The crane natans and the green maternal flower were the natural essences of the world gestated over thousands of years, so they contained a lot of spirit and medicinal energies. The older they were, the purer the essences within would be.
Feng Feiyun refined all three items, leaving behind a pinch of powder in his palm. A golden brilliance rushed out of his head, chest, and limbs. Thirty more meridians were opened like thirty yellow bridges connecting to the world.
At this point, he had opened a total of sixty-four meridians. The God Base in his dantian condensed to appear more tangible as spirit energy oozed out of his body. His meridians and veins looked like long and narrow spiritual rivers.
As his cultivation increased by a huge margin, his blood energy became more vigorous as well. Each of his actions issued crackling noises.
“I’m actually thirty percent stronger now. It was just a little level, yet the difference is immense. If I could have those five spirit grasses, then I will be able to open 114 meridians. At that time, I’ll surely be able to fight against a first-level Heaven’s Mandate cultivator.” He had forty divine intents at this moment. Despite only being at grand completion, his battle prowess far exceeded cultivators at the same level.
Even Grand Historical Geniuses might not be his match if their cultivation was the same.
The sky gradually darkened as night finally fell. In the northern suburbs of Radiance was an apricot garden with three hundred years of history. It was once the manor of the Radiance Lord. Since Princess Luofu came to visit, the lord took the initiative to let the princess use it as her temporary abode.
Snow scattered in the sky with the scent of apricots lingering in the air. In these wintry times, most flowers have already withered, leaving behind apricot flowers as red as blood. Their fragrance spread for a thousand miles.
Even though these blossoming apricots might be pretty, they were no match even for the princess’ finger. Their fragrance paled before the sweetness of her hair.
“The princess is quite ambitious, just like Empress Long Jiangling when she was younger. She wants to go on the imperial path by leaving her name on the sacred tablet then removing the crown prince’s position so that she can obtain the throne.” The Tiger Marquis’ eldest son and the third prince of Dashi were standing outside of the Apricot Manor. Both were heroes among the younger generation and ranked within the top fifty of the Pagoda’s Hundreds List. They were heaven-defying with lofty statuses.
Both wore white daoist robes while standing in the snow with spirit energy covering their bodies. Invisible qi images were floating above their heads.
“If the current crown prince, Long Shenya, wasn’t one of the eight Grand Historical Genius, maybe we would be joining the princess. After all, she has condensed the Royal Dragon Energy on top of receiving the seal of Imperial Concubine Hua’s sect…” The eldest son had a layer of yellow tiger armor on his shoulder, making him look even more awe-inspiring.
The third prince whispered: “It’s better for us not to be too nosy about the competition for the throne.”
Both men were distinguished with great powers as their backings, but five millennium grasses were not a joke to them. Normally speaking, coming up with just one root was difficult. Only the princess could afford such a gesture.
They came here for the spirit grasses and directly entered the manor.
“Poof!” Blood gushed out and stained the red gates of the Apricot Manor, making them even more beautiful. A disciple wearing a white daoist robe miserably screamed and fell into a puddle of blood while clutching his right shoulder with blood all over his fingers.
One of his hands had been cut off and fell onto the stone steps.
“You heretics are quite bold, going so far as to insult my pagoda’s disciples.” Zhao Tian uttered coldly while glaring at the heretical disciples in their black uniforms, not showing any intention to surrender.
He was a grand achievement God Base who came here to participate in this event. However, he met these heretical disciples outside. They were quite arrogant and actually publicly used iron chains to imprison four female disciples from the pagoda as if they were slaves. They didn’t come here to participate in the princess’ event at all! This was only a means to humiliate the Wanxiang Pagoda.
He had heard about how these heretics would often catch female disciples and do whatever they wanted, such as drugging and imprisoning them. There were no evil deeds that were too much for them.
He originally didn’t believe it, but he saw it with his own eyes today. A fire of fury ignited in his heart as he immediately wanted to slay these evil scum.
Others didn’t dare to offend the heretical schools, but not him. Death was nothing if he could alleviate this anger in his heart. However, these heretical disciples were more powerful than he expected. His nine martial arts were shattered with just one blade. Moreover, his arm was severed; it was lying before the gate right now.
“Hehe! Boy, so what if we are arrogant?” A heretical disciple with a pair of hands that contained a metallic sheen walked to the front of Zhao Tian. He had boots made from bull’s skin and steel scales. He stomped on the severed hand on the ground and crushed it into a bloody pulp.
There were eight heretical disciples, all at grand achievement God Base. They wore black cloaks with their long hair flowing down freely like eight devils from hell.
This disciple that had refined his hands into metal was one of them. It was him who used one blade to defeat Zhao Tian’s nine techniques as well as chopping off his arm. He wasn’t even the strongest among the eight here.
The four female disciples were still wearing their white uniforms. The youngest was around fifteen and the oldest was twenty at most; all were exceptionally pretty. Alas, they were prisoners with their limbs being branded by an iron stamp.
