"Ye Qing! You have a lot of nerve! How dare you kill the Seventh Elder! Surrender at once and come with me to the Patriarch to confess your crimes!"
The unrivaled genius of the Ye Family, Ye Yan, had arrived!
He was dressed in a crimson robe. Between his brows flickered an innate storm of thunder and lightning, carrying an oppressive, murderous aura, while his body radiated a scorching aura of flame.
Ye Yan possessed the four-star Green-Flame Fire Sparrow bloodline, making him a top-tier figure right here in Jizhou City.
Across the world, bloodlines were divided into nine stars!
Out of the billions of mortals in this world, those capable of possessing a bloodline were already few and far between.
As for those who could possess a four-star bloodline, they were rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns!
The four-star Green-Flame Fire Sparrow bloodline held immense potential and an infinite future.
"Scram!"
Ye Qing uttered only a single word!
His own bloodline had been stolen by none other than Ye Yan!
This enmity and hatred were utterly irreconcilable!
It was precisely under Ye Yan's instigation that Ye Qing had been banished into the dungeon!
Ye Yan wanted him, Ye Qing, dead!
"Ye Qing, in the past when you were arrogant, I merely tolerated you. Now that you don't even have a bloodline, you still dare to be so brazen! Believe it or not, I will kill you right now!"
A murderous glint flashed in Ye Yan's eyes as green flames danced across his palms, chilling one to the bone!
"If you dare make a move, I will cut you down!"
Ye Qing's entire body erupted with a murderous intent that condensed into something tangible!
That murderous intent formed an aura that shook everyone present!
Having walked out of a place like the dungeon, slaughter was simply second nature!
Mere trash like Ye Yan trying to outmatch Ye Qing in murderous intent was as childish and ridiculous as a three-year-old!
"Ye Qing, you're still as arrogant as ever! To be honest, the fact that you managed to come out of the dungeon alive really surprises me!"
"But that's all! Once you lost your bloodline, you became nothing moreo than trash. How could you possibly compare to me?"
Ye Yan's gaze was full of contempt.
In terms of quality, his four-star Green-Flame Fire Sparrow bloodline didn't even match Ye Qing's former five-star Crimson-Flame Flood Dragon bloodline.
Back in the Ye Family, Ye Yan had always been forced to play second fiddle to Ye Qing, a fact that filled him with resentment.
Now, Ye Qing's bloodline had been devoured by Ye Yan.
His four-star Green-Flame Fire Sparrow bloodline had already evolved to the five-star level!
In this world, certain special bloodlines possessed the ability to devour and evolve.
Ye Yan's Green-Flame Fire Sparrow bloodline was one of them, endowed with the power of devouring.
Having attained a five-star bloodline, Ye Yan's strength had advanced in leaps and bounds, filling him with utter confidence.
"You're still just as clueless about your own strength as you ever were!"
Ye Qing sneered, drawing his sword from its scabbard as a fierce wave of sword qi shot forth.
"Hm?"
Startled, Ye Yan retreated a few steps. In that very instant, he had actually been forced back by the sword qi released by Ye Qing!
"Could your Wind Sword Art already have reached Great Accomplishment?"
Ye Yan was inwardly alarmed. The Wind Sword Art was notoriously the most difficult martial art in the Ye Family to cultivate.
Basically, any Ye Family disciple who chose to practice the Wind Sword Art found it immensely difficult even to grasp the basics.
Yet Ye Qing's mastery of the Wind Sword Art had already reached the realm of perfection!
Ye Yan's gaze flickered uncertainly, lacking absolute confidence in victory.
As the peerless genius of the Ye Family, his strength was even greater than the Seventh Elder's.
Yet facing Ye Qing, his momentum had been completely suppressed right from the start.
"Whoosh!"
Just as the deadlock hung in the balance, a middle-aged man in a black robe rushed over swiftly.
"Ye Qing, you dare kill the Seventh Elder? Do you really think our Ye Family has no rules?"
