Chapter 349: Chapter 345: God or Demon
But Chen Xiao and Chen Qian immediately shook their heads.
Chen Qian, in particular, flatly denied it. "Impossible! How could Grandfather possibly cultivate such an evil technique!"
The Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill had claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. As a General, it was impossible for Chen Yan to have cultivated it.
After shaking his head, Chen Xiao’s eyes narrowed as he fell into deep thought.
Just then, Chen Yan spoke.
"He’s right. I did indeed cultivate the Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill."
Chen Yan’s voice was filled with guilt as he spoke.
Years ago, he had cultivated this evil technique for certain reasons. By the time he realized the truth, it was already too late.
But after learning that he was practicing an evil technique, Chen Yan had never used it again.
Because of this, he had not taken a single step outside the Chen family estate.
He originally thought this secret would be buried with him, as no one had ever been able to see through it. He never expected that Lin Hao would expose it with a single glance today.
In fact, Chen Yan knew that even if he hadn’t used the technique in the end, Lin Hao would have discovered it anyway.
Now that Chen Xiao’s bloodline had awakened and his Divine Soul had manifested with world-shaking might, Chen Yan had no more lingering attachments.
Just as he was about to sever his own heart meridian, Lin Hao spoke up at the perfect moment. "General, I have a way to save you."
"There’s no need," Chen Yan refused.
In truth, ever since he learned his Cultivation Technique was the Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill, he had lived in guilt, feeling he had wronged the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who had died.
He had held on for so many years. It was time for release.
"General, you don’t need to blame yourself. You never intended to learn this technique. If I’m not mistaken, during a battle back then, someone self-detonated in front of you, and you were splattered with their flesh and blood. That technique is utterly evil and has a very long incubation period; even a Soul Gathering Realm expert like you were at the time wouldn’t have been able to detect it."
Hearing Lin Hao’s words, Chen Yan’s eyes flew wide open.
He had never told anyone about the final scene of that battle, yet Lin Hao described it without the slightest error. This left him stunned.
As mentioned before, the Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill shared the same origin as the Ten Thousand Blood Demon Emperor’s Cultivation Technique. In the Demon Suppression Cave, after the Ten Thousand Blood Demon Emperor attacked Ling Xiao, Lin Hao had examined Ling Xiao’s body in detail, gaining some understanding of the technique.
And in Your Highness’ Mansion, when that giant used the Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill, the workings of the technique did not escape Lin Hao’s eyes either.
Lin Hao had fused with Chu Tiandu’s memories, giving him martial knowledge far beyond that of an ordinary person. Once he understood the principles of the technique, it wasn’t difficult to deduce how Chen Yan had been afflicted.
Ignoring Chen Yan’s shock, Lin Hao continued to speak.
"From what I know, after cultivating this evil technique, if you go a single day without transforming blood and refining bone, your body will be wracked with unbearable pain, as if countless dull knives were carving your flesh and sawing your bones. Yet you, General, have endured for decades. Such immense willpower... I’m afraid you are the only one in the world capable of it."
Chen Xiao and Chen Qian’s faces turned pale, and they shivered in unison.
Just from listening to Lin Hao’s description, they could already imagine the agony. The thought that their grandfather had endured it for decades made their noses sting with unshed tears.
"Grandfather, we were useless and made you suffer," Chen Qian said, his voice choked with emotion.
Meanwhile, a crazed fire flickered in Chen Xiao’s eyes. "Grandfather, just focus on your recovery. From now on, I will protect the Chen family! I will reduce the Mo Yun Kingdom to ashes!"
Chen Xiao’s voice was filled with boundless confidence.
Having just awakened his bloodline, his Divine Soul—one of the nine sons of the Dragon—had already manifested. Chen Xiao knew he was destined to soar to the heavens.
"Trying to seize power so soon?" Lin Hao said, looking at Chen Xiao with a faint, unreadable smile.
Chen Xiao’s imposing aura vanished without a trace.
For some reason, now that he had his bloodline, he was even more afraid of Lin Hao than before.
When facing Lin Hao, he felt a sense of submission that came from the depths of his soul.
