In the ancient, primordial era, demons roamed the land. These demons were incredibly powerful, possessing the strength to move mountains and fill seas, and wantonly slaughtered humanity. Humanity was practically their slave.
However, the heavens were merciful, and there was always a glimmer of hope.
Later, countless sages rose among humanity, developing countless martial arts and supernatural powers, breaking the decline of humanity, and contending with the demons for supremacy, gradually establishing a balance of power.
Finally, among these sages, a genius emerged, collecting and purifying the blood of demons, refining it with countless spiritual herbs. Then, he sought out martial artists with special bloodlines among humanity, implanting demon bloodlines into them, granting them terrifying power comparable to, and even surpassing, that of demons—their fists shattering stars, their palms cleaving rivers, their roars exploding mountain peaks…
Thus, humanity annihilated the demons, and the Great Dao flourished forever.
The primordial era ended, and the land entered the era of great sages, a time of flourishing schools of thought.
…
Outside Blue Sky City. Blue River.
The river flowed swiftly, its waters vast and misty.
As dusk fell, the setting sun cast its golden rays upon the river, shimmering and sparkling.
A fishing boat was moored under the willows on the riverbank, smoke rising from its chimney.
At the stern, a short, hunched-over, dark-skinned, wrinkled old fisherman was busy at work. The sizzling sound of fish being fried filled the air with a fragrant aroma.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a blue robe staggered and struggled to the riverbank.
He was emaciated and pale, covered in blood, barely breathing, his expression one of terror and lingering fear. He clutched a blood-stained brocade bundle tightly in his hands.
"Old man, please...please...please take me across the river immediately..." the middle-aged man in blue pleaded, his voice hoarse and weak, his body swaying precariously, as if he might die at any moment.
"Oh?" The hunched old fisherman put down his work, looked up, and when he saw the brocade bundle tightly clutched by the middle-aged man in blue, a barely perceptible glint of shrewdness flashed in his dim, cloudy eyes.
"Good...good...please board the boat, sir..." the old fisherman said hurriedly. The
middle-aged man in blue used all his strength to board the boat.
The old fisherman untied the rope, pushed the oar forcefully against the willow roots on the riverbank, and the small boat swayed into the river.
The boat meandered downstream, and the old fisherman rowed for a while, his face growing increasingly gloomy, his eyes burning with greed.
The next moment, the old fisherman put down the oar and went into the cabin.
Inside the cabin, the middle-aged man in blue was sitting cross-legged, the brocade bundle never leaving his side.
"Hey...sir, you must be being chased, right?" The old fisherman chuckled sinisterly, staring at the brocade bundle in the arms of the middle-aged man in blue. "What's in this bundle? It looks very valuable...is it gold and silver, or jewels and pills?"
Hearing this, the man in blue trembled slightly, opened his eyes, and a sharp glint flashed in them. "Who exactly are you?"
"Hahahaha..." The old fisherman burst into wild laughter, and suddenly, his bones cracked and popped, his muscles stretched, his joints opened, and his entire body grew taller inch by inch. The hunched, frail figure transformed in the blink of an eye into a burly, imposing figure, his face a mask of savage grin. "I specialize in doing low-risk, high-reward business on this Blue River. Who do you think I am?"
The middle-aged man in blue robes' eyes flashed with murderous intent, but seemingly too weakened by his injuries to attack, he had to suppress his rage. "I misjudged you… you're actually skilled in a martial arts technique that conceals your cultivation… Normally, I could wipe out hundreds of river thieves like you with a flick of my wrist… but now you're like a dragon stranded in shallow waters, a tiger fallen to the ground… Fine, this bundle isn't what you're looking for…"
"Heh… don't put on airs…" the old fisherman licked his lips, mockingly saying, "Open the bundle, let me see what's inside…" He strode towards the middle-aged man in blue robes.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man in blue robes knew he was doomed and knew he couldn't escape his fate. He smiled bitterly. "You petty thief, there's only a drop of blood in this bundle..."
"A drop of blood? What blood? Damn it, utter nonsense! You dare to mock me even when you're about to die!" The old fisherman's ferocity was revealed; his large hand, like a bear's paw, surged with energy, and he grabbed at the middle-aged man in blue.
"I never thought I'd escape a thousand-mile pursuit only to die at the hands of a mere petty thief. What a cruel twist of fate..." The middle-aged man in blue, utterly despondent, threw the brocade bundle into the vast river with a powerful hurled of his right hand.
