Villains Besiege the City, People of the Blood Ranking

The next morning, a few sparrows chirped as they landed on a branch in the courtyard, shaking off a sprinkle of snow, filling the air with a crisp chill.

Inside, the heated brick bed was as warm as spring.

After refining four wisps of Exotic Power, Chu Ge observed through his inner sight that his Qi and Blood had become so robust it could condense into a formidable tiger head, nine-tenths formed. He only needed to condense another six-tenths of a tiger head to break through to the mid-stage of the Blood Change Realm.

"If only my meridians and acupoints could withstand more, I could refine an extra wisp of Exotic Power daily, and my cultivation speed would be faster..."

Chu Ge thought to himself, pondering for a moment before attempting to have the Exotic Power within the Dragon Bell release another wisp to merge into his body.

Soon, he felt a stinging sensation in the meridians it passed through.

He sighed inwardly and immediately withdrew the wisp of Exotic Power back into the Dragon Bell.

It seemed that even though he had broken through to the Blood Change Realm and his physical body had been further strengthened by the nourishment of his Qi and Blood, the reinforcement of his meridians and acupoints was still limited.

He could still only endure the baptism of four wisps of Exotic Power daily; any more would damage his meridians and acupoints.

Cultivating Martial Arts depended on individual talent, and Chu Ge was unsure of his own Martial Arts aptitude.

He only heard others praise him as very capable.

But in terms of the endurance of his meridians and acupoints, only he himself truly knew.

Whether this performance was strong or weak involved Exotic Power, and without any reference for comparison, it was impossible to say.

He only knew that when he first started practicing Martial Arts, his meridians and acupoints could only withstand one wisp of Exotic Power daily.

Later, as his realm broke through and his physique grew stronger, the endurance of his meridians and acupoints gradually increased.

Now, it seemed he had hit a bottleneck.

To further enhance the tolerance of his meridians and acupoints, he might need to obtain some heavenly treasures that broaden meridians and acupoints in the future, or step into the extraordinary Force Condensation Realm.

"Perhaps people without Spiritual Aptitude are like those whose meridians and acupoints are naturally blocked; the former's bodies cannot guide and withstand Exotic Power, while the latter cannot circulate Qi and Blood to practice Martial Arts."

Chu Ge calmed his Qi and Blood and opened his eyes.

In the room, two maids had precisely timed his waking, busily preparing his washing supplies.

He got out of bed, his robust physique displaying smooth, layered muscle lines. He quickly washed up and dressed with the maids' assistance.

At this moment, the faint neighing of horses and sounds of conversation could be heard from outside the mansion.

Chu Ge's five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people.

He gathered a bit of Qi and Blood to his ears and could discern that Wang Xiuyun had arrived with people.

"Over twenty old artifacts. If my luck isn't too bad, they'll contribute at least seventy wisps of Exotic Power to me... This is a big deal."

Chu Ge's mood lifted. He immediately put on his cloak and went out of the room to meet Wang Xiuyun.

The transaction proceeded without any hitches.

Wang Xiuyun even offered to gift him two of the old artifacts for free to congratulate Chu Ge on breaking through to the Bone Training Realm.

Having lived two lives, Chu Ge vaguely sensed that Wang Xiuyun intended to invest in him and build a good relationship, likely wanting to be his angel investor.

However, he wasn't short of money himself for the time being and didn't want to incur too many debts of gratitude. He politely declined and opted for bartering, using the deed to his last remaining restaurant to trade for the twenty-odd old artifacts and three thousand taels of silver.

After a cup of tea.

Inside the Chu Family's Yingbin Pavilion.

Wang Xiuyun put away the deed and asked curiously, "Chu Ge, it seems you plan to leave Linyuan City soon? You've sold off almost all your family's businesses, leaving only this old mansion and the inn..."

Chu Ge took a sip of fragrant tea and nodded, "I do plan to leave. As you know, I'm preparing to head to the Prefectural City. I originally intended to set off after my cultivation broke through, but with the current situation inside and outside the city, it's not easy to leave..."

Hearing this, Wang Xiuyun's expression also turned serious. "It's good that you know it's not easy to leave. I was planning to remind you. Last night, those evil Corpse Drivers outside the city drove Flying Head Zombies to hunt down quite a few people leaving the city. Even patrol guards at the city docks were killed. I only received the news from the yamen this morning. There are rumors spreading throughout the city now, and people are panicking... Leaving the city at this time is very risky."

Chu Ge immediately thought of the scene he had observed last night through his Thousand-Mile Eye kite. He then recalled the unidentified objects that had been scattered last night and frowned, "If what you're saying is true, it's likely more than one Flying Head Zombie is active. Are there many of them?"

"Not necessarily. Even if there are, their strengths might differ. According to the latest information obtained by Lord Tian from interrogating captured Heaven and Earth Incense Cult fanatics, that Corpse Driver is likely a powerful figure from the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult who had been lying low until now. Their sudden move this time might be retaliation from the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult."

