Blind Spot
Chapter 712 - 654 layout 2

Chapter 712: 654 layout 2

"Tsk tsk... it’s rumored that Lord Lushan is an old Gold Jade powerhouse who might even have reached the realm of unparalleled greatness. I wonder if it’s true or not?" Gong Shanqinyang remarked with admiration.

"Who cares. Luckily we’ve found a decent protector for Zhu Er at last," Gong Shanlin said with a smile, looking much more relaxed than usual.

At this time, Li Chengyi’s younger brother and sister also scurried out from the inner room. Both of them were now around one meter twenty-three in height, developing very quickly for their age of five or six.

The brother was named Gong Shanming, and the sister Gong Shanfuyuan. Both of them were plump and fair with big round eyes, having the appearance of foreign dolls.

Gong Shanqinyang instructed his wife to take care of the two children while he took Li Chengyi to the central courtyard.

It was not yet completely dark.

Gong Shanqinyang, with a piercing look in his eyes, watched his eldest son and, waving away Uncle Ning and others, left just the two of them.

Only then did he speak.

"Tell your father, what level have you really reached?" He knew his son was one to hide his abilities and was definitely more than merely the second level of the Emerald Sea Sword Technique.

After all, he was the one who had taught the sword technique and would occasionally test him.

Li Chengyi blinked.

"Does father want me to stand out like a shining sword, or be like a hidden dragon in the abyss?"

"Normally, standing out would garner more resources, but now, with the Fu Family harboring ambitions to unite the surrounding noble families, being a conspicuous target is not good," Gong Shanqinyang replied.

"Then let’s stick with the second level," Li Chengyi said with a smile.

He didn’t care much about his swordsmanship skills; the greatest thing he gained during this time was the construction of his dimension.

Now, the expanse of his dimension had reached a fifty-kilometer radius.

This area could already cover half of the Gong Shan Family’s fields and orchards.

But Li Chengyi still felt it was too slow and was not satisfied.

If things continued at this pace, how long would it take to build a dimension that covered the entire known area of the Black Sea?

Therefore, he was always looking for other ways to accelerate the process.

For example, by burning more valuable things, treasures, or stronger opponents.

Of course, higher levels of True Yuan were the best in terms of cost-performance, because True Yuan is something that could be endlessly generated, continuously converting external energy into Consciousness Power.

So now his goal shifted from covertly expanding his dimension to practising the Emerald Sea Sword Technique to perfection, laying a solid physical foundation, and then moving on to even stronger peerless or Divine Demon Martial Arts.

"As long as you’re aware that’s alright. The Fu Family’s competition concerns you not, as that is something for family disciples over twenty to consider. After you go to Lord Lushan, be sure to observe more and speak less, and avoid unnecessary actions. You must make sure to leave a good impression on Lord Lushan. This will be to your benefit, as well as to your mother’s and mine," Gong Shanqinyang instructed.

"Is Lord Lushan very powerful?" Li Chengyi asked quietly.

"Very strong. Among the Gold Jade powerhouses of our family’s retainers, only he can exchange dozens of moves without defeat against the Family Head in his normal state," Gong Shanqinyang nodded.

"Understood," Li Chengyi nodded.

"Also, once you are there, you won’t have Uncle Ning to accompany you. So, you mustn’t leave Lushan without necessity, or no one will be able to save you if you encounter danger." Although Gong Shanqingyang knew that the day would come when his child would grow up and this day would indeed arrive, he still felt a tinge of sorrow when it actually came.

"On the path ahead, whether challenging or smooth, dangerous or obstructive, you will have to bear it alone. Of course, if you truly cannot stay on any longer, you can also return. No matter what, your mother and I will always be here, at least this place can be a home where you can find shelter from the storm."

"Mm," Li Chengyi nodded earnestly.

He had found Uncle Ning to be a hindrance for a long time and finally had the chance to rid himself of him.

Seeing his father’s deep sigh, he felt happy but also mimicked a somber expression.

