Chapter 68: The Blood Vein Has Been Discovered

“Elder, the Liu and Wu clans are growing stronger by the day. Now they’ve acquired a newly discovered hidden Blood Vein Land, gained a great deal of resources, and their strength will surge all the faster. Moreover, the hidden Blood Vein Land has lain undeveloped for years, its blood energy is dense, making it easy for aberrant beasts to emerge, along with aberrant Beast-Heart Treasures. In time, it may become difficult to keep them in check,” the chief steward spoke with concern.

“You’re right. At present, our Wei clan is at war with the Qiu clan of Da’an Prefecture. The fighting is intense—we cannot afford instability behind our lines,” replied the elder of the Wei clan. Though he spoke thus, his expression remained calm, betraying not a trace of worry.

“Does the elder have a countermeasure in mind?” The chief steward probed cautiously.

“Indeed.” The Wei elder nodded. “Before I set out for Changfeng City, the clan elders gave me two strategies. The first is to use others to do our work for us—have the Martial Marquis families turn upon each other, weakening their strength and nipping any instability in the bud.”

“The appearance of the hidden Blood Vein Land is a perfect opportunity for this and works to our advantage.”

The chief steward listened intently.

The Wei elder continued, “Send someone to the other noble families and leak news that a hidden Blood Vein Land has been discovered in Changfeng City.”

“What about the aberrant beasts? Should we leak that as well?” asked the chief steward.

“It’s common knowledge that hidden Blood Vein Lands easily produce aberrant beasts—there’s no need for us to point it out. If we reveal too much, it’ll only seem suspicious. You must always grasp the measure of things in all affairs, understand?”

“Many thanks for your instruction, Elder. I have learned much,” said the steward gratefully, which pleased the elder, who nodded and went on: “Once those Martial Marquis families learn of the hidden Blood Vein Land in Changfeng City, they’ll flock here in droves. The Liu and Wu clans are not like the Zhou clan of Qingyang—they are strong and will not compromise as the Zhou did. There will inevitably be a clash. Let them destroy each other.”

“Elder, your vision is unparalleled.”

...

As the days passed, another month slipped by in the blink of an eye.

The Overlord Spade advanced rapidly. With the daily support of abundant Martial Food, it was nearing the state of Martial Unity. Yet Lu Yan had ceased its training, diverting the Martial Food energy absorbed through the Dao Book to the Shifting Form Art instead.

His cultivation was nearing the limit of his blood and energy capacity; soon, he would be able to break through the fifth sealed gate. If he formed his Martial Body now, his capacity would increase, but reaching the state of blood saturation would be delayed. Breaking through in cultivation was the priority. Once he achieved the fifth breakthrough, his blood and energy would double, and his strength would soar dramatically.

As for the Overlord Spade’s Martial Unity, that could wait until after the fifth breakthrough.

After his duties, Lu Yan disguised himself and headed for the entrance to the Blood Vein Land. But as he drew near, his expression changed—he heard voices.

Someone was there!

Lu Yan’s heart sank. He held his breath, crouched low, and crept forward, using the cover of grass and trees. Peering ahead, he saw over a dozen figures. There were men and a few women, most resting or chatting in small groups.

They all shared one trait: tall and thin builds, with pallid and androgynous faces.

“Such features… could they be people from the Ge clan of Serpent City? I can’t believe the Ge clan sent so many at once,” Lu Yan thought grimly.

These people weren’t far from the entrance to the Blood Vein Land. Judging by their behavior, they hadn’t found the fissure yet. But if they lingered, they would surely discover it in time.

Lu Yan had another concern: Shen Yinuo. Though she was currently engrossed in her research on Martial Food, who could say when she might come out for a stroll? If she emerged, the Blood Vein Land would be exposed.

What to do?

His thoughts raced. Eliminating these people was out of the question—there was an elder among them whom Lu Yan found deeply intimidating. He was extraordinarily tall, even taller than Liu Yuansong, perhaps two meters forty, gaunt and snake-like, with narrow, sinister eyes and a long, pointed chin, resembling a venomous serpent in human form.

