The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"This worked perfectly." Zhao Xing looked at Wu Mei's miserable state and couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

At the end of October, he had visited Old Chen's residence and seen a new plant in the pear garden—[Firecracker Bamboo].

At that time, the ones he saw in the garden were only third grade.

This was because, in the south, the growth potential of Firecracker Bamboo was limited. As the saying goes, "An orange grown in the south is an orange, but when grown in the north, it becomes a trifoliate orange."

In reality, [Firecracker Bamboo] can generally grow up to the fifth grade.

It has high requirements for earth veins and must have a 'fire-attributed earth vein'.

Once Firecracker Bamboo grows to the fifth grade, the joints inside the bamboo contain extremely volatile fire energy.

The surface color of the bamboo changes from green to red. After going through a 'killing' process, it becomes sensitive to condensed qi, easily causing it to explode.

Though Long Xiao came alone, he brought with him a hundred pieces of fifth-grade Firecracker Bamboo from the Shenwei Army for Chen Shijie.

Chen Shijie also planted many young bamboo shoots.

At that time, Zhao Xing had requested a small portion of the seedlings to try planting himself.

However, Old Chen thought it was too dangerous for Zhao Xing to plant them himself, so he gave him only one to practice with.

Later, the Firecracker Bamboo used in the current setup had all been re-planted and matured to third-grade superior quality.

But at Zhao Xing's strong insistence, Chen Shijie gave him a fifth-grade Firecracker Bamboo.

Zhao Xing cut it into ten sections and buried them around the fence.

The one Wu Mei stepped on was one of those sections.

"She didn't die instantly, so her body strength must have reached the eighth grade," Zhao Xing thought, keeping his eyes on Wu Mei.

A fifth-grade Firecracker Bamboo only explodes under certain conditions, such as pressure or a sufficiently dense qi presence.

If someone is unranked or merely ninth grade, they might not even trigger it.

Once the internal qi density reaches the eighth grade, the fire energy inside is ignited, as if finding an outlet. It explodes, igniting the surrounding qi at the same time.

That's why Wu Mei's legs, now severely injured, were struggling to heal.

Moreover, the more she tried to use qi to heal herself, the worse her injuries became.

Zhao Xing could have triggered the remaining Firecracker Bamboo manually. Although he didn't use the Earth Palace technique, his Earth Vein Consolidation: Human Path was already enveloping the surrounding area.

The entire area around the fenced yard was now a minefield!

"Splurt!" Wu Mei gritted her teeth and pulled out a knife, cutting off the flesh from her bones and removing the embedded bamboo shards.

Realizing that her healing efforts were ineffective, she decisively resorted to this extreme measure.

Time was her lifeline.

"Ahh!" The pain was unbearable, as one might imagine when carving flesh from one's own bones.

"You little bastard! How dare you trick me…" Wu Mei's eyes were filled with venom.

"Do you have anything valuable on you?" Zhao Xing's voice drifted with the wind. "Did you bring a Boundary-Piercing Needle, Xuantian Mirror, or Soul Protection Garment?"

Hearing this, Wu Mei froze momentarily, forgetting her pain as she reflexively responded, "No… How did you know…"

"You didn't bring anything?"

"Then why are you still alive?"

A chilling wind accompanied Zhao Xing's voice, sweeping over Wu Mei's body as she continued cutting her flesh. The cold wind seemed to penetrate every pore, piercing directly into her soul.

"Ah!"

Wu Mei shuddered violently, unable to stop trembling.

The coldness struck her soul, and she hadn't even fully recovered from the Firecracker Bamboo's aftereffects. Forcing herself to retreat, she summoned a crimson blood fiend to shield her from the icy wind.

"Plop~"

A raindrop fell on Wu Mei's forehead.

"Rain? It's raining?"

Wu Mei looked up, her eerie, blood-red eyes searching the sky.

Overhead, she saw a pitch-black cloud. The cloud was so dark it blended seamlessly into the night sky.

When did he summon clouds?

And why was it forming a black vortex?

"Plop, plop~"

The icy rain interrupted her thoughts.

Cold, so very cold.

If the yin wind chilled her soul, then this icy rain froze her physical body.

Wu Mei could normally wield the power of a proper eighth-grade expert, whether in terms of physical strength or spellcasting, matching that of the Great Zhou's elite eighth-grade cultivators.

But now, she felt as weak as a mere government clerk! And she was only growing weaker by the second!

"Xuantian Blood Fiend! Blood Spirit Protection!"

"God, take my soul, and possess my true form!"

