Chapter 184: The Portal of the Divine General

Qian Ye and Li Kuanglan moved swiftly, each seizing the origin force gun and the wooden crate containing provisions. As for the rest, they could only let it be.

Each found a sheltered corner to resist the fierce gale, silently watching Qian Ye as they battled the wind.

The tempest carried strands of void origin power, like invisible blades, carving deep grooves into the rocky ground of the camp. Li Kuanglan and Ji Tianqing had to muster their origin force to protect themselves, otherwise, their clothes and armor would not withstand the slicing force of the void origin power. In this accursed world, ruined clothing had no place for replacement.

A tornado formed within the camp, spiraling upwards and piercing through the clouds. Bloody lightning shot from the walls of the whirlwind, painting a scene of apocalyptic despair.

Thankfully, the gale did not last long. The tornado dissipated after a brief moment, and the cloud vortex slowly dissolved, leaving the reluctant fissures in space to vanish.

Qian Ye slowly opened his eyes, a faint crimson glow flickering in the depths of his pupils. He felt his body swollen with origin force, bursting at the seams with nowhere to release. His newly rejuvenated muscles pulsed with raw, raging power, tingling and aching, urging him to smash something just to vent.

Yet, as he opened his eyes, he saw a scene of chaos. The two women were hiding at a distance, their expressions as if they were looking at a monster.

“What happened?” Qian Ye asked, bewildered.

“Isn’t it all your doing! You’ve wrecked our home,” Li Kuanglan was about to continue her tirade when Ji Tianqing pulled her back. “Qian Ye, were you cultivating just now?”

Qian Ye nodded, “After being injected with the serum, my body suddenly activated, resulting in the unexpected formation of a new origin force vortex. To replenish the origin force, I practiced for a while.”

Ji Tianqing then asked, “What kind of cultivation method were you using?”

This question delved into Qian Ye’s core secret, yet he didn’t dodge or hesitate, answering, “The Bing Fa Jue.”

Surprisingly, Ji Tianqing showed no surprise but instead, she seemed lost in thought. After a moment, she asked, “Did you feel anything unusual just now?”

Qian Ye was a bit confused, “Nothing out of the ordinary. It was just like before, sensing and drawing in the void origin power, then absorbing it into my body.” He paused, adding, “If there’s anything different, it’s that my range of perception was slightly larger than outside.”

“How large is the range of perception?” Ji Tianqing pressed, with Li Kuanglan also showing great interest.

“About a hundred meters, I guess.”

“And you can sense and draw in all the void origin power within that range?”

Qian Ye nodded, “But there’s too much void origin power. I can’t absorb all of it, and most of it is wasted.”

For an ordinary cultivator, this would be agonizing. They relied on luck to absorb even a little void origin power. But for Qian Ye, with the Bing Fa Jue, the void origin power within a hundred meters gathered into a storm. If others knew, jealousy might turn to hatred, and they might want to cut him down.

However, Ji Tianqing was focused on another point. “Qian Ye, when you draw in the void origin power, besides letting it enter your body, can you control its direction?”

Recalling his recent practice, Qian Ye nodded, “I think so, but not very precisely. And with so much void origin power, I can only control a small portion. To control more, at least for now, is beyond me.”

Human minds are limited, and one can only focus on a few things at a time, unless they have specific secret techniques. These techniques are incredibly difficult to master and are considered the most essential inheritances of the major clans and families. Song Zining had the Song Clan’s ancient scrolls but not the divine mysteries. Thus, Qian Ye felt he was far from mastering such techniques.

Yet, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan’s expressions were strange. Li Kuanglan coughed lightly, concealing her astonishment, “Qian Ye, being able to sense and control the surrounding origin force is a mark of a Divine General. Though some people can partially achieve this before reaching the rank of a Divine General, having an influence over a hundred-meter range requires crossing the threshold of a Divine General. Your performance shows that while your technique may be lacking, your ability is undoubtedly at the level of a Divine General.”

Ji Tianqing added, “Many Divine Generals can cause storms with a single move, with their power reaching a hundred meters. In reality, they might not control more origin force than you, but they have special techniques. For instance, they control a single part of the origin force, using it to alter ten parts, which then affect a hundred parts. Thus, it appears grand, but in essence, it’s not better than what you can do.”

Hearing this, Qian Ye felt enlightened. It was like splashing water; though the action affects only a small area, the ripples can spread far.

