C1747 The First Attempt
Puff! Puff! Puff!
Yu Yuan's lifeblood crystal pierced into the Dire Bear's bloodline chain, initiating a comprehensive decryption to uncover the secrets within its beastly heart.
Each crystal brimmed with Yu Yuan's remnant soul, his multitude of spiritual senses weaving through a sea of Ice Shards and lightning, perceiving the splendor of each spectacle.
The Dire Bear's bloodline chains consisted of countless strands of Ice Shards, either interwoven or arranged in enigmatic magic circles.
In Yu Yuan's consciousness, these Ice Shards formed into magical structures, representing a manifestation of the ice-cold cosmic order.
He sensed that with thoughts alone, Ji Ningshuang's exalted primordial spirit could delve into the heart of the Dire Bear, scrutinizing the patterns formed by the Ice Shards. By emulating these with his own frigid spiritual energy, he might grasp the flow of ice energy and possibly unlock the profound meaning naturally imprinted within the Dire Bear's bloodline.
Through this extraordinary Dire Bear, he could also indirectly experience the intense cold shrouding the Primal Blood.
Indeed, some of the bloodline chains in the Dire Bear's heart had crystallized over years of absorbing the pervasive chill.
Wuwu! Wuwu! Wuwu!
The towering, muscular bear shook violently upon the frostbitten earth, soon emitting a cry of agony.
Its majestic, white form collapsed, its body convulsing uncontrollably.
Yet Yu Yuan, seemingly small as a fist against its chest, remained motionless, clinging to its fur.
Like a crimson boulder, he pressed against the bear's chest, relentlessly infusing it with life essence, allowing ribbons of crimson bloodlight to penetrate.
The other three ninth-level alien beasts, witnessing the Dire Bear's torment, displayed looks of terror and confusion.
They understood that Yu Yuan was attempting to assist the Dire Bear and that their bond was far stronger than any they shared.
But why was the Dire Bear, older and more esteemed among the alien beasts, suffering so profoundly?
Was the breakthrough to the tenth level bloodline of an alien beast truly a trial by fire, a harrowing ordeal that skirted the brink of death?
The trio of alien beasts sniffed the air restlessly, their hearts heavy with the sense that their tribe's future was fraught with hardship and adversity. They silently cursed the cruel hand of fate that had dealt them such a challenging path.
"Breath of life," Yu Yuan whispered to himself, his pupils flaring with an intense, torch-like glow as he intently observed the changes unfolding in the palm of his hand.
Within the dire bear's heart pulsed an extraordinarily rich breath of life, its life force vibrant and active. This was a result of the dire bear reaching the Primal Blood Continent ahead of the Solar Meridian, taking its place as the chieftain of the snow bear tribe. It had been drawn by the biting chill, seeking out the frigid embrace of the Primal Blood Continent.
The snow bear tribe, with their innate affinity for the cold, braved the harsh extremes, but many of the weaker members were frozen solid, reduced to mere shards of ice.
This particular snow bear stood as the tribe's mightiest and luckiest member. It harnessed the frigid currents that emanated from the extreme cold, triggering a profound transformation and advancement in its bloodline.
The extreme cold served as a guardian to the Primal Blood, and within the dispersing chill, traces of life force could be found. Over time, as the dire bear continued to draw in the cold aura, its heart became suffused with a potent breath of life, granting it longevity far beyond that of other alien beasts, allowing it to live for an exceedingly long time.
Yet, it had never been graced with the favor of the Primal Blood. Even as it absorbed the icy aura, the Primal Blood remained dormant.
This meant that despite its heart brimming with a life force far surpassing that of other alien beasts, it had not formed a bloodline chain.
Lacking a bloodline chain linked to life and the inscriptions of the cosmic order, the dire bear's situation mirrored that of a human cultivator who, despite amassing considerable spiritual energy within the Golden Sanctum's little world, lacked the knowledge to harness it effectively, thus failing to translate that energy into combat prowess.