The others treated this elder with utmost respect, not daring to offend him in the slightest.

This elder was very likely a Martial Marquis. Among those who had broken their limits, even a one-break cultivator would not show such deference to another unless there was a vast gap in cultivation.

A clan’s Martial Marquis had come in person.

These people had to be removed, but Lu Yan could think of no good solution. In the face of overwhelming strength, any stratagem seemed powerless.

But the Blood Vein Land was not something Lu Yan would relinquish so easily. This was a second-grade Blood Vein Land: its value was not just in the aberrant beasts it could produce but in the land itself, which could continually breed and raise new beasts, forming the foundation of a powerful martial army.

The Blood Vein Land was the very foundation of a noble house. Without it, one could not be called a true clan—merely rootless duckweed.

Its true worth was incalculable. It was the very ground on which Lu Yan would find his place in this chaotic world.

“Five Breakthroughs—I must break through to the fifth as soon as possible,” Lu Yan thought, gritting his teeth.

He could not hope others would fail to find it or leave of their own accord. He had to seize the initiative.

Quietly, Lu Yan withdrew and headed to the Linglan Trading Company.

This time, he bought a full hundred jin of Martial Food jerky in one go. He was determined to make a breakthrough in one push.

As for drawing too much attention—he couldn’t care about that now. Besides, with his current strength, a matter of a few thousand taels of silver was nothing. In Hundred Herb City, he had made deals worth ten thousand taels before.

With the Martial Food purchased, Lu Yan retreated to a mountain ridge several li from the Blood Vein Land.

From this peak, he could survey the entire area around the entrance at a glance, while using the trees and boulders to conceal himself as he trained in secret.

He ate five jin of Martial Food jerky in one go, beginning with Gale Hand, then Antelope Leap, Vajra Body, Sky-Cleaving Blade...

Round after round of training, the jerky in his stomach was converted into pure energy, absorbed by the Dao Book and his body.

The energy absorbed by his body circulated endlessly through his twelve principal meridians and thousands of branches. Each cycle was transformed into blood and energy, accumulating within him.

“If only I could control this Dao Book more freely. At critical moments it steals half my Martial Food,” Lu Yan lamented inwardly.

No matter how much he ate, the Dao Book always took half, and he couldn’t control it. If he could, he’d stop enhancing his martial skills for now and focus solely on raising his cultivation, reaching blood saturation all the faster.

Did he have to wait until he was fully sated?

After a few hours, once his stomach felt comfortable again, Lu Yan ate another five jin. Half a day later, he ate yet another five jin.

Normally, eating ten jin of Martial Food jerky in a day was Lu Yan’s comfortable limit. More than that would burden his stomach. After all, jerky was not as easily digested as fresh Martial Food.

But now, he had no choice but to push himself.

In a single day and night, he ate a full twenty jin. As his Shifting Form Art advanced rapidly, his blood and energy likewise accumulated at an astonishing pace—he was a hair’s breadth from saturation.

Meanwhile, the Ge clan from Serpent City continued to occupy the area, leaving only to return with reports. Their target was clear—it was the forbidden land.

They obviously had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

The next day, Lu Yan ate another twenty jin. The continuous overeating left his stomach aching faintly.

“Not good—the entrance has been discovered!”

Lu Yan’s expression changed.

From his vantage point above, he saw everything clearly.

One member of the Ge clan, in pursuit of a wild hare, accidentally saw it fall into the fissure. Investigating, he found the crack but did not immediately enter. After a while, he went to report to the elder, occasionally pointing out the fissure’s location.

The Martial Marquis of the Ge clan led a group over to inspect it himself.

Moments later, a member of the Ge clan began to move, attempting to enter the fissure.

“Not good!” Lu Yan’s heart sank, and he began to devour Martial Food jerky in great mouthfuls.