Heavenly Vein Thunder Sound

The two thousand-man commanders of the Immortal Clan hastily retreated, their faces filled with fear. A Bone Tempering Realm expert of the Human Clan wielded battle energy as fierce as thunder—one strike could split rivers and sever mountains. The two had no chance of resisting.

After his single strike, Shi Zhixuan refrained from further action. Beneath him, his steed, the Thousand-Mile Colt, gently treaded through the void, its four hooves blazing like fire as it slowly descended.

"Kill!"

A black iron staff pointed forward, and thousands of Bloodstone Clan warriors roared in unison. Their blood energy surged skyward as they charged forth. The remaining fewer than two thousand armored Immortal soldiers were instantly scattered and crushed into dust. A single incense stick's time later, aside from the two Immortal commanders and fewer than two hundred soldiers who managed to flee into the ancient wilderness, the battlefield before the mountain walls was drenched in blood. Severed limbs and broken bodies piled up, with over two thousand Immortal soldiers lying slain, their heads and bodies separated.

"Brother Xiao!"

Shi Lei returned, his body drenched in the blood of the Immortals. His face bore an exhilarated expression, his black hair billowing, and the green iron spear in his hand resonating with a sharp hum. "Brother Xiao, I killed three Immortal soldiers. I can refine and absorb their blood energy."

Then, he scrutinized Xiao Yi from head to toe with some hesitation. "Brother Xiao, are your wounds healed?"

Xiao Yi nodded lightly. At this moment, not only had he recovered, but he had also undergone a complete transformation. However, this was not the time for cultivation. Otherwise, if he seized the opportunity, he would undoubtedly achieve great progress. Yet, he chose to keep this to himself; some things were best left unspoken to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Elder Shi!"

At that moment, Xiao Yi saw Elder Shi approaching with an empty medicine basket on his back. All the herbs within had been used. Meanwhile, thousands of Bloodstone warriors sat cross-legged across the battlefield, absorbing wisps of pure blood energy from the corpses of fallen Immortal soldiers. Some even emitted thunderous booms as their heavenly veins were unblocked.

"Go ahead. I have one quota." Elder Shi arrived, glanced at Xiao Yi with gleaming eyes, and said, "Right now, you need it more than I do."

"Elder Shi!"

Xiao Yi's voice was solemn as he clenched his fists. The old man might not have given him much, but he had bestowed upon him something invaluable—hope.

Patting Xiao Yi on the shoulder, Elder Shi turned and walked back into the tribe. His hunched figure seemed frail, yet in Xiao Yi's eyes, it was as towering as a mountain, deeply imprinting itself in his heart.

No one paid attention to Xiao Yi as he arrived at the edge of the battlefield, selected an Immortal soldier's corpse, and sat cross-legged. He activated the Mammoth Might Art, and in his mind, a colossal mammoth, as vast as a mountain, raised its trunk, forming a black vortex of devouring power. Immediately, crimson wisps of blood energy surged from the corpse, merging into Xiao Yi's flesh and bones.

"This is..."

Xiao Yi was taken aback as he noticed the blood energy he absorbed was instantly devoured by the stone mirror on his chest. A few breaths later, a single thread of blood energy, fine as a strand of hair, was expelled. This strand was pure, gleaming crimson, radiating an intense brilliance. Though its quantity had diminished by hundreds or even thousands of times, its purity had increased exponentially, reaching an unimaginable level.

This crystalline strand of blood energy fused into his blood and bones, yet Xiao Yi did not immediately absorb it. He wanted to see how many heavenly veins he could unblock with his current physical strength. He could already feel one heavenly vein pulsating intensely, his blood energy surging as the battlefield's blood energy resonated with him. It seemed ready to break through at any moment. Glancing at the stone mirror, he noticed no change—apparently, the blood energy of an ordinary Immortal soldier was far from sufficient to restore it.

"Absorbing the blood energy of a single Immortal soldier, yet failing to unblock even one heavenly vein? Useless!"

A voice sneered from ten meters away. Young Shi Qian sat cross-legged between two Immortal soldier corpses, his eyes coldly fixed on Xiao Yi. Around him, his battle energy surged violently. Having slain two Immortal soldiers and absorbed their remaining blood essence, Shi Qian had reached the brink of a breakthrough. The next moment, two consecutive thunderous booms echoed from his body. Around him, twelve strands of pale cyan battle energy emerged, intertwining before finally merging into one.

Twelve Heavenly Veins!

Shi Qian had unblocked two more heavenly veins, now standing on par with Shi Lei. His strength now equaled twelve jun. In the Bloodstone Tribe, one jun equaled a thousand catties—twelve jun meant twelve thousand catties of divine strength.

