No Progress Meant Falling Behind!

With the initial shape of the Blessed Land taking shape, a weight had been lifted from the heart. However, what truly unsettled the Lord Rat was another small matter.

These days, he has been completely absorbed in arranging the Blessed Land.

In the next two days, the demons will meet together. These leaders of their respective lineages will communicate and exchange ideas at specific times.

During this meeting, the Lord Rat saw a completely transformed Kuang Dou.

The change in this black dog is simply outrageous.

Twenty years ago, Kuang Dou was just an ordinary dog demon who had just advanced to the Foundation Establishment.

And what about now?

Its fur turned from jet black to dark red, and when it stomped on the ground with its four paws, it left scorch marks on the stone surface...

His cultivation level had actually broken through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

Although it was only a short time since the breakthrough, it made the Lord Rat fall silent for a moment, feeling an increased pressure in his heart.

Who says that only the Sun and Zhao families fought and competed under the patronage of the patriarch?

In fact.

Whether it's the Sun and Zhao families, or their Black Dog Line, or even among the five lineages of the bear family, there is competition.

Despite belonging to five different lineages, bears are as close as family.

In fact, all five lineages were putting in their best efforts, all wanting to show off in front of the patriarch.

As a veteran, Lord Rat was one of the earliest subordinates to follow the Ancestor, and thus received the Ancestor's unique favor.

However, it's also inevitable to feel a sense of pressure.

Not only that, but even the younger generation of the Black Dog Line clan seemed to have taken a magic pill, their cultivation levels soaring.

Nourished by the Crimson Slurry Pool Blessed Land, the Fire Dao affinity of the dog demons in the clan has greatly improved. In recent years, there have been more and more outstanding dog demon cubs, and even dozens of them are stuck at the peak of Level 1 Demon Beast.

Perhaps in a few more years, the Black Hound Clan will be able to produce several more Level 2, Foundation Establishment Early Stage Black Dog Demons...

Thinking of this, a bittersweet feeling welled up in the Lord Rat's heart.

When the usual meeting ended, Lord Rat stood at the foot of Frenzied Battle Peak, looking at the bright red rocks on the summit and the fire dog cubs frolicking on the mountain. He felt incredibly bitter!

Back then, it was so weak, practically just a marginal monster.

How could it be that in just a few years, things have developed to this point, even the value of selling spirit beasts...

The Spirit Rat Line has been surpassed by the Black Dog Line.

And what about his Spirit Rat Line?

He's been running this business for many years, ever since Shi Jian was Foundation Establishment Great Demon.

In terms of seniority, no one in the entire Northern Mountain Range is older than him.

In terms of contributions, whether it was intelligence gathering, mining spirit ore, or transporting resources, none of these tasks could have been accomplished without the Spirit Rat Line.

In terms of strength, he, Lord Rat, is merely at the mid-Foundation Establishment Middle Stage...

The other two Foundation Establishment in the clan, one a newly breakthrough Treasure-Seeking Spirit Rat and the other a Yin Spirit Rat, were sent to Nine Winds Valley.

Three Foundation Establishment cultivators to maintain appearances—that's all the wealth the Spirit Rat Line possesses.

In contrast, the Black Hound Clan has reached a similar number of Foundation Establishment as the Black Dog Clan, and also possesses a well-established Fire Dao Blessed Land, making the clan increasingly prosperous.

Even Kuang Dou's cultivation level surpassed that of his senior.

Needless to say, the five lineages of the Bear Clan also include more than ten Foundation Establishment Bear Demons, who are genuine royal relatives and several Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

The Lord Rat is not one to complain.

The ancestor has already given him more than enough: two spiritual mountains and thousands of Qi Refining rat demons. If he were outside, he would certainly be considered a regional overlord.

Can--

"I'm not reconciled."

The Lord Rat squatted forlornly at the foot of the Frenzied Battle Peak, its whiskers drooping slightly.

What was he unwilling to accept? He couldn't quite put his finger on it.

The Wind Dao Heaven and Earth Qi bestowed by the ancestor was personally retrieved by Lord Rat from Nine Winds Valley. The ancestor entrusted him with full authority over its use, a trust that was more precious than anything else.

But the Lord Rat knew very well that even with the presence of the Heaven and Earth Qi and the nascent form of Blessed Land, the Spirit Rat Line would still face numerous difficulties in changing its destiny...

Because of blood ties.

The upper limit of the rat demon's bloodline is what it is.

Even if the Spiritual Qi of the Dao of Wind is abundant, the spirit rat's body cannot bear too much of the Dao of Wind spiritual power; the Foundation Establishment Realm is its ceiling.

Unless, we start with the bloodline itself.

The Lord Rat returned to its cultivation cave, lay down and diligently cultivated, slowly circulating its spiritual energy throughout its body for one cycle.

As he felt the turbid, Blood Sha power flowing through his meridians, his brows furrowed even more tightly.

Back then, in order to break through to the Foundation Establishment, he took a shortcut: the Blood Dao!

The spirit rat's bloodline is extremely weak; if it cultivates according to the normal path, it will reach the Qi Refining Realm.

He refused to accept his fate, using his own Essence Blood as a guide to devour the flesh and blood of a large number of cultivators, and even refined a Blood Dao Law Artifact as his foundation.

Powered by his Blood Sha aura, he forcefully broke through the shackles.

Relying on this Blood Sha to stimulate a mutation in his bloodline, he barely managed to break through to the Foundation Establishment.

The path was successfully established, but at a considerable cost.

The power of Blood Sha is mixed and impure, and it is not compatible with the bloodline of rats.

After reaching the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, every time he circulated his spiritual power, he would feel a faint stinging pain in his meridians, as if the Blood Sha were gnawing at his foundation.

Continue down the Blood Dao?

At the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, there might still be a chance to fight, but going any further is a dead end.

The denser the Blood Sha power, the stronger the backlash on the body. In the end, it might even corrupt the spirit, turning the individual into a savage demon that tries to stop the killing...

And the Dao of Wind...

The Lord Rat glanced in the direction outside the cave; the small pillar of wind in the valley was spinning day and night.

Wind, and mice.

At first glance, they seem completely unrelated.

But think about it carefully, what is the rat demon's strongest talent?

It's about concealment!

The clever mouse hid underground, silently and stealthily.

The essence of this talent is the ultimate restraint of Qi, minimizing one's own presence within the Dao of Wind.

There is a method, and one lineage happens to lean towards this, called "Hidden Wind"!

The wind is formless Formless, coming and going without a trace.

The Way of Hidden Wind emphasizes dissolving oneself into the wind, remaining silent and unnoticed.

If the spiritual power of the Dao of Wind is used to replace the Blood Sha energy, it will not only enhance the stealth talent of the Spirit Rat Line, but also make up for the rat demon's lack of attack power.

Although Blood Sha is more aggressive, its universality and future Dao Path are far too narrow...

Having figured this out, the Lord Rat felt a sense of peace.