CHAPTER 85: BLOOD PEARL

Chapter 85: Blood Pearl

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That strange formation found in the crater was a small object, solid and smooth in appearance, with a deep, dark red color, containing a powerful vital essence.

He hadn’t taken part in the expedition and therefore hadn’t witnessed firsthand the power of the creature that had emerged from the cocoon,

but he did get the chance to examine that object, and he had to admit he had never seen anything like it in all his years.

It held within it a strong vital essence mixed with some strange type of energy, not spiritual Qi, but something far more chaotic and aggressive.

That was the feeling he got when he examined it.

According to investigations, this thing could very well have been the source of these strange creatures’ birth, as the power inside was enough to bring a being to the spirit rank.

And with the aid of the surrounding environment’s Qi being converted into more energy by this pearl, the creature could even be pushed to higher levels.

He had no way of keeping it for himself back then.

After all, it fell under the Empire’s jurisdiction, and as a three star Master Blacksmith, he was only granted the opportunity to examine it, in case he could discover anything more.

He didn’t deny he had been tempted to take it for himself, but at the time, it simply hadn’t been possible.

Now, however, things were different.

That object was right in front of him, gleaming in its full splendor, as if calling out to be taken.

"A blood pearl," he murmured as he cautiously approached it.

The idea of getting his hands on that object was very tempting, but that didn’t mean he would set aside his caution.

As far as he knew, there could be some sort of protection mechanism.

After all, it was the power source of the creature inside the cocoon.

There was no way it was left unguarded, right?

He got closer and, seeing that nothing had happened yet, he tried to retrieve it.

Just as his hand was about to touch the object, he suddenly felt a strong surge of energy released from his dantian, and before he could even grasp what was happening, the red pearl, embedded in a slot seemingly carved perfectly to hold it at the base of the cocoon, lit up, then cracked.

Zhu Rong’s expression darkened as he watched the object he had just longed for shatter right in front of him.

But he had no time to dwell on it, because in the very next instant, a dense reddish mist burst out from the pearl and lunged at him.

Seeing the sudden mist dart toward him, Zhu Rong quickly channeled his Qi into his legs and bolted backward, trying to put some distance between him and the strange mist.

Unfortunately for him, it didn’t help.

The thing was much faster than him, and in the next moment, it struck him full on.

Like it had been sucked into his body, the mist infiltrated his chest with little resistance.

Zhu Rong, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, immediately tried to construct a spiritual defense around his chest, but failed miserably.

"Oh no..." He had a bad feeling.

He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but his countless years of experience told him this was not going to end well.

As if responding to his fear, he felt something spreading from his chest inward.

Just as he was about to try again to fight off the invading presence, a sharp pain erupted in his chest.

Letting out a pained cry, he dropped to his knees, clutching his chest tightly.

"W-what the hell is h-happening..." He suddenly felt the Qi throughout his body being rapidly drained, creating powerful energy currents within him.

Usually, this only happened when one used their own energy to launch an attack or activate an artifact, but he was doing neither.

The energy just kept on flowing more and more violently through his body. And with it, the pain increased.

Like a parasite rooting itself into his body, he felt something reach his heart, and as it did, the intensity of the pain grew even stronger.

At this point, the pain had reached a level where his mind, overwhelmed, started to falter, and his vision began to blur.

’No... I can’t afford to pass out...’ He gritted his teeth and violently tore his shirt open, revealing what was happening underneath.

"W-what the hell is this..." he muttered as a purplish mark had formed on his chest near his heart, and from it, lines resembling roots were spreading farther and farther across his skin.

He realized that the strange mist was trying to parasitize him.

He wasn’t sure what it intended to do, but he knew it couldn’t be anything good.

Wasting no time, he activated all five of his cores at once.

Like suns in the vast space within him, they lit up, each radiating an increasingly intense glow. With that, several lines connected to each core also began to activate, lighting up more and more, triggering the formation inside his dantian.

The moment it fully formed, he didn’t think twice.

He converged the Qi from all five cores into a single point and immediately released it, sending a powerful spiritual energy shockwave from his dantian.

The surge traveled at high speed through his entire body, covering every part in milliseconds and quickly reaching his chest, the source of the pain.

In the next moment, he felt a violent jolt within, as if something was trying to tear through his flesh from the inside and burst out.

And with that, he felt hope that it might actually work.

Unfortunately for him, his hope was short lived. In the next instant, something happened that he hadn’t anticipated.

The black mist was not expelled from his body, instead, it seemed to absorb the energy.

As if that weren’t enough, it stirred violently before latching onto the traces left behind by the wave of energy and swiftly flowing toward its source, his Dantian.

Exhausted by the pain and the intense surges of energy, Zhu Rong could no longer keep his consciousness intact and passed out, allowing the energy to reach his Dantian, ready to attack it.

Just as it surged toward it, the runic ring present around the dantian suddenly activated, causing the runes to detach once more from the surface and begin orbiting around it, forming a floating, luminous halo.

The glow of the halo seemed to trigger fear in the dark mist, which instantly changed direction, trying to escape, but it was too late.

In the very next moment, as if drawn by a Pulling force, it began to be pulled into the dantian.

In the blink of an eye, the mist was entirely absorbed, the purplish mark on Zhu Rong’s chest slowly vanished, and the Qi circulation in his body returned to normal.

Once the mist was completely absorbed, one of the many floating symbols lit up in red before returning to normal.

One by one, the other runes followed suit and gradually reattached themselves around the dantian.