At this moment, She Yu felt like she was in a furnace. Burning agony rendered her mind blank. Her surroundings had become a blur, drifting past her eyes like undulating water plants.
She remembered what His Majesty's notebook said and tried her best to protect her mind. Despite her efforts, she was still too weak and fragile in the face of the domineering and terrifying God's blood.
Boiling hot, her entire body was boiling hot.
She wanted to howl in anguish, but she could not make any noise. Every bone in her body felt as if it was being scorched. In a daze, she felt as though she was a sacrificial offering from ancient times that was tied to stone pillar and burned in a raging inferno.
She seemed to see stars falling from the sky like rain, a distant sea churning nonstop, scorching earth fires shooting toward the clouds, and surging black smoke accompanied by sparks that swallowed the sky and covered the earth.
Sorrow, fear, disappointment, nostalgia…
Mysterious emotions devoured her like a surging tidal wave again and again. Every time, she felt as if she was going to go insane. She felt fear, then despair.
The first section of her spinal column lit up.
Following which, the second section lit up, the third, the fourth…
The rate of the spinal sections lighting up only slowed after reaching the twenty-fifth one.
If She Yu saw this, she would be shocked. She was a god shaman, not a god guard. Unlocking the spinal column was a feature that could only be found in god guards.
It was a pity she couldn't see this. At this point in time, she was immersed in a boundless amount of power. She was like a block of wood drifting in the sea. One moment she would be tossed up by the raging waves, the next she would be slammed heavily into the depths of the sea.
…..
Cold Palace.
Two people sat across from each other at a doorway. One was inside the palace, the other outside.
In front of Bei Shuisheng, there was an imposing, middle-aged man slowly sipping his tea.
Bei Shuisheng poured himself some more tea and asked casually, "Your Majesty, has it begun? My sensory perception is too weak."
The middle-aged man in front of him was the current ruler of the God Nation, the supreme being who was most likely to dominate the world, the Holy Emperor!
The Holy Emperor finished his tea and closed his eyes, looking as if he was tasting the tea.
"Your Majesty, all I have are low-quality tea leaves," Bei Shuisheng said helplessly.
The Holy Emperor opened his eyes and replied sternly, "Eh? Low-quality tea leaves? Who is in charge of buying your groceries? Is it possible that someone embezzled the funds? It seems like I have to investigate!"
Bei Shuisheng's voice became even more helpless, "Has Your Majesty forgotten about my habit? I like to drink low-quality tea."
"Ahhh, it has been a while since I last came here. Shuisheng, don't blame me, don't blame me," said the Holy Emperor while chuckling.
If someone saw this scene, he or she would be so surprised that his or her eyes would pop out. The domineering and imposing Holy Emperor actually had such an amiable side!
Bei Shuisheng shook his head as he sipped his tea. "It seems like it is beginning."
"Yes, it's beginning," the Holy Emperor replied. He placed the teacup on the threshold, signalling Bei Shuisheng to give him more tea.
Bei Shuisheng picked up the teapot and filled up the Holy Emperor's teacup. Then, he said plainly, "I don't really understand why Your Majesty bestowed the God's blood to She Yu."
"You don't understand? Didn't you keep praising She Yu? I thought you were still interested in her? Is it possible that I misunderstood you?" the Holy Emperor replied with a straight face.
Bei Shuisheng could not be bothered with the Holy Emperor's nonsensical words and continued, "The Heart of God is just an imitation, while the God's blood is a sacred artifact. How are they the same? Furthermore, when you bestowed the God's blood to She Yu, it took a toll on your strength. I really don't understand why you did so."
The Holy Emperor chucked, looking slightly pleased with himself. "It's extremely rare that Shuisheng doesn't understand something. In my eyes, Shuisheng is the cleverest person in the world."
He slanted his eyes as a "quickly ask me" look appeared on his face.
Bei Shuisheng acted as if he never saw the look on the Holy Emperor's face and continued sipping his tea.
