Tianwu Kingdom possessed five major cities: Shengwu, Chiyang, and the obscured Heishi, with Shengwu serving as the capital. 1 Novel à.1κ.０Text Version First Release

The four most renowned cultivators in Tianwu Kingdom were the Imperial Wu Family, the Ye Family and Du Family of the Seven Great Clans, and the Tianxin Sect among the Six Great Sects.

Like the Ye Family, the Du Family maintained stately residences in all five cities of Tianwu. They were famous not only among the cultivators of the realm but also in the eyes of the common people, who viewed these two clans as the most formidable noble houses in Tianwu, second only to the Imperial Wu Family in sheer power.

North of Heishi City, a hundred-acre estate stood as one of the Du Family's holdings in Tianwu Kingdom.

The Du Family was heavily involved in the trade of fierce beasts. All the creatures comprising the most formidable Savage Beast Legion in Tianwu Kingdom were supplied by the Du Family.

Within that hundred-acre compound, one could see Du Family members driving various types of fierce beasts in and out of the market. Through years of careful exploration and management, the Du Family had developed a method for raising and taming these creatures; beasts departing from the Du Family were capable of being ridden and exhibited diverse, surprising effects in combat.

In that dilapidated temple, the young boy, barely over ten years old, was accompanied by both a Twin-Headed Python and a Flying Blood Serpent—two notoriously brutal fierce beasts. Ji Changkong initially suspected the boy belonged to the Du Family. However, upon later observation during instruction, he noticed the nefarious cultivation techniques the boy employed were vastly different from the secret arts practiced by the Du Family's cultivators.

Furthermore, since the Twin-Headed Python and Flying Blood Serpent were beasts impossible to mass-tame, each rumored to be several centuries old, Ji Changkong finally concluded that the young boy was likely not a member of the Du Family.

The fierce beasts typically raised by the Du Family were generally those lacking high spiritual intelligence, such as the Blood-Patterned Giant Crocodile or the Sword-Toothed Rhino. Only these types could be mass-reared and equipped for military formations. Beasts possessing sentience, like those from the Poison Dragon Pool, capable of mobilizing Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, were absolutely out of the question for large-scale breeding.

Every estate and residence owned by the Du Family housed a large contingent of fierce beasts. Consequently, a wide swath of land surrounding their compounds was perpetually covered in overgrown weeds and filth from their waste.

In a relatively cleaner patch of weeds, Ji Changkong observed the Du Family manor from a distance.

Extending his spiritual sense, he was startled before even drawing near the estate and immediately retracted it. Above the Du Family residence shimmered a faint ripple of Yuan energy, enveloping more than half the property. Before his sense could approach, a tendril of the Yuan wave covering the manor separated and actively coiled toward his probing spiritual sense. A cultivator at the Five Elements Heaven Realm suddenly emerged from the estate, seemingly alerted to the anomaly, looking around watchfully by the main gate.

He quietly retreated, and seeing that the Du Family cultivators did not appear to be searching, he cautiously poked his head out from the weeds, observing the manor from afar once more, though this time he refrained from any probing.

The Du Family was astonishingly vigilant; even a detached branch residence was protected by a restriction capable of sensing spiritual exploration. Ji Changkong was inwardly surprised and became even more hesitant to act rashly.

The Du Family's true base was not within the five cities of Tianwu, but situated in the mountain range outside the peripheral city, closer to the back border. That area was rich in Heaven and Earth Essence Qi, with the best location being the Hidden Dragon Abyss—which was originally the ancestral ground of the Ji Family...

Two days later, a procession of a hundred fierce beasts—composed of Sword-Toothed Rhinos, Unicorn Pythons, and Golden Cup Centipedes—driven by Du Family cultivators, emerged from the estate and marched solemnly toward the North Gate of Heishi City. Ji Changkong followed stealthily.

At the North Gate, the city guards of Heishi City, seemingly acting under Ye Tian's orders, had hung up a portrait of Ji Changkong in disguise on the city walls. The guards scrutinized every passerby with alert eyes, rigorously inspecting travelers.

When the Du Family arrived driving their hundred fierce beasts, the ordinary citizens, travelers, and even a few cultivators immediately gave way. Even the soldiers guarding the gate, whose faces were plastered with smiles, stopped their meticulous checks, rushing forward from a distance to greet the procession.

In Tianwu Kingdom, the Du Family held power comparable to the Ye Family. Moreover, the Du Family supplied various potent fierce beasts to the Tianwu armies annually. These soldiers fawned over the Du Family, showing them more deference and flattery than they afforded the Ye Family, naturally daring not to inspect the Du entourage.