The newcomer was none other than the Patriarch of the Ye Family!
"The rules the Patriarch speaks of—do they refer to casually stripping family disciples of their bloodlines?"
"And locking family disciples away in the Prince's Mansion dungeon?" Ye Qing sneered.
"Insolent!"
The Patriarch's gaze was ice-cold.
Beside the Patriarch stood many other elders of the Ye Family.
Yet, the looks they cast at Ye Qing all carried a hint of dread!
Ye Qing's cultivation was top-tier among the younger generation of Jizhou, having already reached the Seventh Stage of Body Refining!
While the Ye Family elders included many at the Ninth Stage of Body Refining and even some in the Yuan Condensation Realm, most of them were greenhouse flowers!
They had never experienced brutal, life-or-death combat.
Ye Qing was different!
He had crawled his way out of a pile of corpses!
The sharp, unyielding murderous aura he unconsciously radiated made the elders tremble with fear; how could any of them dare to make a move?
A dead silence fell over the scene.
Even the Patriarch did not dare to act rashly.
On one hand, Ye Qing's strength was plain to see.
On the other hand, Ye Qing had previously rendered monumental service to the Ye Family.
If they were to brazenly attack and execute Ye Qing now, it would likely chill the hearts of all the Ye Family disciples.
One had to remember that the despicable deeds the Ye Family Patriarch had previously committed against Ye Qing had all been carried out in secret, unfit for the light of day.
Furthermore, within the Ye Family, there were still a portion of elders who supported Ye Qing!
"Ye Qing, do you dare make a three-day pact with me? Three days from now, you and I will fight to the death!"
Suddenly, Ye Yan broke the silence, challenging Ye Qing to a duel!
"Very well!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Qing accepted.
If Ye Yan wanted to die, Ye Qing would gladly grant his wish!
"Good! Excellent! Three days from now, I will surely take your life!" Ye Yan laughed maniacally.
Without another word, Ye Qing grabbed Ye Mengling's delicate hand and strode away!
The surrounding Ye Family elders and disciples were struck with shock.
Ye Qing's strength was terrifying, casting an overwhelming sense of pressure over them all!
Back when he still possessed his bloodline, Ye Qing had roamed invincible among the younger generation of Jizhou!
Now that his bloodline was gone, he could still shake the four directions relying solely on the sword in his hand!
"My son, do you have the confidence to kill him in three days?" the Ye Family Patriarch asked in a low voice.
"Father! I am on the verge of a breakthrough! Three days from now, I will definitely kill him!" Ye Yan said gravely.
"Good! Excellent! My son's talent is astonishing!"
The Ye Family Patriarch was overjoyed.
Ye Yan possessed the five-star Green-Flame Fire Sparrow bloodline and, at only eighteen years of age, had already reached the Ninth Stage of Body Refining, making him stronger than many Ye Family elders!
If Ye Yan were to break through to the Yuan Condensation Realm, then tomorrow's—no, three days'—life-or-death battle would naturally be an absolute victory!
Chapter 4: The Mysterious Small Pagoda
Late at night.
Ye Mengling lay on the bed, unable to sleep.
Her frail body curled up beneath the covers, shivering uncontrollably.
"Brother, I'm cold, so cold..."
Ye Mengling murmured, three thick quilts already piled over her body.
"Little sister, don't be afraid. Brother will definitely cure you!"
Ye Qing did not leave. He sat by the bedside and produced another Kaiyang Pill, having her swallow it.
A look of unyielding determination surfaced in Ye Qing's eyes.
No matter how difficult it was, he would accomplish it!
In this world, aside from the Kaiyang Pill, there were fire-attribute pills of even higher quality.
If Ye Qing could acquire them, he could cure his sister's congenital chill condition!
However, the current Ye Qing simply did not possess sufficient strength!
How could he possibly acquire better fire-attribute pills?
In this cruel martial world, without strength, one could only be as humble as an ant.
Life and dignity would be trampled upon at will!
"My bloodline!"
