Chapter 93 - Feeding Yunxiao
The morning sun shone through the lush leaves of the garden on the White Lotus Peak, illuminating patches of light on its path. A cool breeze smelled faintly of spiritual herbs. Su Ming sat on a smooth stone bench in the open garden, his Essence Sight narrowed on the object floating above his hand.
It was the Hundun core from the Mutated Abyss Earth Tyrant. The core was a jagged, grey-black crystal about the size of a fist. Its outline blurred under his spiritual sense, distorting the space around it. The energy inside felt wild and hard to control.
A soft rustling sound came from the side.
Su Ming did not look up, but his spiritual sense had already noticed her. Hooves that puffed small white clouds stepped on the grass as Yunxiao walked over. She was not acting cold like usual. Instead, the white deer nudged his shoulder, huffing softly. Her antlers brushed his sleeve as she nuzzled his chest.
Su Ming smiled a little. ’That’s strange,’ he thought. ’She only shows this kind of affection when Qingxian is around with medicinal herbs. Now she acts as if we’re close friends.’
He patted her neck. Her white fur was soft, like touching a piece of cloud. The warm sun made the quiet peak feel far from the bloody battlefield he had been in two weeks ago.
Since their return, the sect had been in constant chatter. News of the southern border defense and the capture of the Demon King had spread like wildfire. White Lotus Peak’s reputation was at an all-time high. Disciples who used to look at the peak with pity now spoke with proper respect. Even the several inner grand peak and outer peak masters, including Elder Qingya, had sent formal congratulations.
Apart from that, the disciples had returned and settled back on the peak. Lin Yao had spent her free time in the medicine hall, learning herb identification from Bai Qingxian. Wang Tian was still recovering from the strain of his sword technique, but his sword path was steadier than before. The entire White Lotus Peak was quiet and orderly, radiating a serene aura.
The rewards were great. Elder Mu Bairong thanked him personally, handing over his personal jade token. When asked what he wanted for his contribution, Su Ming did not hesitate. He did not ask for weapons or pills or more beasts. He requested the blood essence of the captured Armoured Hell Behemoth King, knowing its ancient Qiongqi lineage would help him.
Mu Bairong had agreed. Two drops of the Demon King stage Qiongqi blood essence were now in his spatial ring.
Also, the mission points were staggering. He had more than enough to trade for the remaining materials he needed. He had also sent a letter to Sect Master Jun Tianya.
In it, he reported his breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm, as it had already been revealed during the battle. He also reported that he had made good progress on the Sky Sovereign Sword Technique. The Sect Master would surely learn about his breakthrough, but Su Ming wanted to keep things formal.
With the battle over, his main goal was to gather the remaining elements. He needed to find the materials to complete his organ refinement under the Primordial Yang Sovereign Body Art.
Su Ming looked back at his hand. Beside the Hundun core, a single drop of crimson blood floated inside a sphere of compressed Qi. The drop belonged to the Behemoth King. It burned with a fierce energy. The droplet trembled faintly before melting back into liquid again.
Hundun and Qiongqi. According to the ancient scriptures, these were two of the Four Primordial Evils of the Desolate Era. They represented chaos and malevolence. Cultivators usually feared them, as even a drop of their blood could corrupt a person’s meridians or drive a beast into a permanent frenzy. Su Ming held them easily, his Yin-Yang Qi keeping their wild nature suppressed.
Yunxiao nuzzled him again, harder this time. Her dark eyes locked onto the treasures in his hand, her nostrils flaring as she breathed in the raw Qi.
"You want these?" Su Ming asked.
Yunxiao gave a sharp huff and stomped her hoof.
Su Ming looked at her slender frame. "Your blood is that of an auspicious Bai Ze. Your nature is gentle, meant for purification. These materials belong to the Primordial Evils. If you absorb them, you might get corrupted or mutate. I can look for other items that fit you better. Are you sure you want these?"
Yunxiao did not back down, placing her head directly over his hand. Through their spiritual connection, Su Ming felt her absolute determination.
’Well,’ Su Ming thought, his fingers relaxing. ’What’s the worst that can happen?’
Demonic beasts do rely on purifying their bloodlines to ascend to the higher realms. It was a well-known fact, so things like blood essence and beast cores were a necessity for such evolutions. Still, Su Ming could not understand her determination to get these items specifically, despite their different natures.
Yet she did not take them immediately. She stayed still, looking from the core to Su Ming’s forehead, then back. She was waiting.
Su Ming immediately understood what she wanted.
’Haah... you want another drop of Samsara Resin, huh?’, he chuckled.
His senses reached into his soul sea, where the rich pool of gold-white Samsara Resin rested. He did not know its full potential or proper origin, but he speculated it was a pure energy generated by the Lantern when he performed an act of conclusion or disruption. Or maybe it was simply doing things that were not meant to be.
It seemed to require disrupting a fated event, like when he permanently resolved and concluded Wang Tian’s crippled fate. Even his clash with Lin Fan yielded a small amount because he disrupted Lin Fan’s fated destiny rather than changing it. The resin had always stabilized his soul and healed his hidden injuries as well.
’Its energy should protect her from the clashing of these opposite forces.’
He concentrated, drawing a single golden drop from the pool to the tip of his finger. It glowed with a warm, steady light.
"Hold still," Su Ming said.
He tapped the golden drop onto the center of her brow, right between her antlers. A golden ripple spread across her forehead like a warm seal. Yunxiao closed her eyes, sighing in relief. She bent her head, bowing gracefully to him, then opened her mouth. A soft suction drew the Hundun core and the drop of Qiongqi blood essence into her throat.