360 Origin Apertures

On Yuexin Island. A prefecture head and an academy head were idling away with nothing better to do, poking turtles for amusement. After prodding a few more, Zhu Tiandao completely lost interest. At that moment, the giant Shanhai turtle popped its head out near the shore to look at him. Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "What are you staring at? I'm looking at your son, not your wife. What's with the glare?" The old turtle felt thoroughly exasperated and replied gloomily, "Lord Prefecture Head, we whirl turtles do not lay eggs. We give live birth!" "Is that so!" Enlightened, Zhu Tiandao said with a grin, "Old Turtle, I've allowed your tribe to flourish and multiply in my Great Ming Prefecture. Isn't it about time you did some work for me?" "At your command, Lord Prefecture Head!" The old turtle dared not show the slightest negligence. Having known Zhu Tiandao for centuries, it had never dared to underestimate this seemingly amiable prefecture head. Zhu Tiandao smiled. "Nothing too difficult. Mobilize your little turtles. Throughout Great Ming Prefecture, I want to see traces of your whirl turtle clan in every lake, river, and stream! Keep yourselves well hidden; don't give away any flaws!" Pausing briefly, he continued with a grin, "And keep breeding! Tell your little brats to breed like crazy too! I want you to spread out—the wider, the better!" He smiled faintly. "Let's follow the latest trend. It's called a biological invasion. I want to build a biological surveillance network so that the moment an enemy steps into Great Ming Prefecture, they're exposed!" Turning back to the old turtle, he added coolly, "Old Turtle, you've lived in the Human Realm for over three hundred years. Old Niu and I haven't treated you poorly. Don't be stingy with a few of your young and try to pull the wool over my eyes!" "I wouldn't dare! I will do my utmost!" Fearing Zhu Tiandao, the old turtle hurriedly said, "My whirl turtle clan makes the finest scouts. We possess the greatest breath-concealment abilities. When our young submerge into water and enter hibernation, even if people see them, they won't pay any mind and will take them for ordinary turtles." Such was the whirl turtle clan! Leaving aside their other abilities, their breath concealment and hibernation were peerless. When they hid in water, it was practically impossible to detect them unless someone searched deliberately. That was precisely why, despite over a thousand turtles inhabiting the lake—including Shanhai beasts—hardly anyone ever noticed. With so many of them present, not even the Shanhai creatures had exposed themselves. "Very well. Go on. Report to me whenever anything comes up!" "Understood!" Not daring to delay, the old turtle quickly submerged into the depths and vanished. In the blink of an eye, ripples spread across the lake's surface as countless little turtles dispersed in every direction through underground waterways. Lakes, streams, and waterways throughout Tiandu Prefecture... Before long, little turtles began taking up positions one after another. Using humans for surveillance ran the risk of discovery. Using these weak, innocuous little turtles made detection nearly impossible. With that settled, Zhu Tiandao turned back to Niu Baidao with a smile. "Old Niu, the old turtle is just the first layer. Did you ever finish forging the super sensing jade I asked for back then?" Niu Baidao rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Prefecture Head, you asked for a super sensing jade capable of monitoring an entire city without being detected! Something of that grade is practically on par with Baidao Pavilion..." "Cut the chatter. Is it ready or not?" Helpless, Niu Baidao sighed. "Not yet. It still needs some time. It's been under construction for fifty years, but we lack a Heaven-rank weaponsmith! Right now, only a few Earth-rank weaponsmiths are forging it in secret..." Were those words to leak out, they would likely shake the entire Human Realm. Great Xia Prefecture possessed only a single Earth-rank weaponsmith, cherishing him like an irreplaceable treasure. Zhao Li was merely a peak Mystic-rank weaponsmith, yet he was considered a paramount forging master in Great Xia Civilization Academy. Yet Niu Baidao was saying several Earth-rank weaponsmiths were secretly forging this so-called super sensing jade. Citywide surveillance! The moment an expert entered the city, they would be detected instantly—no amount of stealth would work. It functioned just like the sensing jade in Su Yu's sea of will, except Su Yu's was for personal use, covering a small radius and offering only rough sensing. Zhu Tiandao's ambition was far grander! He wanted one capable of monitoring the entire city—monitoring all of Tiandu Prefecture! Great Ming Civilization Academy was quietly forging it for him. Zhu Tiandao sighed regretfully. "What a pity the Fourth Generation died. Otherwise..." "He belonged to Great Xia Prefecture!" Niu Baidao interjected drily. *He was Great Xia's man; what are you pining over him for?