"Could it be that without a bloodline, it is impossible to become stronger, impossible to reach the pinnacle of the martial path?!"
"I refuse to accept this!"
Ye Qing muttered under his breath.
With his bloodline stolen, Ye Qing's martial path had plunged into total darkness.
In the dungeon, lacking a bloodline, he had been forced to rely solely on his foundation and his mastery of the Wind Sword Art to kill his enemies.
A narrow escape from death!
In this world, some people were capable of awakening powerful bloodlines.
Bloodlines could enhance physical constitution and bestow special bloodline talents upon martial artists.
Bloodlines of heaven-defying quality could even enhance comprehension!
Making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort!
The five-star Crimson-Flame Flood Dragon bloodline Ye Qing had once awakened could strengthen his physical body.
It could also rapidly devour the vital energy of heaven and earth, doubling Ye Qing's cultivation speed!
Pity that Ye Qing's bloodline had already become a thing of the past.
"Strength! I need greater strength!"
Ye Qing clenched his fists tightly.
Only by mastering immense strength could he protect his sister!
The night was utterly silent.
Inside the room.
Ye Qing sat cross-legged, circulating his energy to cultivate, drawing the vital energy of heaven and earth into his body.
Without a bloodline, his combat power would undoubtedly be affected.
For now, while Ye Qing was still in the Body Refining Realm, the impact wasn't entirely obvious.
Once he reached higher realms in the future, the gap in bloodline quality between martial artists would become instantly apparent!
Having no bloodline was equivalent to having no future.
Yet, Ye Qing did not despair.
He cultivated, attempting to rouse his bloodline.
Pain!
Pain piercing straight into his marrow!
His former Crimson-Flame Flood Dragon bloodline had been forcibly ripped away by Ye Yan!
That sensation was akin to having his flesh and blood peeled away, excruciatingly agonizing to the point of wishing for death!
Suddenly, Ye Qing's entire body trembled, the vital blood within him surging wildly as the world spun before his eyes!
Beside Ye Qing, a pitch-black small pagoda floated into the air!
"Why is the small pagoda left behind by my old man moving?"
Ye Qing wondered inwardly.
When Ye Qing was seven years old, his father had left him, vanishing to parts unknown.
He had left behind only a pitch-black small pagoda.
Its purpose had remained unknown.
The small pagoda had been with Ye Qing for many years without ever showing the slightest sign of movement.
For some reason, it was now suddenly emitting a jet-black radiance, suspended in mid-air!
The small pagoda was truly mysterious!
"Hum!"
Just as Ye Qing focused his attention on the pagoda, his consciousness suddenly plunged into a state of utter chaos.
The next moment.
Ye Qing discovered that he had arrived in a mysterious realm.
Pitch black surrounded him on all sides!
Right before his line of sight was stabbed a blood-red sword.
It radiated an eerie, blood-red sword glow.
Ye Qing's gaze narrowed.
The moment he saw the crimson sword, he was completely captivated.
It was as if his soul had been hooked away by that bloody sword!
"What a fine sword!"
Ye Qing's eyes held a look of infatuation.
As a sword cultivator, naturally he loved precious swords.
The crimson sword before him gave Ye Qing an extremely terrifying sensation.
Its grade was unknown.
However, Ye Qing was certain that if he could obtain this crimson sword, his strength would undoubtedly skyrocket!
In three days, his life-or-death duel with Ye Yan could easily be resolved!
Taking a step forward, Ye Qing walked step by step toward that crimson sword.
Soon, he was standing right beside it.
"Pull it out!"
A voice suddenly rang out by Ye Qing's ear.
In this mysterious place, Ye Qing hadn't seen anyone else at all.
Yet someone was speaking.
It was utterly bizarre.
"Hum!"
Suddenly, from within the pitch-black void, a woman drifted out.
She wore a white dress, possessed a slender figure, and carried a mysterious aura.
She seemed like a woman shrouded in riddles.
"You... what kind of person are you?"
Ye Qing was shocked.
