by A P Gore
He couldn’t trust this stepbrother of his, for sure.
“It was a gift given by our father, and he used it for a hundred years at least, and now I’m passing it on to you. I hope we will meet soon. One more thing, don’t use this before Houtian Realm or it might be perilous to you.”
“Damn you, bastard.” Wei couldn’t resist cursing. This stepbrother of his was a real jerk, and if his father had passed it on to him, then his father was a jerk too. If he ever met him, Wei would blast his ass with some explosives.
System: Usage information received.
Primordial Blood Palace
Bound to host.
Can inject a wisp of qi to increase host’s cultivation temporarily by using the blood stored in it.
Current fill: 10%
What the heck was this system? It had once again shocked him to his core. It seemed this pendant was something special. This had to be a Heaven Grade artifact. Otherwise, how could it behave like this?
And the most shocking thing? After losing gallons of blood, he’d only filled 10% of this Primordial Blood Palace. If it hadn’t stopped of its own accord, how much would it need to take from him?
A thin film of cold sweat formed over his neck. He had survived by a fluke. What if it didn’t stop sucking blood from him next time?
No, he shouldn’t use this thing unless he reached a higher cultivation level.
Putting it in his pouch, he raised his gaze to the old man.
“Old man, is my real father alive?”
After a long sigh, the old man shook his head in disdain. “I don’t know. I’ve never met him. Min’er came back when she was pregnant with you, and then one day your stepbrother came and gave me this pendant. Only Min’er knew if he was alive or not.”
Wei bit his lip until it bled. After all, his father was a jerk who’d run away and left his pregnant wife.
But why did he send Wei’s stepbrother to check on a dumped woman? And why did his stepbrother agree? Even leaving this pendant behind made little sense. In his previous life, he’d never gotten to hear this side of the story. He’d just thought his mother had died, and his real father had died before he was born.
But the truth was something else, and he thanked heaven for giving him a second chance to know this truth.
This also made one thing clear in his heart: If he ever met his father in the future, he might even beat that jerk. Who cared if that man was his father? Wei hated him for leaving them behind. Why couldn’t he take him and his mother with him? If he had used this pendant for a hundred years, that meant he had at least reached Xiantian Realm. If he was in Xiantian Realm, who could threaten him in the Martial World? Xiantian Realm experts were overlords of the Martial Realm, and nobody provoked them.
Then why?
“Brat. Don’t ask any more about your parents. I know nothing else. Take this and step away from the Li clan, else you might die here.” The old man pulled a yellow paper out of his robe and handed it to him. “At first, I wasn’t worried about you because you couldn’t cultivate, and if things got hard, you could leave unharmed. But you have stepped onto the path of cultivation, so this is my last option to save your life.”
Wei stared at the yellow paper in his hand and couldn’t control his shock. This was an Overwhelming Shield Talisman. A high-tier Silver Grade talisman that could take ten attacks from a Bone Baptization Realm cultivator.
How could the old man hand it over to him like that? And if he was giving him this talisman, that meant he was sure of the Li clan’s destruction. Did he already know about the Du clan’s Bone Baptization Realm elder? No, it couldn’t be. The Du clan had hidden it from everyone.
Then what the fuck was happening outside?
Chapter 52 Du clan barge in
Li Tang brushed his fingers over the white ceramic cup’s rim, experiencing the sharp feeling it produced in his heart. It was filled with Warm Fragrance Tea and mixed with Blood Nourishing Powder to ease the pain in his body. Warm Fragrance Tea had a tranquil and warm feeling, but mixing Blood Nourishing Powder dampened its fragrance by a tad, and that irritated him.
But he had no other choice. He had given up on that choice years back.
Back when he ate that poisonous One Path Fruit, he knew this would happen, but for his own bright future, he had to eat it and step into Foundation Realm. It had advanced him in Foundation Realm in one go, but also reduced his lifespan by half and left him with this blood poison flaring up now and then.
There was only one solution to it, and that was to step into Bone Baptization Realm before age thirty. It wouldn’t give him back his lifespan, but once he stepped into Bone Baptization Realm, his lifespan would increase to two hundred years, giving him a few more years to reach the next realm even if it was cut in half.
