Chapter 1685: Agreed

To be able to bestow such precious blood so casually, the strength of this Saint Lord before them was likely far beyond imagination. For a member of the Blood Race, becoming a Blood Servant to such a powerful being was undoubtedly a great honor.

Ma Shangsi’s heart surged with excitement. He no longer hesitated, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you, Saint Lord!" he exclaimed.

He reached out and grasped the drop of precious, golden blood, which emanated a rich sacred aura. The moment it touched his hand, it seeped into his palm like flowing water. The next instant, his face dramatically changed, and a low growl escaped his throat as his surging spiritual power and vital energy fluctuated wildly.

In truth, this was not an ideal environment for refining sacred blood, given the suppression from the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone. It would be best to leave and find a secluded place outside.

However, with Lu Ye remaining silent, Ma Shangsi dared not speak. The sacred blood was before him, and he had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Even though his cultivation was suppressed by the unique environment, Ma Shangsi still believed he could refine this drop of precious blood.

While Ma Shangsi was refining the precious blood, Lu Ye had already withdrawn the Sea of Blood, moved some distance away, and sat down cross-legged.

The process of a Blood Race member refining sacred blood is incredibly perilous; one misstep can result in death. This risk is unrelated to the Blood Race member's cultivation level. Whether at the Divine Sea or Moon-Gazer realm, a higher cultivation doesn't significantly improve the refinement process.

Moreover, this process is something outsiders cannot assist with, as it pertains to the individual's bloodline. Therefore, Lu Ye could only wait.

If Ma Shangsi succeeded in refining it, that would be ideal; a late Moon-Gazer realm Blood Servant would certainly be useful. Even if he failed the refinement, suffered a bloodline backlash, and died, it would not be a significant loss to Lu Ye.

Lu Ye had originally intended to kill his opponent, but he unexpectedly discovered another marvelous use for the precious blood, which prompted him to attempt taking a Blood Servant at the last moment.

Ignoring Ma Shangsi, Lu Ye took out another piece of Soul Jade and swallowed it directly.

For normal cultivators, refining Soul Jade, much like refining Spirit Cultivation Grass, requires holding it and refining it with their spiritual sense.

Lu Ye found that method too bothersome; directly swallowing it was simpler. After all, with the Talent Tree by his side, he had consumed Blood Race Blood Crystals and demon beast inner cores before, so what was a little Soul Jade?

Of the three drops of precious blood, only two remained. Knowing its boundless mystical uses, he would naturally need to find time to condense more.

When he was at the Star Constellation realm, condensing precious blood was not easy for Lu Ye. It took him several months to condense just two drops, and including the first drop that formed naturally, he only had three in total.

But now at the Moon-Gazer realm, Lu Ye felt that condensing precious blood again would be somewhat easier than before.

However, there was no rush for that. Lu Ye took out several storage rings...

These were his spoils from recent battles, taken from the white-haired elder and the Blazing Clan Moon-Gazer.

Two Moon-Gazer realm cultivators, and star pirates at that, must have accumulated considerable wealth. Lu Ye was currently a bit short on funds, so this opportunity to get rich was naturally something to look forward to.

Breaking the restrictive seals on storage rings was not difficult for him; in fact, he was quite skilled at it.

In a short while, the seal on one storage ring was broken. Lu Ye rummaged through it, finding a decent haul. There wasn't a large quantity of Spirit Jade or Spirit Crystals, as even Moon-Gazer realm cultivators don't typically carry vast reserves; they tend to use most cultivation resources for their own practice.

However, the storage ring did contain some valuable materials that should fetch a good amount of Spirit Jade.

As he broke open ring after ring, his gains steadily increased.

The contents of one ring, in particular, were immense: nearly ten million Spirit Jade alone, over a hundred thousand Spirit Crystals, and numerous high-quality spiritual elixirs and miraculous medicines for replenishing soul power.

Lu Ye estimated that these elixirs and medicines were likely specially prepared by the white-haired elder. The elder clearly knew that absorbing the World King Flower would place a significant burden on his divine soul, which was why he had specifically prepared these items to replenish the consumed soul power.

However, he clearly had no use for them now, and all of it fell into Lu Ye's hands.

Lu Ye was in a great mood. Although he still possessed three hundred pieces of Soul Jade, it wouldn't have lasted much longer. Now with this replenishment, the time he could sustain himself had significantly increased.

While breaking the seals on the storage rings, he also diverted a portion of his mind to inform Hua Qianying and the two clan leaders in the Flower Realm of their current situation.

Upon learning that Lu Ye had dealt with the white-haired elder, they were all both shocked and delighted.

The greatest crisis had been resolved, yet Hua Qianying's eyes still held deep concern, for they were immediately faced with another crisis.

The placement of the World King Flower!

Although the World King Flower was currently rooted in Lu Ye's divine sea, posing no immediate concern, this situation could not be sustained indefinitely. Sooner or later, Lu Ye would be unable to bear the burden.

The World King Flower had to find something to attach itself to in order to continue its existence.

But finding a suitable host in such a short time was no easy task.

Naturally, every realm would eagerly covet a divine object like the World King Flower. For instance, just beyond the Yin-Yang Grand Millstone's range was the Void Star System, and the Void Realm itself was a large realm. How could it not yearn for a World King Flower?

