The next few days in Jianghai City remained peaceful.
After the meeting, Elder Li and his people began their intense preparations.
Outside Li Shui Lake, the Star Martial Police Bureau erected a series of temporary defensive walls, and all residential buildings within a two-kilometer radius were completely evacuated.
As night fell, the lakeshore was silent.
There were no signs of human life, only the drifting of fireflies.
Meanwhile, the Li Family also began stockpiling supplies!
Every day at five in the afternoon, a convoy of heavy trucks would arrive on the dot, transporting Array Materials, Miracle Medicine, and Profound Iron to a warehouse designated by Qin Yang, ready for use at a momentâs notice.
For Qin Yang, every day was a massive haul!
In Jianghai City, Elder Li also put out a call through online forums for Essence Blood donations, and the response was overwhelming!
...
One day.
The sun was setting.
Outside Fuhai District.
Lin Mofeng slowly descended from the sky. Dressed in white, he landed gracefully beside the curb.
Qin Yang was already at the gate, having waited for some time.
"Grandmaster Lin!"
Qin Yang waved at him. "Long time no see! When Elder Li said you were coming, I thought Iâd misheard."
"Youâre too kind, Qin Celestial Venerable."
Upon hearing this, Lin Mofeng clasped his hands respectfully, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.
âTo think,â he mused, âthat I once intended to use my Grandmaster Realm status to offer him guidance on his Cultivation. But in just a few short months...â
â...while Iâm still stuck in the Grandmaster Realm, he has already reached the Celestial Venerable Realm.â
âThatâs a gap of two full Realms!â
âIt was truly humbling.â
During his time in the Imperial Capital, Lin Mofeng had sometimes wondered, âIf I had stayed in Jianghai City and enjoyed the Dharma Blessings, wouldnât I have reached the Venerable Realm by now?â
âWhat a shame!â
"Come on, Grandmaster Lin. Letâs talk inside,"
Qin Yang smiled, maintaining his usual calm demeanor as he invited Lin Mofeng into the villa. Xiaobai had already prepared herbal tea, and osmanthus cakes were piled high on a platter.
"Nice place."
Lin Mofeng sat on the sofa, his eyes scanning the villaâs interior, and felt another wave of complex emotions.
âWhen I first met Qin Yang, he was just a humble librarian, and now heâs living in a villa.â
"Elder Li mentioned that you came all the way from the Imperial Capital, Grandmaster Lin. Do you have some important news for me?"
Qin Yang asked, handing him a cup of tea.
"..."
Lin Mofeng fell silent for a moment, as if struggling to find the right words. "There is indeed something I need to inform you about."
After a pause, he began to speak slowly.
"Meng Tianxuan is dead."
The moment he spoke, Qin Yangâs hand, which was offering the tea, froze. He instantly lost his composure. "?"
"Meng Tianxuan is dead? Are you sure?"
"Yes. We in the Imperial Capital just received the news. The Venerable Alliance had been keeping it under wraps. They only released the official announcement when they could no longer hide it."
Lin Mofengâs brow eased as he took a sip of tea. He spoke slowly, "It turns out his life tablet shattered several weeks ago..."
"..."
Qin Yang sat on the sofa, staring blankly at Lin Mofeng, still in disbelief.
"Heâs dead, just like that?"
âHe was a Celestial Venerable, after all! Even if he wouldnât live for a thousand years, he was still one of the most powerful beings in this world!â
âThe number of Star Martial Artists out there who could kill him could be counted on one hand.â
âBesides Nangong Li, who else could possibly do it?â
âAnd more importantly, given Meng Tianxuanâs sanctimonious personality, why would he choose to die so quietly?!â
âThatâs completely out of character for him!â
"Have they identified the killer?"
Qin Yang couldnât help but ask, "Was it someone from the Beast God Sect?"
"Well, thatâs still under investigation. Our sources in the Imperial Capital are limited, so this is all we know for now." Lin Mofeng sighed. "Besides, we only learned this from a senior who left the Venerable Alliance."
