The Truth About Dan Zhu

Demon Spider Peak was the eruption site of Earth Fiend Turbid Qi. Now that the Spiritual Qi had reversed and reached its extreme, it had become the mountain with the densest Spiritual Qi among Xiang Mountain's many peaks.

Yet without a Spirit Vein to sustain it, this Spiritual Qi would eventually disperse, only to return when the Earth Fiend erupted again next year. And so the cycle continued without end.

Luo Hong flew above the treetops, searching for Dan Zhu's traces. He soon found something.

A giant eight-legged spider, roughly five feet tall and ten feet long and wide, was slowly chewing on leaves. Even when Luo Hong deliberately made some noise as he approached, it showed no stress response whatsoever.

After observing it for a while, he found it largely matched the old man's description. It was immensely strong but moved very slowly.

Its tough hide only posed a problem from a mortal's perspective. Luo Hong easily severed one of Dan Zhu's legs with the Cold Moon Blade.

Only after being injured did Dan Zhu fly into a rage, trying to attack Luo Hong while stomping violently on the ground with its long legs.

A Moment Later, Luo Hong faintly heard the same rhythmic stomping from afar. So it was calling for its companions.

"The old man and the others were probably killed and wounded when Dan Zhu swarmed them. It makes no difference to me. Dan Zhu cannot attack targets in the air, so no matter how many come, it will be useless."

Having finished his test, Luo Hong immediately directed the Cold Moon Blade toward Dan Zhu's head.

Yet at the moment he was about to strike, he suddenly stopped and stared blankly at the patterns on Dan Zhu's back, legs, and torso.

Why did they somewhat resemble Silver Runes?

Luo Hong could hardly believe it. He put away the Cold Moon Blade and examined several Dan Zhu that had come to aid it, only to discover that the patterns on all their bodies appeared as though they had been carved from the same mold!

Whether animals or insects, as long as they reproduced naturally, it was impossible for such a thing to happen.

The only explanation was that these Dan Zhu had all been artificially modified, and it had happened so long ago that the traces of human intervention had already faded through generations of reproduction.

According to Li Xiaowan, she had found clues to an ancient Cultivator's cave abode in an old book and had come here seeking an opportunity. But after arriving, she discovered that the cave abode did exist, though someone had already beaten her to it. Not only had she failed to obtain the ancient Cultivator's relics, but she had also been ambushed and besieged by the Evil Cultivator Leader and his group.

There was no need to say it—the old book had certainly reached Li Xiaowan through Li Mingjing.

Li Mingjing was already dead, so there was no point investigating further. What concerned Luo Hong was the patterns on Dan Zhu's body. If he had guessed correctly, the ancient Evil Cultivator who had created the Blood Burning Totem had tampered with these Dan Zhu.

Clearly, this ancient Evil Cultivator had also seen the flaws in the secret art he had created. Dan Zhu was one of his experiments.

Luo Hong believed that an Evil Cultivator capable of creating his own secret art would not act without purpose. Dan Zhu must conceal the secret to improving the Blood Burning Totem; he simply had not found it yet.

"If those patterns truly are the Blood Burning Totem, how have these Dan Zhu survived? A vegetarian diet cannot replenish blood Qi. Without replenishment, the Blood Burning Totem will continuously drain Dan Zhu's own vital blood. That is undoubtedly a dead end!"

The Cold Moon Blade flashed with icy light and instantly killed the legless Dan Zhu. Luo Hong drew the bead formed in its abdomen into his hand.

He repeatedly examined it with his divine sense, but only found that the bead was actually highly condensed spider silk, with little Spiritual Qi within it.

Looking at Dan Zhu's corpse, split cleanly in two down the middle, its exposed organs and blood-like fluid were crystal-clear, forming a stark contrast with its ugly, hulking exterior.

As he looked at the corpse, a feeling of contradiction lingered in Luo Hong's heart.

"How can there be no blood Qi?"

