Zhao Jiaojiao lay on the bed, her body wrapped from head to toe in bandages soaked with medicinal solution. One of her legs was propped high above the mattress, fixed in place with a wooden splint.
When she saw Lu Sheng enter in person, her eyes widened and began blinking rapidly. She was unable to rise, and her voice box had been damaged. Blinking was the only way she could respond.
“Your internal organs are unharmed,” Lu Sheng said after a swift examination, his expression darkening. “But how did your tendons and bones suffer such severe damage?”
More than half of the tendons throughout her body had been torn apart. Her bones were shattered, her muscles ripped to shreds. Yet, bizarrely, her blood vessels and internal organs remained completely intact.
Lu Sheng glanced at Zhao Jiaojiao.
“Hoo!”
Without warning, his hand shot forward, appearing above the bed in an instant as it pressed down onto Zhao Jiaojiao’s forehead.
A torrential surge of Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi poured into her body.
Zhao Jiaojiao shut her eyes tightly, her body trembling violently. She absorbed the Yin-aspected inner Qi transferred by Lu Sheng with almost desperate greed, channeling every trace of it into her recovery.
In the span of a single breath, Lu Sheng transferred nearly half of his Yin Yang Jade Crane Aquarius Qi into her. Immediately, the wounds covering Zhao Jiaojiao’s body began showing clear signs of healing. Massive waves of inner Qi surged within her, stimulating her life force and knitting her injuries back together.
Lu Sheng’s Aquarius Qi was peerless in purity and efficacy. Having fused countless techniques, it had evolved into an unimaginably powerful and sinister inner force art.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Lu Sheng finally withdrew his hand.
“Tell me,” he said calmly. “What exactly happened? How did you end up injured to this extent?”
The violent tremors in Zhao Jiaojiao’s body slowly subsided. She opened her eyes and looked at Lu Sheng with gratitude and exhaustion intertwined.
She spoke slowly, her voice hoarse. “That day… your subordinate went to investigate.” A fit of coughing seized her. Her voice box had only just recovered, and she clearly needed time to adjust. “I encountered a mutant beast. After a fight to the death, I barely managed to escape.”
She took a shallow breath.
“Fortunately, the beast was already severely wounded when we met. Otherwise… I might never have seen Sect Master again.”
“Mutant beast?”
“Yes,” Zhao Jiaojiao replied as she searched her memories. “That beast was as tall as a man and had a pair of wings. It looked like a black ox. Its blood was like ice, extremely cold.”
Lu Sheng frowned. He had never heard of such a creature, not even in ancient records, fairy tales, or myths.
“Your subordinate fought it to the death,” Zhao Jiaojiao continued. “In the end, I bit into it and drank a large amount of its blood. My wounds were too severe, and the cold from its blood froze me. I fell into a coma. By the time I woke up, I had already been rescued.”
She spoke plainly, without embellishment. Lu Sheng detected no trace of deceit in her eyes.
“Do you remember where you encountered this beast?” he asked suddenly.
Zhao Jiaojiao froze. Her eyes widened as she searched her memories, only to find a blank void. No matter how hard she tried, she could not recall the location.
Lu Sheng gently placed his hand against her head.
“Your body is very cold,” he said quietly. “Far colder than a normal human’s. This isn’t natural.”
“Is that so?” Zhao Jiaojiao was startled. She had been completely unaware.
“Rest well.” Lu Sheng said no more.
“Yes. Thank you, Sect Master, for saving me,” Zhao Jiaojiao replied softly as she watched him leave. She then closed her eyes and continued resting.
After exiting the room, Lu Sheng led Jade Lotus and the others toward the heart of the ship.
“Keep Zhao Jiaojiao under close observation. If you notice anything unusual, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, sir!” Jade Lotus answered at once.
“Also, continue the search for those herbs without interruption. In a few days, organize the current state of Martial League and report it to me,” Lu Sheng instructed calmly.
