Chapter 264: Forging a Foundation in Martial Arts with the Blood of the Ling Clan

Chapter 264: Forging a Foundation in Martial Arts with the Blood of the Ling Clan

Yu Gao had now confirmed that he had been tricked. Fang Hao had already intended to join the Wan Shi Alliance, but he wanted to negotiate a unique position within it. In his excitement, Yu Gao had impulsively given up the position of the alliance leader.

"The message talisman is indeed an epoch-making item that will reshape the martial arts world of the spirit realm. How could one not be excited?" Yu Gao said, not feeling resentful about the situation.

The message talisman was undoubtedly a revolutionary item in the martial arts world, and his excitement was understandable. However, in his fervor, he had been manipulated by the young man.

"Zhu Liang is very strong. I am no match for him, and the strength of the Yu Shen Clan cannot be underestimated," Yu Gao said in a low voice.

"There's no rush. We'll take it one step at a time, starting with those spirit mines of the Yu Shen Clan," Xu Yan said with a smile.

"I don't know where the Yu Shen Clan's spirit mines are," Yu Gao said, feeling embarrassed.

Before the emergence of the Wan Shi Alliance, they had refrained from actively seeking out important locations belonging to the spirit clans, like the Yu Shen Clan, to avoid alerting them and being discovered.

"Someone knows," Xu Yan said with a smile. "We just need Brother Yu's assistance."

When dealing with the spirit clans and noble families, relying solely on rogue cultivators was insufficient. Even though the Wan Shi Alliance was not weak, it was currently in a phase of covert growth, and to avoid detection, they had limited intelligence on the spirit clans and noble families.

It was the people from these clans and families who truly understood their inner workings, as they were part of that world.

However, Shen Hai Zhou, the young master of a noble family, was an exception.

Of course, as the young master, Shen Hai Zhou was naturally intelligent. His willingness to provide intelligence had its purpose—whether to establish deeper ties or to weaken the Yu Shen Clan and pave the way for the Shen family to take their place.

As long as their relationship remained amicable and beneficial to both parties, that was enough.

After a brief discussion of their plan, Fang Hao prepared to continue crafting array artifacts and message talismans. At that moment, Shi Er approached them, holding a knife.

"Young Master Fang, can you help me refine this knife?" Shi Er asked.

Yu Gao, who had been about to find a place to sit down and recover from his injuries, was startled by the request. He reached out and took the serrated knife from Shi Er's hand.

"This is... the Blood Spirit Knife?" Yu Gao asked, his expression filled with shock. He looked up at Shi Er, then turned to the extraordinary senior sitting in the chair, unsure.

"Senior, are you the Blood Devil Master?" Yu Gao blurted out in astonishment.

Before he could receive an answer, Meng Chong's palm struck him on the head. "You insult my master with your words. The Devil Master is nothing; my master is so mighty that he wouldn't even deign to have the Devil Master lick his feet!"

Meng Chong's slap was not intended to injure Yu Gao, and with his mostly recovered strength, Yu Gao could have easily dodged it. However, he was too shocked at that moment, and so he took the slap without evading.

"Senior isn't the Blood Devil Master? Then what's the deal with this Blood Spirit Knife?" Yu Gao asked, bewildered.

Seeing Yu Gao, a powerful late-stage Divine Refinement cultivator, so astonished by the Blood Spirit Knife, Shi Er swallowed nervously. He suddenly felt that the knife was too hot to handle.

Back in the inner realm, a half-step Heavenly Man had tried to kill him because of this knife.

Now, in the spirit realm, the knife had caught the attention of a late-stage Divine Refinement cultivator like Yu Gao. Shi Er couldn't help but feel that carrying this knife around in the spirit realm would only bring him danger.

"The Devil Master's knife?" Fang Hao asked, equally surprised as he examined the Blood Spirit Knife.

Xu Yan and the others were also taken aback. They wondered if the Devil Master held an extremely high status in the spirit realm.

In the Devil Master's tomb, there had been a brief overview of his life, but paintings were just paintings, and it had been such a long time. They couldn't imagine that the Devil Master's reputation remained undiminished in the spirit realm.

"Brother Yu, what's your relationship with the Devil Master?" Xu Yan asked, his guard up.

After all, the Devil Master had been killed by Meng Chong.

Yu Gao caressed the Blood Spirit Knife and sighed. "I don't have any connection to the Devil Master. In fact, I believe there's no one left in the entire spirit realm who is associated with him.

"Seeing this knife just reminded me of the renowned Blood Devil Master," Yu Gao added.

Fang Hao's face was filled with curiosity. He wondered how Shi Er had come to possess the legendary Devil Master's knife.