His face darkened when someone banged on his private room’s wooden door as if someone would die if he won’t open the door quickly.
“Who dares to disturb my cultivation?” he roared. The calming tea had a sweet and tranquil aroma as well as a nourishing effect on one’s comprehension ability. He had to settle his mind before eating a Body Refirming Pill. If he ate it while angry, the effect might not be as efficient as it would be when taken with a calm mind.
With a long stride, he opened the door and struck with his palm when he spotted a servant standing outside. His palm swooshed through the air and hit the servant’s face and sent him flying backward.
“Impudent whelp. Are you tired of living?”
“Young master Tang, please forgive this insolent lowly servant, but you have to come outside else the matter will get out of hand.”
“What’s going on?” Li Tang asked, suppressing anger in his heart. He was already pissed off because of that puny bastard Li Wei, and now someone dared to disturb his cultivation. It was like no one in Old Martial City took him seriously. He should put everyone through a tough training regime so they would learn some discipline. Especially that Li Wei. He must die.
“Reporting to young master, the Du clan’s city head is standing outside of the clan compound and beating our guards.”
Li Tang furrowed his brow. Had Du Lufang gone crazy? Or did he not know his father, Li Shua, was in town? How could a mere layer four Foundation Realm ant dare to cause trouble in the Li clan compound and beat their guards? Of course, he wasn’t worried about the Li clan guards—he would often beat them himself—but someone else beating them was like not putting the Li clan in their eyes. It was a slap in the face. How could Li Tang take it lightly?
Without issuing any punishment for the impudent servant, he dashed out to the front area of the Li clan compound. It seemed he needed to teach Du Lufang a lesson today. Although the Li clan couldn’t go against the Du clan wholly, beating a mere city head of the Du clan wouldn’t bring any trouble. Then again, Du Lufang had struck first, so it should be okay if he taught Du Lufang a heavy lesson.
And once they received support from Divine Fragrance Palace, why would he fear the Du clan? Heck, he wouldn’t even fear the Wang clan—the Du clan’s ally by marriage.
When he reached the main area, he saw that Du Lufang had knocked two of their Refinement Realm guards unconscious. He was even daring enough to hit a Li clan elder that had come with them to Old Martial City, and that elder was in layer two of Foundation Realm.
“Du Lufang, you’re crossing the line,” Li Tang shouted, rage bursting through his roar.
“Li Tang, call your father. I don’t talk with minor characters.” Du Lufang snickered and continued hitting their guard.
“Du Lufang, if you don’t stop and give me a proper explanation, don’t blame me for being merciless.” Li Tang pulled his sword out. If it came to the blows, he wasn’t afraid of Du Lufang. With his cultivation realm and advancement of sword martial skills, he could suppress Du Lufang.
“Li Tang. It seems I have to teach you a lesson first before your coward patriarch will come out.”
Li Tang’s nerves on his neck popped out, and
he charged forward with his sword raised in the air. “Earthly Sword Strike.” It was an exclusive skill cultivated in the Li clan, and he had reached level three of the same, overshadowing his peers. One time he had fought two layer-four Foundation Realm cultivators simultaneously and the fight had ended in a draw. In front of him, a single layer four Refinement Realm cultivator was like an ant.
“Overbearing Boulder Sword.” Du Lufang brandished his sword and swung it upward. Like the Li clan, the Du clan too practiced the sword, and they were famous for this Overbearing Boulder Sword. It was a high-tier Silver Grade martial skill and had greater might than the Li clan’s Earthly Sword Strike, but it couldn’t surpass cultivation layers and beat someone. So, Li Tang wasn’t worried about this overbearing skill.
“Suppress him!” Li Tang roared as his sword bore down on Du Lufang.
However, contrary to his expectation, Li Tang’s sword strike didn’t suppress Du Lufang. Instead, Li Tang felt like his joint in shoulder was crushed when their swords met.
