Chapter 88

"Your insult, I heard it, but I, the Great Ancestor, am magnanimous and won't stoop to quarreling with a little brat. The activation of the Demon Spirit Vein doesn't necessarily require forcibly taking blood and soul. Otherwise, how could others with the Demon Spirit Vein devour seventh or eighth-level demon beasts? Would they have to grow to the same level before devouring? So, there are always shortcuts."

"For example..."

"For example, mutual consent! As long as you develop a bond with a demon beast, you can reach a mutual agreement, and after calming it, you can eat it directly!"

"Are you crazy?" Tang Yan could no longer hold back his anger. Develop a bond? Am I supposed to wander the forest looking for beasts, like finding a match? Then ask them, 'Can I eat you?'

"Don't you have one right here?" The Blood Doll's smile was eerie, making Tang Yan feel uneasy.

"Where?"

"The wolf pup by your side. This little guy... is very interesting..."

"Hei Niu? You know it?" Tang Yan focused his gaze on the Blood Doll. As Hei Niu grew, its combat power became increasingly remarkable. While he felt delighted, he also had doubts and concerns. Every time Hei Niu burst out, it emitted a very cold aura, different from the usual cold, a chill that came from the bones.

This is definitely not an ordinary demon beast!

Tang Yan had a strange feeling, as if he would eventually lose it.

"Of course, it doesn't belong here."

"What do you mean?"

The Blood Doll smacked its lips, thinking hard: "There must have been some changes there. Otherwise, they wouldn't have thrown out their offspring. Heh heh, I really want to go and see what kind of big trouble those bastards have caused."

"Please get to the point!"

"The point? The point is that you know nothing! A little brat, how dare you be so insolent to me, the Great Ancestor."

Tang Yan was furious but forced himself to calm down: "Great Ancestor, please..."

"Say it again?"

"Ah? Uh... Great Ancestor?"

The Blood Doll looked delighted: "One more time."

Tang Yan's face was dark, but he maintained a smile and respect: "Great Ancestor."

"Good, continue."

"Great Ancestor."

"Good, from now on, that's what you'll call me. Come, little grandson, let me introduce this little guy to you."

Grandson? And 'little'? I'll endure! Tang Yan kept smiling: "Great Ancestor, please speak."

"To put it simply, this is a very unique species, responsible for guarding a special area. They are powerful, bloodthirsty, cruel, insane, arrogant, and evil. In short, all negative words can be used to describe them. They are a dirty race, doing dirty things. This little guy..."

"Wait! What unique species? What special area?"

"Interpret it however you like, you won't understand anyway."

I'll endure! Tang Yan gritted his teeth, this bastard is definitely doing this on purpose!

"The parents of this little guy are among the top of their kind. If it grows up normally, its combat power will be considerable. If you eat it and refine it, it won't provide much help, but at least it won't hold you back in the future."

"Are there other ways?" Tang Yan directly rejected the suggestion. Eat Hei Niu? Impossible! The little guy has been with him for more than half a year, and in Juxiang City, it never left his side. Even if he were a bastard, he wasn't heartless. Besides, the Blood Doll clearly had ulterior motives. If he really swallowed Hei Niu, it might bring future trouble.

"Reluctant? Don't regret it later!"

"No regrets, other ways."

"None." The Blood Doll answered bluntly.

"You... Great Ancestor, please think again. Maybe you can come up with something."

"If there were, I would have told you. This is your life force, your lifespan! Can you just take it back? If it were that simple, wouldn't everyone do it? This world wouldn't be full of million-year-old monsters?"

"Then you can't just watch me die?"

"I've given you the method. If you don't use it, whose fault is it? Think about it. Your little black dog is now in a confused state, the perfect time to communicate with it."

There must be a way, there must be other ways. Tang Yan tried to calm himself, thinking hard for a while, then said: "What about the Ethereal Green Fire? It's a heavenly fire, truly eternal. Can we find a breakthrough from it?"

"Are you begging me?" The Evil Ancestor raised an eyebrow, looking at the sky with a smile. He had been bored for nearly a century and finally found an interesting little guy. He wasn't going to let him off so easily.

"I, beg, you." Tang Yan gritted his teeth, spitting out the three words.

"What? I didn't hear clearly."

"I, beg, you."