In his heart, however, he was contemplating how to massively harvest a vast amount of Evil Thoughts.

Although he was dragged into this blind spot, the Eternal Vitality continued to relentlessly enhance his body’s resilience, which was a troublesome matter that could lead to death.

He certainly had not forgotten.

And a large amount of Evil Thoughts could be used to convert one’s physical quality at the summoned buildings of the Root of Evil, exchanging body resilience for self-healing ability.

This was something that could extend one’s life. It must be taken seriously.

Moreover, the state of being undying and indestructible that emerged after cutting off the Lifeforce Dimension made Li Chengyi pay particular attention.

He thought that if he could also possess such powerful regenerative abilities, then perhaps he could balance the endlessly increasing strength of the Eternal Vitality?

This was another subject that needed research.

Dimension construction, large-scale absorption of Evil Thoughts, methods to store Evil Thoughts, and research on an immortal state—all these needed to be dealt with one by one.

*

*

*

While Gong Shanqinyang was instructing Li Chengyi on how to conduct himself in society,

Elsewhere, Lord Lushan transformed into a wisp of black smoke to leave the Gong Shan Family, crossing hundreds of miles in the blink of an eye to arrive at a vast and chilly mountain range deep in seclusion.

The mountain range had peaks of varying heights, with patches of forest either withered yellow or dark as ink, as though different climates existed within them.

This place was none other than Lushan, where Lord Lushan had established his sect.

The black smoke that was Lord Lushan traveled further along the mountain until, after dozens of miles, he quickly reached the top of a huge black stone peak.

At the peak, there was a large cave with walls inlaid with glowing night pearls, illuminating it as bright as day.

The black smoke landed and transformed into the hunched figure of Lord Lushan.

He exhaled and a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

For more than ninety years, he had been attempting to break through the final barrier of the inborn Gold Yuan.

The main difference between Gold Jade and unparalleled greatness was the quality of the Gold Yuan.

His cultivation of Lushan Hundred Transformations produced a Gold Yuan that was more focused on nurturing and recuperation, not on fighting and killing.

This had caused Lord Lushan to face many setbacks when fighting peers of the same level.

But fortunately, the cultivation of another martial arts secret technique, the Yin Divine Technique, did give him hope of enhancing the strength and power of his True Yuan.

The Yin Divine Technique could forcibly increase the intensity and power of True Yuan multiple times, but it wasn’t an unrestricted enhancement, as it came with severe costs.

Cost one, it would cause irreversible, minor damage to the mind and spirit.

Cost two, every once in a while, it required the collection of pure heart blood from children.

This was the real reason he could so easily agree to take Gong Shanzhu as a disciple.

Lushan was vast, and once inside, it was inevitable for an occasional, inadvertent mishap to happen after a few years of cultivation...

Even though Lord Lushan was strong, he couldn’t possibly guard your child all the time, could he?

This was Lord Lushan’s true plan.

The heart blood of ordinary children is nowhere near as effective as that of children with a lineage.

’Soon, very soon, just two more enhancements and the strength of my cultivation will truly be comparable to that of Gong Shanrong. Then....’ A glimpse of gloomy anticipation flashed in Lord Lushan’s eyes.

*

*

*

Early the next day.

Li Chengyi, under the protection of Uncle Ning, left the Gong Shan Family and headed toward Lushan.

The journey to Lushan was hundreds of miles away. It’s a great distance for common folks but insignificant to martial practitioners.

The real trouble lay within Lushan itself.

Inside the carriage.

Uncle Ning was carefully briefing Li Chengyi about the detailed situation in Lushan.

"Lushan occupies a vast area, surrounded by three major families, with our Gong Shan Family being one of them. Although Lord Lushan is powerful, he isn’t able to control all the regions there."

Uncle Ning paused, then continued.

"Under Lord Lushan, there are currently five disciples, two men and three women. After you arrive, try not to offend anyone; instead, give gifts to each of them to lay a good foundation.

