Chapter 228: Plan to Stifle Gu Ran's Growth

'His alertness is truly remarkable!'

'In addition, his Heavenly Fate Value endows him with a keen sense for detecting villains.'

'I merely watched him briefly, and his intuition instantly came into play.'

'...'

With these thoughts circulating in his mind, a soft smile gradually appeared on Jiang Chen's face.

In front of him, Gu Ran's profile panel was floating in mid-air.

[Name: Gu Ran

Realm: Late-stage Mysterious Platform

Status: Protagonist

Heavenly Fate Value: 29688/29688]

'His Heavenly Fate Value exceeds twenty thousand!'

'My goodness, it's even greater than Fang Yuan's!'

'It appears Gu Ran's shocking trump card surpasses even Fang Yuan's!'

'...'

Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed, a hint of seriousness beginning to seep within him.

Shortly thereafter, he began to dissect the events he had previously observed.

Gu Ran had acted without Jiang Chen's divine sense catching wind of it.

It's worth mentioning that Jiang Chen's divine sense was bolstered by the residual souls of the two great powerhouses, Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning!

Yet, Gu Ran was simply in the Mysterious Platform realm.

With such a pronounced difference in their realms, the fact that Jiang Chen couldn't detect him indicated that Gu Ran's stealth ability was truly extraordinary.

'I wonder how far ahead in realm I would need to be to penetrate his concealment technique...'

Jiang Chen mused, finding Gu Ran's stealth method too adept for surprise attacks, making it challenging to anticipate.

Subsequently, Jiang Chen's focus shifted to the event where Gu Ran extracted the pure cultivation base from the tortoise-like demonic beast.

'That 'fluorescence' stirs a feeling within me akin to the cultivation base energy returned by the Burning World Red Lotus.'

'After Gu Ran absorbed it, his cultivation base did indeed surge!'

'It seems that one of Gu Ran's abilities is to extract a segment of the cultivation base from the creature he's personally killed!'

'Damn, this heaven-defying trump card is too direct and unambiguous. Power increases with killing, astounding!'

'However, what's the origin of this ability, and how is that crimson glow created?'

'...'

As he considered these points, Jiang Chen managed to draw some accurate conclusions, but the nature of that blood-red glow still eluded him.

However, even if he couldn't comprehend, he could always seek assistance!

With the likes of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, two great powerhouses who had reached the Void Tribulation realm, there were certainly no limitations in terms of their insights and experiences!

"Wan'er, Ning'er!"

"How is that crimson glow created?"

"Have you noticed any special treasures on Gu Ran's person?"

Jiang Chen inquired directly through his divine sense.

Now that they had grown closer, their manner of addressing each other had become more intimate.

"Let us ponder."

"I sense it resembles the mythical immortal tool, the Bloodthirsty Heavenly Blade."

"No, it cannot be the Bloodthirsty Heavenly Blade, the characteristics don't match!"

"I merely suggested a resemblance, I didn't confirm it. Why are you so quick to react?"

"Hmph, if you're uncertain, just admit it. What's with this 'resembles'?"

"Then why don't you enlighten us, what is it?"

"It's the well-known Immortal Slaying Blood Devouring Forbidden Art!"

"Ha, the Immortal Slaying Blood Devouring Forbidden Art? Preposterous! Allow me to describe what it looks like when the Immortal Slaying Blood Devouring Forbidden Art is executed!"

"..."

A lively debate ensued between Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, a slight tension brewing amidst their exchange.

In truth, the misunderstanding between the two had long been resolved.

Upon comparing certain details, Shangguan Ning discovered that her clan's demise wasn't brought about by Nangong Wan, significantly alleviating the tension between them.

However, their penchant for squabbling persisted.

"Um!"

"What is it exactly? Can you provide a definitive answer?"

Listening to the two women bickering, Jiang Chen couldn't help but interject in a slightly frustrated tone.

"..."

Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning fell silent.

Both women had realized their blunder!

"You don't know?"

A twitch played at the corner of Jiang Chen's mouth.

He had confidently expected that Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning would be able to identify the 'treasure' Gu Ran possessed.

Was his assumption about to be proven incorrect?

Just then.

"I actually have some impressions, but we need more information."

