SCT-Novel #204 - One thousand, eight hundred, deal!
#204 - One thousand, eight hundred, deal!
"Alright, Big Black."
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"Your array flag is still where you live; I'm the one who lost out."
Xu Chengxian unilaterally decided on the gluttonous beast's name, directly settling on Big Black.
He knew the gluttonous beast didn't have a name and could also sense that, among the names he'd offered, the other party didn't mind being called Big Black.
The gluttonous beast's true form wasn't black.
Yet it insisted on showing itself in this guise, which probably had a story behind it.
It liked 'black' and didn't reject being named after it.
Being able to sense the gluttonous beast's state of mind.
This was the benefit of contracting a magical treasure with original essence blood, having complete control over the Crimson Blood Array Flag.
When the artifact spirit and he were of one mind, driving it afterward required almost no action, just a thought.
So no matter what, although he verbally claimed to have lost out, Xu Chengxian understood in his heart that this time, he had profited again.
Therefore, he generously ignored Big Black's angry accusations from the side.
Secretly gloating with joy.
"Of course, the capital invested was also shockingly large."
The more than 43 million units of blood energy spent when seizing the array flag wouldn't be mentioned.
After all, that also had the purpose of entering the Azure Dragon Secret Realm.
It couldn't be entirely counted toward obtaining the Crimson Blood Array Flag.
So, let's count it as half.
Next was the blood oath.
10,000 units of blood energy could refine 1 point of essence blood energy.
If it could really be converted like that, he would die laughing.
After all, ten million units of blood energy seemed like a lot, but he could grow it back by sleeping for four months.
It was simply a business with no capital, and guaranteed profits regardless of drought or flood.
Unlike sowing seeds and planting crops, where you had to work yourself to death and rely on the heavens for food.
But in reality, was that really the case?
First of all, refining blood energy into essence blood energy was the first hurdle.
If he did nothing, how much would he increase in a month?
"15."
This number was etched in Xu Chengxian's mind in another way.
So he had to rely on external forces.
Currently, the greatest help came from demon cores and elixirs.
"With a sufficient supply of Spirit Replenishing Pills, my current monthly increase in essence blood energy is around 130."
Then, to make another crude estimate—in about a year, the accumulated essence blood energy would be enough to condense a drop of original blood.
However, the truth was.
It wouldn't work.
It couldn't be done at all.
This wasn't a question of how it could be done, but that Xu Chengxian's current state couldn't complete this level of power condensation.
In other words, he needed to first increase his strength to reach the level where he could condense original essence blood before he could consider what to do next.
"Primordial blood," Xu Chengxian remembered that the system had mentioned this before.
It was related to longevity.
Longevity, immortality after possessing great power.
It was almost the ultimate pursuit of cultivators.
But he didn't even know what other conditions needed to be met to condense primordial blood.
"Hmm."
This time, the system took the initiative to help him condense a drop of primordial blood to contract the Crimson Blood Array Flag.
The whole process was very fast.
Perhaps due to insufficient strength, Xu Chengxian didn't feel much throughout the process.
Only after it was over did he feel very weak.
Both his physical body and spirit felt very weak.
The complete opposite of when he was full of power.
Compared to spending tens of millions of units of blood energy to resist the tribulation lightning, compared to mobilizing 15 million units of blood energy to wash over the array flag, the perceived loss of power was dozens of times greater.
He felt that at least a third of his body's power was gone.
It was hard not to feel alarmed.
Fortunately, the gains were also enormous.
Now, after the original essence blood entered the Crimson Blood Array Flag, the great flag was slowly recovering.
A strong connection had formed between Xu Chengxian and it.
So he sensed that this array flag was using the blood energy he had previously poured into it to
"Big Black, your flag seems to be borrowing my blood energy to repair itself," Xu Chengxian finally found another basis for reasoning with the gluttonous beast.
"What do you mean, your blood energy?" The gluttonous beast Big Black immediately clamored. "That was given before you obtained this venerable one. Once it's given, it's no longer yours!"
It was just a little blood energy; why be so fussy!
