"Remaining in one place, we could be discovered by them within just a few years. Out of necessity, our entire clan had to move here, roaming the skies without rest, day in and day out. Only then could we finally settle down," the old man said, bowing humbly with clasped hands.

"Oh, you are quite modest indeed." The Crown Prince glanced at the old man and, with his hands clasped behind his back, walked towards the white jade tower behind him.

"I have already visited the Gao Family and the County Yamen. The words that needed to be said have been conveyed to the Gao Family."

Upon hearing this, the white-bearded old man trembled abruptly, and ripples uncontrollably emerged in his deep eyes, as profound as an ancient, dark pool.

"Thank you, Crown Prince, for your support. This old one will forever remember your great kindness." Without any hesitation, the white-bearded old man prostrated himself, kneeling and kowtowing resoundingly before the Crown Prince.

THUD, THUD, THUD—

Every kowtow struck the ground with great force.

The ground trembled slightly.

The muffled sound of the kowtowing echoed with stark clarity in the deserted white jade tower.

Gazing indifferently at the old man who kept kowtowing on the ground, the Crown Prince's eyes were detached, showing no intention of stopping him.

Only after the old man had kowtowed ninety-nine times did the Crown Prince lift his sleeve and speak indifferently, "Enough of these tedious formalities. Rise."

"Thank you, Crown Prince," the old man said, wiping away the blood from his forehead without any concern, his eyes filled with unmistakable joy.

"My Imperial Father had no intention of reemploying the Wu Family this time. If it weren't for my several petitions, you all might still be cowering in this birdcage, with no idea when you might emerge. But since you've been given this chance, you must seize it. The task must be completed flawlessly, without giving anyone cause for criticism. I hear you've been collecting evidence of the Gao Family's recent transgressions and the havoc they've wrought upon the people?"

Hearing the Crown Prince's subtly questioning tone, the white-bearded old man hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, these were merely plans and have yet to be implemented."

"Fool!" The Crown Prince's reprimand frightened the white-bearded old man into prostrating himself again, his body trembling uncontrollably on the ground.

"The Gao Family has guarded Dianchuan for hundreds of years. Which Military Governor hasn't done the things they've done? You want to use these as grounds to overthrow the Gao Family? What? Do you plan to openly declare war on the Military Governors of the other eleven provinces?"

As soon as the Crown Prince spoke, the old man felt his vision darken. He instantly realized that he had been lacking consideration in many of his recent actions. Overwhelmed by joy, he had gotten carried away.

"Forgive me, Crown Prince! Forgive me!" pleaded the old man, his entire back soaked with cold sweat, his eyes wide with fear, and his body trembling like a leaf. He feared that his momentary blunder might once again ruin the opportunity the Wu Family had awaited for hundreds of years.

"Enough. Consider this a warning for today. If you continue to act so foolishly in the future, just as I can raise one Wu Family, I can raise a second," the Crown Prince said, flicking his sleeve before ascending the white jade tower. His voice echoed throughout the structure.

"Minor skirmishes in the six prefectures are of no consequence. If Dianchuan is to undergo a complete transformation, then it's better to shatter it and start anew. The current fire isn't burning fiercely enough. Go. Send someone to assassinate this demon. I want the flames of war to engulf the entire Dianchuan Province!"

Listening to the resounding voice that echoed in his ears like a dragon's roar, the white-bearded old man slowly raised his head. A scroll had landed in front of him.

On it was the portrait of a valiant and imposing young man.

Below it, a line of small characters read: "The youngest son of Fuyao Great Saint has arrived in Dianchuan Province…"

***

"I have finally cultivated the second Immortal Blood Body." At the foot of a craggy, gray-black mountain, Qi Xiu exhaled a breath of turbid air, his eyes shimmering with a hazy luster.

After this period of cultivation, he had finally raised his cultivation level to the Blood-stained Double Realm, successfully forging his second blood body.

Cultivation in the Blood-Stained Realm was different from the Dao-Entering Realm. To advance one's Realm, one had to use the Ancestral Aperture between the eyebrows to draw in the Divine Marvels of the world, temper the spine, condense Dao Blood, and forge a Dao Body.

