Yi Mingcheng struggled to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was Lin Hao frantically channeling True Qi into him.

"Young Master, it’s no use. My meridians are completely severed—I’m not going to make it. Pledging myself to you was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life." Yi Mingcheng’s voice was as faint as a thread as he coughed up blood.

Lin Hao didn’t answer. He simply frowned, but after a moment, a smile spread across his face.

"As long as there’s a sliver of hope, I won’t give up on anyone I choose to save! I’m here. You’re not going to die!" Lin Hao said with absolute certainty.

Yi Mingcheng’s eyes lit up.

"Your bones and meridians may be severed, but you just swallowed several Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pills. They’re sitting in your Dantian. I’ll help you absorb them."

As he spoke, Lin Hao pressed a palm against Yi Mingcheng’s Dantian and began channeling his True Qi.

Yi Mingcheng had swallowed the pills but was attacked by the five men before he could absorb them. And now, it was precisely those pills that had saved his life.

Fifteen minutes later, Lin Hao was drenched in sweat.

With his True Qi, he had guided the medicinal energy through every inch of Yi Mingcheng’s body, temporarily saving his life.

"Uncle Cheng, it’s not safe here. I’m taking you away."

"Young Master... them... kill them! Otherwise, your whereabouts will be exposed," Yi Mingcheng urged, looking at the five men struggling on the ground.

But Lin Hao shook his head. "There’s no need. My whereabouts have already been exposed. Let them live. I want to let the Lin family know that I, Lin Hao, have returned!"

The mastermind who sent the letter at the Treasure Hunting Pavilion had yet to appear, and Lin Hao knew there was a predator lurking in the shadows. But at this moment, he felt not a trace of fear.

Lin Hao carefully hoisted Yi Mingcheng onto his back and left the burial ground.

Not long after he left, two figures appeared at the scene.

"Shi Bai, quick, save me!" Seeing one of the arrivals, Ma Sanpao was ecstatic.

Although Shi Bai had only recently joined the Lin family, his friendly demeanor had allowed him to quickly ingratiate himself with its members.

Ma Sanpao knew he was an Alchemy Master, and a boundless hope surged within him.

However, the usually amiable Shi Bai now had an icy look in his eyes. He asked coolly, "What happened here?"

Overwhelmed by his sudden joy, Ma Sanpao didn’t notice anything amiss and immediately blurted out everything that had just occurred.

"Heh heh heh... to think someone whose bloodline was plundered and whose bones and meridians were severed could cultivate again. How interesting!" the man beside Shi Bai said with a sinister chuckle.

Ma Sanpao shuddered violently. The man’s voice, and especially his laugh, was utterly terrifying.

Only then did Ma Sanpao take a closer look at him.

A grotesque bronze mask concealed his true face, revealing only a pair of narrow eyes that glinted with malice.

Ma Sanpao noticed his hands—his fingers were long and slender, yet withered like twigs, and they faintly glowed with a sinister blue light.

This mysterious masked man was shrouded in an aura of death!

"A burial ground... a place to bury bones. You’re useless alive, so I’ll send you on your way!" With that, the masked man’s figure blurred into motion.

Before a single "no" could escape their lips, all five men were dead. Then, to a horrifying effect, their bodies rapidly withered in a matter of moments, melting away until only pools of blood remained!

Shi Bai watched with cold indifference. His pupils contracted for a brief moment, but he quickly regained his composure. Clearly, this was not the first time he had witnessed such a scene.

After dealing with them, the masked man strode off first, heading in the same direction Lin Hao had taken.

A strange smile flickered across Shi Bai’s face as he hurried to keep up.

...

Carrying Yi Mingcheng, Lin Hao walked very slowly, and his path was baffling.

Three steps to the left, two steps forward, five steps to the right...

His steps seemed random, yet they appeared to follow some profound principle.

Walking on and on in this manner, Lin Hao eventually found himself on the outskirts of Skybreak Mountain.

The direction he had taken from the burial ground was the complete opposite of the way to Skybreak Mountain. If anyone had seen him suddenly appear there, they would have thought he was a ghost!

In truth, Lin Hao had just used a martial skill! A Body Technique!

Thanks to the legacy of the Carefree Divine Monarch, Lin Hao’s mind was filled with countless powerful martial skills, the weakest of which were Profound-level Top Grade.

One of those Profound-level Top Grade skills was a Body Technique called Phantom Divine Step.

Cultivating a Profound-level Top Grade martial skill required reaching the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Control Realm. While Lin Hao couldn’t cultivate it yet, nothing stopped him from studying and deconstructing it.

In fact, Lin Hao had already begun deconstructing this technique several days ago.

After all, a good Body Technique could be a lifesaver in a critical moment.

And because of Yan’Er, Lin Hao felt an even greater need for a body technique to protect himself.

Previously, it would have been impossible for Lin Hao to deconstruct a powerful Profound Level martial skill. But ever since he began cultivating the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill, he discovered he could analyze and refine them.

After simplifying it over and over, a new footwork technique—far weaker than the original Phantom Divine Step—took form.

This was the first time Lin Hao had used it. Though it was time-consuming, the results were undeniable.

The reason he had gone to such lengths was entirely because of that letter.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole waiting behind. But if the mantis can plan its moves, then what is there to fear from the oriole?

And indeed it was. At that very moment, not far from the burial ground, the masked man was flying into a rage.

"Damn it! To think he slipped away right under my nose!" he roared, clawing at a nearby tree. The massive trunk withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Beside him, Shi Bai sat on the ground, gasping for breath. They had just run around in dozens of circles, leaving him completely disoriented.

According to the masked man, he could clearly sense the auras of two people, but their location was impossible to pinpoint, which was baffling.

The masked man originally had a mission to acquire a certain pill, but now he had developed an intense interest in that brat from the Lin family.

