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Chapter 166: Ancient Divine Seed Bloodline
Niu Yingmeng herself knew that she had no special bloodline of her own. She was ordinary.
Although she was the cave master in the Red Sea Mountains, in the demon realm, she was just cannon fodder, completely ignored by those nobles with ancient bloodlines. She was nothing.
So how could her child possibly awaken their bloodline? It didn't make sense.
Snake Skin spoke up, realizing something. "Cave Master, you may have forgotten something important."
Niu Yingmeng looked up abruptly. "What? Tell me."
Snake Skin explained, "The first generation bloodline! Brother Tie may have encountered some fortuitous event that caused his bloodline to rise to an unimaginable level. That allowed him to influence his descendants, enabling the young master's bloodline to awaken. It's an inheritance."
Niu Yingmeng opened her mouth, her mind involuntarily conjuring up the image of the silly bull that haunted her dreams day and night. Tie Dan's foolish face appeared.
And that exceptionally intelligent, mysterious dung beetle brother of his. What kind of extraordinary encounter had they found?
Just then, the red mist on Tie Shi's body suddenly transformed, shifting from red to brilliant gold.
Seeing this, Snake Skin's eyes widened in disbelief. "This, this, this is...?"
Niu Yingmeng immediately became anxious. "What is it? Tell me quickly! What's happening?"
Snake Skin's voice was hushed with awe. "Ancient Divine Beast Bloodline! This is the mark of an ancient divine seed."
Niu Yingmeng's mouth gaped open. After a long while, she finally spoke in horror. "You mean, Tie Dan became an ancient divine beast, and Tie Shi was affected, awakening the bloodline of a divine beast? That's... impossible."
At this moment, Niu Yingmeng was so shocked she couldn't contain herself.
What was the bloodline of an ancient divine beast? You must know that races in the demon realm that possessed the bloodline of an ancient divine beast were now the top races at the very top of the entire demon realm. They were untouchable.
These races controlled the most powerful and resource-rich areas in the entire demon realm. Someone like her, Niu Yingmeng, didn't even have the right to look up to them. She was beneath their notice.
Now, Snake Skin suddenly told her that her son, Tie Shi, had awakened the bloodline of an ancient divine beast. It made it difficult for her to process for a moment.
Snake Skin nodded. "Judging from the young master's current situation, that is indeed the case! Brother Tie Dan may have achieved the status of an ancient divine beast himself. His bloodline has evolved."
As he spoke, the golden light on Tie Shi's body suddenly burst forth, shooting straight into the sky like a pillar.
However, at this moment, an inexplicable force from the heavens suppressed the golden light, finally returning it to Tie Shi's body and restoring calm. The world seemed to push it down.
This was the suppression from the Heavenly Dao of this world, which favored humans over demons.
If this were the Demon Realm, the golden light would have shot straight into the sky, filling the entire heavens and creating a strange phenomenon for all to see.
But this world showed no favoritism towards the demon race, so there were no such phenomena. It was hidden.
Once everything returned to calm, Tie Shi suddenly opened his eyes. Golden light swirled within them, ancient and powerful.
"Niu'er, are you alright?" Niu Yingmeng rushed forward and hugged Tie Shi, anxiously checking him over.
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Tie Shi looked up at Niu Yingmeng with clear eyes. "Mother, Niu'er is alright, but I just saw my father. He was standing in the clouds, looking at me."
Niu Yingmeng was stunned. All her previous guesses had come true. When one's bloodline awakens, one does indeed see the first generation of bloodline holders and receive their inheritance. Tie Dan had appeared.
Thinking of this, Niu Yingmeng couldn't help but wipe away a tear. He still remembered. That scoundrel.
"Let's not talk about that heartless man," Niu Yingmeng forced a smile, pushing down her emotions.
At this moment, Xu Ning quickly found Tie Dan after the tribulation ended.
At this moment, Tie Dan was enormous, as tall as a three- or four-story building, lying there like a small mountain. This was Tie Dan's true form after the upgrade.
However, its condition was not good. Its body was covered with terrifying cracks, and the raw, bloody flesh within those cracks was visible to the naked eye. Tie Dan was in pain, constantly licking its wounds with its tongue.
Xu Ning quickly stepped forward and took out some spiritual herbs to feed Tie Dan, helping him recover.
"This divine-grade lightning tribulation is actually so terrifying," Xu Ning couldn't help but exclaim. "I didn't expect such power."
