"Are they even human?" Li Changyao stood completely stupefied.
She herself was Golden Core, and until now, had always considered her own innate aptitude to be virtually unmatched by any peers within that realm.
Her elder brother... perhaps he could match her aptitude, she mused. She had only witnessed him unleash his true power once, when he had seemingly invoked the legendary Blood of the Human Emperor.
She knew that until he fully mastered the associated techniques, using that power required him to recuperate for more than ten years afterward; using it again prematurely would cause the recovery time to double exponentially.
Until today, she had always assumed her brother possessed the greatest aptitude among Golden Core cultivators. But now...
She glanced at the ongoing display of power by Li Tianyi/Qiyin Zi and the Seven Ironclads.
Those seven 'Elder' charging ahead seemed utterly fearless of death. Covered in demonic patterns, wielding Wu techniques from some unknown origin, radiating the dense Qi of demonic cultivators, and possessing their current bizarre physical forms – all this combined made them physically stronger than any dedicated body cultivator Li Changyao had ever witnessed. Even her Aunt Kuanghua possessed less raw physical power than these seven!
Currently, within the confines of that barrier, they threw themselves forward wave after wave, seemingly courting death. Yet even their reckless charges displayed surprising tactical coordination; clearly, they were hardened veterans of countless battles.
And her three 'Uncles' were no simpletons either.
Seeing senior after senior emerge through 'Uncle' Tianyi suddenly brought understanding crashing down on her.
It explained why, ever since birth, four 'Old Grandmas' had resided within her own soul sea, guiding her cultivation from childhood and always helping her turn peril into safety when trouble arose.
Once she had advanced to the Golden Core stage, the Old Grandmas had taken their leave, explaining that some old friends had discovered an 'Interesting new venture' that had piqued their interest as well...
"Everyone always says Uncle Tianqi just likes to court death," she realized, "but they're wrong!"
Looking closely at the barrier now enclosing the area on all sides, Li Changyao could faintly discern patterns upon it resembling intricate scale armor.
Those markings... they were identical to the tortoise shell patterns known to be on Uncle Tianqi's back!
Those thirty-odd array discs hovering in the sky – they were unmistakably Uncle Tianqi's!
He was... a highly experienced Array Master, one specializing specifically in defensive formations! Perhaps his mastery of defense was why he dared to 'court death' so frequently.
And then there was Uncle Tianming.
"Hahaha! Nangong Yazhi — take a good look. Do these people look familiar to you?"
Li Tianming's voice dripped with malice as it echoed through the hall. He sneered. "Unless I happened to grab the wrong ones, these should be the finest young talents from your own bloodline. Your so-called heirs... the ones meant to carry on your legacy, maybe even surpass you one day."
He clicked his tongue, slow and mocking. "Tsk, tsk. Catching this one here," he nodded toward a battered captive, "was no easy task. Sharp kid. Almost as sharp as you, I'd say."
Li Tianming chuckled darkly as Nangong Yazhi's glare burned with hatred. "Stop glaring. I know you wish you could kill me right this instant. Too bad... You can barely even save yourself right now."
His voice turned colder. "Can you guess why he—" he jabbed a finger at the young prisoner—"can't even beg for mercy? Ah, that's right. I dug out his Golden Core first. Tore it right out. And without that… well, a tongue doesn't mean much anymore, does it?"
He smiled, eyes gleaming with cruelty. "Don't worry. I won't kill him quickly. Tell me, Nangong Yazhi… have you ever tasted living flesh? The kind cut straight off someone still breathing? If you slice fast enough, the muscle still twitches… Still spasms in your mouth like it's trying to get away. Here—allow me to show you."
"..."
Every word he spoke felt like a dagger, not just cutting the body, but shattering the mind and spirit. Nangong Yazhi's stoic facade crumbled before everyone's eyes.
Li Changyao turned pale and retched, her stomach twisting in nausea. Yet, even through her horror, she couldn't help but notice something terrifying:
That captive—the Nangong clan's young prodigy—was rumored to hold a Nascent Soul-level trump card.
And yet, just yesterday, Uncle Tianming had vanished for two hours on his "errand"… only to return perfectly fine, not even a scratch on him.
A Peak Golden Core cultivator… capturing someone armed with Nascent Soul power… and coming back unharmed?
