Chapter 785: Chapter 748: Ancestral Beast of All Forms
“This bead is known as the [Essence of Spirit Crystal].”
A trace of pride flashed across the Princess’s face, “It is the Empire’s latest research achievement.”
“Over a century ago, we discovered energy cores within certain exotic beasts that could be absorbed and cultivated by us cultivators.”
“The energy from an exotic beast’s flesh and blood can actually form Spiritual Energy Crystals within its body. Although the purity of these crystals is very low, this phenomenon caught the attention of the previous Emperor.”
“After more than a hundred years of relentless research, we have preliminarily mastered the technique of [Synthesizing Spiritual Energy]. Even though it requires a lot of flesh and blood as feed, the purity of the Spiritual Energy Crystals we cultivate is very close to that of top-grade Spirit Stone in the Xuanhuang World.”
Upon hearing this, surprise flickered in Xu Bai’s eyes.
Examining the [Essence of Spirit Crystal] before him, he slowly nodded, “Impressive. With such a technique and given enough time, I suppose it wouldn’t be impossible to transform this world into a suitable place for cultivators to inhabit. However, this might not be of much help to the current situation. Let alone the United Federation of All Realms, any reliable power in the Xuanhuang World wouldn’t lack Spirit Stone.” Xu Bai declared with some regret.
The Princess seemed to have expected Xu Bai’s reaction. “I am fully aware of that. If the [Essence of Spirit Crystal] merely served as a source of Spiritual Energy, I wouldn’t have ranked its importance right after the Orbit Stabilizer.”
“In fact, the main function of the [Essence of Spirit Crystal] is to bridge the abilities of exotic beasts to humans, without any side effects.”
A burst of red light appeared, and in her palm materialized a bead seemingly enveloped by a flame.
“This is an [Essence of Spirit Crystal] made from a type of Exotic Beast called the [Flaming Tiger], why don’t you give it a try?” The Princess, full of confidence, passed the red bead to Xu Bai.
“Inheriting the divine technique of demonic beasts?” In an instant, Xu Bai thought of the unique treasure Dong Fangyao once mentioned. The effects seem similar, only it activates the ancient bloodline abilities within one’s body.
Holding the red Spirit Crystal Marrow in his palm, Xu Bai applied a slight force.
Like a glass bead, it burst instantly. In a blink of an eye, countless red flames, like fire dragons, shot along Xu Bai’s arm into his body.
“Roar!”
A furious mythical tiger made of flames seemed to materialize before his eyes, roaring in anger and indignation.
Xu Bai snorted coldly, and the illusion shattered instantly.
A rush of heat surged through his body, eventually dissipating at his brow.
Xu Bai closed his eyes to sense the heat, and a moment later, a wisp of red flame appeared in his palm.
It flickered non-stop, distorting the surrounding air with its heat.
Xu Bai’s eyes showed a severe look.
Because this flame was not activated by any spiritual power or divine technique but was an instinct of the body.
It could be activated at a mere thought.
The flame flickered, changing shapes in accordance with Xu Bai’s thoughts.
As he continued manipulating the flames, memories about how to use the flame ability started surfacing in his spirit consciousness.
Observing Xu Bai mastering the power of the exotic beast quickly after his first intake of the [Essence of Spirit Crystal], the Princess was evidently surprised.
As if afraid of Xu Bai misunderstanding, she quickly added, “Actually, inheriting the power of an exotic beast through the [Essence of Spirit Crystal] isn’t always a guaranteed success. It has to do with individual aptitude and talent, along with the strength of the exotic beast.”
“According to our research, the more powerful and rare the abilities, the harder it is for humans to master. If one fails in the inheritance process, the probability of success will greatly decrease the next time.”
“There’s also a limit to the number of exotic abilities a single cultivator can inherit. The more abilities one has already mastered, the lower the chances of inheriting a new ability.”
The Princess introduced the usage rules of the [Essence of Spirit Crystal] in detail.
As for Xu Bai, he grasped the core issue, “What’s the difficulty in manufacturing the [Essence of Spirit Crystal]? How many exotic beasts it takes to produce one [Essence of Spirit Crystal]?”
The Princess’ torrent of words stopped abruptly.
With a flush creeping up on her face, the Princess explained somewhat sheepishly, “It takes almost a thousand exotic beasts to produce one [Essence of Spirit Crystal]. But, the Empire’s breeding technique is quite mature already. As long as we have enough resources, we do not need to worry about the production of [Essence of Spirit Crystal].”
Xu Bai nodded slightly, “Indeed, it is a remarkable bargaining chip. The power of an exotic beast is almost equivalent to a weakened divine technique. In a life-and-death battle, this power might work wonders if deployed unexpectedly.”
“Besides, is there any other surprise?” Xu Bai asked again.
The Princess’s face was immediately filled with hesitation.
After a while, she said slowly, “This particular technology is not yet mature…”
“No problem, the Federation appreciates potential. If the prospect is truly boundless, we will definitely not skimp on support.” Xu Bai promised.
The Princess did not respond immediately but turned her head and looked at Little Green outside the Empire Treasury.
After receiving Little Green’s approving nod, she took a deep breath and led Xu Bai deeper into the treasury.
There lay a colossal metal furnace.
The furnace was carved with thousands of different kinds of exotic beasts, life-like in their depiction.
There was no intense flame heating it, yet the temperature of the furnace seemed extremely high.
Even at a distance, Xu Bai could faintly feel the heat with his current strength.
“Boom! Boom!”
Intense collision sounds could occasionally be heard from within the furnace.
If you listened carefully, you could faintly hear the woeful cries of countless exotic beasts intertwined.
It sent chills down the spine.
The Princess seemed very wary of this furnace, keeping a greater distance than even Xu Bai.
She explained softly, “This object is known as the [Crucible of Myriad Forms].”
“Its origin is linked to a conjecture, or rather a fact.”
“All the demonic beasts and exotic beasts in the world were once part of the same being.”
“That being is the origin of all demonic beasts, possessing unimaginable power.”
“Over countless years, an innumerable number of individual beings separated from it.”
“So, is it possible to do the opposite? Can we reforge all the exotic beasts in the world back to…”
“…The original entity?”
Deep, unfathomable light shone in the eyes of the Princess.
“Even if we can’t know all the demonic beasts that ever existed in the world, gathering enough species for a weaker fusion…”
“…Should be doable.”
“In fact, ten years ago, we briefly merged to form a horrifying demonic beast.”
“Its power was seemingly more terrifying than the nine-headed bird beneath our feet. Everyone at the scene, including the Green and Red Sacred Masters, was terrified into inaction.”
“Unfortunately, it did not survive for long and dissolved on its own.”