Hong Wuji hadn't expected Xiang Yun to put it that way.
If only it were that simple. Why else would they have split into two factions?
Because it was difficult to have both.
That was also why the Divine Ability Faction had been suppressed before, only to rise again now.
It was because Xun Wu had offered another solution: merging with the bloodline of the demon race.
"Senior Brother Xun Wu has a demon bloodline, doesn't he?" Xiang Yun asked.
He had even detected the presence Lin Dong had concealed back then. Xun Wu's distinctive presence made it clear that he wasn't purely human.
It was normal to have a demon bloodline. Some demons took human form, settled in human territory, and had children.
There simply weren't many of them.
"Yes. His mother's side belongs to the Heavenly Demon Tigers. I don't know the details, but he was the one who proposed combining 'bloodline fusion' with the Primordial Battle Body to create a Battle Body Divine Ability."
"And a batch of disciples have already succeeded-a fair number of them, too. Most are outer disciples, though. They start with relatively weak demonic beasts,
"such as the Fire Python Tiger, then gradually advance once they've grown stronger..."
In a few words, Hong Wuji explained why the Divine Ability Faction was making waves again.
Xiang Yun, however, said, "There have been plenty of failures too, haven't there? If it were that easy to gain so much strength, the Divine Ability Faction wouldn't still be in this state."
Hong Wuji nodded. "And we have to consider the consequences. If we do this on a large scale, will we be humans or demons in the end?"
To be honest, Xiang Yun didn't have much of an opinion on that. Before the Yimo, every race was the same.
But he couldn't say that.
Still, he did have some ideas about Battle Body Divine Abilities.
Xiang Yun activated the Heavenly Tyrant Body within him, then manifested the Tyrant Body Nine Forms. The unusual sight made Hong Wuji raise an eyebrow.
"If I hadn't personally guided your cultivation, I'd really think you were a bastard crossbred from all sorts of demons."
"This is a further evolution of my physique. It's called the Tyrant Body Nine Forms."
"That's why I asked how you did it," Hong Wuji said. "Perhaps this so-called Tyrant Body Nine Forms of yours
"is the key to settling the dispute. You definitely don't have a demon bloodline."
"Uh, it's hard to explain. It's imprinted in my bloodline.
"If I had to put it into words, it's because generation after generation of those with this bloodline fought and killed all kinds of powerful enemies, bathing in their blood.
"Through essence, Qi, and spirit, they imprinted some of those powerful beings' abilities into their own physiques."
Since Xiang Yun had the Heavenly Tyrant Body, he naturally knew where the Tyrant Body Nine Forms came from.
The Tyrant Body truly belonged to the human race.
Their Tyrant Body Nine Forms were a power won through the desperate battles of Tyrant Bodies generation after generation.
"So there's no way to reproduce it?"
Hong Wuji sounded somewhat disappointed. He had already boasted about it.
Why had Xun Wu dropped to his knees so readily?
Wasn't it because the Tyrant Body Nine Forms Xiang Yun had displayed convinced that old fellow that Xiang Yun could resolve the conjecture the Divine Ability Faction had held all along?
"I can do it. I'll need a little time."
Xiang Yun thought it over.
If he devoted himself to working it out, he should be able to produce an incomplete version of the Tyrant Body Secret Technique.
Bathe in the enemy's blood and make it his own imprint.
"What do you need? The hall will support you with everything it has!"
Hong Wuji's eyes lit up, and he let out a laugh like a booming bell. After all this time, was the factional dispute finally going to be settled in his hands?
What if Xiang Yun was the one who settled it?
Xiang Yun was his disciple, so he deserved some of the credit too.
"Got it. By the way, how are things going with the sect exchange?"
"Uh, in the end, it was decided that the three sects would hold the exchange together at the Dao Sect. That should be the best outcome."
Hong Wuji lowered his voice, as though worried someone might overhear. "Are you sure something happened between you and Ling Qingzhu?"