Wu Mei's blood fiend power flared, resisting both the yin wind and the icy rain, while her body began to ooze a layer of fine, crimson blood.

The blood swirled, covering her flesh as if something was about to burst forth from her body.

"Transformation? Can you really transform?"

Zhao Xing spread his five fingers, lightning coiling around them, quickly forming a thunderous hand that slammed into Wu Mei's blood fiend shield.

"Boom!"

The blood fiend barrier was torn apart, exposing Wu Mei's bloodied flesh beneath.

"Thud!"

A purple hand with curled fingers jabbed into Wu Mei's abdomen.

The spreading blood energy suddenly froze, as though the gears of a machine had been jammed.

"Boom!"

The thunderous hand struck again, tearing through the blood fiend shield and pressing its curled fingers into six points on Wu Mei's body.

"Shenting, Shenque, Shendao, Guanyuan, Shimen, Yinjiao... Where's the last one again?"

"Whatever, I'll just poke wherever for the last one."

Zhao Xing couldn't quite remember, but the six key points he hit were enough to interrupt Wu Mei's transformation.

"You…" Wu Mei's face twisted in terror.

She had realized something was wrong and had immediately unleashed all her strength, activating a secret technique from the Xuantian Sect as a last-ditch effort.

But Zhao Xing's thunderous hand had forcibly interrupted her casting.

Wait—am I the Xuantian Sect member, or is he?

How does he know so much about us?

Wu Mei couldn't comprehend it, but she was deeply shocked.

"Stop poking me! Please, stop…" Wu Mei's voice broke into sobs.

"I wasn't supposed to die here… I was supposed to capture you… Just stop…"

"Come with me. In the Xuantian Sect, you'll be treated with great importance. I never intended to kill you; I just wanted to take you… Please, stop."

Wu Mei begged pitifully.

Her blood fiend barrier was now as fragile as gossamer, and the blood spirit possession had been completely interrupted.

She had spent over a decade in hiding for this mission.

She never imagined it would turn into a complete failure, with her mission unfinished and her life at risk.

It was maddening—utterly maddening.

Unlike some other members of the Xuantian Sect, who willingly embraced death because they were at the end of their lifespan, or others who had been brainwashed into losing their sense of self, Wu Mei still had full autonomy over her mind.

And she had a powerful will to live.

"Come with me… Come with me…" Wu Mei raised her hand, and a needle shot out from her bloodied flesh.

It aimed directly at Zhao Xing's Tianling Point.

Boundary-Piercing Needle—this was her last gamble.

"How cunning. I knew you had one," Zhao Xing muttered.

The Boundary-Piercing Needle shot through Zhao Xing's body, embedding itself in the door behind him.

Hum~

The illusion faded, leaving only a shimmering bead on the ground.

A projection of the fourth-grade East Lake Pearl.

"You tricked me… You're so cunning…" Wu Mei's hand fell, her words cut short by overwhelming despair as she collapsed.

If her Boundary-Piercing Needle had struck Zhao Xing, she would have immediately gained control of him and turned the tide. She could have made him help her escape.

But now, with her final gamble lost, she knew she had no hope left.

She had survived over a decade on hope alone.

Now that her hope had vanished, Wu Mei lost the will to resist. Her soul was shredded by the yin wind.

"I did trick you. Someone of your rank would undoubtedly carry a Boundary-Piercing Needle. I only asked you if you had it to prevent you from realizing the situation was hopeless and retreating. I wanted you to believe there was still a chance—using the Blood Spirit Needle to control my body, walk out of the yard, and make a comeback," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

He looked at the dark red needle embedded in the door.

The material was peculiar, neither metal nor flesh, with what looked like sinewy strands wrapped around it.

Blood Spirit Needle, a type of Boundary-Piercing Needle, and one of the Xuantian Sect's classic treasures.

Its effect wasn't to control the soul but rather to control the flesh.

"This needle…" Zhao Xing didn't dare touch it and simply observed from a distance. "It bypasses a person's life soul and directly controls their body."

"If you're struck, it's like losing control over your body. Your consciousness would remain intact, but your body would be controlled by the Xuantian Sect."

The Blood Spirit Needle played a crucial role in the Xuantian Sect's successful kidnappings.

While the Great Zhou's temples typically scanned within city limits, during the monthly sacrificial rituals or in emergency situations, they expanded their detection range. Using soul-control techniques to abduct people would easily alert Yin Gods to any abnormality.

However, the Blood Spirit Needle controlled the physical body while leaving the three souls unaffected, so no anomalies would be detected.

"Once struck by the Blood Spirit Needle, the next step would be to manipulate the flesh and bones, even reshaping the body's appearance."

