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Chapter 227: Arriving at Black Wood Island, Tracking Down Gu Ran
🕑 Added 2023-07-13 22:00:03 +0000 UTC
Moreover, there was more to it than just the ability to slay extraordinary entities and siphon off a portion of their cultivation base.
The 'Endless Dark Blood Moon' bloodline had two additional unusual abilities.
The first one was the 'Spectral Concealment' ability!
The ramifications of this concealment were immensely chilling.
It encompassed not only the physical form but also the aura, oscillations in the cultivation base, and so much more.
However, this camouflage ability had one defect - its operation would cease if the Yuan Power was utilized excessively fast.
Forget about intense combat, even an overly high flight speed could trigger its failure.
Naturally, the more Gu Ran vanquished, the more robust the activation of the Endless Dark Blood Moon became, which in turn would also bolster the power of the Spectral Concealment.
It could even reach a point where it could be engaged in low-intensity combat.
The second trait was the capacity to boost cultivation speed and efficiency in martial training.
This attribute was prevalent in almost all high-tier bloodlines.
The rank of the Endless Dark Blood Moon was extraordinarily lofty.
Even at a very low activation level, it brought about a dramatic enhancement in Gu Ran's cultivation speed and martial training efficiency!
Under equivalent conditions, Gu Ran's cultivation speed had already outstripped that of typical Top Grade aptitude geniuses.
The swift cultivation capability, coupled with the power to eliminate extraordinary entities and seize a portion of their cultivation base, if unhindered, would undoubtedly propel Gu Ran's cultivation base realm to astonishing elevations!
'My bloodline is immensely potent!'
'It won't be much longer before I can exact my revenge!'
Drawing slow, profound breaths, Gu Ran's eyes sparkled with sporadic flashes of murderous intent.
The 'Endless Dark Blood Moon' bloodline endowed him with intense self-assurance.
Provided he could secure an environment favorable for growth, Gu Ran held no reservations about his capacity to seek retribution.
Moreover, he wasn't excessively worried about the 'Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo' bloodline that had been wrested from him.
The Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo and the Endless Dark Blood Moon were mutually restraining bloodlines, each possessing commensurate levels.
However, excising the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo from Gu Ran's body wasn't devoid of repercussions.
Even with the most painstaking procedure, some losses were inevitable.
The phrase 'perfect extraction' was a relative term, indicating a lesser degree of loss compared to other methods resulting in more significant depletion.
And the integration of the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo would yet again drain a portion of the bloodline's power!
After being diminished twice, the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo no longer stood a chance against the Endless Dark Blood Moon.
The two bloodlines counterbalanced each other.
If one was debilitated, it would be ruthlessly suppressed, unable to regain its vitality.
Hence, from Gu Ran's viewpoint, even if the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect nurtured an extraordinarily gifted individual with the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo, they wouldn't constitute a threat to him.
Time gradually slipped away as the ship deftly navigated across the sea.
In what seemed like a flash, they reached an unassuming island.
This island harbored a teleportation array linking to other islands.
Gu Ran didn't tarry; he melted into the crowd and, without parting with a single spirit stone, took the teleportation array directly to his target destination.
Employing this method, he promptly advanced towards Black Wood Island.
...
Meanwhile, on Black Wood Island, a figure hovered above, scrutinizing the entire island from the sky.
That person was none other than Jiang Chen, who had used the Heavenly Demon Hidden Heart Ring to mask his presence.
Compared to Gu Ran's sluggish progress, Jiang Chen's speed was extraordinary, and he had already outpaced him to Black Wood Island.
'The Feng Clan...'
'They stand as the most formidable force on this island, the ones fated to clash with Gu Ran. This confrontation will inevitably lead to their humiliation and subsequent eradication.'
'The ones with the lowest Fate Value among them are several Mysterious Platform realm cultivators. It appears they will be the first to fall at Gu Ran's hands.'
Surveying a sprawling mountain valley on the island, a hint of anticipation ignited in Jiang Chen's eyes.
The multitude of buildings nested within the valley marked the dwelling of the Black Wood Island's premier clan, the Feng Clan.
The Feng Clan was populous, but their most potent member was merely at the Inquiring Journey realm.
After all, this was just a remote, minor island.
After cataloguing all the supporting characters in the Feng Clan, Jiang Chen's divine sense pivoted towards the sea.
During his journey here, Jiang Chen had gathered detailed information about Black Wood Island, and he had picked up on a particular detail.