There were many scars on their bodies barely hidden by their untidy clothing. They were very afraid of these heretical disciples. When these heretics smiled and stared at them, they would kneel on the ground and tremble with fear.
Who knows what terrible experiences they encountered to be frightened to this level? There was no semblance of a genius cultivator in them; they were now inferior even to an ordinary maid.
“It’s over for the pagoda. These so-called elite disciples are now our prey. Their so-called supreme beauties are only tools for our heretical schools to release our sexual urges.” A heretical disciple smirked. He went close to one of the female disciples who was around seventeen years of age. The slender body of this pure-looking girl immediately quivered as she dropped to the ground, prostrating.
“See this beauty from the Beastmaster Tower? She has slept with at least forty of our disciples after eating at least three pounds of aphrodisiac, haha…” He mercilessly squeezed her breast.
The girl from the Beastmaster Tower didn’t dare to move and let him ravage her under broad daylight. Tears covered her face and soaked her dress.
“Animal, I’ll take you down with me…” Zhao Tian climbed up from the floor. Three beast souls rushed out from his body as he unleashed a fist with the power of seven qilins. However, this force and the beast souls were easily crushed by the metal hand.
“Pluff!” The hand directly pierced Zhao Tian’s body. Blood spattered everywhere.
However, this hand was stuck in Zhao Tian’s body. The heretical disciple was alarmed. Zhao Tian was crazy, he directly used his head to bump against the disciple’s chest.
“Boom!”
A black light emanated from the two bodies. The heretical disciple quickly retreated after two of his ribs were broken. Zhao Tian was blown backward into a wall. His head was split open, but he was not dispirited in the slightest. He crazily laughed with an indescribable satisfaction.
The heretical disciple coldly shouted: “You want to die!” A bolt of lightning shot out from his hand with the power of eight qilins — a force of 1.28 million pounds. He truly wanted to turn Zhao Tian to smithereens.
“Boom!” A sharp ray soared from the distance. It was even brighter than the sunlight and contained a horrifying murderous intent. A crack appeared on the ground with its coming.
“Poof!” The heretical disciple naturally felt this murderous sensation behind him and forcefully channeled his attack backward. However, the eight qilins were shattered and the sharp ray severed one of his arms.
A spring of blood gushed out from his shoulder for more than three meters. The black robe on his body was stained with blood as well, just like apricots in the middle of the night.
“Boom!” The severed arm fell onto the middle of the street and was crushed by a Thousand-man Commander from the martial army into a puddle of blood before being swallowed by the bull behind him.
This Thousand-man Commander had a saber propped on his shoulder. Clearly, he was the one who attacked with that sharp ray earlier.
Zhao Tian was prepared to die, so he didn’t expect for a soldier to come out of nowhere with an outrageous saber technique. That blade energy earlier spanned more than ten meters wide.
The martial army was really strong, a single Thousand-man Commander could actually sever the arm of a grand achievement God Base.
“You dare to commit such a lawless act in broad daylight in the presence of a Thousand-man Commander? How should I punish you?” This Thousand-man Commander was very overbearing, especially his haughty stride. He arched his chest and walked forward while holding the reins of his bull. [1. Raw is walking like the word 八, so he’s basically walking with his legs spread far apart and taking arrogant strides while arching his chest.]
“Hmph! Just an insignificant Thousand-man Commander, yet you still dare to interfere with our heretical school’s business? Are you tired of living?”
“Even a general from the martial army would face death if they choose to offend us.”
This Thousand-man Commander immediately turned furious and stomped on the ground, causing the ancient bluestone tiles beneath his feet to shatter. He shouted with his hoarse voice: “You dare to threaten your father?! Which heretical sect do you belong to?!”
“The Seventh Hall of the Senluo Temple!” The heretical disciples shouted in unison as their murderous air gathered into a frightening black cloud in the sky.
They thought that the name of the Seventh Hall could scare this Thousand-man Commander into kneeling on the ground.
But…
“Good! Not only are you all committing murder, you’re also imprisoning women with wanton abandon for the law! Who is the prettiest woman in your Seventh Hall?” The Thousand-man Commander angrily shouted with a voice that boomed like thunder.
The heretical disciples were astonished and hesitated for a bit. One of them said: “Our number one beauty is naturally the Seventh Lord, Wan Xiangcen.
“Then go back and tell your Seventh Lord that if your heretical schools like to play with women from the pagoda, your father will play with your heretical schools’ female disciples. Tell Wan Xiangcen to wash her body; if I don’t take her chastity within three months, motherfuckers, I, Feng Daniu, will change my last name to hers.” This commander had a fiery temperament like a bull. It didn’t look like he was kidding at all as his voice echoed across half of Radiance. [2. Feng Daniu is the name he used back at the bandit’s mountain.]
This guy was arrogant, too arrogant!