’He hasn’t awakened a bloodline, yet he easily dealt with five Martial Artists at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm.’

’While carrying a dying man, he managed to escape from me, the Ghost-faced Asura, renowned for my poisons and tracking abilities.’

Shi Bai had a strong feeling that if he could find Lin Hao, the rewards would be immense.

He immediately dismissed his original plan to report Lin Hao’s activities to the Lin family.

’Lin Hao is a walking treasure trove. I’m not stupid enough to share him with anyone else.’

Therefore, not only would he refrain from revealing anything about Lin Hao, but he would also do everything in his power to cover his tracks.

Leaving Shi Bai and his companion to run around like headless flies, back in Skybreak Mountain, Lin Hao placed Yi Mingcheng in a hidden cave he frequented. After giving him a thorough examination, Lin Hao’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Uncle Cheng, there’s something I want to discuss with you," Lin Hao said after a moment of reflection.

"Young Master, you’re being too formal. Do whatever you have in mind." Yi Mingcheng sensed that what Lin Hao was about to say concerned him, and he trusted that Lin Hao would never harm him.

Lin Hao nodded. "Three years ago, my bloodline was forcibly stolen, and my bones and meridians were shattered. But I encountered a great opportunity, and now my body has not only fully recovered but is even stronger than before. However, even with a powerful physique, everything is meaningless without a bloodline. So recently, I’ve been contemplating one thing—creating a bloodline from scratch."

Yi Mingcheng had been listening quietly, but upon hearing that last phrase, his very Divine Soul trembled in shock.

Creating a bloodline from scratch!

It was easy enough to say, but not a single Martial Artist on the continent would dare to even think of it. There had never been a precedent!

Bloodlines could only be awakened—this was an immutable truth, an unchanging law of the continent.

And now, the Young Master wanted to defy the heavens and break that very law.

Yi Mingcheng was dumbfounded.

Even though he had pledged his loyalty to Lin Hao and sworn a Blood Oath, he couldn’t help but want to talk him out of it.

Lin Hao raised a hand, stopping him. "I know what you’re going to say. The Celestial Dao can be defied! Because there was once a living being who succeeded!"

Though he had never met the Profound Emperor, the mere thought of a turtle ascending to emperorship made Lin Hao’s own spirit soar.

"What?!" Yi Mingcheng cried out in shock. The sudden movement aggravated his wounds, but he seemed completely oblivious, stunned by Lin Hao’s words.

"His original form was nothing more than a turtle, but he ultimately reached the apex of the martial path, becoming immeasurably powerful. If he could create a bloodline, then so can I, Lin Hao!" As Lin Hao spoke, his eyes blazed with soaring battle intent.

Yi Mingcheng was stunned for a long time before he finally came to his senses. In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Young Master, what can I do for you?"

"Your bones and meridians are severed, and you’ve lost a great deal of qi and blood. This is the perfect time. I will use a Cultivation Technique to mend your body while simultaneously experimenting on you to test the feasibility of creating a bloodline. If you’re unwilling, I..."

"Young Master, say no more. I’m willing!" He was being turned into a test subject, which was incredibly unfair, but Yi Mingcheng didn’t hesitate for a second.

’He knew perfectly well that if Lin Hao hadn’t arrived in time, he would already be dead.’

’He owed Lin Hao his life.’

’Now that he had a chance to repay the debt, how could he possibly refuse?’

"I know this is unfair to you, and I don’t want you to do this as a way to repay me."

"Young Master, I trust you. The fact that you’re even suggesting this means you must have some degree of confidence. Besides, I, Yi Mingcheng, don’t want to live my whole life as an ant. Now that I have an opportunity, I have to take the gamble!"

Yi Mingcheng’s tone was resolute.

"Good!" Lin Hao spat out the single word, his expression turning solemn. "What I’m about to say next is critically important. You must listen carefully!"

Yi Mingcheng nodded.

"A bloodline forges one’s constitution and is the source of a Martial Artist’s power. Only after awakening a bloodline can a Martial Artist advance past the Elemental Realm to reach the Soul Gathering Realm. Condensing a Divine Soul is the manifestation of that bloodline, and Divine Souls come in countless forms. Now, Uncle Cheng, I want you to think: what substance are you most familiar with?"

For a Martial Artist who had awakened their bloodline to advance to the Soul Gathering Realm, they had to use their bloodline to condense a Divine Soul.

The Divine Soul and the bloodline were two sides of the same coin.

In other words, a Martial Artist’s Divine Soul was essentially predestined the moment they awakened their bloodline.

Now, Lin Hao was doing the exact opposite: first imagining the form of a Divine Soul, and then attempting to deduce and create a bloodline from it!

Through the Carefree Divine Monarch’s legacy, Lin Hao had "witnessed" the attack methods of many experts who had reached the Soul Gathering Realm. He had even seen Cang Yan’s Divine Soul up close in Skybreak Mountain.

As for bloodlines, he had awakened one before, so he already understood the process of their formation.

Furthermore, his Cultivation Technique had produced a brand-new, mysterious stream of energy. Though Lin Hao didn’t understand it, he knew it possessed immense power!

With the right timing, the right place, and the right people all aligned, if he handled this properly, creating a bloodline was not an impossible feat.

Yi Mingcheng understood the immense gravity of the situation and fell into deep thought.

A full hour passed. Yi Mingcheng’s face was as pale as paper, but he still hadn’t come up with anything.

"Uncle Cheng, you’ve seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly, right? If we compare the Divine Soul to the butterfly, then the bloodline is the caterpillar. You just need to identify a substance you are certain you understand, and then we can refine the idea from there," Lin Hao prompted.

Before long, Yi Mingcheng’s eyes lit up. He said excitedly, "Young Master, I’ve got it!"