In the dense jungle, a shadow suddenly darted into a thick cluster of trees. Through the gaps between the branches, it looked toward a large tree barely a hundred meters away. Beneath it, more than a dozen figures were taking a brief rest.
Elder Qian stretched out his right hand and clenched it in midair. The dozen or so people below all turned into blood mist as the space around them twisted under the pressure. Until their final moments, they had probably never realized death was upon them.
He indifferently collected the Storage Rings that had fallen to the ground and gave a cold snort. "They got what they deserved."
Elder Qian flashed away, heading toward another group...
In Black Seal City, Xiao Li casually snatched the money pouch from a corpse on the ground and headed to the inn.
"Elder Qian, that was quick." Xiao Li was a little surprised.
Elder Qian nodded with a smile. "You're joking. I'm a Dou Zong expert. Dealing with these Dou Ling and Dou Wang is a piece of cake."
As he spoke, Elder Qian flicked dozens of Storage Rings out of his sleeve, scattering them across a table.
Xiao Li's mouth fell open. The money pouch in his hand suddenly didn't seem worth much. Experts sure knew how to make money fast. Those Storage Rings alone must be worth over a million.
The Blood-Shatter Ginseng, medicine cauldron, Dou Techniques, weapons, and that Dou-Spirit Pill were all there.
Xiao Li suddenly felt like a newly rich man. With that one move, Elder Qian had nearly brought out the entire fortune of five Xiao Clans.
Looking at Xiao Li's excitement, Elder Qian smiled faintly. "None of this matters. What matters is that I think I've found some news about the Strange Lightning."
Strange Lightning?
Xiao Li stood there, stunned. Had good news really come this suddenly?
"Elder Qian, what Strange Lightning?" Xiao Li hurriedly asked.
"This is information I got from someone in the Blood Sect."
Elder Qian recalled the pale-faced man. "That kid was pretty capable. He actually withstood a casual blow from me despite being a Dou Wang. Later, to save his life, he told me this."
"Beneath the Blood Sect's headquarters is where they dump their corpses." Remembering that revolting sect, even Elder Qian's expression darkened.
"They cultivate by absorbing blood and keep Blood Slaves. Their methods are extremely cruel. The place where they dump their corpses must be steeped in baleful energy. To prevent it from building up too much, the Blood Sect's predecessors summoned lightning to purge it. By some coincidence, they seem to have created something called the Blood-Shatter Heaven-Striking Thunder."
Seeing Xiao Li's excitement, Elder Qian's expression turned solemn. "Don't get excited just yet. The Blood Sect didn't claim this lightning for themselves, probably because its fierce nature clashes with their own cold, sinister Dou Qi. But..."
"But why didn't the dean claim it?" Elder Bai appeared and picked up where Elder Qian had left off.
Xiao Li froze. Right. If there was Strange Lightning right on their doorstep, why hadn't the dean of Jia Nan Academy claimed it?
"Let's go take a look first. We'll understand once we see it." Elder Qian made the decision.
Xiao Li nodded. No matter what, going to look was the sensible thing to do.
With news of the Strange Lightning, Xiao Li couldn't bring himself to examine their spoils anymore. He immediately decided to head toward the Blood Sect.
According to Elder Qian, the Blood Sect was fairly powerful. It apparently even had an Old Ancestor at Peak Dou Emperor who was still clinging to life. But that was nothing to the Two Elders Qian and Bai.
"Xiao Li, have you made any plans to build up your own faction?" Elder Qian suddenly asked. His gaze was sharp, and he didn't look like he was joking.
"Maybe in a few years," Xiao Li replied casually.
A few years from now, if the Three-Year Agreement was still in place, he definitely couldn't let Xiao Yan face it alone. He would have to go and back him up. To take on the powerful Misty Cloud Sect, with its vast resources and influence, he needed a force of his own.
And the Black-Corner Region had countless experts. Who knew how many powerful people were hiding there under assumed names, keeping a low profile? If he could recruit them, Xiao Li would have the strength to stand against the Misty Cloud Sect. Of course, that was something he could only begin once he reached Dou Wang. His current Da Dou Shi strength was still far too weak.
Elder Qian nodded and said nothing more. For now, it was better for Xiao Li to focus on himself.
"All right, kid. At your speed, it'll take at least half a month to reach the Blood Sect. That'll be good training for you. When we get there, unless the Blood Sect's older generation makes a move, Bai Lie and I won't intervene," Elder Qian said.
Xiao Li cupped his hands. "The auction has already caused Elder Qian and Elder Bai plenty of trouble. I came out to gain experience, so of course I can't rely on my elders for everything."
If the auction hadn't been full of such valuable items, it would have been a shame to leave them behind—and an even greater shame to let the Black-Corner Region's factions buy them. Otherwise, Elder Qian wouldn't have interfered so much with Xiao Li's training.
The Blood Sect's headquarters lay in the northwest of the Black-Corner Region. Almost no one dared to approach, for fear of being captured and turned into Blood Slaves.
Since the Blood Sect cultivated by absorbing blood, they couldn't operate from within Black Seal City like the Eight-Fan Sect. Their headquarters were instead located on a mountain.
According to the Blood Sect's Dou Wang, the Blood-Shatter Heaven-Striking Thunder lay a thousand meters underground, beneath the central hall of the Blood Sect. The entrance was inside the hall.
"Elder Qian, how are we going to get in?" Xiao Li asked.
"Can you sneak in?" Elder Qian asked in return.
"Uh... The Blood Sect's central hall must be close to the Sect Master's residence. I can't sneak in, senior." Xiao Li scratched his head. How could he infiltrate the place under a Dou Emperor's nose?
Elder Qian rolled his eyes. "Exactly. When the time comes, Bai Lie will stir up trouble and draw away the Blood Sect's higher-ups. I'll help you get underground."
"But let's be clear beforehand: you'll handle anyone below Dou Ling on your own. We won't help."
"Understood, senior."
Night fell over an unremarkable mountain forest. Since Xiao Li had just cultivated the Mystic Thunder Body, Elder Qian had generously given him the day off. They would wait until they found a place with denser lightning before using it to temper his body.
Elder Bai had gone ahead to scout out the Blood Sect. Elder Qian, unusually, had gone some distance away from Xiao Li, saying he needed to find some medicinal ingredients. Absorbing Strange Lightning required thorough preparation.
With no one around for once, Xiao Li quickly took out all the magical beast corpses he had obtained and moved them into the Blood Furnace inside his body.
The Blood Furnace had been dormant for a long time, but with this batch of corpses added, its blazing flames finally roared back to life. Xiao Li's strength had leapt forward, and the Blood Furnace had grown more powerful as well. The first- and second-tier corpses were being consumed almost visibly, and one Blood Pill after another appeared in Xiao Li's hands.
Xiao Li didn't use them right away. If he accidentally broke through and Elder Qian, an old hand who could see through everything, noticed something, Xiao Li might not be able to keep the Siphon Technique.
It was safer to wait until he secluded himself a year from now and use them all at once.
Besides, first- and second-tier Blood Pills were already of little use to him. Selling them later or giving them to the Xiao Clan's disciples would both be good options.
However, the Blood Pills contained quite a few impurities. When giving them to the Xiao Clan, he would have to warn them not to rush their cultivation out of greed.
It would take half a month to reach the Blood Sect, which was just enough time to refine all the Blood Pills.