Wang Xiuyun twirled a strand of her hair with her finger, pondering, "Perhaps he's also commanding many people from the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult, who have set up checkpoints and blockades on various important routes outside the city, including waterways. That powerful Flying Head Zombie is his killing weapon for deterrence."

"This is indeed troublesome..." Chu Ge's brow furrowed, feeling the difficulty of the situation. If many important routes outside the city, including waterways, were blocked, even if he dared to try and break through, he would quickly alert that Corpse Driver. Given the speed at which the Flying Head Zombie hunted from the air yesterday, escape would be impossible.

"So... if you intend to go to the Prefectural City, you should at least wait until it's confirmed that it's safe outside the city before leaving. Don't rashly gamble."

Wang Xiuyun reminded him, "I was originally planning to return to the Prefectural City to cultivate, but now I can only wait. I believe Lord Tian and the Demon Suppressing Division will have a plan. When the time comes, you can travel with our Wang Family's merchant caravan."

Chu Ge knew Wang Xiuyun meant well, but he wasn't as optimistic as she was.

Given the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's past瘋狂作風 of daring to rob cities directly, and the Corpse Driver's strength in heavily wounding Lin Hongtu of the Demon Suppressing Division.

He feared that after the probing, they would reveal their true intentions, leaving no chance for Tian Youji to call for reinforcements.

Therefore, time was running out for the people within the city.

What other countermeasures could Tian Youji possibly have?

Soon, Chu Ge personally escorted Wang Xiuyun to the door.

He then returned to his room and sacrificed the twenty-three old artifacts he had obtained from trading into the Dragon Bell.

Regrettably, despite the large number of old artifacts this time, he hadn't found any treasures like the Wine-Exotic Wine Pot from last time. They were all just ordinary old artifacts.

The three old artifacts from the previous sacrifice, including the Wine-Exotic Wine Pot, were still being refined within the Dragon Bell.

"A pity. I hope there's still enough time."

Chu Ge hoped in his heart.

If the wine liquid within the wine pot could be fully refined, its aroma would be far superior to his homemade fungal poison, and he would gain another killing weapon as a trump card.

The current situation was dire, and his Martial Arts strength was difficult to improve in a short period.

However, the accumulated Exotic Power had increased considerably.

Chu Ge planned to use the Left Path embroidery technique within these one or two days to try and craft an embroidery equipment that would enhance his strength – the Flying Horse Boots.

Meanwhile, in the Xue Men River valley, only six or seven li away from Linyuan City.

The riverbanks were narrow on both sides, and the roar of the river water was like the clamor of thousands of bulls galloping, splashing patches of pale, misty water vapor in the valley.

This river valley was the mandatory route for merchant ships departing from Linyuan City.

At this moment, it seemed an accident had occurred, and several merchant ships sailing from Linyuan City had been intercepted.

Whirlpools, as large as woven baskets, emerged from the river.

Suddenly, figures emerged, each holding a weapon in their mouths, somersaulting onto the ships.

Instantly, they engaged in a fierce battle with the Martial Cultivators on the ships, and the sounds of shouting and screams quickly spread.

This scene also terrified some merchant ships that had just left the city's pier, causing them to turn back.

A similar scene was unfolding simultaneously along the three main routes outside Linyuan City.

In the unseen sky and among the mountains and forests, terrifying Flying Head Zombies, entwined with intestines, were flitting past.

Two of them were smaller and shriveled, one had a cold face with fangs, and its aura was terrifyingly grim.

Outside the city, in a dilapidated temple, an old man in a dark blue robe stood holding a large banner, staring expressionlessly at the broken Buddha statue within the temple.

A group of disciples from the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult, dressed in cloaks, knelt all over the open space behind him, which was originally used for Buddhist worship.

These arrogant and overbearing villains were now all as silent as cicadas in winter.

Although the old man opposite him only had the Martial Arts strength of the Blood Change Realm, the evil methods he wielded were enough to strike fear into the hearts of any Martial Cultivator in the Blood Change Realm.

This old man was also on the wanted list of several prefectures and provinces in the Great Zhou, and ranked seventy-third on the Blood Ranking, notorious and known as the Soul Chasing Old Man.

At this moment, the old man suddenly turned around, revealing a withered and gaunt face. His expression was gloomy, and his eyes flashed with sharp light as he said coldly.

"It seems this city has no more high-level experts from the Demon Suppressing Division. Last night, I only lost a minor ghost, which is not a big problem. It's about time. At dawn tomorrow, we attack the city!

The tasks your Envoys failed to complete, I will complete. And your task is to capture children under six years old within the city, regardless of gender!"

"Yes!"

The disciples kneeling on the ground responded in unison, their faces hidden beneath their cloaks showing fanaticism.