Chapter 773: Blood Essence Condenses into a Holy Embryo
Within the quiet confines of his cultivation chamber, Xu Bai sat cross-legged upon a floor paved with flawless, top-grade spirit stones.
He first placed the red rope before him, then took a deep breath to quell the rising excitement in his heart.
After all, it had been a long time since he’d simply stumbled upon a treasure of this caliber, not since he had chanced upon the Ocean Pearl all those years ago.
Narrowing his eyes, Xu Bai replayed the entire trip to the Empire in his mind, meticulously reviewing every process and detail several times over.
“This is unlikely to be a scheme by Xiao Qing and her people,” he mused. “I was the one who sought them out, and I was the one who requested to see Xu Ke's personal effects.”
“Besides, they genuinely seemed unaware of the red rope’s peculiar nature...”
After long deliberation without finding any flaws in his reasoning, Xu Bai left the red rope untouched. Instead, he first took out the [Bookworm].
As if alive, the book’s pages began to flip on their own, projecting a cascade of text and images into the air above it.
“Holy Blood Embryo Transformation...”
“As expected of the man who earned Mr. Bai's esteem and founded the entire Beast Empire,” he remarked. “The profundity of this Holy Blood Embryo Transformation is scarcely inferior to any divine art of cloning.”
The *Mysterious True Spirit Transformation* creates a clone by directly refining flesh and blood from rare celestial materials and earthly treasures. Afterward, one injects a sliver of divine sense and severs the connection between the clone and the original, creating a completely independent individual.
This *Holy Blood Embryo Transformation*, however, operates without any reliance on spiritual energy or divine sense. It relies solely on cultivating one's own blood essence and fleshly tissues to differentiate and grow another physical body, one completely identical to the original.
The entire process is akin to regenerating a severed limb, except what grows back is another version of oneself.
Until it fully separates from the host, the clone remains physically connected to the original body, a process remarkably similar to human gestation. This is why Xu Ke named it the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation.
Xu Bai then retrieved three items from his storage ring, catalysts for the [Holy Blood Embryo Transformation].
They were: Eternal Dragon Blood, the Cognition Divine Worm, and the Core of Pure Light.
The original version of the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation, as taught by Xu Ke, was designed for mortals with no cultivation. Consequently, the process of gestating a Holy Embryo—the next generation, so to speak—was quite lengthy, typically requiring over half a year for the embryo to slowly mature.
During this time, the host had to constantly consume a diet of potent medicinal herbs and nutrient-rich meats to sustain the embryo's growth.
However, throughout the Empire's several-thousand-year history, successive emperors researched and discovered methods to catalyze this process, harnessing the unique properties of various exotic beasts.
Eternal Dragon Blood could drastically enhance the circulation of qi and blood, compressing the gestation period from over half a year to as little as a month, or even just a few days.
The Cognition Divine Worm could replenish expended mental energy.
The Core of Pure Light, when implanted within the Holy Embryo, would protect it from any disease or affliction during its development.
“Everything has its advantages and disadvantages,” Xu Bai mused. “While using external aids can drastically shorten the gestation time, it also introduces numerous drawbacks. Because it develops so rapidly, the resulting Holy Embryo is almost indistinguishable from the original. It becomes, just as Xiao Qing mentioned, virtually identical to a clone.”
“The original method, on the other hand, allowed the Holy Embryo to develop a wisp of its own consciousness over the extended gestation period. The result was more of a physical look-alike than a perfect copy.”
“As for which of the two methods is superior... it’s hard to say.”
Xu Bai's gaze swept across the three items as he pondered inwardly.
“However, this accelerated method is precisely what I need right now.”
Ingesting the Eternal Dragon Blood, Xu Bai silently began to circulate the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation technique.
An incredibly intense burning sensation erupted from his stomach, spreading like wildfire through his limbs and bones in a mere instant.
With a sickening tear of flesh, a massive tumor erupted from Xu Bai's back.
Flesh and tissue writhed within it, the tumor swelling rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it grew from the size of a fist to that of a newborn child.
Fortunately, the clothes he wore were the Dustless Glazed Robe, an artifact refined by Fang Zaiji capable of withstanding a Dao Integration-level attack, so he was spared the trouble of having his robes burst.
The Holy Blood Embryo Transformation allowed one to designate any part of the body as the growth point for the embryo, simply by will.
The emperors throughout the Empire's history each had their own preferences; Xu Bai chose his back.
Perhaps he was influenced by a memory from his Foundation Establishment days, when he was being hunted by a red-haired Nascent Soul cultivator: the sight of an infant’s phantom, hunched like a parasite on the back of a volcanic grotto-heaven.
“There is none of the vibrant vitality that comes from the interplay of the five elements,” he observed. “It is simply flesh and tissue entering a state of hyper-activation, shattering the normal limits of division.”
“This so-called Eternal Dragon is merely a flood dragon that experienced an atavistic awakening of its Azure Divine Dragon bloodline. And yet, its blood still has such a potent effect on a Nascent Soul cultivator.” Feeling an itch on his back like a thousand crawling ants, Xu Bai was secretly astonished.
The scorching Eternal Dragon Blood surged ceaselessly through Xu Bai's veins.
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
The tumor on Xu Bai's back had already begun to take on a vaguely humanoid shape.
To Xu Bai's senses, the Holy Embryo felt like a true extension of his own body, one he could manipulate at will.
With a mere thought, the embryo would follow his intentions, performing a variety of movements. However, since it had not yet fully formed, its features remained indistinct, like a face shrouded in cloth, lending it a rather unsettling appearance.
“It is time.” After completely familiarizing himself with the embryo, Xu Bai used his divine sense to guide the Core of Pure Light, moving it slowly toward the fleshy growth.
The bulging mass of flesh offered no resistance, as if it weren't there at all.
Without the slightest hint of obstruction, the Core of Pure Light sank directly into it.
Xu Bai clearly felt the frenzied, chaotic proliferation of tissue within the Holy Embryo begin to settle and calm down.
The Core of Pure Light gradually dissolved into the flesh, causing the growth on Xu Bai’s back to emanate a faint, white glow.
Limbs and facial features began to differentiate themselves from within the embryonic mass.
And so, after the better part of a day, a smooth, featureless “person” had formed on Xu Bai’s back.
It was smooth because, at this stage, its body was utterly devoid of hair.
It didn't even have the slightest wrinkle in its skin.
It resembled a sculpture carved from white jade, emitting a soft, pearly luster.
“And now, for the final step.”
“My divine sense far surpasses that of any mortal, so I have no need for the Cognition Divine Worm to replenish my mental energy.”
Xu Bai focused a portion of his consciousness on the embryo on his back.
As he channeled the Holy Blood Embryo Transformation technique, he began to visualize, and in an instant, a monumental transformation swept over the embryo.
Bones solidified, and the once-limp form inflated and straightened as if filled with air.
Hair, fingernails, and the distinct textures of skin in different areas of the body emerged in sequence.
It was as if a master sculptor was meticulously carving details into the once-blank form.
The embryo’s human features grew more and more distinct.
A short while later...
On Xu Bai's back, a face identical to his own, a perfect mirror image, suddenly opened its eyes.
Simultaneously, at the point of connection between the embryo and the main body, layers of flesh began to peel away on their own.
The newly formed Xu Bai gave his original self a light pat on the shoulder and drifted weightlessly to the floor.
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