The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

"This bastard! I was actually tricked by someone at the Essence Gathering realm?" The Blood Spirit Sovereign fumed as he absorbed the fragmented souls, replaying the events of the dream in his mind. How could a revered being like him, the Blood Spirit Sovereign, be deceived by a mere mortal?

"Mortals are truly deceitful, unworthy of the Dao!" He snorted in anger. If he had been outsmarted by someone of his own level, he wouldn't have been so enraged.

However, what puzzled the Blood Spirit Sovereign even more was why his soul power had been stolen. Normally, when using the Yin Spirit Invading Dreams technique, even if the victim wasn't bewitched, the soul power would be recovered. Not even Chen Shijie had managed to make him lose any soul power.

But now, more than half of it was gone?

If everyone were like Zhao Xing, he wouldn't be able to use this technique at all and would risk being drained dry instead.

The Blood Spirit Sovereign was eager to uncover the reason behind this anomaly. Suppressing his anger, he calmly continued reviewing the dream sequence.

"Hmm?" His gaze sharpened. Just as the dream was ending, he realized that this dream was different from others.

"The Three Spirits converging... was he voluntarily entering the dream?"

"Does that mean... he was controlling the dream from the start?"

The Blood Spirit Sovereign was taken aback.

Voluntarily entering a dream was extremely difficult.

No cultivator could guarantee they could consciously dream after falling asleep. No matter how strong one's Life Soul was, if they couldn't achieve the 'Three Spirits Convergence,' they couldn't enter dreams voluntarily.

"Entering a dream voluntarily is already hard enough, but controlling the dream? That's even more difficult."

"His Life Soul must not only sense the Heaven and Earth Souls but also be able to influence them to some extent."

"But how could someone of his low cultivation achieve that?"

The Blood Spirit Sovereign furrowed his brow. Something about this felt deeply strange.

He carefully rewatched the dream.

Ignoring Zhao Xing's feigned madness, the Blood Spirit Sovereign focused on every minute detail.

The more he reviewed, the more serious his expression became.

"Not only has he cultivated his Life Soul, but he also knows an incredibly advanced secret technique and possesses a high-level soul-protecting treasure!"

"This technique..." The Blood Spirit Sovereign thought he recognized it.

He was a legitimate true disciple of the Xuantian Sect from the ancient era of sects. However, since the end of that era, his main body had spent most of the time in slumber with the sect, waiting for the revival of spiritual energy, leaving only a sliver of his soul in the Xuantian Sect for sustenance.

The Blood Spirit Sovereign had lived for a long time—long before the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty—so he had vast knowledge. He vaguely recalled seeing something like the secret technique Zhao Xing had used.

"This dream-weaving technique... it seems familiar..." The Blood Spirit Sovereign searched his ancient memories. But it had been over ten thousand years since the era of sects, so the memory was faint.

"Wait, could this be the Dream God Sect's legendary technique, The Grand Dream of Spring and Autumn?"

The thought hit him, and the Blood Spirit Sovereign's eyes twitched.

The Dream God Sect had been a top-tier sect during the ancient era of sects.

Among the ten so-called "God Sects" of that golden age, the Dream God Sect had been one of the most prestigious.

Though it later fell into decline, experiencing internal splits and chaos, earning the more notorious name of the "Nightmare Sect," it remained incredibly powerful.

During the era of sects, it was among the elite. Even in the Qi Fortune Dynasty era, the Dream God Sect had risen to become the state religion of the Great Li Kingdom, dominating an entire Qi Fortune Dynasty.

While the Great Zhou had seventy-two Dao Academies, incorporating multiple sects, the Great Li Kingdom had only the Dream God Sect.

"How does he know The Grand Dream of Spring and Autumn? Isn't that technique supposed to be long lost?"

"Is he a descendant of the Dream God Sect? Or perhaps a reincarnated powerhouse from the Dream God Sect?"

The Blood Spirit Sovereign was startled by the idea. Many external sects had various ways to wait out the spiritual energy revival era.

The Xuantian Sect had chosen to go into hibernation, with most of its members in deep slumber while a few took turns waking to observe the world, waiting for the return of spiritual energy.

However, some sects had a more advanced method: reincarnation in the mortal world.

Such a method allowed those reincarnated to rise to prominence in different eras, even leading the direction of the times.

The benefit was that when spiritual energy revived, they would hold an advantage!

"Could Zhao Xing be a reincarnated powerhouse from the Dream God Sect?" The Blood Spirit Sovereign shivered at the thought.

