Chapter 149: Chapter 131: Invasion of Prince Jin’s Mansion, Birth of a Sea-Viewing Realm Shadow Warrior, The Blood Shadow Legion

Meanwhile, at Prince Jin’s Mansion.

By the time Lu Mingyuan arrived, he discovered the mission was already over.

He had clearly spent a significant amount of time listening to Zen Master Jiang Shan’s lecture. Fortunately, the mission operated on a proximity principle, requiring any nearby Death Warrior who received the Eternal Order to rush to the scene and carry it out.

So, he could only return to Prince Jin’s Mansion.

He took a secret passage. In the Inner City, many important establishments had tunnels leading to the Prince Mansion, and the attics contained a Grand Array that could block the perception of powerful experts.

Before entering Prince Jin’s Mansion, he first changed his “skin.”

He became Yang Erlang, the man in the Bronze Evil Tiger Mask.

But there was an upgrade.

The Shadow Warrior, after all, was a product of the Paperman Divine Technique fused with a Blood Gluttonous Avatar. The ability to move freely was granted by the Paperman Divine Technique, while the power to devour and disguise was an innate function of the Blood Gluttonous Avatar.

Lu Mingyuan always kept one principle firmly in mind: the Blood Glutton Shadow Warrior could absolutely never develop self-awareness. It was purely a Divine Treasure.

Just like a Paperman, it could never develop its own consciousness.

The Blood Glutton Split Body Technique was also based on this principle. Without its own Divine Soul, without the Three Souls and Six Spirits, it could never truly become human.

This also meant the Shadow Warrior had a ceiling.

It couldn’t expand and grow stronger indefinitely. Lu Mingyuan had discovered this characteristic ever since he broke through to the Sea-Viewing Realm.

When the Bloodthirsty Essence Blood split into one hundred avatars, it reached its upper limit. Although this was double the previous number, their individual strength was greatly diminished.

They were all only at the Fifth Realm of Martial Arts: Furnace Building, having just barely formed their meridians and Dantian. Their strength was inferior to that of a typical Furnace-Building Realm Martial Artist.

It was equivalent to having one hundred bodyguards at the level of a Great Yan Qilin Guard Captain with him at all times.

For the current him, they were certainly not enough to act as bodyguards. After all, he himself had already entered the Eighth Realm of Sea Viewing.

But he had discovered something amazing.

If he reduced the number of avatars, the strength of these Blood Glutton Shadow Warriors could be stacked.

For example, reducing the number of Shadow Warriors to fifty consumed far less Essence Blood—at least three times less—and their strength could be elevated to the Grandmaster Realm. He also wouldn’t need to expend much mental energy to control them. They carried a significant portion of his Divine Soul’s will, acting like puppets on a string, awaiting his commands.

Thus, the Blood Shadow Legion was born.

If he reduced the number further to ten, he would possess a group of Grandmaster experts. Ten Grandmasters would be under his command, awaiting orders.

If the power of all his Essence Blood were concentrated and stacked together, it could form two ordinary Sea-Viewing Realm Martial Artists.

That’s right, they were ultimately just ordinary Sea-Viewing Realm cultivators, no match for his main body’s strength. With his profound foundation of the Martial Arts Dragon Aspect and the Qi of the Great Yang, he could theoretically dominate ten Sea-Viewing Realm Martial Artists with one hand. As for how many he could actually fight in real combat, he had yet to test it.

Still, Lu Mingyuan was content. Having two Middle Fifth Grade subordinates would save him an unknown amount of trouble.

And so, Lu Mingyuan’s preliminary plan was born.

He planned to divide the Blood Shadow Legion into three tiers: Heavenly, Earth, and Human.

The lowest-tier, Human-level Shadow Warriors, would not be responsible for combat. They would only handle intelligence and surveillance work. They just needed to be able to move and have the ability to disguise themselves, requiring no combat power and thus consuming the least amount of Essence Blood.

Earth-level Shadow Warriors would be the elite class among the Shadow Warriors. They would be the primary combatants, tasked with the heavy responsibility of solving problems and executing missions.

Heavenly Level Shadow Warriors would be the legion’s top-tier combat power. They would be the legion’s mysterious core, commanding the two lower tiers and also capable of acting as his doubles.

He himself would only need to command from the rear, coordinating everything. It would be absolutely foolproof!

