186: Chapter 186 Rewards, Dragon Vein

Directorate of Astronomy, top floor of the Observation Tower.

Rumble.

The entire room shook continuously, accompanied by a booming sound like an earthquake.

Several white-haired astronomers stared fixedly at the armillary sphere spinning violently in the center of the main hall.

The huge bronze instrument ground together frantically, emitting a harsh sound.

Suddenly, with a snap.

The Ziwei Star, representing the Luck of Great Wei, dimmed, and the surrounding constellations fell into chaos.

"This is not an earthquake..."

An old astronomer's voice trembled, his face as pale as paper.

"The Dragon Vein... The Dragon Vein has a problem!"

"Luck is leaking."

Since the founding of Great Wei centuries ago, it has experienced many storms.

Even with the recent rise of the Demonic Sect and the prying eyes of foreign enemies, they at the Directorate of Astronomy had never worried.

With the Dragon Vein suppressing the national destiny, these turmoils could never cause any waves.

But if the Dragon Vein were leaking, the consequences would be clear to everyone present.

The sky was collapsing.

"Quick, report to Your Majesty immediately!"

The head of the Directorate shouted sternly,

"Seal the Observation Tower! Whoever dares to leak a single word about today's events will have their entire clan executed!"

Capital, Inner City.

A vast noble mansion.

Above the high pavilion, the wind howled.

A man in a brocade robe stood with his hands behind his back.

He overlooked the streets below, which had fallen into chaos due to the earthquake, his eyes dark.

On the streets, the common people fled in panic, and the City Defense Army rushed about.

"Family Head."

A servant in black appeared silently behind him, kneeling on one knee.

"Have you found out?" The man did not look back, his voice flat.

"Reporting to Family Head, the epicenter is not outside the city; it seems to come from deep underground."

"We are still investigating. Judging by the reaction, the other major noble families seem to be unaware as well..."

The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly.

He looked up towards the direction of the Imperial Palace.

There, a vast aura, imperceptible to ordinary people, was fluctuating violently.

"Dragon Vein palpitation..."

He muttered to himself, curling the corners of his mouth.

"The water in the capital is finally going to get muddy."

Although the Great Wei royal family had not been as strong as in the beginning these years, they still suppressed the major noble families with the protection of the Dragon Vein.

Now that there was a problem with the Dragon Vein, the royal family's foundation would inevitably be damaged.

For these noble families, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Pass down the order to gather the men outside. During this period, no one is allowed to cause trouble."

"Keep a close eye on the movements of the Six Doors and the Demon Suppression Division."

"Yes."

Deep in the Imperial Palace.

An absolutely quiet underground secret room.

Night pearls the size of fists were embedded in the surrounding walls, emitting a cold, dim light.

On a meditation cushion in the center of the secret room sat a long-haired man with a majestic face and noble temperament.

Suddenly, a sense of shock struck.

Clatter, clatter.

The secret room began to shake continuously.

He opened his eyes suddenly, cold electricity flashing in the darkness.

"Dragon Vein..."

The long-haired man frowned slightly.

An invisible, terrifying pressure suddenly spread from him to the surroundings.

Under this pressure, the night pearls in the secret room flickered, ready to go out at any time.

He stood up, his tall body exuding an insurmountable sense of oppression.

"Investigate."

The cold voice echoed in the secret room.

In the shadows, several ghostly figures quietly retreated.

Outer City of the capital, a quiet, abandoned courtyard.

Chen Ran hid in the darkness, restraining all his aura.

He also felt the sudden earthquake just now.

The ground under his feet shook violently, and even the surrounding dilapidated courtyard walls collapsed by more than half.

Chen Ran raised his eyebrows.

"Earthquake?"

Apart from its good geographical location, one of the reasons why the capital's status remained far superior to other regions was that the capital had a city-protecting array, and ordinary earthquakes could not reach here.

Being able to cause such a big commotion was definitely not a natural phenomenon.

"What kind of change is this?"

He was curious in his heart.

However, curiosity was just curiosity; Chen Ran did not act rashly.

It must be chaotic outside now.

Chen Ran waited quietly in the dark, and finally had time to look at the heavenly book of prison suppression.

After the prisoner reward settlement, he still didn't know what he had gained.

With a thought.

Clatter.

The heavenly book of prison suppression in his Sea of Consciousness turned pages automatically.

On the ancient pages, a rich blood light emerged.