After a while, the Holy Emperor could not take it any longer and asked, "I thought you didn't understand? Why are you not asking me?"
Bei Shuisheng looked shocked as he replied, "I thought Your Majesty didn't want to tell me about it. It's better that I don't know too much about such confidential matters."
The Holy Emperor became fed up, but he couldn't do anything. Outside, whenever he flew into a rage, the world would shiver in fear. However, in the Cold Palace, he restrained his overwhelming might and dignity. He looked like a mellow elder.
The young man in front of him possessed the highest level of intelligence in the world, but his body suffered from an odd illness. He could only stay in this icy and dull palace in order to survive.
His intelligence was brilliant and magnificent, illuminating the skies of this era. Heaven gave him a peerless brain, but put him in a cage he could never leave for his entire life.
The Holy Emperor loved him dearly and couldn't bear to scold him.
The Holy Emperor took a sip of tea and said, "I am willing to fork over one drop of God's blood. As an elder of the God Nation, She Yu is qualified to possess God's blood. It's just that I had not expected the flower slave to be Ai Hui or that the positions of the flower slave and flower master had swapped. Ai Hui is actually quite capable and can be regarded as a young tiger."
The Holy Emperor's tone was calm. His tone sounded as if he did not even care about the renowned Lightning Blade.
Bei Shuisheng did not retort him. His Majesty deserved to have such confidence.
Ai Hui might be on the rise recently, but he was still way below His Majesty's level. Currently, the only person who could contend against His Majesty was Dai Gang.
Bei Shuisheng was worrying about another issue. "Le Buleng has yet to challenge Dai Gang."
The threat to His Majesty would continue to exist until Le Buleng challenged Dai Gang. After the battle with An Muda, His Majesty's injuries had yet to fully heal. Therefore, if Dai Gang attacked the God Nation now, the situation for them would become perilous.
"If Dai Gang really has the courage to take me on, he would have laid an ambush behind An Muda that day. Otherwise, why hasn't he come yet? He just wants to protect that small plot of land. He is no longer as dauntless as he was in the past," the Holy Emperor sneered.
Bei Shuisheng agreed fully with what the Holy Emperor said.
"Everyone at the front line is worthless! How could they lose Nangong Wulian and Ye Baiyi! Even pigs are smarter than them!" The Holy Emperor's face turned somber.
Bei Shuisheng knew if it weren't for the dire situation at the front line, His Majesty wouldn't have taken such a risk.
"Your Majesty, calm down. Ye Baiyi has the protection of the Heart of God, so he should be safe and sound. In contrast, we have to make some arrangements for the Beast Venom Temple as soon as possible," Bei Shuisheng appeased the Holy Emperor.
Ye Baiyi had the protection of the Heart of God, but Nangong Wulian did not. The latter's chances of survival were very low. Even though Bei Shuisheng did not like Nangong Wulian, he still recognized the Beast Venom Temple's importance to the God Nation, which was was comparable to Ye Baiyi's.
Ye Baiyi single-handedly built the six god divisions, but the Beast Venom Temple was involved in numerous aspects of the God Nation. These aspects included blood refinement research, the cultivation of blood fiends, the internal affairs of the Blood of God, the strengthening process of the blood plants and jade fruits, cost reduction project for blood fiends, etc.
If anything was to happen to the Beast Venom Temple, the negative impacts on the God Nation might not be obvious at the beginning, but they would definitely bleed out the country in the long run.
The Holy Emperor shook his head and replied, "We will wait a while longer. Even though Wulian's talent level is ordinary, he has worked diligently for many years. It was not easy for him to make it this far. What if he is still alive after we find a new palace master? Aren't we letting him down then?"
Bei Shuisheng nodded his head and replied, "Your Majesty, you're right. I did not think this through."
Suddenly, the Holy Emperor let out a soft gasp of surprise. Then, he spoke with a slight tone of astonishment, "She Yu's talent is much higher than I thought."
Upon hearing these words, Bei Shuisheng looked through the door toward the direction of She Yu's residence.
