Wu Tianjun and his group walked through the starry void, seemingly slow but in fact incredibly fast. Lu Yunzheng, stepping into the void for the first time, was filled with both excitement and fear. This was a sensation only Divine Realm powerhouses could experience! The journey was silent. Nearly three hours later, Wu Tianjun arrived at Yan Family Star.
Yan Family Star was the headquarters of the Yan family, a place rich in spiritual energy, but at this moment, it was far from peaceful. Two mighty figures were battling above it, both early-stage Saint-gods. Their battle was restrained, not a fight to the death, otherwise, Yan Family Star would likely have been destroyed. Wu Tianjun and his group had arrived but did not reveal themselves, instead observing the battle from the starry void.
“Who are you? Meddling in the affairs of my Tai Cang Family, you won’t live comfortably,” one of the combatants said. His Tai Cang Family was a colossal power even across the entire starry void.
“Haha, so what if it’s the Tai Cang Family? Does every cultivator fear the Tai Cang Family? Once today’s events spread, I’d like to see if your Tai Cang Family still has the face to exist,” the Saint-god fighting him sneered. The Tai Cang Family, a dignified member of the Twelve Human Race Superpowers, resorted to such despicable tactics to sow discord within a family and control it. If this news got out, it would be catastrophic for the Tai Cang Family.
“You dare…” The Tai Cang Family member was furious.
“What’s there not to dare? After today, I’ll make sure this news spreads to the outside world, hehe. I’ve always disliked these superpowers!” the Saint-god chuckled.
“Hmph! I’ll report today’s events. Just wait for my Tai Cang Family’s revenge.” The Tai Cang Family member knew he couldn’t do anything to his opponent. He had already done his best today. He just couldn’t understand why the Yan family could invite a Saint-god to help.
That Saint-god didn’t stop him from leaving. Although they could have kept the Tai Cang Family Saint-god, doing so would expose them. Their master didn’t want to reveal too much, so he didn’t need to overdo it. Besides, the Tai Cang Family was no ordinary family.
“Let him go!” A voice echoed from afar, and Chi Danzi appeared immediately afterward. “The Tai Cang Family actually shamelessly meddles in the affairs of minor forces. What exactly are they planning?” Chi Danzi muttered, and two more Saint-gods appeared beside him.
“This matter might cause more trouble for our master,” a Saint-god said. They had thought it was merely internal strife within the Yan family, but who knew the Tai Cang Family was manipulating things from behind, intending to control the Yan family. It seemed they had done similar things to quite a few other families and forces. What a disgrace for them, claiming to be one of the Twelve Human Race Superpowers!
"Since it's done, so be it. If the Tai Cang Family truly wants to seek revenge against us, they'll have to see if they have the capability." A voice echoed from the void. Wu Tianjun and Mo Lian's group entered Yan Family Star. The speaker was Mo Lian. Just now, he had explained about the Tai Cang Family to Wu Tianjun, who merely smiled. What if it was the Martial God Academy *and* the Tai Cang Family? Since they had encountered it and couldn't avoid it, they might as well confront it. After all, he didn't want to reveal himself yet. They were in the dark, while the enemy was in the light. Who feared whom was yet to be seen.
"Master!" Chi Danzi and the others immediately greeted him respectfully.
"Huh! Now that the romance is settled, go get that Water Spirit Body. I still have things to do." Wu Tianjun, his face still pale, gazed into the distance. His Spirit Soul unexpectedly sensed an extremely rare Lightning Spirit Body! "Haha, it seems I should gather all Eight Great Spirit Bodies," Wu Tianjun said, looking far into the distance.
"Eight Great Spirit Bodies..." The eyes of the powerful experts lit up. This Young Master truly had style, wanting to cultivate all Eight Great Spirit Bodies as his subordinates.
"Your subordinate will go at once!" Chi Danzi immediately rushed off. Their arrival had essentially stabilized the Yan family; it was just that the Tai Cang Saint God Clan had unexpectedly appeared. Things had changed a bit, but now they were stable. As for him taking Yan Ling'er, that was merely a matter they had discussed beforehand.
