Jian didn't know a lot about Cultivation. All he ever knew came from the things he would heard while on the streets. And there was one thing that people loved to talk about, Bloodline Awakening.
Everytime some young master from a powerful family would awaken a bloodline, everyone would talk about it. Which is why Jian was so shocked when he saw that he had gained a Bloodline by using the Special Lottery.
Bloodlines were considered as Soul Heritage because they could be passed down to future generations and could be given by Beasts and Spirits. Though contrarily to normal Soul Heritages, Bloodlines came with much more advantages.
[ Ding ! You have received your prize from the Special Lottery.]
[ Reward: Ghost Dragon Bloodline ( Rank: Unknown )]
[ Description: Allows the user to possess all the abilities of a Ghost Dragon, and potentially become a real Ghost Dragon. Contrarily to other Draconic Bloodlines, the user can become stronger by absorbing the energy of any dead dragons.]
" Is that....Good ? I mean it sounds awesome, but where would I even find some dead dragons ?" Asked Jian, unsure as to how he should feel.
[ There are many places in this world where you can find dragons. However Dragon Cemeteries are quite rare. Which means that you'll have to kill dragons if you want to progress on the path of a Ghost Dragon. ]
Jian cursed his luck but still accepted the reward. This was good, but other Draconic Bloodlines would have been better. Though since he had the Venerable Immortal Body and now the Ghost Dragon Bloodline, he was quite good when it came to Soul Heritages. Now he needed to become stronger by cultivating and training. Since there wasn't any tournament to prepare for, Jian had all the time he needed to train.
He wanted to start using the Ghost Dragon Abilities, but it was still day time, and he was scared that someone like Peng Fu would show up. The Ghost Dragon Bloodlines was harder to hide than the Venerable Immortal Body, which was ironic since the former was nearly impossible to detect until truly awakened.
Since he had nothing else to do, he decided to train but a dark chuckle stopped him immediately.
" I see that you have gained a Bloodline....But I did not detect it in your body before, and it appeared just like that.....Very Curious. " Said the Unholy Being. Jain felt shivers down his spine when he heard this inhumane voice. He had really not missed the being.
' System....This guy is getting a bit too much informations.'
[ He is in your body, and yet hasn't done anything bad. He is not dangerous for you. Given his current strengh, if he really tries anything against you, I will go against the rules and destroy him. ]
' Good to know.' Thought Jian, relaxing instantly. The Being chuckled once more and Jian felt fingers on his neck.
" This bloodline...Ohhh, a Ghost Dragon. Good, very good....An Unholy Bloodline for a boy possessed by an Unholy Being...Perfection." Said the voice before the fingers disappeared and the presence was erased.
" ...What did he mean by that ?" Asked Jian, massaging his neck.
[ I do not know, Master. However it could be beneficial for you....Don't ask me why.]
Jian was about to talk but stopped since the System had guessed what he was going to ask. Feeling a bit down, since he hated being kept in the dark, Jian still motivated himself to cultivate.
And yet again he was interrupted. This time by someone knocking on the door. However the knocking was a bit extreme. Before Jian could even open the door, he heard a frantic scream.
" JIAN !!! OPEN THE DOOR !!!" Yelled someone who Jian clearly recognized as Peng Fu. Jian rushed towards the door and opened it.
" Gah !"
Jian was pushed around while Peng Fu quickly closed the door as a loud banging was heard. Jian could also hear....Hissing noises ?
" W-What's going on ?!" He yelled at Peng Fu, who was looking worse for wear. His hair was disheveled, he had some blood trickling from his chest and his robe was torn apart.
" Jian ! Something bad happened ! Something really bad !" Yelled Peng Fu. Jian motioned for him to calm down a bit and the man quickly took in a deep breath.
" Okay, here is what's happening. Zhi Li's group was hunting near some caves, and they heard a deep rumbling. Zhi Li ordered her followers to see what was happening and they entered the cave. However they were all bitten to death by an army of snakes that exited the cave. Zhi Li rushed back to the Sect to report and by the time she arrived, the entire headquarter was surrounded by those snakes. Their number is something I have never seen. And the worse is that it could have something to do with the Poisonous Raja, though we can't know for sure since it's still sleeping. " Said Peng Fu just as some snakes climbed on the window and nearly entered, had it not been for Jian closing it as fast as he could.
" Wait, I don't understand. How can this be a problem ? The Sect can easily deal with this, right ?" He asked. Peng Fu let out a hollow laugh as he sat down.
" Not really. The Sect Head has gone in closed-door cultivation and except for him, only a few Elders are immuned to poisons. Those little snakes aren't extremely strong, but their poison is something even Jin Wang is terrified of." Said the man.