…..
Inside a dark room.
She Yu's body floated in midair, appearing as though she was being carried by a pair of invisible hands.
Her eyes were tightly shut, and she couldn't feel anything at this moment. Her red dress drifted elegantly and slowly, appearing as though she was submerged in water.
The 32 vertebrae of her spinal column gave off a dazzling radiance through her back. The topmost vertebra was like a stubborn fortress that refused to light up.
There was a strand of hair-like golden thread that ran through her dazzling spinal column. It could be seen clearly.
For every vertebra that lit up, She Yu's body would be tempered once. With 32 vertebra lit up, her flesh and blood had been tempered to a nearly perfect state. Her body looked as if it was made up of sparkling and translucent white jade, giving off a gentle luster.
Her internal organs could be clearly seen as well.
Only a powerful body could withstand the might of God's blood.
If She Yu was awake now, she would know that she had passed the first stage.
If one's level of talent wasn't outstanding enough, he or she wouldn't last through the process of body tempering and wouldn't withstood the might of the God's blood. As a result, he or she would explode and die.
This was why the Holy Emperor felt surprised. She Yu was a god shaman. Her talents lay in her mind, not her body. It was truly surprising to see her withstand the God's blood.
The last vertebra could not be activated through. Suddenly, the golden thread that ran through her spinal column split into two and came out from her tailbone.
One golden thread flowed through her internal organs, entered her skull, and finally stopped, staying at her glabella. The other golden thread, however, pounced on the glistening blood plum blossom on her left chest.
The blood plum blossom looked as though it had detected danger as it trembled violently.
However, it couldn't break free of the golden thread.
The golden thread wrapped around the blood plum blossom rapidly. A trace of dazzling golden glow appeared on the edge of the glistening blood plum blossom, making it looked luxurious.
Suddenly, the blood plum blossom erupted with a bloody glow. The bright and terrifying bloody glow dyed the room crimson. The trace of golden brilliance around the edge of the blood plum blossom did not change at all, but the bloody glow released by the blood plum blossom was folding up gradually.
Like a golden shackle, the trace of golden brilliance bound the torrential bloody glow tightly, causing it to fold up repeatedly.
The bloody glow that filled the room looked as if it was being pulled by an invisible hand. Eventually, it became a plum blossom-shaped beam of red light. The beam of red light was like a sparkling and translucent crimson chalcedony.
Plum blossoms spiralled around the beam of red light. The auras of death and life were intertwining. A demonic and mysterious aura pressed against the golden radiance. The blood plum blossom on She Yu's chest began to implode, but it was still trying to emerge through the beam of red light. The golden radiance and the bloody glow were evenly matched.
The color of the blood plum blossom on She Yu's chest kept on darkening, becoming as black as ink. Following which, it began to collapse and exuded an aura of absence filled the air. The blood plum blossom became so dark that it looked like an abyss.
The golden thread that entered her glabella released a golden radiance as well. This golden radiance reinforced the one surrounding the blood plum blossom.
The bloody glow continued to fold up. The number of spiralling blood plum blossoms around the beam of red light decreased. The golden spiralling was winning.
Hair-like streaks of golden spiralling silently entered the abyss-like blood plum blossom on her chest, resembling ink seeping through a piece of paper.
The dark and empty mark of the blood plum blossom became smaller and smaller, becoming a pin-sized black dot.
She Yu's petite body trembled, and the black dot disappeared.
The golden radiance closed up and returned to her glabella. A look of agony appeared on She Yu's face once again. The golden radiance from her glabella released countless fine threads. They spread and extended throughout She Yu's brain like a spider web.
She Yus body started to shiver.
Crisscrossing golden streaks appeared on her face and brain. The golden radiance looked as if it wanted to break out of her head.
Suddenly, the golden radiance froze.
Like a receding tidal wave, it gushed out from She Yu's brain. Following which, it pounced toward She Yu's heart like a hungry shark that had smelled its prey.
