"Whoosh!"
The mountain breeze swept across the cliff, stirring Lin Chen's slightly tousled black hair.
He moved like a ghost, leaving behind streaks of faint, blood-colored afterimages.
His steps were profound, his aura almost blending into the surrounding environment.
The high-tier Huang-rank Shadow Escape was no longer a simple movement technique in his hands. It was more like an instinctive art.
As he darted and weaved, he not only matched the scroll's instructions perfectly, but also added many details of his own, refining and improving the technique.
Faster speed, trickier changes of direction, and lower energy consumption!
He had already reached the pinnacle of mastery!
And he had done it after only a few practice runs!
Xiao Xun'er, standing nearby, had long since gone numb from her initial shock.
Yet deep in those glassy eyes, a complex glimmer remained, impossible to put into words.
She watched Lin Chen stop, his breathing steady, as though that entire demonstration had been nothing more than a casual stroll.
"This movement technique is passable."
Lin Chen's appraisal was faint, as if he were commenting on something utterly trivial.
At his words, the corner of Xiao Xun'er's mouth twitched.
A high-tier Huang-rank movement technique, mastered to this degree after only one look and a few practice runs, and he called it "passable"?
If those words got out, who knew how many self-proclaimed geniuses would be furious:
"Are you leaving?"
Seeing Lin Chen get up to go, Xiao Xun'er asked softly.
She hadn't even recovered from her shock, and Lin Chen was already finished?
"Mm."
"But from now on, I'll often come to the Back Mountain to cultivate."
"If you want to discuss cultivation insights with me, you can come anytime."
After speaking, Lin Chen looked toward the distant, undulating outline of the dark mountains:
The Magical Beast Mountain Range!
The "prey" in Wutan City had grown wary, and wasn't worth much anymore.
He needed a much greater supply of blood essence—not just to raise his cultivation.
More importantly, he needed it for the trump card that would save his life:
The Blood God Child!
And the Magical Beast Mountain Range was undoubtedly a better hunting ground!
"Time flew by; spring passed and autumn came!"
In the blink of an eye, four and a half years had gone by.
The five-year-old child of the past was now almost ten.
He was still young, but after several years of cultivating the Blood Scripture
and fighting for survival in the mountains, Lin Chen had grown much taller and straighter than other boys his age.
Most of the childishness had left his face, and his features had become sharp and hard.
His eyes were unfathomably deep, with blood-red glints that occasionally flashed within them, enough to send a chill through anyone who saw them.
Only when he looked at Xiao Xun'er did the icy chill in his eyes soften, almost without his noticing.
Like a stream thawing in early spring.
His cultivation had already reached eight-star Da Dou Shi!
If word of this speed got out, the entire Jia Ma Empire would be shaken!
A ten-year-old Da Dou Shi—unheard of!
But only Lin Chen knew that this speed... was far too slow!
If not for the Blood God Child, he would have broken through to Dou Ling long ago, perhaps even Dou Wang!
But he had no choice!
With only one life, would you dare take risks without a revive token?
At the familiar cliffside clearing in the Xiao Clan's Back Mountain:
Two figures darted about, clashing at high speed!
Dou Qi surged in every direction, kicking up fallen leaves across the ground.
One of the figures wore a pale green dress, her movements nimble and graceful.
Golden flames danced at her fingertips. Her attacks were fierce, yet she always held back a little.
It was none other than nine-year-old Xiao Xun'er.
By now, she had grown increasingly adept at controlling the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame.
The girl's figure was beginning to take on graceful curves, and her dark hair flew as they fought.
Now and then, she glanced at Lin Chen, a dependence she herself had yet to recognize hidden in her gaze.
Her opponent was naturally Lin Chen.
He used neither Yuantu nor Abi, and didn't unleash the full speed of Shadow Escape.
He merely used his bare hands, wrapped in blood-red Dou Qi, to counter her every move:
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Blocking, redirecting force, guiding her attacks—his movements were concise and efficient, like those of a battle machine tempered through countless trials.
He wasn't trying to defeat Xiao Xun'er. He was feeding her moves.
He honed her combat skills, forcing her to gain better control of her own power.
