Chapter 150: Bloodline Seed

Several months later, across a desolate wilderness, a surge of vital blood energy tore through the air, striking down a gigantic elephant charging from ahead.

That elephant possessed a massive physique, far surpassing the elephants of Aetis's past life. Its hide was thick and coarse, gleaming faintly under the sunlight with an appearance of formidable sturdiness, marking it as a powerful creature of this region.

Yet at this moment, this creature, rarely challenged by anyone under normal circumstances, found itself in a deeply miserable state.

Drenched in blood, its body pierced through by several large holes from a heavy spear, it lay collapsed upon the ground, its breath of life growing extremely faint.

Before this colossal elephant stood a handsome youth, standing proudly upright. He gripped a blood-stained spear in his hand, his body surging with vital energy, exuding an imposing and majestic aura.

Behind the youth, a dozen or so tribesmen dressed in animal skins halted. Gazing at Aetis, who had single-handedly defeated the giant elephant, their eyes flashed with shock and awe.

"That is a Mighty Elephant! Even the Demonic Tigers usually dare not provoke it, yet the Chief brought it down all by himself."

One person spoke, their eyes filled with deep disbelief and adoration.

Ahead, Aetis listened to the murmurs behind him with a calm expression. He thrust his spear forward once more, instantly unleashing a flash of crimson energy that lunged ahead with formidable might.

"Aroo..."

The giant elephant emitted a painful shriek, its soundwaves kicking up the surrounding fallen leaves. A new, massive hole appeared on its body, striking straight through its internal organs.

A moment later, the gigantic creature collapsed heavily to the earth, leaving a shallow depression in the ground.

With this task completed, Aetis glanced back, and the tribesmen behind him immediately understood, stepping forward in unison.

With various well-prepared implements, they carefully gathered the flowing blood and chunks of meat from the giant elephant. Afterward, they hoisted the massive carcass onto a sturdy wooden frame.

Fortunately, this was a harsh and punishing otherworldly realm, where even ordinary humans possessed far greater strength, enabling them to lift such a heavy load.

The group journeyed along their familiar path. Curiously, despite being deep within the wasteland, not a single magical beast dared to approach along the way. They merely watched the procession from afar, their eyes filled with wariness.

This was entirely due to Aetis radiating his vital blood energy outwardly. To these demonic beasts, such pressure was intensely sensitive, naturally deterring them from risking their lives to advance.

Of course, this applied only under normal conditions. Should they be driven by extreme hunger or encounter a particularly powerful beast, they would not hesitate to attack Aetis's party.

As they walked, Aetis cast his gaze toward the surrounding wasteland.

The wasteland—though named a wasteland—was not entirely devoid of life. Rather, it was simply no longer suited for ordinary living beings to inhabit.

Within the wasteland lingered an intensely potent aura of decay, upon which grew various demonized plants alongside a scattering of magical beasts.

This place was unsuitable for cultivation. Once an ordinary human entered, they would lose their sense of self over time, becoming infected by the wasteland's aura and wandering lost forever.

However, this location marked the edge of an oasis, where the corruption of the surrounding wasteland was not yet severe, and thus no overwhelmingly powerful demonic beasts roamed here.

After walking for a long time, until a dilapidated village came into view in the distance, the people in the party finally breathed a sigh of relief and involuntarily quickened their pace.

Ahead, the tribal elder was already leading a crowd to welcome them. Upon seeing Aetis and his group return, and catching sight of the giant elephant, a sudden wave of cheers erupted.

For a tribe teetering on the verge of extinction, this period had truly been a time of blessed fortune.

Ever since Aetis assumed the mantle of chieftain, in order to gather intelligence on this world and practice the secret arts of blood energy, he had led hunting parties out into the wasteland almost daily.

Moreover, every single trip yielded a full harvest, thoroughly astounding the once-poverty-stricken tribe and earning Aetis their absolute and unreserved support.

As Aetis walked closer, another chorus of cheers rang out. Among the crowd were young tribal maidens, whose gazes toward Aetis burned with ardent admiration.

Suffice to say, under the current circumstances, had Aetis given even the slightest hint or gesture, countless maidens would have crawled to his dwelling by nightfall to pledge their love.

Nearby, the tribesmen lowered the giant elephant, joining the elderly and women left behind in the village to begin processing the carcass. They meticulously stripped away the thick hide and massive tusks, then sliced the meat into portions, mixing it with a wild plant native to the region to ensure the meat could be preserved for a long time.

"Yel, you've returned." Watching Aetis approach, the elder looked at him with gratified eyes filled with wonder.

During this time, the old man had been profoundly shaken by Aetis. Having once practiced blood energy secret arts himself, he understood all too well the extreme difficulty of cultivation. This made him all the more awed by everything Aetis had accomplished, leaving him with no words save a sigh of pure genius.

"What a pity," he mused inwardly with a quiet sigh.

He understood well that given the limited contents recorded on that single animal hide, no matter how extraordinary Aetis's innate talent might be, he would ultimately find himself severely restricted, soon facing a dead end with nowhere further to advance.

"Yet, in *that* place, perhaps there might still be a chance." After a moment, this thought flashed through his mind, causing his eyes to brighten.

Before him, Aetis gave the elder a nod, then, ignoring the surrounding tribesmen, walked straight toward an open patch of ground.

In the clearing, crudely crafted spears were thrust upright into the earth. Aetis casually pulled one free and thrust it forward.

*Crash...*

A hard boulder shattered instantly upon impact, sent flying directly by Aetis's immense strength.

"It seems I am rapidly approaching a critical threshold."

Observing the scattered debris flying away before him and sensing the surging blood energy within his body, Aetis thought to himself, "It is almost time to take the next step."

Within his mind emerged the blood energy secret art previously deduced by Aetis's main consciousness. A tiny spark of blood energy began to shift slowly, circulating through his body along an unfamiliar trajectory.

By now, after prolonged transformation, the blood within his veins had long since changed. Droplets of blood radiating a faint crimson glow tumbled through his frame, simultaneously and continuously reinforcing every fiber of his flesh and muscles as they flowed.

*Thump! Thump! Thump...*

The rhythmic beating of a heart slowly echoed across the clearing, powerful and steady.

"The time has come," Aetis thought.

As a formidable surge of spiritual power radiated outward, his body seemed to transform into a massive magnet, continuously emitting a powerful attractive force that drew in the surrounding elemental energies.

Countless elemental particles surged forward, penetrating his physical vessel and slowly melting into his bloodstream. The faint glow within the blood grew increasingly brilliant, gradually casting a radiant red hue over Aetis's entire physique.

As the crimson light intensified, the blood flowed with increasing vigor. A powerful force emanated from his heart, gradually drawing and unifying the strength scattered throughout his body.

When the vital blood energy reached its absolute peak, driven by the combination of potent blood vitality and elemental force, a single crimson seed of blood lineage, gleaming with deep, radiant power, crystallized within his heart.

Instantly, another muffled roar echoed. Aetis felt a vast well of power slowly returning to him, experiencing a profound sublimation of life in that very instant.

"The bloodline seed has condensed, and the core of power is initially formed. This is equivalent to the Knight rank of battle qi."

Sensing the power coursing through his body, Aetis swung his arm lightly as the crimson glow on his skin gradually faded, a calm resolve settling in his heart.