In fact, Ye Zhen had known about the problem with his innate bloodline the moment he emerged from the Black Dragon Secret Palace, one and a half months earlier.
Over the past month and a half, aside from his cultivation, Ye Zhen spent most of his time researching the abnormal change in his innate bloodline, but essentially, he achieved no results.
Ye Zhen only remembered that inside the Black Dragon Secret Palace, when the Dragon Roar sounded and the Black Dragon’s left eye had glared at him, endless black radiance enveloped him, surged into his body, and then he passed out.
After waking up, Ye Zhen had already been taken out of the Black Dragon Secret Palace.
The first instant he woke up, Ye Zhen discovered that his second innate bloodline... had turned black.
The originally blank state of his second innate bloodline, which merely allowed the flow of innate bloodline spiritual energy, had turned into a dense ink-like pure black, with the black radiance slowly circulating inside it, resembling a black gemstone.
What surprised Ye Zhen the most was that the length of his second innate bloodline had also dramatically increased.
Originally, after receiving the golden dragon-shaped glow granted by the Dragon Spirit at the Black Dragon Platform, the length of the other three innate bloodlines had surged from over two feet to seven and a half feet, with only the First Sword Vein reaching ten feet.
But the moment Ye Zhen was sent out from the Black Dragon Secret Palace, he was shocked to discover that the length of his second innate bloodline had explosively increased to eleven feet.
Its length was even a foot longer than the ten-foot long First Sword Vein.
If the four innate bloodlines were lined up side by side, the second black innate bloodline looked even more majestic.
It took several days for this discovery to stop astonishing Ye Zhen.
Initially, Ye Zhen thought that this black innate bloodline might have obtained some sort of divine power inheritance, just like the Sword Heart Enlightenment of the First Sword Vein.
After all, that was how Ye Zhen’s First Sword Vein had surged in length.
Moreover, in Ye Zhen’s understanding, only by obtaining a divine power inheritance could one utilize the origin power of the divine power to rapidly enhance the innate bloodline.
This speculation excited Ye Zhen immensely.
Divine power inheritance.
And it was very likely to be from the legendary divine power inheritance of the Black Dragon, which might be incredibly powerful.
However, after a few days, Ye Zhen’s excitement turned into confusion.
There was no response whatsoever.
Ye Zhen had tried almost every method imaginable, probing with Divine Soul Power, stimulating with Spiritual Power, stimulating with the approach used to activate Vein Forging Divine Ability, and even trying to stimulate using the method for activating innate bloodlines. This black innate bloodline, however, was like dead, showing no signs of activity.
After a few days, Ye Zhen’s confusion turned into deep concern.
It is well known that the higher a martial artist’s cultivation, the more it is influenced by the number of innate bloodlines, especially upon entering the Vein Forging Realm, where ’One Meridian One Divine Power’ applies.
The number of innate bloodlines directly determines the number of divine power martial skills a martial artist will be able to cultivate in the future.
And Ye Zhen, having only four innate bloodlines, had already had the first one occupied by Sword Heart Enlightenment.
Though the divine power martial skill, Sword Heart Enlightenment, is not bad, its main function is still auxiliary. Nevertheless, Ye Zhen still had three innate bloodlines left that he could choose to cultivate.
But now, one of the remaining three innate bloodlines had been occupied, and it was completely inactive, like a dead vein.
Now, Ye Zhen could not help but worry; he had only four innate bloodlines in total, with one taken by Sword Heart Enlightenment and the second taken by this black light. He had only two innate bloodlines available for his own use.
This meant that Ye Zhen could only independently practice two divine power martial skills in the future, which posed the question, how could Ye Zhen manage?
However, for now, Ye Zhen had no solution to this, only hoping that as his cultivation improved, a solution might emerge.
Of course, there was always a hope deep in Ye Zhen’s heart.
Ye Zhen believed that the massive influx of black light from the Black Dragon’s left eye wasn’t simply to take over one of his innate bloodlines, right?
What its purpose was, perhaps time would reveal.
Of course, Ye Zhen was also feeling fortunate.
He was relieved that the black light had only taken over his second innate bloodline and had not disabled it. If he had lost the ability to absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi from the environment through his second innate bloodline, Ye Zhen might have truly been driven to tears.
What Ye Zhen did not know was that, after he passed out, the black light had intended to saturate his entire body, but in the end, it was forced by the Mirage Dragon Pearl into a corner of his body, specifically into his second innate bloodline.
If Ye Zhen knew this, what would he think?