Especially that incomparably overbearing Heavenly Flame:
"Your left flank is wide open!"
"You're letting the flame scatter instead of gathering it. You're wasting Dou Qi!"
"Anticipate my movements. Don't use your eyes—use your senses!"
Lin Chen's cold voice rang out from time to time, pointing out Xiao Xun'er's weaknesses.
Every bit of advice hit the mark, bringing Xiao Xun'er tremendous gains.
Only now and then would his gaze pass over her shoulders as they rose and fell with her panting, or the sweat-dampened strands at her temples.
A strange feeling would flicker through his heart, quick as an illusion.
After a while, Xiao Xun'er was drenched in sweat and breathing hard. She stopped.
She looked at Lin Chen, whose breathing remained steady and whose clothes weren't even rumpled, and a trace of helpless admiration crossed her face.
This guy was a complete monster!
Sparring with him put her under immense pressure, but she improved just as quickly.
"I'm done, I'm done."
Xiao Xun'er pouted and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Her fingertip brushed her cheek by accident, and the blush that rose there made her look especially charming.
"You're just toying with me, you know."
Only in front of Lin Chen would she occasionally let the cool mask of an heiress of the Ancient Clan slip.
Showing the childishness befitting her age.
Lin Chen lowered his guard without comment.
"Not bad. You've improved since last time."
He paused, then took a small porcelain bottle from his robes and held it out to her:
"This will help you suppress your Heavenly Flame."
Xiao Xun'er accepted the bottle. It felt cool in her hand.
When she opened it, a scorching aura wafted out, instantly calming her restless Dou Qi.
Inside was a liquid as red as blood.
She looked up at him, her glassy eyes shining:
"What... what kind of treasure is this?"
"Something that can help you control your Heavenly Flame."
Lin Chen answered casually, with no intention of explaining.
After all, he had condensed it using the power of the Karma Fire Red Lotus.
And added a little of his own blood.
Xiao Xun'er tightened her grip on the porcelain bottle. The coolness at her fingertips seemed to seep into her heart.
Though she didn't know exactly what it was, anything that could help him control his Heavenly Flame had to be incredibly precious!
He was always like this.
An indescribable feeling spread through her heart, sweet, yet tinged with bitterness.
The two walked side by side to the cliff's edge and sat down to catch their breath, as they often did.
The setting sun turned the clouds golden-red, bathing their figures in a warm glow.
The mountain breeze carried the fresh scent of distant trees and grass, stirring Xiao Xun'er's hair.
A few mischievous strands brushed across Lin Chen's face, carrying a faint fragrance.
Lin Chen turned slightly. In the rosy glow, the girl's profile was as gentle as a painting.
Her long lashes trembled like butterflies at rest.
He instinctively wanted to lift a hand and brush the strands from her face, but his fingertips stopped in midair.
In the end, he quietly drew his hand back and clenched it into a fist.
Xiao Xun'er seemed to sense something and turned to look at him.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze for a moment.
She saw the complex emotion that flashed deep in Lin Chen's eyes.
Like a night sky concealing the stars, they were so profound that she couldn't see through them.
Her heart skipped a beat for no reason. She hurriedly looked away, toward the distant mountains.
But the tips of her ears quietly turned red.
Over the past four and a half years, the two of them had long since left behind the unfamiliarity and tentative wariness of their first meeting.
Ever since Lin Chen had stepped in to help suppress the backlash from her Heavenly Flame, similar incidents had occurred several more times.
The Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame was far too overbearing. Even with the Ancient Clan's secret sealing method,
the force of its backlash was more than a little girl could easily endure.
Whenever she was wracked with pain, Lin Chen always seemed to appear "just in time."
In truth, it was the Karma Fire Red Lotus sensing the Heavenly Flame!
Then he would use that mysterious method to ease her pain, even nourishing her meridians with his incomparably pure Blood Origin Dou Qi.
Once, her pain had left her barely conscious. In a daze, she felt him press a palm against her back.
That warm touch and steady heartbeat became the refuge where she felt safest.
As time passed, an indescribable trust and dependence quietly took root in Xiao Xun'er's heart.