"Standing right in front of you, no one would recognize the victim."

This could be considered an overpowered artifact, something only from the ancient sects of the past could craft.

The sects outside the dynasty were like pests, using ancient legacies to harass the Great Zhou.

"Meow~" The mountain cat also stared at the needle.

"Don't even think about it! Do you want to end up a dead cat?" Zhao Xing glared at the mountain cat.

The cat instantly pulled back its head, retreating a half-step.

Fine, I won't eat it. I'm not that hungry anyway.

Outside the ruins of the factory, atop a high slope.

Chen Shijie, Tang Wanchun, Xue Wenzhong, Pang Yuan, and Gao Linong from the Shennong Department were now surrounded.

"Lord Chen," Pang Yuan and Tang Wanchun, who had just shaken off the effects of Yin Spirit Invading Dreams, woke up and took in the situation, looking toward Chen Shijie, "Aren't the cultist invasions over? What's happening? Why are they still here?"

"Oh, don't worry, these ones aren't fake; they're real," Chen Shijie said with a smile. "Everyone, it's time to rack up some merits. These are bona fide cultists from the Xuantian Sect."

"???" The Shennong Department officials were dumbfounded.

Do we look like people who can fight?

You're a military Shennong, but we aren't!

"I knew following Chen Shijie would lead to no good," Gao Linong muttered, his scalp tingling. "A few years ago, he tormented us here, and now he's drawn so many Xuantian Sect cultists."

"Lord Chen, you and the magistrate must have coordinated this, right?" Tang Wanchun's voice trembled, "Are there troops hidden nearby?"

"Nope." Chen Shijie glanced at the encroaching cultists.

"...Chen Shijie, you bastard!" Gao Linong couldn't help but curse. In his heart, he instantly swore at Chen Shijie's ancestors for eight generations. He felt like death was imminent, so he no longer cared about respecting his superior.

Pang Yuan and Tang Wanchun also harbored complaints, but they still clung to a glimmer of hope, believing that Chen Shijie wouldn't so easily place them in mortal danger.

Xue Wenzhong, on the other hand, remained calm. At his age, he had become indifferent to everything.

He summoned a cloud of thunder in his palm, gently flicking it. The cloud circled around him, moving like a small whirlwind.

One cloud, two clouds, five clouds, ten clouds...

A total of thirty-two thunderclouds formed, not only protecting him but also surrounding his colleagues.

"As loyal subjects, we must help alleviate our ruler's burdens. Cultists from outside the dynasty are the enemies of us all," Xue Wenzhong declared.

"Well then, it's just death." Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan sighed, summoning clouds and casting spells to resist the enemies.

Weather Manipulation Techniques and Earth Manipulation Techniques filled the hillside in an instant.

Although their cultivation levels were lower than the eighth-grade experts leading the Xuantian Sect's forces, their desperate efforts slowed the cultists' advance. By the time the enemies entered within a hundred meters, their movements had significantly slowed.

"Hahaha! I had no idea my Earth Shield technique was so powerful! Take another lightning bolt!" Gao Linong shouted, striking one of the shadowy figures with lightning.

The bolt hit its target, freezing the cultist in place. Even more surprising, a faint red light flared from the impact.

"Wait, did I misjudge their strength? Not eighth-grade?" Tang Wanchun's eyes gleamed with hope upon seeing how easily the cultist fell.

"Lord Gao, you're overestimating yourself. It's not that you're strong; they've grown weaker," Xue Wenzhong observed, looking at the ground, then at Chen Shijie. "What an impressive Earth Palace technique."

"Senior Xue has sharp eyes," Chen Shijie said with a faint smile, finally dropping the pretense.

The perimeter of the hillside suddenly cracked open, forming a ring of fissures.

A line of fire erupted from the ground, creating a wall of flames four meters high.

"What?! Fire-Attributed Earth Fracture Technique, combined with such a strong binding force—this is an Earth Palace Technique!" The Falcon Protector from the Xuantian Sect felt the oppressive weight pressing down on his body and couldn't help but be shocked. The other eighth-grade experts also struggled, each step becoming more laborious as if they were carrying a mountain on their backs.

Just as they reached the hundred-meter mark, the ground bulged.

"Boom!"

A powerful surge of fire energy exploded!

One of the cultists stepped on a section of Firecracker Bamboo and was instantly blasted into the air!

"Stop!" The Falcon Protector shouted as he watched one of his subordinates lose both legs in the explosion, leaving only half a body—clearly beyond saving.

"Xuantian True Technique, Northern Dipper Ascending Dragon!" The Falcon Protector growled.

