Breakthrough to Sixth-Rank Great Training! The Liu Family Arrives!

"Rumble—!!"

At the instant of his breakthrough, Jiang Bei's dantian was like a volcano struck by a meteorite. The long-accumulated Dragon Elephant Qi and Blazing Sun True Qi erupted at once!

Violent heat surged and crashed through his body. His muscles and bones unleashed an unending series of muffled thunderclaps, while the faint golden dragon-scale patterns beneath his skin instantly solidified like armor. Amid the blazing golden light, crimson flames faintly shone through.

His qi and blood suddenly began to boil, continuously growing stronger amid the boiling before bursting from his body. The phantom of the furnace slowly transformed, gathering and rising amid an ear-splitting dragon's roar, becoming a majestic and blazing crimson-gold qi-and-blood dragon!

Jiang Bei abruptly opened his eyes, a sharp gleam flashing within them like lightning!

Looking at the dragon phantom above his head and feeling the incomparably powerful strength within his body, he knew very clearly that he had reached the end of the Qi and Blood Stage—qi and blood like a dragon!

This also meant that Sixth-Rank Great Training had been achieved!

Jiang Bei clenched his fist, then suddenly threw a punch!

"Rumble—!"

The air ahead was instantly compressed and shattered, letting out an overburdened roar. Its force was as mighty as mountains collapsing and seas overturning!

Countless cracks split open across the ground!

"Too terrifying!"

Looking at his current strength, Jiang Bei could not help but marvel.

Now, whether it was Han Feng or Batu Feng standing before him, neither could withstand the might of a single punch from him!

Combined with his other martial arts and the Inner Sect Cultivation Method, Blazing Sun True Qi, it would be difficult to find an opponent below the fifth rank...

Then, his gaze fell upon the panel again.

Even after raising the Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Skill, he still had 1,200 Merit Points left—an abundance indeed!

If he raised his other martial arts as well, he would truly be able to trade one-for-one against those at the fifth rank and above. Below the fifth rank, I am invincible!!

But just as Jiang Bei was preparing to upgrade his other martial arts, a voice suddenly rang out—

"Lord Jiang, how should we deal with this statue?"

Jiang Bei looked at the soldier, then followed the direction of his finger, his gaze landing on the demon statue atop the altar.

"I'll handle it."

Jiang Bei immediately walked over.

The will within the statue—the High Priest Batu Feng had mentioned—had already turned into black smoke and fled.

He guessed that this High Priest must be someone of extremely high status among the barbarians.

More importantly, his strength was formidable.

He had only exchanged two moves with the other party, yet he had already sensed how troublesome he was. Moreover, he had noticed at the time that the other party seemed to be injured and unwilling to prolong the battle.

If he had truly been at his peak, Jiang Bei definitely would not have been a match for him.

"The statue isn't his true body. It seems he was merely residing within this sculpture, having Batu Feng capture commoners for him so that he could absorb their blood essence to recover from his injuries."

Jiang Bei guessed inwardly.

At the same time, he could not help feeling a sense of urgency. He had not forgotten what the High Priest said before fleeing. Once his injuries healed, he would definitely come looking for trouble.

Once an existence like that recovered from his injuries, even the current Jiang Bei, who had reached Sixth-Rank Great Training, might not be able to gain any advantage!

"I still need to raise my strength as quickly as possible. An opponent like that... is too troublesome!"

Jiang Bei pondered inwardly before walking up to the statue and carefully examining it.

Although this statue was not the High Priest's true body, it was surely no ordinary object.

The fact that it could withstand several of his blade strikes without being destroyed was enough to prove its extraordinariness.

Just as Jiang Bei was considering how to deal with the statue, a notification suddenly appeared on the panel.

Item discovered: Ghost Abyss Demon Statue. Can be refined. Requires 100 Merit Points. Refine?

Note: Refining it will grant the Soul Martial Art: Myriad Souls Gathering Spirit Skill.

"Hm? It can actually be refined? A Soul Martial Art... that's an even rarer martial art than an Inner Sect Cultivation Method!"

Jiang Bei's eyes instantly lit up as he looked at the prompt before him.

Although he had never come into contact with Soul Martial Arts, he knew a little about them. They were an extremely rare and powerful category of martial arts.

Once mastered, they could greatly enhance one's perception, allowing one to deal with all kinds of unexpected situations.

They could even kill enemies directly with soul power without making a move!