She would instinctively search for his figure, and a simple word of approval from him could make her heart soar.
She would silently pray for him when he ventured deep into the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
She even found herself thinking that if things could go on this way forever, that would be nice.
She knew nothing of Lin Chen's secrets, and Lin Chen never asked about her origins.
The two maintained a strange understanding.
Xiao Xun'er would bring him pills and medicinal herbs that were difficult to obtain elsewhere!
She would claim her family had given her more than she could use.
Watching him accept them brought a small sense of satisfaction to her heart.
Lin Chen, in turn, would step in whenever she needed him and serve as her best sparring partner.
Sometimes, he would even offer her an unexpected surprise, like the one he had just given her.
"I asked Elder Ling to keep an eye on the Magical Beast Mountain Range."
Xiao Xun'er broke the silence softly, her words carrying a trace of concern she could barely conceal.
"Lately, there seems to have been some strange activity deep in the range. You... be careful."
She knew Lin Chen often ventured deep into the mountains to hunt magical beasts. Whenever she thought of the dangers he might face, her heart clenched.
"Mm."
Lin Chen replied, his gaze fixed on the distant mountains, his eyes deep.
He could hear the worry in her voice. Like a stone dropped into a lake, it sent ripples through his heart.
Over these past four and a half years, his cultivation seemed to have advanced "slowly."
In truth, more than eighty percent of his energy had gone into cultivating an almost heaven-defying divine ability:
The creation of Blood God Child clones!
The two divine abilities recorded in the Blood Scripture, Boundless Blood Sea and Blood God Child,
had cultivation requirements and costs far beyond the Heaven-tier Dou Techniques of this world—even those of legendary rank!
Under normal circumstances, he would need to reach the Dou Zun Realm.
Only after gaining profound control over the world's energy and his own soul could he attempt to cultivate them!
But Lin Chen couldn't wait!
He knew this world was rife with danger, and stories of geniuses dying young were everywhere.
He had no protagonist's halo. He didn't believe in being chosen by fate. If he died, he was dead!
Grand ambitions and bloody vendettas would all come to nothing!
Deep in his bones, he was still the soul from modern society. The instinct to cling to life was written into his genes!
His first rule of conduct was simple: stay alive!
Steady growth? That only mattered if he survived first!
And the Blood God Child clone was the best trump card he could think of for staying alive while his own strength was still low.
Form a clone and hide it somewhere secret.
If his true body died, his soul could transfer to the clone in an instant and revive, giving him an extra life!
And if he faced a danger he couldn't resist, he could even abandon his true body of his own accord and slip away like a golden cicada shedding its shell!
It was an absolutely reliable resurrection charm!
With it, he would finally dare to fight and take risks without holding back!
Otherwise, if he spent every day holed up in Wutan City killing minor thugs, when would he ever get his revenge?
When would he ever repair his supreme treasure?
However, cultivating it ahead of time came at a tremendous cost!
The Blood God Child clone needed an enormous amount of highly refined blood essence energy to serve as its "shell."
It also needed a sliver of his Soul Origin as a "fuse," to link it to his true body!
In other words, his soul would control every body!
That would avoid the danger of tearing his soul apart while ensuring the clone and true body stayed perfectly synchronized.
Countless clones, one soul!
So there was no risk of a backlash from an independent consciousness, or any other influence!
None of the clones or bodies had anything of the sort!
There was only one soul. He would neither be changed nor influenced!
Over the past four and a half years, he had hunted countless magical beasts.
He had even secretly dealt with quite a few unlucky Jialie Clan members and desperadoes who had walked right into his sights.
Most of the vast reserves of blood essence he had devoured hadn't been used to improve his cultivation.
Instead, he had painstakingly purified and compressed them, like the most meticulous craftsman carving a priceless rough jade.
Little by little, he had infused them into the illusory embryo of the Blood God Child!
Every time he compressed the blood essence, it was like lighting a furnace inside his body. The pain was unbearable.
Every time he linked the clone to his Soul Origin, it was like walking a tightrope; one misstep could damage him at the root.
Without the Blood Scripture's unique ability to stabilize the soul, and his willpower far beyond that of ordinary people, he could never have endured it.