* Zhu Tiandao brushed it aside. "So what if he belonged to Great Xia? Great Xia didn't value him! Frankly, the Fourth Generation's son, Zhao Li, has pretty good aptitude too. I've always wanted to win him over, but with Wan Tiansheng around, it's difficult! I hear Su Yu gets along well with him. Wonder if we can lure him here along with that Earth-rank cultural weapon of his. If we promise to help him finish forging it, do you think he'd agree?" "Have you never asked him, Prefecture Head?" "I reached out once..." Not minding in the least, Zhu Tiandao said casually, "He ignored me. But that was then. Right now, isn't Su Yu here? Last time, Su Yu even coaxed Zhao Tianbing out of hiding. Their relationship looks rock solid to me, so there's still hope!" If they helped Zhao Li finish forging his cultural weapon, his breakthrough to Shanhai would likely elevate him into an Earth-rank weaponsmith as well. Gaining another Earth-rank weaponsmith would be splendid. More importantly... they might even lure Zhao Tianbing over! That man had received the true teachings of the Fourth Generation! A top-tier Earth-rank weaponsmith! A master capable of forging peak Earth-rank cultural weapons! Across the entire Human Realm, only one person could independently forge a Heaven-rank cultural weapon, and that was an Invincible realm expert. Zhao Tianbing was held in exceptionally high regard in Great Zhou Prefecture. Otherwise, as an outsider, there was no way he could have become the head of their weaponsmith academy. Niu Baidao was left speechless! *He really dares to dream!* Little Zhu's fantasies were growing wilder by the second. After bringing in Su Yu, he wanted Zhao Li, and after Zhao Li, he was aiming for Zhao Tianbing! What was he thinking? Yet Zhu Tiandao's thoughts were grander still. He murmured, "Actually, there's another person we can recruit! Wu Yuehua! A top divine alchemist! Did you see? That little girl from the Wu family came running along with Su Yu. If we bring over Wu Yuehua, her mother might follow too, and she's also a top divine alchemist. Then there's the other girl, Wu Qi, another premier genius..." Zhu Tiandao muttered to himself, "Luring Su Yu over opens the door to so many people! Except for that troublemaker Liu Wenyan, we can pull in practically anyone. Forget Liu Wenyan; leave him to Great Xia!" Recruiting Liu Wenyan would invite too much trouble and risk provoking Invincibles. Recruiting the others carried no such pressure. *Go ahead and try causing trouble on Great Ming's turf and see what happens!* And at the core of it all was Su Yu. Zhu Tiandao grinned ear to ear! It might actually work! There was nothing to lose by trying, and if they succeeded, the payoff would be massive. "Old Niu, tell them to keep working on the super sensing jade. Even if it can't cover the whole city yet, cover Great Ming Civilization Academy first. Let's see who's audacious enough to sneak in!" *Want to infiltrate Tiandu Prefecture?* *You'll have to ask the Zhu family first!* *Did you really think my prefecture is small and weak?* The Zhu family had nurtured Civilization Masters, showered them with top-tier treatment, poured endless resources into them, and spared no expense. How could they lack real capabilities? They hadn't even been sent to war! All just to quietly build up strength... er, stockpile grain! "Fine. I'll have them fine-tune it and wrap it up as soon as possible to cover the academy first." With that, Niu Baidao asked, "What about Quest Realm? Are we still making trouble for them?" "Of course! If we don't, they'll think we're feeling guilty and hiding. In times like this, the bolder and more arrogant we act, the better! I have no intention of attaining the Dao, so I don't fear anyone. Anyone who wants to attain the Dao has to come begging to me. Do you see Great Zhou Prefecture daring to provoke me?" Zhu Tiandao curled his lip. *Go ahead, try crossing me!* *Do your Zhou Polong and Zhou Potian still want to attain the Dao?* *Do you still need my father's help?* *If my father sits on his hands and convinces a few friends to do the same, then even with Xia Longwu taking the brunt of the heat up front, you lot will be in deep trouble.* Arrogant! Low-profile! Two entirely opposing faces, yet in Great Ming Prefecture, this contradiction was displayed to absolute perfection. *I won't start trouble, but I don't fear it in the slightest.