Anyone with an unsteady will, or anyone who had not cultivated Soul Martial Arts, could easily have their mind destroyed and die on the spot!

"What an unexpected delight!"

"Refine it!"

Jiang Bei did not hesitate and directly spent 100 Merit Points to refine it.

The panel immediately refreshed.

Martial Arts: Xing Tian Gong (Perfected), Blood Wolf Saber Technique (Level 5+), Cloud Shadow Steps (Level 3+), Dragon Elephant Subduing Demon Skill (Level 3), Mysterious Iron Dragon Scale Body (Level 2+), Blazing Sun Skill (Level 2+), Myriad Souls Gathering Spirit Skill (Not Initiated+)

Realm: Sixth-Rank Major Refinement

Merit Points: 1100

Talent: Thousand Illusions True Eye

Martial art discovered: Mysterious Iron Dragon Scale Body. Can be upgraded. Requires 240 Merit Points. Upgrade?

Martial art discovered: Blood Wolf Saber Technique. Can be upgraded. Requires 320 Merit Points. Upgrade?

Martial art discovered: Cloud Shadow Steps. Can be upgraded. Requires 80 Merit Points. Upgrade?

Martial art discovered: Blazing Sun Skill. Can be upgraded. Requires 200 Merit Points. Upgrade?

Martial art discovered: Myriad Souls Gathering Spirit Skill. Can be upgraded. Requires 150 Merit Points. Upgrade?

"As expected of a soul cultivation technique. Just getting started costs 150 Merit Points!"

Jiang Bei marveled inwardly.

Without further hesitation, he spent 150 Merit Points to initiate it, then another 300 Merit Points to raise it to the first level.

Jiang Bei felt his sea of consciousness buzz as vast power surged into it like mountains collapsing and seas overturning.

When he opened his eyes again, standing where he was, he could easily perceive every rustle of wind and grass within a hundred meters!

He then focused his attention and fixed his mind on a stone pillar in the distance.

Ssh!

The next instant, his eyes lit up, and an almost invisible white beam shot from between his brows, slicing the stone pillar apart on the spot!

"So this is soul power... It truly is powerful!"

Jiang Bei's lips curled slightly. With the Myriad Souls Gathering Spirit Skill, he would be able to catch his enemies off guard!

He then used his remaining Merit Points to further upgrade the Mysterious Iron Dragon Scale Body, Cloud Shadow Steps, and Blazing Sun Skill.

His strength soared once more!

After finishing all this, Jiang Bei left some soldiers behind to settle the civilians, then departed Xuanyang Prefecture City with the rest of the soldiers and hurried toward the Ren-Rank Camp.

"I wonder how Xiong Hai is doing. I hope he's safe."

On the way back, Jiang Bei could not help but worry.

There were only two Battalion Commanders left in their Ren-Rank Camp who were still stationed at camp. Nothing else could happen to them.

"Faster! Faster!!"

At the same time, Wang Meng and several Squad Leaders were racing toward the Ren-Rank Camp with the severely wounded Xiong Hai.

Looking at Xiong Hai, who was being held on a horse behind him by one of the Squad Leaders, Wang Meng's worry had reached its peak.

Xiong Hai's face was pale, and he was in terrible condition. The wound in his abdomen was still bleeding.

If he did not receive effective treatment soon, his life would definitely be in danger!

The other Squad Leaders were equally anxious. Never before had they ridden their horses this fast.

"Whoa—!"

Just then, Wang Meng's eyes widened sharply. He immediately pulled hard on the reins and brought his horse to a stop.

"Battalion Commander Wang, what is it?"

The several Squad Leaders behind him stopped as well and asked in confusion.

This was an urgent situation; they could not afford to waste even a moment. Why had Battalion Commander Wang suddenly stopped?

The next moment, they noticed something and followed Wang Meng's gaze ahead.

On the official road ahead—the only route through—two mounted figures were blocking the way, sealing off the road completely.

The two men sat on horseback and watched them. One appeared to be in his forties, while the other had a goatee.

Both exuded extraordinary auras. Though their exact realms were unknown, they were definitely not opponents these men could contend with!

"Gentlemen, could you make way for us? We have urgent business to attend to. Our thanks in advance!"

Wang Meng immediately cupped his fists and spoke.

"Where is Jiang Bei? If you don't want to die, tell him to get the hell out here!!"

The middle-aged man ignored Wang Meng completely and shouted coldly.

They were looking for Lord Jiang?

Everyone's expressions changed upon hearing this.

