"Mm—"
A sound drew everyone's attention from the scene beyond the ancient hall to a single figure.
It was Chu Feng who had made the sound.
"Big brother, you're awake!"
"Chu Feng, how are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"
Seeing this, Xiao Yu'er and Xian Miaomiao hurried over with concerned expressions.
Hearing their calls, Chu Feng opened his eyes. Although he had regained consciousness, his body was still extremely weak.
"I'm fine. Just too weak — I need some time to recover," Chu Feng said.
By now, Chu Feng had confirmed it. This was the side effect of the Bloodline Skill: Divine Thunder's Bestowal.
Bloodline Skill: Divine Thunder's Bestowal.
To be precise, it was very similar to the power he had wielded back when Chu Feng's Egg was dissipating — power born from a surge of rage.
It could elevate his combat strength by one full rank above his cultivation level, yet this boost was imperceptible to others.
Chu Feng's base cultivation was at the fifth rank of Half God. With the Thunder Mark, Thunder Armor, and Thunder Wings enhancing him, he could raise that to the eighth rank of Half God.
Adding that extra rank of combat strength on top, his effective power reached the ninth rank of Half God.
And upon that foundation, if Chu Feng then activated Divine Thunder's Bestowal, his combat strength would climb yet another rank.
Though Chu Feng appeared to be at the eighth rank of Half God, his actual combat strength had already been elevated by two ranks beyond that base.
But Chu Feng's boost worked differently from everyone else's.
Take Xianhai Shaoyu, for example.
Xianhai Shaoyu was a seventh rank Half God. By boosting three ranks, he surpassed the ninth rank of Half God — yet he could not step into the realm of True God. He could only gain one additional rank of combat strength on top of that ninth rank Half God level.
Though his power exceeded that of an ordinary ninth rank Half God, it still fell within the confines of the Half God realm.
By that same logic, Chu Feng — at the eighth rank of Half God — should, even with a two-rank boost, remain within the Half God realm just like Xianhai Shaoyu. His combat strength would still be classified as Half God.
That was the law of martial cultivation.
But Chu Feng was not bound by that limitation. That was precisely what made the Bloodline Skill, Divine Thunder's Bestowal, so extraordinary.
Divine Thunder's Bestowal could shatter the boundaries of cultivation realms. It could break the very laws of martial cultivation.
When Chu Feng's combat strength reached the ninth rank of Half God, activating Divine Thunder's Bestowal from that foundation allowed him to cross the chasm between realms, elevating his power to the first rank of True God.
That was precisely why Chu Feng, with nothing more than the cultivation of an eighth rank Half God, had been able to so easily defeat Huangfu Shengyu.
Such a terrifying power, and its cost after activation was nothing more than whole-body weakness and a brief bout of unconsciousness.
In Chu Feng's view, this price was entirely acceptable.
"What are the Seven Realms Sacred Palace people doing?"
Chu Feng lay on the ground, and from that position he could see the situation outside through the barrier gates.
"My brother says the Seven Realms Sacred Palace is trying to conquer the Origin of Veins," Xiao Yu'er said.
"Oh?" Hearing this, Chu Feng smiled.
"Brother Chu Feng, can you use those barrier gates to conquer the Origin of Veins right now?" Long Chengyu asked.
"I can," Chu Feng said.
"If you can, you should act quickly. Don't let the Seven Realms Sacred Palace get there first," Long Chengyu urged.
"No rush." Chu Feng merely smiled, then added, "I need to recover first. Besides, this gives us a chance to watch the Seven Realms Sacred Palace make fools of themselves."
"Fools of themselves?" The others couldn't help but look taken aback by his words.
"They have absolutely no way of conquering the Origin of Veins. Making such a grand show of it — if that's not a joke, then what is?"
As he spoke, Chu Feng sat up, tossed two pills into his mouth, then closed his eyes and began adjusting his condition.