Chapter 236: Blood Crystals

Chapter 236: Blood Crystals

33,540!

Even though Ji Xinghuo had prepared himself mentally, he still couldn't help but feel elated when he saw the number clearly.

With this amount of spiritual source energy, he could upgrade all his abilities except for the rotating magnetic field to the next level. Of course, he wouldn't do that and would instead focus on upgrading two or three abilities.

But now wasn't the time for upgrades.

"Burn my blood, a fiery sacrifice to the Red Emperor!"

"Burn my blood, a fiery sacrifice to the Red Emperor!"

On the battlefield, after the Highlanders slew the last member of the Ferocious Beast tribe, their expressions turned solemn and fanatical as they repeatedly chanted the prayer to the Red Emperor.

They raised the blood-red flags of the Red Emperor and knelt on the ground stained with blood.

Some of the Highlanders raised their butcher knives again.

But this time, the knives were not aimed at their enemies but at their own tribesmen—those who were severely injured in the battle and could not be healed, nor would they ever regain their fighting strength.

There were over a thousand of these Highlanders, but they did not struggle. In their pain, they still shouted the name of the Red Emperor as their lives were ended.

Their blood flowed from their necks, mixing with the blood of their enemies.

Ji Xinghuo watched this scene, feeling shaken.

The spiritual source energy surged once more, surpassing 40,000. Behind this number were the lives of over 5,000 people.

Two thousand Highlanders and three thousand members of the Brave Tiger tribe.

They were all believers of the Red Emperor, and their blood flowed together on this hillside, reflecting the Red Flame Star in the sky. Wisps of reddish light, like mist, rose from the over 5,000 corpses and pools of blood, and amid the repeated shouts of "Burn my blood, a fiery sacrifice to the Red Emperor," they began to change.

Ji Xinghuo looked up and noticed that the Red Flame Star had turned even redder.

The black patterns on it seemed to distort, and a vague and chilling silhouette appeared to cast its gaze upon the bloody battlefield.

He dared not look any longer and quickly lowered his head.

The Highlanders seemed to sense something, their faces becoming more agitated as they shouted hoarsely.

The mercenaries, however, were trembling and dared not move rashly.

The mist-like blood fog in the air suddenly churned violently, sucking in the corpses and the blood on the ground, forming balls of blood. As more and more blood flowed into them, the balls of blood ignited, evaporating and compressing before slowly condensing from a liquid to a solid.

Red Emperor Blood Crystals!

The mercenaries' eyes lit up as they gazed at these blood balls scattered across the battlefield, soon-to-be-formed blood crystals, their greed unmistakable.

They had joined the Blood Fury Tribe for these very crystals, fighting with all their might.

However, no one dared to make a move.

The victorious Highlander army, despite their own significant losses, still numbered over eight thousand, including three Legendary Blood Warriors.

Anyone who dared to reach for the crystals now would be seeking death.

Finally, as the flames on the balls of blood burned out, the light faded, revealing red blood crystals.

These blood crystals were only the size of fingertips, as red as blood, roughly spherical in shape, with irregular facets on their surfaces like red crystals.

The intense bloody smell that had been emanating from them disappeared, and the energy fluctuations also subsided.

More than twenty blood crystals fell.

Some fell into the blood pits, some into the mud, and a few were caught by the nearby Highlanders. One of them landed right in front of Ji Xinghuo, just five or six meters away.

He didn't pick it up, letting the Red Emperor Blood Crystal drop to the ground.

Every single blood crystal was being watched by countless eyes, leaving no chance for anyone to claim it for themselves.

He Yan ended his prayer and stood up, ordering, "Bring me all the blood crystals." His gaze swept across the battlefield, having already memorized the location of each crystal.

Several of He Yan's bodyguards quickly circled the battlefield, collecting over twenty Red Emperor Blood Crystals and handing them to him.

He Yan placed the blood crystals in a leather bag and kept it close to his body.

Not just the mercenaries but almost all the Highlanders were watching him, their eyes filled with longing.

To the believers of the Red Emperor, blood crystals meant power!

As long as their bodies could withstand the influx of power and they maintained their will without succumbing to corruption, they could use the blood crystals without limit. Even the weakest Highlander could use at least three blood crystals without issue, and as their evolution count increased, they could use even more.

Blood crystals could enhance their bodies and increase their strength.

Blood crystals could also increase the number of times they could fuse with other species.

Blood crystals were everything!

