Chapter 41: Three Months Later

After Yan Feixia left, the entire Yan capital city returned to a state of calm, with no ripples on the surface.

Three months had passed in a blink.

The weather had transitioned from the height of summer to autumn.

The autumn wind was bleak, the trees were withered and yellow, and leaves were flying everywhere. Migratory birds flew south. Some commoners harvested the spiritual herbs they had planted and sold them to the great noble families.

On the fertile continent, what the common people planted were not rice and grains, but the spiritual herbs used to make Qi Gathering Pills. Every autumn, they would sell the harvested herbs to exchange for Qi Gathering Pills. They themselves could not refine such pills, only provide the materials.

Even some noble families could not refine them.

Only some major sects, academies, and the Holy Ancestor Dynasty could refine them.

However, this did not hinder the noble families from acquiring them. They would sell them through the chambers of commerce, layer by layer, to earn a profit.

Yang Qi spent three months in seclusion at home, cultivating.

During these three months, he thoroughly familiarized himself with the "Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell Power," condensed it, and further transformed his body.

Now, his body was far stronger than that of a Qi Master. Under his skin was a thick layer of keratin, impervious to blades and even capable of absorbing the impact of Qi techniques.

The various abilities of the Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell Power, including "Spear of the Nether God," "Wings of the Demon," and "Guard of the Nether God," he had almost mastered to perfection.

These three abilities were the strongest attack, the fastest speed, and the strongest defense, respectively.

When combined, they could create an unparalleled combat power.

Next, Yang Qi aimed to cultivate the next ability, "Hell Furnace."

The "Hell Furnace" was the most powerful cultivation method. Once the furnace was formed, it could refine everything, devour everything, and even absorb the essence of life, the primordial energy of heaven and earth, the essence of the sun and moon, and the power of the stars, all of which could be transformed into the furnace's life essence.

If he could condense this furnace within his body using the true Qi of the Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell Power, even if he lost the life essence of the Thunderous Elephant, he would not be at a loss.

*Hiss...*

He sat cross-legged in the air in the secret room.

Yang Qi sat cross-legged in the air, with no support, completely floating by the power of his true Qi. He sat for over an hour without panting or blushing, his Qi techniques were so powerful that it was almost inconceivable.

Even a Ninth Rank Qi Master would be terrified to see this.

At the same time, his true Qi slowly spread out, seeping into the ground beneath the secret room. Instantly, everything in the underground soil and cracks became clear.

In the soil, snakes, insects, and ants were hibernating, and some tiny insects were active underground, forming a unique and intricate underground world.

Yang Qi could even see the complex sewer system and some secret passages and mechanisms beneath the Yan capital city.

His true Qi seeped into the earth, spreading outward. This was like using his divine sense to observe, as if seeing with his own eyes.

To say that even Yang Zhan, if he used his true Qi to observe underground, could only penetrate up to ten zhang deep and a thousand steps in radius, and no further, because his true Qi could not extend that far.

But Yang Qi was different. His true Qi was so powerful that it covered the entire Yang family estate and even the streets outside, both above and below ground. This meant that if any expert approached the Yang family estate, whether from the sky or underground, Yang Qi would immediately detect them and launch an attack.

His true Qi spread out, permeating the air, each strand becoming his eyes and ears.

This was akin to the legendary "Heavenly Vision and Earthly Hearing."

In reality, Qi technique experts had this ability, but they were far from reaching Yang Qi's level.

"Go!"

Yang Qi flicked his finger, and a thread of true Qi as fine as silk shot out, crossing a long corridor and entering the inner lake, where it caught a fish weighing over ten pounds.

The fish was entirely green, with great strength, and struggled continuously out of the water, splashing. However, it could not escape the true Qi thread.

This was the "Spring Silk Rain Sword Qi" from the "Four Seasons Sword Technique."

With Yang Qi's cultivation, the Spring Silk Rain Sword Qi could not be severed by even the sharpest weapons, let alone a green fish. After playing with the fish for a while, Yang Qi released it back into the pond.

The fish rolled around, flicked its tail, and swam into the depths of the pond, never to be seen again.

Yang Qi raised his hand again, and the true Qi thread soared high, almost reaching the clouds. A formation of geese in the sky was swept down by it.

The goose was entangled by the true Qi thread, flapping and struggling but unable to break free.

The goose fell from the sky onto Yang Qi's hand, feeling his aura and burying its head in its wings in fear.

"Alright, go catch up with your companions. I won't harm you." Yang Qi smiled, and a strand of true Qi entered the goose's body, helping to smooth its blood flow. Then he condensed a small true Qi seed, and the goose immediately became vibrant, raising its head and letting out a grateful cry to Yang Qi.

Yang Qi's hand trembled, and the goose flapped its wings and flew into the clouds like an arrow.

