Chapter 2144: Emperor's Bloodline

Low-grade Divine Essence Pills can be used by anyone below the Celestial God realm. Zhang Xuan, who is still quite a distance from that level, will have an enormous demand. Moreover, with many people accompanying him, more pills are certainly better.

"That's good. Tell Old Ye I'll take all the Divine Essence Pills he has!"

Seeing his agreement, Qi Ling'er turned to give an instruction. A middle-aged man nodded and exited the room.

Soon after, he returned with a storage ring.

"Boss, these are all his Divine Essence Pills, 1,300 in total. If you need more, he'll find a way."

"Alright!" Qi Ling'er glanced at the ring, then flicked it into Zhang Xuan's palm. "There are 1,300 here. I need thirteen pills. You can start preparing now! No rush; seeing how weak you are, just get them to me within ten days."

"No need, please wait here. I'll get them for you shortly..." Zhang Xuan, seemingly on the verge of collapsing, walked into the room. A quarter of an hour later, he re-emerged, handing over two jade bottles.

He looked even more disheveled now, his face ashen, bloodstains at the corners of his mouth, and his body swaying precariously. He seemed on the verge of collapsing and dying, yet he remarkably held on.

"Are these... twenty pills?"

Qi Ling'er opened the jade bottle, took a look, and was momentarily stunned.

Previously, she had received one pill for every hundred provided. She had expected to get around thirteen this time, so finding seven extra was a surprise.

"There were more pills this time, and I got lucky, so the quantity is a bit higher!" Zhang Xuan said weakly.

"Good! This is a Divine Coin Card, usable throughout the entire Divine Realm. The profits from selling the medicine will be transferred into it, and as we agreed, the profits will be split fifty-fifty!"

Qi Ling'er handed him the card.

Zhang Xuan took the card, understanding its value was comparable to a storage ring. He nodded with satisfaction and said, "My Mayang Beast Blood..."

"For the beast blood, you might need to wait another day," Qi Ling'er said with a slight smile. "I don't have it here right now and need to procure it from other black markets. It will take at least a day to arrive. Don't worry, since we are cooperating, you will certainly get your materials. As for payment, you don't need to give me anything; we can deduct it from the profits."

Zhang Xuan acknowledged, "Then I'll take my leave..."

With that, he didn't linger. He walked out, quickly found the blind man, and returned to the ship, which then drifted back.

The moment he left, the old woman beside Qi Ling'er, now appearing younger, spoke up. "Miss," she began, "since this fellow can produce such potent pills, why don't we... simply imprison him and seize the formula? Why do we still need to share profits with him?"

She provides the raw materials, handles sales, and has the customer base. The other party merely assists with the refining; why should he receive such a high share of the profits?

This place, after all, is beyond Night冥 City's jurisdiction. If we capture him, I doubt he would refuse to hand over the pill formula.

"When he was refining the pills just now, was he greatly exhausted and seriously injured?" Qi Ling'er asked, not directly answering the question.

"Yes, I discreetly probed him and sensed that his vital energy was damaged throughout his entire body!"

The old woman nodded. "Although refining this type of medicine causes significant harm to the body," she said, "as long as the price is generous, there will certainly be many alchemists willing to dedicate themselves..."

As long as the compensation is sufficient, many people would eagerly pursue such an opportunity, even if it meant a significant reduction in their lifespan.

Such is life.

To be born and to survive.

"His injury was feigned!" Qi Ling'er shook her head.

"Feigned?" The old woman was startled.

"Precisely. While his physical injuries seemed obvious and his aura weak, his soul was remarkably well-rounded, completely free of issues. This indicates he wasn't injured at all..."

Qi Ling'er shook her head. "Of course," she continued, "he's merely a low-grade deity, so whether he's injured or not is irrelevant. However, he used Inch of Ash's pass. Last night, Inch of Ash and his entire group were completely wiped out by an unknown individual. It's said that in a one-on-one battle, Inch of Ash couldn't withstand a single blow from his opponent... and that opponent was this very young man."

"Does Miss mean... that despite being a low-grade deity, this man possesses strength that even peak middle-grade deities would struggle to contend with?"

The old woman was taken aback and quickly looked over. "Could it be that... his bloodline is exceptionally powerful?"

The hierarchy among deities is extremely rigid; it's almost impossible to challenge those of higher ranks. There are only two possibilities for someone to achieve this: first, they could be a super genius, possessing extraordinary talent like Emperor Tianzong. Such individuals can break genetic shackles, surpass their ancestors, and attain higher realms. However, these are exceptionally rare, and many display their remarkable strength at a young age.

The second possibility is a powerful bloodline, such as those found in the Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, or certain special divine beasts.

The man before them is already over twenty, yet only a low-grade deity. A genius of his age would have surely demonstrated greater power by now, unless... he possesses an exceptionally potent bloodline!

Many powerful divine beasts do not reach very high cultivation levels before transforming into human form.

"Whether he's truly powerful, we'll soon find out..."

Without another word, Qi Ling'er waited for a moment. Soon, a middle-aged man in black approached and handed her a small bottle.

Taking the bottle, the alluring woman smiled faintly. "This contains the blood he coughed up while feigning injury during the pill refining," she explained. "Although it's dried, we can still use it to test his bloodline strength."