In an instant, the bundle was swept downstream.
"Damn it! I'll kill you!" The old fisherman, enraged, slammed his palm into the middle-aged man in blue, shattering his sternum, and then with a backhand strike, smashed the man's head into his abdomen...
…
The night was dark and windy. Downstream of the Blue River.
This stretch of water was a shallow beach, with dense reeds and towering cliffs along the banks, creating a diverse and secluded landscape.
At this moment, a boy of sixteen or seventeen, slightly thin and frail, with delicate and refined features like a scholar, his eyes filled with both shock and anger, retreated step by step downstream towards the riverbank.
A dozen burly men in black surrounded him in a fan shape.
These men had taut, well-developed muscles, exuding immense power; with every movement, wisps of energy circulated around their bodies. Each of them wore a mocking and brutal expression. Their brows were etched with murderous intent, giving the impression of someone who would kill without hesitation.
"Alright, Young Master Qin Yan, that's enough. Don't try to escape anymore, you can't... Just die peacefully here... Hehe, the feng shui here is quite good, Young Master Qin Yan, burying your bones here would be quite elegant..." The leader of the men in black let out a chilling, sinister laugh.
The boy looked around. This place was deserted, with raging waves crashing around him—a perfect spot to dispose of a body and cover his tracks. The group of men in black had clearly planned this meticulously, meticulously planning every step of their plot.
A chill ran through the boy. Although he already suspected most of what was going on, he still asked in a trembling voice, "Who? Who ordered you to kill me?"
"Hahahaha~~~~~" The group of men in black exchanged laughter.
The leader of the men in black sneered, "Fine, Young Master Qin Yan, you're a dying man. Telling you won't hurt, so you won't be confused and die with regrets... Killing you was ordered by the First Madam of your Qin family mansion... Fifty thousand taels of gold to buy your life, Young Master Qin Yan. After you're killed, your body will be thrown into this Blue River, and no one will know... At that time, we will leave Blue Sky City, live in anonymity, and go to other cities to live a wealthy and carefree life..."
"The First Madam!" Upon hearing this, Qin Yan was filled with rage. "It really was the First Madam! She finally couldn't hold back and made her move against me... She calculated that my father would leave the family these past few days, and during the banquet at Lan Yue Tower tonight, she easily sent away the people protecting me..."
"Young Master Qin Yan, your hatred and resentment are useless... Among the children of the First Madam of the Qin family, whether it's Young Master Qin Feng, Young Master Qin Shuang, Young Master Qin Lei, or Young Master Qin Yu, they are all recognized young talents in our Blue Sky City, with monstrous martial arts talents... But you, Young Master Qin Yan, are muddle-headed and mediocre, known as a martial arts scum among the younger generation of the entire Qin family... Yet you, this good-for-nothing, are the only son of the current Qin family head, the first heir to the position of future family head. This is simply a huge joke! Heh... Don't even mention the First Madam's lineage, even we outsiders can't stand it..."
Another man in black sneered, "Young Master Qin Yan, you were born into a wealthy family in Blue Sky City, and your cultivation..." "You have no shortage of resources, yet for some reason, you're still stuck at the second level of the Martial Dao Inner Qi Realm, unable to make any progress. It seems your cultivation these past years has been a complete waste. You're like an ant before the young masters of the Qin family's First Madam's lineage... Heh, if you weren't so useless, how could we, a bunch of insignificant figures at the third level of the Martial Dao Inner Qi Realm, have surrounded and killed a scion of a powerful family like you?"
At this point, the young Qin Yan felt incredibly bleak and desolate, muttering to himself, "That's right... The world reveres martial arts. Without strength, one's life is spent being bullied and manipulated, toiling away, suffering unspeakably... The world is cruel. Without strength, one might even die silently at the hands of others one day, just like an ordinary ripple in a river..."
"But even if I, Qin Yan, am utterly useless, I'm unwilling to die at the hands of you petty thieves! To die under the First Madam's wicked schemes!" Suddenly, an instinctive will to survive surged forth from Qin Yan's heart.
Though weak, he was by no means one to sit idly by and wait for death!
In the blink of an eye, Qin Yan circulated his inner energy to its limit, his muscles tensed, his tendons taut, his spine slightly bent like a bowstring, and he squatted down, gathering power in his legs. The next moment…
"Whoosh…"
Qin Yan turned and retreated rapidly, leaping into the rushing river in a few bounds.
