Chapter 617: God Blood

Chapter 612: Divine Blood

“Someone tried it before, but it didn’t work,” He Lingchuan said with a wry smile. “Do you think Beiga has few enemies? These weaknesses are still there and haven’t erupted, which indicates that the Heavenly God or the Emperor has firm control over the entire Mount Xu.”

“Others are others, you are you.” Dong Rui always enjoyed flattering He Lingchuan when he was frustrated, feeling it brought him double the joy. “Elemental monsters like those of wind, water, earth, and fire can easily create dozens, or even hundreds, of clones. If you can’t get past that one, you’ll find it impossible to move an inch on Mount Xu.”

He Lingchuan immediately recalled Fu Shanyue’s little wind demon.

On Wind Demon Mountain, it had indeed created over a dozen clones.

That was just a cub. This rock-fire monster in Mount Xu was an old hand, so powerful that Lingxu City had to appease and suppress it.

It would certainly show no mercy to outside invaders.

“If we can fly in, maybe we can try to get past it unnoticed?” He Lingchuan scratched his head. “So you must have a flying demon puppet that can carry people, right?”

“Who told you that...” Dong Rui habitually retorted, then thought better of it. “Even if it’s true.”

A flying demon puppet allowed him to come and go freely and quickly escape danger.

After He Lingchuan shot down his last strange bird puppet, Dong Rui found it extremely difficult to move around. So, the first puppet he began to experiment with once he had free time was a winged one.

He Lingchuan was overjoyed and slapped him on the shoulder. “I knew you were the most reliable! You have everything I need.”

Dong Rui’s face fell. With He Lingchuan, the “demon puppet killer,” setting his sights on him, would his new creation also meet an untimely end?

He felt a little conflicted deep down.

With the flying mount problem solved, He Lingchuan pondered the next step. “I heard that after the great formation of Mount Xu ran for a while, there was a small flaw that we might be able to exploit.”

Dong Rui looked at him, still feeling a bit unsure. “I think this operation is incredibly difficult, almost impossible. Honestly, how confident are you?”

“At least seventy percent,” He Lingchuan said without changing his expression, his words a grand bluff. “The main plan is set; I just need to work out some details.”

Seventy percent? Ha, even twenty percent would be good. But if he didn’t appear confident and give his partner some assurance, the person in front of him would turn around and flee.

How would an ordinary person dare to oppose Lingxu City?

One of the most crucial parts of the Mount Xu plan, the rock-fire monster Jujue, still had no specific solution from him.

But that’s how goals are: if you don’t work towards them little by little, they will never be achieved.

“...I somehow feel it’s a bit risky.”

“Your feeling is wrong,” He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. “We’re old friends. When have I ever made a mistake, and when have I not won?”

The past… the past was too painful to recall. Dong Rui’s face twitched.

“I’ll be doing most of the work; your task is easy,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “You can advance or retreat freely, with no risk. What are you afraid of?”

Thinking that the task assigned to him wasn’t heavy, Dong Rui grunted twice and decided that if things went south, he would leave.

He Lingchuan then asked him, “Oh, by the way, do you still have divine blood?”

Dong Rui looked at him with wary eyes. “What are you going to do *now*?”

Last time it was divine bones, this time divine blood, what next? Would this He fellow ever stop?

“I have a great use for it,” He Lingchuan said seriously. “How much do you have left?”

“Tell me what it’s for first,” Dong Rui said, not falling for it. “This stuff is priceless.”

“To save people,” He Lingchuan sighed. “If used well, it might save millions from the scourge of war.”

“No loan,” Dong Rui said, unmoved. “What do the lives of millions have to do with me? Not even half a copper coin.”

It was indeed a typical Dong Rui response, and He Lingchuan was not surprised. “Then let me put it another way: if you give me divine blood, I’ll owe you a huge favor, alright?”

Dong Rui looked annoyed. “How much do you want?”

He Lingchuan looked down and saw the wine jars in the corner. “Uh, two jars?”

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Dong Rui actually had some! His luck was almost too good.

This guy had both divine bones and divine blood, and they were all very fresh. Tsk, tsk, could it be that he dug up a Heavenly God’s grave?

“Are you crazy?” Dong Rui exclaimed, then lowered his voice. “That’s divine blood, not blood you can get in such quantities by just slaughtering a pig!”

“Then, one jar?” Deities are massive; they must have a lot of blood.

Dong Rui pointed to the wine goblet on the table. “This goblet, a third full.”

That’s only a little over a hundred milliliters? “Isn’t that too little?”

“Little?” Dong Rui looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Do you know how many doses of medicine can be prepared from a goblet a third full of divine blood?”

He Lingchuan modestly shook his head, acknowledging that every profession has its secrets.

“Three thousand bottles!” Dong Rui squeezed the words through his teeth. “Enough for a thousand experiments!”

“So, this stuff is extremely precious?”

“Nonsense! The effects of divine blood are astonishingly powerful. No matter what you use it for, it needs to be diluted countless times.”

As for the exact dilution ratio, that was Dong Rui’s secret, one he wouldn’t reveal even if beaten to death.

He Lingchuan immediately recalled the experiment conducted by the medicine ape Lingguang at the Hanhe military camp.

That was a divine blood concoction already diluted and prepared by Dong Rui beforehand. Just one drop on a tree immediately warped it into a gnarled, twisted shape. Even a wild ox nearby, after chewing just one leaf, instantly went mad.