However, human nature is complex. Before she could ensure that the beings within the Flower Realm would be properly treated, how could Hua Qianying casually entrust the World King Flower? She certainly didn't want the World King Flower to attach itself somewhere only for the three races within the Flower Realm to be enslaved—that was not a situation she wished to see.

Furthermore, realms like the Void Realm were not the ideal choice for the World King Flower to attach to.

The ideal choice for the World King Flower was a realm with a less powerful foundation. This would allow the World King Flower and the realm to mutually benefit and achieve great things together. If it were to attach to a realm with an extremely powerful foundation, the World King Flower might become a mere appendage, which would not be ideal for it.

"Why not place the World King Flower in my homeland?" Lu Ye suggested, having sensed Hua Qianying's thoughts. This was an idea he had entertained since learning of the World King Flower's marvels.

"Where is your homeland?" Hua Qianying asked.

She wasn't actually opposed to placing the World King Flower in Lu Ye's homeland. After all, if not for Lu Ye on this journey, the World King Flower would undoubtedly have fallen into the hands of the Divine Wind Star Pirate Group by now.

Furthermore, Lu Ye was highly regarded by the Reincarnation Tree, making his character trustworthy, and his future potential was immeasurable.

She secretly harbored the same thought, but she reasoned that a realm capable of producing a cultivator like Lu Ye must possess a powerful foundation, certainly no weaker than the Void Realm.

Since the Void Realm wasn't the ideal choice for the World King Flower to attach to, Lu Ye's homeland naturally wouldn't be either.

"My homeland is very far away," Lu Ye said truthfully. "However, it only became a large realm a few years ago, so its foundation isn't particularly robust..."

"What?" Hua Qianying was stunned. "Your homeland only became a large realm a few years ago?"

Lu Ye was also slightly taken aback. Why did she suddenly seem so excited?

"Yes, it's only been about ten-odd years since its promotion," Lu Ye truthfully informed her.

Hua Qianying's eyes lit up. "A large realm that's only been promoted for a little over a decade!"

The Flower Realm within the World King Flower was also now considered a large realm. However, due to its continuous existence in this unique environment, its foundation wasn't strong either. Compared to Lu Ye's homeland, they were likely on par. In that case, wasn't this precisely the ideal host for the World King Flower?

But Hua Qianying quickly recalled something: "But your cultivation..."

Logically speaking, if Lu Ye's homeland had only been promoted to a large realm for a little over a decade, it would be impossible for a Moon-Gazer realm cultivator to have emerged from it.

"Not long after I advanced to the Star Constellation realm, I came to the Myriad Manifestation Sea," Lu Ye explained. "I encountered many opportunities during that time, which is why my cultivation improved relatively quickly."

"That's incredibly fast..." Hua Qianying secretly marveled, but then she thought, since he was someone highly regarded by the Reincarnation Tree, perhaps it was only natural?

"If you don't mind," Lu Ye offered, "my homeland would very much welcome the Flower Realm's attachment."

"Can you take me to see it?" Hua Qianying asked. "If your homeland truly only became a large realm recently, then it would be the ideal host for the World King Flower."

"No problem!" Lu Ye readily agreed. He didn't mention that Kyushu was a realm capable of rapid growth; he knew that once Hua Qianying saw it for herself, she would certainly not be able to resist its allure.

The matter of the World King Flower attaching itself to Kyushu was almost certainly settled!

With the Flower Realm attached to Kyushu, gaining the Flower Race, Wood Spirits, and Spore Race, as well as two Moon-Gazer realm cultivators, the overall foundation of Kyushu's cultivators would undoubtedly be significantly enhanced.

Lu Ye was in a good mood. He ended his conversation with Hua Qianying and looked up at Ma Shangsi.

A suppressed growl continued to emanate from that direction, sounding like a struggle. Lu Ye couldn't see Ma Shangsi's exact condition, only that he was enveloped in a layer of golden light, his aura fluctuating between strong and weak.

Could this guy even do it?

Lu Ye knew that refining sacred blood was a huge test for the Blood Race. But this guy already had the foundation of a late Moon-Gazer realm cultivator, and he was refining his *own* precious blood, so why was it still so difficult?

Logically, someone capable of cultivating to the late Moon-Gazer realm shouldn't have poor aptitude.

Lu Ye wouldn't care if Ma Shangsi failed and died. The real concern was that even one drop of his own precious blood wasn't easy for him to condense...

Just as he was thinking this, the golden light over there slowly receded, gradually revealing Ma Shangsi's disheveled figure.

From his appearance, other than looking a bit disheveled, he hadn't changed much, and his strength hadn't improved at all. However, a faint sacred aura now permeated Ma Shangsi's body.

Did this count as a success?

As Lu Ye watched, Ma Shangsi's expression was undoubtedly exhilarated. He felt the sacred aura within him, filled with excitement and agitation, because he realized his initial intuition had been correct: after refining that drop of precious blood, he truly possessed a sacred aura almost identical to that of the Sunlit Saint Lord he had encountered previously!

As far as he knew, the Sunlit Saint Lord was someone who had refined a drop of sacred blood. Now that his own sacred aura was equivalent, didn't that mean the drop of precious blood he had refined was effectively a drop of sacred blood?