They bravely and fearlessly rushed into battle, fighting against other believers of the Red Emperor, all for the chance to obtain a blood crystal.

And now, the blood crystals were in He Yan's hands.

Even though He Yan was a Blood Warrior, the strongest Legendary present, he still felt his heart pounding under the intense gaze of so many.

"Reform the ranks!"

He Yan sheathed the leather bag, his face calm as he shouted orders.

At first, the surrounding Highlanders did not immediately obey, still caught up in their frenzy over the blood crystals. It wasn't until He Yan repeatedly shouted in a deep voice, his Blood Warrior's aura pressing down on them, that the Highlanders finally calmed down and reformed their ranks on the hillside.

Ji Xinghuo also averted his gaze, looking up at the mountain.

There, the Brave Tiger tribe's settlement was in chaos, with many members of the tribe taking advantage of the cover of night to flee, mostly women and children.

Like the Highlanders, there were no elders among the Brave Tigers.

He Yan deployed two thousand Highlander warriors, leaving their horses behind, and sent them toward the mountain settlement under the lead of a Blood Warrior.

However, their marching pace was neither fast nor slow. By the time they reached the settlement, the Brave Tigers had already fled.

Their goal was not to kill.

Soon, the entire settlement was set ablaze, turning into a sea of flames.

The followers of the Red Emperor only killed their enemies on the battlefield, but they would not annihilate their fellow believers. Instead, they drove them out and destroyed their homes.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but think of a line from a poem: "Cutting the grass but leaving the roots will only allow it to grow again when the spring wind blows."

"They're doing it on purpose," Xia Qingyu said.

Noticing Ji Xinghuo's glance, Xia Qingyu lowered his voice and explained, "The first goal of the Red Emperor's followers in war is to create blood crystals, and the second is to occupy territory and resources. As for the Brave Tigers, not all of them can be considered enemies. Even if they win, they will leave a spark for the tribe to rise again, or else they will only have in-fighting in the future."

"Today, the Highlanders won and spared the Brave Tigers," Xia Qingyu continued. "And the next time, if the Brave Tigers win, they will likewise not annihilate the Highlanders. They will leave behind the women and children, and when they grow up, they can fight another round."

Xia Qingyu paused, "I call this behavior 'sustainable slaughter.'"

Ji Xinghuo was speechless.

Watching the Highlanders piling up bodies into small mountains and then burning them, he sighed, "They truly are a bunch of madmen!"

The Blood Fury Tribe was just one of the large tribes on the Bloodshed Plateau.

There were dozens, if not hundreds, of similar tribes.

Every day, the Bloodshed Plateau witnessed such bloody slaughter, a cycle that had persisted for countless millennia and would continue endlessly into the future.

"That's right..."

Xia Qingyu also sighed, "Anyone who believes in the Red Emperor will eventually end up like this."

Ji Xinghuo's heart trembled.

The Bloodshed Plateau was just a corner of the True Dragon Star Domain, and in the boundless galaxy, there might be countless other places like the Bloodshed Plateau, trapped in an endless cycle of slaughter.

The followers of the Red Emperor were spread throughout the galaxy, with numerous civilizations and races worshipping this Star God.

For the first time, Ji Xinghuo truly grasped the power of the Star Gods.

If...

A thought occurred to Ji Xinghuo.

Today's battle was just one of the many wars initiated by the Blood Fury Tribe, and it had already earned him over 40,000 points of spiritual source energy. At this very moment, four other armies were marching toward different targets, creating four more battlefields. If he could absorb the energy from all of them, he might gain over 200,000 points of spiritual source energy!

If he stayed on the Bloodshed Plateau for an extended period, frequently participating in these bloody battles, the amount of spiritual source energy he could obtain was unimaginable.

However, his human identity was too inconvenient.

If he could disguise himself as a Highlander or even a follower of the Red Emperor, going solo without Misa and Xia Qingyu, keeping a low profile, and leaving after harvesting spiritual source energy, his efficiency would surely increase manifold.

Ji Xinghuo's mind raced with ideas.

There were many transformation-type superpowers, but he didn't need to fuse with them personally. There were also superpower devices that could transform and disguise him.

He would also need to learn the Highlander's language, a dialect of 'Sinjarak'. His major was Sinjarak, so it would take him just ten to fifteen days to imitate the Highlander's accent and master their idioms.

However, there was one difficulty: how would he know where the battles would take place?

He needed an information channel.

Ji Xinghuo immediately thought of Skyfall Cliff, the most important resource distribution center in the eastern part of the plateau and a hub for news and information.

