214: Chapter 214 Yun Yao goes into seclusion, Shi Pan undergoes blood transfusion and bone and marrow cleansing!

The atmosphere on the return flying boat was heavy.

The flying boats of White Cloud Temple and Qingguang Sect traveled side by side. After the various forces briefly stopped on the outskirts of the Kunyuan Mountain Range, they parted ways.

Before parting, Immortal Master Mountain Clearing stood at the bow of the boat with Daoist Yun Du for a moment.

"That child Liu Qing, I raised him for over eighty years."

The old Daoist's voice was very calm, as if he were talking about something unrelated: "When I took him in, this kid was still a scrawny child of six or seven. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."

"I didn't expect that this child would actually go before this old wreck of mine."

Daoist Yun Du didn't answer, just handed over a jug of wine.

Immortal Master Mountain Clearing took it, drank a few mouthfuls, and wiped the corners of his mouth.

"This trip to the Secret Realm has truly broken the bones and tendons of my Qingguang Sect. Fifteen people went in, and only four returned..."

"It really is that the heavens do not favor my Qingguang Sect. It is lamentable."

"Liu Qing stayed behind to cover the Disciples of my temple. This favor is owed to him by my temple."

"Fellow Daoist Yun, hearing you say this makes me feel a bit better."

Immortal Master Mountain Clearing sighed and said: "Fellow Daoist Yun, don't worry about the previous promises. Whether you look after us or not, those are just empty words."

"Although Liu Qing is gone, this old bag of bones of mine is still here, and the Qingguang Sect cannot fall yet."

"It's just that this generation... I fear there is a gap in succession."

"I hope that in light of the contributions of that child Liu Qing today, your White Cloud Temple can help my Qingguang Sect more in the future."

"Don't let that child's sincere heart go cold."

After speaking, Immortal Master Mountain Clearing cupped his hands, leaped back to his own flying boat, and did not look back.

The two flying boats parted ways above the sea of clouds, one east and one west, drifting further and further apart.

...

It was half a month later when they returned to White Cloud Temple.

On Zixiao Peak, Shi Jian sat alone by the Lightning Pool.

In front of him were two Storage Pouches, containing the remains of Lei Nu and Thunder Badger.

Shi Jian opened the Storage Pouches and took out the remains of the two Yao Beasts.

Lei Nu's body was massive, and even after death, traces of lightning still flickered on his pale-white fur.

The wound from his chest to his right abdomen was charred and festering; the lingering effect of the Yin-attribute sword energy had not yet dissipated.

Thunder Badger's injuries were even more severe. Half of his body had been split open, his internal organs turned outward, already somewhat decayed. It was extremely tragic.

Shi Jian lowered his head and rubbed his nose against Lei Nu's forehead.

It was as if he were saying goodbye to his offspring.

Behind the Lightning Pool, on a sunny hillside, he used his bear paws to dig out two large pits, placed the remains of Lei Nu and Thunder Badger into them separately, and then sealed them with boulders.

There was no complicated ceremony.

The funerals of Yao Beasts were always simple: return to the earth, return to the mountains, that was enough.

Shi Jian lay in front of the graves for an entire afternoon.

In the evening, Lei Zhen brought Lei Bao and Lei Kuang, the three Thunder Bears, to the slope in silence.

The four bear Yao stood in front of the graves without saying a word.

As Lei Nu's clan brother, Lei Zhen was the most grief-stricken. He did not howl or cry; he just pressed his forehead against the boulder sealing the grave and remained motionless for a long time.

Shi Jian stood up and walked to Lei Zhen's side.

"The Thunder Bear Lineage will be left to you from now on."

Lei Zhen's body stiffened, and he slowly raised his head.

"Old Ancestor..."

"Lei Nu is gone, the position of Lineage Master cannot be left empty. You are ranked second among the four generals, and your cultivation has reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. You should take this seat."

Lei Zhen opened his mouth, but in the end, he said nothing, only bowing heavily.

Shi Jian patted his back and turned to leave.

After walking a dozen steps, a suppressed low roar came from behind him.

It was not a cry of grief, but a sound like an oath—low, rough, echoing in the mountain wind. It was a kind of heartbreaking hatred!

His clan brother would never come back!

The term "Thunder Bear's Four Generals" would have to be changed to "Three Generals" from now on...

...

After handling the funeral, the next step was to distribute the gains from this Secret Realm trip.

Daoist Yun Du spread out the accounts in the Meeting Hall. After calculating, they were not at a total loss. The various Spiritual Plants collected along the way were worth no less than tens of thousands of Spirit Stones!

