Chapter 251: Gu Ran's Breakthrough, Enhanced Bloodline Abilities

You Haiyin's heart was a cauldron of bottomless rage.

His rationality teetered on the brink of complete obliteration; he disregarded any thought of the enemy's origins, brushing aside any contemplation of potential consequences!

"All members of the You Clan, encircle and annihilate these insolent ones!"

Perched atop You Mountain's pinnacle, You Haiyin surveyed the plains lying at the mountain's base, his powerful aura resonating from his Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm, its influence suffusing the entire scene.

"Yes, Honorable Ancestor!"

"Excellent, the ancestor has returned!"

"How dare that Gu Ran and the Heavenly Gu Society murder our You Clan's eldest son - they're seeking their own destruction!"

"Eliminate them. With the ancestor safeguarding us, we have no fear."

"..."

The You Clan's cultivators, who were initially hesitant to engage, now found themselves invigorated, bolting from the city one after the other.

Moreover, the remaining elites of the You Clan were also hastening to the scene.

Previous attacks on Gu Ran were carried out by the personal guards of You Caigao, not representing the You Clan's full strength.

Now, two experts of the Inquiring Journey realm, along with five Heavenly Origin realm cultivators capable of manifesting the collective combat power of the Inquiring Journey realm, thundered out of You Clan City with fury.

Beyond the city walls.

'Hmph!'

'They wish to assassinate me?'

'Well, let's discern who is the predator and who will be the quarry!'

Gu Ran employed his 'Spectral Concealment' ability to nonchalantly locate a secluded spot, where he settled down in a meditative position, a cold, derisive chuckle escaping his lips.

He had amassed an adequate cultivation base, finally reaching the threshold of advancing to the Inquiring Journey realm.

Reflecting on his streak of recent misfortunes, Gu Ran let out a soft sigh.

It had indeed been a challenging journey...

Before initiating his breakthrough, Gu Ran threw a final sweeping gaze across the war-torn field.

He observed a considerable group of assassins, claiming allegiance to the Heavenly Gu Society, beginning to disappear into the shadows.

However, their levels of stealth varied greatly.

Those lacking in skill were promptly detected by You Haiyin, who swiftly mobilized his troops to trap them.

Abruptly, skirmishes erupted on the fringes of You Clan City!

Sword-like glimmers and blade-like silhouettes danced chaotically with the discharge of explosive spells, birthing potent waves of residual energy that decimated the surrounding landscape.

Numerous black-clad assassins with weaker cultivation bases were obliterated instantly, and a significant portion of the You Clan cultivators met a similar fate.

A dense, oppressive atmosphere saturated with the scent of blood pervaded the battlefield, hanging heavily and stubbornly refusing to disperse.

'Heavenly Gu Society...'

'What in the world is that?'

'I sense a perilous aura from them; they must be harboring hidden intentions.'

'Who is it that has marked me as their target? Why pursue me? Why do they appear as though they're assisting me?'

'Do they intend to earn my favor before launching an attack against me?'

'Regardless, since they are the enemy, let them first wear each other out.'

'...'

A torrent of thoughts surged through Gu Ran's mind.

But he swiftly shook off these distracting ruminations, clearing his head, and commenced his breakthrough.

Meanwhile, from his vantage point, Jiang Chen observed the unfolding chaos and didn't need to speculate to realize that Gu Ran had commenced his breakthrough.

The fact that Gu Ran could initiate a breakthrough under such circumstances was within Jiang Chen's expectations.

After all, Gu Ran was a protagonist.

Having managed to suppress his breakthrough for this long was already quite a feat.

Furthermore, even after attaining the Inquiring Journey realm, Gu Ran could at best only contend with cultivators at the Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm.

Challenging those at the Late-stage Inquiring Journey realm would be a stretch for him.

After all, his power was confined to the boundaries of his cultivation base; his martial techniques, secret arts, and armaments were all rather ordinary.

His capacity to combat opponents beyond his realm was largely attributable to his 'Endless Dark Blood Moon' bloodline.

Therefore, Gu Ran's breakthrough this time didn't truly impact Jiang Chen's strategies.

'Gu Ran's current shortcoming is his fighting prowess.'

'So, that grand opportunity associated with Wu Qian, suspected to be of the Transcendence realm, could it be there to compensate for this deficit?'

'Or is that chance still intended to facilitate his realm breakthroughs? Continually advancing like a wild storm, vanquishing his adversaries solely with the power of his cultivation base?'

'Hmm, the mere thought of it does have a certain thrill to it.'