Among the five, Xu Suyuan is the most formidable, both in terms of strength and talent. She’s comparable to the main branch, being the child of Lord Lushan and a fox demon. You must take care not to offend her."

"Of course, Xu Suyuan is now nineteen years old, and her cultivation is likely far superior to yours. Even if you wanted to offend her, you wouldn’t have the ability."

"The second, Qiu Xueshan, is in her thirties. According to the intelligence gathered, she’s less skilled than Xu Suyuan but judging from her combat achievements outside, she’s at least at the great completion of True Yuan, and at any moment could step into the realm of innate True Yuan experts. She is abrasive and petty, so remember not to cross her."

Uncle Ning, having collected quite a bit of information, quietly and carefully explained this to Li Chengyi.

Li Chengyi appeared to be listening very earnestly on the surface.

However, as their carriage moved forward.

Subtle silhouettes flitted through the dim forests on both sides, emitting a bone-chilling coldness, seemingly following the carriage.

Before long, all the shadows stopped at once, standing still in their tracks.

Seconds later, as if receiving the same command, they all suddenly moved, surpassing the carriage speed and heading towards Lushan first.

If someone from the Gong Shan Family were here, they would notice that these figures, regardless of their height, weight, gender, or age, all shared one characteristic.

That was their grayish-black skin, exuding a piercing chill.

Inside the carriage.

Li Chengyi glanced out of the carriage as if unintentionally.

His gaze flashed and met with that of a woman in tight black clothes, one of the shadowy figures.

The woman let out an involuntary growl, her True Yuan surged, and a pure gold shine flashed by, indicating she was at the level of innate True Yuan.

This woman was the same high-level female guard who had been ordered by Gong Shanpingqiu to attack Li Chengyi.

In the past three years, Li Chengyi hadn’t been idle.

Commanding the Lifeforce Dimension within a fifty-kilometer radius, cutting the lifeline of a second-rate high-level female guard was simply a matter of time.

Their gazes met for an instant before the woman, as if receiving an order, accelerated towards Lushan and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After cutting the lifeline, a martial artist’s True Yuan strength could increase manyfold in an instant and they would lose their original consciousness.

Li Chengyi had discovered this detail quite some time ago.

This was also what propelled the originally second-rate female guard to skyrocket in rank, becoming a top-level expert with innate True Yuan.

"When you get there, you’re destined to convert and practice Lord Lushan’s Lushan Hundred Transformations technique. The Sea Essence you’ve been cultivating up till now will need to be purged, but you don’t have to worry. You’re only at the second level; there isn’t much to dispel since the first and second levels are just the stages of tempering bones and muscles," Uncle Ning consoled.

"It’s good that you’re leaving. It will help you avoid the schemes of the Fu Family and a series of troublesome matters that follow."

"What do you mean?" Li Chengyi asked casually.

"From what we’ve heard, someone from who knows where has brought news that the Xuanji Sect Master, who has been sealed for hundreds of years, is about to make his return, breaking free from the virtual realm. Therefore, the top clans in our Star Domain are vying to form alliances and power blocs, to prevent the revival of the Xuanji Sect from picking them off one by one," Uncle Ning sighed. "It truly is an era of trouble."

"What is this Xuanji Sect anyway?" Li Chengyi asked in confusion.

"It’s a cult led by a powerful lunatic who, having been harmed by the world, ventured into madness in his cultivation, aimed to destroy all living beings and reshape order," Uncle Ning explained.

"Was he... very strong, very famous?" Li Chengyi pondered.

"Yes, it is said that with a single move, his Tuotian Palm almost blew up our entire Baishi Star beneath us and more than a dozen other stars behind it. If not for the united resistance of the leading clans, we might not even have the place we live in now," Uncle Ning sighed.

Hearing this, Li Chengyi quickly formulated a fairly perfect tactical plan in his mind.

If he were this Xuanji Sect Master, then Evil Thoughts would be endless, like waves of the sea.

But how to acquire them... and how to switch and harvest Evil Thoughts all needed careful planning.