* *Normally I keep a low profile, but cross me, and I'll make such a scene that you'll tremble in fear.* "Keep pressing them for compensation. Cut the nonsense; they must pay! Testing my Great Ming Prefecture and trying to stick their hands into our affairs—they've got some nerve. We have to hit back. King Dahan has come out of seclusion, so tell Eldest Brother to go file a complaint and weep to him. The nerve of them, daring to meddle in my family's territory!" Niu Baidao smiled and nodded without adding anything. Having watched Zhu Tiandao grow up, he knew how entertaining the fellow could be. After a moment's thought, he offered a reminder: "You could mention to Su Yu that when he creates new arts, he should pass them to Great Ming Prefecture first before releasing them elsewhere, giving us a slight edge." "That won't be a problem!" Zhu Tiandao nodded. A simple matter, hardly an issue. Niu Baidao fell quiet for a moment before speaking again. "He might truly possess an Invincible's ruin inheritance..." "Don't covet it!" Zhu Tiandao replied casually, "An Invincible's ruin is nothing special! It's not worth obsessing over. First, acquiring it doesn't guarantee you'll reach the Invincible realm. Back in the day, far more than thirty-six people entered those ruins. "Second, even if you took it, losing Su Yu in the process wouldn't be worth it. Everything from the ruin is likely stored right in his head. "As long as he's here, Great Ming Prefecture effectively has an inheritor of an Invincible's ruin. In the end, it still belongs to Great Ming! "The kid holds a serious grudge, so there's no need to entertain such thoughts. Since he came here, he won't be leaving!" Zhu Tiandao chuckled. "The little fellow is famous now, but who knows how many enemies he's made? If he ever tries to run and gets hunted down out there, he'll realize how good he had it in Great Ming. He won't escape!" Niu Baidao chuckled and said no more. He had wondered whether Zhu Tiandao might want to make use of it, but evidently, Zhu Tiandao harbored no such intentions. "Prefecture Head, one last question. What on earth is Xia Longwu planning?" "What do you mean?" "Why is he insisting on delaying for a few years?" Zhu Tiandao gave him a look before finally speaking after a long pause. "You figured it out?" "Nonsense!" Niu Baidao was exasperated. "I know Xia Longwu reasonably well. By all rights, after slaying those few god race experts, he should have headed to the All-Heavens Battlefield to attain the Dao. Instead, he didn't. He went into seclusion—faked seclusion, no less. What is that for?" "Waiting for the right moment!" Zhu Tiandao replied casually, "More likely than not, he's waiting for someone! Could be Xia Xiao'er, could be Wan Tiansheng, could be Liu Wenyan and the others... But he's definitely waiting for someone, that's certain!" Niu Baidao was enlightened. "Do those fellows truly have a chance?" With Xia Longwu drawing all the fire as a target, their own chances of safely attaining the Dao would soar. Xia Longwu was already prepared to serve as that target! "I don't know!" Zhu Tiandao genuinely didn't know, admitting uncertainly, "I don't know who he's waiting for, but he's certainly waiting for someone to create an opportunity for them!" "Sigh!" Niu Baidao let out a heavy sigh. Great turmoil was on the horizon! Well, whatever. Better not dwell on it. *** Meanwhile. Inside the research institute. Su Yu was extracting blood essence. Beside him lay the corpses of the god and demon, both Lingyun first-stage experts. Even in death, they radiated tremendous pressure. Su Yu was certain these Lingyun first-stage fighters were by no means weaker than Zhou Pingsheng! Truly worthy of being the two strongest races across the myriad realms! Indeed, the two strongest. "Gods" and "demons" were umbrella terms, already plenty formidable, yet the Origin Demon Race and Primordial God Race stood at the pinnacle among them! The first time Su Yu had heard of the Primordial God Race was from Bai Feng. A terrifyingly powerful race! Their innate skill was God Transformation. If a member of the Primordial God Race opened 144 apertures, God Transformation would allow them to unleash the power of 152 apertures without needing to learn any martial skill—it was inherent. Such was the might of an innate skill! Those extra eight apertures were eight of the nine Kaiyuan apertures. Su Yu had never seen a martial skill that utilized 152 apertures. The Heaven-Cleaving Blade was considered one of the strongest martial skills, matching cultivation arts, yet at most, it could only channel the power of 144 apertures in a single burst. As for the Primordial God Race... they were a race Su Yu had long