The cultists around him began to chant.

"Xuan Claw!" One cultist clenched his fist, summoning a green warblade.

"Xuan Horn!" Another summoned a golden horn in front of him.

"Extreme Wing!" A third gathered armored gauntlets over his head.

"Xuan Yin!" A fourth had a bright moon appear around him.

"Yuan Pin!" A fifth held a pearl between their hands.

"Flying Dragon!" The sixth cultist's body grew, a fierce dragon's head covering his entire form.

The Falcon Protector activated the Xuantian Sect's Northern Dipper Ascending Dragon Formation, linking the seven cultists into a giant dragon that seemed to chase the sun and moon as it descended to the earth.

The surrounding wall of fire shrank to two meters, and even the Firecracker Bamboo planted in the ground no longer exploded under their feet. The binding force diminished significantly, and the group's movements became swifter.

"Chen Shijie, I never imagined that someone with your aptitude could reach Spirit Bridge perfection in their thirties. But we of the Xuantian Sect could certainly use a talent like you!" The Falcon Protector bellowed. "Everyone, attack!"

"Lord Chen!" Tang Wanchun's eyes were red with panic. "Are you sure the county magistrate and the Eastern Lake Army aren't aware of this?"

"They're not here," Chen Shijie replied coolly, "but I have a sword cultivator."

"Sword cultivator? What sword cultivator?" Pang Yuan asked in confusion.

Chen Shijie pointed to the ground.

A two-meter-wide pit opened up in the earth, so deep it seemed bottomless.

As they stared at it in confusion, a sword light shot out from the pit.

"Dammit! I was suffocating down there! Don't bury me so deep next time!" A gruff voice echoed from the ground.

The golden sword, like a fish in water, flew through the air.

Once out of the pit, the sword immediately darted toward the cultists below the hillside.

"Shush, shush, shush!"

The golden sword reflected in the eyes of the Xuantian Sect members. The Falcon Protector's pupils contracted, his instincts screaming danger, but his body couldn't keep up.

"Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!"

The sword pierced through the heads of the cultists, each of them collapsing with a hole through their skulls.

"Thud!"

In an instant, all seven fell to the ground.

"Clang!"

The golden sword traced a perfect arc in the air and landed in Long Xiao's outstretched hand.

"This…" Tang Wanchun and the others were stunned by the scene before them. "Is that a warrior?"

Wasn't their impression of warriors rough and crude? How could they be this formidable, this graceful?

"Everyone knows there's a difference between warriors and sword cultivators," Long Xiao said, sheathing his sword with a cool demeanor, then suddenly shifted his expression. "Who was it that insulted my brother?"

"Shush, shush~" Tang Wanchun and Pang Yuan both turned to look at Gao Linong, immediately selling him out.

"I…" Gao Linong broke into a cold sweat.

"Don't worry about him," Chen Shijie interrupted, "we have bigger fish to catch. Follow the wind I summoned to track them."

"Got it." Long Xiao, dropping his act, swiftly leaped down the hillside.

In Anping Town, under the artificial mountain at Maple Leaf Manor, the blood pool altar.

At this moment, a purple-robed shadow floated above the blood pool. Occasionally, a red glow would return from the outside and merge into the shadow—these were fragments of the split souls returning to the main body after failing their invasions.

"Failed." The purple-robed shadow sensed the commotion above. "Many officials have broken free and returned to the fight. This operation is a complete failure."

He could sense that Li Wenzheng had brought a large number of Eastern Lake soldiers to form a larger encirclement, closing in from a distance.

It was clear this operation had been anticipated.

"Willing to take such risks, using themselves and the officials as bait—ruthless, and decisive," the purple-robed shadow remarked, understanding he would have to abandon this body.

However, he waited for all the split souls to return. Failure wasn't the issue; what mattered was gathering all the soul fragments to understand what went wrong and learn from it.

"What strong resolve—ten years in the army and never once prayed to the gods?" The Blood Spirit Sovereign recalled his conversation with Chen Shijie in the dream as another red glow returned. "Such a pity that I couldn't take him."

Whoosh—another red glow flew back, but this one was significantly weaker, almost hollow, as if it had been severely depleted.

"Huh? Why is this one so drained?" The Blood Spirit Sovereign opened his mouth and swallowed the red glow.

The moment he absorbed it, his mind was flooded with the image of a fenced courtyard. Inside, a disheveled young man stood—it was Zhao Xing.

"What?! This little scoundrel!" The Blood Spirit Sovereign saw only half the vision before his blood pressure spiked in rage.