If he could gain the support of the Snow Ape Giant Tribe's chieftain, Han Qiu, he should be able to obtain timely information.

By the time they returned to the foot of the giant peak, dawn had broken, and the Red Flame Star still shone brightly in the sky.

He Yan ordered his army to rest on a flat stretch of high ground. After a night of marching and a life-and-death battle, many were hungry, and some of the less severely wounded needed treatment and recovery.

Ji Xinghuo dismounted from Qinghong and took out food from the saddle bag to feed it.

The mercenaries were scattered around in small groups, eating their dry rations and drinking water while repairing their weapons and equipment. Everyone seemed relaxed.

However, from time to time, someone would glance at Ji Xinghuo.

His performance in the battle had left a deep impression on the mercenaries. With his solitary strength, he had held back an enemy force a hundred times greater.

Even more impressive, his spear throw had severely injured the leading Legendary Ferocious Beast.

The mercenaries were in awe.

In this victory, Ji Xinghuo had contributed at least a third, and he had also saved the lives of many present, earning their gratitude.

Huang Yanlan approached, her face sincere as she said, "Thank you. If not for you, Ji Rong and Song Ge Qiz would have died. You saved their lives."

Behind her, the Dan martial artist and the other teammate from the Wilderness, bowed to Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.

Seeing that he didn't want to talk more, Huang Yanlan gave him a deep look before turning and leaving with her teammates. After she left, several mercenaries came over to express their thanks to Ji Xinghuo, but he didn't pay much attention, considering it a mere trifle. Saving these people and holding off the enemies was also for his own benefit.

Suddenly, the surrounding mercenaries tensed up.

Ji Xinghuo turned to see He Yan riding on the back of a Fear Wolf King, approaching him.

"Lord He Yan."

The mercenaries bowed, but He Yan seemed not to hear, his face expressionless. Riding on the wolf, he looked down at Ji Xinghuo, studying him intently for several moments before a smile that was uglier than crying appeared on his face, which was covered in blood-colored tattoos.

"I've seen your contribution, and you've done well!" He Yan said.

Ji Xinghuo nodded calmly, "I just wanted to survive on the battlefield."

"I will report your contribution to the chieftain truthfully."

As He Yan spoke, he suddenly appeared in front of Ji Xinghuo, causing Ji Xinghuo's heart to skip a beat. He forced himself to remain still as He Yan reached out and patted his shoulder, "If you can continue to perform outstandingly in the upcoming battles and survive to the end, I will ask the chieftain to bestow upon you three Blood Crystals."

"Thank you, Lord He Yan!" Ji Xinghuo feigned surprise.

He Yan smiled and shifted back to the back of the Fear Wolf King, turning to leave.

The mercenaries were filled with envy.

Three Red Emperor Blood Crystals—even if he only dared to use one, he could still trade the other two for other expansion wonders.

It was equivalent to gaining three more fusions with other species.

Misa walked up, her face filled with annoyance as she complained, "Why only three? Couldn't Lord He Yan be more generous and give you one more Blood Crystal?"

Before they had come, Ji Xinghuo had promised her that if he obtained more than three Blood Crystals, he would give her one.

"That's not for me to decide," Ji Xinghuo smiled.

Misa rubbed her hands together, "Why don't you work harder and maybe Lord He Yan will be more generous and give you a few more Blood Crystals?"

Ji Xinghuo ignored her and turned back to feed Qinghong.

Blood Crystals were such precious treasures that to the Blood Fury Tribe, they were strategic resources. Most likely, before the war even began, each Blood Crystal had already been allocated to a recipient. Given He Yan's authority, being able to give him two extra was already the limit.

Who said the followers of the Red Emperor were all kindhearted?

After resting...

He Yan led the remaining eight thousand troops and continued westward, deeper into the territory of the Skullcrusher Tribe, heading straight for their next slaughter target.

The Blood Fury Tribe had split into five groups, penetrating deep into enemy territory, with their final destination being the "Red River Giant Peak," the largest settlement of this Blood-eyed Ferocious Beast tribe. It was their core area, housing several hundred thousand members of the tribe, and the ultimate goal was to capture their Blood Altar.

Along this route, He Yan's army would have to capture two more settlements.

The next battle would take place in the afternoon.

Ji Xinghuo rode on Qinghong's back, following the army. He opened the interface of the Myriad Star Pupils and pondered how to use these 40,231 points of spiritual source energy!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end