Seeing him ponder, Ji Tianqing said, “These secret techniques for manipulating origin force aren’t hard to find. Most families that have produced Divine Generals have several sets. Once we get out, I’ll get you a couple. They might not be as good as the Zhao Family’s, but they won’t be bad either.”

Qian Ye thanked her.

He had been with the Zhao Family for a short time, and during the floating continent battle, he was still far from the rank of a Divine General. The Zhao Family naturally wouldn’t hand over their Divine General-level secret techniques. The major families follow strict rules, doing things at the right time without any deviation. So, Qian Ye was clueless about how to break through to the Divine General rank and what to do afterward.

Ji Tianqing continued, “Alright, time is precious. Hurry and cultivate. Li Kuanglan and I need to talk, and you’re not allowed to eavesdrop.”

Qian Ye nodded, gathered his thoughts, and began refining the origin force. The newly formed origin vortex was now full of void origin power, which needed to be refined and transformed into Dawn Enlightenment to stabilize the foundation.

With the midnight still far off, Ji Tianqing and Li Kuanglan tidied up the camp while whispering to each other.

“Can the Bing Fa Jue really have such power?” Li Kuanglan was still incredulous.

Ji Tianqing replied, “Who knows? In the past thousand years, only the founding emperor, the martial ancestor, and King Wuwei have truly mastered the Bing Fa Jue. But according to my grandfather, the Bing Fa Jue embodies the grand momentum of the world, making it one of the top cultivation methods of our dynasty. However, only the founding emperor might have reached true mastery, even the martial ancestor fell short, and King Wuwei was even less so.”

Li Kuanglan was shocked, “So powerful?”

“Yes, my grandfather said the founding emperor was the greatest genius in history, creating countless inexplicable secret techniques, laying the foundation for a thousand years of the empire. Yet, after the founding emperor, many high-power, high-skill cultivation methods never reached their peak again, including the Bing Fa Jue. The most hopeful to decipher the Bing Fa Jue’s secrets was King Qingyang, but he gave up after the initial steps and switched to his family’s inherited method.”

Li Kuanglan pondered, “Judging by the power of Qian Ye’s cultivation, he must have reached the true entry level. Could the Bing Fa Jue require vampire blood? And from the content, it doesn’t seem capable of reaching a very high level.”

Ji Tianqing raised a finger to her lips, whispering, “Be careful, lest someone overhears.”

“Who would overhear us?” Li Kuanglan was perplexed.

“Who knows? Those who practice celestial mechanics love to eavesdrop. If you accidentally say the words they seek, you might inadvertently be linked, and they’ll know what you’re doing.”

Li Kuanglan was shocked. Recalling the past two days, she hadn’t spoken much when she couldn’t be seen, which brought her some relief. Her anger flared after the shock. She gritted her teeth, “Which school of celestial mechanics is so sneaky? I’ll destroy them once we get out!”

“Actually, it’s not hard to guess. Who has the skill to spy on you, knows you well, can avoid your sister’s attention, and remain undetected by you?”

This narrowed it down, and Li Kuanglan, her voice cold, said, “Song Zining!”

“That’s what you said,” Ji Tianqing smirked.

Li Kuanglan snorted, “Let him know. Even if he realizes I’m going to deal with him, he’s powerless.”

Ji Tianqing blinked, “Tell your sister. With her methods, Song Xiaoqi will never want to try again.”

“Good,” Li Kuanglan agreed readily.

Ji Tianqing glanced at Li Kuanglan’s belly, then whispered in her ear, “Hasn’t your sister told you about that…?”

Li Kuanglan blushed, reaching to pinch Ji Tianqing, who had already darted away, out of reach.

In the void above the floating land, a fleet of imperial warships was gathering, preparing to assault Chaochao City. Now, the dark army in Chaochao City consisted of only some spider demons and a few vampires, barely stronger than Song Zining’s fleet.

On the flagship, Song Zining stood on the deck, fanning himself, waiting for the fleet to assemble. Several ships, actually belonging to various neutral territories, were on their way. Old and dilapidated, they had little combat power.

Still, the paper strength of both sides was evenly matched, making it the perfect time for a battle. Song Zining intended to show these neutral families his skills, so even their weak ships were included. They only needed to watch quietly.

Just as he was thinking happily, Song Zining felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him, freezing him to the bone!

His fan clattered to the deck.

Guards and representatives from various families rushed over, concerned. Song Zining, however, was too preoccupied to maintain his composure, pale-faced and trembling, wondering where the sudden surge of malevolence had come from.

Even with his unparalleled expertise in celestial mechanics, he found no trace.