66 Natural Habita (1/2)

Her master's actions had made Ning Bi quite curious, and concerned at the same time. While on the spiritual boat, he had filled a vial with his blood through great effort. His flesh was healing too fast, so he ended up making many deep cuts to his palm while ignoring the concerned looks of his disciples.

From the looks of the beasts and demons in cages, his blood seemed to have strange effects of beasts and demons. She remembered her master's assurance before he awakened their bloodlines. He told them if something were to go wrong, he would remove the bloodline immediately.

Did her master awaken to a bloodline himself? What kind of bloodline would cause fierce beasts to be frightened so much that even their breathing would turn shallow?

Her elder sister Jin Shu's parasitic bloodline was removed by her master. After that incident, Ning Bi had asked various questions to Jin Shu about it. The more she heard, the more worried she became for her elder sister. But thankfully, that parasitic bloodline was removed and there was nothing to worry about anymore.

Ning Bi thought about her master's character. He looked stern and unapproachable from the outside, but in reality, he was a kind and caring person. Often he would put his disciples above his well being.

Ning Bi and her elder sisters were sure that he would prefer to suffer in silence than to let others worry about him. This was something they as his disciples discussed with his mother at length. Ning Bi was concerned the situation pointed toward a detrimental bloodline. This needed some further deliberations, as soon as possible!

While she was thinking, she followed her master as if on autopilot. She now realized they have stopped and did not move for nearly a minute. Her master seemed to be just standing there, distracted by something.

Now that she thought about it, her master did have some odd habits.

* * *

Han De was sweating profusely. If there wasn't a spiritual spell that blocked his scent, the test subjects behind would've turned stiff from his progenitor stench.

'... She just talked… But didn't talk? No, she did talk...'

He had already read the skill, but while the description made it sound simple, the real effect was anything but.

[Will of the Progenitor]

[Higher beings will understand your will by instinct. Communications from higher beings can be understood regardless of their medium.]

'Almost as if I heard it from inside my head, but at the same time it wasn't there, it somehow felt like it was coming from a great distance. Definitely not a voice transmission...'

The voice was also similar but different than her physical voice. The woman bowed from a distance and disappeared into the spiritual boat. For a moment, Han De really wanted to know what she really was.

{Exalted one, one day this being was awakened, and one day this being was brought here. This being does not have any more memories.}

Han De grabbed his head and tried to correct his balance. The world started spinning as he heard the melodious voice. Thankfully, the woman stopped talking, or whatever that was supposed to be.

'Can she read my thoughts?! F#$%!!'

'If you can read this, please respond…!'

'...'

'...'

For a while, Han De tried to appease the woman with polite thoughts. But she didn't respond. Han De read the skill description again. There wasn't any indication of turning it on or off. In this test, he just tried to ascertain the effects without trying to interfere with the bloodline. The actual test for turning it off was during his incognito walk around the city.

'If I can't turn it off, and didn't offend her, that means she can't read my thoughts?'

Han De's released a shaky sigh. Ning Bi had gotten closer to him and was ready to support if he had lost his balance again. He gave her a mental +1, this girl was really dutiful. Fortunately, he didn't need any help, it was just slight vertigo, not something serious.

As a test, Han De wanted to 'will' something. The first thing that came to his mind was steamed buns.

{Your wish is this being's command, oh exalted one!}

Another slight vertigo, accompanied by a mild headache and dizziness this time. Han De felt something coming from his nose.

'Huh, I haven't had a runny nose for some time. Wait, do I even have a handkerchief with me?'

Before he could even search his pockets, a small hand presented him with a tiny, wool handkerchief.

”Oh, thank you!”

He quickly used it and then froze. Han De he realized his Hidden Expert persona had slipped for a second. Of course a cultivator wouldn't have a runny nose!

The tiny and simple looking handkerchief had a small red dot on it.

'Uh, when I… interpreted… the tentacles' movements, nothing strange happened. Now just hearing her voice makes my nose bleed? The strain of the bloodline on my body is that high?! Can I turn this off? Can I get a refund?!'

While Han De was staring at the red dot, and lamenting this new 'skill' of his, Ning Bi took the opportunity and grabbed the handkerchief.

