In the dry, withered blood vessels of the old Daoist, a large amount of previously aging flesh and blood was being eroded, absorbed, and transformed into nutrients to strengthen the new blood.

They divided and multiplied again and again, becoming denser and spreading rapidly throughout Spirit Turtle Daoist’s body.

A large number of aging, exhausted organs began to contract and shrink.

Then the decaying parts of flesh and blood were absorbed and transformed into nutrients, strengthening that single drop of blood released by Zhang Rongfang.

More than ten minutes later.

The entire Spirit Turtle appeared even thinner.

But when he opened his eyes, the original dimness in them had completely turned into brightness. A kind of vitality flowed continuously within his pupils.

"I... This is!!?"

"Congratulations." Zhang Rongfang stood in front of him. "You’ve truly stepped to the edge of the Immortal Dao!"

He witnessed from beginning to end how powerful a single drop of his blood could be.

Although now, that single drop of blood within Spirit Turtle’s body had been diluted by countless divisions, and the vitality it contained had lessened significantly.

But it still retained the characteristic of devouring flesh and blood to strengthen itself.

With Spirit Turtle’s bloodline concentration, he likely wouldn’t have the terrifying recovery power of Ding Yu.

But it was enough....

"I... actually!?" Spirit Turtle stood up, and the shriveled legs had surprisingly returned to normal, just thinner.

A strong craving for flesh and blood surged within him.

"Try and see how your body has changed?" Zhang Rongfang observed Spirit Turtle with a scrutinizing attitude.

Spirit Turtle, surprised and delighted, moved his limbs with ease, feeling his body healthier than it had ever been.

But, that craving for fresh blood, was madly flooding his mind.

"Blood.... I want to drink blood!?"

Saliva seeping profusely, the clarity in Spirit Turtle’s eyes gradually weakened.

Zhang Rongfang thought for a moment, then suddenly grabbed his arm, leaped up, and in the blink of an eye, exited the Dao Palace.

He didn’t pause, leaving Fushan City, reached the nearby countryside woodland.

Soon he caught a stray old wolf, snapped its neck, and tossed it to Spirit Turtle.

The old man, who was teetering on the edge of death moments ago, immediately grabbed the wolf carcass with unimaginable agility, attached his mouth to its throat, and began to drink.

"As expected...." Zhang Rongfang’s heart sank.

Just as the other began drinking blood, the attribute panel showed that Spirit Turtle’s attributes had already undergone a significant change.

’Spirit Turtle Daoist—Life Value 12-82.

Trait: Bloodline (Can quickly heal injuries by consuming the blood of living creatures, and the more fresh blood consumed, the closer the physical quality gets to the ancestor’s, prolonging life.).’

In Zhang Rongfang’s view, as Spirit Turtle accelerated his blood consumption, the lower limit of his life value began to increase rapidly.

In just a few seconds, it rose to thirty points. Then the wolf carcass was drained dry and tossed aside indifferently.

’Isn’t this just like a zombie or a blood race...?’ Zhang Rongfang was finally completely sure in his heart.

Looking at Spirit Turtle in front of him, his expression was complex and inexplicable.

With the appearance of the bloodline trait in the attributes panel, he finally understood what this flesh and blood completion truly was.

He once again glanced at his own attribute panel, as he gained insight into Spirit Turtle’s characteristics.

His own attributes also underwent subtle changes.

The flesh and blood completion entry blurred and disappeared, transforming into a new trait.

’Blood Ancestor (a mutated individual derived under the influence of the Blood God, capable of devouring the blood of living beings to heal injuries and strengthen itself. Additionally, it can develop additional bloodlines to form a group.)’

In the trait panel, the previous flesh and blood completion completely turned into the four characters "Blood Ancestor."

Zhang Rongfang’s heart was filled with complicated emotions.

Initially, he still harbored some wishful thinking, believing that after Ding Yu’s transformation, no signs of blood-drinking appeared.

But now it seemed that it was simply unnoticed before, and Ding Yu probably had a high bloodline concentration, thus requiring little flesh and blood completion, hence there was no problem...

But this Spirit Turtle Daoist in front of him had only obtained a drop of his blood, and would require extensive flesh and blood completion to progress further, treading the old path he once walked... And this, isn’t it essentially akin to zombies or the blood race?

While Zhang Rongfang was filled with worries, on the other side, Spirit Turtle Old Daoist had visibly become much younger, with many facial wrinkles fading.

Like a young man, he was running around in circles, jumping, and climbing trees, feeling the gradual changes in his strengthening body.

He shouted and laughed, filled with unprecedented joy and excitement, venting the suppression and fear of death that had steadily approached for decades.

"Give all you’ve got and punch the tree trunk." Zhang Rongfang suddenly suggested.

"Alright!" Spirit Turtle Daoist stopped, nodded, took a deep breath, wielding the half-unfamiliar Mountain-shaped Talisman of the Great Dao Teaching, and fiercely struck the tree trunk.

Bang.

The tree trunk actually dented with a palm print, bark shattering and splattering.

The formidable power left Spirit Turtle Daoist dumbstruck.

"This...!? This.... Simply...!?" He didn’t know how to describe how he felt. Keep in mind he had never practiced Martial Arts! He was a pure Cultivation of Literature practitioner!

"Enough... In the future... refrain from drinking human blood, and when consuming blood, do not draw it dry, you can attempt slowly." Zhang Rongfang said with a heavy heart, giving a few pieces of advice.

"Yes!" Spirit Turtle Daoist didn’t mind; being able to survive was more important than anything!

"Next, I need to ensure my base has ample basic supplies. Do you have any suggestions?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"Since you possess such strong abilities! Why not lead geniuses into the immortal path all around? As long as there are enough immortals, even the Red Turban Army cannot succeed!"