“Regarding the herbs, some of the newly joined Divine Prime Elders have already been dispatched,” Jade Lotus replied. “As for Martial League…” He hesitated, uncertain of Lu Sheng’s intent.
“How many Divine Prime experts remain in Martial League?” Lu Sheng asked casually.
“Um… less than half. Some left on their own. So far, five Divine Primes have officially joined our sect,” Jade Lotus answered quickly.
Lu Sheng, however, knew that the true number was far higher than that.
Many more Divine Prime experts who had withdrawn from Martial League had quietly joined Crimson Sun Sect instead. In total, fifteen Divine Primes now stood within its ranks. Those who remained in Martial League could truly be counted on one hand.
“Ignore the rest who refuse to join us,” Lu Sheng said calmly. “You’ll be responsible for security during my wedding. There must be no incidents within the city. Any noteworthy outsider entering the Northern Lands must have their background investigated at the earliest opportunity.”
“Yes, sir! You have nothing to worry about,” Jade Lotus replied with a firm nod.
“I’ll be entering solitary confinement,” Lu Sheng continued. “Organize the data and place it in the drawer in my study. I’ll review it later.”
“Understood!” Jade Lotus responded respectfully.
Only then did Lu Sheng nod in satisfaction.
This period of solitary confinement was not for breaking through to new realms, but for consolidation and integration. He intended to thoroughly digest the Divine Prime martial arts he had recently acquired.
According to the rules Lu Sheng had set, any Divine Prime expert who joined Crimson Sun Sect was required to submit a top-tier martial art they had mastered. In exchange, they would receive Lu Sheng’s revised Ultimate Crimson Nine Furies Skill.
These martial arts were all at the Spirit Focus level. They were the crown jewels of their respective masters, and their inclusion greatly enriched Crimson Sun Sect’s martial arts repository.
Lu Sheng planned to select several from the dozen or so Spirit Focus techniques and adapt them for his own use. He was preparing to enter solitary confinement once more.
At present, the Yin Qi he possessed was insufficient to upgrade Yang Extreme Dao or further enhance his inner Qi. Since that was the case, he might as well use what remained to integrate these newly acquired martial arts, achieving a similar increase in strength.
Upon reflection, aside from Crimson Sun Sect’s signature Ultimate Crimson Mantra, he had not cultivated any Spirit Focus martial art at all. Even the Thousand Trees Burning Heart Palm he had obtained through his exchange with Martial League was only at the Intent Proficiency level.
When he had first obtained the Thousand Trees Burning Heart Palm, Lu Sheng had quickly realized that it contributed little to his existing cultivation. It was at that moment he understood that the conventional path of martial arts could no longer support the heights he had already reached.
‘After the wedding, I’ll take my family with me and depart’, Lu Sheng thought calmly. ‘As long as I continue to grow stronger and remain alive, even if the Lu Family stays behind in the Northern Lands, nothing will happen to them. No one would dare withstand the combined fury of Shangyang Jiuli and myself.’
After Jade Lotus withdrew, Lu Sheng summoned Ouyang Qi to give a report on the progress of the selection matches. Once that was done, he formally announced his solitary confinement.
Before leaving the Northern Lands, he needed to set everything in order.
To exhaust all of his remaining Yin Qi integrating the newly acquired martial arts and push his strength as far as possible. That was the final task on his agenda.
…………
In the dark, gloomy vastness of the forest, wisps of pale white mist drifted silently between the trees.
“Wooo………………………….”
A long, mournful wolf’s howl shattered the stillness.
From the shadows, a massive pack of white wolves burst forth, racing through the forest. Each was far larger than an ordinary wild wolf, their bodies powerful and lean. In the darkness, their eyes glimmered with a faint crimson glow.
They ran beneath the cover of drifting mist, their howls rising and falling in eerie succession.
“Boom.”
Something heavy struck the ground, like the footfall of a giant.