Among them, several types of Tier 3 Spiritual Plants were harvested.

There were also a large number of Tier 2 spiritual items, and quite a few sets of Materials for the foundation establishment pill were gathered.

Various Magical Artifacts, Medicinal Pills, plus the spoils of war seized from enemy Cultivators, totaled seven or eight thousand Spirit Stones in value.

Of course, compared to the heaven and earth qi, this was all small change.

The biggest gain from this trip was a wisp of heaven and earth qi.

The Cloud Dao Qi went to Sun Yao, which was naturally indisputable. This was also the point Daoist Yun Du cared about most, as it concerned a new Core Formation Cultivator for White Cloud Temple!

As for the Earth Dao and Yin-attribute heaven and earth qi, Daoist Yun Du was unaware of them.

After all, these were exchanged for with the lives of Yao Beasts. It was impossible for Shi Jian to share them with White Cloud Temple; instead, he used them to cultivate his own forces.

This Earth Dao Heaven and Earth Qi was naturally given to Shi Pan.

As one of the three great Yao Bears under Shi Jian's command and the master of the Panshi Lineage, his cultivation had already reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, so it was naturally his due.

As for the Yin Dao heaven and earth qi, it was ultimately given to Elder Rat.

Although Elder Rat had made mistakes in this Secret Realm, his contributions were equally significant.

He planned the siege of Xiao An, killed a Human Race Prodigy, obtained two wisps of heaven and earth qi, and even brought the Yao together to huddle for warmth.

To neither reward nor punish would be unreasonable.

Moreover, the Yin Spirit Rat Lineage cultivated Yin-attribute Cultivation Techniques, so the value of this heaven and earth qi to Elder Rat was far greater than giving it to other Yao Beasts.

He had the merit, and the need was suitable, so it was naturally given to the Rat Lineage.

...

On Zixiao Peak, Shi Pan came to pay his respects.

Shi Pan's injuries had healed, but the scars left by the burns would likely never fade in this lifetime, and there was hatred in his eyes.

Shi Pan's Bloodline was mixed, not as pure as Shi Mo's dark gold Bloodline.

Shi Pan wanted to achieve Core Formation, besides this heaven and earth qi, Bloodline purity was also a hurdle, just like it was for Shi Jian back in the day.

If the Bloodline purity was insufficient, when forming the core, the Bloodline in the body would create shackles, making it unable to withstand the pressure brought by the Golden Core transformation. Once it failed, it would mean death and the dissipation of the Dao...

"You're here. I know you want to achieve Core Formation, but your Bloodline is not pure..."

"I called you here to help you."

Hearing this, Shi Pan already knew and knelt respectfully to one side.

Seeing this, Shi Jian didn't waste any more words. He cut a gash in his bear paw, and a wisp of thick, ink-like essence blood slowly seeped out...

This essence blood was dark purple, with lightning faintly swimming within it.

Shi Jian controlled the amount of essence blood, exploded it into a blood mist, and then sent it bit by bit into Shi Pan's body, using his own blood as a guide to cleanse Shi Pan's Bloodline...

Shi Pan lay on the ground, his whole body trembling violently.

The moment the essence blood was infused, dark purple Bloodline patterns emerged beneath its skin, spreading from its spine to its limbs, like a living blood net expanding crazily beneath the surface of its body.

Its bones made cracking sounds.

That was the sound of Impurities being washed away and shattered by the essence blood.

Shi Pan was in such pain that his whole body spasmed, and his four bear paws dug deep trenches into the stone ground, but he didn't make a sound, just gritted his teeth and held on.

The entire process lasted one night.

At dawn, Shi Jian withdrew his bear paw, and the wound slowly healed.

His aura was slightly unstable; the cost of dozens of drops of essence blood was not small, even for a Golden Core Yao General.

Shi Pan lay on the spot, steam rising from his body.

The color of its fur became deeper, the original brownish-gray fur gradually turning to brownish-brown, and its body size had also increased slightly.

Its Bloodline purity had significantly improved, rising by a full level!

"Whether it's enough to achieve Core Formation depends on your own fortune."

"Yes, Old Ancestor."

Shi Pan climbed up, bowed deeply, and then walked alone to the secret chamber behind the mountain to begin his seclusion.

With the Earth Dao Heaven and Earth Qi in hand, plus Shi Jian pouring in essence blood to cleanse its marrow and cut its bones, forcibly guiding the improvement of its Bloodline...

This method had limited effect.

Whether it succeeded or failed, it all depended on Shi Pan itself. It could only obey the will of heaven and exhaust its own beastly strength; it was also gambling with its life!