Every year, in the eleventh month, a migrating herd of demonic beasts would traverse past Black Wood Island.
The herd was composed of a diverse array of demonic beasts, expansive in scope, but their realms weren't particularly high.
The most formidable amongst them were at the Inquiring Journey realm, but they were scarce.
These migrating Inquiring Journey realm demonic beasts were too engrossed in their migration to assault the desolate Black Wood Island.
Therefore, every eleventh month of the year, daring cultivators with exceptional prowess would converge here to hunt demonic beasts.
If they succeeded in hunting down some seldom seen valuable demonic beasts, they could reap considerable rewards.
'It's almost the eleventh month of the year in the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sea!'
'Could it be that Gu Ran chose Black Wood Island as his growth base not only for its isolation and the challenge of discovery, but also because of the demonic beast tide?'
'...'
Jiang Chen stroked his chin, shelving this inference at the back of his mind for the moment.
Shortly thereafter, he descended onto the island, nonchalantly choosing a spot to conceal himself.
He embarked on cultivation while he bided his time.
Concerning the Feng Clan, Jiang Chen remained continually watchful, though he had no plans to intervene prematurely.
Such a move could inadvertently allow Gu Ran to stay undercover.
Time ambled at its unhurried pace, and in the blink of an eye, half a month had evaporated.
'Still no sighting?'
'Damn it, could I have been mistaken?'
Jiang Chen's vigil had grown excruciatingly long, his brows knitting deeper with each passing day. By now, he was on the brink of losing his patience.
It wasn't that he lacked forbearance, but rather that the protagonist Gu Ran was extraordinarily elusive in his estimations.
A whole half month! If Gu Ran had used this time to fortify himself, how much could his cultivation base and combat prowess have escalated?
Inhaling deeply, Jiang Chen once again expanded his divine sense, concentrating particularly on Black Wood Island and the surrounding maritime areas.
The initial scan revealed nothing - no trace of Gu Ran, no hint of anything out of the ordinary.
The second sweep, too, proved fruitless.
Just as Jiang Chen was conducting his third sweep with divine sense, Gu Ran, the protagonist, finally emerged!
He was located on a desolate coral reef in the eastern sea region of Black Wood Island.
Whoosh!
A Mysterious Platform realm demonic beast, resembling a giant black tortoise, erupted through the sea's surface.
Amidst the waves, it clambered onto the coral reef, preparing to bask in the sunlight.
However, at that very moment, a young man abruptly materialized out of nowhere.
The man exuded the aura of the Mysterious Platform realm, garbed in a black robe.
He had a lean figure, above-average features, and his eyes radiated a resolute, icy glow.
It was indeed Gu Ran!
The moment Gu Ran emerged, he unleashed a lethal onslaught on the demonic beast.
Boom!
Caught unawares, the creature was struck in the head by the young man's assault, immediately letting out a wail of distress.
Instantly a flash of frigid light swept by, a razor-sharp blade swiftly penetrated from the demonic beast's mouth into its skull, twisting ruthlessly.
The demonic beast convulsed, its body quaking as it thrashed violently, and with a resounding crash, it plummeted into the sea.
But merely a few breaths later, the enormous corpse of this tortoise-like demonic beast surfaced.
'Endless Dark Blood Moon!'
A gleam of joy materialized in Gu Ran's eyes. With a muted growl in his heart, he immediately unleashed the power of his bloodline.
A faint crimson glow gradually rose from within the body of the black, tortoise-like demonic beast, encased by streams of shimmering 'fluorescence'.
This bloody glow was the amalgamation of Gu Ran's Yuan Power and the energy of his bloodline, while the shimmering 'fluorescence' was the pure cultivation base, extracted from the body of the demonic beast.
'Absorb!'
Gu Ran commanded, drawing the crimson light and the pure cultivation base into his own body.
The speed at which he assimilated the cultivation base was staggeringly fast, incorporating it into his own being in an instant.
'Excellent!'
'I'm one step closer to the Heavenly Origin realm!'
'Even though I cultivate rather rapidly, hunting and plundering demonic beasts is still faster!'
'...'
Feeling a surge in his cultivation base, a faint smile crept onto Gu Ran's face.
Suddenly, as if jolted by an electric shock, he shivered, every hair on his body standing on end.
Gu Ran felt as if he was under surveillance, an invisible stare fixed on him.
His complexion changed, and without a moment's delay, he activated his bloodline power, masking his presence.
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