yearned to investigate. Now, he finally had his hands on one. He extracted the blood essence with meticulous care, terrified of making a mistake! As a single drop coalesced, divine might erupted, making it difficult for Su Yu to breathe. For a mere Lingyun realm corpse, a single drop of blood essence could unleash such overwhelming pressure! Shocked as he was, Su Yu felt a thrill of excitement. As expected, the All-Heavens Battlefield was vastly more thrilling than the Human Realm. Far more exhilarating! This Lingyun gave Su Yu an impression similar to Wu Qi or Xia Yuwen. And to think, this slain god might have been just an ordinary member of the Primordial God Race, not necessarily an exceptional genius. Of course, all members of the Primordial God Race were geniuses—that was indisputable. Unlike the human race, whose talent was wildly uneven, gods and demons possessed little variance in talent, though their numbers were far smaller. What made the human race terrifying was that, much like the insect race, they reproduced at a staggering rate. A single drop of golden blood settled into Su Yu's palm. Delight surged through his heart! He had seen god and demon blood essence before. Back when Zheng Yunhui helped him set a trap, they had acted with extreme caution, procuring a few drops of Lingyun blood essence. But looking back now, those drops felt nowhere near as potent as this one. Faint roars seemed to echo from the blood essence. In a daze, Su Yu seemed to glimpse this god warrior roaring upon the battlefield, fiercely defiant as he clashed against the soldiers of Great Qin! Just how great a price had Great Qin Prefecture paid to slay this creature? To kill him, they likely hadn't deployed anyone overwhelmingly powerful. Otherwise, the Primordial God Race wasn't foolish—their own powerhouses would have stepped in. That would have sparked a massive war! The one who slew him had probably been a Lingyun warrior as well, perhaps not even higher in realm than this god. Terrifying—Great Qin Prefecture possessed such monstrous military geniuses! *Too strong... Damn, I might not be able to endure it!* Su Yu had consumed Lingyun blood essence before, but only from ordinary races. This was the Primordial God Race; he worried he might burst from the power. *No rush. Let me extract more blood essence first. If necessary, I can wait a bit, cast my body first, and strengthen my physical vessel!* Putting aside distracting thoughts, Su Yu focused entirely on the extraction. One drop, two drops, three drops... By the time he extracted ten drops, the pressure emanating from the corpse began to dissipate. The stronger the target, the more blood essence could be drawn. Under normal circumstances, Qianjun and Wanshi corpses yielded about ten drops, while Tengkong and Lingyun yielded slightly more. However, Su Yu sensed that ten was the limit; extracting any further would ruin the corpse, and he still intended to study it. Encountering the corpses of a Primordial God and an Origin Demon was exceedingly rare. Even Great Xia Prefecture seemed to lack such specimens in stock. Nearby, Wen Zhong, who was assisting him, chuckled upon seeing this. "Your ability to extract blood essence is quite formidable. Is it a special divine character?" "Yes, the 'Blood' character. It's almost at the third tier. I've been suppressing it to keep it from advancing, because once it reaches the third tier, it actually won't be as convenient to use." "..." Wen Zhong went silent. *To hell with you!* A third-tier divine character! Fortunately, Jin Sheng and the others weren't here, or they would have been thoroughly demoralized. The four of them had been stuck without advancing precisely because they lacked third-tier divine characters. "When do you plan to advance to Tengkong as a Civilization Master?" Wen Zhong asked curiously. This kid had delayed his advancement despite having outlined ten divine characters. Was there really such a massive gap left to bridge? "No rush. I haven't finished opening all my divine apertures." While storing the blood essence, Su Yu began extracting from the demon corpse. The Primordial God and Origin Demon bore striking resemblances to humans, yet differences remained. Both were handsome—handsome beyond human standards! Moreover, at the center of the Origin Demon's glabella was a red flame marking. Su Yu's eyes flickered. Between the brows! The glabella! Could it be along the central axis? Of course, he dared not test that blindly. Blowing up one's glabella was nothing like blowing up one's backside; it would truly be fatal. Turning to the Primordial God, Su Yu quickly stripped off its garments. The clothing qualified as a set of armaments of considerable value, but Su Yu didn't care much—he wasn't short on money right now—and tossed it aside. Examining it closely, the Primordial God resembled humans even more closely, lacking any mark as prominent as the Origin Demon's flame. After searching for a moment, Su Yu turned the body over to inspect its back, his eyes narrowing. The spine! Reaching out, Su Yu felt along the bones, kneading them gently before raising an eyebrow. "The spine of this Primordial God has densely packed bones—at least forty or more! Is this the greatest difference from humans?" "Correct!" Wen Zhong nodded. "The spine serves as a wellspring of power. With so many closely packed bones, their body-casting is formidable, their explosive force immense, and their spine is like a coiled dragon. That is one of the reasons the Primordial God Race is so powerful..." Su Yu said in a low voice, "Could the final two apertures be located one on the spine and one between the brows?" Wen Zhong chuckled. "Hard to say, and hard to test. Break the spine, and a person is practically crippled; rupture the glabella, and it's outright death. Trying to figure it out would require sacrificing countless lives!" *No need!* Su Yu thought to himself. *Once I consume the blood essence, I'll test it myself!* Perhaps he had guessed right this time! The final apertures might truly reside there. Remaining silent, Su Yu continued extracting the demon's blood essence. Both the god and the demon appeared to have been warriors with exceptionally strong bodies. As for whether Civilization Masters of these two races differed, Su Yu lacked the experience to know. That would have to wait until he killed more... er, acquired more god and demon corpses to draw conclusions. After a while, two vials sat before Su Yu. One vial of Primordial God blood essence, one vial of Origin Demon blood essence. Ten drops each! Both radiated formidable pressure! One could almost hear their indignant roars, the bitter resentment of their deaths. While Su Yu inspected the blood essence, Wen Zhong examined the corpses and remarked with a smile, "Both were killed by the same person. Impressive. The one who slew them was probably only at the third or fourth stage of Lingyun. That puts them on par with Great Xia's Huang Teng!" A formidable expert! "A spear specialist, a warrior. Both were finished off with a single lethal spear thrust. Could it be Qin Fang of Great Qin Prefecture?" "Qin Fang?" Looking up from the blood essence, Su Yu asked curiously, "Who is Qin Fang?" "Qin Zhen's grandson, renowned as the number one warrior of Great Qin Prefecture! That 'number one' doesn't mean Invincible, but rather unmatched within his realm! His strength is roughly equal to Huang Teng's. The two have never clashed, though many people eagerly await a bout between them!" He smiled. "Great Qin Prefecture and Great Xia Prefecture were founded by the first and second greatest warriors of humanity. King Daqin and King Daxia are akin to King Dazhou and King Daming in Quest Realm. Back in the day, people compared Xia Longwu to Qin Zhen; nowadays, both stand on the verge of attaining the Dao. As for the younger generation, everyone compares Huang Teng to Qin Fang. They are the most outstanding talents of the warrior path in both prefectures!" Huang Teng, Qin Fang. Su Yu committed both names to memory! His teacher had been pummeled by Huang Teng more than once—a grudge Bai Feng had never forgotten. If the opportunity arose, Su Yu wondered if he might help settle that score! Shaking off the thought, Su Yu took a deep breath, picked up the two vials, and stood. "Senior Brother, I need to go separate the blood essence. Please carry on without me..." Nodding, Wen Zhong said nothing more. He assumed Su Yu was going to concoct innate blood essence—a proprietary method of Su Yu's lineage. It was only natural not to share it; besides, Su Yu hadn't developed it alone, so any dissemination required the consent of the Multiple Divine Characters Faction. *** Second floor, cultivation room. Su Yu sealed the second floor, barring anyone from entering. The massive cultivation room was not entirely enclosed. Looking ahead, one could see outside scenery, though anyone outside could not see in—a kind of projection. Hu Xiansheng had clearly spared no effort in designing it. Before him sat the two vials of blood essence. Su Yu pondered for a moment. Was his physical body strong enough? It should be! Previously, he had swallowed plenty of Lingyun blood essence, eventually unleashing enough power to slay Zhou Pingsheng. Enduring the instantaneous burst of a single drop shouldn't be beyond him, right? Judging the blood essence to be from the second or third stage of Lingyun, Su Yu estimated he could withstand it. *What's there to fear? If a single drop of blood essence can blow me apart, then I'm far too weak!