This tiered structure would allow for the most rational use of his Essence Blood and minimize the consumption of Martial Dao Primordial Qi.

That’s right. The Blood Shadow Legion’s only flaw was its inability to restore its own Primordial Qi. All the blood and qi energy it consumed came from him. While it wasn’t impossible to “recharge” them by having them carry a Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure, shortages were inevitable, and there weren’t that many Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures to go around.

The Shadow Warriors’ own ability to absorb nature’s spiritual energy to recharge was also very slow, taking at least a full day. He could only send the Shadow Warriors out with sufficient Primordial Qi. For now, this problem wasn’t a major concern.

For him, the fact that his strongest Shadow Warrior’s cultivation could reach the Sea-Viewing Realm was already incredible!

In the future, he could form more Shadow Warrior squads, combining assassination, poisoning, and tools to fight and kill troublesome enemies.

With just a thought from his Heart Spirit, a single intention, he could shuttle back and forth and kill someone a thousand miles away.

Yang Family’s Second Son returned to the tunnels, presented his Grade B Jade Token, and smoothly entered the interior of Prince Jin’s Mansion.

However, a tense atmosphere permeated the inside of Prince Jin’s Mansion, even more so than during the confrontation with the Fourth Prince.

No one could sense his presence. This was because the Yang Family’s Second Son’s cultivation had improved again, reaching the Sea-Viewing Realm. Even a Cultivator three Realms higher would have no hope of seeing his true cultivation.

He not only had the Thousand Mechanism Blood Divine Jade to obscure celestial secrets, but also a large number of Traceless Talismans he had purchased to conceal his aura. The Buddhist Sect’s Spiritual Artifact, the Refusal Buddhist Beads, also counted as one of the safeguards, giving him a total of three layers of protection.

In other words, with the multitasking ability he had honed, Lu Mingyuan could simultaneously control seven or eight Grandmaster-level combatants to carry out simple and crude beatdowns.

If a Shadow Warrior was destroyed and its Essence Blood self-detonated, he would still feel a little heartbroken.

After all, he had lost more than half of his Shadow Warriors when seizing the Buddha’s Relics.

Lu Mingyuan arrived at the inner hall of Prince Jin’s Mansion and overheard the murmurs of fellow Tributors.

“His Highness’s jobs are getting more and more dangerous, but the pay stays the same. It’s not right.”

“Yeah, a lot of the brothers have died. So many familiar faces are gone.”

“And no one has filled their spots yet, especially in the C-Level group. A whole bunch of them have been missing since that fierce battle the other night.”

Hearing their complaints, Lu Mingyuan’s eyes darted. He feigned a look of displeasure and challenged them,

“If you all find the pay so lacking, why don’t you just leave the Prince Mansion?”

A B-Grade Tributor rolled his eyes. “You think we don’t want to? Do you think this Prince Jin’s Mansion is a place you can just come and go as you please? Of all those who have left, not a single one is still alive or met a good end. Every last one of them died from a Heart Demon Devouring Body.”

“Do you remember the Elixir you took when you first joined? That thing is probably a Heart Gu. The moment you leave, your Divine Soul will be utterly destroyed.”

“Offending Prince Jin is just asking for trouble. It’s best not to dwell on these things.”

The two Tributors grumbled for a moment longer, then quickly turned and left, clearly not wanting to say another word to Lu Mingyuan.

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan’s expression inexplicably lit up.

’Is Lu Guangjing losing favor?’

“Yang Erlang, your mission.”

Suddenly, a Black-clothed Armored Woman with a high ponytail walked out from the main courtyard, holding a small, heavy sack.

It was Shadow Scout, one of the Endless Pavilion’s few A-Grade Tributors.

“What mission?” Lu Mingyuan asked.

“You’re a Royal Tutor now. Recruit more people.”

’A Royal Tutor…’

’Isn’t that Tributor Lei’s old position?’

A sudden realization struck Lu Mingyuan. He looked at the back of the black-clothed woman and called out loudly,

“What about Tributor Lei?”

The woman named Shadow Scout waved a hand, replying without turning back,

“Dead.”

’He’s actually dead…’

Lu Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, but not surprised. It explained why he hadn’t seen a trace of Lei Meng for days. So, he had bravely sacrificed himself for Prince Jin’s Mansion.

He opened the sack and found it filled with Jade Tokens, all of them C-character Tokens.