"My father told me some things about the Devil Master," Fang Hao said. "He was a true powerhouse, a formidable and ruthless figure who shook the spirit clans and noble families. Rivers of blood flowed in the spirit realm because of him!"

Meng Chong rubbed his bald head, perplexed. "You talk about how powerful and influential the Devil Master was, but to me, he seemed cunning and despicable."

Meng Chong recalled how the Devil Master had once inhabited Wu's body, coveting his essence and blood. He had almost died at the Devil Master's hands, but in a critical moment, his knife spirit had awakened, allowing him to understand the intent of the knife and annihilate the Devil Master's lingering soul.

"You've seen the Devil Master? He's not dead?" Yu Gao asked, astonished.

Meng Chong chuckled. "The Devil Master is dead. I killed him."

"Second Senior Brother, you killed the Devil Master? Was he that weak?" Fang Hao asked, confused.

The Blood Devil Master was infamous for his mighty devilish aura and unparalleled strength. Countless Divine Refinement cultivators had fallen to him, yet he had been killed by Second Senior Brother?

Meng Chong shook his head. "The Devil Master was just a lingering soul by then. He had his eyes on me, coveting my essence and blood, so I killed him."

Meng Chong pointed to the Blood Spirit Knife and said, "I obtained this knife from the person whose body he had taken over."

Yu Gao sighed. "The Devil Master never rose again."

Xu Yan couldn't help but ask, "As far as I know, the Devil Master rose and fell three times. The spirit clans and noble families were extremely vigilant towards him. What exactly did he do in the spirit realm?"

In the Devil Master's tomb, the murals had provided a brief introduction to his life. He was born into humble circumstances, endured bullying, and his love turned to hate, leading to him wreaking havoc in the spirit realm and becoming the target of numerous powerful cultivators.

Of course, the content depicted in the murals was concise and might not have included all the details.

"The Devil Master!" Yu Gao exclaimed as he returned the Blood Spirit Knife to Shi Er. "He was the illegitimate child of a noble family. In the spirit realm, where hierarchy is strictly enforced, and with his mediocre talent, he naturally suffered bullying..."

Xu Yan and the others listened with great interest, and Fang Hao was no exception. What he knew about the Devil Master came from his father, and the details were rather vague.

The Devil Master that Yu Gao described was consistent with the murals Xu Yan had seen in the tomb, although Yu Gao provided a more detailed account.

"He blood refined a super first-rate noble family, which is what led to his invincible power..." Yu Gao said, his face filled with admiration.

To blood refine a super first-rate noble family required tremendous strength and an invincible demeanor.

The Devil Master was undoubtedly a pivotal figure in the martial arts history of the spirit realm and the most renowned rogue cultivator.

"Unfortunately, the Devil Master faced betrayal from those close to him and nearly died. Or rather, everyone thought he was dead. A thousand years later, the Devil Master rose again and swept away his enemies..."

"The Devil Master's second rise was just as awe-inspiring. Numerous spirit clans and noble families fell to him, and he even slew the proud geniuses of transcendent spirit clans.

"He rose by trampling over the geniuses of spirit clans and noble families, slaying their peak experts, and thus achieving his invincible stature.

Li Xuan couldn't help but be amazed by the Devil Master's tenacity. He also sympathized with the man, understanding how his psyche could have become twisted, given the betrayals he suffered and the inherently violent nature of his cultivation technique.

"What a formidable man. It's no wonder he rose again and again, even after three falls. It's a pity he set his sights on Meng Chong, sealing his fate." Li Xuan shook his head inwardly. Had the Devil Master not targeted Meng Chong, he might have risen again.

Moreover, after the lessons learned from his previous three falls, he would undoubtedly have become even more cautious and difficult to deal with.

"It is said that during the final battle, a powerful expert from the Superlative Spirit Clan used the clan's full might to forcefully suppress the Devil Master, severely injuring him.

"The Blood Devil Calamity had a profound impact, and so the Spirit Clans and noble families issued a gag order. Thus, very few accounts of the Devil Master's deeds have survived to this day.

"Only those who were there during those times know the secrets and inner workings of those events," Yu Gao added with a sigh. "The Devil Master was once a man with grand ambitions and dreams. He wanted to fight for the rights of rogue cultivators and bring down the high and mighty Spirit Clans and noble families.

"Since the founding purpose of our Wan Shi Alliance is similar, I know a bit more about the Devil Master.

"When the Devil Master was sweeping through the Spirit Clans and noble families, a saying of his spread among the rogue cultivators in the Spirit Realm.

