The Shackles of Bloodline

After Qi Jingshi unleashed a strike that perfectly integrated his essence, energy, and spirit, he was surprised to find that his internal power had barely been depleted.

It was as if the attack he unleashed in that state had reached a certain threshold, and he was merely the conduit; the true power being exerted was the strength of the world itself.

"That power covering such a wide area is truly marvelous. It feels like the same source of power the Buddha Lord used when he carried us here."

Qi Jingshi attempted to mobilize his own power, coordinating it with his consciousness. After focusing his will, a golden radiance rose from his body once more, a hazy golden light blanketing the sea surface for hundreds of meters.

Snap.

A sound of water erupting echoed out as Qi Tianshou, his body covered in several meters of golden energy, shot up rapidly from the seabed.

Having just experienced Qi Jingshi's full-force strike, he was slightly taken aback. The power erupting from that punch far exceeded this level, approaching the intensity of the two scorching fireballs that had manifested within his Life Crystal Core back then.

"Buddha Lord, are you alright?" Qi Shangye, who had been hovering with his beast claws, flew forward in a hurry upon seeing Qi Tianshou emerge.

That punch had truly startled Qi Shangye. After decades of being together and countless sparring matches, he had no idea Qi Jingshi could unleash such power.

Qi Jingshi also flew over quickly, his face filled with trepidation. When he had unleashed that attack, his fighting spirit had reached a new height, causing him to momentarily forget that he was attacking Qi Tianshou.

"Forgive me, Buddha Lord. My state of mind just now was hard to explain; I lost myself for a moment."

"It is fine."

Qi Tianshou shook his head. Although the attack was powerful, it hadn't even managed to break his defense; the mere externalization of his golden energy had blocked it.

"Good power." Qi Tianshou looked at Qi Jingshi and praised him. The stronger his three great generals became, the better, as he hoped they would reach his level as soon as possible.

Qi Jingshi knew that Qi Tianshou could not be harmed by him, but he had feared that the act of attacking might have offended his lord. Now that he had been pardoned, he felt a sense of relief, and upon hearing the praise, a look of joy appeared on his face.

At this moment, Qi Tianshou also flew back. Seeing that there wasn't a single wrinkle on Qi Tianshou's clothes, he felt at ease and turned his gaze toward Qi Jingshi.

"Boss, how did you manage that level of power in that attack?"

Qi Jingshi was stunned at the question. "I don't know. I just felt that the punch had to be thrown that way. My physical strength, the energy within me, and the focus of my consciousness—at that instant, they were all mobilized to a state I felt was just right, and then I unleashed it."

Qi Tianshou sighed inwardly, Is this what it means to be a genius?

He himself could also unleash that kind of golden energy that covered a certain space around his body, but that was something inherent to when he gestured his physical form into existence.

The battle just now hadn't even served as a warm-up for him; he couldn't fully release his physical strength like Qi Jingshi, let alone erupt with the energy contained within his body.

Comparing only the combat power of that strike, if he were to activate his Golden Buddha Form, expand his golden energy space, and mobilize all his energy, even if he couldn't sink a continent, he could turn every living thing upon it into dust.

"Continue your sparring. Tianshou, Shangye, study Jingshi's combat state carefully and strive to master that power as soon as possible," Qi Tianshou encouraged.

"Yes, Buddha Lord!" the three responded in unison.

Qi Tianshou nodded and returned directly to the Gold Soul Clan Sacred Hall. Having just manifested his physical body today, he was eager to move about, though he hadn't yet had the chance to carefully contemplate his new Indestructible Golden Body talent.

As soon as he returned to the Sacred Hall and sat cross-legged on the altar, Qi Tianshou sensed a change in the Gold Soul Clan bloodline nearby.

"Hm? A new life has appeared in the Gold Soul Clan?"

With his consciousness expanded, the entire Gold Soul Clan Sacred Land was within his perception. The village that had once consisted of hundreds of wooden huts had transformed into a city covering dozens of kilometers, known as Gold Soul City.

The style of the new city leaned toward ancient Chinese aesthetics, which Qi Tianshou had instructed his clansmen to build. If he hadn't been so ignorant of architecture and materials science, he would have wanted to build skyscrapers.

Today, hundreds of thousands of humans lived within Gold Soul City. Most had been taken in when the Gold Soul Clan was expanding its territory, while some had married into the clan in recent years.

Qi Tianshou sensed the location of the bloodline fluctuation. In an instant, he discovered a spacious courtyard where two people were present.

The one carrying the bloodline was a girl swinging a stone pillar to exercise her body, while a young man beside her was guiding her movements.

The girl was not a member of the Gold Soul Clan, but the young man guiding her was. At this moment, the young couple had no idea they had created a new Gold Soul Clan life.

"It seems that after this new life was conceived, I've begun to feel a sense of suppression in the bloodline."

Qi Tianshou carefully sensed the feeling of the bloodline shackles, though he did not know why such a sensation had emerged.

"Is there a limit to the birth of the Gold Soul Clan?" Qi Tianshou sensed the specific number of Gold Soul Clan bloodlines again. "10,081 in total. Could this be the current upper limit for the number of Gold Soul Clan members that can exist?"

Qi Tianshou was somewhat perplexed. Ever since he sensed the birth of the new bloodline, that feeling of being shackled had indeed appeared, though the intensity of the restraint was not great.

"It might be related to my current strength. If I can continue to grow stronger, I should be able to allow the number of Gold Soul Clan members to continue increasing."

Thinking of this, Qi Tianshou did not worry too much. Although the Gold Soul Clan was his own bloodline, the power of faith did not come solely from them; every human on the planet who believed in him, Qi Tianshou, provided him with varying amounts of faith.

In the early days, many tribes had struggled to survive under the threat of beasts. After being saved by the Gold Soul Clan members under Qi Tianshou's orders, those who had received his grace held a faith in him that was no less than that of the Gold Soul Clan members themselves.

Moreover, it wasn't that members of the Gold Soul Clan couldn't reproduce; it was just that the children born might not possess the Gold Soul Clan bloodline and thus would be unable to obtain the Indestructible Golden Body talent.

"I should mention this situation to Jingshi and the others, otherwise, if their future children find they cannot transform into the Golden Buddha Form, it will inevitably lead to ethical disputes."

Qi Tianshou calmed his mind, realizing that the key to this problem lay within himself. If he could break through and grow stronger, the Gold Soul Clan would continue to flourish, truly fulfilling that old saying.

To forge iron, one must be strong oneself!

Thinking of the "Blood Cloud Palace Master" who had given him the Soul-Suppressing Buddha Bead, whose mere imprinted consciousness had made him tremble, he felt like an ant in comparison.

"This is a world where 'great power belongs to oneself.' Whether it is the three of them or the entire Gold Soul Clan, even if they continue to grow in number and strength, they are merely external aids to me. True strength depends on myself."

Having realized this, the will to grow stronger in Qi Tianshou's eyes became even more resolute.