Although Ye Zhen had spent over a month painstakingly researching the affected second innate bloodline without discerning any changes, the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten had awakened.
Why say this? Because inside the body of the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten, there was also this same black light.
After waking up one and a half months later, the fur of the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten had undergone noticeable changes.
Firstly, the ’King’ character on its forehead, which had initially matched the tiger king’s milky-white fur, was now a distinctly shaped and textured ’King’ character.
But now, this ’King’ character had turned black — a large, pure black ’King’ that majestically adorned the tiger king’s forehead.
This change, Ye Zhen felt, was still within his acceptable limits, as the black ’King’ character looked even more imposing.
Next came the part that nearly drove Ye Zhen to tears.
The fur on the four paws three inches up, as well as the ears and the tail, had all become thickly black, starting from the top of the head down the entire spine.
God, this change was simply ridiculous.
The imposing presence of the ’King’ character on the forehead instantly plummeted to a negative.
The only good thing was that when the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten shrunk down to the size of a small cat, a white body with black paws and a black tail turned out to be incredibly cute.
Even Liao Feibai, quite the tomboyish girl, couldn’t keep her hands off the miniaturized Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten.
Of course, a few days later, the now cute Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten let out a tragic cry upon seeing Liao Feibai and then swiftly disappeared without a trace.
Even if a tomboy likes cute pets, she is still a tomboy. In just a few days, she had played too rough with the rugged Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten.
As for the changes seen in the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten, they could only be attributed to the black light.
Through his research, Ye Zhen discovered that inside the body of the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten, there was a significant amount of black light similar to what had occupied his second innate bloodline.
The difference was that the black light inside the body of the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten had mingled with its bloodline, flesh, and even its demon core, while in Ye Zhen, it was concentrated solely in the second innate bloodline.
Ye Zhen believed that if the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten experienced any changes due to this black light, it could serve as a reference for him.
The Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten would be Ye Zhen’s only hope in studying the mysterious black light that occupied his second innate bloodline.
Time flew by, and more than two months passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, Ye Zhen truly experienced the feeling of being the center of attention and adoration. To be honest, at first, that feeling was quite exhilarating.
Wherever Ye Zhen went, everyone, even the Sect Elders, looked at him with respect and even reverence.
Wherever Ye Zhen arrived, he immediately became the center of attention, surrounded by many people.
Any feeling, the first time is very beautiful, the second time has its own flavor, the third time might still be okay, but by the fourth time, it might start to become nauseating.
After being surrounded for more than two months, Ye Zhen was utterly depressed.
That feeling of being the focus of everyone’s attention, occasionally it’s exhilarating, but if it continues, it becomes very annoying, even a source of trouble.
Just like now, unless necessary, Ye Zhen would absolutely not step out of Fairy Peak. Although it was said that Ye Zhen had absolute freedom in the Qiyun Sect, he felt as if he were imprisoned.
However, this situation changed on the seventy-seventh day after Ye Zhen returned to the Qiyun Sect.
On September 21st, a group of four men and women suddenly appeared in the sky above the now-sealed Mountain Gate of Qiyun Sect.
Although the Qiyun Sect had closed its doors, this closure was only for all the disciples and most other people. These four newcomers, who had just arrived, were greeted by Sect Master Guo Qijing and all the elders, who came out to welcome them.
The visitors were none other than the group led by Hai Luoshuang, the Master of Stars Tower, and the Deputy Tower Master, Yan Kun.
The act of welcoming the entire Sect led by Guo Qijing surprised Ye Zhen; this was almost the highest level of courtesy between sects in the Black Dragon Domain.
Perhaps even if the Sect Master Fuh Dongxing of the Phantom Divine Sect came to visit openly, it would only be with this level of courtesy.
This showed that the status of Stars Tower in the Jianghu was even higher than Ye Zhen had imagined.
The purpose of Hai Luoshuang’s visit was very simple: to take Ye Zhen to the Stars Tower’s headquarters in the Black Dragon Domain to let their tower also benefit from Ye Zhen’s luck power.
This was an agreement Ye Zhen had previously made with Hai Luoshuang, the Stars Tower Master: as long as Ye Zhen entered the Black Dragon Ranking, he would have to spend half of his time living in the Stars Tower.
But no one had expected that Ye Zhen would not only enter the Black Dragon Ranking, but he would also achieve the first rank.
This led to Hai Luoshuang personally coming to take Ye Zhen away.
Ye Zhen had informed Sect Master Guo Qijing of this matter after returning to the Qiyun Sect.
