Chapter Thirty-Three: A Drop of Blood from Feng Yan Hua

Ming Chenyu had never encountered such a situation before, nor had he ever heard of anyone’s nascent soul undergoing such a change.

“Little Master, what’s going on with Ye Linyi’s nascent soul?” Yan Qingye asked.

“Oh, this is quite common in the Divine Realm. Nascent souls, like people, can cultivate techniques of their own. Their cultivation mostly depends on the fortune bestowed by heavenly tribulations. He’s quite lucky—he managed to refine a technique for his nascent soul in a single go,” You Xiyue explained.

“The upper realms truly are full of strange wonders,” Jun Yang remarked with a touch of sarcasm, setting down the pot of fish soup and summoning his own nascent soul.

His nascent soul was so powerful it appeared like a second Jun Yang, only somewhat translucent.

Though unable to speak, it could communicate with Jun Yang in spirit.

Jun Yang’s nascent soul stretched out its palm—a vortex spun rapidly in its hand, growing ever swifter, then flung outward. A tornado of overwhelming destructive force swept across the entire hillside, leaving not a blade of grass behind as if the land had been pillaged.

“It... it can do that?!” Yan Qingye stared in shock at Jun Yang’s nascent soul, then turned, envious, to look at Ye Linyi. “Haven’t we wasted too many opportunities during our own tribulations?”

Ming Chenyu sighed softly. Still, it’s better to learn late than never to know.

Ye Linyi, finally having caught his breath, sat up, cast a cleansing spell, conjured a clean set of clothes, changed quickly, and walked to You Xiyue, excitement brimming in his eyes. He knelt.

“I haven’t yet performed the formal rite of apprenticeship. Allow me to make up for it now.”

Yan Qingye and Ming Chenyu hurried over and knelt beside him.

The three bowed deeply, touching their foreheads to the ground three times.

“Master above, please receive our three bows.”

You Xiyue lowered her gaze to look at the three kneeling disciples and was silent for a moment before speaking. “Should I be absent, remember to honor your senior brother as your leader.”

The three were momentarily surprised, but understood. They knew the true reason You Xiyue had accepted them as disciples, but what did it matter? She had truly taught them, and shared her immortal herbs and fruits without reservation.

“Yes, we shall heed Master’s teachings.”

“Good.” You Xiyue turned briskly toward the pot of fish soup that had been simmering all day, produced a bowl, and said, “Time for soup.”

“Yes, yes!” Jun Yang quickly crowded over, mouth watering. He lifted the lid and inhaled deeply. “It smells heavenly…”

Feng Qinghe and the others also hurried over to join.

Yan Qingye chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then suddenly recalled something. “Little Master, just now you said nascent soul cultivation is common in the Divine Realm?”

“Mhm.” You Xiyue answered while eating.

“Then… above the Heavenly Tribulation Staircase is the Divine Realm?”

Jun Yang slurped his soup with gusto, exhaled in satisfaction, and replied to Yan Qingye, “Above the Heavenly Tribulation Staircase is the Immortal Realm. Only above that is the Divine Realm.”

Since the little ancestor had now taken on disciples, Jun Yang saw no need to keep secrets.

“But don’t get any reckless ideas of ascending if you don’t have the strength,” he warned.

“I understand, I understand.” Yan Qingye nodded eagerly, then asked, “Did you and Senior Jun Yang also descend from the Heavenly Tribulation Staircase?”

Jun Yang rolled his eyes. “Why ask such nonsense?”

“Then…”

“The Divine Domain Map, direct transmission,” You Xiyue interjected.

Yan Qingye and the others exchanged confused glances, each seeing bewilderment in the other’s eyes.

Yuan Yibai sat quietly to one side, listening as he sipped his soup.

Jun Yang sighed in exasperation, set down his bowl, and casually summoned a scroll.

The scroll radiated a blue glow. With a tap of his fingers, it unfurled before them.

Miniature peaks, lakes, and even towns appeared vividly upon it, like a shrunken world, with golden characters marking each place name.

With a casual sweep of his hand, Jun Yang shifted the landscape and names upon the scroll instantly.

The group stared, dumbfounded, and could not help but exclaim in awe. “What an extraordinary artifact!”

“The Divine Realm is tens of thousands of times larger than the upper realms. Anyone with a bit of means there will have one of these,” Jun Yang said, taking up his bowl again and helping himself to another serving of soup.

“Can we go and see the Divine Realm ourselves one day?” Ye Linyi asked, longing in his voice.

Jun Yang glanced at him. “When your nascent soul grows to half your own height, you’ll be ready.”

“Half… myself?” Ye Linyi looked down at his thumb-sized nascent soul, feeling it was a distant dream.

Ming Chenyu also felt a pang of disappointment, but asked hopefully, “Can’t Master take us there?”

Jun Yang shook his head gravely. “Bloodlines are immutable. Those not native to a realm will be repelled. Immortals are immortals, gods are gods. Crossing that divide by acquired effort alone is fraught with difficulty. In the Divine Realm, it’s common for people to reach Golden Immortal or even Immortal Lord status by age five hundred.”

Their hands stilled, and soup was suddenly a little harder to swallow.

“There’s truly such a vast gulf in bloodlines?” Yan Qingye murmured.

Jun Yang arched a brow, tacitly confirming it.

“Is Master also of the divine race?” Ming Chenyu asked with curiosity.

You Xiyue ate her fish in silence.

Jun Yang nearly choked on the question, coughed, then said, “Ahem… your master… well, you’ll learn when the time is right.” He glanced at You Xiyue.

Seeing Jun Yang’s reluctance to answer, the others dared not press further, but their curiosity only grew.

Sixteen years old, cultivation unfathomable!

Even among the divine race, she could not be ordinary.

Feng Qinghe, however, had another, more chilling question in his heart. When You Xiyue and Jun Yang had spoken of the Phoenix Clan, they mentioned that the Phoenixes had once been gods, but were cast down; Jun Yang’s own Tengshe Clan had also been demoted. So who executed the act of demotion?

Feng Qinghe sipped his soup in a daze, unable to distinguish its flavor.

Could the Phoenix Clan ever return to the Divine Realm?

Yuan Yibai listened to all this in silence, brows furrowed, his thoughts unfathomable to the rest.

After finishing their soup, the group headed back toward the Feng Residence.

No sooner had they returned to the guest courtyard than they found Feng Yanhua waiting for them.

Feng Yanhua first greeted You Xiyue, Ming Chenyu, and the others, then approached Jun Yang with a cheerful smile. “Senior Jun Yang, about the Golden Carp Bowl…”

“What about the Golden Carp Bowl?” Jun Yang asked, expressionless.

Feng Yanhua broke into a nervous sweat, but managed a smile. “I’ve been bleeding for seven days, yet it seems to have only gathered a single drop…”

“Oh?” Jun Yang glanced at him and held out his right hand. “Let me have a look.”

“Yes, of course!” Feng Yanhua waved at Feng You.

Feng You nodded, left the courtyard, and soon, several house servants awkwardly carried in a small golden basin, the spectacle somewhat comical.

The servants, panting, set the tiny basin on the ground.

Jun Yang looked down. Indeed, there was only a single drop of blood visible.

Feng Qinghe, unaware of why Jun Yang had ordered Feng Yanhua to bleed, peered over curiously. “Fourth Uncle, why did you need so many people just to carry a single drop of blood?”

“A single drop? A single drop?!” Feng Yanhua glared at him in exasperation.

It was the result of seven days of bleeding—he felt weak even in his steps.