Chapter 44: Blood Fusion

The darkness before the dawn was at its most profound. Lin Chuan abruptly opened his eyes on the bed in the main bedchamber, his entire body aching as if trampled by thousands of charging horses.

He struggled to lift his arm, discovering that his skin was covered in eerie red-and-gold intertwining patterns, faintly visible in the dim light.

"Awake?"

Little Fatty's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a rare hint of concern.

Lin Chuan opened his mouth, his throat too dry and parched to emit a sound. He managed to prop himself up, grabbed the kettle by the bedside, and drank deeply, only then feeling as though he had returned to the world of the living.

"How long have I been unconscious?" he asked hoarsely.

"Just one night," Little Fatty replied. "Faster than expected. It seems your physique is indeed growing stronger."

Lin Chuan lowered his head to look at his patterned arm, feeling the surging new strength within his body.

Sixteen days—a full sixteen days of inhuman torture had finally refined the blood of the red-gold dragon completely into his body.

The agony was something he never wished to experience a second time in this lifetime.

Outside the window, the sky was gradually turning bright.

Dragging his sore body, Lin Chuan got out of bed and walked over to the bronze mirror.

He barely recognized the person in the mirror—his originally ordinary features now carried a sharp edge, depths of his pupils faintly flashing with red-and-gold light, and even his height seemed to have increased slightly.

"Don't admire yourself," Little Fatty interrupted his self-admiration. "Starting today, we refine the blood of the Five-Feathered Peacock. The process will be even more agonizing than the red-gold dragon."

Lin Chuan's hand paused in mid-air. "Even more agonizing?"

"The phoenix bloodline of the Five-Feathered Peacock carries the Nirvana Fire. Refining it brings soul-scorching pain."

Little Fatty's tone was as casual as if discussing today's weather. "Still, with your current physique, you shouldn't die from it."

Lin Chuan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to curse. He knew resistance was useless; once Little Fatty made a decision, not even ten bulls could pull him back.

The next ten days were spent by Lin Chuan in a mechanically regular routine: mornings spent cultivating and consolidating his foundation, afternoons refining the heart's essential blood of the Five-Feathered Peacock, and every three days refining ordinary blood using the "Human Elixir Technique."

Pain had become a routine part of daily life; he even began to grow accustomed to that heart-wrenching sensation.

On the evening of the twenty-sixth day, when the very last drop of the Five-Feathered Peacock's blood merged into his body, Lin Chuan collapsed onto the floor of the alchemy room, his entire body drenched in sweat.

Multicolor patterns intertwined with the red-and-gold marks across his skin, forming an eerie yet beautiful design.

"Finally... it's over..." Lin Chuan's voice was so faint it was barely audible.

"In your dreams."

Little Fatty's figure manifested before him. "Now comes the most crucial step—fusing the two bloodlines."

Everything went black before Lin Chuan's eyes, and he almost passed out.

Yet years of companionship had taught him that Little Fatty never joked about major matters.

He forced himself to sit up, gritting his teeth. "How do it?"

"Circulate the Heavenly Feather Transforming Dragon Manual, guiding the two types of blood to converge at your heart."

Little Fatty was uncharacteristically solemn. "You cannot rely on external force for this step; you must depend entirely on yourself."

Lin Chuan closed his eyes, beginning to channel his spiritual energy according to the mental cultivation method.

At first, everything went smoothly, the two streams of blood flowing steadily through his meridians. However, as they neared his heart, a sudden drastic change occurred—

"Ah!"

Lin Chuan let out an unearthly scream, curling into a tight ball.

He felt as though two volcanoes had erupted simultaneously within his body. The intense heat of the red-gold dragon's blood collided violently with the Nirvana Fire of the Five-Feathered Peacock, generating a terrifying high temperature that nearly roasted him from the inside out.

The patterns on his skin lit up like white-hot iron wire, and wisps of smoke began to curl from Lin Chuan's seven facial orifices.

He frantically circulated the Heavenly Feather Transforming Dragon Manual, yet failed to quell this bloodline riot.

"Little Fatty! I can't hold on!" Lin Chuan roared within his consciousness.

At the exact instant he was on the verge of collapse, a chilling wave of soul force suddenly surged into his body.

Lin Chuan managed to open his eyes a crack, seeing Elder Zi's figure suspended above him, dense purple soul force cascading down like a waterfall.