’My Divine Soul is one of the nine sons of the Dragon, yet I feel this way toward Lin Hao. Just how terrifying must his Divine Soul be?!’
At this thought, terror seized Chen Xiao’s heart.
"You are a provisional disciple of the Saint Institute. It’s almost dawn. You will go to Jumo City with Lin Hao," Chen Yan said to Chen Xiao, a trace of relief and worry flashing in his eyes.
"Yes, Grandfather."
Chen Xiao replied respectfully.
"General, I have now figured out the True Essence within your body. I have a method to eradicate it, but it may cause your cultivation to regress." Lin Hao’s palm had been on Chen Yan this whole time, and by now, he had confirmed that the solution he had formulated was viable.
"What use is cultivation to me? Please, I beg you to strip everything related to this evil technique from my body." The Blood Transformation and Bone Refining Skill was like a thorn embedded in Chen Yan’s heart. As long as it could be removed, he would willingly give up not just his cultivation, but his very life.
Lin Hao nodded and began to circulate his energy.
Lin Hao’s method was actually quite simple: absorb all of Chen Yan’s True Essence, refine it within his own body, and then return the purified True Essence.
Of course, it was simple in theory, but the process was extremely dangerous.
Chen Yan could instantly enter the Spirit Transformation Realm by using his technique. One could only imagine how vast the True Essence in his body was.
Lin Hao was merely at the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Realm. If anything went wrong, his soul would be shattered.
In the blood-cleansing pool, Lin Hao sat cross-legged behind Chen Yan, circulating the Godslaying Celestial Slash Skill. With a mental command, Chen Yan directed the True Essence in his body toward Lin Hao.
At first, Chen Yan was cautious, but Lin Hao continuously sent him mental transmissions, telling him to speed up.
Half an hour later, when Chen Yan realized Lin Hao had already absorbed nearly half of the True Essence in his body, he was beyond shocked.
One must remember that Lin Hao was only at the Seventh Layer of the Elemental Realm.
By Chen Yan’s calculations, a cultivator at that level should only be able to absorb one-fifth of his True Essence at most!
But now, half of his True Essence had been absorbed.
Chen Yan’s mind went blank, unable to process what this meant.
Fortunately, Lin Hao’s divine sense reached him just then, telling him to stop. Otherwise, Chen Yan might have been scared to death on the spot.
Lin Hao was unaware of the immense shock his casual actions had given Chen Yan. He rapidly refined the True Essence from Chen Yan using his imperial technique and then returned it.
The refined True Essence was naturally much less in volume.
But even so, the time it took to return it was almost the same as the time it took for Chen Yan to send it.
Chen Yan’s body, of course, could not compare to Lin Hao’s freakishly powerful physique.
After returning the first batch, it was naturally time for the other half.
After repeating the process a second time, Lin Hao sent his True Essence back into Chen Yan’s body one last time for a final purification.
Finally, Chen Yan stood up, his lips trembling. He looked at Lin Hao, whose eyes were still tightly closed, unable to speak.
He knew his body, once corroded by the evil technique, was fully restored. From this day forward, he would no longer have to suffer that torment.
At the same time, Chen Yan was overjoyed to discover that although the amount of True Essence in his body had decreased, his cultivation level had not dropped.
Not only had it not dropped, but Chen Yan felt an urge to unleash his power—a sign that he was on the verge of a breakthrough.
This was all thanks to Lin Hao.
Because during the process, Chen Yan had clearly felt the majestic aura of Lin Hao’s True Essence.
It was a majestic aura that could make all evil retreat!
’Just what miraculous technique does he cultivate? It’s simply astonishing!’ Chen Yan marveled as he looked at Lin Hao.
At that moment, Lin Hao’s eyes snapped open, shining with a brilliant light.
"Thank you, General. After absorbing your True Essence, my cultivation has advanced to the Eighth Layer of the Elemental Realm," Lin Hao said before Chen Yan could speak.
Chen Yan sputtered.
He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
The evil technique had wreaked havoc in his body for decades, yet after Lin Hao absorbed it all, his own cultivation only rose by a single layer.
Chen Yan had the strong urge to cut Lin Hao open and see if he was a god or a demon.