“Recruit people? Great, no problem!”

Lu Mingyuan seemed to have thought of something and chuckled to himself.

’Oh, my dear Second Brother, I’ll be sure to recruit a lot of people for you!’

He took the Jade Tokens and left Prince Jin’s Mansion.

He went to a deserted area in the Capital City.

With a soft snap of his fingers.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! Countless sounds echoed as numerous blood-red shadows emerged from the ground.

They filled the deep alleyway, an immense number as far as the eye could see.

“You are a pure Swordsman, originally from the Taoist Sect. You stole the Sword Scripture from the Taihao Sword Sect and will seek refuge at Prince Jin’s Mansion at noon on the first day.”

“You were once a Sea-Viewing Realm Martial Artist, but after failing at the Dragon Gate, your Realm dropped to the Fifth Realm. With no other choice, you seek refuge to make a living. You will go to Prince Jin’s Mansion at 7:00 AM on the second day.”

…

「At the main gate of Prince Jin’s Mansion.」

Lu Guangjing was speaking with a smiling woman in a pale-yellow palace dress.

The woman’s arm was bandaged; it seemed she had been slightly injured.

“Thank you for saving me today, Your Highness.”

Ning Feiyu looked at the handsome man before her and bowed lightly.

She had been attacked by an Assassin at the entrance of a market.

Fortunately, she ran into the Second Prince’s carriage and narrowly escaped.

But she knew that Prince Jin and her husband held a grudge against each other.

Therefore, she remained on guard. Yet, from beginning to end, the Second Prince behaved with utmost propriety and courtesy.

Although she didn’t know how her husband’s resentment had started, he had told her a great deal, mentioning words like “vicious” and “hypocrite.” Having been influenced by what she constantly heard, she had come to believe that Prince Jin was certainly an evil man and her husband’s enemy.

But today, her opinion had changed.

Not only did he tell her many ways to guard against Assassins and warn her to always travel with enough Guards, but he also had tea with her and discussed many scholarly topics.

She had originally thought this Prince Jin was just a hypocrite with a polished exterior.

But his knowledge was far from shallow. He had his own unique insights on many matters, such as the current state of the Great Yan and the conflict between the Three Religions.

“It was nothing. I was just lending a hand.”

Lu Guangjing smiled gracefully. “My lady, please remember what I told you. You must have Eighth Brother be careful of the Seventh Prince’s schemes. That man has spent a fortune hiring many Assassins. The Fifth Prince, Lu Mingkong, was a good friend of mine, and he was assassinated. I suspect the Seventh Prince was behind it. He acts all simple and honest, but he secretly harbors malicious intentions. Don’t let Eighth Brother fall for his tricks.”

Princess Consort Ning wasn’t fully convinced, but she nodded and said, “I will relay this to my husband.”

“Good. In that case, I won’t keep you any longer. I will arrange a carriage to take you back to your mansion.”

Lu Guangjing watched Princess Consort Ning’s departing figure, a meaningful smile gracing his lips.

「Back in the living room.」

Gongyang Hu said with great admiration, “I thought Your Highness would use other means. I didn’t expect you to pull a feint like this.”

“This subordinate was already prepared for the Confucian Temple’s Li Sheng and the Military Saint to make a move.”

Lu Guangjing said flatly, “As Saints and Sages, they can have monuments and statues erected in their honor. But to become a true Saint, one must receive the recognition of heaven and earth, which will descend with a saintly phenomenon for all the world to know. I’m not that foolish. This move is enough to buy some time and confuse the situation. Once the plan on the Seventh Prince’s side succeeds, everything will draw to a close.”

“Even if we tear off all pretenses, who’s to be afraid of whom? The strength of Saints is also divided, based on the incense they receive and the influence of their teachings.”

“Among the many Confucian Saints, Li Sheng can only be considered middle-to-lower tier.”

“If it were the Military Saint from three hundred years ago, I might have been a bit wary. But this current Military Saint, who only kills to eliminate karma, has lost all his edge.”

“If you were to act, sir, you alone could hold off both of them.”

…

Happy New Year, everyone! May the Year of the Dragon bring you great fortune, good luck, and overflowing wealth!

I went to a relative’s house for New Year’s dinner tonight, so this Chapter is a bit short. I rushed to write it. I’ll make up for the word count in tomorrow’s update!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep