Chapter 699: Blood Crystal
Chapter 699: Blood Crystal
When Hu Hai and the others felt the strange atmosphere of this place, their excited hearts all calmed down, and they turned to Shui Lingling, who had been here before.
Shu Lingling looked around and said, “We are currently in the north of the Savage Battlefield, in the Bloody Ground Wasteland. This area is near the periphery and is not as dangerous. However, we still have to be careful.”
Hu Hai’s eyes lit up and he smiled. “I have heard of the Bloody Ground Wasteland before. This place produces Blood Crystals in abundance; it is a mother lode.”
Blood Crystal was a rare ore that formed only in ancient battlefields that witnessed an incalculable massacre.
Naturally, the Savage Battlefield was on a much larger scale than other ancient battlefields. According to legend, this was where Martial Emperors warred.
Blood Crystals could temper a cultivator’s Mental Energy. Secret manuals and Cultivation Techniques from the Immortal Epoch that could cultivate Mental Energy only existed in legends.
One could only rely on external items to strengthen Mental Energy. Of these items, Blood Crystals were among the best. One Inferior Grade Blood Crystal could sell for thirty to fifty thousand Superior Grade Spirit Stones.
Shui Lingling nodded and said, “That’s right. This place does produce Blood Crystals. However, they are not that easy to obtain. You have to find a Blood Crystal origin first, and kill the Twin-Headed Demonic Blood Wolves that eat the Blood Crystals.”
Mental Energy was quite useful for Martial Monarchs. The most direct benefit was an increase in their perception and their aura, as well as an improvement in their mental states.
As for pure Mental Energy Martial Techniques, they were extremely rare. However, there were many extraordinary people in the Kunlun Realm. Just because it was rare did not mean it did not exist.
If one really met with a cultivator who used Mental Energy Martial Techniques and their Mental Energy was stronger, they would have a higher chance of survival.
“Let’s go and take a look at some of the Inferior Grade Blood Crystal origins first. After three years, they should have recovered significantly.”
Shui Lingling led the five around the vast Bloody Ground Wasteland. When they ran into some low-ranked Demonic Beasts, Shui Lingling would casually kill them.
It had to be said that Hu Hai and the others felt much more relaxed as they followed their strong First Senior Sister with her rich experience.
Otherwise, Hu Hai and the others would not have been able to figure out where they were going, since everything looked the same in the Bloody Ground Wasteland. Furthermore, Demonic Beasts continuously came out to harass them. Under such conditions, it would be hard for them to maintain their calm.
With Shui Lingling here, these small issues were no longer problems. All they had to do was follow her.
“Stop here. There is a group of high-ranked Demonic Beasts flying over.”
Suddenly, Shui Lingling, who had been moving forward at a fast pace at the lead, stopped. She waved her hand, and the Profound Sun Bird on her shoulder immediately enlarged and spread its huge wings.
She went under the Profound Sun Bird’s wings and beckoned Xiao Chen and the others over. Then, the Profound Sun Bird folded its wings back quickly, covering everyone firmly.
Then, every single feather on the Profound Sun Bird’s surface burned, turning it into a ball of azure flames.
Sizzling sounds reached their ears. Apparently, the flames of the Profound Sun Bird had a suppressive effect on the Savage Battlefield’s aura.
Unexpectedly, when the Profound Sun True Flames burned, they purified the turbid air into fresh, clean air.
When the group of high-ranked Demonic Beasts in the air saw the clump of flames, they felt an instinctive fear and flew far away.
After some time, the Profound Sun Bird raised its wings and turned small once again, and then resumed its perch on Shui Lingling’s shoulder.
The group looked up and saw more than a hundred flying Demonic Beasts in the distance slowly vanishing from their sight.
Hu Hai’s face filled with some horror as he said, “They are Flying Celestial Demonic Eagles, Rank 8 Demonic Beasts. There are actually more than a hundred of them. If they had discovered us, the consequences would have been dire.”
Shui Lingling corrected Hu Hai. “Those are not ordinary Flying Celestial Demonic Eagles. Rather, they are mutated Flying Celestial Demonic Eagles. Their feathers and bones have all crystallized. They are very horrifying. They are the hardest to deal with among the Demonic Beasts in the Bloody Ground Wasteland.”
Fortunately, the group got through this daunting experience without mishap. Under Shui Lingling’s lead, they continued on. After an hour, the group arrived at a crack in the Bloody Ground Wasteland.
The group threaded winding paths in the dark underground. Finally, they arrived at an Inferior Grade Blood Crystal origin. However, aside from a pile of Twin-Headed Demonic Blood Wolf corpses, there were only potholes in the ground. The Inferior Grade Blood Crystals had been harvested clean. Nothing remained. Clearly, someone else had come first.
Shui Lingling frowned slightly and left without a word. After that, she visited a few other Inferior Grade Blood Crystal Origins. However, they were all empty without exception.
“Odd, Bai Wuxue and the others would not be so extreme. Furthermore, Inferior Grade Blood Crystals are not worth them doing this. It looks like loose cultivators got here ahead of us,” Shui Lingling said softly.
After thinking for a while, Shui Lingling made a decision. “Ordinary Blood Crystals are no longer useful to me, but they are very useful to you all. Since we are passing through Bloody Ground Wasteland, how can we not harvest some Blood Crystals?”
Six hours later, Shui Lingling led the ground to a crack in the deep part of the Bloody Ground Wasteland. The scarlet crack had exploded open, and the liquid that flowed out from the two sides looked like blood. It was a bizarre sight.
