Family Council

"Four? This..."

Staring fixedly at the Bloodline Factors floating one by one within his sea of qi, Nie Yun's mouth fell open. He felt as though he was about to go mad.

Four additional Bloodline Factors meant four additional dantians!

Nie Yun had previously possessed only Three Dantians and a Noble Grade Bloodline. Yet this time, the Nameless Art had actually generated four more—far beyond anything he had anticipated!

Adding those four to his original Three Dantians gave him Seven Dantians, a Royal Clan Upper Grade Bloodline. This talent was now exactly the same as his father's had been!

Royal Clan Upper Grade Bloodline—bloodlines of this caliber were few enough to count on one's fingers in the entire Shenfeng Empire!

"Crack!"

While Nie Yun was still immersed in his shock, the dagger in his hand suddenly emitted a series of crisp cracks. Looking down, he found that it had already turned into a pile of fragments!

Just as he had guessed, once the dagger's special energy had been completely absorbed, it had become utterly useless. What Nie Yun had not expected, however, was that this circulation of the Nameless Art would generate four Bloodline Factors!

"Open the dantians!"

Suppressing his excitement, he gave a low cry in his heart, and his consciousness immediately sank into his sea of qi to open the dantians.

For Nie Yun, opening dantians took little effort. Before long, he let out a breath and inspected himself inwardly once more. Within his vast sea of qi, the Seven Dantians floated like seven planets adrift in the cosmos, each one constantly breathing in and out dense spiritual energy, transforming it completely into true qi.

"This circulation of the Nameless Art gave me four more dantians, and my strength has improved as well. I actually broke straight through mid-fourth level and reached the late stage!"

With his dantians successfully opened, Nie Yun sensed the power within his body again, and his heart surged with excitement once more.

He had not expected that opening his dantians this time would benefit his cultivation as well, allowing him to advance smoothly from the mid-stage of the fourth level True Qi Realm to the late stage. And it was no ordinary late stage—he had nearly reached the peak of the late stage!

At the rate at which all Seven Dantians cultivated at once, he likely would not need even half a month before he could attempt the first nirvana of the Nine Revolutions Nirvana Art!

Once he succeeded in the first nirvana, there would truly be no one left in Luoshui City whom he had to fear!

In his previous life, it had taken him a full four years to cultivate from the Early Qi Cultivation Realm to the peak of the True Qi Realm. Yet after being reborn, with the aid of the Nameless Art, he had done it in only four days. The gap between the two was simply beyond words!

"With all Seven Dantians open, my rate of absorbing spiritual energy is more than twice as fast as before. Even staying underwater now is no longer a problem!"

Previously, with only Three Dantians, absorbing the thin spiritual energy in the water had been nowhere near enough to sustain his life, forcing him to constantly consume the true qi within his body. But now that all Seven Dantians were circulating at once, it was like a machine suddenly gaining seven engines. His rate of absorbing spiritual energy had increased by more than double; even if he remained underwater the whole time, he would not suffocate to death!

"Since those two Tiger-head Beasts above still show no intention of leaving, I might as well use the Imperial Flame Spirit Stone and cultivate the second level of the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique to mastery!"

Seeing through the stream that the two Tiger-head Beasts on the shore nearby did not intend to leave anytime soon, Nie Yun took the Imperial Flame Spirit Stone from his pack again and prepared to cultivate the second level of the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique!

Previously, he had not dared cultivate because he feared suffocating to death. Now that all Seven Dantians were circulating, he no longer had to worry about being unable to breathe, and he finally relaxed.

Placing the Imperial Flame Spirit Stone in his palm, Nie Yun slowly closed his eyes according to the cultivation method of the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique.

While Nie Yun was trapped at the bottom of the pool, the council hall of Luoshui City's Nie Family exploded like boiling water.

Patriarch Nie Haotian sat upright upon the throne at the center, while the elders stood in two rows to either side. The entire hall was so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

"Patriarch, you summoned this family council in such haste. What exactly has happened?"

Seated in the first elevated seat on the left, the First Elder stroked his beard and asked casually.

His question was precisely what everyone else wished to ask. For a moment, all eyes focused intently on the imposing middle-aged man on the throne, waiting for him to provide a satisfactory answer.

Most of the family's elders were in seclusion and did not involve themselves in worldly affairs. Yet today, the patriarch had suddenly used the Message Token to summon everyone here, leaving them all perplexed.

"Qiang'er, tell the elders about it!"

Rather than answering the First Elder's question, Nie Haotian's gaze fell directly upon a figure standing beside him.

The man was tall, lean, and straight-backed. No one had paid him any attention while he stood at the side, but the moment he stepped forward, he gave off an air of authority and command, as though he stood high above all others.

Nie Haotian's son, the Nie Family's foremost heir, Nie Qiang!

"Yes!" Nie Qiang stepped into the center of the hall and swept his gaze around. "Today's council has been convened because someone from a branch family has openly challenged the authority and dignity of the main family. I hope the elders will deliver a fair and just judgment!"

As he spoke, he suddenly clapped his hands and called toward the entrance of the hall, "Bring them all in!"

At his words, the doors of the council hall burst open. More than a dozen people slowly entered, four of them carrying each stretcher. On the stretchers lay heavily wounded men.

"Those are Nie Yuanqing, Nie Hen, and Nie Liao? Aren't they the new captain and vice-captains of the Enforcement Team? How did they end up like this?"

"That is Nie Chao? The patriarch's nephew—he was beaten into this state? Who did this?"

"The Enforcement Team represents the core authority and supreme dignity of the family. Someone actually dared to beat them into such a state—this is an outright challenge to our Nie Family! Such a person must be killed to make an example of them, or everyone will think our Nie Family is easy to bully!"

Recognizing the figures lying on the stretchers, many elders began talking at once, and the entire council hall erupted in discussion.

The Enforcement Team was responsible for overseeing the many branches of the family. It represented the core of the family's authority and its very face. Now, its captain and vice-captains had all been beaten until they were no different from corpses, their faces swollen like pig heads. The elders' fury instantly flared.

"Nie Yuanqing, tell the elders exactly what happened!"

Seeing that the elders' anger had been ignited, Nie Qiang smiled faintly and glanced at Nie Yuanqing on the stretcher.

At that moment, Nie Yuanqing's eyes were black like a panda's, his lips hung swollen like sausages, and half his face was twisted out of shape. Fortunately, he had regained consciousness. Hearing the young master question him, he hurriedly let out a long, whistling cry through his gap-toothed mouth.

"It was that beast Nie Yun from the Nie Tian Branch! Last time, he openly attacked an Inner Disciple and was punished by the family. Yet not only did he refuse to accept the punishment, he even severely injured Nie Chao, who had gone to carry out the order! Nie Chao's life and death are still unknown! Vice-captains Nie Hen and Nie Liao went to interrogate him, only to be beaten into this state as well. He did not spare even me! I beg the elders to uphold justice for me!"

His miserable cry was like a cuckoo crying blood. Nie Yuanqing deliberately said nothing of the Enforcement Team's oppression of the Nie Tian Branch, instead painting himself and the others as pitiful victims in hopes of winning the elders' sympathy.

"What? That ruined Nie Tian Branch?"

"They actually dared attack you? Who gave them such nerve?"

"They must be tired of living! A fallen branch, a trash-like existence, actually daring to openly defy the orders of the family's core—this is utterly unforgivable!"

At Nie Yuanqing's words, an uproar immediately rose among the elders.