"No, that's unlikely," he quickly shook his head, dismissing the notion. "If he truly were, how could I have discovered it so easily?"

If Zhao Xing were truly such a figure, his current weakness would make him an easy target for assassination, his soul scattered.

"It's probably just a coincidence, and he came across part of the Dream God Sect's inheritance. That's a more likely explanation." The Blood Spirit Sovereign concluded.

With this realization, a trace of greed flickered in his eyes. "The Dream God Sect's inheritance... Zhao Xing, I will remember you."

Just then, the blood pool beneath him began to bubble, interrupting his thoughts.

He looked up to see a middle-aged man, wielding a crescent moon blade and clad in silver armor, floating toward him with a stern expression.

The red glow around the area shattered, repelled by the golden radiance surrounding the man.

"The Duke of East Lake?" The Blood Spirit Sovereign immediately understood. He had spent too much time focused on Zhao Xing, allowing the main deity of Gucheng to catch up to him.

"What demonic creature dares trespass here?" The Duke of East Lake's brows furrowed in anger as he glared at the Blood Spirit Sovereign.

"Ah, the little one from East Lake." The Blood Spirit Sovereign smirked. "In terms of seniority, you should call me elder."

"Fiend, you've caused too much bloodshed. You deserve death!" The Duke's rage flared as he noticed the blood pool, his golden aura pulsing fiercely.

"Hmph, you feast on mortal offerings, just as I do. The only difference is in the method." The Blood Spirit Sovereign waved his purple sleeve, and glowing red orbs flew out from the blood pool toward the Duke. "Look, these are offerings beloved by Yin spirits. Care to try some?"

"Die!" The Duke of East Lake swung his crescent moon blade, slicing through the blood orbs with shimmering golden light.

"Shhh!" As the blood orbs were destroyed, the glow on the blade dimmed slightly.

"What a pitiful tool," the Blood Spirit Sovereign sneered. "You were a lackey for the Great Zhou in life, and even in death, you remain bound to its will. Your soul persists, yet you cannot roam freely. How tragic."

"Kill!" The Duke's golden armor blazed as he charged forward with his crescent moon blade aimed at the Blood Spirit Sovereign.

"Awaken, Holy Spirit of Blood!" The Blood Spirit Sovereign waved his sleeve again.

"Gurgle, gurgle~" The liquid in the blood pool was drawn up into the air, coalescing into nine blood shadows. Each shadow seemed to be formed from blood, with tiny human heads writhing within them.

As they appeared, their piercing wails filled the air, and they charged at the Duke of East Lake.

Meanwhile, the Blood Spirit Sovereign's soul fragment began retreating deeper into the blood altar.

He knew he couldn't let the Duke of East Lake hold him up for long. The more time passed, the less likely he was to escape with this soul fragment.

"This soul fragment can handle a county-level temple's Yin spirit, but not one from a prefecture-level deity." The Blood Spirit Sovereign burrowed into the ground, swiftly retreating along his predetermined escape route.

Back at the ruined factory's fenced courtyard, Zhao Xing commanded a second-level vine-wrapped straw puppet to loot the body.

"Sizzle, sizzle~"

As soon as the puppet touched Wu Mei's corpse, the blood on the body began to hiss and corrode the puppet, causing the corpse to dissolve into itself.

"Thud~" The vine-wrapped puppet collapsed, unable to maintain its form, turning into a pile of dead vines and branches.

"Looting a Xuantian Sect corpse is always troublesome," Zhao Xing muttered. "Even after death, they don't let you loot them properly."

He didn't send another puppet immediately, instead waiting for Wu Mei's body to fully dissolve.

If any valuable treasures remained, they would survive the corrosion.

If nothing was left, it meant the body had no valuable items.

"I wonder if she was a Hall Master or just a Vice Hall Master? If she was a Hall Master, there should be more valuable treasures besides the Blood Spirit Needle." Zhao Xing kept a close eye on the corpse, although it was also possible she had left valuable items in a 'safe house' along her escape route.

As the corpse dissolved, a piece of paper depicting a figure in purple robes emerged from Wu Mei's abdomen.

Soon after, half of a jade pendant appeared near her chest.

The body's surface had melted, and now the internal parts were dissolving as well.

In her stomach, a blood-red pearl appeared, brimming with intense killing intent, though it was tainted with other energies.

Before long, all that remained of Wu Mei was her skeleton, with not a trace of flesh left.

