Chapter 139.1: It's Still a Divine Technique. It's in the Name.

At the Chen Kingdom.

The Lingfeng Ferry used to be a bustling crossing, where boats came and went. Later, strange incidents began happening. Travelers would be blown off the road by inexplicable gusts of wind. People stopped coming, and the place was abandoned.

Today, however, the ferry was lively once more. The Bright Palace had arranged to meet the Blood-Clothed Sword God there.

A tall ship was docked at the bank. Three Nascent Soul stewards of the Bright Palace stood at the bow. Two were late-stage, one mid-stage. Their combined presence alone rivaled the power of the Chen Kingdom's greatest sects. Aside from them, there were many Nascent Soul cultivators from the Chen Kingdom.

"Blood-Clothed Sword God... If I'm not wrong, that's the old Earth Sword Marquis. We all thought he died. Who knew he'd survived and even joined the Divine Flower Society? He's caused the True Lords quite a bit of trouble," said Lord Dongchang, guilt practically dripping off his face.

Lord Empty shot Dongchang a glare, his voice buzzing like a bell. "None of this is your fault. That Blood-Clothed Sword God is the one stirring up trouble!"

Back then, Lord Empty had traveled through the Chen Kingdom and took a liking to the marquis's estate. Beneath it lay a spirit spring that had condensed an extremely rare essence, suitable for forging a top-grade Golden Core.

Lord Empty merely expressed his interest, but Dongchang immediately evicted everyone from the estate. The marquis's family refused to leave and cried in protest.

Irritated, Lord Empty had snapped,

"If they don't want to leave, drive them into the dog house!"

Thus, the marquis's ninety-something-year-old frail daughter was forced into a dog house.

Later, Dongchang went a step further, purging the entire Marquis household. Since they had already offended the marquis, might as well eliminate the roots and avoid future trouble.

Dongchang had come here today for one reason: to cling to the Bright Palace's thigh. If the marquis had truly survived and become Blood-Clothed Sword God, his cultivation had likely surged, or he wouldn't dare act so boldly.

"That marquis deserved what he got. He dug his own grave by offending a True Lord," Dongchang said righteously. "When he arrives, I'll persuade him to repent and apologize to the Bright Palace."

Of course, it was mere bravado. In truth, he hoped that the marquis would clash with the Bright Palace and die.

"Atonement?

Hmph

!" Lord Empty growled.

The matter had grown large enough to cause waves even in the distant Cuiyun Continent. As a result, Lord Empty had been forced out of seclusion to come to this backwater to apologize. Naturally, he was furious.

Apologize? Let's see if that Blood-Clothed Sword God dares accept it.

A Nascent Soul cultivator scoffed. "He's clearly a coward who only stirs trouble behind the scenes. I doubt he'll even show up."

Many Chen Kingdom cultivators sided with the Bright Palace, and were furious at the Blood-Clothed Sword God. They couldn't wait to kill him before he dragged down their standing in the Bright Palace.

"If he dares come, we'll seize him and make him kneel before the True Lords!"

Hearing this, Lord Empty finally relaxed a little. At least everyone in the backwater understood who they had to flatter.

Outside the tall ship, a small wooden boat floated quietly. On it stood a young girl in blue, accompanied by an elderly woman.

The old woman looked toward the massive ship. "Miss Ya, since the Bright Palace is here, shall we board and greet them?"

The old woman was a Nascent Soul cultivator. The young girl was only at the Core Formation realm, yet the old woman treated her with extreme respect. The girl was Jiang Ya, ranked fifteenth on the Eastern Lands Prodigy List.

To rank within the top fifteen, when the Hundred Nations couldn't produce a single name on the list, she would undoubtedly be among the Violet Palace realm elites in the future.

However, Jiang Ya's greatest talent wasn't cultivation, but her terrifying ability to understand, annotate, and rewrite techniques. Because of this, the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Ascension Pavilion had taken her as a disciple. It was an honor even the top three of the prodigy ranking dreamed of.

