The reaction of the human workers was more intense than Jaekyung had expected. Regarding this reaction, Jaekyung was satisfied, yet at the same time, a little curious. Do these fellows not know what it means for their lives to be in another's hands?
No matter how good the medicinal pills are, or how much they hate falling behind, isn't this a bit too eager? Is it because I am a demon race of this era that I cannot understand these humans?
Or have the humans of the Black Flood Dragon water territory grown so accustomed to being controlled long ago that they can accept a leash without a second thought?
‘Well, fine.’
The immediate priority was to train more diligently in the Blood Contract Restriction Art and place all the humans of Black Flood Dragon Island under his control. To that end, Jaekyung forgot day and night, immersing himself in Cultivation.
When about three full months had passed like that, Jaekyung was finally able to place a restriction seal on every human cultivator of Black Flood Dragon Island.
‘For now, I've done what I can.’
The Blood Contract Restriction Art could only control the lives of those marked with the restriction seal; it could not control the thoughts in their heads or their hearts. In short, there was no way to stop those who received the restriction seal from playing tricks with their lives on the line. Regarding this part, even Jaekyung could do nothing.
He could take the time to look for another method, but for now, he had to be satisfied with this. After finishing his training in the Blood Contract Restriction Art, Jaekyung began to seriously frequent the Garden of Remembrance to find out about the strange stone. Jaekyung first asked the Seniors of the Twilight Gathering.
However, neither the experienced Woo Do-baek, nor Choi Ju-tang with his suspicious background and status, nor Yeo Jang-gyeong, who should have known much as a sect cultivator, knew anything about this stone.
‘This is getting more and more interesting.’
Jaekyung thought that the senior cultivators of the Twilight Gathering were among the more knowledgeable of human Foundation Establishment cultivators. This was a judgment he had made while occasionally speaking with several other cultivators in the Garden of Remembrance. Yet even they did not know the origin of this strange stone.
“Well now. I do not know.”
“There are too many stones like that. I think I would have to see it in person to know.”
“Isn't it a contaminated spirit stone?”
After the transmission pillars were erected, the number of people who traveled throughout the Garden of Remembrance and interacted widely increased. They were proactive in new meetings and did not shy away from exchanging information in various fields. The people Jaekyung met this time were also such individuals.
However, since there was not much Jaekyung could give them, the information he could obtain was limited. Unless they showed a spontaneous interest in the strange stone, all Jaekyung could get were a few half-hearted words. Several months passed like that, and just as his motivation was waning, Jaekyung met a cultivator.
He recognized that Jaekyung was of the demon race at a single glance, and from that alone, Jaekyung could be certain the other party was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. The cultivator, who introduced himself as So-an, asked Jaekyung this and that.
It was mostly about life as a demon race cultivator, and as there was nothing particularly difficult to talk about, Jaekyung answered sincerely.
“Truly fascinating. Ah, I hope you understand. Information about the demon race cultivation world is hard to come by." "Furthermore, stories told by a member of that world are even harder to hear. If I had my way, I would want to listen to your stories for days and nights on end.”
“That is impossible. It is not that I do not wish to speak, but that I truly do not know much. It is a struggle just to survive meekly day by day, so what interesting stories could there be?”
“Not so. Not so. Even the trivial stories that Dao Friend finds boring sound quite fascinating to my ears.”
When the atmosphere seemed to have warmed up enough, Jaekyung subtly brought up the story of the strange stone. So-an showed little reaction at first, but when Jaekyung spoke of a few of the stone’s characteristics, he immediately showed interest.
“Hmm. Based on Dao Friend's words alone, the first thing that comes to mind is a Blood Crystal." "Of course, it could be something else. It could be a stone engraved with a Talisman Seal, or something else entirely… but for now, the possibility of it being a Blood Crystal seems high.”
“A Blood Crystal? What is that?”
“A Blood Crystal is, as the name suggests, a stone formed from hardened blood. Of course, it is different from an ordinary stone. Should I say it's a type of spirit stone? It is an object where powerful vital energy becomes the core, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy and hardening like a stone. It is not something commonly seen.”
“Not commonly seen? Why is that?”
“It is simple. No matter how strong a being is, any blood that falls from their body becomes an external object. No matter how much power dwells within, it gradually disappears over time, so a Blood Crystal cannot exist for long.”
Jaekyung understood So-an’s words. But he recalled that the stone he possessed, the one with a high probability of being a Blood Crystal, had not changed in the slightest for over several months. According to So-an's words, shouldn't that stone have already disappeared long ago?
Could it be that the stone was not a Blood Crystal? When Jaekyung asked about this, So-an replied as if he had been waiting.
“There is nothing wrong with what I have said. A Blood Crystal is certainly an object that is not commonly seen.”
“Are you saying that the Blood Crystal I have is not common?”
“Assuming that your object is a Blood Crystal, there are two possibilities. One is that the Blood Crystal was not formed naturally. In that case, the properties of the Blood Crystal might be different from one that formed naturally.”
The moment Jaekyyung heard those words, he recalled the stone he had observed countless times. Were there any traces of artificial means on that stone? At least, he had not discovered any.
