"Weird occurrences likely don't only exist in the remnants of the schools."
Li Fan provided the most reasonable inference.
"Throughout the Xuanhuang Realm, there have been scattered incidents of strange and harmful events."
"Laughing Face Fruit, Heart Monkey, Mind Horse – they may all be products of the intrusion of the strange."
From the performance of Tianjitang, it seemed that the strange was under constant surveillance.
It was likely the same on the side of the Five Elders.
...
After some contemplation, Li Fan shook his head silently, "Knowing about this is enough. It's not my concern as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator."
"Compared to the strange, the many powerful beings in the Xuanhuang Realm are even more terrifying."
The association from the Mind Horse to the possible existence of the strange in the Xuanhuang Realm was just a small episode.
Soon, Li Fan set this aside.
Following Zhang Zhiliang's instructions, while cultivating quietly in the Tianxuan Mirror, he absorbed the effects not yet fully assimilated by the Mind Horse to strengthen his soul.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and half a year had gone by.
At the bottom of the Congyun Sea, Ye Feipeng, who had been sleeping all along, finally woke up slowly.
A loud and distant whale cry echoed from the depths of the sea, spreading towards the surrounding waters.
Countless sea creatures, upon hearing this sound, seemed to encounter a natural enemy. They shivered, unable to move, instantly losing their resistance.
Above Ye Feipeng's head, the phantom image of a whale monster appeared along with the sound.
The monster opened its huge mouth, as if starving for a long time, and suddenly sucked in.
A massive whirlpool was born.
Rolling seawater carried numerous unfortunate sea creatures into the monster's mouth.
After a long time of devouring, it seemed to have consumed an immeasurable amount of seawater and fish. The whale monster finally satisfied its hunger.
Issuing a satisfied high-pitched cry, it lifted its huge tail high and slapped it downward.
The giant whale then dived back into Ye Feipeng's body.
After that, Ye Feipeng's eyes trembled slightly, and he slowly woke up.
First, he blankly stared, observing the surroundings where he was, a bit confused.
Gradually, a series of images flashed in his mind.
It made him aware of what happened on his body before and during his coma.
Ye Feipeng subconsciously touched his own stomach, murmuring to himself, "It seems that good fortune accompanies the upright. I survived a great disaster and awakened the bloodline of the ancient beast Kunpeng."
His gaze flickered, looking towards a huge rock not far away on the seabed.
His figure moved slightly, and in the next moment, he appeared next to the giant rock.
Without mobilizing the spiritual energy within his body, solely relying on the strength of his physical body, he casually swung a punch.
"Boom!"
Cracks appeared on the giant rock, and after a moment, the rock shattered.
"The power of Kun, the speed of Peng..."
Ye Feipeng stared at his own fist in amazement, seemingly somewhat incredulous.
"The power of the ancient beast is truly terrifying. Now, relying solely on the power I can burst out, I should be able to match the me before the coma."
Immediately after, the plump man furrowed his brow, "But I am from the main lineage of the Ye Family. Why would there be this so-called power of the ancient beast within me?"
"Could it be that our Ye Family ancestors were not human?"
Even though the power hidden in this bloodline brought him indescribable benefits, Ye Feipeng was still somewhat difficult to accept for a moment.
A faint blue light suddenly appeared in his eyes as Ye Feipeng checked the somewhat blurry memories that came along with the power of the bloodline.
"The beast scattered, saved an injured Kunpeng..."
"So that's how it is."
After a long time, Ye Feipeng sighed in relief.
According to the memories inherited by the bloodline, many, many years ago, their ancestors had accidentally saved an injured Kunpeng during a fortuitous encounter.
At that time, for some unknown reason, all the beasts in the world were fleeing in panic.
The ancestor, with a kind heart, deceived everyone and chose to take good care of the Kunpeng.
After the Kunpeng's injuries had completely healed, before leaving, it gifted a drop of its essence blood to the ancestor as a token of gratitude.
"No wonder most of our Ye Family ancestors had robust bodies and immense strength. It turns out to be the effect of this Kunpeng essence blood."
"Unfortunately, I only passively borrowed the power of the essence blood and didn't truly tap into its usefulness."
"It wasn't until it reached my side, with the assistance of the Canghai Pearl, that its effects could be fully unleashed."
After a life-and-death ordeal, the chubby man became more stable.
If he had suddenly gained such an opportunity before, he would certainly have been overjoyed.
Now, he remained calm, experimenting with the inheritance of the Kunpeng essence blood.
"At present, the main inheritances I've obtained are three: Kun Devour, Peng Flight, and Startling Peng Transformation."
"Kun Devour can swallow all substances between heaven and earth, turning them into nourishment to strengthen oneself."
"Peng Flight, fiercely flying in the water, soaring upward with wings, covering nine thousand miles in an instant. Its speed is no less than any teleportation technique."
"Startling Peng Transformation, the power of bloodline applied to the body. Human transformation into ancestral form, Kunpeng reappears."
A glint flashed in Ye Feipeng's eyes.
In an instant of contemplation, his originally somewhat obese body expanded by another layer.
Two masses protruded high behind him.
During the initial transformation, Ye Feipeng seemed to be in some pain.
His face twisted, and veins, like twisting dragons, continuously moved beneath his skin.
"Ah!"
A furious roar, and two brown wings extended from behind Ye Feipeng.
On his forehead, a soaring Kunpeng image simultaneously appeared.
The transformation consumed a great deal, and the chubby man breathed heavily as he recovered.
After resting for a moment, he rose proudly.
The wings behind him fluttered slightly.
His figure turned into a thin line, and in the blink of an eye, Ye Feipeng appeared more than ten miles away.
Faster than the proud speed he had before falling into a deep sleep!
"Kunpeng rides the wind, traveling thousands of miles in a day."
"I can go even faster!"
Ye Feipeng thought, and the true meaning of the green wind surged in his dantian.
Around the brown wings, faint green light appeared.
After another test, Ye Feipeng found that, with the dual support of the Green Wind and Kunpeng Transformation, the combined effect was greater than the sum of its parts.
The speed of flying and fleeing had more than doubled!
"Speed is power! With my speed, coupled with the enhanced physique from the Kunpeng essence blood, just crashing into someone, an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn't be able to withstand it..."
Thinking like this, Ye Feipeng fully unleashed his speed and dashed towards a sea peak below.
A streak of light flashed, and the mountains collapsed with it.
Raising a turbid stream of seawater.
Not satisfied yet, Ye Feipeng, with undiminished momentum, continued to charge towards the distance.
On the seabed, he carved out a deep and long trench.
Only after exhausting his stamina did he reluctantly stop his destructive behavior.
With a wide-open mouth, he swallowed the surrounding seawater again.
Not long after, Ye Feipeng regained his vigor.
"If I had this speed back then, I wouldn't have been caught by Zhang Zhiliang."
He sighed inwardly.
Recalling the scene from the past, the chubby man's complexion couldn't help but turn somewhat grim.
(End of this chapter)