The Blood Drawing Technique allows for the extraction of blood from beasts that have recently died.
The Split-Claw Demonic Wolf lay on the ground, its body covered in wounds, blood flowing from the cuts but quickly congealing. Thus, it couldn't be collected through ordinary means.
Mo Hua pointed to the heart channels of the Split-Claw and said to Da Hu, "Make a cut here."
Da Hu, puzzled, still drew his knife and pierced the heart channels of the Split-Claw.
The physical body of the Split-Claw was tough; it took several stabs from Da Hu to make a small incision.
Mo Hua placed a jade bottle at the incision, then rested his palm near the heart channels, sensing the still-vibrant demonic blood flowing under the fur. He activated his Spiritual Awareness in accordance with the essentials of the Blood Drawing Technique, guiding the demonic blood into the jade bottle.
These jade bottles, made from a special type of jade, were not particularly precious but could seal spiritual energy and prevent the demonic blood from spoiling for a time.
Originally containing Spirit Ink, the bottles had been repurposed by Mo Hua after the ink was used up.
Using the Blood Drawing Technique, Mo Hua filled the jade bottle with demonic blood.
Thus, Mo Hua continued until he had drawn ten bottles of demonic blood before stopping.
There was not much blood left in the blood vessels of the Split-Claw, and it was gradually cooling, slowing its flow and diminishing its effectiveness, making further extraction unnecessary.
The spiritual consciousness of Mo Hua was significantly drained, roughly equivalent to having drawn a formation with seven or eight array patterns.
For ordinary cultivators, this might be quite taxing, but for Mo Hua, an Array Master, it was not much of an issue.
Mo Hua sat in meditation to recover a bit of his Spiritual Awareness.
Seeing the ten bottles of demonic blood in his storage bag, Mo Hua couldn’t help but smile.
This blood would be sufficient for Mo Hua to draw quite a few arrays.
Da Hu and the others curiously examined the jade bottles, then couldn't help but look at Mo Hua.
Xiao Hu couldn't help asking, "Is this blood useful?"
"Yes, for drawing arrays."
"Can we help you collect demonic blood?"
"It requires the use of the Blood Drawing Technique."
Mo Hua briefly explained how to use the Blood Drawing Technique.
Da Hu and the others listened but were thoroughly confused and decided to give up.
"Mo Hua, you really know a lot," praised the Hu twins, and Da Hu and Xiao Hu nodded in agreement.
Mo Hua chuckled, "It’s all from reading more."
After storing the demonic blood, Mo Hua said, "What shall we do with this beast?"
This was the first time Da Hu and the others had relied on themselves to kill a demonic beast, and they could even skin it and sell it!
Though mainly relying on Mo Hua’s arrays, they were still very pleased.
"We need to skin it, remove the bones, and take the teeth and claws, along with the heart and organs..."
The Hu twins listed these tasks one by one to Mo Hua.
Scratching his head, Mo Hua admitted he was a novice at this and didn’t know how to proceed.
Da Hu said, "Go play nearby, don't go far. We’ll finish skinning this beast and then head back together."
Da Hu and the others then rolled up their sleeves, took out their knives, and began skinning the beast, extracting other valuable materials.
An hour ago, the Split-Claw looked ferocious, but now its dead body lay in a pitiful state.
Mo Hua felt no sympathy; if it weren't for the demonic beast dying, they might have been the ones dismembered.
This beast was fierce, and many a Demon Hunter had probably died at its hands.
After the trio finished skinning the beast, Mo Hua wandered around, observing the mountains, trees, and waters, familiarizing himself with the environment of Dahei Mountain.
This was his first venture into Dahei Mountain.
Though he felt a bit nervous and pressured in the morning, having spent half a day there and having designed an array that injured and nearly killed a Split-Claw, Mo Hua felt much more at ease.
The hunting process largely went according to Mo Hua’s plan.
The strategy required carefulness and patience but was simple and efficient, minimizing casualties and yielding considerable benefits.
Afterward, only slight adjustments were needed for different demonic beasts.
Even though Mo Hua was not a physical cultivator, he could still participate in hunts and extract various elemental bloods from different beasts.
After skinning the Split-Claw, they called Mo Hua, and left Dahei Mountain.
They had entered the mountain in
the morning, hunted at noon, and departed in the evening.
In less than a day, the four of them had hunted a mid-stage first-tier demonic beast, and it felt like a dream unless they felt the fur and fangs in their bulging storage bags.
Afterward, they went to the market and sold the materials from the Split-Claw.
Being a common type of demonic beast, the Split-Claw wasn’t very expensive but had a steady market.
After some bargaining, they sold the materials for more than eighty spirit stones in total.
After deducting the cost of the spirit stones used for drawing and activating the arrays, each person received twelve spirit stones.
Holding the hefty spirit stones in their hands, Da Hu and the others looked dazed.
This was the first time the trio had ever earned so many spirit stones.
Mo Hua was used to it, but seeing Da Hu and the others so excited made him happy too.
"Mo Hua, thanks to you, what would you like to eat? We’ll treat you!"
"Yes, yes, we’ll treat you!" agreed the Hu twins.
"No need, I also owe thanks to your help," Mo Hua waved his hand, "Keep the spirit stones for now, next time we have a chance, let’s head into the mountains again."
Although the demonic beast’s physical body was robust and its blood recovered quickly, Mo Hua could use arrays to severely injure or nearly kill it but couldn't necessarily kill it outright.
And since he wasn’t a physical cultivator and not skilled in close combat, he still needed Da Hu and the others to finish the job.
He had learned the Passing Water Step, allowing him to tangle with demonic beasts, but there was no need to take that risk.
After all, even the best swimmers can drown, and overconfidence could lead to a downfall sooner or later.
After selling the beast and dividing the spirit stones, they looked up to see the bright lights on the streets.
The night streets were gradually becoming lively.
Mo Huya was busy with drawing arrays and practicing spells and hadn’t been out for a while.
Da Hu and the others felt the same; since becoming Demon Hunters, they felt as if a huge stone weighed on their shoulders, their moods heavy.
Now, having killed a beast, they all breathed a sigh of relief, felt lighter, and strolled along the street, admiring the new and noisy scenery before bidding each other goodbye and heading home.
On the way, Xiao Hu asked, "How should we use these spirit stones?"
The Hu twins thought for a moment, then said, "I want to give them to Mother."
All three fell silent, then pooled their spirit stones together, totaling over thirty.
It was somewhat late by the time they got home. Meng Dame was heating up dinner, and upon seeing them, couldn’t help but scold:
"Where have you been all day, not even knowing to come home for meals, I’ve heated them several times…"
Da Hu handed her the storage bag.
Meng Dame took it, feeling its heft, puzzled, "What is this?"
Upon opening it, she discovered over thirty dazzling spirit stones.
Meng Dame was stunned.
"Mother, this is the spirit stones we earned from hunting demons. Please take them."
It took Meng Dame a moment to come to her senses, looking at her three children who had grown up before she knew it, tears welled up in her eyes.
She felt relieved and wanted to smile, but tears flowed nonetheless.
In her life, she had shed many tears, all salty and bitter, but today, they were tears of joy.