Chapter 104: Startling News

"Wind!"

With a soft cry, a gust of clear breeze surged beneath Ji Hao’s feet. The invisible, traceless wind quickly enveloped him, and Ji Hao transformed into the wind itself, skimming lightly across the rain-soaked ground. In the midst of the torrential downpour, dozens of raindrops swayed gently; a single breath later, Ji Hao reappeared three miles away.

"Rain!"

Just as he emerged beneath a large tree, Ji Hao waved his hands. Within a hundred-foot radius around him, every crystal-clear raindrop simultaneously solidified into ice. Thumb-sized hailstones plummeted from the sky with a piercing whistle, scouring the earth like a manic meteor shower.

Dozens of trees, each as thick as two men could embrace, were pierced through by the ice, and amidst the grating sound of splintering wood, a spray of wood chips and bark erupted into the air. Ji Hao smiled faintly, formed a seal with his hands, and flicked them outward.

"Thunder!"

Following his shout and the guiding motion of his hands, the pitch-black rain clouds above Ji Hao churned violently. A vortex shaped like a tornado extended several dozen feet downward. A brilliant flash erupted within the cloud, and a crimson thunderbolt, the size of a human head, whistled down, slamming into the dense forest two miles away.

A massive roar shook the earth as the thunderbolt exploded. Countless fist-sized balls of fire scattered in every direction, pulverizing dozens of trees. Further out, the branches and leaves of over a hundred more trees were shattered, sending debris flying for more than a mile, while a crater several yards wide appeared on the ground.

"Lightning!"

Ji Hao let out a final, thunderous roar. The pure, vast mana within his Purple Mansion Golden Core poured into his hand seals in one desperate surge.

The dark clouds in the sky churned in fury. Circles of silvery-blue electricity rippled from the depths of the clouds, rapidly coalescing into dozens of water-vat-sized spherical lightning bolts. As Ji Hao pointed his seal, dozens of blinding currents descended from the sky like sharp blades, slicing ruthlessly through a small rocky hill over a dozen feet high.

The 'hissing' sound of electricity was relentless. As the dozens of lightning bolts carved through the rock, which was as hard as steel, dust and sparks flew everywhere. The massive boulder was torn into powder by the electrified net.

Exhaling a long breath of turbid air, Ji Hao inhaled deeply toward the sky. His soul power, now a hundred times stronger, formed an invisible net that instantly swallowed the essence of heaven and earth within several miles into his body. As the surging energy roared toward him, every pore on Ji Hao’s body spasmed and swelled, his hair standing on end. Transparent vortices, visible to the naked eye, extended from each pore, emitting a faint 'hissing' sound as the energy rushed in.

In a mere ten breaths, his depleted Purple Mansion Golden Core was fully replenished, and the newly formed mana was about one ten-thousandth higher in quality than what had been consumed.

Ji Hao shifted his hand seals; the Nine Words of Power corresponded to nine seals, capable of generating endless variations.

Communicating with the universe, stimulating potential, and using the primordial spirit to command the power of heaven and earth, all while tempering the physical body—it was the cultivation of both life and essence! Ji Hao felt his soul become crystal clear, perfectly round, smooth as jade, and hard as gold. With every movement, he could unleash infinite wonders and boundless power.

The four techniques of 'Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning' were merely Ji Hao testing his skills. Countless mystical arts and secret techniques flooded his mind; he could now wield them at will, creating endless, exotic methods to confront his enemies.

A breath of the Golden Crow stirred in his chest, ready to burst forth. The Golden Crow Heavenly Garment on his skin shimmered with brilliance, the flowing light of the fire wings behind him pulsed gently, and golden-red light flickered in his eyes. His Golden Crow Divine Eyes were as radiant as stars, bringing the mountain forest for ten miles around into perfect clarity.

Compared to the various techniques he had studied in his past life, the four bloodline powers he possessed in this life were faster to activate and consumed less energy. For the same amount of effort, the destructive power had increased by about fifty percent. Ji Hao silently compared his innate abilities to the other methods he had mastered, objectively evaluating his combat strength.

