Feng Luotian groaned as he collapsed into the scorched debris. His body trembled, each ragged breath burning his throat. The burst of power and the control it demanded had exhausted him, his sweat mixing with the cold rain that now poured through the shattered skeleton of his roof.
Slowly, as his pulse steadied and the deathly waxen hue left his skin, he pushed himself upright. He swayed, his balance precarious, before planting his feet firmly amidst the ash.
With a surge of renewed determination, he beckoned his Theríon once more.
The amethyst flame reignited, swirling around him in mesmerizing patterns. Streams of violet energy coursed along his forearms, crackling with an unbound, aggressive force that hissed against the falling rain.
Luotian stared at his hands and grinned. Throwing his head back, he shouted over the storm:
"My own bloodline. The one and only!"
His laughter echoed through the rain-soaked ruins of his home—a sound filled with both the triumph of a creator and the unyielding resolve of a conqueror.
Lowering his gaze, he caught his reflection in a dark puddle forming on the scorched floor. He froze. The eerie, piercing brilliance of his new purple eyes stared back at him, flickering with the same ancient intensity as the amethyst fire on his skin. Gently, he reached up, his fingers brushing against his eyelids as if to confirm that this transformation wasn't a dying hallucination, but a new reality.
Suddenly, a surge of information erupted from the very depths of his soul, flowing into his consciousness like a cascade of light.
As all bloodlines originated from the Twelve Divine Beasts, they carried remnants of those transcendent beings' scattered wills. These slumbering echoes held the fundamental truths of existence. Upon awakening, these fragments would whisper directly to their host, imparting the bloodline's true name, its hidden abilities, innate skills, and the ancient mysteries within.
Luotian's mind buzzed with the whispers of his newfound bloodline, but he chose to focus only on the name for now.
Purple-eyed Heavenly Demon Phoenix Bloodline.
Even the name filled him with confidence.
Tilting his head skyward, rain cascading over his blood-stained figure, Luotian's expression hardened into a mask of defiance. His purple eyes glowed with a sharper intensity, their amethyst hue burning against the churning clouds above.
Facing the heavens, he roared with a voice that shook the atmosphere:
"With this, I will break past the limits of a Divine Immortal and become a God Immortal! Those who dare to touch anyone I protect shall die without mercy!!"
Bang!
A deafening thunderclap followed his decree, rolling across the darkened sky like a cannon blast. White lightning forked through the clouds, briefly illuminating the violet aura that still clung to him amid the rain-drenched ruins of his home.
For a heartbeat, it felt as though the heavens had answered. The thunder sounded like approval—or perhaps a warning of tribulation. Lightning continued to flicker across the clouds.
Luotian stood firm beneath the downpour, refusing to take back his declaration.
Once he had calmed down, Luotian turned his focus inward. He reactivated his Theríon, curious to discover what else his new bloodline could do. Amethyst energy hummed beneath his skin as he muttered:
"Let's see what kind of ability I got."
Closing his eyes, he dove into the crystalline essence of his marrow. After a moment, a designation surfaced within his consciousness:
///// CRONOS: Cosmic Recollection of Null Origin System
Luotian tilted his head, puzzled.
"CRONOS? What's this? Is this really a special ability of my new bloodline? It's completely different from what Little Yun got back then."
His thoughts drifted back to his former disciple. Though both had undergone Bloodline Interfusion, the results were supposed to be dictated by the parentage.
"Well, even if they come from bloodline interfusion, the abilities should differ based on the original bloodlines. But seriously—how am I supposed to figure out how to use this ability with just the name?"
Perplexed, he delved deeper into his bloodline's essence, seeking further clarity. This time, information regarding his former abilities surfaced:
///// [Last Dance Curse] Level 1: Temporarily increase the user's level by 1 for 5 minutes. Requirement: The user must collect 10 souls within this duration. Penalty: Failure results in a permanent decrease of 2 levels.
///// [Momentum Eyes] Level 1: Allows the user to perceive the momentum and trajectory of all objects within a 20-meter radius.
Sensing how far his abilities had diminished, Luotian couldn't help but complain aloud:
"Tch. As expected from the consequences of bloodline interfusion. The original abilities' powers have dropped drastically—barely usable now. Ten souls in five minutes? It used to be just one soul! And I had thirty minutes at One Fang before."
The Last Dance Curse, an ability tied to ruling the underworld, had once perfectly matched its user. With millions of souls journeying through the underworld, refining a single soul was effortless. But here, in the mortal world, the ability turned him into a potential murderer, requiring him to kill ten people to gain a temporary boost.