"Young Master Qin Yan, it's useless…" The leader of the men in black grinned maliciously. His figure blurred, and without any visible movement, he instantly covered dozens of steps, as if shrinking the distance between them!
This time, he arrived first, the leader of the men in black already in front of Qin Yan!
He struck out with a palm!
This palm strike was silent and still. The moment it struck, his palm was brimming with blood and energy, and in the blink of an eye, it was almost the size of a fan. The veins on the back of his palm bulged like pythons, coiling and twisting, like a demonic hand tearing through the void, forcibly squeezing the air in front of Qin Yan, creating a brief vacuum!
"Bang!"
The palm strike landed squarely on Qin Yan, sending him flying backward, coughing up blood.
"Die!" Another man in black took a step forward, relaying the blow mid-air, and struck Qin Yan's body with another palm.
The force of the strike sent Qin Yan flying like a kite, crashing into the river and splashing water everywhere.
Blood instantly stained a large patch of the river red.
This section of the water was relatively shallow; Qin Yan lay motionless, about ten feet from the sandy shore, his body not completely submerged, his fate unknown.
The surrounding river water was a deep crimson.
A dozen men in black stood on the riverbank, watching.
"Boss, this kid took two blows, he should be pretty much dead, right?"
The leader of the men in black nodded slightly. "He's definitely not going to survive… Even if we didn't kill him, he'd drown in the river… But this matter is no small thing, we can't be careless… Third brother, later you pick up Qin Yan's body and find a way to throw it into the middle of the river. That way, it'll be over and done with… Even if the Qin family investigates later, they won't find a trace…"
"Boss, I understand…" A man in black with a full beard readily agreed with a smile.
Just as the group of men in black were discussing how to handle the aftermath, a brocade bundle slowly floated downstream. It happened to drift to where Qin Yan was lying, blocked by his body.
Soon, the blood gushing from Qin Yan's body completely soaked the brocade bundle.
The next moment…
a blood sphere emitting a faint smell of blood seeped out from the brocade bundle. This blood sphere was as large as a peeled lychee, shimmering with golden light and faintly glowing with crimson. It was as lustrous as jade, like a dazzling star plucked from the heavens. Its surface was covered in secret patterns. Then,
something bizarre happened!
Like a sponge, the blood sphere rapidly gathered and absorbed the blood gushing from Qin Yan's body.
Strangely, Qin Yan's blood seemed to be drawn by the blood sphere, flowing like a river, being completely devoured in the blink of an eye. It seemed to be perfectly compatible with this blood sphere, even possessing an inseparable, harmonious quality…
The blood sphere grew to the size of a walnut, like a flawless ruby, radiating divine light.
At the same time, Qin Yan, severely injured and on the verge of death, miraculously awoke as if in a final burst of energy, choking on some river water, and slightly raised his head.
"I...I was ultimately killed by these desperate wanderers? I, Qin Yan, have always been kind to others, never one to fight or be aggressive...My martial arts talent is poor, so I treat everyone with utmost respect, even the servants in my household...I have no strength, and when I walk the streets of Blue Sky City, I have to give way to the scions of other wealthy families...Without strength, to stand tall and be upright is simply wishful thinking...In truth, I never even considered vying for the future position of the Qin family head...But even so, I still died at the hands of the First Madam...I, Qin Yan, am not convinced...I am not reconciled..." A
boundless hatred surged within Qin Yan's chest, a hatred so intense it could not be washed away even by the vastness of the Three Rivers and Five Lakes. It was utter, utter hatred to the bone. The wound on his chest, where he had been struck by a palm strike, sent piercing pain through him, as if his internal organs were about to tear apart and explode.
However, at that moment!
The blood sphere suddenly scattered and exploded, transforming into countless rays of crimson light that permeated his skin and merged into Qin Yan's body. Like sweet dew, it nourished and washed over his internal organs, bones, and flesh… His skin was immediately filled with a layer of precious radiance, and his entire being emitted a faint glow.
Qin Yan's flesh, bones, and internal organs… seemed to be infused with boundless life force, and in an instant, his injuries healed without medicine!
Immediately afterward, Qin Yan's blood began to surge…
the internal energy and blood flowed like a raging tsunami.
A faint, ferocious dragon's roar, emanating from his blood, reached Qin Yan's ears.
"Ah..."
Qin Yan felt a sharp, molting pain mixed with a strange, indescribable pleasure...
He stood up shakily...
Incredibly powerful qi and blood naturally overflowed from every pore of Qin Yan's body, quickly forming a layer of blood mist that enveloped him...
