Chapter 353: Bloodline Path

“Unexpectedly, I ran into that madman, Divine Emperor Ji Ke.”

Divine Emperor Chanfu felt extremely stifled. When facing Luo Feng, Luo Feng had said that trade was voluntary. Wealth was sought amid danger—since he couldn’t obtain a karmic tie for ‘free,’ he might as well sell it at a high price. Unfortunately, he lost the gamble!

After losing the gamble, he even ran into the crazed Divine Emperor Ji Ke.

Divine Emperor Ji Ke acted without any taboos, utterly unrestrained and deranged. Aside from certain acts like ‘great slaughter’ that would provoke public outrage, he did whatever he pleased. Divine Emperor Chanfu knew very well that if he showed even the slightest resistance, Divine Emperor Ji Ke might crush him to death!

Within the city, killing was forbidden! But this rule was not set by Senior Yuan and the others—it was established through self-governance by the cultivators themselves!

Whether it was the thirty-five cities of the Nine Rivers Sacred Realm or the Five Great Cities within the Dark Sacred Realm, how cultivators were managed was decided by the cultivators themselves! Therefore, when certain beings standing at the very peak occasionally violated this rule, no one dared to speak up.

With a single sentence from Luo Feng, Divine Emperor Mixu and the other fourteen were frightened into obediently compensating seventy-five trillion Hunyuan Crystals! When Divine Emperor Ji Ke made his move, Divine Emperor Chanfu didn’t dare resist in the slightest.

“That Divine Emperor Chanfu is truly a joke.”

“He failed to sell at a high price and instead got robbed by Divine Emperor Ji Ke, haha…”

“Who told him to be so greedy?”

The surrounding cultivators chatted, treating Divine Emperor Chanfu as a laughingstock.

Divine Emperor Chanfu stood there expressionless. Though he felt humiliated, he was still unwilling to miss Luo Feng’s public lecture! He too was an Enlightened One who had reached the Half-Primordial Tier.

“This public lecture is also a rare great opportunity! Perhaps with this opportunity, I may hope to break free from the Cage.” Divine Emperor Chanfu ignored the surrounding ridicule and waited patiently.

Every existence that reached the Half-Primordial Tier longed to break free from the Cage.

******

“Greetings, Divine Emperor Luo Feng.”

Dao Lord Long Jiu and Divine Emperor Ji Ke bowed. At this moment, Divine Emperor Ji Ke no longer had the slightest trace of madness. Instead, his hair and robes had naturally become clean, and even his aura had turned calm and restrained.

After refining a ‘world-level Primordial bloodline,’ he had in fact always remained clear-headed. It was just that in his daily life, he behaved more unrestrainedly, deliberately venting chaotic emotions, even seeking out large groups of low-tier Primordial lifeforms for wanton slaughter. Suppressing was worse than releasing—venting a bit allowed him to maintain better control over himself.

“Please sit, both of you.” Luo Feng said politely. These two, being far stronger than other peak existences, each had something extraordinary about them.

“Divine Emperor Luo Feng, I happened to obtain a life-and-death-type secret treasure. Let it serve as a gift for our first meeting.” As Divine Emperor Ji Ke spoke, he flipped his hand, and the golden bone club flew out.

Luo Feng recognized it at a glance—it was that very secret treasure from before.

“Divine Emperor Luo Feng, please don’t mind! Cultivators of the Dark Sacred Realm naturally fight and plunder one another.” Divine Emperor Ji Ke smiled, without the slightest sinister aura. “I seized it from Divine Emperor Chanfu—that is the karma between him and me! Given my status, merely taking one treasure from him is his honor.”

Luo Feng took the golden bone club before him and smiled. “Divine Emperor Ji Ke truly acts in a straightforward manner.”

“The naturally born Primordial lifeforms act even more recklessly and madly.” Divine Emperor Ji Ke sighed. “Since one chooses to refine a bloodline, one’s temperament must also align with that bloodline.”

“The bloodline path is not easy.” Dao Lord Long Jiu said from the side.

“Since I chose this path, I have no regrets.”

Divine Emperor Ji Ke looked at Luo Feng. “Divine Emperor Luo Feng, would you be willing to spar with me? Let me see just how powerful the Invincible Tier truly is. Perhaps I can also use this opportunity to further excavate the potential of my Primordial bloodline.”

“Combat can excavate the potential of a Primordial bloodline?” Luo Feng understood and smiled. “Very well, I’ll accompany you.”

Dao Lord Long Jiu, Bo Xiu, Baiyin, and Chizheng all watched with great interest.

Both about to fight were quite special.

One cultivated a Primordial bloodline—and specifically a ‘world-level Primordial bloodline.’

The other had already reached the level of an Invincible Existence.

In the distance—

Luo Feng and Divine Emperor Ji Ke stood facing each other.

“Brother Luo Feng, please control your power—don’t destroy my cave abode.” Bo Xiu laughed. This was the residence the three of them commonly used; it could not withstand Luo Feng’s full force.

“Don’t worry.”

Luo Feng smiled slightly. Instantly, an endless sea of blood appeared out of thin air, covering most of the Garden Court in a flash, and also enveloping Divine Emperor Ji Ke.

The seawater surged and wrapped around like an egg, layer upon layer, without the slightest leakage of power.

“Hmm?” Dao Lord Long Jiu, who was watching, felt a shock in his heart.

“How terrifying, this Luo Feng.”

Dao Lord Long Jiu was somewhat proud inwardly.

Firstly, his mental will had long since broken free from the Cage! He was also considered an Invincible Existence.

Secondly, he was a Seed of a Source World Master! When interacting with Luo Feng and Divine Emperor Ji Ke, he held a certain sense of superiority.

“This blood-colored seawater appears restrained, but I can sense that its power is at least a hundred times greater than mine!” Dao Lord Long Jiu was alarmed. “Even if I suppress Luo Feng with my mind, forcing him to only exert twenty to thirty percent of his strength, he could still easily destroy me.”

“How can he be this strong?”

“Still within the Cage, yet this powerful?” Dao Lord Long Jiu watched.

“Divine Emperor Luo Feng is truly formidable! Hahaha, take this move of mine!” Divine Emperor Ji Ke personally experienced the terrifying power of the endless seawater. The sheer strength even gave rise to a sense of despair.

The gap was too large—there was no way to fight.

Yet the greater the gap, the more intense the madness within Divine Emperor Ji Ke became. He did not suppress his bloodline will at all; instead, he merged with it and unleashed himself recklessly.

“Rumble—”

Divine Emperor Ji Ke fought barehanded, causing explosions throughout the endless sea.

During the clash, he swung his right arm, which transformed into a multicolored giant serpent! The serpent writhed, stirring the seawater with a world-destroying force. When he stomped down, his leg became a massive heavenly pillar, suppressing all directions.

Each of his moves carried immense power.

“Divine Emperor Ji Ke can only unleash a portion of the ‘world-level Primordial bloodline’s’ power, merely displaying some characteristics.” Luo Feng saw clearly that Divine Emperor Ji Ke’s excavation of bloodline potential was still too weak.

If he were strong enough, even partially tapping into a ‘world-level Primordial bloodline’ would allow Divine Emperor Ji Ke to break free from the Cage and become a high-level Primordial lifeform.

“Too weak, too weak.”

“Or rather, I am too strong.”

Luo Feng thought.

His massive body, with a reserve of 1.2 billion times energy, could now perfectly control 120 million times. His strength was already a level higher than when he fought Divine Emperor Mixu and the others. Even wielding the full 1.2 billion energy reserve did not hinder his power output.

“When I fought Divine Emperor Mixu and the others, I was one major tier above the peak level. Now it feels like I’m another major tier higher. Yet I am still within the Cage.” Luo Feng sighed inwardly.

No matter how numerous, lives within the Cage were like ants before high-level Primordial lifeforms.

“Rumble—”

As countless thoughts ran through his mind, Luo Feng casually suppressed Divine Emperor Ji Ke.

Divine Emperor Ji Ke rampaged wildly, but no matter how he erupted, he could not shake the endless sea of blood—the gap was simply too great!

In the end, his entire body returned to its normal form, and his aura completely restrained itself.

“That was satisfying.” Divine Emperor Ji Ke said with a smile. “But the gap between me and Divine Emperor Luo Feng is too great. I am far from being your opponent.”

With a thought, Luo Feng withdrew the endless sea of blood. Not even a single blade of grass in the Garden Court was harmed.

“As expected of the Invincible Tier.” Dao Lord Long Jiu sighed.

At this moment, he understood—

The three levels of Invincibility were: first, mental will breaking free from the Cage; second, excavating a world-level Primordial bloodline to a certain level; third, the Half-Primordial ‘Fusion Path.’

Merely having one’s mental will break free from the Cage was indeed the most common—and weakest—of the three Invincible tiers!

“This Luo Feng doesn’t seem to cultivate a bloodline—he cultivates the Fusion Path?” Dao Lord Long Jiu speculated. “But why hasn’t he been Guided?”

……

Luo Feng, Dao Lord Long Jiu, Divine Emperor Ji Ke, Bo Xiu, Baiyin, and Chizheng sat separately.