* *Casting the body with blood essence is a necessary process anyway!* His physical body was undeniably on par with a Tengkong's. Su Yu could have taken things slowly, casting his body first, but he was impatient, itching to test right away where those final two apertures were located! Just as he was about to try, he hesitated, stood up, and headed out the door. *Better not. I value my life.* He was no longer alone and destitute. Back when he had nothing, he hadn't feared death when swallowing blood essence for the first time. Now, taking unnecessary risks wasn't worth it! He would test it on Suanni. Suanni's physical body was sturdy, likely tougher than his own. If even Suanni couldn't handle it and blew apart, he would drop the idea and behave himself. If Suanni could endure it, so could he. He only needed to survive the initial burst, after which the golden album would absorb the rest. *** Downstairs. By the entrance, Suanni was yawning when it heard the door open. Su Yu waved with a warm smile. "Suanni, come inside. I have something good for you!" "..." Suanni trembled from head to toe! *Holy crap!* *What is this?* *Terrifying!* That expression was genuinely horrifying. *Go ahead and scold me! Beat me if you want! Just don't damn well smile!* *That smile is terrifying!* Nearby, the Mountain-Boring Ox quietly burrowed into the ground, leaving only a tiny tip of its horn exposed. *I'm an invisible ox. You can't see me, you can't see me!* Seeing Suanni dally, Su Yu barked, "Get in here!" *Whoosh!* Suanni scrambled inside. Still trembling all over! *What does he want from me?!* After closing the door, Su Yu smiled. "Don't be afraid. It really is a good thing. You saw it earlier—Great Qin Prefecture delivered treasures to me. I know you demon beasts like consuming blood essence to cultivate. I have a drop of Primordial God blood essence here. Swallow it and see if it helps heal your wounds." Suanni's eyes widened! *So generous?* *Holy crap!* *Primordial God blood essence?!* Out on the battlefield, it wouldn't dare kill a member of the Primordial God Race. Slaying one in secret was one thing, but never out in the open. Unlike humans, their numbers were small. Killing one could bring catastrophic trouble. "Lord..." Suanni asked cautiously, "is it truly god race blood essence?" "Nonsense!" Su Yu produced a drop. The next instant, Suanni bared its teeth. *Damn it, I knew there was a catch! This is Lingyun realm!* Yet after sensing it, it seemed manageable—around the third stage of Lingyun. Tolerable! It was a ninth-stage Tengkong great demon, after all; it shouldn't fail to withstand a single drop of blood essence! Suanni bounded up to Su Yu, baring its fangs eagerly. "Lord, I can try!" Not bad! It truly was a treasure! Wasting no time, Su Yu flicked the blood essence straight into its maw. Moments later, a wave of pressure erupted from Suanni's body as it let out a roar! Golden light flashed across its frame! Blood surged violently through its veins! The previously emaciated Suanni expanded slightly. It was far too thin, poor thing, having starved for over a decade and remained perpetually frail. Right now, this drop of blood essence was an incredible tonic! Nearly a tenth of the essence of a Lingyun Primordial God! "Roar!" Suanni roared, brandishing its claws. Just then, an angry shout came from upstairs: "Shut up, will you?! So damn noisy! Are we supposed to get any work done or what?!" Suanni's gaping jaws snapped shut instantly! *Never mind, can't afford to provoke her!* Much as it wanted to roar, that woman tortured the little fur ball on a regular basis, and Suanni itself had nearly been dissected several times. Best not to provoke her! After a while, Suanni exhaled, a blast of bloody qi shooting from its mouth! It pierced straight through the floor! Spitting out a mouthful of tainted blood, Suanni said excitedly, "Lord, the effects are fantastic! I think with a few dozen more drops, I could advance to Lingyun!" Su Yu glanced at it. It seemed fine, no major issues. As for dozens more drops... *Go die. Even if I killed you, you wouldn't be worth that much! Do you have no self-awareness?* Ignoring the beast's nonsense, Su Yu said briskly, "Since you're fine, get back out there and guard the door. Also, I recorded a video of you swallowing that Primordial God blood essence. Behave yourself from now on, because if you don't, I'll release the recording. Even if you flee back to the All-Heavens Battlefield, the Primordial God Race will hunt you down!" "...Damn it!" Suanni choked back the curse with sheer effort! *Holy crap!* *Are you... are you serious?!* Suanni's excitement vanished in an instant, its massive head drooping. *Damn it, if that video gets out, even if I escape from Su Yu, the Primordial God Race will hunt me down!* *If I return to the Suanni clan, they might just toss me out and hand me over to the Primordial Gods!* It wanted to weep! *Does this mean I can't even run away anymore?!* *Why did my mouth have to be so cheap? Why did I eat that drop of blood essence?!* Su Yu said indifferently, "Stop spending all day thinking about running away. Where could you run? If you ever go missing, I'll share this video with the Primordial God Race. You can wait for death!" "Lord... this humble demon had no intention of running!" Suanni whined, feeling utterly wronged. Su Yu ignored it and turned to head upstairs. Since nothing went wrong, taking it himself would be fine; at worst, his flesh might tear slightly, but he could endure it. Suanni really was a fine test subject. A pity it wasn't human, or he could have tested far more things. *** Downstairs, Suanni wore a face full of gloom. *What a rotten bastard!* *Tricked me into eating, then turned around and blackmailed me. Civilization Masters really are all evil.* Heading outside, the Mountain-Boring Ox poked its head up. "How was it?" "Nothing. The lord gave me some treasures and said you're too weak, not worth promoting. Just wait to be turned into beef—Head Niu loves beef the most!" The Mountain-Boring Ox grew deeply anxious. "For real?" "For real!" The ox's heart sank with dread. *The good days are over!* *** By this point, Su Yu had no time to spare for them. A drop of blood essence settled into his palm, thrashing before he swallowed it in a single gulp. "Hah!" With a low roar, his body expanded, his heart thudding furiously as all his apertures opened, his flesh swelling continuously! *Pfft!* A mouthful of blood sprayed out, cracks spiderwebbing across his skin. Su Yu bared his teeth in a grin. Soon, golden light erupted within his sea of will. Before that overwhelming burst could run rampant, the power of the blood essence vanished entirely! Within the album, a dazzling, golden page flashed into existence! Unlocked! "Primordial God Race (Lingyun third stage): Innate Skill: God Transformation (activated via blood essence) Basic Origin Art: Primordial God Art (activated via blood essence) Basic Body-Casting Art: Primordial Body-Casting Art (activated via blood essence) Basic Yuan Qi Mutation Art: Primordial Nine Transformations Art (activated via blood essence)" Divine light flickered in Su Yu's eyes! It appeared! In for a penny, in for a pound. Without hesitation, he swallowed another drop of Primordial God blood essence! Activate the cultivation art! Primordial God Art! In the blink of an eye, 144 apertures ignited across his body! *Huu!* Su Yu panted heavily as his physical form expanded wildly, the pressure of the Lingyun realm erupting around him! A third-stage Lingyun of the Primordial God Race! Formidable! In an instant, an aperture along his spine opened for the very first time! Su Yu was overjoyed! "It worked!" It really was there! *Boom!* Rising to his feet, third-stage Lingyun power erupted from him, causing the floor to creak beneath his tread. With the blood essence's power not yet exhausted, Su Yu felt an overwhelming urge to pick a fight. He felt confident he could easily beat Suanni to death! Should he go downstairs and beat it to death just to vent? "Very good. The Origin Demon Race must have one too!" Su Yu discarded the thought of beating Suanni to death. Instead, he channeled origin qi, swiftly opening that single aperture on his spine! Since he couldn't fight, he would use this power to open an aperture! Origin qi surged toward him like a storm! *** Half an hour later, the aperture was fully opened, and Su Yu's eyes shone brightly. Without hesitation, he swallowed another drop of blood essence—this time from the Origin Demon Race! With his prior experience, this attempt went far smoother. "Origin Demon Race (Lingyun third stage): Innate Skill: Demon Descent (activated via blood essence) Basic Origin Art: Origin Demon Art (activated via blood essence) Basic Body-Casting Art: Origin Demon Body-Casting Art (activated via blood essence) Basic Yuan Qi Mutation Art: Demon God Nine Transformations Art (activated via blood essence)" Without even pausing to inspect the details, Su Yu promptly swallowed another drop of blood essence, intending to activate the Origin Demon Art! *Rumble!* A roar echoed between his brows! A moment later, an aperture materialized at the center of his glabella. Wild joy flooded Su Yu's chest. It was truly here—he had found all 360 apertures! Open them! Today, he would open all 360 origin apertures! He had succeeded!