As Little Little's master, Yang Kai could naturally sense the anxiety and unease in its heart at this moment. If it were within his power, he would never refuse Little Little's request.
But Yang Kai's knowledge of Stone Puppets as a species was cursory at best. He had no idea what had gone wrong—why the second Stone Puppet was not only unable to break free of its shell, but was losing its life force entirely.
Even if he wanted to help, there was nothing he could do.
Bound by the spiritual link between master and servant, Little Little sensed Yang Kai's helplessness, and the hopeful light in its eyes gradually dimmed.
It sniffled softly, like a wronged child.
After a long while, it gently placed the Stone Embryo before Yang Kai, then carefully touched it, as if afraid that too rough a movement might cause it harm.
In the next instant, Little Little dashed to the edge of the towering cliff, pounding its chest with thunderous, rhythmic beats like a war drum. Its small body rapidly expanded, and in the blink of an eye it had transformed into a Stone Giant over ten zhang tall.
It stood atop the peak like a massive gorilla, hunched at the waist, its arms hanging to the ground, gazing at the rolling clouds.
A long howl, like the rolling cry of a dragon, erupted from its mouth.
That howl pierced straight into the heavens, carrying unimaginable destructive force that churned the sea of clouds into turmoil.
Within the howl was an indelible grief and sorrow.
A single drop, glistening like polished jade, slid from Little Little's eye and fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
The Stone Puppet wept!
Yang Kai had never imagined that a Stone Puppet could shed tears. He couldn't fathom what the Stone Embryo of the second puppet truly meant to Little Little—that it should grieve so deeply. Yet looking at it now, its silhouette was desolate and lonely.
As if between heaven and earth, it stood utterly alone, destined to live out its days in solitude.
Yang Kai shot to his feet and rushed to the Stone Embryo. He extended his hand and flicked out a strand of Golden Blood, drawing it around his own wrist.
A wound several inches long, deep enough to expose bone, appeared instantly. Golden blood welled from the wound, dripping drop by drop onto the Stone Embryo.
It shouldn't have been like this. Little Little's birth had been perfectly smooth. Yang Kai had been bewildered at the time—it had been entirely Little Little's own doing, fusing with the Blood Essence Stone inside the Black Book's space before easily breaking free of its shell.
Why was the second one struggling so desperately? At this point, even the faintest pulse of life had vanished.
Regardless of the reason, it was still Little Little's own kind. Little Little had harbored expectations for its birth that were millions of times greater than its own.
Yang Kai refused to believe that such a creature—endowed with such formidable vitality—could truly be dead.
Do all that one can, and leave the rest to fate!
The sound of dripping echoed out, as drop after drop of pure Golden Blood fell upon the Stone Embryo.
The Golden Blood contained unimaginable vital force and life energy. When Little Little had been born, Yang Kai had done the same thing, though at the time he had offered only a single drop.
But now, he would spare no cost.
Sensing Yang Kai's actions, Little Little immediately turned and ran over. It crouched before him, gazing at him with gratitude, then kept glancing at the Stone Embryo with an expression of anxious uncertainty.
Time trickled by, and the Stone Embryo had been completely stained gold. But to Yang Kai's disappointment, his Golden Blood seemed to have no effect whatsoever—there was no sign that the Stone Embryo was absorbing it.
This cast a shadow over his face.
Little Little fidgeted anxiously at his side like an ant on a hot pan.
Suddenly, an extremely faint fluctuation emanated from within the Stone Embryo. Yang Kai's mind stirred, thinking it might be a hallucination born of his desperate hope, but when he carefully extended his Divine Sense to probe it, he couldn't help but break into a smile.
A fluctuation was indeed emanating from the Stone Embryo.
It was the pulse of life!
Like a single spark that could set a prairie ablaze, once that incredibly faint fluctuation—liable to vanish at any moment—emanated outward, the Stone Embryo began to absorb the pure Golden Blood dripping upon it. Before his very eyes, the blood that had previously been rejected seeped in, drop by precious drop.
Thump... thump...
A heartbeat-like sound echoed once more across the mountaintop. It was the rhythm of life.
Yang Kai broke into a wide grin. The grief in Little Little's eyes had vanished, replaced by tension and worry.
Thump... thump...
The sound grew louder and the intervals between beats shorter. The life force that had faded to nothing now pulsed from within the Stone Embryo once more. The dim glow that had appeared before returned, but different this time—it was a blood-red light interlaced with gold, radiating an air of deep mystery.
Pattern after pattern surfaced upon the Stone Embryo, alive and fleeting, flashing into existence before vanishing again.
Yang Kai watched with wonder. When Little Little had been born, he had never witnessed anything like this. He wondered what was different about this Stone Puppet compared to Little Little.
The sun set and the moon rose; three days passed in a flash.
Yang Kai had long since stopped dripping Golden Blood into the Stone Embryo. After absorbing a full twenty to thirty drops of pure Golden Blood, the Stone Embryo had regained its luster.
Now Yang Kai and Little Little waited anxiously at its side.
Suddenly, a faint crack rang out. Yang Kai's expression sharpened, and he quickly focused his gaze.