Vol. 1 - Ch. 323 - Favoritism

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Ji Yang sighed silently to himself. He had sensed that Chen Xingzhen’s life was gradually waning.

This was the law of heaven and earth, one that not even martial artists could defy.

Before he awoke, Ji Yang had occupied Mister Gu's body to ask Chen Xingzhen if he wanted to break through to the Innate Realm.

But Chen Xingzhen refused.

Truthfully, even with his current abilities, helping a late-stage Blood Coagulation martial artist break through to the Innate Realm was no easy task.

After all, he did not possess the ability to directly make a martial artist break through. Otherwise, the clansmen would not need to cultivate at all. They would simply offer him endless sacrifices, and he would use life force to feed them in return. As long as there were enough ferocious beasts, it would be a perpetual motion machine!

To help Chen Xingzhen break through, Ji Yang would first need to pour vast amounts of life force into him to revive his weakened Qi and Blood. Then, with the aid of clan resources, he could elevate the Qi and Blood and forcefully push Chen Xingzhen into the Innate Realm.

This would undoubtedly be twice the effort for half the result, consuming Ji Yang’s life force to an extreme degree. Yet, if Chen Xingzhen had agreed, Ji Yang would not have refused.

Ji Yang understood Chen Xingzhen’s reasoning as well.

The clan was growing stronger every day, and more and more clansmen were becoming capable of advancing into the Innate Realm. It made no sense to waste excessive resources on him alone.

Ji Yang respected Chen Xingzhen’s decision and promised to continue protecting the clan.

Yet, witnessing a familiar figure whose life would soon wither away inevitably left a trace of sorrow in Ji Yang’s heart.

However, as he looked at the many soul bodies beneath the shade of the Divine Tree joyfully congratulating Chen Tianquan on his breakthrough into the Innate Realm, his sorrow quickly dissipated.

Dead yet not dead...and even stronger than before.

Ji Yang looked at Chen Xingzhen, who still seemed to have some days left. What if I send him on his way? What if I let him come earlier and enter the Innate Realm sooner so he can reunite with his sons and brothers? That would truly be a cause for celebration.

Moreover, after using the divine ability "Branches Flourishing and Leaves Spreading," Ji Yang gained additional harvests.

Namely, he had collected more fragmented soul bodies. Though they were merely branches that had fallen from his body, they still carried the traits of the Netherworld and possessed the ability to absorb surrounding souls.

As Ji Yang’s roots extended outward around Chaotic Burial Mountain, soul bodies could be slowly absorbed. Yet, in Yong’an City, many ancestral tablets held lingering souls. The people of Yong’an seemed to prefer cremation, leaving more souls attached to the memorial tablets in their homes.

Even if his consciousness could not directly reach them, those souls were gradually pulled toward Ji Yang because of his innate traits.

Upon realizing this, Ji Yang prepared to employ the divine ability Branches Flourishing and Leaves Spreading once again, planting new branches in another location.

This would allow him to absorb even more soul bodies. After being guided to transcendence, they would swiftly transform into clan strength.

With the aid of these branches, the departed clansmen's cultivation would likely advance far faster than Ji Yang had imagined, perhaps even surpassing the living's progress.

If Chen Xingzhen were to come now, it would not be a loss. As the Divine Tree, I can afford to show a little favoritism.

Yet, after some thought, Ji Yang abandoned the idea. The clan still needed leaders like Chen Xingzhen—men who could see the big picture.

Yong'an City was under Chen Tianjing's responsibility. As for the Chaotic Burial Mountain, it still required Chen Xingzhen's assistance.

In another two years, Chen Xingzhen should be able to enter his coffin peacefully, with no regrets left behind.

……

Three days later, before dawn:

At one of the clan’s strongholds outside Yong’an City, many clansmen stood guard around the perimeter.

Nearby, several Azure Wolves lounged lazily. Even lying down, their bodies—each more than ten feet tall—were enough to strike fear into ordinary people.

The clan had originally only managed to tame these wolves through persistent effort and compromise.

In recent years, however, the clan had begun to feed them Blood Rice from time to time. No longer needing to hunt daily, the Wolves could simply lie down and be fed food unlike anything they had ever tasted before.

This leisurely life caused them to abandon the pride of the wolf race entirely and turn into loyal followers of the clan instead.

After being nourished with Blood Rice for so long, the Azure Wolves began to change. Their blue fur gradually took on a faint red hue, and their deep eyes gained a trace of blood-colored light. At the same time, their cultivation realms steadily advanced.

When the clan first tamed the Azure Wolves, there were around thirty of them. Now, nearly half have stepped into the Blood Coagulation Realm, and two of the largest, most robust wolves have reached the late stage of that realm.

With another two years of cultivation, they might have the chance to break through to the Innate Realm.

Moreover, under the clan’s care, the wolf pack has continued to grow. In time, they will undoubtedly become formidable supporters of the clan.

In the stronghold, Chen Tianjing and several other clan members were busy tallying the Blood Rice to be sold.

Two days earlier, the Zhao family had agreed to the previously discussed terms. However, they offered only ten Bitter Lotuses in total.

According to the clan’s prior deliberations, one Bitter Lotus could be exchanged for one hundred and twenty catties of Blood Rice and two Blood Rice Fruits. The deeper reason, though, was that the Bitter Lotus was not as potent as the Cui Clan’s White Moon Ant Eggs. For martial artists in the mid-to-late stages of the Innate Realm, its effects were minimal.

In the past, Chen Tianjing would have been dissatisfied with such a small quantity.

Since the Cui family’s trade had already been arranged, Chen Tianjing did not object. Instead, he informed the Zhao family that the clan would deliver the Blood Rice to Yunmeng City in person this time.

The Zhao family was delighted to hear this. After all, sending their own people would have been troublesome, especially since their clan was still in its formative stage, and Yunmeng City required constant attention from its members.

Of course, Chen Tianjing’s decision was made with the Cui clans’s trade in mind. Since both transactions were on the same route, combining them would eliminate the need for two separate journeys and reduce the risk of unforeseen complications.

Soon, the clansmen loaded all the prepared Blood Rice onto the backs of the Azure Wolves.

This time, the total amount of Blood Rice for trade exceeded five thousand catties. If transported by ordinary horses, a caravan of more than twenty steeds would have been required.

But with the clan’s Azure Wolves, only a little over ten were needed. The clan was considerate of the wolves’ well-being; if they were to push the beasts to their limits, only a few would suffice.

The Azure Wolves had become an indispensable part of the clan. To avoid accidents and for the wolves’ own sake, it was necessary to give them some leeway to ensure they could protect themselves while carrying heavy loads.

"Clan Leader, we're ready to depart!"

After preparations were complete, Chen Tianyu, Chen Tianquan, Chen Tianmo, and several other clansmen stepped forward to say goodbye.

This journey was long and arduous and concerned the clan’s future development. They could not afford to be careless.

For this reason, the clan dispatched a truly formidable team. Even Chen Tianquan, who had only recently broken through, was included.

Along with Chen Tianyu, who had already reached the Innate Realm, two Innate Realm martial artists would lead the expedition.

Chen Tianmo, Chen Tianling, and several other mid-to-late Blood Coagulation Realm warriors also accompanied them. Altogether, more than twenty clansmen and over ten Azure Wolves set out.

It was, without question, an impressive lineup that revealed just how important this trade was to the clan.

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