Chapter 254: Bloodline Reversion
Recovering from the comfortable sensation of his slowly strengthening body, Xiao Yuan immediately turned his gaze to the jade bottle in his hand. A fiery light flickered in his dark pupils. Physical strength usually had to come from talent or strenuous training, but the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's blood had an unexpectedly powerful effect.
Unfortunately, only five drops of the green-red blood had been refined from this corpse.
Frowning slightly at the five unmixed droplets swirling in the same jade bottle, Xiao Yuan muttered internally.
Only five drops—and soon it would be down to four.
His gaze drifted toward the magical beast's shriveled head and massive dried hide. He'd considered taking a deep breath, but remembering the stench that nearly knocked him out earlier, he immediately wrapped himself in Heavenly Flame to filter the air before inhaling.
Generally speaking, a beast's magic core—where all its energy was concentrated—would not just vanish. Since the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's flesh contained essence blood, the magic core was most likely hidden within the head or hide.
With a wave of his sleeve, Xiao Yuan summoned a gentle gust of wind that lifted the hide and head into the air. Then, with a flick of his finger, a stream of bluish-brown flame burst out, igniting the hide from beneath.
Under the flame's roasting, the massive hide slowly shriveled. Yet instead of burning to nothing, it curled like a scroll.
Lowering the flame's intensity, Xiao Yuan drew one drop of green-red blood from the jade bottle. The moment it touched the hide, it was absorbed, and the pale-gray surface began to writhe like a snake, violently reacting. The green-red color spread rapidly across the hide.
Within seconds, the entire hide had changed—its old gray tone replaced by a strange green-red glow. What was once inert now radiated intense energy.
Xiao Yuan increased the flame's intensity, and soon green-red mist began to rise from the hide. The mist's energy grew denser and denser, gradually filling the upper half of the room. It resembled a floating cloud, the pressure inside becoming so immense that it could have startled every member of the Lionheart Pavilion if Xiao Yuan hadn't shielded the room with his soul force.
"So much power…"
With a grave expression, Xiao Yuan stared at the mist swirling above. He further intensified the flame.
Though he had bluffed about reaching seventh-tier alchemist level, it wasn't entirely a lie.
Thanks to the Yin-Yang Soul Nurturing Pearl, his soul strength had already stepped one foot into the seventh tier.
His refining skills were still lacking, but with strong soul force and a high-grade flame, he could compensate for that gap.
The blue-brown flame continued refining the hide, releasing more of the thick green-red mist. The cloud in the air seemed to growl faintly—a deep, beastly rumble.
The sound stirred Xiao Yuan's blood, making it boil. But he remained calm. Even though the Xiao clan's Dou Emperor bloodline had supposedly long gone extinct, Xiao Yuan had occasionally sensed a hidden power inside him—particularly when using the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Change.
He'd only ever activated the first form of the technique, and yet the results were impressive. That, and the presence of five Qi Reservoirs in his body, made him suspect there was something special in his blood.
He didn't understand Dou Emperor bloodlines, but he trusted his instincts.
Maybe, for unknown reasons, he still had remnants of that ancient bloodline—just dormant.
Maybe he needed the full version of the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Change to awaken it.
Ignoring the heat surging through his blood, he focused back on the refining.
Sizzle!
A quiet hiss snapped his attention back. The beast hide in the flame had completely turned to ash, slowly drifting down to form a fine gray layer on the floor.
One final wisp of green-red mist rose and merged into the massive cloud above.
Suddenly, the cloud stirred. A tiny vortex formed at its center, slowly spinning as it absorbed more energy.
As the vortex drew in power, the entire mist cloud began to shrink visibly.
When the last trace of mist vanished, the vortex abruptly stopped—and a blinding burst of green-red light exploded from it.
Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes, summoning a layer of flame to shield his vision. As the light faded, a small irregularly shaped crystal hovered in the air—green and red, glowing faintly.
The space around it rippled with distortion from its mere presence.
At last, Xiao Yuan relaxed. Curling his fingers slightly, he released a gentle suction force.
The crystal—clearly a powerful magic core—offered no resistance and floated obediently to hover two inches above his palm.
The green-red glow lit up Xiao Yuan's face, reflecting a strange luster in his black eyes.
At the same time, the boiling sensation in his blood peaked. His entire body flushed red, skin glowing from the heat surging through him.
A phantom of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix appeared in his mind, accompanied by a fierce, piercing cry.
Screech!!!
In his sea of consciousness, a massive phantom of the beast circled ominously. Its shriek caused a splitting pain in his mind.
Damn it!
Murderous intent flared within Xiao Yuan. In a flash, bluish-brown flame engulfed his spiritual sea.
The next moment, the Shaoyin Monarch Flame separated from it, rising like a blazing orange-red sun.
The sacred flame illuminated everything, purging all evil.
Bathed in this light, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's phantom screamed in terror and disintegrated like melting snow.
The strange color in Xiao Yuan's eyes vanished as well.
Clearing his mind, he stared coldly at the magic core, then frowned slightly.
Odd—the sensation of his boiling blood hadn't subsided at all.
He felt like he was being roasted alive, his veins bulging and writhing under his skin.
Acting quickly, he summoned a jade box and stored the magic core in it before slipping it into his ring.
Then, he sat cross-legged and sank his awareness inward.
His blood was racing, his entire body pulsing with pain and numbness. His veins throbbed like tiny snakes beneath his skin, threatening to burst through.
At the center of his being, the orange-red flame burned brightly, keeping the energy surge from going out of control.
But something was still missing.
After pondering, Xiao Yuan retrieved the jade bottle of phoenix blood and drew out one drop.
Then he swallowed it.
Boom!
His aura shook violently. Even the soul energy protecting the room quivered.
Whoosh!
An elderly figure appeared in the room, looking solemnly at Xiao Yuan.
The youth was glowing green-red. Blood slowly oozed from his seven orifices. A terrifying energy pressure radiated from him.
But Yao Lao could tell immediately—this pressure wasn't Xiao Yuan's. It came from a powerful magical beast.
"What's this kid doing?"
Frowning, Yao Lao waved his sleeve and sealed the room with his soul power.
Downstairs, Xiao Yan had already finished forging the Sky Swallowing Nine-Wing Technique under Yao Lao's guidance. He'd even added his Thunder Bat Wings as material, giving the final product black-tipped bone wings crackling with silver lightning.
He hadn't yet tested it when the explosion from upstairs made him nervous. Yao Lao flew through the ceiling, while Xiao Yan climbed up through the window.
"Teacher, what's going on with my brother?"
Xiao Yan asked, worried.
"I'm not sure… but he seems confident."
Yao Lao's voice wasn't convincing. If Xiao Yuan were so confident, why cause such a ruckus? It felt like a Dou Huang breaking through to Dou Zong.
Xiao Yan's concern deepened.
Xiao Yuan was aware of their presence, but he had no time to worry.
He'd made a gamble by consuming that drop of phoenix blood—and it had paid off, pulling out a hidden force within his body.
But the blood contained more power than he'd expected.
Now, two forces were fighting inside him.
The latent power in his body was proud and aggressive. It attacked the intruding green-red energy, quickly seizing control of most of Xiao Yuan's body.
From outside, golden-red light began to spread from his heart, suppressing the other energy.
But the green-red force retaliated.
The clashing energies sent shockwaves through Xiao Yuan's body. Without the protection of his Heavenly Flame, he might've been seriously injured.
Yao Lao noticed the sudden emergence of a terrifying new aura in Xiao Yuan's body. His eyes narrowed.
He recognized that pressure… but from where?
Lost in thought, Yao Lao tried to remember.
Xiao Yan frowned at his brother, noting he didn't seem to be in pain. That was a relief—maybe things would turn out alright.
Of course, Xiao Yuan had no intention of letting the two forces destroy his body.
In his body, any unruly power got beaten into submission!
The blue-brown Heavenly Flame spread inside him.
The golden-red energy was fine—it even used the fire's support to suppress the green-red energy.
The golden light soon spread throughout his body, seeping into his bloodline.
Xiao Yuan's aura surged. A powerful pressure erupted from his opened eyes, shaking Yao Lao's soul-force barrier.
"Holy crap—Dou Zong?!"
Xiao Yan gasped in shock, unaffected by the pressure but stunned nonetheless.
Yao Lao snapped out of his daze. He stared at Xiao Yuan's forehead, where faint golden-red patterns were forming.
Then he remembered where he'd seen this before.
That oppressive aura belonged only to the supreme Dou Emperor bloodline.
It wasn't from the Yao Clan, but he wasn't mistaken. The pattern on Xiao Yuan's forehead was the ancestral mark of a Dou Emperor bloodline.
How could Xiao Yuan suddenly… awaken a supreme Dou Emperor bloodline?
(END CHAPTER)
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