Fantasy: Immortality Begins with Absorbing Demons

Chapter 298 Bloodline

Several days later, in the northeast of Nanhu Marsh, in an unknown dense forest in the mountains.

Click!

Thunder roared and lightning streaked across the night sky, illuminating the world in a ghastly white light.

The rain was fine and dense, like thin threads, pattering continuously on the tree trunks, branches, and leaves, and on the broad blades of grass, making a soft, continuous rustling sound.

Inside a cave in the mountains, a bright campfire sits in the center, surrounded by people warming themselves or drying their clothes.

"The weather changes so quickly. Just a moment ago it was clear and cloudless, and now it's raining... Sigh..."

A man dressed as a guard stood on one side of the cave entrance, wringing out his wet clothes. His head and face were covered with bits of green grass and yellow mud, as if he had stumbled and fallen in a panic, looking utterly disheveled.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed that he wasn't the only one like this; everyone in the cave was disheveled and ragged, resembling refugees fleeing famine.

"We have to thank Old Wang for this. If he hadn't foreseen that it would rain, we would have been in real trouble tonight."

On the other side of the cave entrance, another guard looked relieved. Getting sick in the wild is not like other places. In this desolate wilderness, if you catch a cold, there is no medicine or treatment, and you will probably die.

"Old Wang, how much longer until the rain stops?"

Inside the cave, Han Yi sat in front of the campfire and gently put a piece of dried meat into his mouth.

For several days in a row, they traveled day and night, traversing sparsely populated, thorny, and difficult paths. The hardships they endured were unimaginable. "Hmm, judging from this situation, I'm afraid we'll have to stay here tonight..." Wang Yun sighed, looking at the indistinct mountains and forests outside the cave.

The night was deep, and the moisture from the heavy rain washed away all traces, leaving nothing visible.

He added, "That's good, at least I can get a good night's sleep today..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Several days had passed since they repelled the assassins brought by the Azure Water Asura, the Black Crocodile was destroyed, and they successfully landed on a small boat. They thought everything was over.

But to everyone's surprise, they were ambushed and assassinated as soon as they got ashore.

Everyone had just gone through a fierce battle and was in poor condition. They were instantly divided and scattered by the enemy.

If it weren't for Xunzhen's extraordinary power at the crucial moment, unleashing his pure and invincible physical strength, they might not have been able to break through the encirclement.

Even so, most of the guards and servants who survived the Black Crocodile were killed or wounded, and the fate of those who were already injured was even more predictable.

Next, in order to avoid being pursued, Wang Yunkai deliberately avoided the main roads and rushed into the desolate deep mountains and forests.

These places are so deserted, not even birds would poop there.

There was no sign of human habitation; the road was desolate, overgrown with weeds and shrubs, leaving no place to even put one's feet.

Strangely, even in a place where, in theory, there should be no informants or spies, they were still caught up with several times.

Finally, thanks to Wang Yunkai's years of extensive wilderness experience, they forced their way into unfamiliar territory. Coupled with the sudden downpour, they temporarily escaped the enemy's pursuit and were able to rest for a while in the cave. As for those who ultimately survived…...

Aside from Xun Zhen, an 'ordinary person' whose strength far surpasses that of ordinary martial artists…...

There were also three martial arts masters: Wang Yunkai, Fatty Zheng, and Han Yi, as well as several elite guards brought by Wang Yunkai and Xunzhen's personal maid. There was no one else.

The team that originally numbered over a hundred on the Black Crocodile has now dwindled to a mere ten or so people.

And Fatty Zheng gloriously became a commander without troops.

Not only was the monster meat that was supposed to be sent to the prefectural city completely lost, but even his five beautiful concubines were all killed in the pursuit.

Actually, when they first got off the small boat and reached the shore, he and Han Yi originally wanted to separate from Wang Yunkai and his group.

To put it bluntly, getting close to Wang Yunkai and his group was like getting honeyed; disaster could strike at any moment. But before Zheng Pangzi and Han Yi could even run away, those wolves, as if they had caught a whiff of honey, swarmed in and attacked.

Too fast, too strong, too ruthless...

Along the way, the two of them had no chance to run. By the time they had a chance to run, Wang Yunkai had already led them into a desolate area that wasn't even marked on the map. They had no choice but to follow Wang Yunkai all the way until darkness fell.

"If God could give me another chance, I would definitely stay obediently in the prefectural city, if there were no time limit... then that would be..."

Beside the campfire, Fatty Zheng lay sprawled on the meadow, disregarding his martial arts master image. His eyes were vacant and lifeless as he muttered to himself, his mind reeling from hunger.

He was on the verge of tears. If he had known he would suffer this fate, he would have preferred to die outside, to be beaten to death, rather than starve to death!

After several days of running away and fighting, coupled with a lack of food and insufficient sustenance, sometimes going hungry for three days after eating one meal, Zheng Pangzi has lost a lot of weight and now looks almost like a normal person.

"I said, is there any food left? I've only eaten a little bit, I'm starving..." He finally couldn't hold back anymore and reached out his hand to Wang Yunkai.

What are you doing? Begging for food!

As the core pillar of the team, Wang Yunkai is also considered the head steward, managing the team's food and drink.

"Eat...all you do is eat! You've eaten three times as much as everyone else, all you do is eat!"

Wang Yunkai cursed angrily, but he was also extremely helpless.

Whenever he gets really harsh, that shameless fat guy will start crying and snotting, clinging to his leg and demanding he take responsibility...

Moreover, in the end, it was indeed their fault that they were implicated, so he was too embarrassed to say much and could only decide to make amends in the future when the opportunity arose. "Forget it, take it, take it!" Wang Yunkai impatiently pulled a large piece of jerky from the package and threw it heavily at the fat man's face.

