Chapter 397 The Source, Part Three

Silence reigned within the Sifang Garden.

Wang Yifeng’s eyes flickered, frantically considering the potential benefits his son's talent might bring.

This era was rife with danger, and people needed the protection of towns to live and work in peace.

The nation was founded upon the combination of countless towns.

Blood-bodied monsters were everywhere, ubiquitous. But what truly sustained the country wasn't the martial artists, but the bloodline wielders who had awakened their blood seeds.

The hierarchy of bloodline wielders was strict and clear, each level featuring an exaggerated, exponential increase in power, much faster than the years of arduous cultivation a martial artist needed to achieve even a slight increase in strength over ordinary people.

But this didn't mean martial artists were useless. There were many things bloodline wielders couldn't do themselves, and that was when the martial artists, stronger than ordinary people but weaker than bloodline wielders, were the best choice.

"In that case... perhaps he could enter the Shenwu Si!" Wang Yifeng exclaimed.

"What?" Li Cheng頤 looked at him, not understanding what the Shenwu Si was.

The books and materials he had read were just a few classics circulating in the town, and he wasn't clear on much information from the outside world.

"The Xueshou Si and the Shenwu Si are the two major systems in the Shaoyin Kingdom. One is composed of a large number of experts with blood seeds, responsible for clearing and hunting blood-bodied monsters in various places. The other is a special department composed of ordinary civilians without bloodlines, ordinary martial artists, a force specifically established to clean up after the former's hunts."

"I passed the Shenwu Si's assessment back then, but I didn't want to leave here, leave my hometown, so I didn't go. But you can! A’Chen! With your talent and potential, you'll definitely stand out in there and rise to a high position!" Wang Yifeng became slightly excited.

The reason he didn't go back then was also after thorough consideration. With his strength, he had already reached his limit and couldn't improve any further. Even if he joined, he would only be a low-level grunt for the rest of his life, so he simply didn't go.

"That's right, A’Chen will definitely be selected if he goes to the Shenwu Si!" Wang Yiheng also nodded.

"But he's still a little weak now, wait a little longer..." Wang Yifeng said, "A’Chen, when you've cultivated your true qi to the same level as your dad, you can go and take the assessment."

Li Cheng颐 looked at his eager eyes and nodded slightly.

"I understand."

The first step of revealing his strength and talent was accomplished.

Only by letting his family see the hope of development could he leave here and go to a bigger place in a logical way.

After a burst of excitement, Wang Yifeng pulled the three of them together to imagine the future and arrange future plans.

Then he began to examine Li Cheng颐’s martial arts skills and teach him the basics of fighting experience.

As a Dragon Realm expert, Li Cheng颐 was naturally extremely skilled and quickly transitioned, which made Wang Yifeng exclaim that he was a genius.

So the entire Wang family was shrouded in unparalleled excitement and joy for the whole day.

Time passed day by day.

After the family discovered Li Cheng颐’s talent, a large supply of meat followed, and the extraction of true qi also accelerated smoothly, becoming faster and faster.

After experimental research, Li Cheng颐 discovered that using the power of language to accelerate the extraction of true qi could only be done once every five days.

Each time, it could directly increase the amount of true qi by about three Song patterns, which was equivalent to using it once and benefiting for three years.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed.

Bang.

In the ruins of Jingwei Village.

Li Cheng颐 extended his palm with one hand and gently struck the air in front of him.

Lustrous white true qi covered his palm, forming a white qi shield more than a meter wide, shielding most of his body.

Twenty Song patterns appeared in the true qi, representing that he now possessed twenty years' worth of true qi, surpassing Wang Yifeng.

On the open space, Li Cheng颐 circulated his true qi to the fullest and carefully felt its amplifying effect on his body.

‘Purely looking at true qi, it's probably not enough to defend against blood-bodied monsters. The latent period of the red-eye disease could offset so much of my true qi, the subsequent red-eye phase must be even stronger. This little bit of true qi is still not enough…’

‘But it's enough to register at the yamen and participate in the Shenwu Si selection.’

True qi wasn't powerful enough for the time being, but it was enough as a supplement.

Li Cheng颐 didn't forget that the real purpose of his coming here was to find the Illusory Rainbow Dragon Heart.

So joining the official route and obtaining an identity to facilitate investigation was the most convenient.

"Sir, your tea is ready." At this time, the boy named Liu Mingyang came out of the house and reminded him softly.

Since discovering that this boy had sneaked in last time, Li Cheng颐 had been too lazy to pay attention to him.

He originally thought that it wouldn't be long before this guy would die on his own or run away.

Unexpectedly, after so long, he was still nearby, living quite comfortably.

The dilapidated village chief's house was repaired with wooden doors, the fallen leaves and dust were cleaned, and tables, chairs, and a small bed for resting were arranged inside.

A water well was also found in a corner of the courtyard, where water could be drawn for drinking at any time.

As long as Li Cheng颐 brought some food, it could serve as a small stronghold for practicing and resting.

Li Cheng頤 felt that it was not bad for the other party to stay, so he was too lazy to drive him away.

The two of them got along so strangely, and slowly got used to each other.

"I might be leaving here in a while," Li Cheng颐 said.

"Sir... where are you going? Can I come with you?" Liu Mingyang's face froze, and he asked with a hint of panic in his eyes.

"I don't know, but it should be going to another place. If you're willing, you can come with me then. But it might be dangerous,"

Li Cheng頤 said.

"With you here, sir, I'm not afraid of any danger," Liu Mingyang said quickly.

"As you wish," Li Cheng颐 said casually.

