As soon as the Blood Realm Venerable's voice fell, he formed a bizarre spell with his hands, and in an instant, a blood pond appeared beneath his feet, rapidly swallowing his body. Meanwhile, in the sky, the Blood Dragon roared and pounced toward Old Man Hei Zhu and the other two.
From a distance, Yuan Ming saw this scene, shook his head with a sigh, and turned to leave.
With his current strength, it was extremely difficult for Yuan Ming to even think of engaging in battle, let alone try to save someone under the eyes of the Venerable.
Moreover, Old Man Hei Zhu and his companions were neither kin nor friends to him; he had no obligation to risk his life to save them.
It was just regrettable that although he finally encountered others, he could not reveal himself for an interaction, and moreover, continuing to explore the island would not only require caution of the Tree Men but also this Blood Realm Venerable, which was truly a troublesome matter.
As Yuan Ming pondered, an inexplicable chill ran through his heart, as if something had set its sights upon him.
"Not good, he has discovered you already, and that move just now was aimed at you!" the Blood Shadow urgently called out from within the Shura Blood Devouring Map.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming did not hesitate. He immediately slapped his Storage Bag and leaped onto Lei Yu that had appeared, speeding away into the distance. The M|V|LE&MPYR team worked hard on this chapter.
Accompanied by a light exclamation, the pale ground not far behind Yuan Ming was instantly stained red with blood, and a massive Blood Dragon burst forth, rapidly closing in to engulf both Yuan Ming and Lei Yu in the blink of an eye.
Within the Blood Dragon, a tangible evil aura intermingled, invading the bodies of the two.
At that moment, Yuan Ming turned and cast a spell, summoning the Shura Blood Devouring Map out of thin air. An unseen suction force emerged from it, directly absorbing the Blood Dragon.
Since the Blood Dragon was a manifestation of blood energy, it had no choice but to be captured by the Spiritual Treasure like the Shura Blood Devouring Map which specifically countered blood energy.
From the blood pond where the Blood Dragon had emerged, the Blood Realm Venerable's body slowly rose. Seeing Yuan Ming entirely capturing the Blood Dragon, his eyes immediately brimmed with intense interest.
"Interesting, Core Formation junior, leave the treasure behind, and I shall spare you." The Blood Realm Venerable said and rode upon the Blood Light, chasing after Yuan Ming.
Yuan Ming, however, turned a deaf ear and simply patted the back of Lei Yu, signaling it to maximize its Flying Escape.
Lei Yu let out a low cry, and as its demonic power flowed, the Wing-shaped Thunder Pattern on its wings simultaneously activated. In an instant, it transformed into a black shadow wrapped in Thunder Light, and after a flash, it was already a hundred yards away.
Seeing this, the Blood Realm Venerable's interest grew stronger, and he began channeling all his mana. The Blood Light enveloping him sped up, yet it was still not as fast as Lei Yu.
Yuan Ming looked back and saw this, feeling somewhat relieved. It seemed like although the Blood Realm Venerable was fierce in combat, his Escape Skill was still not as swift as Lei Yu's.
"Blood Shadow, since the Blood Transformation Technique is the treasured Cultivation Technique of your sect, I wonder what Divine Skills it grants at the Nascent Soul Stage and what drawbacks it has. Tell me in detail!" Seizing the opportunity, Yuan Ming inquired from the Blood Shadow inside the Shura Blood Devouring Map.
Previously, Yuan Ming acquired the secret book of the Blood Transformation Technique that could only be cultivated up to Core Formation, and he had not actually begun cultivating it. He had no way of knowing the subsequent Secret Techniques. He hadn't been concerned about it before, but now, being hunted by the Blood Realm Venerable, he needed to understand it clearly.
Although Blood Shadow was pleased that the Blood Transformation Technique had found a new practitioner, he also understood that his fate was closely tied to Yuan Ming's; one's glory was the other's glory, and one's loss was the other's loss. He did not conceal anything and responded, "The Blood Transformation Technique is an orthodox Blood Dao Technique passed down from the ancient times by our sect's founder. It places great emphasis on the word 'transformation,' capable of refining other beings' Essence Blood to aid in cultivation and transforming the Qi-Blood Power into Lifebound Essence Qi for healing and detoxifying. At the Nascent Soul Realm, one can even transform into blood; as long as the blood energy is endless, the Physical Body will not die. This has some similarities with Body Cultivation, which uses Qi-Blood Power to channel Divine Skills, yet it also has its differences."
"The Blood Transformation Technique is indeed extraordinary," Yuan Ming remarked.
"Of course, our sect's Blood Transformation Technique is absolutely one of the top Cultivation Techniques in the Yunhuang Continent. One of the main reasons the Shura Master captured me was to obtain the Blood Transformation Technique," Blood Shadow said proudly.
"Spare me the boasting, just tell me about the drawbacks of the Blood Transformation Technique. Otherwise, if the Blood Realm Venerable catches up, neither of us will fare well!" Yuan Ming said impatiently.
"You've seen the content of the Blood Transformation Technique yourself. The drawbacks are clear. While the Blood Transformation Technique can quickly elevate one's Cultivation and has great power in combat, absorbing others' Essence Blood is an act that diminishes one's own essence, and that will inevitably trigger a backlash. The deeper the cultivator's level, the stronger the backlash will be. Once the Blood Transformation Technique reaches the Nascent Soul Stage, although one is extremely powerful in combat, the backlash of the technique becomes unimaginably intense. The Qi-Blood within no longer requires the master's control, and it will operate on its own, consuming Qi-Blood at all times, craving new Essence Blood and turning one into a bloody, murderous fiend. It was the same for me. Every once in a while, I had to kill a Cultivator or a demon beast, absorb their Essence Blood, to calm my mind. Otherwise, I would be controlled by the urge to kill and completely become a madman. Plus, my own Qi-Blood would also be refined by the technique. Without an enemy's touch, I would disintegrate and die," Blood Shadow explained.
Yuan Ming's brows furrowed upon hearing this.
His Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill was similar to the Blood Transformation Technique, both refining and absorbing other beings' Qi-Blood Power for cultivation. Would he also face a backlash in the future?
He composed himself; now was not the time to consider this.
"According to what you said, doesn't that mean, if I fight the Blood Realm Venerable, I need only withstand for some time, and he will fall into disarray?" Yuan Ming inquired.
"In theory, that's true. But how can you know how much Qi-Blood he has in reserve? Moreover, our sect also possesses a Sealing Life Secret Technique which can put living beings or demon beasts into a state of feigned death and store them in storage magic tools. If there's no one to kill when the time comes, they can be used as Blood Food reserves. How many reserves do you think he has in his Storage Ring now, and will it be enough for him to kill you?" Blood Shadow said in a dark tone.