Through many winding twists and turns, this person came to the Wu Clan’s premises through some concealed passageways. Afterwards, he walked through a secret tunnel, and arrived directly inside a courtyard.
Within this courtyard, a young man was sitting cross-legged under a tree. He was in the middle of operating an inner cultivation method to advance his realm. His strength was just at the low Atomic Realm. As a martial artist, he was merely somewhat stronger than a peak Immortal Realm powerhouse. However, he was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. While he couldn’t compare to some prodigies, he was regarded as an exceptional genius. His foundations and strength were both robust.
Inside a residence on the other side of the courtyard was a giant, ancient cauldron. There was another young man, a pharmacist who was around twenty years old, who was fully concentrated on refining pills. He wasn’t paying attention to anything else.
The appearances of the two young men shared five or six points of similarity. They were a pair of brothers.
The new arrival emerged from behind the rock garden, and headed straight to the young man under the tree. He bowed and saluted: “Fourth young master, this subordinate has something to report.”
The young man under the tree opened his eyes, and the lightning within was put away. After that, his face revealed an indifferent, smiling expression: “Oh? What happened? Xiao Qi, you rarely contact me. Unless you’ve encountered a big problem that requires my consideration… Since you’ve come now, does the information in your report have anything to do with the Hu Clan?”
Xiao Qi nodded his head, and said: “Does the fourth young master still remember the matter of when the third young master lost a few days ago?”
Fourth Young Master Wu slightly nodded: “Third brother is one year older than me, and he handles matters comprehensively. However, his failure this time shocked me. It seems to be related to that person who was picked up by Hu Chang’an?”
Xiao Qi said: “The news precisely concerns that teenaged pharmacist.”
Fourth Young Master Wu’s interest was piqued.
Xiao Qi continued: “The fourth young master has always known that this subordinate has been hiding there for a long time. Normally, I’m considered well-behaved. And after close to two years, I was finally approved to act as an information broker. My cautious and conscientious behavior was regarded as trustworthy. Today, this subordinate was on duty when I chanced upon someone who came to buy information. His features were strange, and it looked like he was from the mouse race. His purpose for coming here was to ask around about that teenaged pharmacist’s appearance. After that, he even took out a portrait for this subordinate to identify…
“Looking at his style, it doesn’t seem like he wants to harm that teenaged pharmacist. On the contrary, that teenaged pharmacist is valued greatly…”
Fourth Young Master Wu suddenly pondered: “Although the mouse race is shrewd and evasive, they aren’t cunning enough in the end. You were able to notice clues this time, but you have to be more careful when informing me. Otherwise, your current boss will find out, and I’m afraid that you’ll be met with a tribulation.”
Xiao Qi hurriedly spoke: “This subordinate was hiding in that place precisely to provide the young master with some conveniences. If I have truly been detected, then this subordinate shall find his own way out.”
Fourth Young Master Wu slightly nodded. Then, he said: “The power of the mouse race is weak, and they often act as someone’s servile race. We only don’t know whether the master, whom this mouse race serves, is a party’s powerhouse or an authority of days to come?”
He thought deeply for a short period: “Later on, this matter will be entrusted to you, Xiao Qi. From now on, you must pay attention to that mouse race member’s whereabouts. Once anything peculiar happens, you must inform me as soon as possible. If… This possibly may be of great use to our Wu Clan. It’s not clear yet.”
Naturally, Xiao Qi nodded his head right away. Immediately following which, he walked to the secret passage, and departed in a hurry.
After Xiao Qi’s figure disappeared, Fourth Young Master Wu’s eyes flickered with a strange sheen.
When all was said and done, it was still unknown whether this was an opportunity or a vain hope&#k2026;
Gongyi Tianheng sat upright in the center of a blood pond. His body was soaked in the dense bloody qi, and every pore on his body was frantically absorbing the pond’s qi. These streams of bloody qi were continuously circulated through his meridians until finally rushing into a set of bone pearls, which dyed their surfaces darker shades of red little by little.
That set of bone pearls had once passed through the Beast Blood Body Tempering in Qingyun Sect, and now were absorbing countless strands of bloody qi. This made it seem like the surface of Tianheng’s entire body was engulfed in a blood fog, obscuring his handsome complexion. Unlike his usual grace and poise, threads of malicious intent saturated the corners of his eyes and the tips of his brows.
However, if someone carefully looked at the same pair of Tianheng’s tempered, blood-red eyes, they wouldn’t think the same anymore. This was because the pupils carried a hidden and restrained bloodlust, but it couldn’t be considered malevolent at all.
The blood ponds of the Blood Transformation Palace Hall couldn’t be enjoyed by non-prodigies, nor by powerhouses who had made insufficient contributions or whose strengths were above the Celestial Realm. Its refinement wasn’t easy to accomplish. Accumulated inside each blood pond was the purified blood of countless wild beasts — It wasn’t their extremely rare blood essence. Rather, it was refined through the use of fresh blood and accompanied by numerous body-tempering medicinal ingredients. It contained an untold number of natural resources and exotic energies. It was incredibly mouth watering.
What Tianheng possessed was a blood pond suitable for a Celestial Realm — Even though he was only at peak Xiantian.
Of course, this was a resource that he ought to have as an all-star prodigy. If his physical body was no good and his willpower wasn’t tough enough, then there was a chance that his body wouldn’t be able to accept the tempering of this blood pond. He would’ve had no other choice but to operate an inner cultivation method in the vicinity of the blood pond, absorbing and consolidating the overflow of bloody qi. But this never happened. On the contrary, he sat in the center of the blood pond, and madly absorbed everything with a serene expression!