He let out a sigh before lamenting further: "And my Momentum Eyes? Its range is now only 20 meters! It used to be 250!"
Despite his complaints, a flicker of hope remained.
"Anyway, there must be something worthwhile to balance out these sacrifices."
Lacking immediate answers from his bloodline, Luotian set aside his exploration for now. His attention shifted to the overwhelming energy surging within him, teetering on the brink of explosion.
///// Level: One Fang (804%)
He murmured, a realization dawning:
"This must be the energy I accumulated from refining all those monster cores everyone gave me."
Sensing the excess energy, he sat down cross-legged, ready to break through to the next level using the standard method.
Boom!
A sudden eruption shook his body as his cultivation soared to Two Fangs without any resistance. The overwhelming sensation of strength left him momentarily stunned.
///// Level: Two Fangs (352%)
(AN: One level requires 100%, and the next level requires twice as much energy. The leftover energy is halved after deducting 100%, hence: (804-100)/2 = 352%.)
Eyes wide in disbelief, Luotian stammered:
"What?!"
The breakthrough had been instantaneous—effortless. He almost choked on his excitement, overwhelmed by this newfound phenomenon.
Examining his cultivation level again, his shock only deepened:
"I broke through to Two Fangs just like that? Does the bottleneck not exist with my new bloodline?!" Excited, he began to consider what this could mean for his cultivation.
[Bottleneck]: The natural stagnation every cultivator faces upon reaching the peak of their current level.
At this juncture, breaking through to the next level without failure requires Comprehension—an in-depth understanding of the profundity of one's bloodline and Theríon. Cultivators must grasp the essence of the next stage before even attempting to advance.
There is another crucial aspect to the breakthrough process: Theríon Modification.
Once a cultivator has fully comprehended the next level's profundity, they must initiate a controlled burst of their entire Theríon, emptying their soul core completely. Afterward, they use their comprehension to refine, remodel, and strengthen their Theríon before reintegrating it into the soul core. Completing this difficult process marks a successful breakthrough.
This demands time, effort, talent, and outside support. The cultivator must also remain completely focused and undisturbed; a mistake during Theríon Modification can be disastrous. If the reintegrated Theríon is improperly aligned with the soul core, it can result in an energy rebellion or a violent explosion. This damages the soul core, leading to either severe internal injuries from energy deviation or instantaneous death.
Because of these risks, most cultivators take their time, slowly contemplating their bloodlines to ensure absolute safety before advancing. This cautious approach inevitably slows their progress, resulting in the "bottleneck" phenomenon.
However, there exists a Trigger—a shortcut that bypasses these meticulous steps.
Triggers are emotional surges stemming from extreme conditions: hatred, rage, the fear of death, or an unyielding will to protect loved ones. A trigger pushes a cultivator beyond their limits, enabling an immediate breakthrough even without full comprehension of their bloodline.
Though effective, this method comes with a steep price. Such hastened advancement often leaves hidden scars within the soul core, which later hinder growth potential and permanently reduce future cultivation ability. A prime example of a trigger-based advancement occurred when Feng Luotian was devoured by the Wight Wolf. Sun Wuji and Mei Yue'er experienced an overwhelming surge of emotion, breaking through to their next levels in the heat of desperation. Fortunately, a miraculous wisp of energy from the Eternal Dao Lotus Seed healed the scars that would have otherwise impeded their potential.
Most cultivators struggled to complete this process even once. Luotian had just advanced with a thought, without any of that effort.
"So this is my ability? I still have enough energy. Let's try again."
Luotian felt the overflowing energy within him, an untapped reservoir begging to be unleashed. He decided to push forward, testing the limits of his newfound bloodline.
///// Level: Three Fangs (126%)
///// Level: Four Fangs (13%)
With two thunderous booms echoing through the rain-soaked ruins, he effortlessly advanced, his strength surging until he became a Four Fangs Fighter.
As he stabilized his cultivation, Luotian sat in silence for a brief moment. Then, a grin spread across his face, widening into a full smile, before finally erupting into unrestrained laughter.
"Hehe… Hehe… Hahaha!!"
He laughed like a madman, the realization of his bloodline's true potential too overwhelming to contain.
Advancing in cultivation was normally an arduous process. His new bloodline and CRONOS allowed him to skip the hardest parts entirely.
No bottleneck. No tedious comprehension. No Theríon modification.
A single thought was all it took to advance, as long as he had the required energy. His only focus now would be to gather energy—fast and in massive quantities.