Xiao Yi rose, indifferent to Shi Qian's words. In the Bloodstone Tribe, the only person he owed anything to was Elder Shi.

"Shi Lei is about to break through!"

A sudden exclamation came from not far away. Shi Qian's heart jolted as he turned his gaze. Dozens of meters away, Shi Lei had stood up, his black hair fluttering, an overwhelming aura radiating from his body. Inside him, four consecutive thunderous booms resounded. Sixteen strands of pale cyan battle energy coiled around his body, deeper and denser than Shi Qian's.

"Absorbing the blood energy of just three Immortal soldiers, yet unblocking four heavenly veins! Indeed, a tiger father begets a tiger son. Years ago, Shi Qiren became a hundred-man commander at thirty. Now, at sixteen, his son has already unblocked sixteen heavenly veins. Back then, the tribal chief unblocked thirty-six heavenly veins by the age of twenty, reaching Blood Refinement Small Accomplishment. Could Shi Lei follow in his footsteps?"

"If so, with his talent and physique, our Bloodstone Tribe might have another Bone Tempering Realm powerhouse in a few decades."

The tribesmen conversed, each expressing their opinions on the potential of the younger generation based on their battlefield breakthroughs.

Suddenly, a heavenly thunderclap erupted from Xiao Yi's body.

The nearby Bloodstone warriors were momentarily stunned before their eyes widened in shock.

"Heavenly Vein Thunder Sound! Who is unblocking heavenly veins and causing this phenomenon?!"

Shi Qian was startled. He turned his head abruptly, his expression filled with disbelief. What did he just witness? That frail, sickly weakling, who didn't even have the strength of a child, was unblocking heavenly veins—and even triggered Heavenly Vein Thunder Sound! This phenomenon only occurred when an individual with an exceptionally robust physique and immense blood energy broke through. In the entire Bloodstone Tribe, fewer than five people had ever achieved this. Among the younger generation, only Shi Lei barely qualified.

"Brother Xiao... he's unblocking heavenly veins?!"

Shi Lei's expression was filled with surprise and doubt. Though he had only known Xiao Yi for half a month, he had never believed Xiao Yi had any chance of unblocking heavenly veins.

Meanwhile, within the Bloodstone Tribe, Elder Shi suddenly stopped in his tracks. His hunched body straightened, and deep cyan light flashed through his eyes. Turning toward the battlefield, he gazed at the countless corpses. There, amid the sea of bones, Xiao Yi stood like a steadfast boulder, his black hair dancing in the wind, exuding a primal aura.

"Mammoth Might Art!"

As the blood energy within his entire body surged to a boiling point, Xiao Yi could no lon

A tremor shook his entire being as a Heavenly Vein was instantly pierced through. Within this crimson celestial track, a faint azure glow shimmered into existence, wisps of pale blue battle energy forming and intertwining. This battle energy was different from that of Shi Lei and the others—it was pure and flawless, emitting a luster akin to precious jade. A faint, ancient aura emanated from it, and in an ins

The second clap of thunder echoed through the air. Shi Qian's expression shifted slightly—another Heavenly Vein's Thunderous Echo, and it was brimming with force, showing no signs of stopping. This was already the second Heavenly Vein.

Within the Bloodstone Tribe, an ordinary tribesman in their first cultivation attempt could at most break through a single Heavenly Vein. Those with exceptional physiques might manage two, and after years of training, they could almost certainly become battle warriors. Those with extraordinary talent could unblock three Heavenly Veins, ensuring a future as a squad leader, with the potential to rise to a centurion or even a commander of a thousand. However, four Heavenly Veins were a rarity seen only once in decades. In the thousand-year history of the Bloodstone Tribe, only a dozen individuals had ever achieved this feat. As for anything beyond four, only the current chieftain, Shi Zhixuan, had ever succeeded—he had unlocked six Heavenly Veins and had now become a Bone Tempering Realm powerhouse.

Yet, just as unease crept into Shi Qian's heart, the boiling blood energy within Xiao Yi's body gradually subsided until all was calm once more. A few breaths later, Xiao Yi's eyes opened, and a glimmer of crystal-clear, pale azure divine light flickered briefly before vanishing.

Shi Qian let out a sigh of relief, his gaze turning cold once more.

"Just two Heavenly Veins," he thought.

Even with the blood energy he had absorbed from that fallen celestial soldier earlier, Xiao Yi's physique should have barely been enough to break through a single Heavenly Vein, perhaps even less than that. His future accomplishments would likely be no different from that of an ordinary Bloodstone tribesman.

And yet, an inexplicable unease gnawed at Shi Qian's heart, as if he had overlooked something crucial.