“The second is that the blood dwelling in the Blood Crystal is not ordinary blood. Not all blood is the same, so some blood is not affected by the erosion of time. Refined Blood is a prime example.”
“Refined Blood…”
Besides that, So-an told him about various other kinds of 'special blood'. The venomous blood of some poisonous creature, the spiritual blood of certain spiritual objects… Jaekyung listened carefully to all these stories.
“However, Dao Friend, that stone might not be a Blood Crystal. So, keep all possibilities open.”
“Of course, I must.”
Although he said that, Jaekyung’s heart had already leaned toward the stone being a Blood Crystal.
‘I’ll know once I check.’
After that, Jaekyung continued to talk with So-an for a while longer, and only when they truly ran out of topics did they part ways, promising to meet again. * ‘Break the shell with spiritual power, and steadily receive the blood dwelling inside.’ According to what So-an had told him, handling a Blood Crystal was like handling an egg.
However, to prevent the contents from splattering or flowing out, the shell had to be broken as steadily as possible. No, rather than breaking, the expression ‘melting’ was more appropriate.
‘My demonic power is much cruder compared to the spiritual power of humans, so I must be even more careful.’
Jaekyung slowly enveloped the stone with his demonic power. He was about to exert his power in earnest, but he soon changed his mind.
‘My demonic power is no different from fire energy itself. If so, instead of directly pushing my demonic power in, wouldn't just enveloping it be enough to melt the spiritual shell?’
This was like melting something with heat instead of putting it directly over a fire. It was a thought that came to him suddenly, but there was nothing to lose even if it failed, so Jaekyung decided to give it a try. The stone, enveloped in his demonic power, showed no change.
But Jaekyung waited with patience. At the same time, he observed with his eyes and his spiritual awareness. How much time had passed?
A faint ripple occurred on the surface of the stone. It was a faint change that appeared and disappeared in an instant, but Jaekyung did not miss it. His nearly depleted patience was fully replenished.
A day passed, then two days, then three, then four. Now, the surface of the stone had turned soft and wobbly, like jelly. It trembled constantly and became transparent, allowing a glimpse of the inside.
How much more time passed in that state? Finally, the spiritual shell melted away, and the red something dwelling inside revealed itself. Jaekyung immediately withdrew his demonic power and sealed it in a small bottle.
It was partly because he could feel the dynamic energy and life force from that single drop of blood, and partly because of a sense of familiarity. He too harbored a drop of Refined Blood in his heart, so even though it belonged to another, he could easily tell that it was Refined Blood.
‘Refined Blood.’
Refined Blood is a crystallization of vital energy and the essence of life, a spiritual object, and a top-grade spiritual object at its core.
It is not only used as an ingredient in various precious medicinal pills but is also used in the creation of dharma treasures, and for body cultivators, it is known as the ultimate spiritual elixir for cultivation.
‘If I were to sell it… I could sell it for a high price.’
Not all Refined Blood is the same. How could a single drop of a Great Spirit Beast's Refined Blood be the same as that of a Demon King? Judging by the energy felt from the Refined Blood in the bottle, Jaekyung guessed that this was the Refined Blood of a Great Spirit Beast.
Based on the auras of the Great Spirit Beasts he had met so far, it was highly likely to be the Refined Blood shed by a Great Spirit Beast at the very end of the mid-stage, or in the late stage of the Great Spirit stage.
‘I might even be able to get high-grade spirit stones for it… but it still feels like a waste.’
There is a reason why Refined Blood is known as the ultimate elixir for body cultivators. It is because only body cultivators, who have honed their physical bodies, can digest the immense power of Refined Blood to the fullest.
Using it as an ingredient for medicinal pills or consuming it in the process of creating dharma treasures could be considered a waste in comparison. But even body cultivators, who are said to digest the efficacy of Refined Blood to the fullest, cannot compare to the demon races.
If body cultivators absorb about sixty to seventy percent of the energy from Refined Blood, the demon races, depending on their ability, can digest over eighty percent.
‘I will use it.’
Jaekyung gazed at the Refined Blood, which emitted a brilliant red light, for a while before finally making up his mind. What was the reason for collecting spirit stones? Was it not to obtain cultivation resources?
With the ultimate spiritual elixir right before his eyes, was there any reason to refuse it? Although this Refined Blood could not help with the accumulation of demonic power, increasing the power of his physical body was also meaningful enough. Two days later.
Having calmed his body and mind, Jaekyung removed the seal on the bottle and poured it straight into his mouth. As the Refined Blood entered his stomach, his tough physical body immediately began to absorb it. The change was instantaneous.
His blood boiled, and his body began to contort.
Crack! Crackle!
Now, two drops of Refined Blood existed in Jaekyung's body. One was what he had created himself, and the other was what he had just begun to absorb. The two drops of Refined Blood pulled at each other, shaking precariously as if they would become one at any moment.
Crrraack!
When the Refined Blood was about half absorbed, the molting began. His already massive body expanded further, and the two horns that had grown sharply on his head slowly extended outwards.