Chapter 151: Blood Stone

"Eh?"

In the center of the tribe, the elder let out a soft exclamation of surprise as he watched Aedis returning from outside.

Having practiced secret arts in his youth—though his attainments were limited due to his own aptitude and compatibility—he could still perceive subtle changes in Aedis.

In his eyes, the blood qi was now surging throughout Aedis's entire body. Merely standing beside him made those around him instinctively look up, involuntarily oppressed by a far stronger life essence.

"He truly is a genius," the elder sighed inwardly, a certain notion in his heart growing even deeper.

Within this tribe, thanks to the ample food supply over this recent period, they had been living a quite blissful time. After everyone gathered together to finish their meal, the elder deliberately asked Aedis to stay behind.

"Yal, have you recently felt any discomfort regarding the secret art you practice?" he asked, looking at Aedis.

At this, Aedis was slightly taken aback, a flicker of thought passing through his mind, but he nodded.

"Indeed," the elder sighed in response. "The secret art you practice was originally acquired by our ancestors by chance, and it appears to be flawed. Once a certain level is reached, no matter how much one practices, no further progress can be made."

"However, even so, across the hundreds of years of our tribe's history, very few have ever reached that level."

Saying this, the sorrow in his eyes deepened, and a resolute decision seemed to form in his heart. "Yal, you are the most talented person I have ever seen, and the hope for our tribe's future rise. You must never be buried like this."

Having seemingly made up his mind, he looked earnestly at Yal and said, "In a couple of days, you will make a trip with me."

Seeing the old man's expression, Aedis's heart stirred, and he slowly nodded.

He had been troubled by his inability to further probe this world, originally intending to wait until his strength recovered somewhat before venturing out to investigate. Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally would not let it pass.

Several days later, under the elder's direction, several strong tribesmen excavated a cellar from an underground spot and hoisted out a wooden box.

With utmost care, the elder retrieved a leather-wrapped bundle from the wooden box, took out a small piece of an object from it, and handed it to Aedis.

"Yal, take this. It should be beneficial to your cultivation."

Aedis took it and looked. It was a crimson-colored stone, very hard, appearing entirely blood-red as if condensed from fresh blood.

From this object, Aedis sensed a powerful yet gentle bloodline force gradually emanating. The moment it touched his hand, it exerted an irresistibly strong attraction upon his body.

"Could this be a blood stone condensed from bloodline power?" Aedis felt a slight surge of surprise as he sensed the power within it.

In the multiverse, there were a very small number of worlds where, due to the influence of special environments and laws, if powerful extraordinary racial bloodlines flowed across the land, blood stones would form after a long passage of time. These served as hard currency equal in value to the soul.

Because these blood stones had undergone a very long period of natural fermentation, all impurities had vanished, leaving behind purely concentrated bloodline power, which offered immense benefits to the physical body.

"However, the quality of blood stones varies depending on the higher bloodlines and environments that produce them. This one should be of ordinary grade," Aedis thought to himself, gripping the blood stone in his hand.

Within the bundle held by the old man, he had also caught sight of a golden blood stone. It was very small, yet the bloodline power emanating from it was incomparably dense, completely eclipsing all the other blood stones.

Before him, the old man looked at these blood stones with a trace of reluctance in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by firm resolve.

"The environment of the land is growing worse by the day. Who knows when those demons might find their way here? What use is there in continuing to guard these things left behind by our ancestors?"

Such a thought flashed through his mind. Then, looking at Aedis standing behind him, he made his final decision.

A tribesman brought over a kind of powder, and the elder meticulously applied it across the surfaces of several blood stones. Soon after, under Aedis's perception, the bloodline power that had previously been intensely palpable abruptly faded away, clearly having been successfully masked.

The next day, after the old man had settled various matters, he set off on a journey accompanied by Aedis and several tribesmen.

This was a desolate trail, which appeared to have remained untrod for a very long time.

As they reached its end and were about to step into the wilderness, several tribesmen beside Aedis looked toward the elder and Aedis, silently inquiring whether they should press further forward.

At that moment, a roar echoed out. A wolf with scales growing all over its body abruptly stepped forward, its bloodshot eyes glowing crimson as it fixed its gaze on Aedis and his party.

"It's a demonized wolf king!" Behind the elder, several tribesmen turned pale, their eyes filled with terror as they cried out.

Such demonized fierce wolves were the nightmare of everyone dwelling in this region. Because of the formidable physical bodies they acquired upon being demonized, even dozens of people besieging one together were unable to subdue it.

"Do not panic! Everyone, draw your weapons!" Seeing the demonized wolf, the old man's face also showed a start, but he then forced himself to remain calm and commanded.

However, at that moment, the demonized wolf ahead had already lunged forward. With a low roar, its massive forepaws gouged a depression into the earth, and it hurtled toward them at blinding speed.

This leap carried tremendous momentum and powerful physical strength. A trace of terror flashed through everyone's eyes, their bodies entirely failing to react in time.

Yet the very next instant, a long spear tore through the air, piercing straight ahead and sending the airborne demonized wolf hurtling backward. The overwhelming force punched a massive bloody hole straight through the wolf's sturdy body, which convulsed frantically before expiring instantly.

Witnessing this scene, the elder could scarcely believe his eyes. "Yal, you—?"

His eyes bulged in utter shock as he stared at the fallen demonized wolf ahead, almost believing he was dreaming.

The few others beside him reacted similarly, though having frequently accompanied Aedis on hunting expeditions before, they managed to barely maintain their composure.

Once they stepped into the wilderness, however, the subsequent sequence of events numbed their senses completely.

As their journey progressed, one powerful demonic beast after another—creatures they usually went to great lengths to avoid—successively appeared along the path, only to be promptly slain by Aedis one by one.

Moreover, every kill was straightforward and decisive: a single thrust of a spear ended them. While this left the surrounding companions deeply shocked by the sheer density of demonic beasts in this region, it also gradually plunged them into a state of numb acceptance.

Finally, just as the group's scalps were tingling from the endless stream of demonic beasts along the way, a massive demonic tiger collapsed before Aedis. A wisp of faint green aura began to manifest from its body, allowing everyone to let out a collective sigh of relief.

The old man squatted down, inspected the earth beneath his feet, and nodded after careful observation. "Good. I traveled this path when I was young."

"Once we cross this stretch and walk a bit further, we will reach our destination."