At this moment, She Yu felt like she was in a furnace. Burning agony rendered her mind blank. Her surroundings had become a blur, drifting past her eyes like undulating water plants.
She remembered what His Majesty's notebook said and tried her best to protect her mind. Despite her efforts, she was still too weak and fragile in the face of the domineering and terrifying God's blood.
Boiling hot, her entire body was boiling hot.
She wanted to howl in anguish, but she could not make any noise. Every bone in her body felt as if it was being scorched. In a daze, she felt as though she was a sacrificial offering from ancient times that was tied to stone pillar and burned in a raging inferno.
She seemed to see stars falling from the sky like rain, a distant sea churning nonstop, scorching earth fires shooting toward the clouds, and surging black smoke accompanied by sparks that swallowed the sky and covered the earth.
Sorrow, fear, disappointment, nostalgia…
Mysterious emotions devoured her like a surging tidal wave again and again. Every time, she felt as if she was going to go insane. She felt fear, then despair.
The first section of her spinal column lit up.
Following which, the second section lit up, the third, the fourth…
The rate of the spinal sections lighting up only slowed after reaching the twenty-fifth one.
If She Yu saw this, she would be shocked. She was a god shaman, not a god guard. Unlocking the spinal column was a feature that could only be found in god guards.
It was a pity she couldn't see this. At this point in time, she was immersed in a boundless amount of power. She was like a block of wood drifting in the sea. One moment she would be tossed up by the raging waves, the next she would be slammed heavily into the depths of the sea.
…..
Cold Palace.
Two people sat across from each other at a doorway. One was inside the palace, the other outside.
In front of Bei Shuisheng, there was an imposing, middle-aged man slowly sipping his tea.
Bei Shuisheng poured himself some more tea and asked casually, "Your Majesty, has it begun? My sensory perception is too weak."
The middle-aged man in front of him was the current ruler of the God Nation, the supreme being who was most likely to dominate the world, the Holy Emperor!
The Holy Emperor finished his tea and closed his eyes, looking as if he was tasting the tea.
"Your Majesty, all I have are low-quality tea leaves," Bei Shuisheng said helplessly.
The Holy Emperor opened his eyes and replied sternly, "Eh? Low-quality tea leaves? Who is in charge of buying your groceries? Is it possible that someone embezzled the funds? It seems like I have to investigate!"
Bei Shuisheng's voice became even more helpless, "Has Your Majesty forgotten about my habit? I like to drink low-quality tea."
"Ahhh, it has been a while since I last came here. Shuisheng, don't blame me, don't blame me," said the Holy Emperor while chuckling.
If someone saw this scene, he or she would be so surprised that his or her eyes would pop out. The domineering and imposing Holy Emperor actually had such an amiable side!
Bei Shuisheng shook his head as he sipped his tea. "It seems like it is beginning."
"Yes, it's beginning," the Holy Emperor replied. He placed the teacup on the threshold, signalling Bei Shuisheng to give him more tea.
Bei Shuisheng picked up the teapot and filled up the Holy Emperor's teacup. Then, he said plainly, "I don't really understand why Your Majesty bestowed the God's blood to She Yu."
"You don't understand? Didn't you keep praising She Yu? I thought you were still interested in her? Is it possible that I misunderstood you?" the Holy Emperor replied with a straight face.
Bei Shuisheng could not be bothered with the Holy Emperor's nonsensical words and continued, "The Heart of God is just an imitation, while the God's blood is a sacred artifact. How are they the same? Furthermore, when you bestowed the God's blood to She Yu, it took a toll on your strength. I really don't understand why you did so."
The Holy Emperor chucked, looking slightly pleased with himself. "It's extremely rare that Shuisheng doesn't understand something. In my eyes, Shuisheng is the cleverest person in the world."
He slanted his eyes as a "quickly ask me" look appeared on his face.
Bei Shuisheng acted as if he never saw the look on the Holy Emperor's face and continued sipping his tea.
