Chapter 263: Changes

"Strange."

Lin Chao frowned slightly.

The last type gave him the feeling that it was, shockingly, himself.

"Could it be that when the 'me' in the sky was sleeping, some change also occurred?"

Lin Chao pushed open the window and looked at the Heavenly Vault.

However, there was only a full moon in the sky; apart from that, nothing could be seen.

"The 'me' in the sky... should still be there, right?"

Lin Chao frowned.

Countless guesses stirred vaguely in his heart.

But immediately, he cast all these guesses aside.

"Two hundred and fifty-eight types of Parasitic Seeds; apart from my own, they all seem to have a sense of familiarity."

"Could it be because I was the one who created them?"

Lin Chao speculated inwardly.

This sense of familiarity came inexplicably, as if he had once fought alongside these Parasitic Seeds.

"Is it because of these Parasitic Seeds that ordinary Martial Arts, and even cultivation methods, are restricted?"

Lin Chao's brow smoothed out as he understood this matter.

But immediately, he frowned again.

"To lift this restriction, one must possess powerful strength."

"And to possess powerful strength, one must continue to walk the path of Qi-Blood Martial Dao."

Lin Chao revealed a smile.

"What will happen if I reach the Ultimate?"

"Will the parasites awaken?"

Lin Chao had many guesses in his heart.

"Once Yangyue Prefecture lifts the lockdown, I will return to Liu Family Village."

Lin Chao already had a plan in mind.

Now, he had some understanding of Qi-Blood Martial Dao.

He decided to try out the Qi-Blood represented by all two hundred and twenty-eight types of Parasitic Seeds.

Especially the type of Qi-Blood that represented himself.

If he reached the Ultimate, what kind of changes would occur?

Having reached Refining Strength, he already understood the essence and circulation of Qi-Blood; borrowing from the Thunder Cloud Leg Technique to create other methods of activating Qi-Blood was not a difficult problem.

The Holy Light Sect had occupied Yangyue Prefecture, but a small group of Whirlwind General Pang Yang's subordinates were still putting up a desperate resistance.

The entire Yangyue Prefecture remained in an atmosphere of war.

All the shops were closed; apart from soldiers and some martial artists, almost no one dared to go out on the streets.

The Sheng Guang Army had taken over Yangyue Prefecture.

During the day, soldiers patrolled to soothe the hearts of the people, and at night, a curfew was enforced.

Deep in the night, the sky was like ink.

Xiao Jing's steady breathing could be heard, and Lin Chao stepped out of the room.

He changed his clothes, and his entire appearance changed as well.

Now, he had reached the realm of Refining Strength.

He could be described as a match for a thousand.

In this vast Yangyue Prefecture, as long as he did not encounter the Prefecture Master or the Sacred Maiden of the Holy Light Sect, he would face almost no danger.

At this time, such high-ranking members of the Holy Light Sect were certainly planning how to deal with the remaining troops of the Whirlwind General.

As long as Lin Chao was careful, he could rest easy in Yangyue Prefecture.

He walked through the night.

The original Yangyue Prefecture was scarred and devastated.

Even though the Sheng Guang Army issued military orders not to disturb the people or slaughter the city.

Yet, what about those powerful figures and hooligan gangs who had defected to the Sheng Guang Army?

In the night, Lin Chao saw several young men wearing the uniforms of the Green Feather Gang committing evil in a residence.

The woman's crying and screaming were pitiful and helpless.

In the courtyard, two corpses lay on the ground, and the men from the Green Feather Gang were pouncing toward a fallen woman.

Suddenly, two stones flew down, and the two Green Feather Gang members fell with a thud and died instantly.

"The Green Feather Gang deserves to be killed."

Lin Chao glanced at the young woman.

He sighed inwardly.

"Xiao Jing is getting older, and it is inconvenient for her to stay with me."

Lin Chao thought for a moment and appeared in the courtyard.

The woman still had tear stains on her face.

Her pupils were unfocused, and her eyes were numb.

Seeing Lin Chao appear, her face carried a trace of gratitude.

"Many thanks to my benefactor for saving me!"

"Are you willing to come with me?" Lin Chao's voice was hoarse.

The young woman looked at her parents' corpses, and a tear fell from her eyes: "This humble one is willing."

If she remained here any longer, she would undoubtedly die.

"You hide first; I will come over in a moment."

Lin Chao thought for a moment and placed the young woman in the empty courtyard next door.

His figure vanished.

Two quarters of an hour later.

Zhu Mansion.

Inside the bedroom, Zhu Qiang had not yet slept; he looked at the letter in his hand, a look of unease appearing on his face.

The letter had been left behind by the old subordinates of the Whirlwind General.

After reading the letter, Zhu Qiang clutched his hair: "Sheng Guang Army, Great Xing..."

He was hesitating whether or not to hand this letter over to the Sheng Guang Army.

Would the Sheng Guang Army really accomplish great things?

"Fugui." After thinking for a moment, Zhu Qiang called out.

However, the night was quiet, and no one responded.

"Fugui?" Zhu Qiang raised the pitch of his voice.

Yet, there was still no response.

