Chapter 392: Pressure on the Ancient Xia Family

Chapter 392: Pressure on the Ancient Xia Family

"Peak Transformation!"

Gu Qingfeng looked at the Emperor Carp in the Heavenly River. The aura emanating from it was comparable to that of a peak Grandmaster cultivator.

If it were to advance further,

it could break through the Transformation Realm's limitations and reach the Demon General level, equivalent to the Divine Transformation Realm.

Of course,

with the Emperor Carp's current strength, it was still not significant within the Gu family.

The Gu family now had a plethora of Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, and even an ordinary servant's cultivation was not to be underestimated.

Without sufficient strength,

one did not have the qualifications to serve the Gu family.

However, it was important to note that

the Emperor Carp had only been in existence for a short time. Moreover, Gu Qingfeng had never paid attention to it, allowing it to grow on its own in the Heavenly River.

Despite this, it had reached the Peak Transformation level, just one step away from breaking through to the Demon General level.

In the Era of Decline, demons that could reach the Demon General level were no weaklings in the Demon Realm.

Among spirit beasts,

reaching the Demon General level was even more extraordinary.

As for the other koi, although their strength could not compare to the Emperor Carp, they had all at least reached the Mortal Transcendence level, with three of them advancing to the Transformation Realm.

Upon seeing Gu Qingfeng's arrival, the Emperor Carp surfaced, its divine consciousness revealing a flattering attitude.

Seeing this,

Gu Qingfeng flicked his finger, and a drop of golden blood fell onto the Emperor Carp, instantly merging into its scales.

The moment the blood touched its body, the Emperor Carp's aura surged dramatically. Its body, which was originally only fifty feet long, doubled in size instantly, and its cultivation broke through the Peak Transformation barrier, reaching the Demon General level in one breath.

Moreover,

the Emperor Carp's aura did not stop there.

First level Demon General!

Second level Demon General!

Third level Demon General!

After breaking through to the sixth level Demon General, the surge of power finally subsided.

At this point, the Emperor Carp's body had grown to over a hundred feet long, its scales glowing with a faint golden light, and its large, copper-rimmed eyes revealed a human-like emotion.

The Heavenly River water splashed as the Emperor Carp's massive body stirred the surface, clearly in a good mood.

Looking at the Emperor Carp's enormous body, which made the originally twenty-foot-wide Heavenly River seem narrow, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but shake his head.

"Given your current size, if you continue to grow, the Heavenly River might not be able to contain you!"

Hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, the Emperor Carp's body trembled, and its hundred-foot-long body began to shrink visibly. In no time, it had reduced to just over ten feet, but the faint golden scales still revealed the uniqueness of this spirit beast.

"Innate Ability!?"

Gu Qingfeng's eyes flickered.

Some powerful spirit beasts could master innate abilities, making them far stronger than ordinary spirit beasts. Clearly, the Emperor Carp had awakened an innate ability, and the ability to shrink its body size was quite impressive.

Then,

Gu Qingfeng turned his attention to the other koi.

When he had infused that drop of blood into the Emperor Carp, a bit of the blood's power had seeped into the river and was absorbed by the other koi.

Even this small amount of power had caused a significant boost in their strength. All the koi that were originally at the Mortal Transcendence level had directly advanced to the Transformation Realm.

The three koi that were already at the Transformation Realm had broken through to the Peak Transformation level, just one step away from reaching the Demon General level.

Of course,

the greatest benefit was not just the cultivation breakthrough.

These koi, by instinctively refining the Near-Emperor's blood, had transformed their bloodlines, significantly improving their innate qualities. This would make it much easier for them to break through to the Demon General level in the future.

This—

was the terrifying power of a Near-Emperor.

A single drop of blood.

For ordinary beings, it was like a miraculous elixir.

Improving innate qualities!

Advancing cultivation!

Was all too easy.

Of course,

the one who benefited the most was still the Emperor Carp.

It seemed to have broken through to the sixth level Demon General, as if it had completely refined the Near-Emperor's blood.

However, this was not the case.

Gu Qingfeng had sealed most of the blood's power within the Emperor Carp, allowing it to continue refining it. This blood's power was enough to help it break through to the Demon Commander level.

He had bestowed this opportunity on a whim.

Otherwise,

he would not have used his own blood.

What seemed like an ordinary drop of blood was quite precious for a Near-Emperor, requiring the absorption of vast amounts of heavenly energy to replenish it.

After all, at this level, even a single strand of hair contained terrifying divine power.

If Gu Qingfeng so desired, he could cultivate a batch of peak Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, or even a batch of Dao Palace Realm cultivators.

But what could be done about it?

For him, whether it was the Divine Transformation Realm or the Dao Palace Realm, they were all mere ants. No matter how many there were, they would still be useless.

As for the cultivators of the Gu family, it wasn’t that Gu Qingfeng didn’t want to push them to higher levels too quickly. The problem was that once their cultivation reached a certain height, it would be much harder to continue the lineage.

Many powerful figures from major families would leave offspring early on, or use some secret method at great cost to continue the bloodline.

More importantly, other families had enough people. Even if the probability was low, as long as the numbers were high enough, the chances of conceiving new offspring would still increase.

But the Gu family was different.

So far, the Gu family had only a handful of descendants with the bloodline. If he were to rapidly elevate their cultivation, it would be much harder to strengthen the family bloodline later on.

Therefore, Gu Qingfeng had specifically established a family rule.

Before the age of twenty, all members of the Gu family must focus on continuing the bloodline and refining their foundations. They were not allowed to advance too quickly. After the age of twenty, there would be no restrictions.

For ordinary cultivators, breaking through as early as possible was naturally the best choice, as it represented talent. Deliberately suppressing oneself would make it difficult to compete for opportunities with other cultivators.

But the Gu family was different.

In Gu Qingfeng’s view, the Gu family’s offspring didn’t need to compete like other cultivators. For true prodigies, even if they achieved greatness late, it wasn’t a big problem.

Taking a few years to refine their foundations would allow them to go further in the future.

Most importantly, once he himself broke through to the Emperor Realm, all members of the Gu family would benefit.

In this situation, Gu Qingfeng was not worried about the Gu family running out of capable successors.

The most pressing matter was to increase the number of offspring with the bloodline, to maximize the benefits of his golden finger.

Soon, news of Gu Qingfeng’s return to Ancestral Province spread.

Gu Yang came to visit the Gu family as soon as he heard the news.

"Son greets Father!"

Compared to a few years ago, Gu Yang’s aura was now even more steady, with a hint of dominance in his expression, but his eyes also showed a touch of weariness.

Clearly, the pressure from the Three Emperor Clans had been significant.

Although the Divine Martial Empire had a solid foundation, it still fell short in a direct confrontation with the Three Emperor Clans.

Even without the top experts of the Three Emperor Clans truly stepping in, the other resources they possessed were enough to put the Divine Martial Empire in a difficult position.

To outsiders, it seemed like the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, neither giving an inch.

But only Gu Yang knew that the Divine Martial Empire was already at a disadvantage in every aspect. If not for their forced resistance, they would have already been completely defeated.

The reason he didn’t retreat was to prevent other forces from seeing the Divine Martial Empire’s weakness. Otherwise, they would swarm in and divide the entire empire.

Ultimately, this situation stemmed from the conflict with the Ancient Xia Family.

But Gu Yang had no regrets about killing Xia Huang.

If the Divine Martial Empire continued to grow, it would eventually face off against the Three Emperor Clans. A clash was inevitable.

If he were to back down now, it would only lead to a dead end.

So, even under the current pressure, Gu Yang did not show any signs of it. Only in front of Gu Qingfeng did he reveal his true emotions.

Similarly, upon seeing Gu Qingfeng, Gu Yang visibly relaxed.

It seemed that as long as his father was present, no problem was insurmountable.

Looking at his son, Gu Qingfeng could tell what he was facing.

"It seems the Three Emperor Clans are quite a challenge for you?"

"More than a challenge... If Father hadn’t come, I might have had to go to Wilted Mountain Immortal City to ask you for help!"

Gu Yang smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Gu Qingfeng remained calm. "You’re so confident that I can handle the Three Emperor Clans?"

"Though I don’t know Father’s true strength, I believe even the Three Emperor Clans can’t stop you. If an Emperor were to appear in this world, it would certainly be Father’s enlightenment!"

Gu Yang’s expression was serious, and his eyes filled with admiration.

He had absolute confidence in Gu Qingfeng, a confidence built over time.

In Gu Yang’s eyes, even if an Emperor appeared, his father could handle it.

The Three Emperor Clans were nothing.

Certainly not.

"Of course—"

"If Father truly cannot deal with the Three Emperor Clans, it’s fine. I can step down and let Father become the Emperor of the Divine Martial Empire, wielding the imperial aura of the empire."

"With Father’s strength, if you can also gain the blessing of the Divine Martial Empire’s imperial aura, I believe there would be few in the world who could threaten you!"

Gu Yang spoke again, this being the second plan he had thought of, a fallback for the Divine Martial Empire.

The imperial aura was mysterious.

Its most direct effect was to enhance a cultivator's strength.

If the imperial aura of an empire were to benefit a Saint, it naturally wouldn’t pose a threat to the Three Emperor Clans. But if it were under Gu Qingfeng’s control, Gu Yang believed it would unleash unimaginable power.

"The position of Emperor is yours to keep. Father doesn’t have the time for it. Send a message to Summer Lord of the Ancient Xia Family. I will meet him in front of the Primordial Ancient Land in ten days!"

Gu Qingfeng waved his hand and spoke calmly.

His words.

Made Gu Yang’s face light up with excitement: "Father is going to challenge Summer Lord directly!?"

"Since this thirteenth ancestor of the Xia Family is the backbone of the ancient imperial clan, it’s best to address the root of the problem. If I can subdue Summer Lord, the Three Emperor Clans will likely become more restrained!"

"However, the Three Emperor Clans have a long lineage. Summer Lord’s strength might not be the greatest. There might even be a true Emperor among them."

"But that doesn’t matter. I will kill one if one comes, and two if two come. It’s been rather dull sitting in Wilted Mountain Immortal City these past years. It’s time to stretch my limbs a bit!"

Gu Qingfeng’s expression was calm, as if the Three Emperor Clans were mere trifles to him.

Before he reached the Near-Emperor realm, Gu Qingfeng would never have dared to be so bold.

But now, things were different.

Having reached the Near-Emperor realm, with his profound strength, even facing an Emperor, Gu Qingfeng had no fear.

However, the Emperor was the peak of the Ancient Realm and the universe. To advance further, one had to open the Xian Gate and enter the Immortal Realm.

In such a situation, Gu Qingfeng had no reason to fear.

Not to mention, the Three Emperor Clans might not even have an Emperor.

Even if they did, Gu Qingfeng was confident enough to face them head-on.

"I’ll handle it right away!"

Gu Yang took a deep breath. He understood that this was an opportunity for the Divine Martial Empire.

If they could subdue Summer Lord, the Divine Martial Empire could potentially defeat the Three Emperor Clans and rise to the top of the Eastern Domain.

After all, if the Three Emperor Clans were defeated, no other forces in the Eastern Domain would dare to obstruct the Divine Martial Empire’s path.

If they wanted to obstruct, they would have to ask themselves if their fists were harder than the Three Emperor Clans’.

If not, they would have to submit humbly.

Of course, as Gu Qingfeng had said, Summer Lord might not be the strongest in the Three Emperor Clans.

But hearing Gu Qingfeng’s confident words, Gu Yang had no worries.

Subsequently, he took his leave and ordered the message to be spread, openly challenging Summer Lord of the Ancient Xia Family.

The news sent shockwaves throughout the Ancient Realm.

All forces and experts were filled with shock, seemingly unable to believe that the Divine Martial Empire would be so bold.

"Challenging Summer Lord!"

"This is a clash between the strongest of the Era of Decline and the supreme power of the Desolate Ancient Era. Who will come out on top!?"

"Since the old ancestor of the Gu Family has the courage to do this, he must have the confidence. This battle will surely be a fierce one, and we’ll see who comes out on top!"

"I thought Gu Qingfeng would hide in Wilted Mountain Immortal City and not come out, but now it seems I underestimated him…"

"The Gu Family has made their move. Now we’ll see how the Ancient Xia Family responds. If Summer Lord doesn’t accept the challenge, it will be interesting!"

At this moment, all eyes were on the Three Emperor Clans, specifically on the Ancient Xia Family.

From the moment the old ancestor of the Gu Family issued the challenge, the pressure was on the Ancient Xia Family.

If they dared to do this, they must have the confidence.

If the Ancient Xia Family rashly accepted the challenge, unforeseen events might occur.

But if they didn’t dare to accept, they would lose face for the ancient imperial clan.

Therefore, everyone was curious how the Ancient Xia Family would respond to this situation. (End of Chapter)

Chapter end