It had encountered a great fortune and might enter the path of cultivation in the future.

Releasing the goose, Yang Qi felt a sense of "compassion."

Indeed, it was "compassion."

The cultivation of the "Divine Elephant Imprisoning Hell Power" was extremely brutal, carrying the aura of hellish deities. Those who cultivated it needed an extremely kind heart to control it. Yang Qi had gradually understood the secrets through his meditation over these days. As his cultivation and spirit improved, he felt a deep love for all things in the world, even ants on the ground, which he could not bear to step on.

However, if there were extremely evil enemies who threatened him, he would transform into the Divine Elephant and the Nether God, crushing the evil and promoting good. As the saying goes:

All beings are the fruit of enlightenment, and evil people will be punished by other evil people.

Killing countless evil people, the world's greatest demon becomes a compassionate Buddha.

He slowly drew his breath back, descending from the air. He casually moved his body, and his deep joints made a thunderous sound. Now, his true Qi was so powerful that a single breath could almost blow away an Eighth Rank Qi Master.

However, to advance to the Ninth Rank "Qi Master" level, he still lacked some refinement.

After all, even a genius with a great encounter and a master's guidance would need at least forty to fifty years of hard cultivation to become a Qi Master.

Yang Zhan had spent over forty years in hard cultivation to reach the Ninth Rank Qi Master, and he had also consumed the rare herb "Sky Absorbing Grass" in his youth and received the Nine-Transmutation Golden Pill from Yang Qi.

Yan Gufeng had advanced by consuming the Dragon Subduing Pill.

"However, my advancement to Qi Master is not far off. These months of hard cultivation, though I have not awakened the power of the ancient giant elephant again, have almost perfected the Four Seasons Sword Technique. I wonder how my father and my elder brothers are doing in their cultivation?" Yang Qi still possessed the power of ten ancient giant elephants, but his understanding of "Qi" had improved immensely compared to three months ago, broadening his horizons.

"Third Young Master, the Master, the Eldest Young Master, and the Second Young Master are waiting for you in the council hall to discuss important matters." Suddenly, a maid came in to report.

"Important matters?" Yang Qi's heart stirred. "What could be so important? Ah, it must be autumn, and our family's autumn hunt is about to begin. My match with Yang Honglie is also starting, but this boy would be blown away by a single breath from me now. Three months ago, he was at the Seventh Rank of Qi techniques, and even if he had a great encounter and consumed some pills, he would only be at the Eighth Rank now."

He strode into the council hall.

Sure enough, his father Yang Zhan, his elder brother, and his second brother were all there.

His elder brother had successfully reached the Seventh Rank of Qi techniques, and his second brother had cultivated to the Sixth Rank. This time, he had plundered many beneficial Qi pills from the Chen family and their council of elders, some of which could directly increase ten to twenty years of cultivation.

Yang Zhan's appearance was radiant, his eyes like amber, containing the essence of the four seasons. Yang Qi knew that his father, relying on the "Great Thousand Mirror," had successfully cultivated the "Four Seasons Sword Technique," a King-level Qi technique.

The family's traditional technique, the "Invincible King Fist," was only a Near-King level and could not compare to the Four Seasons Sword Technique.

"Congratulations, Father, your cultivation has deepened another level. This time, we are discussing the autumn hunt, right?" Yang Qi entered with a smile.

"Qi, your cultivation has become even more powerful. I am definitely no match for you. This autumn hunt will allow our family to stand tall and suppress all the branches, unifying them. By following orders, we can seize control of the Yan capital city." Yang Zhan was full of ambition.

"Father, as long as the Yan family does not attack us, we can live in peace. The control of the Yan capital city is not that important." Yang Qi pondered for a moment.

"Of course, but I have learned that Yan Gufeng has already begun recruiting soldiers and gathering experts. I believe he will soon take action against our family." Yang Zhan shook his head. "On the fertile continent, many city lords have begun establishing their own countries, and the era of warlords has arrived. If Yan Gufeng does not act, the surrounding cities will strengthen their armies and attack the Yan capital city. Just wait, and powerful forces will definitely attack the Yan capital city."

Yang Qi fell silent, knowing that there were strong forces around the Yan capital city, such as the Cloud Sea City, which had become the Cloud Sea Kingdom and was gradually expanding, possibly coming to attack.

"Alright, I just received a message from the council of elders. They have already gathered in front of the Black Corpse Mountains. Now, the four of us will go to the autumn hunt together." Yang Zhan waved his hand.

"Father, the Yan family's city lord could attack us at any time. What if we leave and they launch a surprise attack?" Yang Qi licked his lips.

"It won't happen. Even if we leave, a surprise attack from the Yan family would be useless." Yang Zhan shook his head. "Yan Gufeng won't do something so foolish. If he wants to attack our family, he will wait until we are all at home and then strike to eliminate us all at once."