The two of them fell silent and quietly rested and drank tea.

In the afternoon, at dusk, Li Cheng颐 got up and prepared to return to Xinmeng Town.

The sky was dim, and the bloody sunset once again dyed the world blood red.

Just after leaving Jingwei Village, not a few hundred meters away, on the road ahead, there was a red figure crouching on the ground, with disheveled hair, not knowing what it was doing.

Some wild wolves were lying scattered around the figure.

The corpse of each gray wolf had its head smashed, as if it had been blasted apart head-on.

The red figure was wearing tattered red clothes, with its ankles and the back of its neck facing Li Cheng颐, and its skin was covered with wrinkles, obviously not a young person.

Hearing the sound, the figure slowly turned around and looked at Li Cheng颐.

A pair of clear red eyes appeared in front of him.

"Red-eye disease?!" Li Cheng頤’s heart tightened.

The memories of his predecessor flashed through his mind in an instant.

It's her!

The crazy woman who initially killed his predecessor. She's still nearby!

No... at my speed, running so far in one breath, this place is considered far from Xinmeng Town, not nearby.

Li Cheng颐 quickly calmed down, and at the same time, his eyes also revealed a trace of curiosity as he looked at the other party.

He had seen the previous latent red-eye disease, and now the real red-eye phase was right in front of him.

The other party’s performance had been confirmed by Wang Yifeng and his men to be a monster in the red-eye phase.

There are multiple reasons for the origin of these monsters. Some of them awaken blood seeds but fail to control their own bloodlines, leading to madness.

Some are infected and contaminated by the blood spilled by other blood-bodied monsters, turning into the red-eye phase.

Others are infected after eating food contaminated by blood-bodied monsters, such as plant fruits and the flesh of red-eyed animals, turning into monsters.

But regardless of which type, in the wild, these beings are more dangerous wandering individuals than other ferocious beasts.

"It's good that there's no one around, let's see how strong it really is."

Looking at the other party's face full of bulging veins, with blood-red eyes, completely turned into rubies, with only two black dots in the pupils.

He flashed to the left and leaped away from the direction of the lane.

Ha!

The red-eye phase old woman followed closely, like a beast discovering its prey, irrationally chasing after him.

One times the speed of sound.

Li Cheng颐 was covered in invisible flower scale armor to prevent his clothes from being torn apart by the wind.

What surprised him was that the other party actually kept up easily, and was different from him.

He forcibly broke the sound barrier, and would make a huge noise when running.

But that crazy woman was also extremely fast, even faster than him, and didn't cause the slightest sonic boom.

Like a phantom, a bloody illusion, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

'What is the principle?' Li Cheng颐 was greatly surprised.

Air is everywhere, and as long as there is air, high-speed movement will encounter resistance. Only by breaking through the air resistance can one achieve a higher speed.

But the other party actually crossed this stage.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a red shadow flashed, and Li Cheng颐 was startled, and quickly flashed to the left.

Puff!

A red arm slammed into the position where he had just stood.

The red-clothed old woman actually caught up! Her speed was much faster than him!

On the desolate black earth plain, the setting sun was like blood, dragging out the long shadows of the two.

Li Cheng颐 confronted the other party, more than ten meters apart, with a frown.

'One times the speed of sound is not enough, then faster...'

Swish!

Two times the speed of sound!

A violent sonic boom exploded, and he instantly rushed towards the other party, his golden sword condensing in his hand, slashing down.

Clang!

The red-clothed old woman covered her hands with red light, raised her hand to block the golden sword, and let out a subconscious roar.

Countless red lights spread throughout her body, and her body rapidly expanded, inflating like a balloon.

With a tear, she instantly grew to three meters.

The red light distorted her flesh, and the light was like a solid entity, piercing into the flesh and blood, forming pillars of bone.

In just an instant, the red-clothed old woman was forcibly pulled up and lengthened, and the empty parts of her body were filled and supported by the red light turned into bones.

In the blink of an eye, she turned into a strange creature resembling a bio-chemical monster.

The flesh on her body was like plasticine, not caring about internal organs, and in just an instant it was deformed and fused into the human bone structure composed of red light, forming a completely new body.

Except for her head, which was still the same as before, everything else had completely changed.

The most important thing was that the old woman's skin was gone after the transformation, and only bloody muscles and fascia were exposed, blood constantly flowing down and dripping into the black soil, emitting a strong stench.

'So is this a blood body or the red-eye phase?'

Li Cheng颐's face became slightly solemn as he looked at the blood flowing and dripping wantonly.

From a distance, the other party looked like a three-meter-tall giant that had been skinned, with some bones exposed and emitting red light.

Again!

Swish!

He increased his speed again, this time without holding back, it was directly four times the speed of sound.

This was the fastest speed reached after the flower scale armor was amplified.

Without true qi amplification, this was the limit.

The terrifying sonic boom shook the surrounding black soil, forming circles of subtle ripples that spread into the distance.

The golden sword carried the firelight of burning friction with the air, and heavily slashed horizontally towards the other party.

Thousands of tons of force, like a mountain torrent, instantly blasted towards the other party's waist.

Bang!!

In that instant, all the red light on the old woman's body surged rapidly, condensing on her hands, and with a lightning-fast grab, accurately caught the horizontally slashing golden sword.

Her speed was actually faster than Li Cheng頤's now!!

And the huge impact force only stirred up ripples when it hit the layer of red light.

On the contrary, the red light, like a living thing, quickly spread along the golden sword towards Li Cheng頤.

It seemed to want to be transmitted into Li Cheng颐’s body.