Four drops of golden blood — if Yang Kai were to cultivate them through meditation, he would need to meditate for twelve months, a full year, to convert his accumulated Saint Yuan into these four drops.
The Divine Tree absorbed them in a matter of moments.
Just as Yang Kai was about to ask about the situation, a message came from the Divine Tree: "Um... I think I'm about to fall asleep again."
"What do you mean?" Yang Kai was alarmed. Could it be that the vitality contained within the golden blood was so abundant that even the Divine Tree couldn't handle it?
"This is a good thing. I think I'll advance once I wake up, so don't worry. If you have time, take a look at those two pitch-black stones — something seems off about them." The Divine Tree said its piece, and sure enough, it fell into slumber. No matter how Yang Kai called out, there was no response.
The Divine Tree could advance? Yang Kai wore a peculiar expression. But if it said so, it was probably right. He couldn't help but look forward to it, wondering what changes the Divine Tree would undergo upon waking again.
What occupied his mind now were the Divine Tree's last words before falling asleep — it had told him to check on those two pitch-black stones.
Only then did Yang Kai remember that he hadn't paid any attention to those two strange, pitch-black round stones in a very long time. Ever since he'd spent a massive amount of Saint Crystals on the Water Moon Star to purchase countless rare minerals as nutrients for them, he'd completely forgotten about the two stones.
He quickly calmed his mind and examined them within the Demon God Secret Canon.
One look, and Yang Kai's jaw dropped.
The mountains of rare minerals had completely vanished. Their essence had clearly been absorbed entirely by the two pitch-black stones, leaving only some residue piled up in their place. From within that residue, a fairly obvious aura of vitality emanated, and Yang Kai could even hear an extremely regular, incredibly powerful heartbeat.
What was going on?
Yang Kai brushed aside the residue and immediately spotted the two pitch-black stones. They looked somewhat different now — both radiated vigorous life force. But only one of them was producing a heartbeat.
These things were alive? Yang Kai could hardly believe it. He hurriedly took both stones out and placed them before him.
Examining them closely, he was soon struck with shock.
The stone producing a heartbeat was slowly writhing from within, as though some living creature was encased inside it. The lines on its surface were clearly visible, intricate and complex like the meridians of a human body.
It looked like the rounded belly of a pregnant woman, cradling a new life within!
The other stone was different — no heartbeat, but its aura of vitality was just as rich.
Yang Kai stared at them blankly, momentarily at a loss.
Although he'd possessed these two stones for many years, he remained completely ignorant of their secrets.
He immediately recalled what the Ghost Ancestor had told him on the Suspended Continent.
"Take good care of them. Someday, you'll have a pleasant surprise."
The Ghost Ancestor was a Void King Realm powerhouse who had lived two thousand years and seen a great deal. He clearly knew what these stones were, but at the time, their relationship hadn't been exactly cordial, so Yang Kai hadn't asked. The Ghost Ancestor hadn't volunteered the information either. So to this day, Yang Kai was still completely in the dark.
Both stones had been brought over from the Tongxuan Continent. Since the Ghost Ancestor recognized them, they must have originally been products of the Star Field. But how they'd ended up on the Tongxuan Continent was a mystery. Was this now the moment of that promised surprise?
Yang Kai sat cross-legged on the spot, circulating his technique, his attention split between monitoring Yang Yan's situation and watching the two pitch-black stones.
Time flew. More than ten days passed.
The two stones hadn't changed much. Yang Kai grew increasingly impatient — he was desperate to know what secrets these stones held, whether there truly was a living thing inside.
After some thought, Yang Kai carefully squeezed out a drop of golden blood and let it fall onto the stone that was producing a heartbeat.
Since his golden blood contained such immense vitality and life force — enough to send the Divine Tree into a dormant evolutionary state — there was no reason it wouldn't work on these pitch-black stones.
The moment the drop of golden blood was absorbed, the heartbeat from within the pitch-black stone indeed grew far more intense. The golden blood seeped into it, causing the entire stone to radiate a fierce golden glow.
Obvious changes appeared on the stone. The lines on its surface — the ones that resembled human meridians — all began to bulge and pulse, as though whatever was inside was about to break free.
Yang Kai stared without blinking, unwilling to miss even a fraction of a moment.
Crack...
A crisp sound rang out. Yang Kai tensed involuntarily, a spike of nervousness running through him.
A small fissure appeared on the surface of the pitch-black stone. Almost immediately, the crack widened, spreading rapidly. In the span of a blink, the entire stone split apart, revealing what had been encased within.
Yang Kai took one look, and his jaw dropped in an instant!