Sparks flew and Li Tang’s sword flew back. The pressure Du Lufang executed was much higher than Li Tang’s sword strike.
“No way.” Li Tang shook his right hand, trying to shake sudden numbness in his arm. “You’ve reached layer five of Foundation Realm. Impossible.”
Du Lufang let a smug smile cover his whole face. “Call Li Shua out, else your whole clan will be in trouble today.”
Li Tang gritted his teeth. This was inconceivable. With layer five cultivation, Du Lufang could suppress the Li Clan’s Old Martial City branch easily and they might have to swallow their pride.
But would that happen? With Li Tang reaching layer nine Foundation Realm, even if Du clan’s patriarch came, he wouldn’t have to worry too much about it.
“Du Lufang, don’t be arrogant with just layer five Foundation Realm powers. My father has already reached layer seven in Foundation Realm. Once he takes action, you’ll be reduced to a mere ant.” A small smile crept on his lips. For now, he would let his father take charge, and once he reached layer seven with the pills he had, he would take the remaining two Foundation Refirming pills and reach layer nine himself. Then he wouldn’t have to worry about small fries like Du Lufang.
“Let him come too. I’ll crush him today and even crush your ancestor if he dares to come out.”
Li Tang frowned. What gave Du Lufang such assurance to call out their ancestor? The ancestor was a figure in layer eight of Foundation Realm who always remained in seclusion in their main city. But this time he had come out because of the Earthly Fruit Tree matters.
“Who in the Du clan juniors is pretentious enough to curse this ancestor? Even your patriarch doesn’t dare to raise his voice in front of me.” A powerful voice reverberated in the surroundings, and the Li clan’s ancestor, Li Tim, stepped out of the clan compound.
“Senior Li Tim. Today is the day you die.” Du Lufang chuckled. “Brother Tian Wu, how much longer are you going to hide behind the trees?”
Li Tang felt his heart quiver when ten people belonging to the Tian and Du clans stepped out of the woods. It seemed like this was going to be a tough fight.
Chapter 53 Tier 4 clan?
Li Wei and Li Shua were on their way back from the herb garden when a servant came running for Li Shua. A little cloud of dust rose around his feet as he halted abruptly a few feet away from them. Sweat poured down his face and merged with blood leaking from a sharp wound on his chin. Disheveled, he looked like he’d run a mile or two.
Wei licked his parched lips and wondered about the reason behind the servant’s poor condition. Had someone beaten him up? Internal fighting?
No, he smelled trouble. It couldn’t be internal fighting, as that would invite the wrath of the old man. He was quite particular about internal fighting.
“Patriarch, forgive this lowly servant for talking without asking, but the Du and Tian clans are causing trouble at the main gate and even the ancestor has emerged from his seclusion,” he sputtered in one breath.
Wei frowned. Was this the same trouble the old man mentioned before they left the herb ground?
“Ancestor Uncle Tim took action?” The old man’s body trembled. “Wei’er. Go back and leave through the back of the mountain and head toward Fragrance Herb City.” He sounded resolute and firm.
Wei understood the meaning behind the old man’s words. This was indeed the trouble he’d spoken about.
“Old man. What’s the highest level of cultivation in the Du clan’s local branch?”
“Layer four Foundation Realm,” the old man replied with wide eyes. “Brat, I ordered you to go. You’ve just stepped into Refinement Realm, and in an expert’s eye you can’t even compare to an ant. Do you not get it? If you die here, what will I say to Min’er when I meet her again?”
Wei was touched. This old man’s behavior contradicted the impression Wei had held in his heart for him. In one day, it had gone from bitter stinky jerk elder to someone who was a bit warm in nature. Earlier, this man had given him a treasure (or trap) that his stepbrother had left, and then the old man even gave him a Silver Grade talisman that could save his life once.
Didn’t this convey warmth from the old man’s heart?
Maybe the old man wasn’t as bad as Wei had thought. Now he wondered how many things he’d missed in his previous life due to running away from his clan. After he left, the Li clan had vanished from the Mortal Realm, stripping his chance to know the other side of his family.