'...'

After a moment of reflection, Jiang Chen shifted his gaze back towards the battlefield surrounding the You Clan City.

His legion of death warriors was locked in a ferocious battle with the cultivators of the You Clan.

Despite being outnumbered, they combated with dauntless courage.

The You Clan's cultivators, having varying degrees of concern for their own lives, struggled to suppress Jiang Chen's relentless death warriors.

You Haiyin, however, refrained from joining the fray.

His concerns were twofold: he not only feared that the 'Heavenly Gu Society' might have even more powerful Inquiring Journey realm cultivators but also dreaded the potential threats from the Gan Clan and the Cai Clan!

The You Clan, the Gan Clan, the Cai Clan, all cohabitating on the limited-resource land of the Three Mountains Island — how could there not be friction and disputes?

And indeed, there were, and these were no trifling squabbles.

They were entrenched animosities, making them virtually sworn enemies!

"What do you fear!"

"Slay them all!"

"Annihilate one, and be rewarded with fifty thousand spirit stones!"

"Cowards will face gruesome deaths in the Ancestral Hall!"

Observing his troops struggling to gain the upper hand, You Haiyin promptly resorted to both threats and incentives.

"Attack, attack, attack!"

"Fifty thousand spirit stones for a single kill!"

"With these spirit stones, my breakthrough is guaranteed!"

"I can't afford to miss this golden opportunity!"

"I refuse to be dragged to the Ancestral Hall for torment, brothers, forward!"

"..."

Invigorated as if by a potent stimulant, the combat power of the You Clan's cultivators escalated.

This forced Jiang Chen's squadron of death warriors into a steady defensive retreat.

'Are they being pushed back?'

'Hmm, this too is within my forecasts.'

Jiang Chen, witnessing his squadron of death warriors being forced to retreat, did not immediately intervene.

He had a backup plan, but he chose not to deploy it just yet.

Simultaneously.

'The Heavenly Gu Society's members are on the brink of defeat!'

'I must expedite my breakthrough; otherwise, without anyone else to share the burden, this battle might turn rather grueling.'

Gu Ran, observing the savage battlefield, contemplated inwardly.

Despite suspecting that the Heavenly Gu Society harbored malicious intentions towards him, he had to leverage their strength for now.

This was because You Haiyin was currently beyond his ability to deal with.

If the Heavenly Gu Society's members were to be completely obliterated, You Haiyin would unquestionably step onto the battlefield himself!

Should all others fall, it would mean the absence of more potent forces to maintain the frontline.

After all, how could they simply stand idly by, watching their comrades fall?

You Haiyin was no simpleton.

He would surely act swiftly to address the current crisis, priming himself for potential maneuvers from the Gan Clan and the Cai Clan.

'Grant me my breakthrough!'

Seated cross-legged, Gu Ran released an inward roar as Yuan Power spiraled wildly around his form.

Rapidly!

A faintly red Dao Core took shape within his dantian, denoting his entry into the Inquiring Journey realm!

The instant the Dao Core materialized, an unusual ripple spread, delicately connecting with the energies of heaven and earth.

These pulsations were subtle, but Jiang Chen's divine sense, currently at the Transcendence realm, was incredibly acute and picked up on them instantly.

'Has Gu Ran achieved his breakthrough?'

'So, he's gearing up to make his move.'

'Heh, it seems like it's my turn once more to disrupt his showboating scene and limit his opportunities.'

A faint smile danced on the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth.

With a mental command, he prompted his hidden forces outside the island to prepare themselves.

Indeed, Jiang Chen hadn't merely orchestrated troops within the island; he had also stationed formidable players outside of it.

Among them, the most powerful was Liu Xiong, who was at the Dao Comprehension realm!

Initially, Liu Xiong was enlisted as a reserve, but now he might indeed prove useful.

However, Jiang Chen directed Liu Xiong to only exhibit combat power on par with You Haiyin initially, and whether to reveal his Dao Comprehension realm cultivation base would be dictated by the evolving circumstances.

Meanwhile, near the battleground.

'I've achieved my breakthrough!'

'The power of my bloodline has been further unlocked!'

'My combat power has not only increased significantly, but the cultivation base I can absorb from my vanquished enemies has also expanded!'

Feeling this fresh surge of power, Gu Ran's heart hammered with exhilaration.

He had now risen to the power tier of the Middle-stage Inquiring Journey realm.

Armed with his ability to cloak himself, cultivators of the same realm could scarcely stand against him.

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