21: Excavation

While studying the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon, a thought constantly lingered in Gao De's mind: the dragon blood grass that had spurred the giant python's ancestral reversion—did its source, that fragment of ancient beast bone, still contain undiscovered mysteries? Perhaps, deep within the giant python's nest, more such bone fragments could be found, or even... a more complete set of remains?

Once this idea sprouted, it was hard to suppress. If he could find more, higher-quality remains of the Dragon Clan, they would be of immeasurable value, whether used to assist his Cultivation or as top-tier Materials for refining powerful Demon Soldiers in the future.

Thus, on a moonlit night, Gao De quietly left the deep pool and returned to the giant python's nest in the back mountain.

The nest was located in a damp cave beneath the cliff, its entrance obscured by vines, and the interior was permeated with a faint fishy snake smell and a lingering, almost dissipated trace of Dragon Qi.

Gao De channeled the Unicorn Law-Breaking light on his unicorn horn, carefully probing to confirm there were no remaining traps or Restrictions before cautiously sneaking inside.

The cave was quite spacious, but the furnishings were simple; aside from the traces left by the giant python and some remains of wild beasts, there was nothing else.

Gao De's goal was very clear—underground.

He waved away the Crab Generals who had followed him and took charge himself.

Although his newly grown webbed feet were not as good as claws specifically for digging, when infused with Demonic Power, they were incredibly sharp.

Like a tireless miner, he began to dig downwards.

Mud and rocks were constantly pushed aside.

As the depth increased, he indeed felt a faint, ancient aura originating from the same source as that bone fragment, which energized him and made him dig even harder.

However, when he finally dragged a twisted and broken dark red skeleton about three zhang long from the depths, a great sense of disappointment welled up in his heart.

It was indeed the remains of an ancient beast possessing a Dragon Clan Bloodline; judging from the bone structure, it must have been a terrestrial dragon-type Yao Beast during its lifetime, with strength around the Late Stage of the second rank.

If it had been discovered just after it fell, it would undoubtedly have been a supreme treasure.

But the problem was, too much time had passed!

Gao De roughly estimated that this skeleton had been buried here for at least several hundred years, if not longer.

The power of time had ruthlessly eroded most of its essence, and coupled with the dragon blood grass continuously absorbing its residual Dragon Qi for hundreds of years, the essence of this skeleton had long been mostly consumed.

The skeleton before him, although still harder than ordinary rock, felt heavy but lacked spirituality; its surface luster was dim, its internal structure was loose, and with a little force from his webbed feet, he could break off fragments.

The dragon blood Essence Blood contained within was negligible, probably not even as much as the small bone fragment he had obtained before.

"Sigh... it is a matter of time and fate." Gao De sighed and threw away a piece of bone he had easily crushed in his hand.

After working for half the night, he had only obtained a pile of fossil-like, greatly devalued bone frames.

These bones might still be ground into powder to serve as the lowest-grade auxiliary Materials for Artifact Refining, or fed to his subordinates, the Demon Soldiers, to barely absorb a trace of blood energy, but for himself, they were useless.

This exploration could be considered a fruitless endeavor.

But Gao De was not too discouraged. The path of immortal cultivation was never smooth, and Opportunity was often hard to come by.

Being able to have the previous dragon blood grass and bone fragment was already a stroke of luck.

"It seems that if I want to quickly obtain high-quality Essence Blood resources, I must set my sights on those living Yao Beasts." He cleaned the mud off his body and cast his gaze once again towards the vast Dongting Lake.

The accumulation stage in the deep pool was already complete; it was time to take the initiative and seek suitable "provisions" for himself and the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon in this vast water territory.

He turned and left the abandoned nest, no longer lingering.

Past Opportunities were already exhausted; the path of the future needed to be fought for and won with his own strength. The path to Dragon Transformation would ultimately have to be paved step by step through trials of blood and fire.

...

The accumulation in the deep pool was already sufficient. Beneath the calm lake water, Gao De was like a sword that had been sharpened for a long time, eager to taste blood.

He did not rashly break into the territories of those known powerful Yao Beasts, but instead cast his gaze towards the buffer zones or disputed waters in Dongting Lake where resources were relatively abundant and occupied by Yao Beasts, yet not monolithic.

These places were often where fighting was most frequent and where the most Opportunities lay.

The first target he chose was a vast stretch of water known as the "Rocky Ravine".

Here, reefs stood like a forest underwater, and caves were dense. It produced several types of "Jade Crystal Shells" containing good water-spiritual Qi, attracting many first and second-rank aquatic Yao Beasts to occupy and fight over it, making the situation chaotic.

Gao De did not bring the Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals; this trip was for hunting and training, not for warfare.

He maintained his one-foot-sized stealth form and slipped into the Rocky Ravine like a ghost.

Relying on his second-rank Spiritual Sense and the [Breath Concealment] talent, he easily avoided many unnecessary conflicts, like a calm observer, assessing the strength, habits, and potential value hidden in the Bloodline of each potential target.

A few days later, he locked onto a suitable target—a solitary Unicorn Electric Eel.

This electric eel was nearly four zhang long, silver-gray all over, with a short bone spur on its forehead, capable of releasing intense electric currents. Its strength was firmly at the Early Stage of the second rank, making it a hegemon in this area.