In this respect, it stood in stark contrast to the Abyssal Leviathan, whose giant beast heart contained bloodline chains intimately connected to life. The Abyssal Leviathan was capable of generating a rich life power through its own bloodline chain.
Naturally, this required the leviathan to slay creatures teeming with vitality and consume their flesh and blood, such as the Mirage of the Mind.
The life power within the heart of the snow bear was not inherently its own but rather derived from the ice energy it had absorbed.
Even if it hunted and devoured an alien beast, it couldn't refine and extract life power from it.
Could it be that it first needed to establish a bloodline chain linked to life power?
With such a bloodline chain, even if it contained only a minuscule part of the Secrets of Life, it could still hunt other alien beasts or convert its own vital energy into life power to extend its lifespan.
Then, could it use the life power in its heart to trigger a breakthrough for its entire species?
Would it need to further refine the bloodline chains infused with the Profound Meaning of Extreme Coldness?
If a bloodline chain related to life power was necessary, could I enable it to form one artificially?
Hadn't Taixu created an Altar of Rebirth inside his body due to my lifeblood? If so, could my lifeblood also form such a bloodline chain in its heart?
Yu Yuan was beginning to see a direction.
As he pondered, his spiritual sense roamed inside the Dire Bear's body, flitting through the Ice Shards, he noticed the Dire Bear's howls intensifying.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The crystals, refined from the soul and lifeblood, were swiftly drawn out from the Dire Bear's bloodline chains and yanked from its heart, returning to Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit.
When his probing power returned, he was surprised to see some of the life essence originally in the Dire Bear's heart spilling into the bloodline chains.
Consequently, the Dire Bear had become significantly weaker and seemed to have aged.
Roar!
Duskjaw let out a protesting roar.
It was cautioning Yu Yuan that if this continued, the Dire Bear, which had lived so long due to its powerful life power, would face the peril of reaching the end of its lifespan due to the depletion of life power.
The Dire Bear would die of old age.
"It's okay. I can infuse it with the breath of life, and the Abyssal Leviathan can do the same," Yu Yuan reassured, gesturing to Duskjaw not to worry too much. "Oh, and let me check on you few as well."
Upon hearing this, the three ninth-level alien beasts quickly backed away, their eyes brimming with fear.
They were not cooperating at all.
The Dire Bear continued to shiver on the icy ground, its agonizing roars still resonating deeply. With the painful lesson learned, it dared not entrust itself to Yu Yuan.
"I just want to take a look; I don't intend to do anything," Yu Yuan said with a dry laugh. "Rest assured, I won't probe into your bloodline chain. As long as I don't delve into it or scrutinize the secrets of your bloodline, you won't suffer like it did."
The three alien beasts remained unconvinced, shaking their heads and refusing to cooperate further.
"Forging the path to the tenth level isn't easy; you need to be prepared," Yu Yuan cautioned them.
At his words, the Stormwraith, trembling and with a mix of fear and resignation, stepped forward and pointed to its chest.
"You're more reasonable, at least."
In an instant, Yu Yuan was there. As the Stormwraith resignedly closed its eyes, Yu Yuan appeared at its chest, permeating it with a streak of scarlet lifeblood.
The Stormwraith's heart, too, harbored life power. While not as potent as the Dire Bear's, it was still formidable.
Yu Yuan took a brief look at the lifeblood before hastily withdrawing it.
"Just a moment."
Yu Yuan, maneuvering the Dragon Slaying Stage, vanished from the spot without further engaging the Duskjaw or the Three-legged Golden Crow.
He began to roam the Ashlands, seeking out alien beasts of various ranks to examine their hearts.
He deliberately visited the lower-ranked beast herds to witness the emergence of new life.
He was now fully immersed in unraveling the wonders of life power.
The three alien beasts gathered around the Dire Bear, presenting the blood and bones they had amassed over the years. They arranged them on the Dire Bear's chest, signaling for it to use their collection for a swift recovery.
This Dire Bear was a venerable elder among the alien beasts, much older and more renowned than the others.
Now, the Dire Bear was the only one they could truly depend on.