“Boom.”47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYmK96hIiN
“Boom!”47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGagaCkLUN
“Boom!!”
The thunderous steps echoed one after another, each impact sending a suffocating pressure rippling through the forest, drowning beneath the shrill cries of the wolves.
Then—
An enormous pair of blood-red eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
Each eye was several meters tall, long and narrow, radiating a cold, merciless light. A faint crimson glow spilled outward, forcing back the surrounding blackness.
“Chao Long has died as well… the Northern Lands…” The voice boomed like rolling thunder. “Just what power lies there…”
The red eyes narrowed slightly.
“Not even the Three Sacred Gates’ passageway… was brought back…”
The tone was distant, indifferent, as though the deaths of two Deputy Society Heads mattered less than the loss of the passageway itself.
“Even so, Wandering Heart Society remains strong,” a calm male voice suddenly spoke from within the wolf pack. “Isn’t that right?”
“Hoo…”
A strange gust swept through the forest, dispersing the mist. Moonlight pierced the dense canopy, illuminating the colossal figure behind the blood-red eyes.
It was a titanic white wolf.
Its body towered several stories high, standing upright like a pale monument among the trees. Its fur reflected little light, dull and lifeless, while its long, narrow crimson eyes gleamed with cruelty and cold intent.
Its gaze locked onto the man standing before it.
The same man who had spoken moments ago.
“Oh?”
The giant wolf lowered its massive head. Razor-sharp fangs descended toward the man, close enough that it seemed ready to swallow him whole at any moment.
Wisps of pale white mist rose once more, curling through the air. In truth, it was no ordinary fog, but the water vapor exhaled from the giant wolf’s breath.
“Who gave you the audacity to stand before this King without fear…” the White Wolf growled, its voice low and rumbling.
“Wandering Heart Society has existed for countless years under the terms of the ancient alliance,” the man replied evenly. “I believe Your Majesty, the White Wolf King, would not act so rashly.”
Compared to the White Wolf King, the man’s stature was negligible, no more than a single tooth in height. Yet he stood his ground without the slightest tremor, meeting the colossal beast’s gaze with unshaken composure.
“Moreover,” the man continued, “I have come specifically to inform Your Majesty of the identity of the one who seized the passageway.”
He lifted his head, allowing his face to emerge fully beneath the moonlight.
It was the very man who had once investigated the Three Sacred Mirror incident at Tea Sect.
…………
Fine wisps of crimson smoke drifted through the sanctuary. Thread by thread, they intertwined into a vast web, shrouding the entire space.
Lu Sheng sat cross-legged at the very center. Before him on the ground lay more than ten martial arts manuals of varying thickness.
These were the prized legacies of Divine Prime martial arts, handwritten by Divine Prime Elders themselves. Unlike ordinary practitioners, once one stepped into the Divine Prime realm, one possessed the qualifications to compose martial arts manuals on par with the original ancient texts.
Divine Prime experts could perfectly convey the true intent of a martial art through meditation diagrams, and even refine and improve upon them.
After all, these manuals contained Spirit Focus martial arts, while their authors had already reached a higher realm: Divine Prime.
“What a pity…” Lu Sheng murmured, his gaze sweeping over the manuals. “Writing martial arts manuals is an exceedingly draining task, even for Divine Prime experts. Otherwise, these could be mass-produced as a source of income.”
Mysteria Light God Freezing Palm.
Great Sun Flowing Sands Sword Art.
Sage Restoration Skill.
Golden Wind Jade Dew Mantra.
Blue Winds Martial Brush.
Trigram Emperor Fist.
Cloud Fury Palm.
Each Spirit Focus martial art bore an imposing name, clearly reflecting the aspirations and ambition of its creator, who had hoped their art would be as dominant and overwhelming as its title implied.
“Still…” Lu Sheng let out a quiet sigh. “Even Divine Primes are nothing more than slightly larger ants in the mortal world.”
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