As such, his Star Absorption Skill and Spirit Pill pouch were of no use. After all, he now possessed the foundation of three hundred and sixty-five Hunyuan Apertures. He had no need to concern himself with the consumption of true essence. The only thing requiring attention was the wear and tear on his Immortal Blood Body.

However, condensing Dao Blood was purely a matter of painstaking effort, with no shortcuts. It had taken Qi Xiu more than twenty years to progress from Bloodstained LayerOne to the Blood-stained Double Realm.

Aside from advancing to the Blood-stained Double Realm, it seems I've been receiving more and more Human Path Merit lately. With a thought, he looked at the proficiency panel, and his gaze softened.

During this period, especially in the last five or six days, the proficiency of my Human Path Merit has increased by nearly five percent almost every day. In just ten days, it's already up by fifty percent. This is clearly the result of my almost frenzied talisman distribution earlier. The initial investment is now starting to pay off.

As for this increase in Human Path Merit, I didn't choose to let it accumulate to break through to the Seventh Realm. Sixth Realm Human Path Merit is a threshold; at this level, Human Path Merit coalesces to form a Merit Treasure, the Hunyuan All-Encompassing Luminance. However, Seventh Realm Human Path Merit would, at most, only cause the Hunyuan All-Encompassing Luminance to develop new Divine Marvels, without a qualitative leap like that at the Sixth Realm. So, I decided to re-condense this Human Path Merit into merit candles to level up my remaining Dharma Gates and skill techniques!

Although my soul has reached the True Spirit Realm and my Human Path Merit has broken through the Sixth Realm, my premonitions about the unseen have grown sharper and more intense. Lately, I've often felt these sudden forebodings. It seems that in the not-too-distant future, a great catastrophe in Dianchuan Province will erupt in stages. The current conflict in the six prefectures is merely an appetizer. That will be the true hell on earth, the peak of a colossal disaster.

Therefore, to prepare for this terrifying period that could arrive at any moment, I need to enhance my inherent strength as much as possible. Human Path Merit is good, but it's ultimately supplementary. Against truly powerful enemies, it's far from enough.

His gaze swept over the Dharma Gates and skills on the proficiency panel. My first choice was naturally my core skill: Calligraphy!

But after Calligraphy broke through to the Sixth Realm, its proficiency gain has become extremely slow. It's currently at a mere 9.3%. Even with the boost from the Hunyuan All-Encompassing Luminance, breaking through quickly is probably unrealistic.

With the Hunyuan All-Encompassing Luminance providing a nearly tenfold boost, advancing Sixth Realm Calligraphy to the Seventh Realm would require at least several decades. Even with the Luminance, it would still take several years. The number of merit candles consumed over that time would be terrifying.

Calligraphy is out. Qi Xiu's gaze moved down the list, pausing at each of his Dharma Gates and skills. But after some thought, he shook his head and continued looking.

Until the last item at the very bottom of the proficiency panel reflected in his pupils. Dragon Might Spell!

Gazing at this skill, the contemplation in Qi Xiu's eyes gradually transformed into conviction and earnestness. This is it!

Compared to my other Dharma Gates and skills, which are difficult to level up to a qualitatively different grade quickly, Dragon Might Spell has the lowest level; it hasn't even broken through to the First Realm. And as a unique Dharma Gate of the True Dragon Clan, its inherent power can't be low. Once leveled up, its effectiveness might even rival Thunder Magic and the Gourd Sword Skill.

But the truly terrifying aspect of the Dragon Might Spell is that, as a True Dragon Power, this skill has no cooldown and no resource cost. No cooldown means it has no backlash or strain whatsoever. All the Dharma Gates and skills I possess have some degree of backlash or strain, whether minor or severe. Even the slightest burden, over time, can cause unimaginable damage. That's what the cooldown of a Dharma Gate or skill essentially is. And no resource cost is even more formidable. It means if I wanted to, I could keep the Dragon Might Spell active indefinitely, like breathing. It's hard to imagine the terrifying destructive power I would wield if this skill reached a high enough level.

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