Chapter 269: Cultivation

Tang San was not just any ordinary divine being; he had once been a God King. So far, he had not encountered any God King in this plane, and he believed that no such beings existed here; had they existed this plane would have already become a realm of gods.

Once he broke through and awakened the essence of a God King, then even if he started from a much lower level, it would surely alarm the planar ruler. No planar ruler would permit the existence of a foreign God King; if controlled by such a being, the plane would no longer remain as it was. In order for the plane to become a divine realm, it had to give birth to a God King itself, and that God King’s power would then elevate the whole plane.

Now, Tang San could deceive the planar ruler because he was simply too weak to be regarded as a threat. However, it would be a different story once his essence as a God King was exposed. The plane would spare no effort to eradicate him and it would certainly not allow him to ascend to godhood.

Now, Tang San had reached the seventh order and thus had to start making thorough preparations for his eventual ascension to godhood. The energy required to become a god was immense, and he could not leave this planet before becoming one. Therefore, to ascend, he had to find an opportunity within this plane.

For this reason, he had to prepare multiple trump cards for himself, ensuring these cards were sufficient to support his ascension to godhood.

Without becoming a God King, how could he ascend with Mei Gongzi? How could he leave this world and return to his divine realm? Tang San had no other choice. Moreover, Mei Gongzi was not his only kin; reuniting with his entire family was his ultimate goal.

Collecting his thoughts, Tang San returned to his cultivation.

Inside him, in addition to the six stable bloodline imprints, a massive gray-black bloodline imprint floated next to his soul core, kept from dispersing by the core's pull. It was the god-level imprint the Dark Raven Demon King left to him.

The bloodline of the Dark Raven Demon King was rather special to Tang San. Although it had fallen from the tenth order to the ninth, its origins were still divine; hence, it retained some unique god-level characteristics.

Upon closer examination, Tang San realized that transformation was the fundamental aspect of the Dark Raven Demon King's bloodline. The purpose of bloodsucking was to weaken the enemy and to strengthen oneself. All demons could do that to some extent, but they had to absorb bloodline energy from other demons of the same race. Naturally, the likelihood that the bloodline energy absorbed by a Dark Raven would be from a Dark Raven was rather slim. Therefore, the essence of its power was absorbing and transforming other bloodlines into its power while preserving as much of their original strength as possible.

Tang San didn't hold the Dark Raven Demon King's bloodline in high regard, but he was interested in its transformative nature. As it was from this plane, it constituted one of the plane's laws, even if just a common one. In other words, it was perfectly allowed to exist within this plane. Checking its properties against the Mysterious Heaven Technique’s would allow Tang San to refine his Mysterious Heaven Technique and explore more secrets of this world.

Tang San didn't plan to absorb this bloodline imprint, but he did plan to delve into its mysteries and find a way to convert it for his use.

***

After the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor retreated, Kali City seemed to have returned to normal. At least, that was the case for the common folk. The high-level machinations were of no concern to them as long as their lives and survival weren't threatened. However, that astonishing battle still became the talk of the town, with rumors even spreading about the Peacock Great Demon King's imminent or actual ascension to Emperor.

But the Peacock Demon clan was not at peace. After repelling the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor, the major demon clans that had not stood with the Peacock Demons that day were almost immediately held accountable.

The Wind Wolf and Flash Leopard clans were directly expelled from Kali City. The Crimson Fox clan, however, expressed its willingness to submit to the Peacock demons and remained.

The Titan Bears chose to leave voluntarily, causing Kali City's already weak overall strength to decline further. However, under these circumstances, Kali City was much more united than before. The reshuffling of power allowed those clans that supported the Peacock demons to expand and develop to varying degrees.

The Peacock Great Demon King appeared on the fifth day after the battle ended and, at least outwardly, showed no changes. This undoubtedly proved to all the demon powerhouses that he was still alive and kicking. This was why he could quickly stabilize the situation and expel the dissenting parties.

Compared to Kali City, Kali Academy appeared to have changed even less. Perhaps stimulated by the astonishing battle, the students of Kali Academy had actually become more diligent in their cultivation.

Kali Mountains.

The growth rate of the Golden Tree by the pond had significantly accelerated recently. Since the saplings had fused into an actual tree, its speed of absorbing the energy of heaven and earth had been increasing daily, and it was absorbing and digesting the energy drawn by the Spirit Summoning Array almost immediately.

The Crimson Fox girls practicing daily around it had felt the benefits it brought.

After absorbing the energy of heaven and earth, the Golden Tree would release its aura to attract more of heaven and earth's energy, the effect gradually surpassing that of the Spirit Summoning Array. What it released was the very essence of life energy.

This life essence lingered in the air, and the Crimson Fox girls immersed in it felt that they were achieving more in their cultivation with less effort. By now, seven Crimson Fox girls had their Crimson Fox Transformation advance from the first to the second order. Their overall level was slowly improving, and that gave them a glimpse of hope for the guture.

Zhang Haoxuan would come by from time to time, bringing food for them and observing the Golden Tree's growth.

The Golden Tree now had a diameter of nearly thirty centimeters, and its main trunk, made of braided strands of Golden Wood, became increasingly solid. It had by now grown to a height of three meters. The buds had turned into tender leaves, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth more efficiently and converting it for its use.

Zhang Haoxuan could naturally feel the rich essence of life from the Golden Tree. He even considered whether to bring the students of the Redemption Society here to cultivate and absorb this life energy.

Life energy was essential for any living being; it didn't directly enhance bloodline power, but it did strengthen the body's durability, allowing it to bear greater forces. At the same time, with the enhancement of one's vitality, one’s own body naturally stimulated the power of the bloodline, making the bloodline more likely to evolve. The lower the bloodline tier, the more significant the impact. The Crimson Fox girls were the clearest example of this. Within another month at most, they would all undoubtedly advance to the second order.

Tang San visited far less frequently than Zhang Haoxuan. Previously, he had been accompanying Mei Gongzi on hunting expeditions, and afterward, he needed to recuperate his divine consciousness. It wasn't until the fifteenth day after the great battle that he again came to the vibrant Golden Tree.

This time, he arrived in the company of Zhang Haoxuan.

Upon seeing Tang San, the Crimson Fox girls all stood up to greet him. "Hello, Master."

After a period of not seeing him, their master seemed to have grown quite a bit in their eyes, his figure more upright and his gaze even deeper.

Even though they all knew Zhang Haoxuan was much more powerful than Tang San, for some reason, they felt a mysterious dependency on Tang San. This feeling might be because Tang San initially chose to purchase them, or perhaps due to the magical changes brought by the Golden Tree. After all, they had witnessed firsthand how Tang San planted the Golden Wood, inscribed the Spirit Summoning Array, and later made the dead pieces of wood transform into a tree.