Chương 411: Xie Qin's threat

Old Du's mouth stayed open for over a minute before he closed it and swallowed exaggeratedly.

"That is ridiculous! Why would you enter the tower yourself? I remember you mentioned having about twenty percent of the constitution! You're already a deity, so you might reach the peak or even the Dao realm!" Xie Duan chuckled.

"We would have thought of that long ago. Unfortunately, the tower has restrictions, like, anyone above the age of thirty will be denied entrance, and anyone at the Dao realm also won't be allowed in. Also, the tower can only be opened once every hundred years, which means only two people can go in every hundred years." Old Du nodded in understanding. Those restrictions made the cheat tower much more grounded.

"Even then, I now understand how your clan was able to rise to rapidly back then. With your constitution and the tower, it's not impossible to become a top force within a millennia." Xie Duan nodded solemnly.

"The tower and our constitution were the reason our clan rose, but they became the reason for our drastic fall as well."

"Ah, forget about that. The past is in the past, leave it there. I can't wait to see my little Ling'er becoming a peak deity!" Old Du laughed loudly. Xie Duan smiled and joined him in laughing.

On the sixth day, Long Feng completely refined the vitality within the blood and his complexion was much healthier than a few days ago. The pain that tormented him when he moved was swiftly fading away and his physical strength had returned to the early Imperial realm.

"At this rate, another few days will be enough." He smiled faintly as he clenched his fists. He was glad that no one came to bother him in the last few days, allowing him to heal in peace. Without wasting time, he filled another tub with blood and sank into it, beginning to refine the vitality. As he healed, his speed of refining became faster, and his physical strength rapidly returned. In a mere three days, his strength returned to the peak Imperial level, just a step away from his full power.

For the final push, he realized that merely refining the blood through his skin would take time, so he used the same method he did with the blood essence… he bagan to drink it directly. The moment he took a taste, he choked, nearly coughing out his intestines. The strong smell of blood filled his nostrils, causing him to feel nauseous. Unfortunately, this was the fastest way, so he pinched his nose and continued with a black face.

The entire reserve of the rock ape's blood he possessed was emptied into his stomach, and for those three minutes, he hated himself for thinking of that idea. When he was done, he sat down and began to refine it directly within his body, causing his skin to turn a faint red. Steam was continuously emitted from his skin as he merged the vitality into his flesh. By now, nearly all of his injuries were healed.

At night, an overwhelming force that was buried in his flesh resurfaced, sending a wave of true force surging through his veins. The same intoxicating sense of power returned as he clenched his fists, feeling the power his flesh contained. A single fist would be enough to shake a small mountain and kill any Imperial. Even normal early stage deities wouldn't dare to revive his fist head on.

"My physical strength has actually increased?" He realized in surprise. He could now unleash about seven thousand tons of force with a full powered fist, which was equivalent to a refined early stage deity or a normal mid stage deity. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"After going through such torture, it only makes sense for my body to be tempered to some extent. It's good as well. Now, I can be considered the strongest in this village." Some of his confidence returned as he thought of that. The clan chief, Xie Duan was only an ordinary early stage deity. Before Long Feng, even he would have to flee. As Long Feng tested out his strength, a heavy force suddenly hit the stone doors of his room, causing him to pause with a frown.

"Brat! Get your ass out here!" A thick voice shouted from outside. Long Feng walked over and pushed the door aside before stepping out of the room. Standing before his room were a dozen men, each looking well above thirty and emanating auras of the spirit realm and Imperial realm. The person who spoke was the one in the lead, a rank three Imperial who happened to have the highest cultivation among them. Long Feng's appearance drew all of their gazes, and after assessing him, they began to look away disinterestedly.

The leader swept his gaze over Long Feng head to toe before grinning.

"Brat, when we brought you over, we really didn't expect you'd survive. You were basically a corpse, yet you're so tenacious."

"What do you want?" Long Feng calmly asked.

"What do you mean by what do I want? Do you think you're living here for free? We're going to pick herbs with the young lady." The man snorted.

"I wonder why the young Miss chose him as well. I mean, what's the use of taking a crippled burden along?" Someone muttered.

"Hehehehe, can't you see his looks? I bet the young Miss fell for his pretty face."

"You have a point. He looks so delicate… tearing a scar across his face would certainly be pleasant." They all laughed.

"Silence!" The leader roared, silencing everyone. Then he turned to Long Feng.

"Brat, let's get going. The young Miss will come out soon. Try not to get killed."

"I'll try." Long Feng nodded indifferently before following the group towards the Manor entrance where a carriage with two horses waited. As they approached the manor, his eyes drifted to the tall tower that stood behind the manor, and he was even more clear of it's unique aura.

"It's definitely a top earth grade treasure at least. It might even be higher than that. But how does such a weak clan have something like that?" He wondered. It was clear that there was more to this clan than it met the eye, but he wasn't interested in unraveling whatever it was. He had his own burden, and it was more than enough to keep him satisfied for one lifetime. He lowered his gaze and joined the other men in waiting before the carriage.

