. It was enough to obscure people’s vision, which would save him quite a bit of flour in the future.

Currently, not only were Xu Guang’s Cultivation Techniques highly varied, but he also possessed several types of Bloodline Power within him: Celestial Eye, Stone Skin, Ghost Hair, Blood of Transformation, Painted Hide, Soul Summoning, and Qing Yin. With a full seven types of Bloodline Power, Xu Guang could sense the limits of his body in certain aspects.

His body might not be able to accommodate an endless number of bloodlines. For example, regarding bloodlines affecting specific body parts: since he already had Stone Skin, he could not take on another skin- or flesh-type bloodline. In other words, they couldn’t be replaced.

Xu Guang felt a bit of regret. However, he wouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and give up on assimilating them entirely. He would just need to carefully screen and select any future Bloodline Power he chose to absorb.

Standing off to the side, Ji Xiaolu gently rubbed her lower abdomen as she watched Xu Guang practice his martial arts, a tranquil smile gracing her face. Just as Xu Guang was about to walk over to his wife, a figure hurried in from outside.

It was Song Tao.

"Lord Ming."

Xu Guang cast an apologetic glance at his wife. Ji Xiaolu pursed her lips into a smile. "Alright, Brother Guang, go on ahead. Oh, by the way, Sister Cheng sent over a Longevity Ginseng yesterday. Come back a little earlier tonight, and we’ll eat it together."

"Alright."

Under Miss Chun’s care, Ji Xiaolu walked toward the distant residence. Only then did Xu Guang turn to look at Song Tao.

"What’s the matter? Why are you in such a rush?"

"A group of underworld merchants just arrived in town. They sell everything. I had someone test the waters using underworld slang, and they made a bold claim that they have Profound Skills suitable only for experts above the Refining Viscera stage. Would that be of any use to you, Lord Ming?" Song Tao spoke in a hushed tone, knowing this matter was of great importance.

Xu Guang narrowed his eyes but did not act impulsively. In at most half a year, the Searcher would yield results. Furthermore, his current Cultivation had not yet reached the Four Visceras Non-stop Realm, meaning he was still a long way from being able to use Profound Skills. There was no need to rush into taking risks.

"Let’s just observe for now. A merchant caravan capable of selling Profound Skills is not to be trifled with."

Song Tao nodded in agreement. "Then I’ll have the brothers keep an eye on them."

"Good."

The current situation was chaotic, but it was precisely during these unstable times that goods transported from afar could fetch higher prices. Greedy opportunists were everywhere. Every so often, Feiyun City would see groups arriving from the heartland of Great Qian, heading toward You and Jing States. Although they didn’t explicitly state their purpose, Xu Guang could faintly discern that their goal was to buy horses!

"Have Du Fei’s funeral arrangements been prepared? Send Hundred Gold on behalf of our Bengzi Camp as condolences. Also, add another Hundred Gold to the wanted bounty posted by the City Guard’s Mansion," Xu Guang said with an expression of utmost sincerity.

Song Tao fell silent, shooting Xu Guang a rather complicated look. He might look naive, but he wasn’t actually stupid. Du Fei had opposed their lord and met a violent end mere days later, disappearing without a trace, dead or alive. Even after the city issued wanted notices, there was still no sign of him. To this day, it was unknown whether the man was dead or alive.

"Yes."

Since that day, Xu Guang once again immersed himself in secluded Cultivation. Aside from his daily interactions with Ji Xiaolu, his only other activities were occasionally checking the accounts at the restaurant and feeding Ghostly Roar.

In the blink of an eye, five months slowly slipped by.

After he tentatively broke down a small portion of the Blood Seal in the Blood Eye and fed it to Ghostly Roar, the changes in the creature’s body became increasingly apparent. A layer of even finer scales began to grow beneath its black scales. It grew rather lethargic all day long, seemingly on the verge of undergoing a transformation.

As for Xu Guang himself, he revealed a look of exhilaration as he felt the Flying Dragon Technique Power that had nearly filled his third viscera, along with the Beidou True Force that now half-filled his fourth viscera.