[Prisoner Shi Taichu has died, reward is being settled...]

[Based on your participation, you have received the reward: Soul-Reaping Blood Evil Blade]

Hum!

A huge stream of information suddenly flooded into Chen Ran's mind.

That was all of Shi Taichu's cultivation memories and insights into the blade technique regarding the "Soul-Reaping Blood Evil Blade".

Chen Ran closed his eyes and quickly digested this information.

Countless scenes of swinging the blade flashed through his mind.

Each blade carried a strong bloody smell and a heart-palpitating Evil Qi.

In the scene, a blade-wielder with an unclear face was killing frantically in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Every time a blade was swung, it not only severed the enemy's Physical Body, but also had an invisible force that forcibly tore apart and devoured the enemy's Divine Soul.

The shrill screams echoed in his mind.

Chen Ran opened his eyes suddenly.

A flash of blood light flickered in his eyes.

"What an overbearing blade technique."

Chen Ran spat out a breath of turbid air and calmed his agitated mind.

He understood the background of this Cultivation Technique.

The "Soul-Reaping Blood Evil Blade" was an extremely overbearing Demonic Technique, which Shi Taichu obtained from a cave during his travels in his early years.

Besides this technique, there was nothing left in that cave except a corpse that had turned into bones.

The core ability of this technique did not lie in physical damage, but in specializing in the Divine Soul.

Through a special True Qi circulation route, when killing, it could forcibly seize the enemy's Divine Soul fragments.

These Divine Soul fragments would be refined by Evil Qi, stripping away the Impurities and resentment, turning them into the purest Mental Energy to nourish oneself.

This was used to expand and temper the practitioner's Divine Soul strength.

The more people killed, the stronger the Divine Soul, and the greater the power of the blade technique.

This was simply a Cultivation Technique born for killing.

"So that's it."

He understood why Shi Taichu could withstand the suppression of the Soul-Suppressing Talisman in the prison.

The Soul-Suppressing Talisman specifically targeted the Divine Soul.

Once an ordinary Martial Artist was stuck with a Soul-Suppressing Talisman, their Divine Soul would be firmly suppressed, turning them into a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

But Shi Taichu had practiced this Demonic Technique that tempered the Divine Soul.

His Divine Soul strength far exceeded that of Martial Artists in the same Realm.

That was why he could remain clear-headed under the suppression of the Soul-Suppressing Talisman.

Chen Ran grinned.

This Demonic Technique was a timely help for him.

His current Physical Body, after being strengthened many times by the Glazed Golden Body Art and various hard-training methods, had reached an unimaginable level.

His True Qi cultivation was also constantly accumulating and steadily improving, far exceeding those of the same rank.

Only in terms of the Divine Soul did he lack a specialized Cultivation Technique.

Although the Divine Soul would grow naturally as the Realm improved, this growth rate was too slow.

When encountering attacks specifically targeting the Divine Soul like those from the Demon Sound Sect, it was easy to suffer losses.

Now that he had this "Soul-Reaping Blood Evil Blade", his shortcoming in the Divine Soul was finally made up for.

"Kill to seize the soul, temper the Sea of Consciousness."

Chen Ran touched his chin and smacked his lips.

"This technique is indeed wicked enough."

However, he didn't care.

There is no distinction between good and evil in Cultivation Techniques, only in whose hands they are used.

As long as he can become stronger, what does it matter if it's a Demonic Technique?

He was in the prison, and the last thing he lacked was death row prisoners who deserved to be killed.

Those heinous criminals were just right to be used as nourishment for him to temper his Divine Soul.

Making use of waste could also be considered doing justice for heaven.

However, given the grade of this technique, it must be a top-tier unique skill in Jianghu, yet he had never heard of it.

Chen Ran thought about it.

Back then, Shi Taichu accidentally obtained this Cultivation Technique, and there were no excessive records about that mysterious cave, just a hasty record before leaving.

"It seems that when I have time, I can go and see. To be able to practice such a technique, I am afraid the background of the deceased in that grotto is not simple."

"Mount Buzhou..."

Chen Ran stood up, patted the dust off his body, but he had already written down the location of the cave in his heart.

He did not immediately try to use this blade technique.

After all, this was the Outer City, and too much commotion would easily attract trouble.

When he returned to the prison, there would be plenty of time to study it slowly.

He identified the direction, his figure flashed, and he disappeared.