"You don't need to know!"
"Do you want to become stronger? Then pull out the Shura Blood Sword!"
The mysterious woman in the white dress said softly.
"The Shura Blood Sword! Can I pull it out?"
"And where is this place?"
Many questions filled Ye Qing's heart.
"This is the first floor of the Myriad Realms Tower."
"The Shura Blood Sword belongs to those fated to have it. If you don't try, how will you know whether you can pull it out?"
The voice of the woman in white drifted over.
Her back was turned to Ye Qing.
A shroud of mist seemed to envelop her body.
Making her impossible to see through.
"The Myriad Realms Tower... is that the mysterious small pagoda my old man left me?!"
Ye Qing muttered under his breath.
The mysterious woman in white offered no response.
"Never mind, let me first test whether I can draw the sword!"
Ye Qing reached out and grasped the hilt of the Shura Blood Sword.
Then, he exerted sudden force!
"Hum!"
A streak of crimson sword light flashed outward.
The next moment.
The sword light receded.
The entire Shura Blood Sword became unadorned and plain, its surface even covered in mottled rust.
Ye Qing was stunned.
He had expected drawing the sword to be extremely difficult.
After all, the Shura Blood Sword had exerted an overwhelming sense of pressure upon him!
Yet Ye Qing had managed to pull it out in a single motion.
It seemed no different from pulling out a wooden sword.
The Shura Blood Sword felt weightless in Ye Qing's hand.
Judging by its appearance, far from being stunning, it looked thoroughly ordinary.
"Senior, why has this Shura Blood Sword changed?" Ye Qing asked suspiciously.
"It is the person who has changed, not the sword!"
The mysterious woman replied indifferently.
Ye Qing's mouth twitched.
So once the Shura Blood Sword landed in his hands, it turned into something no better than scrap metal?
"Kid, your bloodline has been stolen. Do you wish to reshape your bloodline?"
As the mysterious woman's words fell, Ye Qing trembled all over.
He dreamed of reshaping his bloodline!
"Senior, can I really reshape my bloodline?"
Ye Qing asked hurriedly.
"You can! But it depends on whether you can endure it!"
The mysterious woman turned around. A mass of mist covered her body, making her facial features completely indiscernible.
A drop of golden blood suddenly appeared in the mysterious woman's hand.
"Senior, can this drop of golden blood reshape my bloodline for me?" Ye Qing asked eagerly.
"Yes!"
"But you might die!"
The mysterious woman waved her delicate hand, and that drop of golden blood drifted leisurely forward, stopping right in front of Ye Qing.
With burning eyes, Ye Qing reached out and grabbed at it.
Suddenly, that drop of golden blood merged directly into Ye Qing's body.
"This..."
Ye Qing stood dumbfounded.
He had only wanted to take the golden blood to see what on earth it was.
Who would have thought this fellow would just barge straight in?
Yet the mysterious woman had explicitly said that if Ye Qing absorbed the golden blood, he might die!
Chapter 5: Eight-Desolation Fire Dragon Bloodline
The golden blood drilled straight into Ye Qing's body.
Ye Qing felt as though a blazing inferno was raging inside him, threatening to burn his internal organs to ashes.
"Senior, what on earth is this golden blood?"
The excruciating pain wrung Ye Qing's heart, twisting his features out of shape.
The violent agony was almost too much to bear.
"To reshape your bloodline, you must endure pain beyond a normal person's imagination!"
The mysterious woman said coldly.
Ye Qing gritted his teeth.
The burning sensation within his body grew even more intense.
As a martial artist at the Seventh Stage of Body Refining, Ye Qing's physical constitution was already exceptionally outstanding among his peers.
However, the tyrannical energy contained within the golden blood far exceeded the limits of what his physical body could endure.
Before long.
Crimson-gold cracks even appeared across Ye Qing's chest.
Bright red blood flowed out!
Only to be swiftly evaporated by the scorching heat.
"I cannot die!"
"If I die, who will protect my sister!"