”Master, are you… alright?”

Han De smiled to hide his awkwardness. Making a 13-year-old worry for his well being was embarrassing enough, but this 13-year-old was also an MC with that perverted grudge skill. He cleared his throat and patted Ning Bi's head.

”I am fine. I overdid a new technique just a little. My constitution heals superficial wounds really fast, so there is nothing to worry about. Let's go.”

Once Ning Bi nodded, Han De continued toward the spiritual boat. He already forgot about the blood on the handkerchief and didn't see Ning Bi putting it in her storage ring with a serious expression. He was too busy theory-crafting while walking back to the spiritual boat.

'That awakening stuff can mean many things. Is she a higher being that somehow has fallen to this state? Is she a higher being that is in the process of awakening? Is she a higher being hybrid? Maybe it is a high bloodline?'

'If I ask her directly, that might jolt something and cause her to remember more. The result of that could go either way for me. The effect of my bloodline says higher beings cannot be disrespectful. That can mean anything really…'

Han De was worried that the woman may or may not turn hostile after awakening. Being respectful didn't mean being friendly. Accepting his rule may not mean following his every word either. She, or the eldritch horror could respectfully follow his rule while doing whatever the hell wanted in the end.

'Besides, is the effect of the scent permanent in the first place? In the lower beings it seems to be a pretty short-lived effect. The first day when Yao Qing escorted her back, she calmed down after pretty quickly as well. Was that the scent wearing off?'

'...'

'If that is the case, is the effect going to wear off from that tentacle monster as well? If the effect is just recognizing the bloodline, there shouldn't be a magical wear off mechanic… Probably...'

Although he wanted to get rid of the bloodline for his sanity, he completely gave up on that thought. This bloodline might be the only thing that could help him once that eldritch horror shaped timebomb blew up.

* * *

The cave that Silent Silhouette carved deep inside a mountain 267 years ago was now empty of life. As a divination expert, Silent Silhouette was a deeply paranoid man that frequently walked the line between life and death. Once he learned of his disciple's plight, he decisively took him and left.

The only things left inside the cave were the spiritual lantern that was barely illuminating itself, and a certain prayer beads, left more as a distraction rather than reparation. Silent Silhouette wasn't about to leave anything to chance.

An hour after they left, Long Xiu arrived. Her patience was at its limits, so she directly ripped apart the lonely mountain with the power of space to get to the small spiritual energy signature.

She ignored the thunderous sounds created by the debris from the broken mountain and focused on the cave. Once she saw the prayer beads, a warped smile appeared in her previously expressionless face. Her aura started leaking, but this time a little bit of her Dark Qi mixed into it. Anything the aura touched withered away nearly instantly.

Long Xiu regained her expressionless state a moment later, and the corrosive Dark Qi disappeared. She sent a voice transmission to the thirty Transcendent experts following her, and left on her own to start her clean up operation.

Unexpected strengthening of the veil meant a change of plans. She suddenly had a lot of work to do!

The mountain from before was turned into rubble, and the evergreen forest around it was now nothing but a pile of sand. The Han family experts were used to this sight and left without batting an eye.

* * *

”You want me... to become their overlord?”

Han Bai was looking at his cousin Han De with a weird expression. Han De didn't mind his reaction, but he made a point to fix his cousin's mistake.

”Not overlord. As I said, you will become their savior.”

Han De was talking with a kind smile. Although it was a fake smile, underneath it, he was deeply enjoying it.

He had spent most of his time in this world at the Starfall Mountain. He would never leave the sect if it wasn't for his parents' insistence. Fear of death was all too real, and his abode was very comfortable and luxurious!

Han De's nerves held up pretty well on that horrific battle, and he could hold his worries and panic inside so far. But that didn't mean an invisible pressure wasn't building up. The battle was only 30 minutes long, but he nearly died many times! The brutal reality of a Xianxia world had shown its ugly head once again. The situation was never stable, and everything could turn haywire in just a matter of seconds!

Because of that, the current circumstances became a really good release valve for Han De. A chance to exercise his power for the good of common people!

'I can't wait to see those cultivators going purple with rage. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this, so very much!'