"Heavens! Heâs actually managed to consume the ancestorâs Blood Essence without dying!" The elders were shocked by the results.
However, the Eleventh Elderâs expression shifted with concern. "No, something feels wrong."
Though Bai Xutao was still alive, his energy was a turbulent storm, chaotic and wild, as if he had lost all control over his own body.
A moment later, one of the elders stepped forward to confront Bai Xutao.
"Young Master! How are you feeling?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
But instead of answering, Bai Xutao turned to face him and, without warning, launched a brutal attack.
The elder was instantly sent flying, crashing into a nearby mountain.
"Be careful! The Young Master has gone berserk!" The Eleventh Elder warned everyone before distancing himself from Bai Xutao.
The others quickly followed.
Meanwhile, after hours of fierce combat, both Yuan and the Clan Leader abruptly paused as they sensed a powerful presence appearing out of thin air.
Yuan recognized the presence as strangely familiar, but couldnât place its origin. The Clan Leader felt the same unease, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Though the presence wasnât stronger than the Clan Leaderâs, it carried a far more menacing and threatening aura, making it feel far more dangerous.
It was at this moment that one of the elders at the scene notified the Clan Leader of the situation through his communication jade slip.
"That bastard did what?!" The Clan Leader didnât believe the news at first.
"The Young Master entered the Ancestral Altar and consumed the Ancestorâs Blood Essence!" The Eleventh Elder repeated.
"Thatâs impossible! How did he enter the Ancestral Altar?! The barrier shouldâve kept him out!" the Clan Leader exclaimed in disbelief.
"The barrier was gone when we arrived!" The Eleventh Elder hurriedly responded. "I donât know if the Young Master tampered with it or if something else caused its disappearance, but it wasnât there when we arrived!"
Noticing the Clan Leaderâs distraught expression, Yuan couldnât help but ask, "Ancestral Altar? What are you talking about?"
Since the Eleventh Elder was conversing through the communication jade slip, he had no idea about the situation.
Yet, the Clan Leader ignored him and focused on Bai Xutaoâs situation.
"What happened to Bai Xutao?!"
The Eleventh Elder quickly explained Bai Xutaoâs situation.
"Heâs alive, but heâs gone berserk and is destroying everything in sight! He doesnât even recognize his own people!"
"That useless bastard! Keep him restrained until I get there! There must be a way to extract the Blood Essence he consumed!"
After putting away the communication jade slip, the Clan Leader looked at Yuan with a serious expression on his face.
"I donât have time to waste on you any longer," the Clan Leader snarled. "Iâll grant you a painless deathâbe grateful."
Before Yuan could respond, the Clan Leader unleashed the full force of his cultivation, striking with his most powerful martial technique.
"Heavenly Tigerâs White Flash!"
The Clan Leader swung his claw-like hand toward Yuan, unleashing a blinding flash of light, as bright as a flashbang. In an instant, Yuanâs world turned pure white, and before he could react, a forceful, unstoppable blow struck his body, tearing him apart in the blink of an eye.
After delivering the crushing blow and being certain it had struck Yuan, the Clan Leader wasted no time in flying away, not even bothering to check if Yuan was still alive. He was absolutely certain that no Immortal could survive such an attack.
Moments after the Clan Leader flew off, Yuan emerged from the mountain of rubble, completely unharmed, his expression as calm as ever.
"He must be in quite the hurry to leave so quickly, not even bothering to check if Iâm still alive," Yuan murmured, his gaze following the direction the Clan Leader had disappeared to.
"Are you going to chase after him, or are we going to leave now?" Feng Yuxiang asked.
"Leave?" Yuan shook his head and continued, "Why would I leave when we still have plenty of time before we return to the Rising Phoenix Clan? Not to mention the Ancient Seal isnât in our possession yet."
"Then..."
"Letâs see whatâs got him so worried," Yuan muttered, before soaring off in the direction the Clan Leader had vanished.
Sometime later, the Clan Leader arrived at the scene, his eyes widening as he saw the elders still struggling to subdue Bai Xutao, whose cultivation had now surged to the 3rd level of God Ascension.
"Youâre here, Clan Leader!" The Eleventh Elder hurried toward him upon noticing his arrival.
"What is this? Why is it taking you so long to subdue him?" The Clan Leader demanded, his frown deepening with frustration.
"Thatâs... Heâs growing stronger with each passing moment," the Eleventh Elder said hesitantly, "but his cultivation isnât the real problem weâre facing."
Before the Eleventh Elder could continue, the Clan Leaderâs attention snapped to Bai Xutao, who unleashed a powerful roar that resonated with profound energy. The sound reverberated through the air, causing the Clan Leaderâs bloodline to tremble in response.
"This feeling isâ!" The Clan Leaderâs eyes widened with disbelief after realizing something.
Seeing the Clan Leaderâs reaction, the Eleventh Elder let out a deep sigh. "We believe the Young Masterâs bloodline has awakened after consuming the Ancestorâs Blood Essence, and his âBloodline Authorityâ is now above ours, making him nearly impossible to handle. We canât even land a proper attack on him because our instincts force us not to harm him."
"What a fucking pain in the ass," the Clan Leader snapped, his face reddening and veins bulging with rage. "How many times do I have to clean up your mess today?!"
"Iâm sorry for being useless..." The Eleventh Elder murmured, lowering his head in shame.
"Iâll deal with you all later. Right now, I need to subdue him before his bloodline becomes too powerful for me to control," the Clan Leader growled, his tone full of annoyance.
With that, he went to confront Bai Xutao, intending to subdue him without taking his life.
Meanwhile, Yuan watched from a distance while hiding his presence with Shadow Veil.