“This is a Medial Grade Blood Crystal origin. The Demonic Beasts defending it will be even stronger. Ordinary loose cultivators will not dare to take risks here. All of you, be careful.”
When everyone heard this, they raised their guard, not daring to relax.
The scarlet liquid spread throughout the two sides of the crack, giving off a bloody stench. Xiao Chen and the others descended slowly, experiencing an interminable ordeal.
This crack, which led to a Medial Grade Blood Crystal origin, took several times longer to descend. The group reached the bottom only after some time had elapsed.
The way in front was pitch-dark. Shui Lingling casually waved her hand and sent out a floating ball of light to illuminate the place for the group.
After walking a few steps, the group discovered the corpses of several Demonic Beasts as well. Shui Lingling frowned slightly and continued leading the way without saying anything.
At the end of the road, a cavern appeared before everyone. Shui Lingling put out the ball of light and unslung the purple bow on her back.
When the five behind her saw this, they also grabbed hold of their weapons, their expressions clearly nervous.
At such a close distance, Xiao Chen and the others could feel a few strong auras in the cavern, ready and waiting for action as they hid.
However, unexpectedly, the group successfully made it into the cavern without being attacked.
“Tsk tsk, another group of people came. Old Man Gu Mu, are you still thinking of monopolizing the Medial Grade Blood Crystals in here?”
A hoarse voice echoed in the darkness. The group looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the person who spoke was a middle-aged man around forty-odd years old.
This middle-aged man was dressed in black robes, and his aura was withdrawn. He had hidden inside a crack within the cavern. If he had not spoken, no one would have discovered him.
A red mound gave off an enticing red light in the darkness about a kilometer into the cavern. This was the Medial Grade Blood Crystal origin the middle-aged man mentioned.
The eyes of Hu Hai and the others lit up. However, when they looked carefully, they saw a Four-Headed Demonic Blood Wolf lying beside the red mound.
The eyes of the four heads were all tightly shut as it lay on the ground, apparently deep asleep.
However, even though the Four-Headed Demonic Blood Wolf was sleeping, the aura it gave off still felt frightening.
Looking carefully, one would discover a faint scarlet light on the ground, covering the area within five hundred meters of the Blood Crystal origin.
The Four-Headed Demonic Blood Wolf was very crafty. Although it was asleep, it did not forget to keep its guard up. As long as someone stepped into the light, it would immediately wake up.
However, no matter how powerful the Four-Headed Demonic Blood Wolf, it was just a middle Rank 8 Demonic Beast. Although it would still give a half-Sage some trouble, with so many people here, they could deal with it easily.
Clearly, the Four-Headed Demonic Blood Wolf was not the real problem.
“Girl with the bow, you can stay. The rest, scram!”
Another voice rang out from above the cavern. The group looked up and discovered a frail old man hanging upside down from the ceiling.
This old man’s feet seemed like the roots of an old tree. He looked very strange standing there. This was probably the Old Man Gu Mu whom the middle-aged man addressed earlier.
[TL Note: Not sure if it is a play on the name, but Gu Mu means withered wood.]
This person had a vast aura and a horrifying cultivation not much weaker than Shui Lingling’s. Originally, he had been planning to monopolize this Medial Grade Blood Crystal origin. However, he had not expected the middle-aged man to interfere.
Now, another group of people came. Naturally, Old Man Gu Mu became even unhappier. This pile of Medial Grade Blood Crystal origin looked like a lot, but its production of Medial Grade Blood Crystals was not much.
With so many people here, there would not be enough to share. Besides, he had never intended to share from the very start.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man smiled sinisterly and said, “Old Man Gu Mu, I think we can work together. Not only we can split this Blood Crystal origin equally, but this group of people need not leave this place, either.
This person might seem kinder, but his thoughts were even more vicious than Old Man Gu Mu’s.
Gu Mu felt somewhat stunned. Then, he laughed strangely, “Ha ha, I did not think of that. That is a pretty good idea.”
Shui Lingling smiled slightly and said, “You can do your best and try. Let’s see who is the one that will not leave this place.”
As Shui Lingling spoke, she drew her simple, heavy purple bow. Then, she pointed it at the middle-aged man. A sharp killing intent pierced through the air, targeting the middle-aged man like a venomous snake in the darkness.
A chill woke in the middle-aged man’s heart. He circulated his Quintessence and neutralized this killing intent. Then he said coldly, “Girl, to think you really dare to try!”
“Gu Mu and I rank in the top fifty on the Evil Cultivator Ranking. When we were active, you were not even born yet.”
Gu Mu said indifferently, “It looks like the brats of the Tianwu Domain have forgotten about me after my decades of inactivity.”
Hu Hai, Chen Xiao, and Jun Si sweated from their hands, feeling slightly nervous in their hearts. They had not expected to meet with such powerful loose cultivators soon after arriving in the Savage Battlefield.
Two of the top fifty on the Evil Cultivator Ranking appeared. Furthermore, they had ill intentions. They did not care about the Rank 9 sects; they only wanted to kill to obtain treasures.
Xiao Chen looked around, his emotions not changing much. He had the Taiji Yinyang Flame Diagram, the Golden Savage Ox sculpture, and the three Azure Dragon images. These gave him the ability to protect himself in front of a half-Sage. Even if he could not fight them, it would still be easy for him to run.
Xiao Chen’s gaze fell on another entrance at the back of the cavern. It was pitch-dark, and his Spiritual Sense could not penetrate it. What was more, he could not do anything about it.
However, he could clearly hear faint footsteps slowly approaching from there.