"I absolutely cannot die!"
Ye Qing's willpower was immensely tenacious.
Even though his physical body had long since reached its limit.
His will remained unshakable.
It could not be shattered by the blinding pain!
His sister!
For his sister's sake!
Ye Qing had to survive!
...
The next day.
Within the dim, shadowy space.
Not a single ray of light was present.
Ye Qing lay upon the ground.
Having passed out cold.
Over a dozen crimson-gold cracks marred his chest.
If an ordinary person had suffered such severe trauma, they would likely have died long ago.
Yet.
Ye Qing still retained a breath.
Back in the dungeon, Ye Qing had endured wounds far heavier than this.
He was someone who had crawled his way out of a mountain of corpses after all.
Relying on his unyielding willpower.
Ye Qing had survived.
The golden blood had failed to destroy Ye Qing's physical body.
Moreover, miraculously, Ye Qing's wounds were gradually healing.
A golden radiance flickered across Ye Qing's body, making him look like a vessel forged from precious jade.
"He actually succeeded!"
The mysterious woman glanced down at the prone Ye Qing, appearing somewhat surprised.
Following that, she pointed a finger outward.
A beam of light plunged straight into Ye Qing's body.
In an instant, life returned in full force to Ye Qing's interior.
The next moment.
Ye Qing opened his eyes.
Darkness surrounded him on all sides.
Save for a solitary patch of white light.
Which belonged to the mysterious woman.
"Try channeling your bloodline."
The mysterious woman spoke with indifference.
Ye Qing nodded.
He attempted to communicate with the bloodline power inside his body.
In an instant.
A scorching wave of bloodline power erupted from within Ye Qing!
Behind Ye Qing, the illusory projection of a colossal dragon manifested.
Releasing boundless majesty!
A dragon!
Ye Qing had awakened a brand-new bloodline!
"Hum!"
The bloodline within his body churned violently.
The bloodline that had been stolen from Ye Qing was reborn.
The newly birthed bloodline was immensely powerful.
It belonged to the true dragon lineage.
Previously, the bloodline Ye Qing had awakened was merely the five-star Crimson-Flame Flood Dragon bloodline.
While it belonged to the dragon lineage, it was, after all, only a flood dragon bloodline.
It was far from being comparable to a true dragon bloodline.
The bloodline Ye Qing had now reshaped was undoubtedly far stronger than his previous one.
The moment Ye Qing reshaped his bloodline, a stream of information drilled directly into his sea of consciousness.
Ye Qing's mind became crystal clear!
The bloodline he had reshaped was none other than the Eight-Desolation Fire Dragon bloodline, belonging to the six-star tier.
The innate talent bestowed by this bloodline was the Eight-Desolation True Fire!
Capable of releasing scorching flames that could incinerate the heavens and boil the oceans, possessing unfathomable divine might!
With a thought from Ye Qing, a stream of golden flame spewed forth from his palm.
However, it was still merely a tiny flicker of fire.
Ye Qing could not yet fully unleash the might of the Eight-Desolation True Fire.
Even so, as his cultivation realm improved and his bloodline grew stronger, the Eight-Desolation True Fire he released would undoubtedly become even more terrifying.
"Senior, thank you!"
Ye Qing bowed respectfully to the mysterious woman.
The mysterious woman had given him a drop of golden blood, enabling him to reshape his bloodline.
For Ye Qing, this felt akin to a rebirth.
This was a debt of immense gratitude!
With the Eight-Desolation Fire Dragon bloodline, Ye Qing would undoubtedly be able to walk much further along the martial path in the future!
A six-star bloodline likely didn't exist in great numbers even across the entire Great Zhou Empire.
"You managed to refine the golden blood through your own fortuitous encounter; there is no need to thank me!"
As soon as the mysterious woman finished speaking, Ye Qing felt the world spin.
In an instant, he found himself back in his room once more.
He had left the first floor of the Myriad Realms Tower!
"Senior..."
Ye Qing still wanted to ask something.