"It was this saying that made the Spirit Clans and noble families cover up the Devil Master's deeds and issue the gag order, forbidding its spread. Any rogue cultivator found spreading it would be killed without mercy, and those who reported such violations would be heavily rewarded!" Yu Gao's eyes widened as he recalled the impact of the Devil Master's words. "Countless rogue cultivators were killed because of this, and by now, I doubt there are many left who remember what the Devil Master said back then."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yan and the others became curious. What could the Devil Master have said to strike such fear into the hearts of the Spirit Clans and noble families?

Although Li Xuan appeared indifferent, he, too, was intrigued. He guessed that the Devil Master's words might have had the power to incite rogue cultivators to rebel, and so the Spirit Clans and noble families went to great lengths to erase them from history, preventing future agitators from following in the Devil Master's footsteps.

"Brother Yu, what did he say that made the Spirit Clans and noble families so afraid?" Fang Hao asked eagerly.

Yu Gao's expression turned solemn as he replied, "With the blood of the Spirit Clans and noble families, I shall forge the foundation of my martial path!"

Li Xuan couldn't help but admire the Devil Master's audacity. No wonder the Spirit Clans and noble families wanted to suppress those words.

"With the blood of the Spirit Clans and noble families, I shall forge the foundation of my martial path?" Xu Yan smiled faintly. "The Devil Master truly was a ruthless man. No wonder the Spirit Clans and noble families feared him so."

Meng Chong and Xu Yan didn't feel as strongly about the Devil Master's words, seeing him merely as a formidable and ambitious figure.

However, for Fang Hao, who hailed from the Spirit Realm and understood the oppression faced by rogue cultivators, the Devil Master's words ignited a fire in his heart. His eyes gleamed with determination as he declared, "As the Alliance Leader of the Wan Shi Alliance in Yu State, I swear that one day, I will make it clear to the Spirit Clans and noble families that Yu State is not theirs to control. It belongs to all who call it home!"

In that moment, Fang Hao's aspirations expanded beyond his pursuit of the pinnacle of martial arts and his desire to forge his unique path. He now also dreamed of leading the Wan Shi Alliance to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Spirit Clans and noble families, fighting for the rights of the oppressed rogue cultivators in Yu State.

"Well said! I, Yu Gao, will do my utmost to assist you in this endeavor!" Yu Gao exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Brother Yu, your injuries have mostly healed, and it's time for you to return to the Alliance and ensure the safety of our brothers and sisters there. We must not let the Spirit Clans and noble families harm them," Fang Hao said solemnly.

"Yes, Alliance Leader!" Yu Gao nodded.

Then, his expression turned ingratiating as he added, "Alliance Leader, some of our brothers and sisters must have been injured during the encirclement and suppression campaign by the Spirit Clans and noble families, and some may even be severely wounded. What do you think?"

Su Lingxiu, who had been standing by, rolled her eyes at Yu Gao's sycophantic behavior. She casually tossed a bottle of pills to him and said, "Here."

"Thank you, Miss Su!" Yu Gao exclaimed, overjoyed.

"If you want to thank someone, thank my junior," Su Lingxiu said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Thank you, Alliance Leader!" Yu Gao bowed to Fang Hao.

"Off you go," Fang Hao said, handing Yu Gao a communication talisman. "I'll contact you through this talisman. Wait for my message."

"Yes!" Yu Gao excitedly took the talisman and left immediately. The Wan Shi Alliance needed him to stabilize the situation.

"Brother, being the Alliance Leader comes with a lot of responsibility," Su Lingxiu said with a smile.

"I will do my best to live up to it and put my skills to good use," Fang Hao replied, his chubby face serious.

"You have my support, junior brother!" Su Lingxiu assured him.

"Junior brother, it's a good thing that you've found your aspiration. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me," Xu Yan said, patting Fang Hao's shoulder.

"Count me in, too!" Meng Chong nodded.

Of course, they would support their junior brother.

"Thank you, senior brothers and sister!" Fang Hao said, his voice filled with emotion.

Li Xuan marveled at how each of his four disciples had found their own path. Xu Yan and Meng Chong valued their freedom and had no desire to establish their own power. Their goal was to reach the pinnacle of martial arts.

Su Lingxiu, despite founding the Evergreen Pavilion, was a detached leader who preferred to stay out of management and competition. She was more of a homebody, deeply interested in the path of alchemy and medicine.

Thus, her aspiration was to reach the pinnacle of alchemy and medicinal martial arts.

Among the four disciples, only Fang Hao had the ambition to conquer and create a grand legacy. He yearned to change the landscape of the Spirit Realm, and his aspirations fueled his motivation. By joining the Wan Shi Alliance, he not only had the opportunity to compete with the Alliance's top cultivators and rise to its peak, but he also faced the challenge of standing against the Spirit Clans and noble families, placing himself in a more perilous environment.

Of course, with great peril came great opportunities to apply his skills, and his rise to prominence would be swift.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end