Zhang Chen was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at the young man with surprise: "It should be possible, you can give it a try."
’Ying’ did not stand on ceremony upon hearing this, and stepped forward to apply the blood onto his body. The next moment, a scream was heard as ’Ying’ writhed in pain on the ground.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen quickly opened his Dharma Eye and saw the golden yellow blood gradually permeating into Ying’s body, and Ying’s aura surprisingly began to strengthen as the blood penetrated.
Between his flesh and blood, golden mysterious patterns flowed, transforming into vague mystical designs, but Zhang Chen could clearly see that they represented the likeness of an ant.
"He is inheriting and absorbing the power of the ant," Zhang Chen’s face showed surprise at this scene.
Unfortunately, his Martial Dao skills were too shallow, unable to even shake his internal organs and muscles, let alone absorb the power of that blood.
Guarding nearby, Zhang Chen watched for roughly an hour until Ying’s struggles finally ceased. He then stood up, looking spiritedly at Zhang Chen: "Brother, I did it!"
The young man’s clothes were torn, and there was now a clear ’ant’ design imprinted on his chest, though small, about thumb-sized, entirely golden yellow and looking very mysterious.
"How do you feel?" Zhang Chen asked.
’Ying’ made a slight sensory assessment, then said: "It seems I can absorb some mysterious power from Heaven and Earth to strengthen my body."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was thoughtful: ’If every mystery in Heaven and Earth corresponds to a Law and holds a specific power, then if ’Ying’ absorbs the ant’s blood and grasps its residual power, couldn’t he wield the ant’s authority and absorb the power corresponding to its Law?’
’And the reason the young ’Ying’ could not absorb the power corresponding to the authority of Houtu after refining its essence is because the fallen Houtu was nurtured by the Power of Faith, not its genuine Spirituality; thus, the authority hasn’t dissipated.’
Reflecting on this, Zhang Chen’s pupils suddenly contracted, a thought rose in his mind: "The path of Martial Dao in later generations has gone astray! Using Martial Dao Qi Blood to nourish the soul and practicing the path of Yin Spirit is utterly misguided—the true path of Martial Dao might indeed be to slaughter a god or find a fallen deity, and seize its essence to usurp its source of power, eventually replacing it."
"To replace godhood with a human body, and completely usurp divine authority, wouldn’t this make the flesh directly sanctified?" The idea deeply surprised Zhang Chen, as it was truly astonishing.
"Follow me."
Zhang Chen looked at the now depleted ant blood and called out to ’Ying,’ leading them both into the shrine.
The young ’Ying’ looked at Zhang Chen: "Brother, did you call me here for something?"
"I think I’ve figured out a path of Martial Dao that could rival the gods, pairing the human body with divine capability," Zhang Chen stated.
"Indeed???" The young man’s voice was full of shock and disbelief.
Zhang Chen shared his hypothesis, concluding: "You have now acquired the residual power of the ant; if you continue practicing Martial Dao and wield the ant’s authority to draw its corresponding power, in the future you might even complete the authority and Law related to the ant within your body. Then, achieving parity between your flesh and the gods would not be impossible."
"In that case, us humans will ultimately find a way, no longer being seen as livestock by the gods." The young ’Ying’ was so excited his face flushed, but he soon calmed down:
"But gods aren’t easy to hunt, especially these flesh-blooded ones which are rare. Even if we know this method, how difficult is it to hunt a god?"
Seeing ’Ying’ calm down quickly from his heated state, Zhang Chen smiled slightly: "This task is not too hard; I can lend you a treasure which will aid you in hunting gods in the future."
"A treasure? What treasure?" ’Ying’ was puzzled by the words.
Zhang Chen took out a black and white embryo from his sleeve: "This is an embryo of a god; you need to have your tribe offer sincere tribute. When it is born in the future, it will have earth-shaking power, capable of protecting your tribe."
Knowing this treasure could not be taken away, Zhang Chen decided to do a generous deed and leave it for the Ape Tribe.
"Is this the deity that just killed the ant?" ’Ying’ excitedly asked, seeing the embryo emit black and white light. He had witnessed the terrifying power of this deity himself.
"Yes, that’s exactly it," Zhang Chen nodded.
"Is this given to my Ape Tribe?" The young man’s face was flushed with excitement, unsure of what to say.
Zhang Chen slowly ascended the altar and placed the embryo upon it. Next, the embryo transformed into a ball of black and white light, floating in mid-air like Houtu: "From now on, it’s yours; whether you can sacrifice for its birth depends on the sincerity of your Ape Tribe."
"I shall summon the tribe immediately for a worship ceremony, linking the deity’s fate with my Ape Tribe, and using our tribe’s fortune and incense to nurture it."
The ape was full of excitement and left without waiting for Zhang Chen to respond.
In the following events, Zhang Chen observed coldly, watching ’Ying’ lead the Ape Tribe in worship and various complex god-ceremonies.
Despite immense losses in a great battle, after annexing the neighboring Ant Tribe, the Ape Tribe’s population surpassed nine thousand.
Then came the post-war arrangements; after all were handled, Thunder and ’Ying’ once again visited.
After a wave of courtesies, Thunder excitedly knelt and bowed to Zhang Chen: "Your Eminence has generously aided my Ape Tribe beyond repayable; please accept our gratitude. Future endeavors of your Eminence will be supported to our fullest capacity, even if it leads us into perilous waters, we shall not hesitate."
Seeing the sincerity in ’Ying’ and ’Thunder,’ Zhang Chen quietly gauged his timing, and then spoke: "Actually, I do have a request."
"You only need to say it, if it’s doable, we shall brave any peril," Thunder assured, patting his chest.
Zhang Chen smiled upon hearing this: "Before stating my request, allow me to tell a story."
"Long ago, there was a great tribe established on Zhaoyao Mountain, called ’Ape.’ The tribe was incredibly powerful, slaying gods with ease, and its leader ’Emperor’ led his followers to conquer South Mountain and the North Sea..." Zhang Chen narrated his knowledge about the Ape Tribe, all the while observing ’Ying’ and ’Thunder’’s response closely. However, Zhang Chen found it puzzling as they showed no reaction, their faces filled with mere amusement as if it had nothing to do with them.
Zhang Chen found it strange: "Strange, if Thunder is a descendant of the Ape Tribe, why does he have no reaction when I mention the Ape Tribe? Either he is completely unaware or his thinking is extraordinarily deep, leaving no trace on his face."
Zhang Chen puzzled over this, reasoning that even if they were deeply thoughtful, such a sudden mention of their lineage should elicit some reaction.
Once Zhang Chen finished, ’Ying’ expressed empathy, his voice full of amazement: "It’s astonishing to learn there’s such a strong figure within our Human Race; the Great Emperor’s strength is incredible. If one day I can, like the Great Emperor, lead the Ape Tribe out of Zhaoyao Mountain, conquer South Mountain, and pacify the five domains of east, south, west, and north, how glorious it would be!"
"You kid still dream of matching that ’Emperor’? Your mere three-cat methods stand no comparison to the Emperor," Thunder scolded impatiently beside him.
"I share the same sound as the Emperor’s name; he’s my role model! Moreover, under Zhang’s guidance, I have mastered the method to become a god. As long as I work hard enough, in the future I may match that ’Emperor,’" the young man’s voice was full of defiance.