CHAPTER 220: THE AGILE DOG IN THE MOUNTAINS

[Simulation Complete!]

[In this simulation, you have acquired a new divine ability: Soul Seizure.][In this simulation, you have acquired a new divine ability: Salvation.][In this simulation, you have acquired a new divine ability: The Agile Dog in the Mountains.]

[Soul Seizure: Consume a portion of your life force to disperse your consciousness and temporarily take control of another being’s body. You can also use your consciousness to attack enemies directly.]

(Note: Prolonged control of a living being may result in the loss of its original consciousness.)

[Salvation: You have gained mastery over soul essence. You can now perfectly guide soul bodies to rest, absorbing the yin energy and soul essence within them.]

[The Agile Dog in the Mountains: Your locust leaves have undergone subtle changes. When infused with different types of energy, they can detect similar energy signatures within a ten-li radius and store them for later use.]

Two new divine abilities and one new skill—not bad at all.

Among them, Soul Seizure seemed like an offensive art, though its effects weren’t entirely straightforward. Its true power would require testing.

As for Salvation, Ji Yang found it puzzling. After all, he had already been able to manually “release” wandering remnants, though doing so only yielded yin energy, never soul essence. This divine ability, too, would have to be tried in practice. Still, the fact it did not appear to consume life force was good news.

When he turned his attention to the last ability, Ji Yang paused in thought. This one… might prove surprisingly useful.

…

“Hahaha! For the Liu family to cooperate with a noble like yourself is our great fortune. I am Liu Ziqi, patriarch of the Liu clan. May I know how to address you, esteemed one?”

“Shi family—Shi Pojing. A pleasure, Patriarch Liu.”

“You are too courteous. Since we’ve agreed to work together, why not discuss the details now? What do you say, Lord Pojing?”

“Exactly what I had in mind.”

The two men spoke pleasantly, faint smiles on their lips. But once inside the house, Liu Ziqi’s face hardened and his voice brimmed with fury.

“Lord Pojing, our family bears a blood feud—irreconcilable and unforgivable. We must have revenge! Yet the Liu family is weak. Our people live in constant danger, and we have no news of the Chen clan. Even those we sent to investigate last time were captured. At this point, our hands are tied.”

His sigh was heavy, his expression filled with helplessness.

Shi Pojing snorted coldly in his heart. The Liu clan was indeed weaker than most, but they still had two Innate Realm martial artists. Their plight was hardly as desperate as Liu Ziqi painted it.

Still, he kept his smile. “Rest easy, Patriarch Liu. With my Shi clan’s support, the Chen family is nothing to fear. But remember this—your clan must take full responsibility. None of this can be tied back to us.”

“Of course, Lord Pojing. I understand.”

“This contains all we know of the Chen family. In addition, we’ll send support—several Blood Coagulation Realm warriors.”

Liu Ziqi did not respond immediately. He accepted the documents and read them carefully before frowning deeply.

“The Chen family has only one Innate Realm cultivator, hardly worth worrying about. But… they possess a family totem. How should we handle that?”

“You needn’t trouble yourself over it,” Shi Pojing replied evenly. “My clan will deal with their totem. All you need to do is eliminate the Chen clansmen.”

Liu Ziqi smiled faintly. “Then I am reassured.”

“Good. From now on we’ll exchange messages only. No need for further meetings.”

“Very well. Safe travels, Lord Pojing.”

When Shi Pojing departed, Liu Zicheng, who had been standing by, finally spoke.

“Patriarch, is the Shi family’s information trustworthy? The Chen clan has only one Innate Realm martial artist, and he broke through only recently. How could he possibly have defeated Great-Uncle and the others?” Ꞧ𝘢ŊȪBĘŞ

Liu Ziqi remained calm. “Great-uncle was badly wounded and likely has not recovered. And with Lord Qingling in slumber, the Chen family could not draw upon the totem’s divine power. Losing under those circumstances is no surprise.”

He lowered his voice. “But we cannot take the Shi family’s words at face value. Once we reach Chaotic Burial Mountain, send our people to investigate further. After the Chen clan is destroyed, we will absorb the Blood Spring and leave Yong’an City behind.”

“With Lord Qingshan’s protection, even the Shi clan will not be able to pursue us. Now—go inform the clansmen. Tell them to prepare. We set out tomorrow.”

“Yes, Patriarch!”

…

“Xie Si, my Shen clan and yours have always kept to our own affairs. South Street has long been the Shen family’s domain. Yet you’ve opened a shop here. Isn’t that going too far?”

In the southern district of Yong’an City, two men faced each other in the street. The speaker was Shen Yi, a late-stage Blood Coagulation Realm warrior of the Shen clan.

Opposite him stood the man he called Xie Si. At Shen Yi’s words, Xie Si let out a cold snort and answered without retreating.

“This is our clan’s territory. Who opens a shop here is none of your concern.”

Shen Yi chuckled. “You’re mistaken. The four great families of Yong’an City agreed long ago that South Street belongs to my Shen clan. Your own patriarch made that promise. We even offered to purchase this shop, or trade for another. You refused. And now you’ve sold it to outsiders. Isn’t that breaking the rules?”

“Hmph! If you truly wanted to buy, where was your jade? This shop has sat empty for years. We haven’t even demanded compensation for the loss!”

The argument grew heated. Inside the shop, Chen Tianling and Chen Tianlei exchanged bewildered looks. They had only just arrived in Yong’an, found this prime storefront, and hadn’t even opened for business before the Shen family came to cause trouble.

Though the Xie clan had stepped in, the brothers still couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

“Could it be,” they whispered, “that the Shen family is targeting us?”

Chen Yihu, who had been quietly watching, shook his head. “Something feels off. This man seems to be after the Xie clan, not us. If they wanted to move against our family, they’d wait until the Xie people left.”

The brothers nodded slightly. “That makes sense. But isn’t this a Xie family shop?”

“Not sure,” Chen Yihu replied. “But it sounds like the four great clans made some sort of agreement in the past.”

While they spoke, the dispute outside escalated. With a sharp snort, the two men clashed right there in the street.

The crowd scattered in panic. The qi and blood of late-stage Blood Coagulation warriors surged like waves; one stray strike could kill an ordinary onlooker.

“Should we help him?” Chen Tianling asked. The man was, after all, the one the Xie family had sent to escort them—and their clan was now working with the Xies.

But Chen Yihu immediately stopped him. “The situation isn’t clear. Let’s wait and see. Besides, they’re both at the late Blood Coagulation stage. Even if you join in, it won’t change much.”

“Alright.”

Though Chen Yihu was not originally of their clan, the patriarch had made an exception for him. That alone was enough for the two brothers to respect his judgment.