"Good, not bad. But don't think about that. Thanks to you, the Ethereal Green Fire is sleeping."

"Sleeping? What do you mean?"

"Too many questions! Why did your lifespan disappear?"

"To activate potential, to enhance strength."

"Who helped you?"

"Huh?"

"The Immortal Heaven Technique is a servant skill of the Ethereal Green Fire. In other words, all those who cultivate it are serving it, providing a growth medium. In short, host and parasite. When you overused the Body Destruction Technique, you were willing to contribute your lifespan, which the Ethereal Green Fire burned to earn. It gave you power while absorbing your lifespan. In other words, it gave you powerful combat power, and you gave it seventy years of life, a fair trade.

For a heavenly fire with endless life, seventy years isn't much, but it's still considerable. It needs to refine it carefully, so it's sleeping."

Servant skill? Serving it? Lifespan for strength? Tang Yan felt uneasy, this was different from what Ren Tiancang said: "How long will it sleep?"

"Ask me? Who do I ask? This is seventy years of lifespan, seventy years, not seventy days, not seventy months, but years. Do you understand?"

"What do I do during this time?" Tang Yan frowned. Without the Ethereal Green Fire, how could he refine the Spirit Source Liquid? How could he use the Flame Technique or the Fierce Technique?

"What to do? You're lucky to be able to stand. Do you think you can go to war? Little guy, save it. Learn from me, the Great Ancestor, and take it easy. Enjoy a few peaceful years, and when it's time to die, just die."

"Is there really no other way?"

"Let me repeat, I've given you the method, which is to eat the wolf pup! It's for your own good. Otherwise, it will definitely eat you! This race isn't kind. Even if it doesn't eat you, its kin will hunt you down across the continent when they find out their offspring has become a human pet. At that time, no one in the world can protect you.

Hmph, I thought you were ruthless, but you're a coward. I chose you, and I must have been blind!"

Tang Yan pondered for a long time, staring at the Blood Doll. The Blood Doll idly swayed its head, drank some sea water, blew bubbles, and played, ignoring Tang Yan.

"Alright, what do you really want?" Tang Yan saw through it. This thing definitely had a purpose, or it wouldn't have bothered to wake him up and talk so much.

"What do I want? I don't understand."

"Make a deal!"

"Hmm? Ha ha, smart, I knew I didn't choose wrong." The Blood Doll immediately smiled.

"Speak!" Tang Yan gritted his teeth.

"Everything can be negotiated. I thought hard and came up with another method. However, it can only slightly reverse your aging, giving you a few more years of life, enough to reach the Martial King level. A Martial Ancestor has about a hundred years of life, while a Martial King has two hundred. The transformation from Martial Ancestor to Martial King is fundamental. Once you complete this transformation, your lifespan will naturally extend, giving you new vitality."

"Get to the point! How can I slow down the aging?"

"Seize the Life Soul!" The Blood Doll didn't tease Tang Yan this time, explaining in detail: "When powerful demon beasts and experts die, a wisp of soul wanders in the world. If they are very powerful, this soul can have its own consciousness, hiding and reshaping its body. Of course, to reach this level, demon beasts must be at least peak sixth level, and experts must be at least peak Ancestor level. At this level, it's hard to destroy them easily unless their soul and body are completely destroyed. Otherwise, they will be reborn.

In addition, there are many soul wisps in the world that exist for a short time after death, wandering aimlessly without consciousness, powerless, invisible, and intangible. Unless captured with special secret techniques, they cannot be sensed."

"Do you have a method?" Tang Yan was a bit confused but understood the general idea, his spirit lifted.

"I have a simple incantation from the ancient era, just a fragment of memory, which can help you absorb a small amount of low-level soul wisps. The Life Souls they contain are very rare, but better than nothing. Over time, it will be enough to extend your life by a few years. If you choose to stay in this Illusion Forest, the effect might be better. Here, killings happen every moment, and countless demon beasts and mercenaries die. Absorbing them will be relatively easier." As the Blood Doll spoke, it spat out a blood mist, which directly entered the misty infant.

This action again caused the Buddha Heart to misunderstand, and golden chains surged, pulling it toward the sea of qi.

The blood mist fused, transmitting a few dry and incomprehensible incantations into Tang Yan's mind. Tang Yan knew their value and hurriedly memorized them carefully.