Tang Yuan's Father

After arranging the next day's itinerary, they had nearly finished the meal. Everyone said their farewells and went their separate ways.

"Brother Tang," Lu Feng called out to Tang Yuan, who had not gone far. "Come back with you later. I'll set up a Spirit Suppression Array and temporarily restore your arm."

"Great!" Joy first appeared on Tang Yuan's face, but after giving it some thought, he hesitated. "What if we encounter danger at Sky Wolf Mausoleum tomorrow? Wouldn't I have to beastify again?"

"Danger is everywhere at all times. You don't want to keep covering that arm with a black robe forever, do you?"

"Brother Lu has a point." Tang Yuan laughed and led Lu Feng back to Tang Manor.

Tang Manor had not originally existed among Azure Dragon Town's Eight Manors. Its origins dated back more than twenty years, when Tang Yuan's father, Tang Xuan, arrived in this small town alone with him. At the time, Wang Manor, one of the Eight Manors, committed every kind of evil and ran amok with impunity, eventually provoking Tang Xuan.

Using various methods, Tang Xuan spent half a year turning Wang Manor into the Tang Manor of today.

After twenty years of development, Tang Manor had thoroughly integrated itself among the Eight Manors.

After arriving at Tang Manor, Lu Feng met Tang Yuan's father. This Tang Xuan, who had once erased one of Azure Dragon Town's manors from existence, seemed somewhat different from what he had imagined.

Under the moonlight, in the pavilion of the Small Garden, a bearded, slovenly middle-aged man lay steadily sprawled across a bamboo rattan couch. He swayed an already empty wine gourd in his hand, looking utterly dispirited.

Tang Yuan explained apologetically, "Ever since I could remember, Father has always been like this. Please don't take it to heart."

This scruffy-bearded man was his father, as well as the master of Tang Manor.

"Father, the night is cold. Go back to your room early."

As Tang Yuan passed by, he muttered a reminder to his father, who seemed drunk but not drunk, then entered the room with Lu Feng.

Lu Feng found it rather strange that Tang Xuan showed no reaction whatsoever. The distance between father and son seemed a little too great.

Yet after they had both returned to the room, Tang Xuan's eyes sharpened, a glint flashing through them. He glanced at Tang Yuan's arm before returning to his lifeless state, though a trace of self-reproach and guilt now lingered in his eyes.

"Has your father always been like this? Then what keeps Tang Manor going?" Lu Feng asked curiously.

Tang Yuan moved the table in the room aside and cleared an open space before explaining, "Don't be fooled by the smell of liquor all over him. He's actually very clear-headed; he just doesn't like talking much."

"As for Tang Manor's source of income, Father had quite a bit of savings in his early years. Only in the past two years did he start having me hunt spirit beasts to support us."

Lu Feng finally understood why Tang Manor looked so desolate. The entire manor's finances depended on Tang Yuan alone—no wonder there were hardly any maidservants or attendants to be seen.

Lu Feng glanced at the space Tang Yuan had cleared, then took out the materials he had gathered from Azure Mushroom Mountain: the cores of a Fire Fox, Thorn Howl Pig, and Spirit Rhino Snake, Swallowtail Glaze's blood, and other rare treasures.

The materials were just enough to set up one Spirit Suppression Array, with nothing left over.

Fortunately, the Spirit Suppression Pattern was not complicated. Even back in the One Soul Realm, Lu Feng had been confident that he could inscribe it accurately. Now, it came as easily as turning his hand over.

The Fire Fox's core contained a fierce, domineering impact force; the Thorn Howl Pig's core was soft and limp, yet able to withstand immense external force.

The Spirit Rhino Snake's core held rich restorative vitality; Swallowtail Glaze's blood was a spirit-rich liquid that could connect these beast cores well and prevent them from repelling one another.

For a Spirit Suppression Array, even the most basic one, none of these materials could be spared.

Inscription, Spirit Infusion, Vein Connection—all were completed in one smooth flow. Then a crisp Array Chant rang out from Tang Yuan's room.

In the courtyard, Tang Xuan, who had been sitting with his eyes closed in thought, shuddered. A gleam once more appeared in his eyes. There was no longer any trace of muddled despondency about him; the aura he gave off was even ten thousand times sharper than Old Master Yan's.

But it lasted only an instant before he slumped once more.

Inside the room, Lu Feng signaled for Tang Yuan to enter the array and told him what he needed to watch out for.

Tang Yuan removed the black robe draped over his shoulders and slowly stepped into the array Lu Feng had set up.

The moment Tang Yuan took half a step inside, a lock shackle formed from spiritual energy clamped around his ankle. As he continued forward, he was soon bound hand and foot, locked within the array and unable to move.

"I'll draw the Spirit Suppression Pattern onto your body. Bear with it," Lu Feng warned.

A thin layer of cold sweat had already appeared on Tang Yuan's face. Though the handcuffs formed from spiritual energy would not injure him, his limbs still felt sore and swollen.

Clang—

Tang Yuan let out a muffled groan, enduring the pain of the Spirit Suppression Pattern entering his body. It felt like a savage beast galloping across the grasslands had suddenly been covered by a cage—and that cage was slowly tightening.

Cold sweat continuously beaded on Tang Yuan's forehead as he clenched his teeth and held on with all his might.

Tang Yuan could clearly feel the spiritual energy within him rushing wildly into those Spirit Suppression Patterns. Yet the spiritual energy inside his beastified arm was extraordinarily stubborn and showed no response at all.

"What kind of Body Refinement Technique is this? It can actually resist spirit patterns entering the body!"

Lu Feng cried out in surprise. With difficulty, he controlled the Spirit Suppression Patterns in his hand and spread them toward Tang Yuan's beastified arm, only to be blocked once again by the Body Refinement Technique's automatic resistance.

