This Dao Ancestor is too young.

buzz~

The Black Blood Shield trembled slightly, and dense, blood-red patterns spread across its body, emanating an increasingly sinister and bloody aura.

Faintly, one could hear curses and wails.

Zhang Yuanzhu remained expressionless as his fingertips moved rapidly, unleashing a series of hand seals.

Meanwhile, the remains of four cultivators at the Qi Refining and Qi Condensation stages were thrown into the pile of corpses in the storage bag, turning into magical artifacts and supplies.

About half an hour later, all the debris and blood disappeared, leaving only a palm-sized shield floating in mid-air, shrouded in a faint blood mist.

The boy stretched out his hand and gently beckoned.

brush~

The shield floated down into his palm.

With a light tap of his fingers, the sounds of metal clashing echoed through the courtyard.

"It's still a low-grade magic weapon, but its defensive capabilities have been significantly improved."

Zhang Yuanzhu's eyes showed satisfaction.

The Black Blood Shield was originally a magic weapon that the bandit leader had barely managed to forge, and it was only a low-grade artifact. After his reforging and this upgrade, it can be considered quite good among low-grade magic weapons.

Lost in thought, he carefully placed the Black Blood Shield close to his body.

Immediately, he focused his attention on the storage bag.

A broken silver halberd, black armor plates, a crudely made jade pendant, a broken longbow, and golden gauntlets...

These items are all spoils of war, and they can stir the soul and unleash supernatural powers.

His mind scanned the various items, finally focusing on the boxing gloves.

A thought crossed my mind.

A gold-threaded boxing glove appeared in his palm.

The boxing gloves are as thin as cicada wings, with crystal-clear gold threads that shimmer with an unusual luster.

The boy clasped his hands together and gently stroked it, feeling the warmth from his fingertips.

Is it a low-grade Buddhist implement?

Zhang Yuanzhu deduced, then murmured to himself:

A grand dream spanning a thousand autumns!

In an instant, the spring, the courtyard, and everything around began to darken, and the perspective shifted, revealing that we had somehow arrived at an ancestral hall.

Candles burned, smoke curled upwards, and memorial tablets were placed at the head of the table with solemnity and reverence.

Inside the ancestral hall, a dozen or so figures knelt on the ground, including elderly people with white hair, robust young people, and young children.

"Our ancestors waded through the abyss to reach Jiaoyuan City, where they established a foundation that has lasted for a hundred years. As we pay homage to our ancestors, we will never forget the hardships they endured."

An elderly man with gray hair and few teeth slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over everyone with a kind expression.

"The father of the Shang family head."

Zhang Yuanzhu muttered to himself, "When I attacked and killed the head of the Shang family, it was this old man who led people to rescue me."

In the blink of an eye, he had already slowly approached the old man, and then entered his body.

Boom~

A feeling of both strength and weakness welled up in the old man's heart at the same time. The magical power within the old man's dantian was thick and heavy, like mist drifting and spreading everywhere.

His physical body was full of decay and decay, and his strength was only slightly greater than his.

"He's dying!"

With his vitality waning, his blood and qi depleted, and numerous hidden injuries within his body, he wouldn't live much longer.

Various thoughts surged through Zhang Yuanzhu's mind, but then subsided one by one, and he focused his attention on the opponent's magical power.

Carefully observe and continuously study.

At this moment, the powerful member of the Shang family also took out a pair of golden silk gauntlets from his robes and handed them to a tall old man to his right:

"Yuan Lie, this is a low-grade magic weapon from the family's inventory—the Golden Spirit Gauntlets. You are temporarily keeping it safe."

"Brother Yuansi, rest assured, I will protect the magic artifact with my life and never lose it."

As the two talked, the ancestral hall gradually dimmed, and cracks appeared in the space until it completely collapsed.

The supernatural power "Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns" then came to an end.

Beside the spring, the boy lightly clenched his fist and whispered:

"The Golden Spirit Gauntlets?"

