The Aftermath of Battle

I dragged my exhausted body, swaying as I walked towards the enormous corpse. I'd already used up my mana and HP, and after putting in so much effort, I couldn't possibly leave empty-handed.

I had noticed before that every time I absorbed a creature's Blood Energy, my physical strength would increase. Although the increase was minuscule, even a mosquito's leg is still meat! The Demonic Beasts I had absorbed before were mostly mediocre, with only the Bone Armor Lions being somewhat noteworthy. Their essence and blood didn't do much for me, but if it was this powerful Desolate Beast…

Carefully, I placed my hand on its dark green skin. Thinking that the thick hide might affect absorption, I gritted my teeth and plunged my hand into the wound on its claw. The foul, rotten flesh clung to my fair, jade-like hand, making me feel indescribably disgusted. This guy stinks so much, I hope I don't get diarrhea after absorbing it…

No more thinking, time to absorb!

A powerful suction emanated from my palm, and surging Blood Energy flowed into my body. This feeling was on a completely different level compared to those small fries before! The Desolate Beast's Blood Energy was mixed with the vitality of all the things it had absorbed, so the effect was self-evident. I had been absorbing for almost a minute, yet the immense Blood Energy showed no signs of depletion!

But just then, I sensed something was wrong. My stamina had surged at the beginning of the absorption, but after a short while, the recovery slowed down until it completely stopped. Logically, the absorbed Blood Energy should have immediately integrated into my limbs and bones. My stamina had stopped recovering, yet the absorption continued. Where did the absorbed Blood Energy go?

Suddenly, I felt something new inside me. Above my Dantian, between my lungs and Dantian, there seemed to be a… gallstone? No, it was more like… a Demonic Beast's Essence Core? While I was lost in thought, the Desolate Beast's Blood Energy had been completely absorbed. Its shriveled corpse looked like rotten aloe vera. The Blood Energy that hadn't integrated into my flesh seemed to have gone into that "Core."

This "Core," I'll call it a Blood Core for now, should have condensed from the Blood Energy I absorbed. Is this thing a blessing or a curse? What's its purpose? I don't know yet, I'll have to study it later.

My injuries hadn't healed, but my stamina had recovered about seventy to eighty percent, and my arm didn't hurt as much anymore. It was time to go back. I turned to leave and suddenly noticed a faint green light emanating from the Desolate Beast's cracked skull!

Curiously, I leaned closer. Through the crack, I could vaguely see a glowing green sphere, about the size of three fists. Wisps of green energy radiated from its surface. Despite being just a sphere, it felt full of life.

"I've detected it! Liu Ye is below!"

"Liu Ye! Are you there----"

Suddenly, Si Nanlong and Rui Xin's voices came from above the cave entrance. They were looking for me! I quickly shouted back, "I'm here! The Desolate Beast has been dealt with! Come down safely!"

"So amazing…"

Rui Xin and the others uttered this in unison upon seeing the Desolate Beast's corpse, making me feel a little proud.

"Strange, why is the Desolate Beast's corpse all dried up?" Du Linqi asked.

I instantly felt a surge of nervousness. I had forgotten about that! What if they became suspicious because of this…

"You wouldn't know this, would you? I read in a book that a Desolate Beast's corpse starts to shrivel up about three minutes after death. It's one of its major characteristics," Rui Xin chimed in. She was in a great mood now, thanks to her brother's survival.

I breathed a sigh of relief. So, the corpse would shrivel up like this even if I hadn't absorbed it. What a stroke of luck… Speaking of which, this group of people had been staring at my face since they came down. I had no choice but to put my hood back on.

"You're incredible, Liu Ye! How did you do it? Taking down a Desolate Beast all by yourself!" Rui Xin exclaimed in admiration.

"Actually, it's because I have a special physique. The Desolate Beast's ability to absorb vitality doesn't work on me, so I was lucky to win."

"Even if it couldn't absorb vitality, the Desolate Beast itself is incredibly strong!"

"Let's not talk about that for now. Look what I found?"

I pointed to the green sphere inside the Desolate Beast's skull. Everyone crowded around curiously, and for a moment, they all fell silent.

After a while, Li Cha finally spoke, "I say… this should be…" "Mm, it should be right…" "My god, this is the first time I've seen one up close!" "We're rich! We're going to be rich!"

"Why are you all so excited? What is this thing?" I was utterly confused by them.

"What else could it be? It's a Desolate Beast's Essence Core, of course!"

"An Essence Core? This big?"

"It's said that half of all the vitality and Spiritual Energy a Desolate Beast absorbs goes into its flesh and blood, and the other half goes into its Essence Core. Therefore, a Desolate Beast's Essence Core is an incredibly potent Spiritual Medicine! Especially now that Desolate Beasts are nearly extinct, they fetch sky-high prices for both medicinal and collection purposes!"

"…Don't get too excited yet."

"Huh? Lin Bing, you're awake?"

The one who spoke was Lin Bing. It was only then that I realized she had also come down, though she still looked sickly. She was pushing herself to see me despite being so weak herself. How could I not be touched!

Lin Bing ignored my enraptured expression and continued in a barely audible voice, "If a Desolate Beast's Essence Core isn't stored in a special container, its vitality will be lost very quickly. The Essence Core in our family's possession was kept in a large transparent box…"

The clamor abruptly stopped. Lin Bing's words were like a slap to the faces of those who had been so excited moments ago.

"Alright, alright. Since we can't take it back, and we're all severely depleted, why don't we just use it here?" I said quickly, seeing the awkward atmosphere.

"Can we really? This is your spoils of war!" Rui Xin exclaimed, disbelief etched on her face.

"I already said it's fine, so why are you still hesitating? Hurry and bring your brother down. He's the most seriously injured," I said generously.

"Liu Ye, I… I don't know how to thank you. If it weren't for you, my brother would already be…"

"It's nothing, really. If you want to thank me, then marry me~" I joked.

To my surprise, she suddenly blushed! "If… if Liu Ye really likes that… then actually, I…"

"Hey, hey, don't take it seriously, I was just kidding!"

"I… I was joking too! My sexual orientation is very normal!"

I was so scared. I had accidentally revealed Rui Xin's tsundere side, and it seemed I had unintentionally captured a girl's heart… but I felt no sense of accomplishment at all.

Back on the surface, I saw Mo Xiao Hong and Lu Xiong tending to Rui Feng from afar. Rui Feng was heavily bandaged, with high-grade Spiritual Medicine applied to the skin beneath the bandages. The Spiritual Medicine had helped Rui Feng regain some consciousness, but his recovery was still very slow. After briefly explaining the situation to them, the four of us, plus the injured person, began moving towards the cave entrance. Si Nan Ying could have used sonic communication, but she insisted on carrying her brother herself.

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose it next time.