If this kind of capability was witnessed by other people, they wouldn’t be able to help praising: He deserved to be called an all-star prodigy!
Tianheng still continued to swallow the bloody qi, but it seemed like the source of the blood pond was unending. It didn’t appear to decrease in the least. Afterwards, once he used up this blood pond, so long as he could prove that his strength was constantly improving, someone would refill the blood and medicine inside the pond. His cultivation wouldn’t be squandered.
How could such benefits be compared to that of unimportant disciples?
Tianheng’s conscious decision to come to the Blood Transformation Palace Hall was the correct choice. It allowed him to use this kind of blood pond for cultivation, and it allowed his foundations to solidify even further.
The thoughts in his mind moved. In the blink of an eye, he sank once more into the pleasures of cultivation.
Suddenly, the sounds of movement could be heard outside.
After passing through a special channel, the voice of someone calling from outside echoed into the cave. Tianheng abruptly opened his eyes, and woke up from that state of frenzied cultivation.
Tianheng’s mind moved slightly, and he ordered the person to enter.
The ones who came in were a member of the mouse race and…several mice.
The mice stood on their hind legs atop this person’s shoulders, and were incessantly squeaking as they communicated something.
That mouse race member lifted his eyes, and saw the spectacle of Tianheng soaking in the blood pond. His eyes immediately flickered with a hint of reverence.
Their mouse race had been serving Ten Ultimates Sect for generations, so they also knew a few things about the legends of the blood ponds… Soon after, his bearing became even more deferential, and he swiftly reported: “Young master, traces of that honorable teenager thou painted have already been scouted out.”
Just as his voice fell, he detected the sweet stench of bloody qi wafting over. That handsome young man, who was originally immersed within the blood pond, had already appeared right in front of him at this very moment!
That handsome young man wasn’t stained with a speck of blood. His entire body was just like before he had gone in — He was completely spotless. However, with this mouse race member’s power of observation, he discovered that his master’s qi emissions had undergone some changes. It appeared that he was a little impatient?
The mouse race member promptly restrained the conjectures in his heart, and quickly relayed the matters he knew of: “These little ones have just returned with a letter. It says that after Shu Xin went to Hunyun City, he inadvertently found that someone was seeking news about thee as well as thy portrait. Shu Xin felt that the situation was strange, and traced things back. Then, he found the source of that information. Soon after, Shu Xin brought the portrait thou painted for people to recognize. And sure enough, he determined the whereabouts of the person in that painting.”
Tianheng demanded: “Where is he?”
The mouse race fellow hung his head, and said: “Ranked below Hunyun City, there is the iron-ranked Xuanwu City. The ones in charge are the Hu Clan, and the eldest son of the direct line is Hu Chang’an. A few days ago, he brought back a teenaged pharmacist. This is exactly the person in the painting.”
Soon, there was a measured silence.
But after a few breaths of time, Tianheng opened his mouth again: “Make an inventory of my staffing. Within two hours, follow me to Xuanwu City. Also, send someone to inform my master about my departure. Just say that I’ll be back in a few days.”
The mouse race member’s heart shivered. He had reconfirmed that the painted individual held an extremely important position in the master’s heart. Then, he didn’t dare to neglect anything. He immediately went to search for his race’s elders to take stock of the remaining manpower among the servile races and battle slaves. After leaving enough candidates to handle the affairs within the sect, everyone else assembled together.
Tianheng saw that the actions of the numerous servile races were quite swift and efficient.
Subsequently, his line of sight fell towards a certain direction. He opened his mouth and spoke: “Move out.”
The crowds of servile races assented, bringing along many wild beasts, chariots, and other things. The group departed in a grandiose manner.
Ten Ultimates Sect’s prodigy went out on a journey. Naturally, there was a certain amount of majesty.
Although Gongyi Tianheng’s realm was inferior to that of his servile races, his identity and position were extremely high throughout the entire sect. As such, within all regions under the jurisdiction of Ten Ultimates Sect, his standards were also out of the ordinary.
To put it simply, if Ten Ultimates Sect was this territory’s emperor, then its prodigies were princes. As for Tianheng, the all-star prodigy, if he made rapid progress later on, then he would almost be a crown prince-like existence.
— Of course, he was still only a “prince” who was greatly valued right now.
During the journey, they passed through many bronze and iron-ranked cities. Each city left their gates wide open for him. The flag, which bore the symbol of Ten Ultimates Sect’s Blood Transformation Palace Hall, was flown freely. No one dared to obstruct his chariots, and they passed through each city with the fastest speeds.
The highest organizations and city lords within these cities usually took the initiative to ask for an audience, but Tianheng would only say that he had an urgent matter to settle. He would instruct a subordinated Atomic Realm battle slave to tactfully decline their offers, and the chariots would swiftly leave. They hastened their journey, and practically travelled nonstop.
Not long after, they came to Hunyun City. After commanding a sighthound battle slave to make discreet inquiries, he confirmed that the information Shu Xin brought back didn’t have a single error. He left immediately, and proceeded towards Xuanwu City.
Xuanwu City couldn’t be compared to Ten Ultimates Sect. But because this was a city controlled by pharmacists, there were particular areas that appeared somewhat refined.
On this day, the road in front of the city gates began to tremble. No less than a hundred wild beasts carried armor-wearing battle slaves of different races. And set upon the back of the most ferocious and tallest wild beast was a small and mighty palace hall. The building’s four sides were an open fretwork, and the massive, muslin curtains fluttered against the wild beast’s tyrannical breathing.
Faintly revealed within was a respectable silhouette.
At the entrance of the city gates, the soldiers on guard saw this huge procession, and couldn’t help their astonishment.
T/N: Thanks for the corrections, Charysa.
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