After a fierce and reckless advance, coupled with this heavy rain and the clearing of tracks, we should now be considered safe. Safe means we'll have a chance to hunt prey and replenish our food supplies.

Fatty Zheng happily accepted it and began to gnaw on it.

He was extremely hungry. It wasn't because he was exceptionally talented, but because of the cultivation technique he practiced. The more severe his injuries, the more he needed to eat in order to recover better.

crackling sounds...

The rain grew heavier, and large raindrops pounded on the banana leaves like drops falling onto a jade plate.

For a moment, the cave fell silent again, with only the sound of Fatty Zheng slurping as he gnawed on his meat.

"Old Wang, tell us about your affairs," Han Yi suddenly said, as a gust of wind suddenly blew into the cave, making the campfire flicker.

He added, "I don't think that if it were just an ordinary study tour group from Dongyang Academy, it would attract such a big fuss."

He glanced at Wang Yunkai, whose face was full of bitter smiles, and then at Xunzhen, who was looking down, looking gentle and weak, as docile as a little lamb.

“This…” Wang Yunkai said with a wry smile, “Brother Han has keen insight. We are indeed not a study tour group. We just happened to run into you. But no matter what, we are not bad people. After so many days, some things cannot be hidden.”

"..." Han Yi remained silent. Indeed, judging from their behavior over the past few days, the other side's actions indicated that they were also being hunted down and were also a group of people on the run.

If the other side truly wanted to harm them, they wouldn't have gone to such great lengths or paid such a high price. The Azure Water Asura they encountered on the first day alone was enough to give Han Yi and his group a run for their money. So, in the end, Han Yi and his companions were simply unlucky souls dragged into this mess.

“Even if you say that…” Han Yi thought for a moment, organizing his words, “Even if you say that, you still have to give us an explanation. So many of us have died, are we really just going to die like this without any explanation? What exactly are you trying to do? We need to know that!”

Fatty Zheng, also munching on jerky, walked up behind Han Yi.

Wang Yunkai could only manage a wry smile: "Brother Han, our goal was actually very simple from the beginning..."

He glanced at Xunzhen, his eyes filled with tenderness: "We are indeed going to Yunzhou Prefecture to send Miss Xunzhen to Dongyang Academy."

"Just to send one person away?" Han Yi asked rhetorically.

“Yes, that’s our goal!” Wang Yunkai said firmly.

"Then..." Han Yi asked calmly, "May I ask, Miss Xunzhen, what is it about you that makes you worth such a high price, worth the effort of the forces hunting you down?"

So many people have to die just to send one person off.

So either this person has a special status or there are other reasons!

Han Yi suspected that this matter might be related to the power that Xun Zhen had unleashed!

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere inside the cave became tense and hostile.

Wang Yunkai's expression suddenly turned serious, and the four or five guards around him also subtly pressed down on the swords at their waists.

Even Fatty Zheng put down the jerky in his hand and stared intently at Wang Yunkai, ready to make a move at the slightest mistake.

The campfire flickered, casting the shadows of the group onto the cave walls, which danced and swayed like demons.

"What, you want to make a move?" Han Yi chuckled. "I heard you are all Confucian scholars from Dongyang Academy. What, you killed so many of us and you don't feel any remorse? We not only didn't blame you, but we also helped you wholeheartedly along the way. In the end, you want to repay kindness with enmity?"

"Have you all learned all those principles of the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, the Four Books and Five Classics, and the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness from memorizing over the years, but have you actually learned them all from dogs?"

Han Yi's voice wasn't loud, but it reached the ears of everyone in the cave.

Wang Yunkai's side, everyone looked somewhat ashamed, and several guards lowered their heads.

These guards, who came from Dongyang Academy, had received the education of great Confucian scholars since childhood and kept benevolence and righteousness in their hearts. However, their actions now went against this principle.

“Brother Han…we…didn’t mean that…” Wang Yunkai sighed, “It’s just that this issue is too complicated and involves too many secrets…it’s really a bit too much to handle…” “Let me explain.” At this moment, Xun Zhen, who had been keeping his head down and remaining silent, suddenly looked up.

“Miss…” Wang Yunkai wanted to say something, but Xunzhen waved her hand to stop him.

"I'm sorry, Han Yi, we did hide some things from you at the beginning," Xun Zhen said earnestly. "But it wasn't to deceive you, but to protect you."

Han Yi looked at her without saying a word.

Xunzhen didn't care and continued, "Their purpose is indeed for me, or more precisely, for my bloodline."

"Bloodline...?" Han Yi was slightly taken aback.

“Yes…bloodline…it’s both a curse and a blessing…” Xunzhen’s voice was hoarse and somewhat dejected. “My full name is Tantai Xunzhen, a member of the Tantai family, a family of spirit beasts…”

Unlike ordinary people who learn martial arts to become stronger, members of families with a lineage of spirit beasts are born with power. Even without practicing martial arts or exercising, they possess immense strength within their bodies.

All they need to do is develop and utilize the innate bloodline power within their bodies, awaken their bloodline power, explore their bloodline power, and strengthen their bloodline power. That's all they need to do.

Simply put, all you need to do is eat, drink, play, and have fun to keep getting stronger and stronger. It can be said that even the weakest member of a noble family would need an ordinary person to put in countless hardships and cultivate diligently for decades to reach that level.

"So... in this world, the scions of noble families are born rulers... We are born with power, noble families are born with glory, and we are born with the responsibility of protecting mortals. Therefore, only our noble families can deal with demons!" Tantai Xunzhen said earnestly, emphasizing each word.