Nangong Wan broke the silence, "Ning'er, why don't we exchange our insights and speculate together?"

"Who are you calling Ning'er?"

Shangguan Ning retorted with a hint of tsundere, "But we can theorize together."

Thus, the two women resumed their discussion.

Shortly after.

"So that's it!"

Shangguan Ning and Nangong Wan voiced simultaneously, "That Gu Ran actually possesses a bloodline of the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path, the Endless Dark Blood Moon!"

"What?"

"The Endless Dark Blood Moon, a bloodline of the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path?"

Jiang Chen's eyes widened in astonishment, "Damn, that's utterly outrageous!"

"The Endless Dark Blood Moon."

"Indeed, it's incredibly outrageous, a name that strikes fear into hearts upon mention!"

"This is a bloodline that veers towards the Demonic Path and is exceedingly rare!"

"At least, within our Everlasting Baseless Immortal Domain, it has long been extinct, and records about it are notably vague."

"Were it not for Gu Ran's previously lackluster aptitude, who only began to show rapid advancement following his death and resurrection after the extraction of the 'Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo' bloodline, we may not have been able to identify it solely from his displayed abilities."

Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning alternated their inputs.

"The Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo!"

A spark ignited in Jiang Chen's eyes, "What's the relationship between the Endless Dark Blood Moon and the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo?"

"They counterbalance each other at the same realm!"

"But it's rumored that through certain unique methods, they can be fused to form the Endless Star Moon Dao Embryo!"

"Since Gu Ran possesses both these bloodlines simultaneously, his true status is undoubtedly extraordinarily formidable!"

"At the very least, it bears an indirect link to a great powerhouse who has reached the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path!"

"..."

Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning continued to converse in alternation, their voices filled with solemnity.

'Incredible!'

'Possessing two bloodlines of the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path simultaneously!'

'And it seems he has a direct or indirect link with a great powerhouse at the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path!'

'Perhaps, he might even be the reincarnation of a great powerhouse who successfully ascended the Fourth Step of the Cultivation Path. I'm unsure if he retains the memories of such an influential figure.'

'With two bloodlines and a mysterious status, it's no wonder Gu Ran boasts such a high Heavenly Fate Value!'

'Also, if things follow their expected course, in the 'original plot' shaped by the Heavenly Fate, he will undoubtedly reclaim the Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo and successfully integrate it. By then, he'll be an even tougher adversary!'

'Additionally, Gu Ran's actual status is intimidating, killing him might lead to severe karmic repercussions.'

'But I have no choice, he's the protagonist and I'm the villain, it's either his death or my demise!'

'...'

Jiang Chen's pupils contracted minutely as a myriad of thoughts raced through his mind.

Additionally, a subtle smile soon emerged on his face.

Currently, the coveted Ten Thousand Stars Dao Embryo was securely in Jiang Chen's possession.

Did Gu Ran desire to reclaim it? Impossible!

At the same time, Jiang Chen had managed to unravel most of the secrets surrounding Gu Ran.

This included not just Gu Ran's cultivation base realm but also his heaven-defying trump card!

True, Gu Ran was gifted with the extraordinarily formidable 'Endless Dark Blood Moon' bloodline, but no matter how potent this bloodline, it necessitated time to mature, didn't it?

It was only through personally slaying his enemies that Gu Ran could trigger his bloodline to take effect, consequently seizing their cultivation base.

Just from this unique characteristic of Gu Ran's heaven-defying trump card, Jiang Chen could deduce Gu Ran's likely behavior and growth trajectory.

It suggested a pattern of instigating conflicts for a range of reasons, then eliminating these adversaries to appropriate their cultivation base.

This action, in turn, would inevitably attract even stronger foes, doomed to the same fate, thus perpetuating an unending cycle of escalating conflict and power absorption.

Naturally, other life experiences would certainly be intermingled.

For instance, meeting female lead characters, encountering male supporting characters, etc., various friendships would adorn Gu Ran's life.

But regardless, enduring a multitude of battles would undeniably remain the main theme of Gu Ran's life.

Therefore, to curtail Gu Ran's growth, the most straightforward approach would be to prevent him from engaging in fights, to stop him from killing!

In this way, the formidable ability of the 'Endless Dark Blood Moon' bloodline could be substantially restrained.

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