Having personally experienced the powerful recovery power of the Bloodline, Spirit Turtle Daoist appeared vibrant, now like an ordinary elderly man in his sixties, much younger than before.

"I only seek to protect myself and those around me." Zhang Rongfang shook his head slightly.

"In this case, I understand. Then choose strong masters with similar ideas to guide into the immortal path." Spirit Turtle Daoist suggested.

"Where can I find such masters?" Zhang Rongfang asked.

"Worshiping gods in various teachings wouldn’t work, but what about the Extreme Realm?"

"Extreme Realm won’t work for now..." Zhang Rongfang shook his head. He had considered it, but the Extreme Realm is mysterious and unpredictable, extremely unstable, not suitable to develop into subordinates.

"Is that so?" Spirit Turtle Daoist pondered, "There’s another group of people with thoughts like yours; the conditions are extremely suitable, it’s just whether you are willing."

"Oh? Tell me more." Zhang Rongfang also had a possibility in mind.

He actually didn’t want to create a large number of such Bloodlines, but... circumstances are overwhelming, facing the Red Turban Army, he needs a strong team entirely under his control.

But.... 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

*

*

*

Within Fushan City, the Huang family.

The patriarch Huang Chongxi, now over eighty, in his later years devoted himself to the cultivation of literature, but due to limited aptitude and late cultivation, even with a large number of precious herbs for nourishment, it was too late.

He is now eighty-nine, and is about to take the last step of his life.

In his youth, Huang Chongxi practiced Martial Arts with outstanding talent, his swordsmanship reached Super Grade External Medicine, but failed due to sect conflicts and returned to the family. Later, he sent family disciples to learn outside while slowly retreating to the background himself, with his Martial Arts only at the eighth-grade level.

At this moment, the sky is dim.

Huang Chongxi sat quietly in his study’s rocking chair, his cloudy old eyes struggling to read the book in his hands.

Swoosh!

Suddenly the window inside the study shook, and two gray figures swiftly entered and stood still.

"Are you Huang Chongxi?"

Huang Chongxi sharply raised his head, his heart tightened, the other party’s body technique speed was beyond his eighth-grade vision.

"I am indeed, may I know the intention of you two experts?" He stood up from the chair and cupped his hands in inquiry.

"Do you seek immortality?" One suddenly spoke up.

Huang Chongxi’s heart jumped, a vague expectation rose within.

Ten minutes later.

In the wilderness, a nearly desolate and abandoned ruined temple overgrown with weeds.

An elderly monk with white eyebrows looked bewildered at the two human figures appearing before him.

He devoted his life to cultivating both Martial and Literature, having reached an internal skill level decades ago... but that was many years ago.

After failing in struggles, he left the sect and became a monk. Now, with unfilial disciples having left him, only he remains, old and frail, suffering from internal injuries and living a difficult life.

Once upon a time, he was also a prodigy with extraordinary comprehension. But what of it? Without the right path, he could only cultivate ordinary Martial Arts, missing the best opportunity in the end, and growing old to such a fate....

"Do you seek immortality?"

At this moment, the words he thought of countless day and night appeared in his ear.

The old monk was stunned.

Another ten minutes later.

Near Wushan Prefecture, within an unnamed Taoist temple.

Led by Spirit Turtle Daoist, Zhang Rongfang arrives at yet another new place.

The Taoist temple is desolate, with climbing vines covering the walls in thick layers.

The main gates are about to collapse, seemingly about to fall off.

"This was where an elder I once visited used to live." Spirit Turtle said solemnly.

"This elder, eighty years ago, was also a prodigy at the time, praised as an unrivaled genius rarely seen in Wushan Prefecture for a hundred years. Unfortunately... upon entering the Grandmaster’s ring fight, he fell due to bad relations, with guards deliberately holding back, being completely crushed by mysterious individuals, henceforth despondent and secluded here."

Spirit Turtle sighed, "There are many such people; they once shone brightly, but now, aged and frail, they have lost all previous glory. They appear no different from ordinary people now. Such is the martial world; failing once, many never rise again."

"A step short of becoming a Grandmaster?" Zhang Rongfang’s heart grew slightly heavier. "How many such people are there in Mountain Province?"

"Among those still alive over the past hundred years, those failing breakthroughs above Super Grade should be over forty. Many have been crippled or suffered heavy, incurable injuries." Spirit Turtle Daoist calculated slightly.

"As the current head of Great Dao Teaching, I am well-informed about this. There are also some without god worship eligibility; for various reasons, they failed to compete successfully.

Apart from these two parts, those remaining are wild Daoists, those who do not worship gods or join teachings, but merely use the Taoist sect name to reclusively live as masters. These days, anyone daring to live alone in the deep mountains is basically a master. But even among the strongest masters, how much strength remains at ninety-plus years?" Spirit Turtle Daoist sighed, "Like this temple’s former apex of Three Emptiness, recently nearly bitten to death by several wild cats, with severe illness and weakened age coupled with life’s end, alas...."

"Over forty.... I’ll need to trouble you to guide me later." Zhang Rongfang said calmly.

"Uh... you can’t be...!?" Spirit Turtle’s expression changed. Among this group, five have failed breakthroughs to Grandmaster! If they all restore to their youthful talent state after removing dark injuries.... that.... just imagining it is terrifying!

"Circumstances are overwhelming, inevitable, alas...." Zhang Rongfang sighed, "I only wish for a peaceful place, originally thinking with my strength alone, it would suffice, but even such a small wish, they refuse to fulfill for me... so..."

His eyes shone bright.

"Thus, I can only kill those who obstruct, then I can fulfill this small wish...."