Li Changyao couldn't even begin to comprehend how Uncle Tianming had pulled it off.
Then there was 'Grandma' Tianyue.
The blood-red Moon Wheel hovering behind her seemed to constitute its own domain, radiating an infinite, chilling killing intent.
Honestly, how many souls had Grandma Tianyue reaped to cultivate such an aura? The killing intent was so potent it felt almost physical.
Whenever Nangong Yazhi tried to break away, Grandma Tianyue's Moon Wheel would simply shift to intercept, forcing Nangong Yazhi to stumble back as though she'd encountered a terrifying ghost.
It sounded like she was crying out something along the lines of, "How can you possess the aura of the Divinity Transformation stage?!"
"Are they still human?" Li Changyao murmured the question again under her breath.
She reached back, stroking the 'Pink Bow' slung there. "I honestly don't know," she thought wistfully, "when I'll ever become as powerful as they are."
But Changsheng and Changyao weren't the only ones shocked by the unfolding scene. Even Li Wei himself felt a profound sense of shock.
Many years had passed. Other than Li Tianyue, Li Wei had rarely seen these key younger descendants engage in true life-and-death combat.
The Seven Ironclads, by nature, operated beyond the limits of ordinary rules and restraint. Li Tianyi and his brothers, in particular, had long grown used to their wild, lawless ways. If they weren't out causing chaos in the wider world, they could hardly sit still.
But this time… Li Wei's gaze lingered on the Seven Ironclads.
"They're different now," he muttered. "More focused than I've ever seen."
In fact, apart from the time they first underwent their "demonization" all those years ago, Li Wei couldn't recall ever seeing these seven take anything this seriously.
Since they'd gained their so-called undying bodies, they had treated every battle lightly, never truly caring whether they won or lost. But now, for the first time, they were throwing everything they had into the fight — combining their strength, repeatedly dying and resurrecting, using their 'deaths' as fuel to hold back Nangong Yazhi.
Their shocking resilience, Li Wei knew, was largely due to the Wu bones they had integrated into their bodies.
[Your descendants, the Seven Ironclads, through integrating Wu bones, have acquired partial Wu Clan bloodline. This fusion of Human, Demonization (undying bodies), and Wu lineages has resulted in extraordinary transformations. Obtained Trait: Mutation.]
[Mutation Effect: Possessing an undying Bloodfiend Demon Lord characteristic, their physical regeneration rate after bodily destruction is significantly enhanced! Their bodies, previously static following demonization, have now resumed development via Wu bone integration, with potential improvement scaling with the strength of the bones used. They are capable of cultivating both Wu techniques and Demonic cultivation.]
[Trait Update – Your Descendants Have Awakened New Abilities
Li Yundou has obtained 『Dragon Wings』
Manifestation: Blood-red wings
Effect: Can instantly teleport within a 100-meter radius.
Li Yunzhe has obtained the 『Heavenly Eye』
Manifestation: A vertical eye.
Effect: Can detect enemy weak points and predict their attacks 1 second in advance.]
[Additional Trait Details
Li Yunjie has obtained 『Six Arms』
Effect: Loses the ability to use magic power.
Gain: Strength, defense, and speed are all greatly enhanced.
Li Yunzhen has obtained 『Wild Dance』
Effect: Tentacles with toughness equivalent to low-grade Spirit Artifacts.
Li Yunlie has obtained 『Fatal Touch』
Effect: Any cultivator at or below Peak Golden Core touched 7 times by his horns will inevitably die within 7 days.
Li Yunzai has obtained 『Reverse Scale』
Effect: Part of any damage dealt to his scales is reflected 9 times back onto the attacker.
Li Yunqian has obtained 『Giant』
Effect: Can enlarge his body size at will.]
In essence, each of them had awakened formidable innate abilities — powers that would likely continue to grow stronger over time.
But there was one downside.
Their overall cultivation speed would slow down considerably.
After all, members of the Wu Clan were known to have lifespans ten times longer than ordinary humans, but their cultivation progress was naturally much slower. Now that the Seven Ironclads had integrated Wu blood and traits, they too would have to endure the same slow, grinding path of advancement.
Li Wei couldn't help but sneer.
"Heaven Fate… what a character," he muttered. "Always knows how to keep things 'balanced' in his own twisted way. Gives you an outhouse, sure — but then runs off with the toilet paper!"
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