He revealed a look of confusion, which suddenly turned into shock.

"You... who are you?"

Beside him, a burly man had appeared abruptly.

The burly man was naturally Lin Chao.

He looked at Zhu Qiang without speaking.

He pressed his hand downward.

Instantly.

Zhu Qiang's bones shattered, his internal organs were crushed into a pulp, and he ceased to breathe.

"Go to the Green Feather Gang once more."

Lin Chao sighed.

Lin Chao still remembered the gang members from the Green Feather Gang who had killed the old doctor back then.

Half an hour later.

Lin Chao's figure appeared once again.

"Benefactor."

In the courtyard, the young woman walked out.

"I have placed your father and mother into the cellar.

Now that the cellar has collapsed, it can barely be considered laying them to rest."

Lin Chao spoke, his voice low.

"Many thanks, Benefactor." A glimmer of gratitude surged in the young woman's heart.

She snuck a glance at Lin Chao, and that fierce, menacing face did not seem so frightening anymore.

Half a month passed.

The Sheng Guang Army had completely occupied Yangyue Prefecture, and the chaos in Yangyue Prefecture gradually subsided.

On the main streets, the merchants began to gradually resume business.

The first order issued by the Sheng Guang Army in Yangyue Prefecture was to prohibit grain merchants from raising prices, with beheading for those who disobeyed.

This caused the grain merchants in the prefecture to have many complaints.

After all, during times of famine and chaos, these were the times they made a fortune.

If the government prohibited them from raising prices, they could still feign compliance while acting in opposition, as the government officials were in the same boat as them.

Things like mixing chaff into the grain, or the Emperor collecting a birthday tax for his birthday—the fifty-year-old Emperor even demanded a one-hundred-year birthday tax.

But the Sheng Guang Army was different; they were a rebel army, and if one did not do as they said, they would truly kill people.

In the Prefecture Master's mansion, Qin Xu was in full military attire, her heroic spirit striking.

"Senior Sister, the remnants of the army have all been executed, and Yangyue Prefecture is finally in our hands.

Once Master arrives, we will lead the troops together to storm the Imperial City and cut off the dog Emperor's head!"

Beside her, the woman in white robes was as cold as frost: "How is the investigation into those few dried corpses going?"

"No progress yet." Qin Xu's face flushed; she was busy charging into battle, so where would she have time to investigate these things? "Taking advantage of the war, all sorts of monsters and evil gods have crawled out.

First, the Green Feather Gang leader Qing Kun was shot to death, and now a large number of dried corpses have appeared; is it possible someone is practicing some kind of evil art?"

Recently, some peculiar dried corpses had been discovered in Yangyue Prefecture.

The dried corpses had hideous expressions, with small holes at the neck, and the blood inside seemed to have been sucked dry.

"Among evil arts, there is no record of sucking fresh blood." The woman frowned.

While occupying cities, the Holy Light Sect was also collecting martial arts from across the world.

Although the woman's own martial arts attainments were average, her knowledge of martial arts was absolutely peerless.

Such a technique had never appeared in Great Xing before.

"Senior Sister, I will go investigate now." Qin Xu spoke and left immediately.

The woman stood where she was; although she had taken Yangyue Prefecture, she did not feel very happy.

Only by taking Yangyue Prefecture can one truly be considered to be at odds with Daxing.

The four Heavenly Strategy Generals will also truly take notice of the Holy Light Sect.

At that time, the pressure faced by the Holy Light Sect will be at its greatest.

……

In the courtyard.

A brilliant smile appeared on Xiao Jing's face: "Uncle, Big Sister, we can finally return to the village!"

For Xiao Jing, Yangyue Prefecture was indeed prosperous, but there was nothing good about it.

The candied haws sold here were not as delicious as the ones Uncle made.

Beside her, a smile appeared on Yusu's face.

After so many days had passed, the dark clouds of the tragedy that had befallen their home were finally gradually dissipating.

"The prefecture city is full of traps; it is better to return to the countryside," Lin Chao said.

Now, the Holy Light Sect occupied Yangyue Prefecture.

This move had already shaken the foundations of Daxing.

Daxing would certainly send a large army to come.

Perhaps, by then, Yangyue Prefecture would once again be plagued by the ravages of war.

Lin Chao's plan was to return to the countryside and strive to improve his own strength.

……

Two days later, Lin Chao appeared in Liu Family Village.

When passing through the town, one could see believers of the Holy Light Sect shouting slogans and parading one after another.

Lin Chao paid them no mind and returned to Liu Family Village.

At night, three wolves broke into Deacon Wang's courtyard; Deacon Wang was bitten to death by the wolves, his state of death extremely miserable.

The Medicine Gang was still busy dealing with the mess in Yangyue Prefecture, so naturally, no one inquired about the death of Deacon Wang.

A month had passed since returning to Liu Family Village, and Lin Chao's life was peaceful.

The turmoil in Yangyue Prefecture did not seem to have reached this secluded little village.

At this moment, Lin Chao sat in the deep mountains, the stream washing over his body.

"Feet, shoulders, hands..."

Lin Chao could feel that every part of his body was capable of activating Qi and blood.

(End of this chapter)