This stuff truly had exaggerated effects.

As Dong Rui said, no matter what medicine was concocted with divine blood, the dosage must be minuscule.

Dong Rui added, “I’ve been to the underground black market in Lingxu City countless times and never bought divine blood, never!”

“Maybe they didn’t sell it because you were a new face.”

“I had acquaintances keep an eye out,” Dong Rui sneered. “Lingxu City is a hub for millions of treasures; what rare and precious items don’t they have? Yet, divine blood is precisely what’s missing. And since the day Lingxu City was founded, divine blood has only been sold twice on the black market!”

“The control is that strict?”

“The most terrifying thing is that both of those transactions were thoroughly investigated by Lingxu City, tracing the buyers and sellers and publicly executing them to death. No amount of pleading helped,” Dong Rui sighed. “After that, everyone knew that divine blood was the Heavenly God’s forbidden scale; it couldn’t be touched.”

In Beiga, deities were supreme.

The will of the deities had to be carried out.

Heh heh, He Lingchuan didn’t believe it. He patted Dong Rui’s shoulder. “Then you truly have no reverence.” Didn’t this fellow use divine blood to modify demon puppets?

If there was one Dong Rui, wouldn’t there be two or three?

He only knew one thing:

The more openly something was forbidden, the higher its price, and thus the more people would take risks.

This eventually led to prohibition without cessation.

Some people would engage in business that could cost them their heads.

“…” Dong Rui quickly changed the subject. “So, no matter how much divine blood you take out, it’ll be a deadly amount.”

An amount that would result in a death sentence.

“Good, good, that’s exactly the effect I want,” He Lingchuan said happily. “Get it to me as soon as possible.”

What else could Dong Rui say?

“Oh, by the way, does Grand Master Frostleaf know about the task you did for Madam Zhu Er?” He Lingchuan asked him again. “Also, does he know about our relationship?”

This caught Dong Rui off guard; his hand trembled, and he quickly hid his shock. “What Grand Master Frostleaf?”

“Hey, stop pretending,” He Lingchuan chuckled. “Weren’t the people guarding you sent by Grand Master Frostleaf?”

“Who said that?” Dong Rui, as usual, played tough.

How could this guy connect him with Grand Master Frostleaf?

“I just recently learned that Hong Chenglue was reinstated by Grand Master Frostleaf,” He Lingchuan took another sip of wine. “During the Battle of Hanhe, you suddenly appeared and were with him. Before that, you had just obtained Beiga’s special pardon. Someone like you is notorious in Beiga; if you dared to reveal your name and stand in the middle of the street, little monsters would spit at you. So, the big shot capable of removing your wanted criminal title must be Grand Master Frostleaf, right?”

Dong Rui looked at him, speechless.

Was he really that transparent in He Lingchuan’s eyes?

He Lingchuan continued, “Thanks to you, how else would I have known that Mai Xuewen—oh, I mean Xi Yunhe—is Grand Master Frostleaf’s man?”

Dong Rui was already too tired to be surprised. “Because of the snail-toad?”

“Yes, because of the snail-toad.” The snail-toad was a demon puppet created by Dong Rui and given to the person who helped him escape Beiga. So, whoever controlled this unique snail-toad had a connection with Grand Master Frostleaf.

Dong Rui slowly shook his head. “No one knows about my dealings with Madam Zhu Er, and no one knows I know you.”

In other words, this was still a small secret between him and He Lingchuan.

“That’s good,” He Lingchuan exhaled. “Keep it that way. By the way, does Grand Master Frostleaf know you have divine blood?”

“He’s never seen the potions I’ve made, nor has he asked me about them,” Dong Rui mused. “But I’m not sure if he’s ever had suspicions. Grand Master Frostleaf is unfathomable; his emotions, whether joy, anger, or doubt, never show on his face.”

He Lingchuan held out his hand to him. “Alright, where’s the divine blood?”

Dong Rui, reluctantly, slowly pulled out a jade bottle from his storage container.

He Lingchuan took it and quickly put it away.

Dong Rui watched, longing, as the bottle disappeared. “From now on, you owe me a very big favor.”

“Don’t worry, when have I ever reneged on a debt?” There was still a bit of wine left in the goblet, which He Lingchuan filled up for Dong Rui. “You should head back now. I’ll come find you for a drink in a few days.”

With the divine blood in hand, he felt much more at ease and could move on to the next phase.

That night, He Lingchuan was meditating.

He wasn’t sure if it was due to the recent abundance of events and stress, or perhaps because the spiritual energy of the world was more plentiful than before, but his cultivation had accelerated recently. He was now actually beginning to liquefy the true essence in his second dantian.

It was worth noting that he had only opened his second dantian just over three months ago, upon first entering Baoshu Country.

In the past, when he first learned the art of cloning, fighting alongside a single clone would instantly deplete the true essence in his dantian.

Now, it was nothing at all.

Combat endurance was incredibly important, not to mention the quality of his true essence.

The efficacy of the Emperor’s Dew was truly remarkable; it subtly and imperceptibly elevated him.

If he were to fight Fan Sheng again now, He Lingchuan felt even more confident of victory. Although there might still be a gap in their elemental power, it wouldn’t be as difficult and calculating as the battle at the White Sand Juehe Palace.

(End of Chapter)