Nearly an hour later, Xie Ling's figure hopped out of the manor, followed closely by Xie Qin and old Du. She rushed straight towards the Manor excitedly, only to pause when she sighted Long Feng. After a brief hesitation, she apprached him instead.

"Brother Long Feng! How are your injuries?" She waved as she stood before him.

"Brother?" Xie Qin's indifferent expression crumbled as his face scrunched up.

"I am feeling much better, thank you." Long Feng calmly replied.

"Mm. If you want, you can stay back and rest. You don't have to push yourself!" He nodded.

"I'll be fine."

"Alright." Xie Ling beamed and hopped straight into the carriage causing Long Feng frowned and glanced up, where he met Xie Qin's fiery eyes glaring at him full of threat.

"Bastard! Are you looking to die?!" Xie Qin's voice suddenly echoed in Long Feng's mind, startling him.

"Voice transmission?" Xie Qin's voice continued, "Brat, I don't care who you are, but stay away from Ling'er! She isn't someone a crippled lowlife can dream of! If you so much as speak to her again, I will kill you!" Long Feng was speechless. When was he interested in the girl? Wasn't Xie Qin a bit too insecure? He raised an eye brow curiously before looking away, unable to waste his time on the latter.

"Congratulations, Young Master Xie Qin on your breakthrough to the Imperial realm!" The leader of the guards suddenly rushed over to Xie Qin and bowed exaggeratedly before him with a flattering smile.

"In all four regions, never before has a genius of Young master's calibre appeared before. Now that you've become an Imperial, the deity and Dao realms are only a matter of time! The entire mainland will witness the rise of a dragon amongst geniuses!" Long Feng choked on his saliva as he listened to this speechlessly and watched the man ramble on without shame. Xie Qin moved his gaze to the man and smiled faintly, briefly forgetting his anger.

"Your bootlicking skills are getting exaggerated." The man shook his head desperately with a passionate expression on his face.

"How could I dare to exaggerate? When I look at young master, all I see is the glow of a future overlord. Once young master and the young Miss enter the ancestral tower, you will both rise like the Dragon and Phoenix you both are! This lowly one is merely speaking the truth." Apparently, the news of the ancestral tower's opening had already been spread to the entire village.

"Whatever." Xie Qin muttered with a smile that extended to his ears.

"Let's get going. We plan to return tomorrow and prepare for the tower."

"Yes, young master." The man nodded submissively and stepped aside.

"Guards, get ready to set out!" Old Du shook his head with a smile and leapt onto one of the two horses while Xie Qin mounted the other one. At once, the group set out. Long Feng walked among the guards ahead, the carriage followed next and a few more guards covered the rear. They moved slowly, walking through the village streets and exiting through the only gates before heading off into the distance. The sun rose to the middle of the sky, unleashing a burning heat upon the world.

A few times, they came across bandits who robbed and killed travelers on this barren roads, but they were easily taken care of by the guards. They trudged on in silenced, walking for hours until the shadow of a forest loomed before them.

"We're about to enter the forest! Stay sharp and keep your eyes open for any threat!" The guard leader shouted as they approached the forest.

"Wait!" Xie Ling's soft voice suddenly sounded, bringing the group to a sharp halt.

"What is it, Ling'er?" Xie Qin instantly asked. Xie Ling's gaze drifted over to Long Feng and she hesitated before speaking, "um, I remembered that brother Long Feng is… um… he isn't as strong as you all, and his life will be in danger if he enters the forest." She uttered, unable to mention the word 'crippled'. Of course, everyone understood her meaning. And true to her worlds, a mortal entering this forest where spirit and Imperial realm beast existed in was suicide, even with a group like theirs.

They usually found it hard to even keep themselves safe, not to mention a mortal whom the slightest tremor could kill. Everyone frowned at her words, unable to think of what to do. Naturally, they didn't care about his life and death. But Long Feng was pretty surprised that she spoke for him, even though he didn't need it.

"Well, what do you suppose we do then? If we leave him out here, he will certainly die." Old Du replied.

"Ling'er, you shouldn't bother yourself about him. He's just a cripple, his life is barely significant. If he dies, that's his destiny. We already saved his life once." Xie Qin gently spoke.

"That's not right!" Xie Ling's head emerged from behind the curtains as she snapped rather suddenly, startling Xie Qin.

"You shouldn't be saying that, brother Qin! His life is just as significant as yours and anyone else's here!" She retorted, causing Xie Qin's face to darken.

"Hahahaha! Well said. Alright then, what do you propose we do with him?" Old Du asked.

"I… he can come and join me in the carriage… there's plenty of space!" Xie Ling replied, causing a shock to spread through everyone's hearts.

"This…" the leader of the guards was speechless as he saw the faint flush on Xie Ling's face, then he meekly peered at Xie Qin's expression. As expected, the latter's face was a mix of all the colors known to man. His expression alternated between rage and disbelief as he stared at her.