The days gradually passed.
Deston Prefecture, within Silver Wolf Lake.
Yun Manlou, who had been frowning in distress all day for the past few years, wore a rare smile on his face.
A clan disciple to his side said,
"Reporting to the Patriarch. The demonic woman Dongfang Xuan, who was permanently stationed at our Silver Wolf Lake, hasn't come for five years.
The man-eating demon hiding in the dark is also nowhere to be seen.
Recently, the number of fleeing clan members and retainers has been steadily decreasing.
Our clan disciples investigated and found out that Dongfang Xuan has gone to Sunfall City. A few days ago, she schemed for the Spear Saint, killing thirty thousand Wu tribesmen."
"It's all thanks to Lord Ba and Mr. Zhou."
Yun Manlou laughed loudly. But as he laughed, his expression grew complex, and he sighed.
"If I had known it would be like this, it would have been better for the Old Ancestor to release his Half-step Body Integration Spiritual power earlier.
Lord Ba and Mr. Zhou could have also sheltered my Yun Clan, and how could such disasters have happened?"
But where in the world is there a "if I had known"? If it weren't for the fact that the Yun Clan's Old Ancestor was only one kick away from crossing the threshold, he probably wouldn't have revealed his trump card at all.
While he was deep in thought.
More joy was added to Yun Manlou's face. Outside the door, a bearded man with curly whiskers could be seen striding over.
With an ordinary stride, he could shrink the ground to an inch, leaving only streaks of afterimages where he stood.
In just a snap of the fingers, he was already in the grand hall.
This man dressed casually. The heavily muscled, bearded man sized Yun Manlou up and down and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, I haven't seen you in a millennium, Prefecture Lord Yun, yet your bearing remains as grand as ever.
It seems you have expert assistance and will be able to break through to the Void Refinement realm in just a few years. I wonder where Fellow Daoist Yun Hongcai is?"
"Greetings, Senior Jiande. This junior will take you to see the Old Ancestor right away!"
Having been Prefecture Lords of the Yun Clan for tens of thousands of years, with their Old Ancestor having lived for forty-eight thousand years, they had plenty of good friends in the world.
When Shadowfell Prefecture was in peril back then, Yun Manlou sent messages all over the world; let alone his good friends, even the retainers outside had run away.
But upon arriving at Silver Wolf Lake, he sent messages again, merely stating that the Old Ancestor was only one step away from breaking through to Body Integration, and suddenly, he had "good friends" again.
This bearded man was known to the world as the Jiande Heavenly Venerable.
He was twenty thousand years old, at the mid-stage of the Void Refinement realm, and had started out as an assassin.
Back in the day, he had received a favor from the Old Ancestor.
The Old Ancestor once said that under Jiande Heavenly Venerable's Heaven-Supporting Spiked Club, no one could escape his assassination.
After bringing Jiande Heavenly Venerable to see the Old Ancestor.
He only heard the two inside chatting merrily about their past affection. Yun Manlou left respectfully.
"Even Jiande Heavenly Venerable has come to assist us. More experts will be arriving soon."
"Azure Cloud Li Clan, Azure Cloud Li Clan... Li Xinnian? Hahaha!"
Yun Manlou laughed out loud.
"You haven't shown up all these years. I don't care if you truly didn't get the news or if you are being suppressed by Lord Ba.
Your threats in front of Lord Ba back then were nothing but a joke!"
"Making an enemy of my Yun Clan over a dead person... your Li Clan is heading towards decline on its own.
With your arrogant and ruthless ways, sooner or later, your Li Clan will be exterminated to the last seed!"
...
[Year 818]
Li Xinnian did not let down the massive Spiritual power the clan elders spent to lay his foundation when he was born, granting him various special physiques, nor did he let down the clan's "Primordial Blood Fruits."
"Half-step Void Refinement."
In the secret room, the blood Qi surrounding Li Xinnian drew into his body, and a majestic Spiritual power rippled out from around him.
Looking into his Soul Sea again, the blood that the "Blood Spirit Dharma Image" had accumulated over many years had been completely refined.
Looking again at his Divinity Transformation Domain, it was gradually expanding; it was only one step away from stepping into the Void realm.
The law Spiritual power of "Devouring," was gradually forming a whirlpool black hole, poised to forge the foundational barrier of the Void Refinement Space.
"Possessing the Primordial Spirit Body and ancient bloodlines, for hundreds of years, I secretly devoured the blood of the people from the Zhao Clan and the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems through demonic Dao methods.
Everything in the world is nothing more than devouring and refining—big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp.
All things in the world can be refined for one's own use, turning into the foundation for one's own evolution."
"When heaven and earth first opened, the living beings of the world strengthened themselves through the law of the jungle.
It is nothing more than this. This is the Dao of Devouring."
"Once the space is forged, my Dao of Devouring can devour the Daoist Spiritual power of others to refine Void Refinement laws, and then evolve into the highest tier of Void Refinement Space, and even... step onto the path of the Dao realm."
Li Xinnian smiled faintly.
"I only need to find a place to attempt a breakthrough. With the Old Ancestor's great Spiritual power to help me heal, I can give it a try."
He then headed outside.
But as soon as he got outside, Li Xinnian narrowed his eyes slightly.
He saw that Granduncle Changsheng and Great-Aunt Changyao both had gloomy expressions.
Their faces only looked a bit better when they saw him come out.
"It's an assassin."
Li Changsheng said calmly,
"The clan elders sent messages in all directions inviting people to come. Suddenly, an assassin appeared on the way, blocking the Elder arriving from the Eternal Sect.
This person was wary of the Eternal Sect and held back slightly; otherwise, the Eternal Sect Elder wouldn't have been able to escape at all.
The Eternal Sect Elder didn't even see the other party's face; he only saw a Heaven-Supporting Spiked Club.
The Eternal Sect Elder fled. If it weren't for the Old Ancestor sending a message, we wouldn't have even known."
"We are being targeted."
---
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