16: A dark and windy night for murder

Azure Dragon City. One of the four main cities directly governed by the Gu Clan.

The sky was thick with dark clouds, and dull thunder rumbled in the distance. Occasionally, a blinding bolt of lightning would strike, illuminating the dim world.

Outside a residence in the city, over a hundred members of the Dark Night Hall stood in neat lines, an aura of grim slaughter permeating the air.

They were all dressed in black with sabers at their waists, their cold gazes fixed on the courtyard ahead.

Standing at the very front was none other than Cao Bu!

He wore a luxurious mink coat, his face stern and his eyes filled with a chilling intensity.

Beside him, Yan Ruyu held a long sword gleaming with a cold light, her expression indifferent.

"Is this the residence of Vice Hall Master Li's family?" Cao Bu asked calmly.

Behind him, a captain immediately stepped forward and said respectfully, "Reporting to the Hall Master, this is the place. I have already confirmed it."

"How many people are inside?" Cao Bu continued to ask.

The captain replied, "One hundred and thirty-seven people, including the elderly, women, and children of the Li family, are all inside."

Cao Bu nodded slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes, and said slowly, "Vice Hall Master Li violated the hall rules; his crimes are unforgivable."

He paused, then ordered coldly, "Leave none alive!"

"Understood!" The hundred or so Dark Night Hall assassins shouted in unison and instantly rushed into the residence.

Amidst the flashing blades and swords, screams rose one after another.

Cao Bu's expression remained indifferent as he walked in slowly, accompanied by Yan Ruyu.

Just as they entered the gate, a black guard dog lunged at them, barking wildly, baring its fangs and looking ferocious.

"Too noisy." Cao Bu frowned.

With a flash of Yan Ruyu's sword, the black dog was decapitated before it could even whimper, blood splattering on the ground.

The two continued forward; the courtyard was already littered with corpses, and the smell of blood was thick.

Suddenly, a petite figure was struck by a palm from a Dark Night Hall member and sent flying, crashing heavily at Cao Bu's feet.

Cao Bu looked down. The young girl was dressed in blue, appeared to be about eighteen, and her clothes were disheveled with blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

She looked up and met Cao Bu's cold, indifferent eyes.

"Who are you? Why are you killing my family?"

The girl's voice was hoarse, her eyes filled with terror and rage.

"Presumptuous! How dare you show disrespect to the Hall Master!"

A Dark Night Hall member stepped forward with his saber, about to finish her off, but Cao Bu raised his hand: "Stand down."

After the Dark Night Hall member retreated, Cao Bu's gaze lingered on the girl's graceful figure: "What is your name?"

The girl stubbornly kept her mouth shut, flames of hatred burning in her eyes.

If not for her insufficient cultivation, she would have stabbed Cao Bu to death.

"What is Li Biao to you?" Cao Bu continued to ask.

Upon hearing this, the girl immediately became agitated: "That is my father! He is a member of the Gu Clan. Once he finds out what you have done tonight, he will definitely make you pay the price."

Cao Bu rubbed the thumb ring on his finger, looking down from above with an indifferent tone: "Li Biao violated clan rules and has already been executed. Now it is your turn."

"Impossible!" The girl's face turned deathly pale: "My father is a figure second only to the Realm King. Even if he made a mistake, the Gu Clan would not be willing to kill him."

Cao Bu said nothing more and instructed Yan Ruyu, who was beside him: "Take her into the room."

Yan Ruyu wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she escorted the girl into the inner chamber.

A moment later, Cao Bu walked out of the inner chamber, rubbing his ring, with a satisfied expression on his face.

"Dispose of her."

"Master, this..." Yan Ruyu's hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

Cao Bu had just treated the girl that way, and now he wanted to kill her in the blink of an eye; she couldn't bear it.

Cao Bu glanced at her sideways, an invisible pressure causing the air to stagnate slightly.

"Remember your place."

Yan Ruyu gritted her teeth and entered the inner chamber with her sword.

The girl was curled up in the corner, her lifeless eyes visible through her messy hair.

"I'm sorry."

The cold light of the long sword in Yan Ruyu's hand flashed, and a line of blood bloomed on the wall.

The girl's body swayed. Before her lifeless eyes could close, she collapsed into a pool of blood.

Yan Ruyu walked out, carrying the dripping sword. Looking at the expressionless Cao Bu, a chill suddenly surged in her heart.

She suddenly realized that if she hadn't confessed everything last night, her corpse would likely have been in that pale red bath.

"Reporting to the Hall Master!" A Dark Night captain ran over quickly and knelt on one knee: "All one hundred and thirty-seven members of the Li family have been dealt with!"

Cao Bu nodded lightly: "Return to the hall."

The moment he turned around, the sky suddenly exploded with a "boom," and bean-sized raindrops came pelting down.

Over a hundred Dark Night Hall Disciples acted simultaneously, their spiritual power weaving into a net above Cao Bu's head.

Before the rain could get within three feet of him, it was deflected by an invisible Barrier, not even dampening a corner of his clothes.