"A senior who left?"
Qin Yang asked in surprise, "The Venerable Alliance... did it disband?"
"Yes. Since Meng Tianxuanâs death, the Venerable Alliance has been leaderless. It exists in name only now."
Lin Mofeng waved his hand in resignation. "Itâs a shame. There were actually many good seniors in the Alliance. They just followed the wrong person. One wrong step, and everything that followed was wrong..."
"Is that so..."
Hearing this, Qin Yangâs mind drifted, and he couldnât help but feel a little wistful.
âThe Venerable Alliance has a thousand-year legacy. Many of the Venerables in it, like Liu Wushuang, were stubborn, but they were ultimately thinking about the future of humanity.â
âBut now, because of Meng Tianxuanâs death, itâs all falling apart.â
âItâs truly a tragedy.â
Qin Yangâs intuition was screaming at him.
âMeng Tianxuanâs death is definitely connected to them!â
âMaybe it was an argument over dividing the spoils, or some other reason. Perhaps he was devoured as a blood sacrifice...â
After delivering his message, Lin Mofeng left Fuhai District. He wouldnât have come in person if the matter of Meng Tianxuanâs death hadnât been so significant.
He delivered the message and left.
"Sigh, what a troubled time."
Qin Yang stood at the entrance, watching the retreating figure, and sighed with a heavy heart.
âI donât care whether Meng Tianxuan is alive or dead.â
âItâs just a shame... â
â...that the old bastard had to go and die before I could farm him for all his rewards!â
âIt was probably the Beast Godâs doing.â
Qin Yang watched the sun set behind the distant green mountains, his hands clasped behind his back. He returned to the villa, feeling a distinct lack of enthusiasm. âLooks like I need to speed up my Cultivation.â
...
...
Nightfall.
The moon climbed high into the sky.
A cool breeze swept through the district.
Flashes of sinister, crimson light flickered in and out of existence.
Qin Yang sat cross-legged on the balcony, an eerie red light swirling around him. The Power of the Blood Dao Laws radiated outward, and it was as if his fingertips were pulling on countless threads of blood.
"Almost there."
Qin Yang slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the Clone standing beside him. Its eyes were scarlet, and the veins on its face bulged slightly, giving it an unnervingly demonic appearance.
âTo study the Blood Spirit Array in depth, I specifically infused this Clone with the Blood Dao Laws.â
âIt seems the results are surprisingly good.â
"Letâs try it."
"I should be able to reabsorb it, right?"
As he pondered, Qin Yang extended a hand toward the Clone and abruptly clenched his fist, crushing it.
BANG!
A bloody mist filled the air.
The next moment,
the Clone disintegrated, and the Essence Blood it contained flowed back into his body.
Immediately after, Qin Yang released the reclaimed Essence Blood, creating a new Clone.
The Clone quickly took form.
Destroy, reabsorb.
Release.
Destroy.
This cycle repeated for an hour.
"?"
Qin Yang stroked his chin. He suddenly felt his mastery of the Blood Dao Laws growing rapidly, his comprehension reaching a new level. Moreover, after reabsorbing the Essence Blood, there was no net loss whatsoever.
"Does this count as recycling?"
"A perpetual motion machine?"
...
ăMeanwhile.ă
ăMidnight.ă
ăDeep within the Da Li Mountain Range.ă
A dense black fog permeated the air.
Shrill howls and roars echoed through the night. The crescent moon was veiled in a white haze, and bleached bones littered the wildernessâthe ground was covered in the skeletons of Star Beasts.
The shadow of death loomed, and all life withered.
The terrifying black miasma spread, creeping along the edges of the foothills.
Within the fog, a blood-red figure stood, flickering in and out of sight. It stared indifferently toward the city as a dense spiderweb of blood-red lines on the ground surged into its body.
"Jianghai City... the Heaven-Blasting Gang..."
"Iâd like to see for myself just who you people really are!"