That Pavilion Master, Wutian, was the closest to breaking into the legendary Yin Spirit Realm. The realm was rumoured to touch upon the domain of gods. If he succeeded, Jiang Ya's status would surpass even the top three prodigies on the Prodigy Ranking.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"No need." Jiang Ya shook her head. "I'm only here because there might be a fight. Watching real battles helps my comprehension. As for the Bright Palace, Lingsu hates them, so why would I get involved?"

The Heavenly Ascension Pavilion collected cultivation methods from the whole world. Jiang Ya took interest in any cultivation method she could find. Besides, watching Nascent Soul cultivators duel was a valuable experience for her.

Her path was one of modification, creation, and comprehension of cultivation methods. Once she reached Nascent Soul, she would awaken a corresponding divine technique. Then, when she eventually stepped into the Violet Palace realm and grasped the true nature of spiritual energy, she would comprehend the Origin Divine Technique.

Jiang Ya suddenly said, "If that Blood-Clothed Sword God is weak and loses quickly, please fight the Bright Palace afterward, Elder Shi. I want to see their Dao techniques."

The old woman nodded. "As you wish, Miss Ya."

Night fell. The tiny boat drifted quietly on the water.

Jiang Ya stood at the bow, fully immersed reading a jade slip. She was refining her Dao with any chance she got. Moonlight shimmered across the river.

Suddenly, Jiang Ya's eyes opened. The old woman also looked up, her expression turning solemn. A man in a blood-red robe was walking across the waves. The moon hung high and its cold light fell upon him, yet what reflected back was red.

On the Bright Palace ship, over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators stared at the figure on the water. Their eyes flickered with shock and fear.

"What a terrifying aura."

"How many people has he killed?"

"Blood-Clothed Sword God?”

The three Bright Palace stewards froze for a heartbeat.

Then, Lord Empty roared. "That overwhelming blood-qi... How many innocent souls did you butcher? You monstrous demon! Had I known, I would have slain you on the spot, rather than let you plague the world!"

Originally, the Bright Palace planned to put on a show of apologizing before causing trouble. However, they changed their minds upon seeing him.

That was no sword god. That was a demon! He had obviously massacred many to obtain such a thick blood qi aura. He should be killed on the spot.

Under the moon, the red-robed figure glowed strangely.

Fully immersing himself in roleplaying, Qi Yuan said in a hoarse and cold voice, "My daughter was innocent and lively, clever and bright. I would have plucked the stars and moon for her. But you... You forced her to live in a dog house. This won't end here."

Lord Dongchang blinked in disbelief.

Innocent? Lively? Clever? That ninety-year-old woman? With half her teeth missing?

They couldn't see the man's face clearly. It seemed as though his face was shrouded in a layer of blood-mist.

"Such a demon deserves eighteen generations damned to hell!" Dongchang barked.

Qi Yuan frowned. "Weren't you here to apologize? Is this your attitude?"

He had come here precisely because they said they would apologize. His plan was to extort some compensation.

Lord Empty put on airs, acting as if he had the moral high ground. "If you were a righteous cultivator, I would apologize for my small oversight. But you are a demonic cultivator, do you even deserve an apology from me?"

Qi Yuan sighed with disappointment. "It seems I overestimated some people's integrity. I thought the Bright Palace were heroes, bravely slaying demons and defending the world. Such a pity. I even planned to let it go if you compensated me with a few spiritual stones."

The stewards were caught off guard. Was this man genuinely admiring the Bright Palace?

"

Hmph

!" Lord Empty wasn't fooled. "A demonic cultivator dares try to curry favor with us?"

Another steward couldn't help asking, "How many spirit stones were you thinking of?"

"She is my precious daughter. At least one million." Qi Yuan hesitated, then hardened his heart. "No! Ten trillion spirit stones!"