Its body contained a faint trace of Lightning Dragon Bloodline; although thin, it perfectly matched the lightning-related Summon Wind and Rain Divine Ability that Gao De had just awakened. If he could devour and refine it, it would surely be beneficial to his control over lightning power.

Gao De did not choose to ambush.

He needed a real battle to sharpen his newly acquired power and familiarize himself with the preliminary applications in the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon.

He actively revealed himself, restored his five-zhang Yao Beast body, his unicorn horn flashing with dark light, and the pressure of a flood dragon released without reservation, heading straight for the Unicorn Electric Eel's nest.

"Sizzle!"

Feeling the provocation and threat, the Unicorn Electric Eel suddenly darted out of its cave, silver light flashing all over its body, and dazzling electric currents scurrying like silver snakes, illuminating the surrounding waters in a ghastly white.

It hissed angrily, and a highly compressed lightning ball condensed on the bone spur between its brows!

Gao De did not dodge or evade. In his heart, he silently operated the preliminary blood quenching method recorded in the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon. His Demonic Power circulated along a specific route, and the blood and Qi beneath his scales boiled slightly, as if ready to accept foreign Essence Blood.

"Boom!"

The lightning ball shot over! Gao De swung his webbed feet violently, and the water in front of him condensed rapidly, turning into a thick water shield. At the same time, the unicorn horn on his head released a burst of black light, and the Unicorn Law-Breaking characteristic was activated.

The lightning ball and the water shield collided violently, erupting with a deafening roar. Powerful electric currents scattered, shocking the surrounding fish and shrimp until they turned belly-up.

The water shield rippled violently but did not shatter, and the core energy of the lightning ball, upon contacting the black light of the unicorn horn, was actually weakened by 30% as if melting ice!

"It really works!" Gao De felt a surge of joy.

The Unicorn Law-Breaking ability had an excellent restraining effect on this type of energy attack.

He swung his long tail and took the Opportunity to charge forward. His webbed feet acted like claws, bringing the power to tear through the water, and he fiercely grabbed at the eel's body.

At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a torrent containing Demonic Power like a water arrow!

The electric eel felt pain, its body twisted, and it released electric currents more violently, turning the entire battlefield into a death zone intertwined with lightning and water waves.

Gao De combined the Water Control Art with the power of his newly grown webbed feet, dodging flexibly in the water, sometimes clashing head-on, sometimes fighting while maneuvering.

He constantly tried to use the techniques in the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon, attempting to induce the opponent's blood and Qi during attacks, feeling for the weak points in its Bloodline circulation.

This battle lasted for a full joss stick of time. Although Gao De was a newly promoted second rank, his Bloodline was noble, his Demonic Power was pure, and he had the advantage of the Unicorn Law-Breaking; he gradually gained the upper hand.

The electric eel's methods were simple, relying entirely on lightning to show off its power. Once it was restrained, it was at its wit's end.

Finally, Gao De seized an Opportunity. The black light on his unicorn horn condensed like a spear, instantly piercing the eel's gill area where its defense was relatively weak, and the violent Demonic Power surged in, instantly destroying its vitality.

The battle ended.

Gao De panted, feeling the consumption of his Demonic Power, but he was more excited than anything.

This was the first time he had independently killed a Yao Beast of the same rank head-on after being promoted to the second rank, and he had verified the feasibility of the Unicorn Law-Breaking ability and the combat assistance of the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon.

He did not delay, immediately dragging the electric eel's corpse to find a hidden reef cave.

He took out several pieces of jade prepared in advance, engraved with simple runes, and according to the secret canon, set up a small blood-quenching array.

Placing the electric eel's corpse in the array, Gao De coiled to the side and operated the secret method.

The array lit up with a faint light, and strands of silver-red Essence Blood were forcibly extracted from the electric eel's corpse, condensed and purified in the center of the array, with Impurities and violent auras removed, finally turning into a small, exceptionally pure ball of Lightning Dragon Essence Blood flickering with electric light.

Subsequently, he opened his mouth and swallowed this ball of Essence Blood, operating the Dragon Transformation Merit and the refining method from the Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon, and began to absorb it.

The process was slower than directly devouring flesh and blood, but it was safer, more efficient, and had a higher absorption rate.

Several hours later, Gao De opened his eyes, feeling the trace of Demonic Power that had increased in his body, and the increasingly clear affinity for lightning power in his Bloodline, and a satisfied arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

[Devour and Refine: Unicorn Electric Eel (Early Stage of the second rank)]

[Obtained Bloodline energy: Trace (due to the target's thin Bloodline)]

[Resistance to lightning attribute increased, lightning control in Summon Wind and Rain Divine Ability slightly enhanced.]

[Hundred Beasts Blood Quenching Secret Canon proficiency increased.]

Although the Bloodline improvement was negligible, it was a perfect start. He had found a path of rapid growth that suited him.

Cleaning up the traces of the battle and the array, Gao De hid in the darkness again, like a patient hunter, continuing to look for the next target in the Rocky Ravine.

He knew that in this vast Dongting Lake, there were many such hunting grounds.

And he would use battle after battle and devouring to pave his own path to Dragon Transformation!