The thatched hut explained, "A divine item is truly intolerable to Heaven and Earth. The purpose of the tribulation lightning is only one: to annihilate it! That's why the power of the tribulation lightning is unimaginable. It's trying to erase you."
Xu Ning nodded, continuing to feed Tie Dan with spiritual herbs while asking, "Then how strong will my future Foundation Establishment tribulation be? What can I expect?"
The thatched hut said, "Xu Ning, to gain the approval of Heaven and Earth, it's definitely impossible to pass easily. You'll face a near-death experience! But don't worry too much. We're here. We'll help you. You won't face it alone."
Xu Ning nodded in agreement. These items, including Tie Dan and the Yingying Monster, were all external possessions of Xu Ning. They could help him withstand the tribulation together. That was the advantage.
After feeding, Tie Dan finally recovered enough to speak, his body shrinking back to normal size.
Xu Ning hurriedly asked, "Tie Dan, how are you feeling now? What's your strength like?"
Tie Dan replied, his voice stronger, "I feel like I could kill a bull with one punch!"
Xu Ning's face hardened. "Be serious! Tell me the truth."
Tie Dan lowered his head, now serious. "Right now, just based on my physical strength alone, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators can't do anything to me. They can't hurt me. Even against high-grade or even top-grade Foundation Establishment cultivators, using spiritual power or martial arts against them is very easy for me now. I'm much stronger."
Xu Ning nodded, impressed. "Indeed, very strong. That's a huge leap."
However, another result also occurred. The foundation strengthened again, causing Tie Dan's cultivation level to drop once more. Originally at the tenth level of Qi Refining and the ninth level of Blood Refining, he now only had the eighth level of Qi Refining and the seventh level of Blood Refining. His base had expanded.
Afterwards, Xu Ning packed his things, left behind a legacy for the area, and headed back towards the Ancient Chen Mountain Range.
He definitely had to return to the Tiancheng Sect. After all, he had finally created a very suitable place to live. How could he give it up?
After traveling for two months, he finally returned to the Tiancheng Sect, where his master welcomed him back.
In the following days, Xu Ning collected materials to upgrade the formation to the divine grade while raising legendary-grade meat for the Yingying Monster.
Upgrading the formation was definitely the top priority. It was a crucial item for preventing unexpected events during each tribulation. It was his foundation.
Only after upgrading the formation would Xu Ning consider upgrading his armor and weapons. He prioritized defense.
Time flew by, and seven years had passed since Xu Ning returned to the Tiancheng Sect. He had been busy.
That day, Xu Ning's spiritual energy fluctuated continuously, radiating an extremely powerful aura from his cultivation room.
After a long time, Xu Ning's aura subsided, and he opened his eyes with a smile.
Finally, he had reached the twelfth level of Qi Refining! A milestone.
It had taken him over ten years to go from the eleventh to the twelfth level. The pace was slow.
This couldn't go on! he thought. He needed a faster way.
Xu Ning had considered upgrading to a legendary Qi Gathering Pill, but each upgrade required undergoing a tribulation. It was too troublesome and time-consuming.
Even if he consumed it immediately after upgrading, the tribulation would still arrive later. There was no avoiding it.
And the number of Qi Gathering Pills he needed was far too large, unimaginably large. He couldn't keep up.
Because not only Xu Ning needed them, but Tie Dan and the Yingying Monster also needed them for their own cultivation.
As for refining them himself, not only did Xu Ning have no clue about becoming a legendary alchemist, but even if he could refine them, he would still need to undergo a tribulation for each batch. It was a dead end.
After much thought, Xu Ning decided to use the top-grade pills for now and see how things went later. He would focus on quantity over quality.
He casually took out a Snow Crystal Fruit, ate it as he walked out of the room, and Xu Ning was considering many things.
Once the spiritual energy within the thatched hut had accumulated to a certain level, one could spend some time in the mortal realm before returning to the cultivation world. He needed a break.
However, the same issue remained. While in the mortal realm, it was best to avoid involvement in worldly affairs. The greater the involvement, the greater the chance of incurring divine retribution. He had to be careful.
Once the materials for the formation were gathered, he should then travel to the mortal world for a while. It was time for a change of pace.
By then, the accumulation of spiritual herbs would also have reached a certain level, allowing for the large-scale upgrading of a batch of legendary spirit-grade Qi-gathering pills. He would have the resources.