Sect Master Guo Qijing, apart from regret, had no choice but to agree.
Martial artists value their commitments, especially in matters related to the acquisition of destiny, which are of utmost significance.
Honestly, if it were not for the invitation sent by Hai Luoshuang from the Fragrant Pill King Mansion, which enabled Ye Zhen to successfully bid for a Spirit Storage Pill and breakthrough to the Spirit Transformation Realm,
Ye Zhen might not have even been qualified to compete in the Black Dragon Ranking.
Therefore, this promise must be upheld by Ye Zhen.
"Master Hai, I am aware of your purpose. According to the agreement, Ye Zhen should now follow you to the Stars Tower in the Black Dragon Domain to cultivate the power of destiny.
After all, it was you who helped Ye Zhen later on. There is absolutely no reason for me to obstruct this matter, but there is one thing I must understand clearly before you take Ye Zhen away. Only after I am sure of this matter, can I rest assured to let you take him away," said Guo Qijing.
"Please speak, Sect Master Guo!"
"Safe!"
"Ye Zhen’s safety issue!"
"Not to mention the previous grudges Ye Zhen had with Sword Origin Sect and Phantom Divine Sect, just consider now, how envious the various sects are of Ye Zhen. Master Hai must know that, right?"
Apart from that, our Qiyun Sect’s Mountain Protection Array has been continuously active these days, regardless of the consumption. It is possible to take Ye Zhen away, but his safety must be guaranteed! Especially since your Stars Tower Black Dragon Domain headquarters is very close to the Phantom Divine Empire!"
Hai Luoshuang was not rushed and quietly listened to Guo Qijing finishing his talk, then softly said, "Sect Master Guo, I understand your concerns, and I have already made preparations."
"Preparations? Are you referring to the four people here with us, or did you arrange someone on the way for a rendezvous?"
"Neither!"
"Then what is it?" Guo Qijing was somewhat curious.
"A Heavenly Spirit Boat, and it’s a General-Level one at that!"
"What? A General-Level Heavenly Spirit Boat, is that the legendary one from the Main Building of Stars Tower?" Upon hearing this, Guo Qijing was greatly shocked.
"Correct," Hai Luoshuang nodded, "Besides that, we have also prepared ten thousand mid-grade Spirit Crystals, one thousand high grade Spirit Crystals, and ten supreme Spirit Crystals as reserves!"
"Low Grade Spirit Crystals can allow a General-Level Heavenly Spirit Boat to reach a speed of three thousand miles per hour, mid-grade Spirit Crystals can push it to six thousand miles per hour, high grade Spirit Crystals to nine thousand miles per hour, and supreme Spirit Crystals can even boost the speed of the General-Level Heavenly Spirit Boat to a terrifying twelve thousand miles per hour."
"With a speed of nine thousand miles per hour, even a martial artist at the Vein Forging Realm would not be able to catch up, right? And with a speed of twelve thousand miles per hour, it could even shake off a Heavenly Level Lower Grade Flying Monster Beast.
Sect Master Guo, with these preparations, Ye Zhen’s safety should be guaranteed," said Hai Luoshuang.
"Hmm, that should be sufficient, but still, it is better to be cautious!"
The next instant, Guo Qijing suddenly raised his head and said something that stunned everyone.
"Master Hai, is it possible to sell one of these Heavenly Spirit Boats to our Qiyun Sect?"
"That...."
"Sect Master Guo, I’m sorry, but you know, the Main Building is extremely far from here, and at the moment, we have only this one General-Level Heavenly Spirit Boat for personal use here, so...."
After a pause, Hai Luoshuang continued, "However, if we have a second one in the future, I will definitely give priority to Qiyun Sect, not just for any other reason, but for Ye Zhen and Younger Sister Liao."
"Good, good, good!"
"Come, let me escort Ye Zhen onto the boat!"
Guo Qijing, laughing heartily, took Ye Zhen by the hand and headed out the door.
Looking at the empty sky, Ye Zhen paused, "Where is the boat, the Heavenly Spirit Boat?"
"Hehe, right here, look!"
During Hai Luoshuang’s light laughter, she suddenly rose into the air, and as her hand emitted brilliant light, a flying boat a hundred zhang long and sparkling with Spirit Light appeared in the sky.
The bottom of the flying boat shone brightly with immense radiant spirit light!
"Sect Master Guo, rest assured, in two and a half months, I will personally return Ye Zhen back to you completely unharmed!" The next instant, the voice of Hai Luoshuang, leading everyone aboard, resounded.(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to recommend votes and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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