"Let's go! We're going to pick up a brother of yours!" Wu Tianjun said, patting Lu Yunzheng's shoulder. He was still more than a head shorter than Lu Yunzheng.
"A brother of mine..." Lu Yunzheng said, bewildered.
"Haha, you'll understand later," Wu Tianjun said with a joyful laugh. Although his Demonic Infant was injured and dormant, he was still somewhat pleased to find a Lightning Spirit Body at the Yan family. After all, he had already decided to seek out and cultivate several geniuses. With that, Wu Tianjun stepped into the air and flew towards a distant city.
Wu Tianjun and his group took about an hour to arrive, as they were merely strolling. This city was immeasurably larger than Guan Xing City. When Lu Yunzheng saw such a city for the first time, his eyes widened and his mouth hung open in astonishment. Wu Tianjun told Mo Lian and the others to wait outside the city, taking only Lu Yunzheng with him. The entrance fee for each person was five low-grade spirit stones.
Entering the city, Wu Tianjun headed straight west. This was the poor district, and the air was somewhat damp. He entered a room where two people were present: a girl of about ten years old was tending to a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth lying on the bed, covered in numerous injuries. It seemed these two siblings relied on each other to survive. Wu Tianjun had come here to find the injured youth, whose Lightning Spirit Body had yet to be activated.
"Ah! Who are you two?" The girl exclaimed in alarm when she saw Wu Tianjun and the other person enter. Could it be that those people had come back to beat up her elder brother again?
"Ah! Little sister, don't worry. I'm here to help you," Wu Tianjun said with a gentle smile. Seeing her, Wu Tianjun suddenly remembered his own younger sister; if she were still alive, she would probably be around this girl's age.
"Help us…? How are you going to help?" the girl asked, bewildered.
"Like this..." Wu Tianjun waved his hand. A beam of white light enveloped the youth's body, and his groans instantly ceased.
"What are you doing to my brother?!" Seeing Wu Tianjun strike her brother, the girl pounced at him like an angry kitten, baring her teeth and claws.
"Hey, little girl, look," Wu Tianjun said with a smile. With a gentle flick of his sleeve, a soft wisp of energy pushed her back to where she had been standing by the bed.
"Oh..." The little girl watched in awe as the bruises on her brother's body faded away and a healthy color returned to his face. She clasped her hands over her mouth, speechless. She stared at her brother for a moment before turning back to Wu Tianjun, her face lighting up with joy. "Big brother, are you an immortal?"
"An immortal?" Wu Tianjun was taken aback. In truth, he didn't realize that in the eyes of ordinary mortals, cultivators who had reached a certain level of power were already revered as immortals.
"Yes! Only an immortal could cure my brother with a wave of his hand." Her eyes shone with pure adoration as she looked at Wu Tianjun. "You only look two or three years older than me, yet you're already an immortal. That's amazing!"
"Haha! Do you want to become an immortal too?" Wu Tianjun laughed, though a trace of wonder lingered in his mind. How could this sibling pair be ordinary mortals? The brother possessed a Lightning Spirit Body, while the sister had a hidden Wood Spirit Body. Both possessed mutated spirit bodies!
"I can become an immortal too...?" The girl's eyes lit up instantly. "Yes! I want to become an immortal! That way, no one will ever dare to bully my brother and me again!" she said, her voice trembling with excitement.
"Cough... cough!" The youth on the bed suddenly let out a soft cough. His eyelids fluttered before snapping open. He bolted upright and scanned the room. His gaze softened the moment he saw his little sister, but it instantly turned sharp and guarded when he noticed the others standing there.
"Who are you?" he demanded, his voice cold.
"Ah! Brother, you're awake!" Startled, the girl threw her arms around him in excitement before pulling back. Pointing at Wu Tianjun, she said, "Brother, don't misunderstand. This big brother just saved your life!"
"Saved me...?" The youth looked bewildered for a moment. Then, he cupped his hands in respect toward the smiling Wu Tianjun. "I, Mu Xingshi, will never forget this life-saving grace. If the opportunity arises, I will repay you ten thousandfold," Mu Xingshi said solemnly. Though he was only sixteen, a life of hardship had made him far more mature than his peers.
"Haha! No need for formalities. I had my own reasons for saving you," Wu Tianjun replied with a chuckle.