Of course, Wei hated Li Tang, and he must die, but that didn’t mean Wei should let the whole Li clan vanish from the Mortal Realm. At least not when the opponent was merely in Foundation Realm. Although he himself was just in Refinement Realm, how much time would it take him to step into Foundation Realm with his body cultivation? When he’d dealt with Li Sua, his stepfather, he’d failed, but that was because of his lack of vitality and cultivation. He’d inherited this body in the lowest possible condition and couldn’t even cultivate a strand of qi. How was he supposed to go against a Foundation Realm cultivator at that time?
“Grandfather, you are right. I’ll head back and run away with Fei’er. You should stabilize the situation outside first.” He had decided to call the old man grandfather going forward. He’d earned his respect.
Disappointment flashed through his grandfather’s eyes before he nodded and rushed toward the main gate.
Wei waited and observed his grandfather’s old back and wondered if he could hold back the calamity with his own hands. His grandfather had stepped into layer eight of qi Foundation Realm, and ancestor Li Tim should also be in the eighth layer of qi Foundation Realm, but as per information he’d gathered in his previous life, one of the Du clan’s elders in Bone Baptization Realm had obliterated the whole Li clan in one go.
“Hmm. It means they are hiding behind the veil.” Currently everyone thought that the Du clan only had their ancestor in layer nine of qi Foundation Realm, that they were a Tier 5 clan. But with a Bone Baptization Realm elder in their ranks, they would qualify to be a Tier 4 clan. And there was a big chance that their ancestor had also stepped into Bone Baptization Realm. If the Li clan knew this, how would they fall so suddenly?
The State of Zin was divided into four provinces, and Old Martial City was in the North Province. The power level in the North Province was quite low. It was divided into clan territory. Sects had their own power system, and they didn’t fall under imperial influence, but they also disdained partaking in normal people’s affair, so unless one provoked them, they wouldn’t take part in worldly affairs.
All the clans in the State of Zin were divided into a tier system ranging from Tier 1 to Tier 5. North Province only had Tier 4 and Tier 5 clans. It was a simple system. If a clan only had Foundation Realm cultivators, they were a Tier 5 clan. A Bone Baptization Realm cultivator would qualify them for Tier 4, and so on. Currently, only the Wang and Fu clans were considered Tier 4 as they had Bone Baptization Realm cultivators in their rank.
But he didn’t get two things. First, why did Du clan hide their achievements? Advancing one tier would bring them more benefits and improve their standing in the province. Second, if they had a reason to hide their powers, why would they reveal them now?
What kind of treasure did the Li clan possess for them to reveal the powers they’d concealed for so long?
Chapter 54 Essence Burning Pill
Li Wei moved through the thick forest adjacent to the compound. He jumped through an unguarded area and then headed toward the main gate under the veil of thick trees. His divine sense spread out in every direction, detecting every change in his surroundings. Be it a withered leaf falling to the forest floor, a rat digging in the black soil, or bees humming around a Blue Dragon Flower, everything was recorded in his mind.
When his divine sense detected a person, he stopped and hid behind a tree and watched the action unfolding nearby. There were two parties in confrontation. One was a group of Li clan people standing in front of the main gate. Their eyes were full of rage, ready to devour anything that came at them. Opposite them were ten Du and Tian clan people forming an impenetrable line in front of the main gate. With his divine sense, he instantly sensed their cultivation realms. Du Lufang was in layer six of qi Foundation Realm, while Tian Wu was in layer eight of qi Foundation Realm, and all the others behind them ranged from layer two to layer four of qi Foundation Realm. Comparing their overall strength, the Li clan were not outmatched. Li Tang was in layer five, Li Shua was in layer eight, and Li Tim was also in layer eight of qi Foundation Realm. There were two other elders present from the Li clan as well who had reached layer four of qi Foundation Realm.
The Li clan’s combined strength surpassed that of the Du and Tian clans’ party. But where was the Bone Baptization Realm cultivator? If they had a Bone Baptization Realm cultivator with them, as they’d had in the version of the conflict Wei had learned of in his past life, the Li clan wouldn’t survive.