The old woman looked at her, puzzled.

Qi Ling'er explained, "We'll ignite the blood and, using the power of the Nether Soul Pool, pay homage to the Celestial Gods, God Kings, and Conferred God Kings worshipped at the Nether Soul Temple. As long as their heroic spirits are not extinguished, it means the bloodline's power is within their control. If a spirit is extinguished, it implies the bloodline is purer than theirs. Such an individual must have immense backing, and to harm him would be courting death. Of course, if his bloodline proves weak, the card I gave him contains a special mark. With our resources, locating him wouldn't be difficult, and then, dealing with him as we see fit would be a simple matter."

"I see!" The old woman suddenly understood, looking at Qi Ling'er with renewed admiration.

She truly lived up to her reputation, controlling such a vast black market at such a young age. She was indeed extraordinary.

Having made their decision, the two changed their attire and disguises. They quickly left the underground black market and, an hour later, arrived at the Nether Soul Temple, the same place Zhang Xuan had visited.

Whether they had special connections or means, they soon found themselves in a sealed room where rows of memorial tablets were displayed.

These were all renowned powerhouses from Nether Soul Heaven.

Although all of them had passed away, their memorial tablets remained spotless, maintained by regular visits from worshippers.

In the center of the room lay a blood-red pool. Unidentifiable substances churned within it, generating a heart-pounding energy.

"Let's begin!"

Nodding, Qi Ling'er flicked her wrist, sending the jade bottle from her palm flying. The slightly dried blood fell into the blood-red pool before them.

A sizzling sound erupted!

The blood instantly ignited, and the blood-red pool water, sensing this potent force, generated an immense pressure.

From the pool, an armored, middle-aged phantom coalesced and charged forward, wielding a long sword, which it thrust fiercely towards the burning blood.

"It's the heroic spirit of Celestial God Wujiang!"

Qi Ling'er recognized the figure.

Celestial God Wujiang was not from Night冥 City, but he was renowned throughout Nether Soul Heaven. During the first spiritual energy tide, he amassed great merits, and even after his death, his spirit still managed to slay several powerhouses of his caliber.

It was precisely because of his extraordinary achievements that he earned the right to enter the Nether Temple as a Celestial God, receive worship, and even harness the Nether Pool to gather heroic spirits.

Just as the long sword was about to strike the blood, a phantom suddenly materialized from within it—the very young man they had encountered earlier.

The young man's phantom had its eyes tightly closed, appearing oblivious to its surroundings or its own identity.

Ignoring the approaching long sword, it remained motionless with closed eyes, continuously emitting a peculiar sound wave from its mouth.

Upon hearing the sound wave, Celestial God Wujiang's heroic spirit paused, stiffening in place. A moment later, its body relaxed, and it knelt to the ground.

"Is this... kneeling in reverence?"

Qi Ling'er's pupils contracted, and her delicate body involuntarily trembled. "Could it be," she whispered, "that he possesses the bloodline of a God King?"

For a Celestial God expert to kneel, there is only one possibility: their bloodline rank is superior to that of the kneeling entity.

The only bloodline more powerful than that of a Celestial God is... a God King's!

The strongest city lord of Night冥 City is merely a low-grade Celestial God. Yet, this man possesses a bloodline comparable to a God King's... Doesn't this imply he has the potential to become a God King in the future?

No sooner had Celestial God Wujiang knelt than the blood-red pool water rippled again. In the blink of an eye, another phantom emerged, wearing a crown and wielding a long spear, exuding an imposing aura that seemed to touch the heavens.

"It's God King Nirvana!" Qi Ling'er exclaimed. "I specifically read about this God King's exploits. With a single spear, he battled in all directions, slaying three God Kings of his own caliber. He was immensely powerful; if he were still alive today, he would most likely have received a conferred title..."

Her fists clenched, Qi Ling'er continued.

As she spoke, the God King's phantom moved towards the young man, also thrusting a spear.

She had expected this phantom to devour the young man's image to strengthen itself. Unexpectedly, before the spear even reached its target, it too knelt to the ground, just like Celestial God Wujiang, appearing as obedient as a student.

Qi Ling'er's body trembled.

A God King had surrendered? Not daring to contend...

What kind of bloodline did this man possess?

The blood-red liquid churned once more, and another figure emerged.

Adorned in silver helmet and armor, wielding twin whips, its muscles bulged, displaying astonishing strength.

"It's the Conferred God King, Nangong Ping!" Qi Ling'er gasped softly.

Conferred God Kings typically have a lifespan of 100,000 years and, under normal circumstances, would not perish. However, there are exceptions.

This Nangong Ping, forty years prior, was instantly defeated and killed by Emperor Tianzong with a single strike.

Though defeated by a single strike, it didn't imply a lack of strength. All Conferred God Kings were generally comparable in power. With his appearance now, the young man's phantom surely couldn't withstand it!

The twin whips whirled, swiftly descending towards the young man's phantom.

The next moment, just like Celestial God Wujiang and God King Nirvana, this Conferred God King phantom's knees buckled, and it knelt to the ground.

"A Conferred God King kneeling... could it be..."

Both Qi Ling'er and the old woman trembled uncontrollably, their faces turning pale.

"...an Emperor's bloodline?"