Blood Qi was the foundation of the Blood Burning secret art. No matter how much that ancient Evil Cultivator had improved it, he could not possibly have bypassed it. Yet these Dan Zhu contained not a trace of blood Qi. On closer inspection, Spiritual Qi was circulating within them instead.

And yet Dan Zhu was not a Demon Beast. No matter how he looked at it, it was utterly unnatural.

"What exactly is the relationship between the Blood Burning Totem, which should absorb blood Qi to operate, Dan Zhu without blood Qi, and these beads containing only a little Spiritual Qi?"

As Luo Hong racked his brain, he suddenly sensed a faint change in the surrounding Spiritual Qi. Activating the Heavenly Eye Technique, he saw Spiritual Qi slowly yet continuously gathering toward Dan Zhu's corpse.

"This is? Could it be—"

Luo Hong directed the Cold Moon Blade to pierce the spider leg he had severed first and brought it back before him. He immediately discovered that the transparent, viscous fluid flowing from the wound was the source of the change in Spiritual Qi.

Luo Hong took out a Low-grade Spirit Stone and slowly brought it closer. Once it reached a certain distance, a Spiritual Qi Siphon Effect suddenly appeared!

The Spiritual Qi within the Spirit Stone was absorbed by the fluid at an incredible speed. After a dozen breaths, the stone had turned into a pile of worthless debris.

The fluid that had absorbed Spiritual Qi immediately displayed the traits of a spirit material, with a faint flowing gleam appearing on its surface.

"So that's it. I understand now. This truly is a miracle of life!"

Based on that ancient Evil Cultivator's purpose, Luo Hong boldly guessed that Dan Zhu had certainly been a Demon Beast famed for its abundant blood Qi in ancient times.

The ancient Evil Cultivator had forcibly attached the Blood Burning Totem to the ancient Dan Zhu, using their vigorous vital blood to condense blood beads and aid his own secret art cultivation.

After the ancient Evil Cultivator died, the ancient Dan Zhu began a long journey of evolution to escape the unnatural selection imposed by the Blood Burning Totem on their bodies, replacing the role originally played by blood Qi with Spiritual Qi.

However, the Blood Burning Totem was incomparably tyrannical. Once it began operating, it could not stop. Without blood Qi, it drew upon everything it could draw upon, and Spiritual Qi became its first choice.

The process was like using electricity generated by wind power to heat water. The wind energy first had to be converted into electrical energy, then the electrical energy into thermal energy.

The Blood Burning Totem's extraction of Spiritual Qi was far weaker than its extraction of blood Qi.

Thus, over the course of evolution, Dan Zhu's blood developed a powerful ability to absorb Spiritual Qi, allowing it to compete with the Blood Burning Totem for Spiritual Qi. The blood beads that might once have been supreme evil treasures had also become the ordinary wine-brewing pellets they were today.

"So many ancient Demon Beasts perished by entire clans during that ancient calamity of Spiritual Qi depletion, yet these Dan Zhu survived to this day because of a great disaster brought about by an ancient Evil Cultivator.

Though they have changed from Demon Beasts with incomparably powerful physical bodies into beasts that even mortals can hunt, for a species, this is victory.

The principle of fortune and misfortune depending on one another is truly wondrous beyond words."

Sighing was one thing, but Luo Hong showed no mercy as he collected Dan Zhu's blood. His instincts told him that this stuff's Magic Power conductivity was absolutely off the charts. After all, the foundation of an ancient Demon Beast was nothing to scoff at.

Dan Zhu was enormous, but it contained very little blood. Luo Hong had to kill five of them before he managed to fill three large Jade Bottles.

Afterward, Luo Hong deliberately found a nest of Dan Zhu eggs and took them away. He felt that if he could remove the deeply rooted Blood Burning Totem from their bodies, he might be able to restore the peerless ferocity of this ancient Demon Beast.

Before leaving, Luo Hong bowed from afar toward Demon Spider Peak.

That ancient Evil Cultivator was certainly no good person, but he had indeed benefited Luo Hong greatly.

"Senior, your secret art and Dan Zhu are quite good. They are both mine now."