After a while, the Holy Emperor could not take it any longer and asked, "I thought you didn't understand? Why are you not asking me?"
Bei Shuisheng looked shocked as he replied, "I thought Your Majesty didn't want to tell me about it. It's better that I don't know too much about such confidential matters."
The Holy Emperor became fed up, but he couldn't do anything. Outside, whenever he flew into a rage, the world would shiver in fear. However, in the Cold Palace, he restrained his overwhelming might and dignity. He looked like a mellow elder.
The young man in front of him possessed the highest level of intelligence in the world, but his body suffered from an odd illness. He could only stay in this icy and dull palace in order to survive.
His intelligence was brilliant and magnificent, illuminating the skies of this era. Heaven gave him a peerless brain, but put him in a cage he could never leave for his entire life.
The Holy Emperor loved him dearly and couldn't bear to scold him.
The Holy Emperor took a sip of tea and said, "I am willing to fork over one drop of God's blood. As an elder of the God Nation, She Yu is qualified to possess God's blood. It's just that I had not expected the flower slave to be Ai Hui or that the positions of the flower slave and flower master had swapped. Ai Hui is actually quite capable and can be regarded as a young tiger."
The Holy Emperor's tone was calm. His tone sounded as if he did not even care about the renowned Lightning Blade.
Bei Shuisheng did not retort him. His Majesty deserved to have such confidence.
Ai Hui might be on the rise recently, but he was still way below His Majesty's level. Currently, the only person who could contend against His Majesty was Dai Gang.
Bei Shuisheng was worrying about another issue. "Le Buleng has yet to challenge Dai Gang."
The threat to His Majesty would continue to exist until Le Buleng challenged Dai Gang. After the battle with An Muda, His Majesty's injuries had yet to fully heal. Therefore, if Dai Gang attacked the God Nation now, the situation for them would become perilous.
"If Dai Gang really has the courage to take me on, he would have laid an ambush behind An Muda that day. Otherwise, why hasn't he come yet? He just wants to protect that small plot of land. He is no longer as dauntless as he was in the past," the Holy Emperor sneered.
Bei Shuisheng agreed fully with what the Holy Emperor said.
"Everyone at the front line is worthless! How could they lose Nangong Wulian and Ye Baiyi! Even pigs are smarter than them!" The Holy Emperor's face turned somber.
Bei Shuisheng knew if it weren't for the dire situation at the front line, His Majesty wouldn't have taken such a risk.
"Your Majesty, calm down. Ye Baiyi has the protection of the Heart of God, so he should be safe and sound. In contrast, we have to make some arrangements for the Beast Venom Temple as soon as possible," Bei Shuisheng appeased the Holy Emperor.
Ye Baiyi had the protection of the Heart of God, but Nangong Wulian did not. The latter's chances of survival were very low. Even though Bei Shuisheng did not like Nangong Wulian, he still recognized the Beast Venom Temple's importance to the God Nation, which was was comparable to Ye Baiyi's.
Ye Baiyi single-handedly built the six god divisions, but the Beast Venom Temple was involved in numerous aspects of the God Nation. These aspects included blood refinement research, the cultivation of blood fiends, the internal affairs of the Blood of God, the strengthening process of the blood plants and jade fruits, cost reduction project for blood fiends, etc.
If anything was to happen to the Beast Venom Temple, the negative impacts on the God Nation might not be obvious at the beginning, but they would definitely bleed out the country in the long run.
The Holy Emperor shook his head and replied, "We will wait a while longer. Even though Wulian's talent level is ordinary, he has worked diligently for many years. It was not easy for him to make it this far. What if he is still alive after we find a new palace master? Aren't we letting him down then?"
Bei Shuisheng nodded his head and replied, "Your Majesty, you're right. I did not think this through."
Suddenly, the Holy Emperor let out a soft gasp of surprise. Then, he spoke with a slight tone of astonishment, "She Yu's talent is much higher than I thought."
Upon hearing these words, Bei Shuisheng looked through the door toward the direction of She Yu's residence.
