Chapter 481: Guidance of the Ancestor God

Chapter 481: The Guidance of the Ancestral God

This thing was indeed a sacred relic.

The mere fact that Zhao Changhe could not lift it made its significance clear—its energy was vast, not quite equal to heaven, but like mountains and seas.

And this energy was primarily blood and qi, not meant for absorption—what use would sucking so much blood into one’s body be? It was for refinement and transformation. Thus, no single strongman could monopolize it and drain all its energy; this was truly something that could supply an entire clan with marrow-washing, sinew-forging, and blood-qi optimization.

Of course, not everyone’s cultivation was particularly suited to such “optimization”; Yue Hongling or Han Wubing might not be ideal.

But for the Ling clan, like Sisi, it was a perfect fit, and for Zhao Changhe, even more so.

The Ling clan’s martial cultivation was quite mediocre—aside from their combat heritage being largely severed by Lie’s single blade, their physical training had also been broken off, and the root cause lay here.

For Sisi, this was like rain after a long drought, with effects even more pronounced than for Zhao Changhe. Merely standing nearby, feeling the blood jade’s aura permeate her, her physique began to undergo earth-shaking changes. Not only did her body grow stronger and her blood qi more vigorous, but even her true qi started to flourish. The gu worms in her spirit pouch leaped with joy, as if they had all grown a size plumper.

The foundation of Ling clan cultivation differed from that of the Central Plains. Their secret treasury gate did not require Zhao Changhe’s hesitant groping or searching for insights and connections... The secret treasury was, after all, the “human body’s secret treasury.” When it came to shamanic gu and blood qi matters, reaching a critical threshold naturally led one to find it.

And Sisi had been stuck right at the threshold...

Yue Hongling’s eyes widened as she watched Sisi break through before her very eyes—to the first secret treasury.

This was likely the only Ling clan member in this era to breach the secret treasury gate...

Yue Hongling’s mouth hung half-open, and Sisi’s did too. The two women’s lips remained agape for a long while. This worked?

This blood jade was so sacred to the Ling clan that it should have been guarded with the lives of the entire tribe! If the Ling ancestors knew this thing had been given away outright, they’d probably be furious enough to crawl out from underground.

In fact, they already were furious enough to crawl out...

But why could Zhao Changhe resonate with the blood jade? What connection did he have with the Ling clan’s ancestral god?

Sisi’s expression began to shift.

The Corpse Demon watched coldly as Zhao Changhe silently refined his blood qi, offering no comment, only saying frostily: “Lie’s rise was tied to many things from the Ling clan. You inherited his legacy, so Ling clan artifacts are indeed beneficial to your cultivation—perhaps they can even lead you to the stairway to heaven. In a sense, you could be considered half a Ling clansman... What comes after is what Lie himself roamed the world to obtain; it depends on whether you have his skill.”

Zhao Changhe was quietly experiencing the changes in his body at that moment—in fact, the effect on him was even better than on Sisi, because it not only fortified his physique and blood qi but also sent a surge of fierce killing intent into him.

Poor Old Zhao hadn’t killed many people, so his cultivation method of nurturing killing intent through slaughter had never been great; he always relied on treasures of killing intent to supplement it. The Blood God Array Plate was incomplete, its killing intent half-dead and insufficient, and he was too embarrassed to absorb too much and leave none for the Blood God disciples. He had been wondering where to find a massive amount of killing intent, and now someone just handed it to him for free.

But since their cultivation foundations differed, Sisi’s reaction was obvious while his was less clear—though the effect might not be inferior.

Hearing the Corpse Demon’s words, he finally replied: “I have my own path... Lie’s teachings are merely a reference.”

“Hmph.” The Corpse Demon said coldly: “Right now, I only want to know what you mean by ‘mutual benefit’? I don’t believe you don’t want to keep this thing for yourself.”

Zhao Changhe casually stuffed the blood jade into Sisi’s hands.

Sisi: “?”

Corpse Demon: “...”

Zhao Changhe said: “She is your true clansman, and the saintess at that.”

The Corpse Demon almost wanted to say, what difference does it make if you give it to her or to yourself... but the words died on his lips.

In the end, there was still a difference.

Sisi held the blood jade as if in a dream, stammering: “You, you wanted it badly, didn’t you?”

“I’ve already gained the value of the blood jade I needed. Why must I keep it all to myself?” Zhao Changhe ruffled her hair: “This is your clan’s sacred relic. Keep it... Don’t let it slip. Let the elders think the ‘holy envoy’ took it—that’s fine. When the dust settles, you can bring it out again, and that will be your capital.”

Sisi’s gaze nearly melted into water.

Yue Hongling crossed her arms.

You two are starting this right in front of me, aren’t you?

Sisi murmured: “You... why do you have affinity with our Ling clan’s blood jade?”

“Uh... your ancestral god taught me.” Zhao Changhe couldn’t quite bear her gaze and changed the subject: “Let’s go out, let’s go out. There’s nothing more here.”

“Is this the guidance of the ancestral god?” Sisi whispered to herself, her expression very complicated.