Tang Yuan's beastified arm had elevated his Body Refinement Technique to another level. It automatically protected its master, preventing the Spirit Suppression Patterns from spreading onto his arm.

"Still your heart and guard your spirit. Gather your qi in the tranquil palace, and remove the protective pattern."

A somewhat weathered voice came from outside the door. Tang Yuan immediately followed its instructions.

Soon, Tang Yuan's beastified arm dimmed somewhat. Several black patterns appeared to be gradually fading, and the Spirit Suppression Patterns under Lu Feng's control finally covered it.

The thick arm gradually shrank by a full circle. The bristles on it fell away one by one. Amid repeated creaking sounds, Tang Yuan's arm finally returned to normal.

"Urgh..." Tang Yuan endured the agony and let out a long breath. More than half of his close-fitting clothes were soaked through.

Once all the spiritual energy in his body had been suppressed, Tang Yuan felt as though he had been hollowed out. He was weak to the extreme.

"Cough, cough..." A few coughs sounded outside the door, followed by a deep, heavy voice. "Boy who plays with arrays, come out for a moment."

Recognizing his father's voice, Tang Yuan could not help looking toward Lu Feng. He did not know what his father intended, but from his words, it seemed his father wanted only Lu Feng to go out.

Sensing no ill will in the voice, Lu Feng said to Tang Yuan, "Rest and get used to it first. I'll go out for some air."

"Who taught you your array techniques?"

The moment Lu Feng stepped out of the room, he heard someone ask. Looking up, he saw that Tang Xuan was the only one in the courtyard.

Although Tang Xuan was questioning Lu Feng, his body did not move in the slightest, and he did not even glance over.

"My mentor instructed me not to reveal it," Lu Feng answered calmly. Exquisite Valley was a reclusive sect, so naturally it did not wish to be disturbed by the outside world.

"So be it. Since you mean Yuan'er no harm, I won't ask further." Tang Chen slowly rose, gazing at the crescent moon in the starry sky. "Yuan'er has had no companions since childhood. I hope you can get along well."

Looking at the weathered figure before him and hearing those wistful words, Lu Feng could not help growing somewhat curious about him.

"Tang Yuan cultivates the Body Refinement Technique as well?" Lu Feng asked somewhat rashly.

It was not only in the Spirit Suppression Array just now. Back when Tang Yuan had taken that palm strike at the Yan residence, Lu Feng had already noticed dark black protective patterns appearing on his body.

Tang Chen sighed and took out a wine jar from his Storage Ring. Too lazy to pour it into the wine gourd, he raised it directly to his lips and drank deeply.

"Kid, come. Have a few swigs too."

As he spoke, he flung the opened wine jar toward Lu Feng.

Chakra Realm!

Or perhaps even higher!

Lu Feng was shocked. No wonder Tang Manor could rank among the Eight Manors through Tang Xuan's strength alone.

The wine jar flipped through the air, spilling the liquor within. Yet after it finished turning, the spilled wine miraculously fell back into the jar. When Lu Feng caught it, not a single drop had been lost.

What astonishing control.

After catching it securely, Lu Feng imitated Tang Xuan and took a few gulps. The instant the liquor entered his mouth, it hit so hard that tears sprang into his eyes, and his throat burned with searing pain.

Strong—strong beyond description.

Lu Feng could be considered someone who had seen much and drunk plenty of wine, yet this was the first time he had encountered liquor this strong. He could not help showing a bit of embarrassment.

Tang Xuan smiled and answered Lu Feng's earlier question. "Tang Yuan's main cultivation is this body-refining art. That Beast Art is merely supplementary."

"I taught him the body-refining art, but the Beast Art was left behind by Yuan'er's mother. I do not understand it well either."

"I once noticed that these two cultivation arts shared quite a few traits. I guessed that if they could be handled properly and made compatible, perhaps Tang Yuan could absorb beast cores of a higher grade than others at the same realm."

As he spoke, Tang Xuan showed some regret. Tang Yuan's beastified arm was the result of handling it improperly.

Lu Feng listened with admiration for Tang Xuan's astonishing idea. He understood what Tang Xuan meant. He had also heard of the Beast Art's cultivation system—it was a cultivation art that enhanced one's strength by absorbing beast cores.

However, because soul masters differed in how much their bodies could endure, ordinary people could only absorb beast cores from creatures weaker than themselves. But with this body-refining art, one could absorb them across realms.

If Tang Xuan's idea could truly be perfected, Tang Yuan would surely become a monster-like existence in the future.

Unfortunately, one misstep led to another. Tang Yuan had absorbed too many inferior beast cores, leaving all kinds of Beast Power mixed together within his body.

If this was not changed, the path ahead would not be a long one.

"Unfortunately, it seems Tang Yuan chose the wrong beast cores." Seeing the regret on Tang Xuan's face, Lu Feng said, "If it could be done over, perhaps Tang Yuan's cultivation method really could create a miracle."

"Alas, perhaps this is his fate." Tang Xuan sounded dispirited. Raising his hand, he took several more swigs of strong liquor, looking deeply melancholy.

"If we could find a powerful beast core, perhaps we could replace all the chaotic Beast Power in Tang Yuan's body in one stroke," Lu Feng said, hoping to use this to ask whether a true dragon really existed in Azure Dragon Town.

Tang Xuan gave a self-mocking smile. "If there truly were a powerful beast core suited for him to absorb, why would Yuan'er have absorbed so much chaotic Beast Power?"

Still unwilling to give up, Lu Feng continued, "I heard that a true dragon once existed in Azure Dragon Town. If it were a dragon core, perhaps..."