Oddities likely don’t only exist within sect ruins.
This was the most reasonable deduction.
Throughout the Xuanhuang World, there have been scattered and intermittent incidents of Oddities harming people. The smiling-faced fruit, Mind Ape, and Intent Horse might all be products of corrupted Oddities.
Judging by the Heavenly Mechanism Hall's actions, Oddities seemed to be under constant and strict surveillance. The same was likely true for the Five Elders Council.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then shook his head inwardly.
Being aware of this matter is enough. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it's not my place to worry about such things. Compared to Oddities, the many powerhouses within the Xuanhuang World are far more terrifying.
The thought of the Intent Horse possibly being connected to Oddities in the Xuanhuang World was just a minor distraction. Soon, Li Fan put it out of his mind.
Following Zhang Zhiliang's instructions, he focused on cultivating within the Tianxuan Mirror while assimilating the rest of the Intent Horse’s power, strengthening his soul.
Time flew by, and another half-year passed in the blink of an eye.
Deep within the Congyun Sea, Ye Feipeng, who had been in a prolonged slumber, finally began to stir.
The clear, far-reaching cry of a whale echoed from the ocean depths, spreading outward across the surrounding waters.
Upon hearing the sound, countless sea creatures trembled as if faced with their natural predator. Their bodies were immediately frozen, powerless to resist.
Above Ye Feipeng's head, the phantom of a Whale-Peng monster materialized.
As if it had been starving for a long time, the creature opened its massive maw and inhaled violently.
An enormous vortex formed. Churning seawater, along with countless unfortunate sea life caught in the turmoil, was swallowed whole into the monster's mouth.
This continued for a long time.
Only after devouring an immeasurable amount of water and fish did the Whale-Peng finally seem sated.
It let out a satisfied, high-pitched cry, raised its colossal tail high, and slammed it downward abruptly. The great whale then plunged back into Ye Feipeng's body.
Shortly after, Ye Feipeng's eyelids fluttered, and he slowly awoke.
At first, he remained motionless, staring blankly at his surroundings in confusion.
Gradually, images flashed through his mind one after another, revealing the events that had occurred just before and during his unconscious state.
Ye Feipeng instinctively touched his stomach.
Truly, fortune favors the destined. Not only did I survive a great calamity, but I've also awakened the bloodline of the ancient exotic beast, the Kun-Peng. [1]
His eyes gleamed as he glanced at a large rock not far away on the seabed. With a slight shift of his body, he appeared beside the rock in an instant. Without channeling any spiritual power, relying solely on the strength of his physical body, he threw a casual, light punch.
Boom!
Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface of the rock, and moments later, it shattered into pieces.
The power of the Kun, the speed of the Peng... Ye Feipeng stared blankly at his own fist, as though unable to believe what he had done.
The power of ancient exotic beasts is truly fearsome and awe-inspiring. Just the raw strength I can unleash now should be enough to match my former self before I fell unconscious...
Then, the fatty frowned.
But I am a direct descendant of the Ye Family of Great Li. How could I possess this so-called exotic beast power within me? Could it be that my Ye ancestors... weren't human?
Even though the power deeply hidden in his bloodline had brought him indescribable benefits, Ye Feipeng found it difficult to accept this reality all at once.
A flash of blue light suddenly appeared in his eyes as he delved into the fragmented, blurry memories that had surfaced alongside his bloodline power.
Beasts fleeing in panic... saving a severely wounded Kun-Peng...
So that's how it is.
After a long while, Ye Feipeng let out a sigh of relief.
According to the inherited memories from his bloodline, in the distant past, one of his ancestors had coincidentally saved a severely wounded Kun-Peng.
At that time, for unknown reasons, all the exotic beasts in the world were fleeing in panic.
Moved by compassion, his ancestor had secretly chosen to care for the Kun-Peng, hiding it from others.
After the Kun-Peng fully recovered from its injuries, it gifted his ancestor a drop of Kun-Peng essence blood as thanks before departing.
No wonder most of my Ye family ancestors were large in stature and possessed immense strength. So it was due to this Kun-Peng essence blood.
Unfortunately, they only passively utilized the power of the essence blood, never truly unlocking its potential.
It wasn't until it was passed down to me that its effects were fully unleashed with the aid of the Deepsea Pearl.
After experiencing a near-death ordeal, the fatty had become considerably more composed.
If he had suddenly obtained such a fortune before, he would have been unable to contain his joy.
Now, however, he remained calm as he experimented with the Kun-Peng essence blood.
Currently, I've obtained three main inheritances.
Kun Devours, Peng Soars, and Startling Peng Transformation.
Kun Devours allows me to devour all substances between heaven and earth, converting them into resources to strengthen myself.
Peng Soars enables me to strike the water and soar upwards, riding the whirlwind to traverse 90,000 li in an instant. Its speed is unmatched by any escape art.
Startling Peng Transformation channels the bloodline power into my body, causing my human form to revert to its ancestral origins, manifesting the Kun-Peng once more.
A gleam of sharp light flashed in Ye Feipeng's eyes.
In the blink of an eye, his already somewhat obese body swelled a size larger.
Two foreign masses bulged prominently from his back.
Undergoing the transformation for the first time, Ye Feipeng seemed to be in considerable pain.
His face contorted fiercely, veins writhing beneath his skin like qiulong dragons.
"Hah!"
With an angry roar, two brown wings extended from Ye Feipeng's back.
Simultaneously, the image of a soaring Kun-Peng appeared on his forehead.
The transformation consumed immense energy, leaving the fatty gasping heavily as he struggled to recover.
After resting for a moment, he rose proudly to his feet, his wings fluttering slightly behind him.
His figure transformed into a thin streak of light, and in the blink of an eye, Ye Feipeng appeared over ten li away.
Before falling unconscious, he had always prided himself on his speed. Yet now he was several times faster!
The Kun-Peng rides the wind, travelling myriad li in a single day.
I can go even faster!
A thought stirred in Ye Feipeng's heart, and the Azure Wind True Intent within his dantian surged instantly.
A faint azure glow appeared around his brown wings.
After further experimentation, Ye Feipeng discovered that when the Azure Wind True Intent and Whale-Peng Transformation worked in tandem, their combined effect was greater than the sum of their parts.
His flying speed more than doubled!
Speed is power! With my incredible velocity, combined with my physique enhanced by Kun-Peng essence, simply crashing into ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would be enough to kill them...
With this thought, Ye Feipeng unleashed his full speed, charging fiercely toward a mountain peak that rose above the sea.
A streak of light flashed past, and the mountain crumbled in its wake, stirring up turbulent currents of murky seawater.
Unsatisfied, Ye Feipeng maintained his momentum, charging relentlessly into the distance.
A deep, long trench was carved across the seabed.
Only when his strength was completely spent did Ye Feipeng reluctantly cease his rampage.
His massive jaws gaped wide, swallowing the surrounding seawater in a single gulp.
Before long, Ye Feipeng was restored to full vigor, bursting with energy once more.
If I'd possessed such speed back then, I would never have been captured by Zhang Zhiliang. He muttered darkly to himself.
Recalling that humiliating scene, the fatty's expression clouded over.
1. The Kun is a giant fish from the Zhuangzi often visualized or described as a leviathan or whale. It transforms into a bird called Peng. ☜