At the moment the airflow merged into his mind, Zhang Rongfang distinctly felt a clarity in his brain.

It was as if all the accumulated waste in his mind was swiftly expelled under the influence of this wisp of airflow.

His hairline began to exude a significant amount of sweat.

Most importantly, his life value started to increase once again.

From a previous 212, it gradually rose to 216.

"Spent three points, gained four points, made one more, let's do it again."

Now with substantial resources, Zhang Rongfang wanted to see what was so special about this world's Cultivation of Literature that could turn one into a Spirit General simply by venerating a god in the late stage of Refining God?

Immediately, he tapped the plus sign again.

Another three points of attributes vanished.

The same cycle began once more, but this time, the light airflow split from the Nascent Soul became even thicker.

Streams of airflow began weaving something in his brain as if they were real threads.

At first, what was woven was only a thin circular piece, and Zhang Rongfang did not know what it was.

It looked like a piece of transparent cloth.

After entering the mid-stage of Refining God in Cultivation of Literature.

All reactions and changes ceased, and the influx of memories ended.

Life value increased from 216 to 220. Another gain of one point.

Without hesitation, Zhang Rongfang tapped the plus sign again.

His free attribute points instantly reduced, leaving only one point.

And Cultivation of Literature finally reached the late stage of Refining God, as he wished.

This was because Zhang Rongfang had a thorough understanding of the Supreme Bright Void Skill from his years in the Great Dao Teaching, with no obstacles in his path to advancement.

In addition, as long as the Cultivation of Literature itself met the cultivation conditions, it could be improved through persistent effort.

Thus, he was able to advance so quickly and effortlessly.

Upon reaching the late stage of Refining God.

His life value leaped to 224.

A massive influx of cultivation memories poured into his mind.

The earlier clear qi expanded once again, and upon entering his brain, it rapidly joined the weaving process.

Gradually, as time passed.

Zhang Rongfang sat cross-legged in the cabin, unaware of the time passing.

Outside, the sky changed from bright to dim, and then from dim to grayish-white.

Finally.

Zhang Rongfang slowly opened his eyes.

He let out a long, even breath that carried an inexplicable stink.

It seemed to expel all impurities from his lungs in one go.

"This feeling...."

Zhang Rongfang's expression was somewhat serious.

Reaching the late stage of Refining God was nearly the pinnacle of Cultivation of Literature in the world.

He had originally thought that Cultivation of Literature was merely a way to regulate the body and mobilize the internal Essence Qi to strengthen the body and extend life.

But at this moment.

He vaguely sensed something was amiss.

The clear qi produced by Refining God had woven a spherical net in his brain.

The net was slowly absorbing the surrounding Qi and Blood, rotating gently, and even emitted subtle pulses like a heartbeat.

The whole process was clear and straightforward.

Firstly, the Nascent Soul in the chest and abdomen refined clear qi.

Secondly, the clear qi entered the brain net, and combined with Qi and Blood, it seemed to be gestating something.

"What exactly is this?" Zhang Rongfang frowned, slowly opening his eyes.

If the replenishment of flesh was a talent ability he gained after upgrade through attribute points,

then this brain net was a process that had to be experienced in this world to become a Spirit General.

In other words, this sphere was likely the key that determined whether an ordinary person could become a Spirit General by venerating a god.

Hiss...

Suddenly, a faint hissing sound came to Zhang Rongfang's ear.

His expression changed slightly as he suddenly stood up, his eyes bright and scanning around as if they were glowing.

'Blood, offer me.... Blood, offer me....'

A vague voice seemed to be whispering, faintly entering his ears.

"No....it's not the ears...." Zhang Rongfang suddenly closed his eyes, realizing that the sound was actually coming from the net he had just woven in his brain!

The sphere was vibrating slightly, and through the vibrations, it transmitted these indistinct sounds.

"What is this!?" Zhang Rongfang's gaze abruptly turned to the corner of the room, where the Blood God statue was tightly wrapped in cloth.

It remained motionless, yet a faint dark red glow seemed to emanate around it.

The light mysteriously failed to illuminate the surrounding objects, as if it only shone in Zhang Rongfang's eyes.

At this moment, the prompt in the attribute panel changed again.

'Intuition Warning: A strange entity is trying to communicate with you. You may choose whether to link with it.

Your instincts tell you that such a link could bring danger or could bring benefits.... You need to make a choice.'

Zhang Rongfang fell into silence.

He contemplated the incessantly trembling sphere in his mind and pondered deeply.

He could vaguely infer how a Spirit General came to be....

Communicating with the gods, could it really only be achieved after reaching the late stage of Refining God....?

He was curious.

But at the same time, he was apprehensive.

Upon forming a link, he might truly unravel some secrets of the mysterious gods and beings.

But he was uncertain about the extent of the Blood God's power once he decided to connect.

If....

For a long while.

Zhang Rongfang finally began to operate the Cultivation of Literature.

The operation of the Supreme Bright Void Skill quickly suppressed the tremor in the brain sphere.

The strange voice of the Blood God was soon suppressed and disappeared.

Everything returned to normal.

Standing up, Zhang Rongfang stepped forward and took out the Blood God statue.

At this moment, the Blood God, with a total of five eyes, seemed to have come to life. Although motionless, it still gave him the feeling that they were constantly watching him.

For some reason, Zhang Rongfang saw a trace of joy and kindness in those five eyes.

"It seems that the exploration of divinity and deities should also be expedited. But where do I start on such a matter?"

