Nine Liters of Essence Blood
Natsu was radiant, as if he had received a super-dose stimulant. He waved his hands wildly above his head and let out ear-piercing screams of ecstasy.
"Oh!!"
"I'm fired up!!"
This is truly electrifying.
"Although it didn't have the special effect of inflicting soul damage like Uncle Long did, after taking this bite, I feel like I have an inexhaustible supply of magic power!"
Jiang Bai didn't care at all about Natsu's act of stealing food.
The flame in his palm was compressed to its extreme critical point, and the process of qualitative change finally stabilized.
Jiang Bai's gaze sharpened, and he held his right hand forward, then deftly tossed it upwards.
"Go."
The fireball, condensed to its fullest extent, was released from his hand, transforming into a vertically rising line of fire that shot straight towards the center of the nine enormous dragon corpses suspended side by side in mid-air.
Just as the fireball reached the very heart of Kowloon.
Jiang Bai's spiritual and magical power, which was like a bottomless abyss, began to fluctuate simultaneously.
Rumble--!
Extreme expansion.
What was originally a tiny point of light the size of a fist suddenly expanded exponentially in the sky, growing thousands of times larger in an instant!
A vast sea of fire spread out from directly above the capital, seemingly about to engulf and cover the night sky within a ten-mile radius.
The surging flames illuminated the entire ruined city as if it were daytime under a clear sky.
And at the very core of that raging inferno.
Nine enormous adult dragon corpses began to Disassembly and shrink rapidly at an astonishing rate under unimaginable high temperatures.
Jiang Bai stood with his hands behind his back, his vast spiritual power transforming into tens of thousands of precise and minute probes, meticulously observing every inch of the tempering process inside the sea of fire.
This was not a simple incineration and destruction, but a high-precision purification process entirely controlled by Jiang Bai.
Sizzle!
Guided by extreme high temperatures and the stripping of fine needles.
Jiang Bai used his Telekinesis to completely peel off the nine-headed dragon's surface scales, spine spikes, sharp teeth, long horns, and sturdy skeletal framework, which were as hard as diamonds and refined gold.
Large swaths of enormous scales, shimmering with iridescent light, were enveloped in Telekinesis and, like massive, heavy metal plates, were neatly tossed onto the flat open space on the west side of the central plaza, forming a small hill as high as a three-story building.
The impurities inside these outer scales had long been completely removed by the high temperature, leaving only the purest magic resistance and physical hardness.
Jiang Bai glanced at the small hill, a slight smile playing on his lips.
They then packaged up these useless scales and sold them off to the royal family as high-level enchanted armor materials.
The outer shell and skeleton have been separated.
In the center of the sea of fire, all that remained was the enormous, murky flesh and blood of the nine ancient dragons, along with all the life essence contained within them.
Originally, the nine adult dragons, each over a hundred meters long, would have had enough blood drained from all their veins to completely submerge most of the plaza into a pool of blood.
However, under Jiang Bai's extremely domineering heat compression and mental elimination...
Large amounts of useless water, low-quality fat, and dead, decaying blood cells vaporize instantly upon contact with the flame.
Refine and improve; hone and refine through countless trials.
The massive, mountain-like mass of flesh and blood was rapidly collapsing and shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.
From thousands of tons, to hundreds of tons, and then to ten tons.
Moreover, Jiang Bai's powerful mental energy broke through the hidden source of magic power within the nine dragon corpses, forcibly burning those Dragon Lacrima into the purest, most primal energy stream, which was then injected into the ever-shrinking mass of blood.
A full quarter of an hour passed.
The massive sea of fire hovering in the sky suddenly contracted violently inward, then transformed into a thin ring of fire and completely dissipated.
The bright sunshine faded, and night once again took over the sky, with countless stars scattered across the quiet ruins.
And right in the middle of the air.
All the remaining bits and pieces of rotten flesh had long since turned to smoke and vanished without a trace.
Only a perfectly round and translucent, deep red liquid sphere of light, roughly the size of a large bucket, radiating a rich fragrance of life, floated quietly in the void.
The nine-headed dragon, along with all its essence, blood, bone marrow energy, and Dragon Lacrima, were refined by Jiang Bai, leaving only the mere nine liters of dragon essence before him.
Jiang Bai casually took out a fine gold sealed jar from his personal spatial ring.
A slight movement of Telekinesis.
The incomparably precious nine liters of deep red essence blood stretched into a thin, crystalline red line in the air before obediently disappearing entirely into the jar.
With a soft click, the metal lid snapped shut and sealed tightly, then was placed back into the space.
Processed.
Jiang Bai turned around and walked step by step across the gravel back to Makarov's side.
Jiang Bai casually pointed to the small mountain of dragon scales piled up on the west side, his tone as indifferent as if he were dealing with vegetable scraps after the market had closed.
"Alright, old man."
"Pack up those dragon scales, horns, and the remaining sturdy dragon bones over there and sell them to that old king for me."
"You can decide on the price. Just rip them off as much as you can. Don't try to save money for the royal family; after all, this whole mess was caused by them."
"I'll give you 20% of the money from the sale to help repair our guild, how about that?"
Makarov's eyes instantly transformed into gold coin symbols, and he patted his chest, guaranteeing it.
"Don't worry! When it comes to extortion, I've never been inferior to anyone in my life! I guarantee I'll squeeze every last drop of oil out of the royal treasury!"
He finished explaining the mess left after the war.
Ignoring the fervent gazes of the surrounding guilds who treated him with the utmost reverence, Jiang Bai naturally stretched out his arms.
With his left hand, he wrapped his arms around Mirajane's supple and slender waist, while his right hand naturally clasped Erza's back, which, despite being covered in heavy armor, still possessed a captivatingly beautiful curve.
Jiang Bai pulled them around and headed straight for the still-intact luxury hotels on the outskirts of the capital.
Jiang Bai yawned widely and waved to the people behind him without turning his head.
"I'm exhausted, I've been up all night."
"You guys take your time with the finishing touches. All I want to do now is go back and sleep with my wife."
Erza's cheeks flushed slightly, but she obediently took Jiang Bai's arm.
Mirajane also turned her head, gently leaning half of her body against Jiang Bai's strong arm, her eyes filled with an unyielding, gentle smile.
Three figures cast long shadows in the moonlight, slowly disappearing around the corner of the long street ruins.