At this moment, Qin Yan was brimming with vitality, his qi and blood astonishing, like a furnace, or like a blazing sun, endlessly radiant, burning away the world!
A fierce, murderous aura also spread out, a powerful aura soaring into the sky like a violent hurricane. In this scene, it seemed as if an ancient ferocious beast was about to be resurrected...
The men in black were stunned by the scene before them, their mouths agape, their blood freezing, feeling an icy chill, their bodies trembling unconsciously, but their feet were unable to move due to fear...
"Third…fifth…you…you go and see…what…what's going on…this…this is…too…too strange…" The leader of the men in black spoke in a chilling voice, like a withered leaf in the wind, trembling uncontrollably…
but none of his men responded…
The next moment, something even more terrifying happened…
Qin Yan's pupils completely disappeared, turning into a golden light, intertwined with the light of dawn and thunder, his hair standing on end, and a blood-red rune radiating terrifying pressure flashed across his brow…
The blood mist surrounding Qin Yan began to contract, like a sponge, like a gel formed from countless biological tissues, or like a blood cocoon, enveloping Qin Yan's entire body, airtight…
His muscles began to swell, his bones began to deform, crackling and vibrating, booming and rumbling…accompanied by a terrifying howling sound of liquid surging within his body…he was simply a ferocious demon. His entire body shone with a brilliant blood-red light, and his body grew taller inch by inch. A terrifying aura and overwhelming pressure swept out, chilling to the bone…
At this moment, Qin Yan seemed no longer human, but a supremely powerful and terrifying creature, his domineering aura spreading in all directions…
Along the riverbank, the birds perched in the trees fluttered their wings and fell from the branches.
It was the height of summer, and normally the forest and the crevices in the soil would be alive with the chirping of various insects, but now, sensing a tremendous threat, these insects all fell silent, as if dead.
The dozen or so ferocious men in black were terrified, trembling and unable to move, prostrate there, oppressed by the overwhelming aura of ferocity…
The river water in the area where Qin Yan was located began to swirl violently, forming a vortex that churned up in a funnel shape into the air, like a primordial serpent…
Lightning, thunder, and hail appeared above Qin Yan's head…
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Sharp, silver scales mysteriously sprouted from Qin Yan's skin…
His spine began to tremble, twist, writhe, and explode… like a peerless ferocious dragon about to break free of its shackles and ascend to the heavens.
Bone spurs sprouted from Qin Yan's spine, and a bloodstained tail covered in silver scales finally burst forth from the end of his spine...
Time seemed to freeze...
Soon, Qin Yan transformed into an ancient ferocious beast that seemed to have stepped out of a historical painting...
Three meters tall, four meters long, and with a two-meter-long tail. His spine,
like a small silver hill, was covered with over a dozen gleaming bone spurs, each a foot long.
His entire body was covered in menacing, chilling silver scales. The scales looked as if they had been cast from molten iron.
He had eight thick, powerful claws, each as thick as an adult's thigh, the sharp claws at the ends gleaming eerily, enough to terrify anyone who looked at them, easily tearing apart tigers and leopards.
His head resembled a crocodile, but upon closer inspection, it differed, ferocious and terrifying.
His two eyes were like two blood moons, radiating a cold, bloodthirsty light, exuding overwhelming ferocity.
Its massive, razor-sharp teeth, shaped like interlocking broadswords, could tear apart countless creatures.
Its two-meter-long tail, resembling a steel whip, stirred the air with a gentle sway, creating gusts of wind and shockwaves…
A pair of incredibly strong and robust hind limbs allowed it to run at high speeds while half-standing, freeing up all eight of its
its claws…
It roared at the moon, whipping up a gale, a mixture of blood and ferocity that shook the riverside forests, even causing the cliffs to tremble…
The entire lower reaches of the Blue River exuded an indescribable sense of deathly stillness, as if it were a land of great calamity and destruction.
"Thump~~Thump~~~Thump~~~~"
The eight-armed ferocious dragon came ashore, like a moving silver mountain, its fierce eyes glaring at the group of black-clad men who were terrified and wet themselves. With each blink of its eyes, it was like a golden lightning bolt tearing through the void…
"Roar~~~~~~~~~"
Another furious roar erupted, thunder roared, and the nearby river water surged violently, causing many river birds to fly away in fear.
At this moment, Qin Yan was like a cub of a legendary, ancient eight-armed ferocious beast capable of fighting against the gods!