Chapter 28: Bull Demon
Chapter 28: Bull Demon
“Beast Servant… tale… Ghost—Blows Out the Lamp?”
“Dao Transformation Armament… Master Wu Yi… the Whale-Rending Arm… its flaw?”
As Gu Yanran recounted the story, several elders listened intently, occasionally asking a few questions, exclaiming in wonder when something exciting arose.
“So, this young man indeed has some skill…” Gu Yan nodded approvingly. He was not just supporting his niece for the sake of appearance; he genuinely felt impressed. “But to see through the flaw of a Dao Transformation Armament at a glance? Without great wisdom, it would be extremely difficult to accomplish. Could it be that this young man has an awakened Ancient Bloodline?”
These words made both You Qiushui and Qin Yue turn their heads simultaneously, their faces filled with deep disbelief.
Ancient Bloodlines, such as the “Xuan Yuan” of the You Xiong Clan or the “Zhuan Xu” of the Gao Yang Clan, were all lineages stronger than deities. Their occurrence rate was even lower than that of the Celestial Human Aspect, making them absolutely rare as phoenix feathers.
Moreover, with the Star Chart hanging high above, it was impossible for such a thing to go unnoticed.
“In my opinion, this lad is merely opportunistic, just showing off fancy tricks,” You Qiushui held a different view, her hoarse voice making Gu Yanran grit her teeth in frustration. “I believe it’s not worth using the Six-Ren Plate of Stabilizing Stars for a rotten piece of wood.”
After being interrupted, Gu Yan also felt his speculation was quite unreliable. But unable to resist his niece’s persistent hints, he braced himself and said, “Elder You, it’s just a quick look. It won’t consume much Mana. Talents are hard to come by…”
“Hmph!”
You Qiushui initially wanted to refuse, but in the elder hierarchy, Gu Yan was far above her. Feeling a sense of caution, she snorted coldly.
She separated her palms, and a wooden plate floated before her. It was square on the outside and round within. From the outer edge inward, it was sequentially occupied by the Ten Suns, Twelve Horary Branches, Twelve Months, Twelve Years, and Twenty-Eight Constellations. Golden patterns on a blood-red base shimmered brilliantly.
“Fix!”
Without any visible movement from the Star Weaver, the constellations rotated. A surge of intense starlight shone upon Li Yi’s body!
Countless phantoms bloomed open like an enraged lotus. The scenes were bizarre and varied: a golden lion, a crow of departing fire, and many others. But they were faint and pale, empty and powerless.
Gu Yan’s expression immediately soured. He gave a bitter laugh. “Ahem, I’m getting old… misjudged…”
“Talent? Ancient Bloodline? Nonsense!”
You Qiushui’s loud, scornful laughter rang out at just the right moment.
“The bloodlines on this person are a chaotic mess! There’s the ‘Lionheart’ Li Clan, the ‘Cold Crow’ Li Clan, and even the ‘Xuan Pin’ Li Clan!” She feigned a searching look, her tone sarcastic and mocking. “Oh? Let me look again. There’s even the bloodline of the ‘Strategist’ Xiao Clan! Is this boy from tens of thousands of years in the future?”
The “Lionheart” Li Clan descended from Li Yuan’s line. The “Cold Crow” Li Clan descended from Li Guang’s line. The “Xuan Pin” Li Clan descended from Laozi’s line.
As for the “Strategist” Xiao Clan, they were descendants of Xiao He.
Had Li Yi known this, he would have understood: his mother’s maiden name was Xiao.
“To think… this was the result?”
Deep down, she hadn’t held much hope, but at this moment, Gu Yanran still couldn’t suppress a flicker of disappointment. Her body trembled slightly. This expression only made You Qiushui feel more pleased.
Bloodlines were absolutely not solely about valuing purity. Great clans often intermarried, and most pairings could complement each other. From time to time, even more powerful bloodlines were born.
But the bloodlines on Li Yi were not only excessively mixed, but the several powerful lineages present were all frighteningly thin, with no signs of fusion.
In simple terms—he had no cultivation value whatsoever.
No more words were needed. As the commotion subsided, the three elders’ gazes were quickly drawn to the other participants.
“Elemental Tide! This Zhangsun Shenji’s level of Elemental Affinity might have reached ‘Heaven-Earth Resonance’!”
Exclamations of praise rose. Gu Yan clapped his hands in admiration, tapping his fingers in applause.
“The Spirit-God Aperture, with spirits lying dormant within the apertures—it’s truly real!” You Qiushui’s eyes flashed as she uttered praise.
“This Yu Qian is strange… on him, there’s the embryonic form of the ‘Gong Gong Aspect’!” A sharp gleam burst in Qin Yue’s eyes, seemingly tinged with barely containable joy. “I’d long heard that the Yu Clan mastered a secret method to create ‘False Celestial Human Aspects’. I thought it was just hearsay. It seems I underestimated the heroes of the world.”