"Reasons? I have nothing and no family. What could you possibly gain from saving me?" Mu Xingshi asked, his brow furrowed in suspicion.
"A fierce general!" Wu Tianjun laughed. Then, his expression turned serious. "Are you willing to cultivate under me?"
"Cultivate under you?" Mu Xingshi asked, stunned. "You... you can teach me how to cultivate?" He was a clever youth and immediately grasped the weight of Wu Tianjun's words.
"Indeed. I will help you become a supreme powerhouse under this starry sky, so that no one will ever dare to trample on you again," Wu Tianjun said with a smile. In his heart, however, he was already scheming. He had great plans for these two spirit bodies!
"What about my little sister? She..." Mu Xingshi looked worriedly at his little sister. If he followed this young man to cultivate, wouldn't his little sister be left all alone?
"Haha, no need to worry. Her talent is no less than yours. I'll take both of you at once..." Wu Tianjun was speaking when he was interrupted. Someone kicked open the door and entered the small house.
Bang...
"Mu Xingshi, I've come to collect a debt..." A young man of about twenty swaggered in and said. Originally, the Mu family siblings had been adopted by an old man. Due to his harsh life, the old man had borrowed twenty low-grade spirit stones with interest from those people. When the old man died, the remaining debt fell to Mu Xingshi, so he had to do all sorts of things to repay it. The day before, when the payment was due, he didn't have enough money, which was why he was beaten.
"Ah..." The Mu family's little sister trembled in fright, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at them.
"Why are you here again..." Mu Xingshi said angrily.
"Haha, if you don't pay up, this lord will come every day," the other man said arrogantly.
"How much does he owe you?" Wu Tianjun said, looking indifferently at the young man. He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to someone who wasn't even at the Meridian Opening Realm.
"Ah! Kid, you're going to pay for him..." The young man looked at Wu Tianjun and said with a sneer.
"That's right! How much does he owe you..." Wu Tianjun said without even looking.
"Hehe! Not much, fifty low-grade spirit stones," the young man said with a chuckle.
"How can it be fifty? Don't I only owe you fifteen?" Mu Xingshi said, his eyes blazing as he glared at the young man, but he was stopped by Wu Tianjun.
"Are you sure it's fifty low-grade spirit stones?" Wu Tianjun asked indifferently.
"That's right!" the young man said with a confident smile.
"Oh! Alright! Here you go!" Wu Tianjun said, tossing out fifty low-grade spirit stones without even looking.
"You..." The young man was taken aback upon receiving the spirit stones. To produce fifty spirit stones with a flick of his hand—this young man definitely had a storage artifact on him. His eyes flashed with greed. "I've recalculated," he said, his eyes glinting slyly. "It's not fifty low-grade spirit stones, but fifty mid-grade spirit stones."
"Oh! Is that what you're saying?" Wu Tianjun said, looking at him. Mu Xingshi and his sister were so angry their faces turned red.
"Haha, a mistake, a mistake," the young man said awkwardly.
"A mistake, huh! Hmph!" Wu Tianjun let out a cold snort. The young man was sent flying, spitting blood as if struck by a heavy blow, his fate unknown—whether alive or dead.
"Ah! You should leave quickly! He's a member of the Blood Wolf Gang, and they're very well-known in the city. You hit him, they won't let you off easily!" Mu Xingshi said in a panic. Although he didn't know what method this young man used to send the other young man flying, he was even more afraid of the Blood Wolf Gang.
"What's your name, little sister?" Wu Tianjun asked, pinching the little girl's cheek as if ignoring Mu Xingshi.
"My name is Mu Li! Big brother is so amazing, you sent the bad guy flying!" Mu Li looked at Wu Tianjun with adoring eyes, completely oblivious to him pinching her cheek.
"Haha, today I'll show little Li what 'amazing' really means," Wu Tianjun said with a laugh. He sensed a few small fry approaching, likely from the Blood Wolf Gang – just a few Gathering Origin realm cultivators and one Human Core realm cultivator, not even worth his breath. "Today, I'll also let you know the rules of this world! The strong rule!" Wu Tianjun said seriously, looking at Mu Xiongshi.