"You've already obtained this venerable one; why haggle over a little blood energy? You're so stingy!" It jumped onto the flower snake's head again and kicked it, saying, "Besides, didn't you obtain Black… Azure Sun Demon Emperor's essence blood?"
"…Don't say such misleading things," Xu Chengxian said lazily. "Speaking of the Demon Emperor's blood, I exchanged it for original essence blood."
He didn't ask what the Black Azure Sun Demon Emperor meant.
He just secretly noted it down, preparing to ask Lingxiao and Lingyunzi when he had time.
The feeling of having two external aids by his side was so reassuring.
"What people? Where are the people here? Why would people misunderstand?" Big Black said, puzzled. "It's clearly just you three snake demons and this venerable one here."
After speaking, it disdainfully said, "Also, can your original essence blood compare to the Demon Emperor's blood?"
"Tsk, it can't compare," Xu Chengxian hummed.
The Demon Emperor's blood was, of course, not original essence blood.
It was just ordinary heart's blood.
But for him, it was enough.
Although there was no reminder from the system, he could sense that refining this drop of essence blood would not only replenish the blood energy and essence blood energy he had previously spent but would also definitely have a slight surplus.
But that was all secondary.
The main thing was that it also contained the Demon Emperor's insights into cultivation techniques and some of His life experiences.
Including combat skills, combat experience, and so on.
The former wasn't very useful to Xu Chengxian, as he didn't currently have any cultivation techniques, but that didn't mean he wouldn't need them later.
The latter was very useful.
This almost meant that he had obtained a portion of a Demon Emperor's inheritance.
Although it was a very small portion.
But that was a Demon Emperor, and the first Demon Emperor who established the Demon Emperor's Court in the early ancient times.
His knowledge and experience would bring Xu Chengxian a completely different experience, greatly broadening his horizons.
Although it didn't contain the Demon Emperor's will, it could be refined to condense a trace of divine sense.
This wisp of divine sense had many uses.
But Xu Chengxian's plan was to treat it as drawing a limited-time experience card.
Of course, he was too lazy to explain these things to the gluttonous beast.
The gluttonous beast Big Black, seeing him readily admit that he was inferior to the Demon Emperor, snorted triumphantly, and its anger dissipated a lot. It jumped down from the flower snake's head.
Standing in front of him, chest puffed out and belly bulging, it demanded, "Little Flower, give this venerable one some blood energy to pad my stomach."
It had already undergone blood oath recognition.
It couldn't be undone now.
Wasn't it only right to ask for offerings?
"I don't have any," Xu Chengxian said weakly. "The vast amount of blood energy I used to cleanse the array flag is just a little blood energy in Lord Black's eyes. If you want some, I really can't give it to you."
"…Cough! Give me a thousand units of blood energy, just for a nibble," Big Black relied on its black face to pretend to be thick-skinned, pretending not to hear the flower snake's mockery.
"A thousand?" Xu Chengxian drawled. "I don't have that either."
"…Then, five hundred?" Big Black felt that five hundred was also okay.
Following Xu Chengxian for this day and night, it had already received tens of thousands of units of blood energy.
That was more than it had eaten in ten years when it followed the Flood Dragon King.
Asking for more now was like trying to get something for nothing. What if it worked?
"Don't be so pitiful," Xu Chengxian said when he heard Big Black lower the price to five hundred. He suddenly felt sorry for the other party.
Five hundred?
What could five hundred do?
What kind of life had it lived before?
It was too pitiful.
That's why you couldn't just give anyone a name.
"I'll give you a thousand, but it can't be for nothing," he thought for a moment and said, "You have to do some work."
"Do some work?" The gluttonous beast's eyes widened. "Wait, do you want a dragon egg?"
"…I do," Xu Chengxian became interested. "Can you find one?"
"How much blood energy can a dragon egg be exchanged for?" Big Black rubbed its hooves.
"A thousand…" Xu Chengxian just opened his mouth and hadn't finished saying the word 'thousand' when he heard Big Black impatiently continue, "Is eight hundred okay?"
"…"
"…"
"Deal!"