As for her soul?

It was contained in the piece of paper with the purple-robed figure.

"Whoosh~"

Before Zhao Xing could examine it closely, the paper spontaneously combusted, turning to ashes.

Faint screams of agony echoed as the ashes dispersed.

"Her soul has scattered." Zhao Xing shook his head.

Members of external sects like Wu Mei, especially at her low level, could not maintain their souls in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Once dead, without the protection of their sect, their souls were destined to scatter.

"I'd never want to be a spy, especially one for a sect. Not even a chance to become a Yin spirit—just complete soul annihilation." Zhao Xing mused silently.

After the paper burned, the jade pendant also shattered into two pieces.

"A Concealing Jade Pendant, paired with Xuantian Sect's Yin spirit protection, was what allowed her to stay hidden. Once the Yin spirit protection was gone, the pendant was useless."

Zhao Xing inspected the remains, seeing that nothing else appeared, and ordered a second straw puppet to gather what treasures remained.

"A fourth-tier Blood Fiend Pearl."

As the puppet brought it over, Zhao Xing kept a distance of two meters as he examined it.

"Roar!"

A golden lion's shadow appeared within the Blood Fiend Pearl, stimulating Zhao Xing's Life Soul.

It stirred within him the urge to swallow the pearl.

"A fourth-tier Blood Fiend Pearl, made by killing a sixth-rank spirit beast and extracting a drop of its essence blood."

"The essence blood is mixed with killing intent and infused into the Blood Fiend Pearl, which can then be stored in one's acupoints, greatly enhancing close-combat abilities and providing a protective aura of killing intent."

"But it comes with a downside. The user is constantly tormented by the beast's will, and every so often must expel the killing intent. Unless the user's will is strong enough to completely subdue the beast's will."

"I'll sell it." Zhao Xing decided on the pearl's fate.

It was too troublesome for him to use. It was designed for martial artists, and for someone like Zhao Xing, a Shennong, to use it, he'd likely need to be at the peak of the eighth rank to make it work.

"The Blood Fiend Pearl and Blood Spirit Needle should fetch a decent price. After spending so much on those teaching paintings, I was almost broke. This at least recoups some of my losses... Fellow Daoist, you've died well," Zhao Xing whispered. "In your next life, let's do this again."

"Boom!"

Suddenly, an explosion echoed from a distance, briefly illuminating the night.

Zhao Xing looked toward the source of the blast and saw a familiar golden light flash.

"That's Long Xiao's Divine Cloud Sword Art. Is that the Geng Metal Sword Technique?" Zhao Xing was familiar with his former superior's sword techniques. Long Xiao's Divine Cloud Sword Art had originally been a fragment of a sword technique he found in an ancient tomb, and over time, he had refined it into his own style.

Although it was not as powerful as the more mature forms he developed later, it was more than enough for the current situation. After all, martial artists were martial artists, but sword cultivators were sword cultivators.

"Looks like things are wrapping up." Zhao Xing glanced at the almanac. The Calamity-Repelling Almanac had downgraded to a 'minor misfortune' reading. "But it seems like the Duke of East Lake hasn't returned yet."

Standing in the courtyard, he used his Clairvoyant Eyes but then shifted his gaze as he spotted several figures moving in the distance.

"Is that... Li Chengfeng?"

In the flashing light, Zhao Xing saw Li Chengfeng step out of his courtyard, accompanied by a shadowy figure.

As the explosion rang out, Chen Deshun and Li Chengfeng turned toward the sound.

Li Chengfeng and Chen Deshun also saw Zhao Xing in his courtyard, as well as Wu Mei's skeletal remains outside.

"What?!" Chen Deshun was shocked to see the skeleton. "Did he kill Wu Mei? Or was it someone else?"

Zhao Xing saw Chen Deshun and felt his Life Soul stir. The causal connection of his soul revealed that this man was the same strawman he had seen in the Niujia Courtyard.

"Is Li Chengfeng bewitched or controlled?" Zhao Xing frowned. While he didn't particularly like this 'gentleman,' in the current moment, he still shouted, "Li Chengfeng! Get back!"

A violent gust of Yin wind blew toward Chen Deshun, but as it reached Li Chengfeng's back, it softened into a gentle breeze, attempting to shake his soul and awaken him.

After the Yin wind passed, it transformed into a Yang wind, pulling Li Chengfeng toward another courtyard.