He rewrapped the statue and put it back in his luggage.

This statue, up to now, has become a tool he can use to communicate with the gods at any time.

Once he worships the gods, according to Yue Shi, with his current cultivation level, he will surely become a Spirit General.

As long as he worships the gods, he can step into the ranks of the world's most powerful....

This temptation....

Zhang Rongfang took a deep breath.

'If I have the power of a Spirit General, who can still trouble and force me? By then, my words will be the law, the rules!'

And now such an opportunity is right in front of him.

All he needs is....

Bam!

He crushed the water cup with a single palm. His chest heaved violently, and his breathing was rapid.

"Even without worshipping the gods! I can reach that level! Don't disturb me!!"

He suddenly closed his eyes and frantically operated his Supreme Bright Void Skill.

Soon, the strong impulse to worship the gods quickly dissipated in his heart.

After more than ten minutes, Zhang Rongfang left the cabin, came to the deck, and gazed at the distant sea scenery, easing the tension in his heart.

'Is this the influence of the subconscious? It's really powerful.... I almost got caught just by beginning to come into contact with it.'

'It seems that I must be extremely careful in the future.....'

*

*

*

"Shangguan Feihua!!"

On another large ship equally far from Qingchuan Port.

A strong old monk with white eyebrows hanging to his chin couldn't help but pressed his handprint into the copper staff.

Behind him were a dozen or so wounded masters from the Western Sect.

From Shangguan Feihua killing Ming Fei Hengyu to mobilizing people and striking at both them and the Zhenyi Sect simultaneously.

All this happened within less than three days.

In three days, their forces in Ze Province had been forcibly slaughtered by more than half.

If not for some masters of the Western Sect finally relying on the self-destruction of Spiritual Veins to continuously hinder and stall for time.

Perhaps even these people might not have been able to escape Qingchuan!

Kong Chi had never seen someone turn their face so quickly! 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Hengyu had previously sent a message saying Shangguan Feihua was wavering, almost convinced.

But in the blink of an eye....

Even disagreement shouldn't be so extreme!? When a deal can't be made, there's still friendship! Yet this guy went straight for the kill!!

"Master, are we really going back so humiliated? If seen by the other branches of the True Buddha Temple, our standing within the temple might also be affected!!" the dark-skinned monk beside him said in a deep voice.

"So what?! Can you defeat Shangguan Feihua!?" Kong Chi coldly retorted.

"That old guy is just a few years older; if we were his age, we wouldn't lose to him!" the monk said, unwillingly.

"Then wait twenty years and go challenge him!" Kong Chi said coldly.

"Uh..." The monk was immediately speechless.

"Shangguan Feihua is a martial prodigy of the Jade Void Palace. His knowledge is vast and eclectic, mastering three great skills. Among them, he's integrated Confucian absolute skill Pure Heart for Jade into himself, creating the terrifying martial art of Phantom Heart Illusion. It interferes through the five senses, causing the enemy to have hallucinations and illusions, thereby controlling everything about the opponent. Such martial arts for group combat naturally don't work, but for assassination... simply...." Thinking back to everything, Kong Chi felt chills down his spine.

"Master, we can't beat Shangguan Feihua, but going back now, we will certainly face severe punishment. Since the outcome is already set, why not try to make amends by rendering meritorious service?"

A tall and thin monk wearing black glasses whispered from the side.

"Oh? How do you propose we make amends by rendering meritorious service?" Kong Chi squinted at him, recognizing the implication in his words.

"Someone leaked information to us on purpose. Nearby, Zhang Ying, who caused the mysterious disappearance of several masters and even Grandmasters from our Western Sect in Citong, is now about to change his identity, secretly leaving the port to handle matters alone. If we capture him on our way back.... Being the Daoist of the Great Dao Teaching, Zhang Ying is involved in so many major cases at Cituogang Port. His value goes without saying, as you all know."

This statement not only intrigued Kong Chi.

Other monks were also moved.

"Isn't it inappropriate? This Zhang Ying is quite elusive. So many people from our Western Sect went to investigate, all mysteriously disappearing. Once or twice might be a coincidence, but three or four times, that's no coincidence, but certainty." the dark-skinned strong monk worriedly said.

"Naturally, but where are we? We're at sea! Zhang Ying secretly changes his identity, thinking nobody knows who he is. We can completely destroy his ship from a distance with artillery! He will definitely react then. We can seize the opportunity to observe; if he shows too much strength and it's not feasible, we'll turn and flee. If everything before was really a coincidence, and the real black hand is someone else, we can also capture him and make amends for our crimes!"

The glasses-wearing monk smiled. Beneath his lenses, a trace of contempt flashed in his eyes.

"Great idea!" Kong Chi clapped his hands. "The worst fear at sea is the destruction of the ship, so he must use true strength to protect it. By then, whether he's a tiger or a cat, we'll see."

"Exactly." the glasses-wearing monk smiled.

"Do we know his exact location?" Kong Chi continued.

"No, but we know he's headed to Kyushu Port, and all ships in this direction will definitely stop at Liaozhou Port for supplies and unloading. We just need to find someone there and act after departure, that's all!" explained the glasses-wearing monk.

"By the way, who leaked this information to us?" Kong Chi asked.

"Inside the Jade Void Palace, the other party didn't disclose their identity, but it should be the Shang family." the glasses-wearing monk calmly replied.

As for whether there was really a message.... he says there was, then there was. And as for the Shang family learning of Zhang Ying's whereabouts, if it's really the Shang family, who cares?