Branding it with his own spiritual soul mark was only the first step.
Once that was done, Yang Kai released the restraints he had placed on the Sentient Sword Intent. Sure enough, it now harbored not the slightest hostility toward him—quite the opposite, there was even a hint of affection. The snow-white longsword's radiance circled around Yang Kai ceaselessly, like a newborn infant opening its eyes for the first time and beholding the parents who had brought it into the world.
It posed absolutely no threat to Yang Kai now. If anything, it would obey his every command.
Yang Kai paid it no mind, letting it orbit around him freely, and instead closed his eyes to restore his Divine Sense.
A full day passed before he returned to peak condition. When he opened his eyes, the Sword Intent had long since stopped its circling and was resting quietly on his shoulder.
"Come, come—let me give you an overhaul." Although Yang Kai knew there was no point in talking to it, he couldn't help muttering a few words. With that, he reached out, seized the Sword Intent in his palm, and then tapped several times in rapid succession. Strands of Golden Blood Threads shot forth and began winding around the Sword Intent.
The Sword Intent seemed to resist for a moment, but under Yang Kai's soothing influence, it quickly settled down.
Before long, the snow-white Sentient Sword Intent was wrapped tight by gleaming golden Golden Blood Threads, not a single gap left exposed. The vast blood vitality power contained within the threads flowed steadily into the Sword Intent, absorbed and assimilated by it.
Half a day later, the once snow-white Sentient Sword Intent had transformed entirely into a dazzling golden hue. At this point, the Sword Intent was no longer a mere condensation of pure energy. Thanks to the coating of Golden Blood Threads, it now carried a distinct pulse of blood vitality—one could even say it had gained a body of its own.
The Golden Blood Threads served as its flesh, the Sword Intent as its soul. In a sense, this Sword Intent had been given a second life.
But Yang Kai was far from finished. With a flick of his mind, the golden Sword Intent trembled slightly and shot straight into the body of the Demon Insect Mother.
The mother lay on the ground, devoid of any sign of life, yet the moment the Sword Intent entered, an obvious transformation occurred. A brilliant golden color began flowing through its snow-white body, influenced and repaired by that tremendous blood vitality power. The body riddled with holes from the backlash of forbidden arts, and which had been recovering at a painfully slow pace, now began to mend itself with renewed vigor.
Powerful fluctuations of force surged from within the Demon Insect Mother's body.
Its once lifeless, snow-white eyes gradually began to glow with a faint, eerie light.
Yang Kai watched the Demon Insect Mother's transformation closely, paying particular attention to the degree of fusion between the Sentient Sword Intent and the Mother's body.
The method he was employing now was entirely different from how the Sword Intent had controlled the Mother before. Previously, the Sword Intent had merely latched onto the Mother's body in a haphazard manner, using it as nothing more than a simple vessel for its consciousness.
But now Yang Kai was using the technique for condensing Blood Beasts to completely restructure the link between the Sword Intent and the Demon Insect Mother's body.
If this succeeded, Yang Kai would immediately gain a formidable Blood Beast at his command.
As for failure… Yang Kai felt it was highly unlikely.
After all, the Sword Intent and the Demon Insect Mother's body already shared a degree of compatibility. Combined with his own methods, the chances of failure were practically nonexistent.
As time passed, the colors on the Demon Insect Mother's body gradually blended into an interlocking pattern of gold and white, and the synchronization between its physical body and spiritual soul grew ever more stable—a clear sign that success was imminent.
Just to be safe, Yang Kai even sliced open his own palm, drew forth a few drops of his purest golden blood, and let them seep into the Demon Insect Mother's body, mending its ravaged form.
At a certain moment, the Mother's snow-white eyes suddenly blazed with an uncanny golden radiance. Then its massive body stirred ever so slightly, as though the Sword Intent was acquainting itself with its newly fused form.
It struggled to rise from the ground, swaying unsteadily like a toddler taking its first steps, nearly toppling over several times.
When it finally managed to support itself and began crawling back and forth across the ground, Yang Kai couldn't help but break into a grin.
It worked!
Though the idea that had given birth to this creation was more than a little unconventional, it had ultimately proven correct. By using a different spiritual soul and physical body, he had successfully condensed a Blood Beast!
After all, a Blood Beast was not a true living creature. It was a transformation of a lifeless object—a byproduct of the secret art contained within the Golden Blood Threads technique. The requirements for materials were not all that strict.
Even while crawling on the ground, its body—standing a full head taller than Yang Kai—cut an incredibly imposing figure. Yang Kai gazed upon his newly crafted creation with mounting satisfaction.
He could clearly sense the chaotic will of the Sword Intent within the Demon Insect Mother's body—a will that carried a deep sense of closeness toward him.
The previous battle with this creature had fizzled out before he could truly test its limits. Now, naturally, Yang Kai wanted to see just how powerful it could be.
With a thought, he issued a command to the Demon Insect Mother.
The Mother immediately reared its upper body upright, and the pincer that served as its right arm instantly conjured an energy longsword.
The sword descended, and a frigid intent converged upon its blade alongside the Power of Laws. The temperature in the surroundings plummeted. Snowflakes drifted down, and wherever the blade pointed, every snowflake transformed into a razor-sharp attack, hurtling toward the empty void.
Snow Purifies the Heavens!
A violent eruption of power burst forth, plunging heaven and earth into sudden darkness. The void before them seemed to be pierced clean through, the Power of Laws flickering between destruction and creation within.
Yang Kai's expression shifted slightly.
As expected of a Sword Intent that had achieved sentience—its mastery of this particular sword technique was already on par with that of a grandmaster. Though that was hardly surprising, considering it had originated from a technique employed by an Emperor Realm powerhouse. With the Demon Insect Mother wielding it now, it was effectively equivalent to that Emperor Realm expert striking personally.
The only difference was that the raw power was considerably diminished, but the intent remained unchanged.
"That strike should carry the equivalent force of a Dao Source Realm Stage One martial artist's full-powered blow," Yang Kai murmured, furrowing his brow as he studied the Demon Insect Mother.
He felt no dissatisfaction whatsoever. The experiment before him had already achieved everything he had hoped for.