“Divine Emperor Luo Feng, you should be able to see it as well.” Divine Emperor Ji Ke asked directly. “Although I have refined a world-level Primordial bloodline into my body, I can only excavate a very small portion of its potential and cannot break free from the Cage. Does Divine Emperor Luo Feng have any methods?”

“A Primordial bloodline must first be refined into the body before excavating its potential?” Luo Feng asked in return. “Is it not possible to carefully study the bloodline—study its mysteries and understand its essence—before refining it?”

Bo Xiu and the others listened attentively. It was already difficult for them to break free from the Cage; if the bloodline path could achieve it, they would willingly pursue it.

Divine Emperor Ji Ke nodded. “The bloodline path can be divided into two major categories.”

“First, refine the bloodline into the body, and then excavate its potential. This is what naturally born Primordial lifeforms do.”

“Second, as Divine Emperor Luo Feng said—first comprehend the mysteries contained within the Primordial bloodline and study its essence. After that, refine it, naturally unleashing its immense power.”

Divine Emperor Ji Ke continued, “This second method is extremely difficult! Even when studying a ‘high-level Primordial bloodline,’ although one can use treasures exchanged from the Large Hunyuan Hall to completely observe all its mysteries, to fully comprehend it? Too difficult.”

“It is indeed difficult.” Dao Lord Long Jiu added. “A single high-level Primordial bloodline may contain the mysteries of over ten ‘Paths.’ But how many do we understand? And how much can we truly comprehend?”

Luo Feng nodded.

Naturally born Primordial lifeforms were birthed by the infinite Primordial Space itself, so their bloodlines inherently contained multiple ‘Paths.’ For example, that blood-red scale from the Star Tower—Luo Feng had already observed part of it: life-type secret patterns accounted for 34.3%, destruction-type accounted for 9.2%, and the remaining categories were numerous.

Thus, even with Luo Feng’s deep accumulation in life and destruction, he had only studied about 43% of that blood-red scale. Many Paths were simply not his expertise.

“The two Paths I specialize in—‘Infinity’ and ‘Life’—have only reached the Half-Primordial Tier.” Divine Emperor Ji Ke shook his head. “I found the ‘high-level Primordial bloodline’ that suits me best: life accounts for fifty percent, Infinity for thirty percent! But many of these mysteries belong to the portion beyond the Cage—I can only understand part of them.”

“One must comprehend seventy percent of a bloodline to fully refine it.”

Divine Emperor Ji Ke looked at Luo Feng. “To comprehend seventy percent? How difficult is that? Even with a high-level Primordial bloodline, I cannot reach that level.”

“The path of comprehending bloodlines is too profound. My comprehension ability is far from sufficient. Therefore, the path of ‘excavating bloodline potential’ suits me better.” Divine Emperor Ji Ke said.

Dao Lord Long Jiu added, “As far as I know, those who break free from the Cage through bloodlines almost all rely on excavating potential. As for comprehending the essence of the bloodline? One in ten thousand!”

Luo Feng pondered.

For low-tier Primordial bloodlines, he could completely decipher life-and-death-type mysteries.

For high-level Primordial bloodlines, the difficulty of comprehension was much higher.

However, he had already comprehended over seventy percent of three such bloodlines:

Shadow of Heavenly Fire, Nether Prison Calamity Beast, and Calamity Beast.

Shadow of Heavenly Fire—life accounted for about fifty percent, destruction about thirty percent. In truth, any naturally born Primordial lifeform’s bloodline contained life-type secret patterns; only the proportion varied. Since Luo Feng had nearly fully comprehended both life and destruction, his understanding of this bloodline exceeded seventy percent—he could directly become a high-level Primordial lifeform with it.

Nether Prison Calamity Beast—life accounted for forty percent, destruction forty percent. This was also a key focus of Luo Feng’s study, and his comprehension exceeded seventy percent.

Calamity Beast—the one whose shadow Luo Feng had once seen in the Origin Continent! It primarily followed life-and-death, with destruction exceeding fifty percent and life around thirty percent. Luo Feng had progressed smoothly in understanding this bloodline as well, surpassing seventy percent comprehension.

“If I wished, I could become a high-level Primordial lifeform at any time.”

“I could even choose to integrate all three bloodlines into my body and fully excavate their potential.”

Luo Feng even had a feeling—these three high-level Primordial bloodlines were all extremely powerful within their tier. If he fused all three and fully excavated them, he might directly reach the limit of high-level Primordial lifeforms, perhaps even break that limit and step into the level of a world-level Primordial lifeform.

“The bloodline path is said to have many hidden dangers.”

Luo Feng did not understand it deeply, but within the cultivation world it was already a consensus—the bloodline path had a high upper limit but endless future troubles. The Enlightened One path was the best road.