"Zhao... Zhao Xing..." Li Chengfeng turned, a blood-red dot appearing on his forehead, with a thin needle embedded three inches deep in his skull.

His eyes, as he looked at Zhao Xing, were filled with fear, surprise, and regret.

Of course, all Zhao Xing noticed was that Li Chengfeng seemed to be in pain.

"Hmph!" Chen Deshun grabbed Li Chengfeng by the shoulder, his killing aura dissipating the Yin wind, then quickly whisked him away into the darkness.

"He's been controlled by the Blood Spirit Needle." Zhao Xing shook his head. He wasn't acting out of kindness.

Helping Li Chengfeng was simply a favor to Old Chen.

This entire operation had been orchestrated by Chen Shijie. If Li Chengfeng were kidnapped, it would undoubtedly tarnish their success.

But that was the extent of Zhao Xing's involvement. In such chaos, self-preservation was his main priority.

With Li Chengfeng and Chen Deshun gone, Zhao Xing became more cautious. He positioned himself behind the guardian straw puppets and tied his legs to the doorpost with ropes.

He also gave his grass puppets a clear order: "Stop me from leaving the courtyard before dawn."

This command was also given to the mountain cat.

"Better safe than sorry." Zhao Xing wrapped his legs with vines, surrounding himself with the puppets. After relighting the eternal lamp, he quietly sat down to wait for dawn.

About a quarter of an hour after Wu Mei's death, after Chen Deshun and Li Chengfeng had come and gone, another quarter passed.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from outside the courtyard, "It's over, you can come out now."

Zhao Xing stood up, seeing Chen Shijie's figure appear outside the fence.

Is it really over?

Zhao Xing breathed a sigh of relief and stood up from the steps. "Is everything alright, Lord Chen? Where's my teacher?"

Chen Shijie nodded. "I'm fine. The main leaders of the Xuantian Sect have all been eliminated."

"However, some managed to escape. Most of the soldiers have gone in pursuit. I suggest that the Shennong Division officials retreat, just to be safe."

Zhao Xing, who had just finished untying the vines around his legs, suddenly froze, and then stopped.

"What, you don't trust me?"

Zhao Xing closed his eyes, slowly stepped back, and blocked off his hearing. He wrapped himself in Yin wind and retreated back to the table.

He felt around with his hand.

As expected, the eternal lamp had gone out.

'Chen Shijie' looked at him in surprise, then a voice echoed in Zhao Xing's mind, "Where did I slip up?"

"The real Chen Shijie wouldn't refer to himself as 'this official' in private," Zhao Xing replied, reopening his eyes. "You've got some nerve, not running away yet. Aren't you afraid of the Duke of East Lake, or are you also unafraid of the Duke of Nanyang?"

Zhao Xing was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected the Blood Spirit Sovereign's soul fragment to come to him personally.

By all logic, after the Yin Spirit Invading Dreams phase and the kidnapping attempt, the third phase should have been the escape, not a return to the earlier phases.

Where did things go wrong?

"The Duke of East Lake is being kept busy by me," 'Chen Shijie' said calmly. "However, this soul fragment can't escape. As you said, I'm not afraid of the Duke of East Lake, but I am wary of the Duke of Nanyang."

"I didn't expect him to show up. I can't run anymore, so I thought I'd pay you a visit."

Zhao Xing responded, "I'm just a lowly official. Why bother with me? Shouldn't you be running while you still can?"

"Hahaha." The Blood Spirit Sovereign laughed. He could see that Zhao Xing was scared.

Fear was good. Fear was useful.

Just as he was about to say more, a flash of golden light appeared in the distance, accompanied by a loud shout, "Zhao Xing, don't open the door!"

The Blood Spirit Sovereign glanced at Zhao Xing one last time. "Farewell, Fellow Daoist."

Buzz~ The Blood Spirit Sovereign's body ignited with flames as he self-destructed, destroying his Yin spirit.

At that moment, the real Chen Shijie arrived, and the Duke of East Lake returned to the statue inside the room.

Swoosh~ Chen Shijie leapt into Zhao Xing's courtyard.

Since he had been invited, he could enter freely, confirming that this was the real Chen Shijie.

"Are you alright?" Chen Shijie asked.

"I'm fine." Zhao Xing shook his head. "What just happened?"

"It was the Blood Spirit Sovereign," Chen Shijie replied simply. "But it's over now."

Zhao Xing nodded.

He couldn't help but recall the Blood Spirit Sovereign's last words.

"Fellow Daoist"? What did that mean?