Chapter 049: Bloodline Suppression

  The trio's eyes were fixed on the lifeless bodies on the ground. The leader was a young man with sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes, though his expression carried a cold edge. The vitality within him was astonishing, faintly accompanied by the sound of whistling wind.

  "So ruthless, killing them in a single strike!" A black-clad youth beside him exhaled sharply, his eyes flickering with a murderous glint.

  "Hmph, instead of focusing on improving their cultivation in their caves, they ran out here. They got what they deserved," a woman in a white dress sneered, her gaze briefly lingering on the beautiful woman's corpse, a cold smile flashing in her eyes.

  "Jiang Yuan, they must have had the map to that cave, right?" The leader, after a moment of silence, glanced in the direction of the scene and frowned deeply, his voice low and commanding.

  "Young Master, this..." Jiang Yuan hesitated, unsure. The Jiang family was a prominent clan, and their young master, Jiang Ling, possessed extraordinary talent, earning him immense respect among his peers.

  "How could those two have the map to the cave? Did Second Uncle give it to them?" The woman beside him scanned the area, her brows furrowing in anger. She glared at the corpses and spat, "They deserved to die! They must have sneaked out to search for the cave while we were refining the ancient aura, and now they've been killed!"

  "The map's been taken. No matter what, our Jiang family went through great lengths to locate that ancient powerhouse's treasure trove. We can't let outsiders get their hands on it," Jiang Ling growled, his fists clenched tightly as he sifted through the scattered items on the ground, his eyes darkening with fury.

  "Agreed. The three of us can combine our strength to form the Tri-Yuan Sword Formation. Even a saint-level figure wouldn't stand a chance. Besides, most of those figures are in seclusion right now. They wouldn't be out and about," Jiang Yuan said coldly after a moment of thought.

  With a flick of his sleeve, a green insect, about the size of a thumb, appeared in the air. It exuded a bloodthirsty aura. Jiang Yuan took out a small bottle, uncorked it, and a black mist wafted out. He blew on it, and the mist dispersed into the air. The insect took a whiff, let out a sharp screech, and then darted forward.

  "It's heading toward the cave. Let's move!" Jiang Ling's expression shifted as he recognized the direction. With a low shout, the trio followed the insect at full speed.

  Meanwhile, Yang Tian continued his journey, occasionally encountering rare spiritual herbs along the way. Some were incredibly hard to find in the outside world, but most were young, having been picked before and only the seedlings left to grow.

  "What kind of beast is this?" Yang Tian's sprint came to an abrupt halt as he spotted a three-zhang-tall creature ahead. Its body was green, with a horse-like mouth, a dragon's tail, and two sesame-sized eyes that glared at him with ferocity.

  "Roar!" The beast let out a deafening roar, its eyes filled with hatred. Its aura surged, far stronger than any beast of its level in the outside world.

  As Yang Tian stood still, preparing to face the charging beast, a sudden movement caught his attention.

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  "Whoosh!" Xiao Bai, who had been lazily napping inside Yang Tian's robe, suddenly opened his eyes and leaped out, darting toward the beast.

  "Can this little guy handle it?" Yang Tian worried, seeing the stark contrast between Xiao Bai's tiny frame and the massive beast. Just as he was about to step in, his eyes widened in shock.

  The once-ferocious beast now cowered, its aura shrinking rapidly as if it had encountered its natural predator. Its eyes filled with fear as it stared at Xiao Bai.

  "Roar..." The beast let out a low whimper, its massive body trembling as it turned and fled.

  "Uh..." Yang Tian scratched his head, his expression one of disbelief. Among beasts, hierarchy was everything. Lower-level beasts would flee at the sight of a higher-level one. But what Xiao Bai had just displayed was something else entirely—a suppression born of bloodline.

  Bloodline suppression was inherited from ancestors. The stronger the ancestor, the greater the suppression. In battles between beasts of the same level, the one with the stronger bloodline would almost always win.

  "Awu!" Xiao Bai let out a cheerful cry, his speed skyrocketing. The air around him seemed to tear as he closed the distance to the fleeing beast in less than two breaths.

  The beast's fear intensified. It couldn't muster even a shred of fighting spirit in Xiao Bai's presence. With a swift swipe of his claws, Xiao Bai tore open the beast's skull, and blood gushed out.

  "A peak first-tier beast, killed in one strike, and without any resistance," Yang Tian muttered, impressed. He doubted he could have handled the beast as effortlessly as Xiao Bai had.

  "What kind of creature is this little guy?" Yang Tian wondered aloud, watching Xiao Bai devour the beast's core with obvious satisfaction. He patted Xiao Bai's head and murmured, "Looks like this place is doing you a lot of good. We'll have to hunt more beasts."

  After a brief pause, Yang Tian continued toward the location marked on the map. Along the way, every beast they encountered fell to Xiao Bai's claws. Yang Tian noticed that with each core Xiao Bai consumed, his body grew stronger.

  Passing through a desolate area, Yang Tian entered a dense forest. The ancient trees here were massive, some reaching five or six zhang in height, towering into the clouds. The ancient aura in the air was far denser than in the barren region. Yang Tian also spotted several people in seclusion along the way.

  "This is the Ancient Forest. A few hundred miles east is the cave occupied by the Li family..." Yang Tian's gaze turned cold as he glanced eastward, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes.

  "Now's not the time for a fight. The Li family must have sent quite a few people," Yang Tian shook his head, suppressing his impulsive thoughts. He hadn't yet reached the half-step Martial Warrior realm, and facing the Li family's young saint, who undoubtedly had deep resources, would be a risky endeavor.

  With that in mind, Yang Tian pressed on. After about three hours, he approached the area marked by the red circle on the map.

  As he reached a dense part of the forest, Yang Tian stopped, his eyes scanning the ancient trees ahead. They looked no different from the surrounding ones.

  "The map points to this spot. Is it an illusion array?" Yang Tian frowned, his knowledge of arrays being virtually nonexistent. He had never had the time to study them. If this was indeed an array, he was at a loss.

  "Awu!" At that moment, Xiao Bai suddenly leaped out, landing on Yang Tian's shoulder. His big, dark eyes stared at the ancient trees ahead, and he let out a low growl.

  "Huh?" Noticing Xiao Bai's behavior, Yang Tian was momentarily stunned, then a look of delight crossed his face. "Could it be that this little guy understands arrays?"

  "Awu!" Xiao Bai wagged his tail, as if confirming Yang Tian's guess, then hopped forward, occasionally glancing back to urge Yang Tian to follow.

  "Roar!" Standing at the intersection of two ancient trees, Xiao Bai suddenly roared. A holy light enveloped his body, and he floated into the air. He opened his mouth and spat out a white orb.

  "Sizzle..." As the white orb touched the ancient tree, the tree began to twist violently. Xiao Bai spat out several more orbs, and the distortion intensified. Gradually, a tear appeared in the tree.

  "Can it really be this easy?" Yang Tian stared in disbelief at the opening, wide enough for both of them to pass through.

  "This little guy is truly extraordinary," Yang Tian murmured as he and Xiao Bai stepped through the opening. The moment they disappeared, the forest returned to normal, and the tear in the array vanished without a trace.