Chapter 218: Chapter 214: Demon Beast
Chu Mu watched intently, unwilling to miss the slightest change.
He had never seen a Demon Beast before.
And right now, a Demon Beast was right before his eyes.
Moreover, it was one he had raised himself.
From a worldly Mortal Beast to this current Extraordinary, transcendent state!
The transformation lasted for a full quarter of an hour. Wangcai, who was originally the size of a calf, was now no smaller than a full-grown wild bull.
Its massive, powerful body, even just lying prone in the room, gave off an indescribable sense of terror.
But the next second, as if waking from its transformation, the majestic appearance of a Demon Beast vanished in an instant, and it reverted to its goofy puppy-dog look.
Its enormous body shot toward Chu Mu. If he hadn’t reacted in time, the small room would have likely been smashed to pieces.
"Alright, settle down. Let me take a look."
Chu Mu instinctively went to rub Wangcai’s head, but he hadn’t even raised his hand before he froze. Looking at the massive body that now forced him to crane his neck, his movements grew stiff.
Dogs are perceptive. It clearly sensed Chu Mu’s intention. The next second, Wangcai whimpered twice, and its enormous body began to shrink before his very eyes.
In the end, it returned to the size of a normal dog and, just like always, began excitedly darting back and forth in front of Chu Mu.
"Hahaha, this ability is pretty good, not bad at all."
Chu Mu took out another Vajra Pill. Wangcai immediately calmed down, sat in front of him, and panted with its tongue out, its eyes full of longing.
"You little rascal!"
Chu Mu tapped it on the head in mock annoyance and casually tossed the Elixir. Wangcai’s tongue shot out and swallowed the Elixir in one gulp.
Chu Mu extended his Divine Sense. Wangcai seemed to sense his intent and offered no resistance, allowing his Divine Sense to directly observe the inside of its body.
’Just as I guessed. What is a drawback for humans seems to be a benefit for Demon Beasts that cultivate through their bloodline.’
Within its body, a new, unknown power had clearly appeared. It resembled Magical Power, yet it was different, and it seemed to carry a hint of the aura of a Divine Soul.
It was like a fusion of Magical Power and Divine Soul. This power was like a spring, slowly growing stronger by Breathing Spiritual Qi while also constantly remodeling Wangcai’s body.
’It’s as if... with this mysterious power—or should I say... bloodline power?’
In any case, under the influence of this power, Wangcai seemed to have already shed its identity as a common mutt and was evolving into another, unknown species.
’This speed... it will probably take about three months...’
Chu Mu pondered for a moment, continuing his detailed observation.
’This kind of opportunity is extremely rare.’
The book he had read described Demon Beasts as violent and untamable. Even if they were forcefully domesticated or even had a Slave Seal planted on them, their instincts would remain wild and defiant. They would stay highly vigilant, and if given the slightest chance, it wasn’t impossible for them to devour their masters.
If he hadn’t raised Wangcai from a pup in the mortal world and continuously spent resources to nurture it, observing it so unguardedly would be almost impossible.
After all, being so unguarded meant he could do as he pleased. If he knew a Secret Skill like the Slave Seal, planting one would be effortless.
After observing for a long time, Chu Mu slowly withdrew his Divine Sense.
He had gathered a lot of information and now had a much clearer concept of a Demon Beast’s bloodline cultivation.
The cultivation of a Demon Beast was far more wondrous than he had imagined.
Ever since he started raising Wangcai, he had conducted all sorts of experiments and observations. It had been a pure, ordinary dog from the mortal world, with nothing unusual about it.
The later changes in its size were merely due to the effects of Medicinal Power, pushing it to the physical limit of a common dog. There was nothing special about it.
But this time, after becoming Extraordinary, its fundamental nature as a common dog had abruptly changed under the influence of the newly emerged bloodline power.
’It leaped from one species to another. How wondrous.’
’If it’s like this for Demon Beasts, what about humans?’
Chu Mu couldn’t help but indulge in a fanciful thought.
’A Demon Beast’s bloodline originates from its earliest ancestor.’
’But humans, don’t we have powerful ancestors too?’
’Take Body Refining Cultivation, for example. The body’s functions transform. Just at the Qi Cultivation Realm, one’s flesh becomes like ice and bones like jade, with blood pumping like magma—completely inhuman.’
’Further up, at the Foundation Establishment Realm, Golden Core Realm, Nascent Soul Realm, and even beyond Nascent Soul, all the way to the legendary true Immortals...’
’Their fundamental nature must be completely different from that of an ordinary person.’
’If they were to have children, wouldn’t their offspring be special? Do humans not have a bloodline inheritance?’
’Or perhaps, could a Demon Beast’s bloodline be transplanted into a human, giving them the power of a Demon Beast...?’
He had many speculations, many ideas.
Chu Mu believed that answers to these questions definitely existed in the Cultivation Immortal Realm.
After all, in a world of such immense power, with a history stretching back tens of thousands of years, if he could think of it, how could there not have been brilliant predecessors who had pondered and experimented with the same ideas?
’There must have been. It’s just highly likely that their findings are buried in history or held as the exclusive knowledge of a select few.’
As his thoughts swirled, Chu Mu looked at Wangcai again. Although the transformation of its bloodline power had only just begun...
...based on his observations, the current Wangcai was already strong enough to easily slaughter an average Cultivator at the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation.
Of course, that was assuming the Cultivator didn’t have powerful tools like Magical Artifacts, Talismans, or Puppets.
’The strength of a Demon Beast is rooted in its bloodline and manifested in its physique.’
And right now, the formidable physique of Wangcai’s Demon Beast body was already beginning to take shape.
’If I were to forge a suit of Battle Armor for it...’
Chu Mu rubbed Wangcai’s head, a flicker in his eyes.
A Demon Beast’s strength lay in its physical body. Having just become Extraordinary, its body was already comparable to his own when he first entered the Middle Stage of Body Refining.
Once this transformation was complete, a Cultivator at the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation with average abilities would likely be no match for Wangcai.
’Such a powerful body... if it were supplemented with a suit of protective Battle Armor...’
Chu Mu thought for a moment, recalling the battles he had fought since entering the Cultivation Immortal Realm.
The effects of Magic from the Refueling Realm were powerful, but its limitations were also significant.
After all, even if the Fireball Skill achieved Returning to Truth, its structure was still based on a few Fire Attribute Magic Inscriptions, making it fundamentally a Tier One Lower Grade Magic.
As long as the essence of its Magic Inscriptions remained unchanged, it could only achieve changes in proficiency, not a qualitative transformation.
It was effective against low-level magical Defenses, but against High Tier Magic Defenses or the Defense of a Magical Artifact, it was completely meaningless.
Talismans, while extremely convenient, were also consumed in huge quantities. Talismans of a slightly higher Grade were quite expensive, and Tier Two Talismans were astronomically priced!
The most powerful tools were still Magical Artifacts. No matter how you looked at it, Artifact Creation was a Cultivator’s best option.
However, the drawbacks of Magical Artifacts were also obvious: they consumed a lot of Magical Power and were extremely draining on one’s Divine Sense.
As for his Body Refining Cultivation, so far, he had never been pushed to its limits except for that one battle with Zhao Tang.
’All things considered, Talismans are the most convenient, Magic is the most cost-effective, Magical Artifacts are the most balanced, and my Body Refining Cultivation is currently just a Support.’
However, for him, the utility of Talismans wasn’t as convenient as it seemed.
After all, the casting speed of Magic from his Refueling Realm was no slower than using a Talisman.
It was just that his Magical Power wasn’t yet enough to support a machine-gun-like barrage of Magic. Therefore, to conserve Magical Power, he often chose to use Talismans to support his Magical Artifacts in battle.
Thus, even his Magic from the Refueling Realm felt of somewhat limited use.
However, all this was the result of him fighting alone.
Although Xu Yuan was useful, he was, after all, human. And being human, he had his own emotions and desires, his own thoughts. It was impossible for him to be at Chu Mu’s side at all times.
But Wangcai was clearly different.
Even in Jade Emperor Valley, many Cultivators raised Spirit Beasts as helpers.
If he were to raise Wangcai to be a helper in battle, even if it only served as a distraction, the danger to him would be greatly reduced, and he could act with much more ease.
Chu Mu seriously considered this possibility.
This was the first time he had truly thought this way. In the past, he had only ever treated Wangcai as an experiment. Bringing it into the Cultivation Immortal Realm and occasionally nurturing it was merely a matter of sentiment.
He had never really considered the possibility, because Wangcai was, in essence, just a common dog from the mortal world.
But now that it had become Extraordinary and its bloodline had transformed, it could be considered a decent helper—and one that was unfailingly loyal at all times.
The only concern, perhaps, was its potential. After all, it had started as just a common dog.
"From now on... you’ll stay with me."
Chu Mu rubbed Wangcai’s head, muttering to himself.
He didn’t want to worry too much. After all, he himself only had a Pseudo Spirit Root Talent. He was still uncertain about his own future.
’Besides, at the Qi Cultivation Realm, my resources are still quite abundant...’
...