At the same time, the Bodhi tree deep within my heart swayed gently, and rays of light shone down, activating my supernatural powers once again.

This time, Zhang Yuanzhu approached Shang Yuanlie to sense the power, magic flow, and blood circulation around him.

Afterwards, the boy repeatedly used his supernatural powers to possess all the members of the Shang family in the ancestral hall, thus understanding their specific strength.

Then, he took out items from his storage bag and activated his supernatural power "Great Dream of a Thousand Autumns" to continuously study various techniques and learn from his opponents' cultivation experience.

I don't know how much time had passed, but the sky was just beginning to brighten.

He had just finished counting the spoils.

At this moment, Zhang Yuanzhu straightened his back, lightly pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and looked towards the Shang family in the inner city, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"I'm still a bit short. If I can break through to the Qi Refining Realm, my chances will be much better."

"Furthermore, there's something unusual about the Tao family; we need to investigate."

The boy shook his head.

Shang Yuansi was, after all, a Qi Refining Stage 3 cultivator, and the fighting last night must have reached the other party's ears. He would not have the strength to kill him again.

For him now, the most important thing is to buy time, and once his combat strength has improved further, everything will be settled.

"Time is on my side, don't be impatient!"

The boy muttered to himself.

He took out the third Essence Blood Pill from his storage bag and swallowed it without hesitation.

Boom~

The elixir melts instantly upon entering the mouth, and streams of warmth cleanse the flesh and blood, enhancing potential.

Bang~

The blue crystal magic sword was drawn, and a ray of sword light bloomed, dazzling and eye-catching.

With a single step, the sword in his hand danced, sometimes violent, sometimes graceful, sometimes fierce, switching between three completely different sword techniques.

At the same time, a deep blue light emanated from his palm and covered the sword.

The roars of tigers, the howls of bears, and the cries of swallows rang out in succession, and three beastly figures leaped out from the radiance, circling the magic sword and roaring to the sky.

Upon witnessing this, Zhang Yuanzhu's lips curled into a slight smile, tinged with pleasure.

Unlike the Dao Ancestor's explosive, all-consuming sword techniques in his future memories, this was the sword path he had planned for himself.

Practice different beast-themed sword techniques to transform your sword into ten, a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand beasts.

In the end, it is not impossible: with one sword strike, ten thousand lives are born; with one sword fall, ten thousand lives perish.

Of course, our current thoughts and ideas still need a lot of time to be perfected and prepared.

Time passed, and the sun rose.

Bang~

The magic sword returned to its sheath, the beast's roar disappeared, and the sword light vanished.

In the courtyard, only the young man stood with his sword at his side. The sunlight covered his slender body like a golden veil, adding a touch of divinity to him.

At this moment, the young man had already made a plan in his mind. He strode forward, pushed open the door, and headed towards the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce.

If we're talking about the most knowledgeable, well-informed, and resource-rich force in the city, the one with the most spiritual items, it has to be the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce.

The transaction went smoothly a few days ago, and hopefully this time it won't disappoint him either.

Ta-ta-ta~

The crisp sound of footsteps echoed on the street, where the early morning crowds were sparse.

The disaster victims lying on both sides would cough occasionally, prompting pedestrians to keep their distance.

The further Zhang Yuanzhu went, the more his brows furrowed. Many of the disaster victims and beggars were dying, seemingly on the verge of death.

Even passersby would occasionally cover their mouths and cough lightly.

"Plague? Or some kind of evil scheme?"

Zhang Yuanzhu looked up at the bright sun in the sky, his expression extremely solemn.

He turned around, pushed off with his feet, and walked towards the outer city.

The boy walked through the streets, passing through the outer city, the inner city, and even outside the city walls.

Finally, he stopped in front of the Qingyun Chamber of Commerce pavilion, his five fingers gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

This 'plague' has affected an entire city!