Ji Changkong, who had been worrying about how to slip out of Heishi City, had an idea spark in his mind. As a dozen or so Sword-Toothed Rhinos passed a corner, he shot out like lightning, a fleeting shadow, instantly appearing amidst the beasts and clinging beneath the belly of one.

Hiding under the massive beast, Ji Changkong frowned, listening to the conversations of the Du Family cultivators. Most of these cultivators were hired by the Du Family, leveraging the clan's substantial capital to recruit talent from all over. They clung to the Du Family tree, improving their cultivation and secret arts through the clan's Yuan Stones, serving the family in return.

Their main topic of conversation was Ji Changkong himself. As the notorious individual who killed the Du Family's young master, Du Shaofeng, he had become the most discussed subject in the Du Family recently. Whenever the cultivators mentioned him, they ground their teeth, wishing they could flay the skin from his flesh.

After listening for a while, Ji Changkong's expression darkened. Although he harbored resentment toward the parents he had never known, that resentment lessened considerably once he learned their disappearance was connected to the Du Family.

Inevitably, he redirected the blame for the hardships of his youth onto the Du Family, believing that without their existence, he might have enjoyed the happy childhood others possessed.

In his anger, his breath became unsteady. Once his mental state faltered, his stealth state in the Youwo Realm was instantly broken. "Who goes there!" a harsh shout rang out from Du Yunsong, leading the group at the front.

Du Yunsong, possessing cultivation at the Six Harmonies Heaven Realm, was an elder figure relative to Du Shaofeng. As the leader of this contingent, he had remained taciturn, constantly maintaining his guard. The Du Family had made many enemies, and these tamed fierce beasts were a tempting prize; even within Tianwu Kingdom, brazen bandits sometimes attempted to seize them.

His expression shifting, Ji Changkong, hidden beneath the Sword-Toothed Rhino, scrambled out just before Du Yunsong could close the distance, rushing toward a thicket of ancient trees in the direction of travel.

"Seeking death!" Du Yunsong coldly snorted. Five Meteor Hammers, shimmering with rainbow light, flew out like actual shooting stars.

A massive field of Yuan Qi violently erupted from the five hammers. Wherever they passed, trees as thick as a man's waist snapped. Peng! One hammer struck the ground, carving a deep crater, kicking up dust, and sending a burst of Yuan energy outward. Ji Changkong endured a searing impact from the residual Yuan energy of a falling hammer directly against his back.

A sharp pain shot through his back, causing Ji Changkong to stumble, crashing into the dense foliage between several large trees. Not daring to stop, he endured the agony and rapidly weaved east and west, his eyes bright as he frantically searched for a hiding spot.

A muddy bog appeared before his eyes. With a flash of insight, Ji Changkong plunged headfirst into the mire, submerging his entire body in the center of the mud. He immediately began to stabilize his state of mind, returning to the wondrous state of the Youwo Realm.

Through repeated testing, he discovered that whether in the Youwo Realm or the Wuwo Realm, as long as he didn't actively circulate the Yuan energy within him and stealthily concealed his aura, he could rapidly merge with his surroundings, ceasing all bodily functions to evade detection.

One after another, Du Family cultivators walked past the edge of the bog. Several cultivators who had achieved the Divine Soul Realm used their spiritual sense to perceive the surrounding Yuan energy and life fluctuations, yet not a single one detected Ji Changkong lying right beside their feet.

After a while, Du Yunsong, with his Six Harmonies Heaven Realm cultivation, also approached. He sensed with his Divine Soul but still detected nothing unusual. "Return to your posts. It was just some insignificant nobody; likely killed by the lingering radiance of my Meteor Hammer, which is why there's no fluctuation. Stop searching."

"Indeed, under the residual might of your divine weapon, any minor character naturally cannot escape death," one cultivator flattered.

The pursuing Du Family cultivators began heading back toward the fierce beast formations one by one. Du Yunsong left first. Soon, only the last cultivator returned from a distance, preparing to leap over the muddy area where Ji Changkong was submerged.

A hand suddenly shot out from beneath the sludge and clamped accurately onto his ankle. A surging power flooded his body from the ankle, rendering him speechless.

He was yanked into the mud, his face filled with terror, yet he could not scream, gradually disappearing beneath the surface. The cultivators ahead had already walked far ahead and noticed nothing of the commotion behind them.

A short while later, a mud-caked Ji Changkong climbed out. He wiped his face, then calmly started pursuing the Du Family team ahead. This first real-world test finally showed him that within the Youwo Realm, as long as he refrained from using his Divine Soul, ordinary cultivators would struggle to detect him. With this advantage, provided he remained cautious, he was practically an invisible man within the boundless forest.

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