" Then how are we going to deal with this ?" Asked Jian, now really realizing how bad the situation was.
" Those Elders who can resist the poison are currently slaughtering the snakes, but their number is simply too great. Which is why the Disciples who can attack from long distances are helping them. The others can't, since they'll die instantly if they're bitten. I am quite good when it comes to taming snakes, so I have something called a Snake Charming Flute. If I could join the others, I will be able to use the flute to stun the snakes, and then the other disciples could start killing them. However we can't move from here now. If I tried to use my flute on them, they would be stunned but not for a long time. And I can't kill all of them. " Said Peng Fu.
[ He is not entirely right. If you used your Poisonous Envy Mist and he used his Flute....The snakes would be stunned and weakened, with this you could hack through them with your sword. ]
" Peng Fu....I have a solution. Here is what we will do." Said Jian. He then explained his plan to Peng Fu who looked a bit reluctant but still accepted it.
After a few minutes, Jian opened the window enough for his straw to go in between the gap, and used his Poisonous Envy Mist. The snakes who were about to jump were hit by the mist, and fled while hissing. With this done, Jian and Peng Fu quickly exited the house by the window and jumped on the roof.
" Okay, I really hadn't imagined this." Said Jian, his eyes wide as he looked at the sea of snakes that laid before him.
Peng Fu looked at him and they both nodded before using the Poisonous Envy Mist and Snake Charming Flute. In a matter of seconds, the snakes found themselves weak and unable to move, which allowed Jian to slaughter them. Peng Fu helped a bit by continously using his flute, even though it was tiring, while Jian sliced the snakes with his broken sword.
They used the same technique until they nearly reached the Headquarter. However Jian got bitten by a snake just before they could reach the gate.
" Go without me ! I will find a way to survive !" Yelled Jian, knowing that Peng Fu was about to run back to him, to help him. Peng Fu nodded and continued on his way, while Jian got on his legs with difficulty.
' System...'
[ You won't die, the Venerable Immortal Body will prevent it. However you will actually feel a mind numbing pain for a few hours and you will be too weak to fight off against anything stronger than the 2nd Step. ]
Jian was a bit reassured since the snakes weren't that strong and so he grabbed his sword and slashed at the snakes who were trying to bite him again. He was nearing the gate and could see the Elders slaughtering the snakes with ease, unfortunately something happened before he could reach them.
A literal wave of snake hit him and he was dragged into the forest, unable to resist. When he could finally move and kill the snakes that had dragged him here, Jian saw a huge shadow on the ground and slowly turned around, fear gripping his heart.
' Oh Buddha Bless Me.....' Thought Jian. Before him, was a true behemoth. This blue snake was at least a hundred meters long and was large enough to eat his house. The snake let out a loud hiss, before it lunged at Jian. It's head hit the ground, creating a small crater and leaving behind a smoke screen.
Jian used the smoke screen to his advantage and hit in it, which seemed to anger the Snake who began to hit randomly in the smoke screen, never hitting Jian who narrowly dodged every time.
' Damn it....I can't fight it in my state, maybe I can stab it's head every time it tries to kill me, but it won't be enough to beat it. ' Thought Jian. The snake hit the ground once more, but this time a surprised arrived in the form of a sword being stabbed between it's two eyes.
Jian smirked, but soon frowned when the Snake removed it's head, taking the sword with it due to how fast it moved.
Now truly defenseless, Jian could only try to escape, as much as he hated it. The problem was that, if he exited the smoke screen he would die.
" Here ! I am here you dumb snake ! " He yelled. The snake with it's keen hearing pinpointed his location, and striked the ground once more. However it still hit nothing, enraging it.
This little thing continued for a while, with Jian screaming to attract the beast, leading it to hut the ground. Each times, Jian moved towards the road that lead to the Gate, so the Elders could detect him. Since the beast hit the ground each times he yelled, he could continue to use the smoke screen to hide and so he found himself on the road.
" HEY !!! GUYS I'M HERE !!!" He yelled, getting the attention of the Elders. However they couldn't see who it was and ignored him. They couldn't afford to risk the lives of the disciples behind them for a random disciple.
Seeing this, Jian hesitated before running at full speed towards them, getting out of the smoke screen.
* Hiss *
All the Elders gasped when they saw the huge snake going after Jian, hissing loudly. They were trying to see who Jian was, but they also had to keep killing the snakes, so none of them could really focus.
However just as the Snake was going to hit Jian , which would really kill him this time, someone recognized him.
" It's Jian" Said a dignified voice. The Elders' eyes widened as someone from their group shot out towards Jian.
Jian himself was surprised when he saw someone approaching him with frightening speed. However when he saw who it was, he was even more surprised.
" Y-You ?!"