"Elder Zi..." Lin Chuan spoke with difficulty.

"Don't speak, concentrate on guiding!" Elder Zi's voice was unprecedentedly grave. "My soul force is extreme Yin and bitter cold, capable of temporarily suppressing the bloodline riot, but the fusion must still rely on you!"

Lin Chuan clenched his teeth tight, leveraging this cooling force to once again circulate the Heavenly Feather Transforming Dragon Manual.

Elder Zi's soul force acted like a pair of deft hands, helping him sort out the chaotic bloodline power within. The red-gold and multi-colored patterns began to slowly merge, gradually transforming into a profound dark golden hue.

Three hours passed. When the first streak of dawn pierced through the window lattice, the final trace of bloodline conflict within Lin Chuan finally subsided.

He slowly opened his eyes; his pupils had completely turned dark gold, rippling with a mysterious luster.

"Succeeded..." Lin Chuan smiled weakly.

A dull thud echoed. Lin Chuan turned his head to look and saw Elder Zi's figure heavily crashing to the ground, his previously solid soul body becoming nearly transparent.

"Elder Zi!" Lin Chuan cried out in alarm.

Little Fatty's figure appeared beside Elder Zi, his illusory face carrying a rare trace of guilt. "He consumed too much origin soul force, and his cultivation realm has dropped to the peak of Sky Martial."

A shock rippled through Lin Chuan's heart.

Because Little Fatty had refined the four outer array disks of the Nine Serenities Soul-Refining Array, Elder Zi's awakening had only put him on par with a late-stage Emperor Martial expert. His preparations to forcibly restore his soul's completeness and break through to Saint Martial had been hijacked by Little Fatty, and after being struck by Little Fatty's Heavenly Punishment Divine Thunder, he had plummeted directly to early-stage Venerable Martial.

Now, to help Lin Chuan fuse the two bloodlines within his body, he had dropped once again to the peak of Sky Martial, drifting further and further away from his former peak realm of a Realm Lord.

Elder Zi smiled weakly. Naturally, he had not done this out of loyalty to Lin Chuan, but Little Fatty was right beside him. If he had stood by and watched Lin Chuan explode and die from the clash of the two beast bloods within him, Little Fatty would definitely have made him pay with his life.

Losing a massive amount of soul force and having his cultivation realm drop didn't matter; as long as he could keep his life, it was enough.

Sensing Elder Zi's thoughts, Lin Chuan was silent for a moment before looking at Little Fatty and abruptly saying:

"Fatty, I want to help him restore his soul completely."

Little Fatty was startled, immediately grasping Lin Chuan's intent.

He said nothing more, merely gesturing toward the Blood Spirit Ring on Lin Chuan's hand, whereupon a purple orb flew out from within.

This was precisely what Elder Zi had condensed after using the Nine Serenities Soul-Refining Array to refine all the malevolent souls and Yin Qi of the Soul-Devouring Green Abyss.

The moment that purple orb appeared before Elder Zi, his gaze could no longer tear away from it.

As long as he swallowed this orb, he would not only restore his soul to completeness, but also return to the late-stage Emperor Martial realm!

Little Fatty said nothing, merely casting another glance at Lin Chuan. Seeing Lin Chuan nod, he raised no further objections.

"I originally intended to keep this item for Lin Chuan to raise his soul realm. Since he is willing to give it to you, I have no reason to stop it."

With that, Little Fatty channeled soul force to drive the energy within the purple orb, causing it to stream endlessly into Elder Zi's body.

The soul force within this purple orb originated largely from Elder Zi back in his Realm Lord days, sharing the same origin as him, while the remaining malevolent souls had been rendered thoroughly pure through the Nine Serenities Soul-Refining Array. The moment they entered Elder Zi's soul, it was like a dragon returning to the vast sea, rapidly merging with him.

Barely a quarter of an hour later, one-third of the soul force within the purple orb had fully integrated into Elder Zi's body. His soul was finally repaired, and his cultivation realm returned to the peak of Venerable Martial.

Seeing that Elder Zi was merely a hair's breadth away from Emperor Martial, Little Fatty halted the transmission of soul force.

"The remaining two-thirds must be earned through your loyalty and actions."

Having spoken, Little Fatty waved his hand, and the purple orb flew back into the Blood Spirit Ring.