"And you didn't wreak havoc on the Palace Master of Taiqing Palace instead? Why else would that woman be even more eager to see you?"
Xiang Yun understood. She was probably eager to know what was going on with him, how a southern barbarian
Xiang Yun said speechlessly, "Keep that between the two of us. If word gets out, the Palace Master of Taiqing Palace will probably come charging up here with a sword."
"It's just that my physique is a little unusual. That's also why there's no real problem with Ling Qingzhu."
Hearing Xiang Yun's explanation, Hong Wuji seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Xiang Yun grew suspicious. What was wrong with his master?
But he soon put it out of his mind. His master probably just thought the Palace Master of Taiqing Palace had taken an interest in him, and was relieved now that he knew the situation.
Xiang Yun continued, "Three sects it is, then. In that case, I'm afraid the Yuan Sect might make a move."
After all, an exchange between three sects had never happened before. It was either one-on-one, or all eight sects took part in something like the sect competition.
Now three sects were coming together.
From the Yuan Sect's perspective, they would probably wonder: did those three sects want to establish a new Eastern Xuan Region?
Considered on its own, the Yuan Sect truly was a behemoth. With three experts at the peak of the Samsara Stage, it stood above the rest of the Eight Great Super Sects of the Eastern Xuan Region.
But with the Dao Sect, the Nine Heavens Taiqing Palace, and the Primordial Hall together, they could already stand against the Yuan Sect.
"So what if they do? Everyone knows the Yuan Sect's ambitions. Not every sect opposes them, but not everyone is their vassal either."
"But you'd better be careful. Those fellows are always up to underhanded tricks. The whole affair of Zhou Tong from the Dao Sect charging into the Yuan Sect still hasn't been cleared up. Who knows what happened?"
Hong Wuji's voice was full of disdain for the Yuan Sect. In his eyes, its members were all hypocrites, harboring ambitions to dominate the Eastern Xuan Region day in and day out,
yet still claiming to safeguard it.
"All right, you've given me a decision, so I have an answer for them. Give this some thought, but of course, don't neglect your cultivation. Your cultivation is what matters most."
"If need be, I'll discuss giving you all of Battle Heaven Peak, Primordial Peak, and Battle Arts Peak's Nirvana Golden Qi for this year."
Xiang Yun was a little surprised by Hong Wuji's words. "Such a generous offer?"
"What's that? Any other requests?"
"It would be best to have some resources for cultivating the Qiankun Battle Body, and Xuan Origin Pills, and..."
Xiang Yun didn't stand on ceremony. He rattled off a string of rare resources, leaving Hong Wuji's face covered in black lines. Was this fellow making wishes?
"Hold it, hold it. I can give you the resources for the Qiankun Battle Body, the Xuan Origin Pills, and some Primordial Qi too, but a Pure Yuan Treasure... The Primordial Hall only has one Pure Yuan Treasure. You really..."
Hong Wuji was speechless. The Primordial Hall was already rather short on resources. How could Xiang Yun use them like that?
"Uh, all right. I also need a large number of ferocious beast and demon corpses for research."
Xiang Yun had only asked. Whether or not there were dates, he might as well take a swing at the tree.
"That's no trouble. We can just set aside a portion from the hall for you when the time comes."
"As for demons, I'm afraid you'll have to go to the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range to catch them."
That was the benefit of having a major power at his back.
Xiang Yun did want to research Battle Body Divine Abilities. That research might let him take his strength a step further, and even develop his Tyrant Body further.
Moreover, he already had an idea: using totems to construct imprints.
Just like in the Perfect World, where many Precious Techniques were directly imprinted within ferocious beasts. They called them Precious Bones.
Some cultivators who had mastered Precious Techniques to a profound level would also develop Precious Bones in their bodies. Combined with the Tyrant Body Secret Technique,
he refused to believe he couldn't work it out.