The Corpse Demon began struggling inside the pouch: “Zhao Changhe, you motherfucker...”

The spirit pouch was secretly closed, and the Corpse Demon could see nothing.

“Rumble...” The stone door pushed open again. The three had been inside for barely a quarter of an hour. The elders and guards outside stared dumbfounded at the now-empty stone chamber, shocked: “This... the Juntian Blood Jade really was taken away?”

Zhao Changhe said flatly: “What? Did you originally think this envoy couldn’t take it?”

“No, no...” The elders lowered their heads, their hearts even more awestruck, and said respectfully: “Does the holy envoy require anything else?”

Zhao Changhe said: “Since we have the Juntian Blood Jade, we can forgo the virgin boys and girls this time.”

The elders couldn’t believe it, and one even blurted out: “Really not? We’ve already prepared them...”

Anger flared in Sisi’s eyes, and the guards around clenched their fists.

Zhao Changhe said calmly: “Call back those who were selecting people. Since you’re so energetic, you should help this envoy with another matter.”

The chief elder quickly said: “Please give your orders, holy envoy.”

“That white-robed swordsman, our traitor... Do you have any news of him?”

“Yes.” Another elder quickly replied: “He’s at the Thousand Serpent Stockade to the west. Stockade Master She Shan of the Thousand Serpent Stockade is hosting him with hospitality and stalling him.”

As it happened, Shi Wuding knew nothing about the forbidden grounds and couldn’t even understand why the Ling clan treated him with such respect... In truth, he didn’t even know these were the Ling clan. In any case, his bewildered expression not only confirmed he wasn’t the envoy but also proved he was an outsider to the forbidden grounds, unaware of important matters.

If the Ling clan had been uncertain before about which side was the true envoy, this contact made everything “crystal clear”—too obvious.

So they sharpened their blades, already waiting for the holy envoy’s command to jointly slay the traitor.

Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling exchanged a glance, both seeing the amusement in each other’s eyes: “Then make arrangements. Kill this wretch, and we’ll return to report.”

...

At the Thousand Serpent Stockade, Shi Wuding was also enjoying imperial-level treatment—fine wine, fine food, beautiful maids, and servants, all attending to him with utmost care and diligence.

Fortunately, Shi Wuding’s sword heart was firm; he had little interest in such things, especially no interest in women, so he wasn’t corrupted or debauched. He simply focused on healing his injuries and, in passing, ordered the Thousand Serpent people to “search for two men and one woman.”

In the eyes of the Thousand Serpent Stockade, this behavior was very “forbidden grounds,” but unfortunately not very “holy envoy.”

A holy envoy came to demand things; you want nothing... and you understand nothing. With this, you want to use our strength to deal with the real holy envoy? Go eat shit.

Without even waiting for orders from the sacred mountain elders, the Thousand Serpent Stockade had already begun secretly dealing with Shi Wuding.

He didn’t want women, but he had to eat. They added some small things to his meals that normal methods could never detect. Though Shi Wuding’s cultivation was exquisite, his understanding of foreign arts was limited, and he noticed nothing.

At the same time, the saliva he left on the utensils he used and the hair he casually shed were quietly collected by the Thousand Serpent Stockade, waiting only for the elders’ command to begin their operations.

Shi Wuding rested for about two days, feeling that the injuries inflicted by that dog couple had healed to a large extent, and emerged from seclusion: “Have you found any news of the man and woman I ordered you to search for?”

Thousand Serpent Stockade Master She Shan smiled obsequiously: “There is news. They are said to have appeared at the Sipan Stockade, not far from here.”

“Oh?” A sharp glint burst from Shi Wuding’s eyes: “Where is this stockade? Lead me there.”

“Lead me there,” my ass. Others say “lead this envoy.”

She Shan smiled ingratiatingly: “Holy envoy, please follow me.”

A squad of Ling clan elites escorted Shi Wuding out of the stockade, heading straight for another desolate mountain.

Not long after stepping into the mountain, Shi Wuding suddenly felt something was off.

She Shan, who had been leading the way, darted about and suddenly vanished. When he turned to look at the Ling clan elites behind him, they too had disappeared...

From all directions came a “hissing” sound. Countless venomous snakes surged in like a sea of serpents, covering the ground and sky, a sight that made one’s scalp crawl.

Meanwhile, the sky screamed as countless arrows rained down, blotting out the sun and clouds.

Shi Wuding's face darkened; he drew his long sword, about to unleash a technique that splits one into ten thousand, when suddenly his arm went numb, strength gone.

A curse?

Shi Wuding looked inward in shock; his lower abdomen twisted with agony—he knew not when countless gu worms had burrowed inside, about to burst forth.

The arrows were already at his face.

Enduring all curses and gu arts, Shi Wuding darted swiftly, trying to escape into the nearby dense forest.

A flash of blade light, a burst of sword gleam—Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling combined their blade and sword, hacking down at him from all directions.

Shi Wuding still felt as if in a dream. We all just arrived at this secret realm—why does it seem I have stumbled into your lair? Look at these spirit clan people fighting so desperately—do I have a grudge with them?