A few miles away, Man Man curled up under a massive taro leaf, watching Ji Hao with great curiosity.

"Uncle Wen Ming, Ji Hao is a member of the Fire Crow Clan. The power he inherited is that of the ancient Three-Legged Golden Crow; he should only be able to control fire, right? How is it that he can control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning?" Man Man looked at Ji Hao with pleasant surprise. "Although I saw Ji Hao use some strange witchcraft a few days ago, I hadn't had the chance to think about it until now."

Si Wen Ming’s eyes shone with a brilliant light as he watched Ji Hao on the distant slope with a cheerful smile.

After a moment of contemplation, Si Wen Ming said lightly, "Well, Man Man, who says that a member of the Fire Crow Clan who inherits the Golden Crow bloodline can only control fire? Isn't Ji Hao’s mother from the Qing Yi Clan? The Qing Yi Clan possesses the bloodline of the ancient Wind Peng."

"That only explains the power of wind. What about the rain, thunder, and lightning?" Man Man looked at Si Wen Ming with sharp, curious eyes. "Father says I'm a bit silly, so don't you try to fool me, Uncle!"

Si Wen Ming let out a dry 'gaga' laugh and looked at Man Man with a straight face. "Who says you're silly? Your father’s own brain... hehe. You are very clever, Man Man. Uncle wouldn't lie to you; I would swear to the heavens on that."

A bolt of wild lightning struck from the sky, hitting a tree just a dozen yards away from Si Wen Ming.

Si Wen Ming glanced casually at the tree, which was now burning like a torch, and said calmly, "Ji Hao’s mother is from the Qing Yi Clan, but what about his father’s mother? Couldn't she have been from a water-aligned tribe in the Southern Wasteland? And what about his grandfather’s mother? Passed down through generations like this, the bloodlines of the major tribes in the Southern Wasteland have long been mixed and diluted. That’s why many of the great tribes in the Southern Wasteland aren't as powerful as they used to be."

Man Man stared blankly for a moment, then frowned, lost in thought.

After a long time, Man Man nodded earnestly. "I think I remember Father and his ministers saying something similar. The number of new Witch Kings and Witch Emperors emerging from the top ten tribes in the Southern Wasteland has been far fewer than ten thousand years ago. Father was so upset by this that he lost his appetite for wine for several days, and then he just ran off somewhere."

"Pu Ban!" Si Wen Ming looked at Man Man with a smile. "Your father is in Pu Ban right now, discussing affairs with the Human King. Man Man, Pu Ban is a very interesting and fun place. Are you interested in coming with Uncle to visit? Your father is there too."

He paused, then added mysteriously, "There are many little ones your age there. It’s very lively when everyone is together. I’m not lying to you; that place is truly a lot of fun."

Ji Hao came sprinting over on a gust of wind.

Having formed the Purple Mansion Golden Core, in a sense, Ji Hao had transcended his mortal coil and attained the body of a 'half-immortal.' Thus, relying on his own magical powers and abilities, he could now fly by riding the wind.

For the tribes of the Southern Wasteland, flight was a feat that only a Witch King could achieve. The most powerful Great Witches, no matter how high they could jump, could not fly in the air for long.

Ji Hao happened to overhear the last two sentences from Si Wen Ming and asked curiously, "Pu Ban? I think... I’ve heard that name before. The Human King—the King of all humanity? What is his name?"

Si Wen Ming looked at Ji Hao with a smile and said softly, "The current Human King’s birth name is Yao Chonghua, but we all call him Emperor Shun."

'Emperor Shun!'

A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky, striking the forest with a thunderous boom. As the lightning exploded, Ji Hao smiled and looked toward the sky.

'Emperor Shun,' Yao Chonghua, was it?

Pu Ban. Ji Hao suddenly developed a keen interest in Pu Ban.