King of Creation Chapter 4 - 4 4 Changes in the Peace Pearl

Chapter 4: Transformations of the Peace Pearl. Pfw!

A gleaming blade flashed by, bisecting the massive rat charging at him.

As the disgusting rat blood sprayed across him, Ye Zhen swiftly rolled away. He lifted his woodcutter’s blade and deftly eviscerated another giant rat springing from the flank.

This cut and twist flowed seamlessly like running water, utterly fluid without pause.

The weapon gripped in his hand was a thick-backed woodcutter’s blade, standard issue for servant disciples from the Qiyun Sect.

Sharpened daily by Ye Zhen, its edge gleamed with lethal sharpness.

Since that initial assault by these giant rats, Ye Zhen never ventured into this zone without his woodcutter’s blade at hand.

The skill he wielded was the Woodcutter Blade Technique.

As a servant disciple of the Qiyun Sect, Ye Zhen had honed the Pine-Splitting Blade Technique over a year of daily Iron Branch Pine chopping—direct, brutal, and free of flourishes.

Though Fierce Beasts and Demon Beasts had been cleared from Qiyun Sect lands long ago, common wild beasts still roamed.

In that year, over a dozen savage creatures like wild boars met their end under Ye Zhen’s woodcutter’s blade. Butchering these two freakish giant rats proved no challenge at all.

Yet had another year or two elapsed, allowing these rats to evolve into true Fierce Beasts, tonight’s clash might have ended far differently.

The metallic tang of blood ignited Ye Zhen’s senses, sending thrilling shivers through him—this killer’s aroma stirred the bloodlust in any warrior.

Drawing a deep breath, Ye Zhen plucked a broad leafy vine from the cliff face and positioned it beneath the glistening translucent Stone Bamboo Shoot pillar, where dew-like droplets already beaded at the tip.

Before long, the radiant translucent Stone Bamboo Shoot released two drops of vibrant aquamarine fluid.

The glow surrounding the Stone Bamboo Shoot gradually faded.

Gazing at the two aromatic drops of aquamarine Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid on the leaf, Ye Zhen’s heart raced—this was genuine Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

Ye Zhen had studied the Qiyun Sect’s Medicine Book, which detailed mostly herbs and ancient Spiritual Medicines, rarely mentioning Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

From chats with brother disciples, though, Ye Zhen knew for certain: Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid of any kind ranked as supreme treasure.

Ye Zhen’s sole worry now was if this Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid’s Grade proved excessively high.

Its immense power might overwhelm him, risking an explosion on ingestion.

A veteran servant disciple once warned that while Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures held immense value, ultra-high-Grade ones packed devastating energy.

Swallowed by one with insufficient cultivation, the body could burst apart.

Still, since mere rats had guzzled this aquamarine Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid and ballooned into giants, Ye Zhen—far bulkier than any rodent—figured it wouldn’t rupture him.

Without a second thought, Ye Zhen gulped down the two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid, vine leaf and all.

A rich fragrance burst in his mouth as the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid melted into boundless warmth, surging through Ye Zhen’s limbs and torso.

On pure reflex, Ye Zhen dropped into a cross-legged seat and activated the Qiyun Sect’s Blood Qi Technique, channeling his Blood Qi to assimilate the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid’s potent medicinal essence.

The Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid’s mighty drug force let Ye Zhen vividly trace the Blood Qi paths within himself.

Yet as the Blood Qi Technique neared his chest, Ye Zhen’s brows knit in sudden surprise.

When the Blood Qi Technique directed the transformed medicinal power toward his chest, an enigmatic pull emerged, siphoning off a portion of the Blood Qi flowing past.

This shocked Ye Zhen, spurring a meticulous probe.

His scrutiny uncovered an even greater shock.

Ye Zhen realized that as the Blood Qi Technique stirred the Blood Qi in his chest area, a chunk of the rushing Blood Qi got drawn in by that odd suction.

The devoured portion reached a staggering twenty percent.

Upon closer sense, Ye Zhen discovered the suction’s origin: a dove egg-sized bead dangling against his chest.

The bead utterly consumed every strand of Blood Qi it claimed.

This uncanny shift jogged Ye Zhen’s memory of the chest bead’s backstory.

Fashioned from peculiar stuff, Ye Zhen dubbed it the Peace Pearl.

His grandfather had bequeathed it to him on his deathbed—a Ye Family heirloom spanning generations.

For seven or eight years it had hung around Ye Zhen’s neck, too ordinary to call a treasure.

Ye Zhen had viewed it merely as cherished family legacy.

Its abrupt Blood Qi devouring now left him stunned.

Instinct drove Ye Zhen to yank off the Peace Pearl draining his vital essence.

But as his fingers brushed the chilly Peace Pearl, he froze, memories flooding in.

Months back, a chest wound had drenched the Peace Pearl in fresh blood.

That blood vanished into it like water into sand, absorbed without a stain.

Ye Zhen had shrugged it off then, chalking it up to the heirloom’s unique make.

Reflecting now, every bodily shift in Ye Zhen tied back to that wound and the Peace Pearl’s blood absorption.

Post-absorption, his cultivation stalled dramatically.

Prior, among Hundred Pine Peak’s newbie servant disciples, Ye Zhen topped the charts in progress.

Out of a hundred starting together at Hundred Pine Peak, he ranked top five.

But after the blood-suck, no matter Ye Zhen’s efforts, advancement crawled.

It all traced to the Peace Pearl siphoning his Blood Qi.

During cultivation, it claimed 20% silently, undetectable amid his feeble Blood Qi.

This time, the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid—a Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures—flooded him with vigor, making the 20% loss glaringly obvious.

Ye Zhen recalled another oddity: his knack for Beast Language emerged right after the blood incident.

“Could this ancestral Peace Pearl truly be a treasure?” An electrifying notion exploded in Ye Zhen’s thoughts.

That spark ignited burning curiosity within him.

His hand on the Peace Pearl relaxed unbidden.

Ye Zhen yearned to witness what the Peace Pearl might do with ample Blood Qi.

Having ingested the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid, his qi and blood brimmed near bursting; sparing some for absorption posed no risk.

Under Ye Zhen’s command, the Blood Qi Technique churned relentlessly. Each cycle bolstered his Blood Qi further.

Mighty Blood Qi coursed everywhere, fortifying Ye Zhen’s bones, muscles, and even viscera with subtle might.

The pull intensified; the once-freezing Peace Pearl warmed, its pale crimson hue deepening to bloody scarlet, radiating a soft crimson gleam.

As the Peace Pearl’s bloody radiance peaked, a blinding scarlet burst erupted.

Ye Zhen felt lightning strike his chest—a ferocious heat slammed inward.

Agony whited out his vision; without a scream, he blacked out.

…

A rancid stench roused Ye Zhen.

The stink emanated from his own body, slimed with greasy filth reeking terribly.

“Disappeared?” Awakening, Ye Zhen’s eyes snapped to his chest.

Before passing out, the Peace Pearl had acted strangely, so he checked for alterations.

Yet now, only the leather cord remained; the Peace Pearl had vanished. In its place, a chest mark mirrored the bead’s shape perfectly.

The instant Ye Zhen’s eyes locked on it, a mighty pull surged from the mark, unleashing a torrent of strange, fragmented visions before him.