…..
Inside a dark room.
She Yu's body floated in midair, appearing as though she was being carried by a pair of invisible hands.
Her eyes were tightly shut, and she couldn't feel anything at this moment. Her red dress drifted elegantly and slowly, appearing as though she was submerged in water.
The 32 vertebrae of her spinal column gave off a dazzling radiance through her back. The topmost vertebra was like a stubborn fortress that refused to light up.
There was a strand of hair-like golden thread that ran through her dazzling spinal column. It could be seen clearly.
For every vertebra that lit up, She Yu's body would be tempered once. With 32 vertebra lit up, her flesh and blood had been tempered to a nearly perfect state. Her body looked as if it was made up of sparkling and translucent white jade, giving off a gentle luster.
Her internal organs could be clearly seen as well.
Only a powerful body could withstand the might of God's blood.
If She Yu was awake now, she would know that she had passed the first stage.
If one's level of talent wasn't outstanding enough, he or she wouldn't last through the process of body tempering and wouldn't withstood the might of the God's blood. As a result, he or she would explode and die.
This was why the Holy Emperor felt surprised. She Yu was a god shaman. Her talents lay in her mind, not her body. It was truly surprising to see her withstand the God's blood.
The last vertebra could not be activated through. Suddenly, the golden thread that ran through her spinal column split into two and came out from her tailbone.
One golden thread flowed through her internal organs, entered her skull, and finally stopped, staying at her glabella. The other golden thread, however, pounced on the glistening blood plum blossom on her left chest.
The blood plum blossom looked as though it had detected danger as it trembled violently.
However, it couldn't break free of the golden thread.
The golden thread wrapped around the blood plum blossom rapidly. A trace of dazzling golden glow appeared on the edge of the glistening blood plum blossom, making it looked luxurious.
Suddenly, the blood plum blossom erupted with a bloody glow. The bright and terrifying bloody glow dyed the room crimson. The trace of golden brilliance around the edge of the blood plum blossom did not change at all, but the bloody glow released by the blood plum blossom was folding up gradually.
Like a golden shackle, the trace of golden brilliance bound the torrential bloody glow tightly, causing it to fold up repeatedly.
The bloody glow that filled the room looked as if it was being pulled by an invisible hand. Eventually, it became a plum blossom-shaped beam of red light. The beam of red light was like a sparkling and translucent crimson chalcedony.
Plum blossoms spiralled around the beam of red light. The auras of death and life were intertwining. A demonic and mysterious aura pressed against the golden radiance. The blood plum blossom on She Yu's chest began to implode, but it was still trying to emerge through the beam of red light. The golden radiance and the bloody glow were evenly matched.
The color of the blood plum blossom on She Yu's chest kept on darkening, becoming as black as ink. Following which, it began to collapse and exuded an aura of absence filled the air. The blood plum blossom became so dark that it looked like an abyss.
The golden thread that entered her glabella released a golden radiance as well. This golden radiance reinforced the one surrounding the blood plum blossom.
The bloody glow continued to fold up. The number of spiralling blood plum blossoms around the beam of red light decreased. The golden spiralling was winning.
Hair-like streaks of golden spiralling silently entered the abyss-like blood plum blossom on her chest, resembling ink seeping through a piece of paper.
The dark and empty mark of the blood plum blossom became smaller and smaller, becoming a pin-sized black dot.
She Yu's petite body trembled, and the black dot disappeared.
The golden radiance closed up and returned to her glabella. A look of agony appeared on She Yu's face once again. The golden radiance from her glabella released countless fine threads. They spread and extended throughout She Yu's brain like a spider web.
She Yus body started to shiver.
Crisscrossing golden streaks appeared on her face and brain. The golden radiance looked as if it wanted to break out of her head.
Suddenly, the golden radiance froze.
Like a receding tidal wave, it gushed out from She Yu's brain. Following which, it pounced toward She Yu's heart like a hungry shark that had smelled its prey.