All that hardship and sacrifice had been for this one life-saving trump card!
Fortunately, today he had finally seen the results of all his efforts!
After parting from Xiao Xun'er, Lin Chen did not return to the Xiao Clan Nursery.
Two years ago, he had used money he'd obtained through an "accident."
In an extremely secluded corner of Wutan City's outer district, he had quietly bought a small courtyard with a cellar.
Apart from Xiao Xun'er, no one knew about it.
He pushed open the creaking wooden door. Weeds choked the courtyard, lending it a desolate, dilapidated air.
He paid it no mind. Walking straight into the house, he lifted the cellar hatch and descended the chilly steps.
The center of the cellar was empty.
Lin Chen sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, calming his mind.
His consciousness sank deep into his dantian. There, besides the slowly rotating blood-red Dou Crystal and the dormant phantoms of the three supreme treasures,
there was also a blood-red mark, so faint it was almost indistinguishable from his own blood and qi.
"Coalesce!"
He gave a low command in his heart.
At his command, the blood-red mark suddenly lit up!
Dense crimson mist surged out of thin air inside the cellar.
"Hiss!"
This was no ordinary mist, but a breath of origin refined from countless drops of blood essence.
It pulsed with intense life force and carried a strange connection, bound tightly to the depths of Lin Chen's soul!
The mist churned, gathered, contracted, and solidified...
The entire process flowed without a hitch.
Within the crimson mist, bones, meridians, flesh, and skin took shape at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Even the patterns in his clothes and the thickness of each strand of hair were perfectly clear.
At last, a figure identical to Lin Chen in appearance, build, and even aura stood silently in the cellar!
This figure was no lifeless puppet. His gaze was calm, yet held the same profound depths as Lin Chen's.
The Dou Qi fluctuations within him were restrained, but it was clear that his cultivation was the same as Lin Chen's: an eight-star Da Dou Shi.
Even the rhythm of the Shadow Escape movement technique and the circulation of the Blood Scripture's Dou Qi were exactly the same!
If anyone barged in at that moment, they wouldn't be able to tell which one was the true body and which was the clone!
This was the first Blood God Child clone he had finally condensed after four and a half years of painstaking effort!
Going from zero to one was hard!
But now that he had mastered the basics, it wouldn't be nearly as difficult from here on!
The clone was not an independent life, but an extension of Lin Chen.
Lin Chen could clearly sense everything the clone sensed, as naturally as he sensed his own hands and feet.
He could even transfer his consciousness to the clone in an instant, making it the new "true body."
It possessed exactly the same combat strength as he did!
Looking at the figure before him, identical to himself in every way, Lin Chen felt no excitement or emotion.
Only icy calm.
To him, this was never a second self, nor a being with its own independent thoughts.
It was merely a tool, a skill, an advanced life-saving trump card that came at a tremendous cost!
It had only one purpose:
If disaster befell him, it would become the vessel for his soul and bring him back at full strength!
Ordinarily, it would be like a shadow sharing the true body's senses, lying hidden here and silently maintaining itself.
"Synchronize consciousness. Keep energy at the minimum."
Lin Chen issued his final command.
The Blood God Child clone gave a slight nod, a cold gleam from the same source as Lin Chen's flashing in his eyes.
Then it fell completely still, sitting cross-legged in a corner of the cellar like a statue.
Its aura shrank until it was almost imperceptible, blending with the cellar's chill.
Only after finishing everything did Lin Chen let out a long breath.
The taut string in his heart finally slackened a little.
With this trump card, he could finally let himself off the leash a bit.
Still, leaving the clone here wasn't entirely safe. He would move it somewhere else later.
He left the cellar and stepped into the desolate courtyard.
Night had fallen. Stars twinkled overhead.
He raised his head, his cold gaze sweeping over the low courtyard wall.
It fixed on a distant point in another part of Wutan City:
That was where the Jialie Clan's estate stood, its lights blazing.
Four and a half years in hiding, countless stores of blood essence invested, and now his trump card had finally taken shape...
It was time for certain people to repay their blood debts, principal and interest!
Before you continue