171: Chapter 171 If you don't advance, you fall behind!

...

With the prototype of the blessed land finally settled, a weight had just been lifted from his heart, but what truly unsettled Elder Rat was another minor matter.

Lately, he had been fully immersed in setting up the blessed land.

However, in the last couple of days, the various demons had arranged a meeting; the leaders of each lineage would communicate and exchange ideas at specific times.

During this meeting, Elder Rat saw a brand-new Kuang Dou.

The transformation of this Black Dog was simply absurd.

Twenty years ago, Kuang Dou was nothing more than an ordinary dog demon who had just been promoted to Foundation Establishment.

But now?

His entire coat had changed from pitch black to dark red, and when his four paws stepped on the ground, they left scorched marks on the stone surface...

His cultivation had actually broken through to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage!

Although he had only recently broken through, it left Elder Rat silent for a moment, feeling the pressure in his heart suddenly redouble.

Who said that only the Sun and Zhao families fought and competed under the Old Ancestor?

In reality,

whether it was the Sun and Zhao families, or their Spirit Rat Lineage and Black Dog Clan, or even among the five lineages of the Bear Clan, competition existed.

Don't be fooled by how the five lineages of the Bear Clan seemed as close as one family.

In truth, all five lineages were exerting themselves to the fullest, wanting to distinguish themselves before the Old Ancestor.

As a veteran, Elder Rat was one of the very first subordinates to follow the Old Ancestor; although he enjoyed a unique favor from the Old Ancestor,

he couldn't help but feel a sense of pressure.

And it wasn't just that; even the juniors of the Black Dog Clan were seeing their cultivation soar as if they had eaten Immortal Pills.

With the nourishment of the Chijiang Pool blessed land, the fire dao affinity of the dog demons in the clan had increased significantly. Over the years, more and more dog demon pups with outstanding talent had appeared, with dozens even stuck at the peak of Level 1 Yao Beast.

Perhaps in a few more years, the Black Dog Clan would have several more Level 2, Early Stage Foundation Establishment Black Dog Great Demons...

At this thought, a wave of bitterness welled up in Elder Rat's heart.

When the usual meeting ended, Elder Rat stood at the foot of Kuangdou Peak, looking at the crimson rocks on the summit and the fire dog pups frolicking on the mountain; his heart was as sour as could be!

Back then, they were clearly so weak, even just marginal creatures.

How had they developed to such an extent in just these few years? Even the value of the Spirit Beasts they sold...

the Spirit Rat Lineage had been surpassed by the Black Dog Clan.

And what about his Spirit Rat Lineage?

How many years had he been managing it? He had followed since the time Shi Jian was still a Foundation Establishment Great Demon.

In terms of seniority, in the entire Northern Mountain Range, no one was older than him.

In terms of merit—scouting intelligence, mining spiritual ores, transporting resources—which of these didn't rely on the Spirit Rat Lineage as laborers?

But in terms of strength, he, Elder Rat, was merely at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage...

The other two Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the clan were a Treasure-Seeking Spirit Mouse who had just broken through and a Yin Spirit Rat who had been sent to Nine Winds Valley.

Three Foundation Establishment Cultivators to keep up appearances—that was the entire Foundation of the Spirit Rat Lineage.

In contrast, the number of Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the Black Dog Clan was already equal to theirs, and they even had a fully formed fire dao blessed land; the clan was flourishing day by day.

Even Kuang Dou's cultivation had actually surpassed his, his Senior.

Not to mention the five lineages of the Bear Clan, with over a dozen Foundation Establishment bear demons; they were the legitimate "imperial relatives," with several at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage.

Elder Rat was not one to complain.

The Old Ancestor had already given him enough: two spiritual mountains and thousands of Qi Refining rat demons. Out in the world, he would certainly be considered a regional hegemon.

But—

"I'm just not reconciled."

Elder Rat squatted dejectedly at the foot of Kuangdou Peak, his whiskers drooping slightly.

Reconciled to what? He couldn't say for sure.

The qi of the wind dao bestowed by the Old Ancestor had been personally retrieved from Nine Winds Valley by Elder Rat. The Old Ancestor had given him full authority over its use; this trust was more important than anything.

But Elder Rat knew very well that with only the heaven and earth qi and the prototype of a blessed land, the Spirit Rat Lineage's desire for change still faced numerous difficulties...

Because of the Bloodline.

The upper limit of a rat demon's Bloodline was fixed.

No matter how abundant the wind dao Spiritual Qi was, a Spirit Rat's body could not carry too much wind dao spiritual power; the Foundation Establishment Stage was its ceiling.

Unless he started with the Bloodline itself.

...

Elder Rat returned to his cultivation cave and lay prone to Cultivate meticulously. After slowly circulating the spiritual power within his body for one full cycle,

he felt that turbid blood-fiend power flowing through his Meridians, and his brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Years ago, in order to break through to Foundation Establishment, he had taken a side path: the Blood Path!

The Spirit Rat Bloodline was extremely weak; cultivating by normal methods, one would reach the end at the Qi Refinement Stage.

He refused to accept his fate, using his own essence blood as a guide, devouring the flesh and blood of numerous Cultivators, and even refining a Blood Path Magical Artifact as his Foundation.

Relying on the blood-fiend qi, he had forcibly broken through his shackles...

By relying on this wisp of blood-fiend to trigger a Bloodline mutation, he had barely managed to charge into Foundation Establishment.

The path had been opened, but the price was not small.

The blood-fiend power was mixed and impure, and its compatibility with the rat Bloodline was inherently low.

Since reaching the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, every time he circulated his spiritual power, a faint stinging pain would come from his Meridians; it was the blood-fiend gnawing at his Foundation.

Continue on the Blood Path?

He might still be able to strive for the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, but anything beyond that was a dead end.

The stronger the blood-fiend power, the heavier the backlash on the body. In the end, he might suffer a backlash that would foul his intellect, causing him to degenerate into a wild, wicked creature that knew only slaughter...

As for the wind dao...

Elder Rat glanced toward the outside of the cave, where the small wind pillar in the valley was spinning ceaselessly day and night.

Wind and rats.

At first glance, they seemed completely unrelated.

But thinking carefully, what was a rat demon's strongest talent?

Is concealment!

Spirit Rats hide underground, silent and soundless.

The essence of this talent was the ultimate convergence of one's aura, reducing one's presence to the minimum. And within the wind dao...

there was a path that happened to lean in this direction, called: "Hidden Wind"!

Wind is formless and shapeless, coming and going without a trace.

The Dao of Hidden Wind emphasized merging oneself into the wind, silent and soundless.

If wind dao spiritual power were used to replace the blood-fiend qi, it would not only strengthen the Spirit Rat Lineage's concealment talent but also compensate for the rat demons' shortcoming of insufficient attack power.

Although blood-fiend was more aggressive, in terms of its universality and future path, it was truly too narrow...

Having figured this out, Elder Rat's heart returned to tranquility.

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