Behind them, the torrential rain washed over the bluestone ground. Bright red blood mixed with the rainwater, flowing slowly along the drainage ditch, gradually fading, and finally disappearing without a trace.

Inside Scholarly Fragrance Courtyard, Su Li was wearing a pink gauze dress as thin as a cicada's wing, tossing and turning on the bed, unable to sleep.

Suddenly, a large, warm hand wrapped around her slender waist from behind.

Sensing the familiar aura, Su Li turned around and said coquettishly, "You haven't come for two days. I thought you had forgotten about me."

The person who arrived was Cao Bu.

Just a moment ago, his cultivation had surged directly to the Peak of the Heavenly Bridge Realm, and the spiritual power within his body was surging so violently that he could barely suppress it.

With no other choice, he had to come find Su Li.

"Did you miss me?" Cao Bu stared at Su Li's enticing body, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

It had to be said that Su Li was truly a femme fatale. She knew much better how to seduce men than those green, inexperienced young girls.

"Of course I did. I thought you weren't coming tonight." Su Li said sweetly.

Cao Bu laughed: "How could that be."

Su Li bit her lip gently, staring at Cao Bu with alluring, watery eyes, her intentions couldn't be more obvious.

Cao Bu dispelled the Thousand Illusions Formless Art and said straightforwardly: "I need to break through to the Dharma Body Realm now. You must act as my Protector."

Sensing the violent spiritual power within him, Su Li set aside her coquettish manner, nodded seriously, and said: "Alright, go ahead and Breakthrough. Leave the rest to me."

After speaking, she waved her hand and instantly set up a Barrier.

The Dharma Body Realm requires the condensation of a Dharma Body. Only true Geniuses can condense their Dharma Body directly upon breaking through.

Ordinary people break through the Realm first, then slowly condense their Dharma Body. Moreover, Dharma Bodies are categorized by type and size.

She was very curious, what kind of Dharma Body could Cao Bu condense? This directly related to Cao Bu's future combat power.

Cao Bu sat cross-legged, eyes closed tightly, and began to crazily assault the Bottleneck of the Dharma Body Realm.

"Boom—!" A majestic aura erupted from within his body.

Feeling this Dharma Body Realm aura that far exceeded those of the same level, a flash of shock appeared in her beautiful eyes.

As expected of the man she chose; he was truly formidable.

Cao Bu's thoughts stirred. "System, use the Dharma Body Designation Card."

"Ding, please designate the Dharma Body type, Host."

Dharma Body types are mainly divided into: Humanoid, Beast, Artifact, Elemental, Mutant, and Natural types, among others.

Among them, the Humanoid Dharma Body is the rarest. This is because a Humanoid Dharma Body often represents the True Self Dharma Body. That is, the Dharma Body is the self, and the self is the Dharma Body!

Other Dharma Bodies possess immense power, but their growth potential is low and they are quite limited. The Humanoid Dharma Body is different; its potential is enormous!

"Designate Humanoid Dharma Body."

"Humanoid Dharma Body designation successful!"

In an instant, a mysterious power enveloped Cao Bu's entire body. His consciousness seemed to be pulled into an boundless Void Realm, surrounded by endless darkness, with only a blurry humanoid silhouette slowly emerging ahead.

"Dharma Body!" "Condense!"

Cao Bu let out a low shout, and the spiritual power within his body poured crazily into the silhouette. The silhouette gradually solidified, finally transforming into a figure identical to Cao Bu.

The Dharma Body was covered in golden light, like a Heavenly God descending!

"Boom—!" Outside, golden light flared intensely around Cao Bu, and a ten-zhang-tall golden humanoid Dharma Body slowly emerged behind him, its vast aura instantly sweeping through the entire Scholarly Fragrance Courtyard.

Su Li raised her hand, instantly sealing off the area within ten miles around Scholarly Fragrance Courtyard to prevent the strange phenomenon from leaking out.

Looking from afar, the ten-zhang-tall golden Dharma Body floated above Scholarly Fragrance Courtyard, its pair of golden eyes looking down upon the world.

Su Li widened her beautiful eyes, her red lips slightly parted: "This... this is a True Self Dharma Body?!"

In her life, she had seen few people condense a Humanoid Dharma Body. However, the Dharma Bodies those people condensed at the beginning were not large, basically around one zhang.

A True Self Dharma Body means that Cao Bu's future path of cultivation will point directly to the Origin of the Dao!

If a one-zhang Humanoid Dharma Body is rare among ten million Cultivators, then a ten-zhang Humanoid Dharma Body is hard to find among hundreds of millions! The gap between the two is like the difference between clouds and mud!

Cao Bu will surely surpass all Humanoid Dharma Body Cultivators, past and present! Of course, as his cultivation improves, the Dharma Body can grow even larger.

"Hoo—" Cao Bu slowly opened his eyes, and the golden Dharma Body behind him dissipated. Feeling the surging power within his body, a smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Dharma Body Realm, achieved!"