Wang Meng frowned and asked, "What do you want with Lord Jiang?"

The middle-aged man was about to curse, but the goateed man beside him shot him a glare. In a relatively friendly tone, he said, "We are from the State City Liu Family. We only wish to ask Jiang Bei about a few matters and mean no harm. Please inform us of his whereabouts."

No ill intent?

As if anyone would believe that!

Everyone cursed inwardly, but their expressions grew grave.

The State City Liu Family!

They had never expected these two men to be from the Liu Family!

Wang Meng's expression was equally grim. The Liu Family was Qingzhou's foremost great clan!

No one dared provoke them!

Governors had come and gone, yet the Liu Family had remained firmly seated as Qingzhou's number one great clan!

It was said that at the height of their power, they had even overshadowed the Governor's Mansion!

Even the governor himself and the commander-in-chief of their Qingzhou Camp had to show the Liu Family head some respect.

Why would such a great clan suddenly come looking for Lord Jiang?

Judging by that middle-aged man's tone just now, they had clearly come with ill intent!

If he revealed Lord Jiang's whereabouts, Lord Jiang would likely be in danger!

"Still refusing to talk? We already went to your Ren-Rank Camp. Jiang Bei wasn't there. We questioned plenty of people, but not a single one knew where he had gone. His movements are certainly well concealed!"

A cold glint flashed through the middle-aged man's eyes as he spoke in a deep voice.

The two of them had come to investigate Liu Yun's death. Liu Yun was the sixth son of the Liu Family head!

When the family head learned of Liu Yun's death, he flew into a rage and ordered them to find the killer at all costs!

They had received intelligence that, before his death, Liu Yun had gone to Dingzi Camp to find Shen Changyang. The two had then entered territory under Ren-Rank Camp's jurisdiction.

Further investigation revealed that Jiang Bei and Shen Changyang harbored deep enmity toward each other. On the day Liu Yun died, Jiang Bei had happened to be absent from Ren-Rank Camp—and Jiang Bei also happened to possess the strength to kill both Shen Changyang and Liu Yun!

Naturally, they had come here to get to the bottom of it!

If Jiang Bei truly was the killer... they would make him understand the consequences of provoking the Liu Family!

Wang Meng's thoughts raced as he said, "Lord Jiang's current movements aren't something we subordinates know with certainty. Everyone is carrying out their own assignments. Before leaving camp, I only knew that Lord Jiang said he was going to inspect Pingyang Prefectural City. As for where he is now, I have no idea."

"Pingyang Prefectural City?"

The middle-aged man sneered, his face abruptly turning vicious. "Our people went to Pingyang Prefectural City long ago, yet they didn't even catch a glimpse of him! Still trying to lie? Looks like we'll have to make you suffer before we can pry open that mouth of yours!"

Before his words had faded, his body shot forward as the aura of a Sixth Rank Lesser Training warrior erupted!

The mountain-like, ocean-like pressure instantly drained the color from Wang Meng and the others' faces.

Wang Meng forced himself to shout, "W-We are men of Qingzhou Camp! Even if your Liu Family is powerful, you can't be this tyrannical! If the commander-in-chief learns of this, he will never let your Liu Family off!"

"The commander-in-chief? Our Liu Family naturally has to give his words some consideration. But you insignificant grunts think you're worthy of using him to pressure me?!"

The middle-aged man grinned viciously and, in an instant, pounced before Wang Meng. Showing no mercy, he struck down with his palm!

Wang Meng's eyelids twitched as he hurriedly raised his arms to block—

Bang!

"Puh—"

An Eighth Rank Great Training warrior was ultimately no match for the might of the Sixth Rank. Wang Meng was flung from his horse like a kite with its string cut, blood spraying wildly from his mouth.

The next moment, the middle-aged man shifted his gaze and locked it onto the severely injured Xiong Hai nearby.

"No wonder you were in such a hurry. You were waiting to save someone. That makes things easy!"

The middle-aged man's vicious grin deepened as he reached out directly for Xiong Hai.

"Protect Battalion Commander Xiong!"

The Squad Leader carrying Xiong Hai turned deathly pale. With a furious cry, he was about to draw his blade and resist—

"Get lost!!"

The middle-aged man roared, and immense pressure surged forth, blasting the Squad Leader several yards away. Blood streamed from his seven orifices, and he fainted on the spot.

The next moment, the middle-aged man grabbed Xiong Hai by the head. Blood from Xiong Hai's entire body slowly ran down his arm.