“Eh, what’s going on with this trainee named Yan Zhao? It seems he possesses a ‘Magic Immunity’ ability!”
Within just a few moments, Li Yi went from the center of discussion to being tossed into the forgotten corner, ignored by all.
Gu Yanran bit her lower lip lightly. A faint trace of pity appeared in her eyes.
She had privately judged this youth as a “show-off seeking attention.” But now she realized that even if he exerted all his effort to be a show-off, he couldn’t capture the slightest bit of attention from the elders!
Involuntarily, she felt a touch of sorrow.
“I will watch you.”
Gu Yanran said firmly in her heart.
“What, Niece Gu, still staring at him? You are after all too young. Your judgment isn’t reliable. You should listen to your elders…” You Qiushui clearly still held a grudge over her rejection, her words laced with barbs.
“I think he will make the top eight.” Gu Yanran seemed to be speaking to herself, her tone carrying a faint resolve.
“Heh, do you know who the Heaven’s Pride arranged by the Yu Platform is? It’s Gao Huanzhang, who is only a step behind those three!” You Qiushui laughed as if hearing the biggest joke, a sound like a night owl’s call. “Besides, I can also sense this boy hides a rather fine magic artifact on him. That youngster is called Li Yi? Dog-meat buns can never grace a banquet table!”
“I believe he will win!” Gu Yanran’s expression remained firm.
“Niece Gu, shall we wait and see then?” You Qiushui said with a cold, smiling voice.
…
Li Yi did not know that he, a mere ant, had stirred up quite a commotion at the tower’s peak due to Gu Yanran’s unexpected actions.
Taking advantage of others keeping their distance, he happily enjoyed the quiet, occupying a spot with a good view by himself to watch the ensuing Martial Display.
But after just three matches, he shook his head, completely losing interest.
Although Half-Step Mages indeed had limited methods, the few on stage were overly rigid and stiff, even inflexible. Once a fight started, they first protected themselves with the Air Shield Technique, then bombarded each other with magic missiles. After that, it was just a contest of whose Mana pool lasted longer.
Li Yi even wondered if there was something like a textbook guiding them.
Shaking his head, he sat to the side and quietly began to meditate.
In a public setting like this, of course, he could only use the Turtle Breathing Technique.
However, Li Yi unexpectedly discovered something. This technique, while slow for meditation, could nourish Dragon-Turtle Qi. But it had no reaction to Ancient Alligator Qi!
Time passed swiftly, and soon, it was Li Yi’s turn again.
“Yu One, Li Yi.”
The voice paused, then continued.
“Yu Eight, Gao Huanzhang!”
“So soon!” Li Yi opened his eyes in surprise. He was genuinely startled to encounter a Heaven’s Pride this quickly!
This was going to be a tough fight.
However, after this battle, the path to the top eight should be smooth.
Stepping onto the Dragon Gate Platform, before him stood a sturdy youth with slightly reddish skin. In terms of build, he was a full head taller than Li Yi, like a young calf.
Li Yi had done his research beforehand. The Gao Clan bloodline was called “Bull Demon”!
Could he grow bull horns? Or was he a descendant of the Bull Demon King?
He wasn’t quite sure. Strategically, he might look down on him, but tactically, he needed to be cautious.
“I heard you are a friend of Yan Zhao’s?” Gao Huanzhang looked ahead proudly, suddenly speaking with a voice like a great bell.
“Yes,” Li Yi was momentarily taken aback, then asked tentatively, tilting his head, “Are you his friend too?”
“On the contrary, I have a grudge with him! The humiliation he left me with in Lava Valley, I’ll settle with him in full!” Gao Huanzhang snorted angrily, his eyes brimming with killing intent. “So, I’ll start by sacrificing you as an appetizer!”
“I’ll apologize on his behalf first,” Li Yi smiled slightly, leaned forward, and gave a half-bow. A sharp confidence appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Because… you won’t get to meet him…”
A Snap was flicked!
During his first fight, his Snap left no trace. But now, black cracks, like winding serpents, shot onto the barrier before transforming into three strands of chilly, murderous intent that slithered forth!
This move seemed simple but actually utilized Ancient Alligator Qi. It also incorporated some of the essence of the secret art “Thunderclap Strike”, and leveraged the advantage of the “Echo” array, greatly increasing its destructive power!
Thud!
Gao Huanzhang grunted. In his ears, thunderclaps overlapped, beast roars echoed continuously. The black cracks actually pierced through his soul!
This was no mere Psychic Blast; it was almost like a psychic stab!
“How does this kid have such powerful mental strength?”
Shocked inwardly, he clutched his head and let out a pained howl. It seemed his mind was about to suffer serious damage.
At that moment, a beast-horn-shaped amulet on his chest suddenly erupted with a scarlet light!
As fiery light surged, his eyes instantly turned greenish-black. A phantom manifested outside his body—a massive beast with tusks and horns let out an angry, piercing shriek. The aura of fire spread outwards.
“Bull Demon? This is clearly a Flame Demon!”