Chapter 591: Bloodline Mutation
Hei Gou"s eyes were full of grateful and happy emotions, but deep within a stubborn and decisive gleam could be found.
It was obvious that while he was grateful towards the worry and care his companions showed him, he was not willing to back down. The risk he was facing was, indeed, big, but to him, it was worth it.
Hei Gou was, naturally, not willing to die, but he did not fear death either. To him, death was inevitable, and it would catch him at some point sooner or later. Even if his lifespan turned out to be unending, he was painfully aware that there would always be someone stronger out there, and just like those he had killed throughout his life, he would, too, one day encounter an expert that he would be unable to beat.
Since death would one day claim him, then he did not worry too much about the when or how. To him, the most important part was to make sure that by the time he did die, he would be able to look back on his life and nod his head without feeling regret.
This was also why he was willing to take this risk. To be able to keep advancing among his friends, to keep improving and moving forward, he had to take certain risks.
He understood fully well that if he did not take this mutation, then no one would blame him, but eventually his advance would halt, and he would become a hindrance to those he wished to fight alongside.
He would much rather end his own life than turn out to be a hindrance to his dear ones, so risking it while fighting for what he believed in was truly nothing.
Although these were Hei Gou"s most genuine feelings, he had no intention of sharing them with the others. This was his own decision, and he would stand by it for the rest of his life, no matter how long or short it might be.
Xue Wei could see that he was completely set on this decision, and he no longer tried to convince him otherwise.
When Xue Wei had been advancing, the group had formed a protective circle around him, and the same happened when it became Bai Tianyi"s turn to break through.
Now that Hei Gou was going to mutate his bloodline, the group would naturally focus on him, but unlike before, they were not in the mood to cultivate while patiently waiting for him to succeed.
The mutation of bloodlines was not similar to when one broke through. While a breakthrough was indeed important, it was mainly important since others were not allowed to interfere with the expert, but a blood mutation was a constant battle between life and death.
Neither Xue Wei, nor the others, would feel at ease cultivating while their comrade was facing such a dangerous battle.
Xue Wei took a deep breath while Hei Gou found a comfortable position to sit in. The two were both solemn and stoic as they faced one another.
A clean cut was made on Xue Wei"s wrist, and the blood began to flow freely. However, to mutate Hei Gou"s bloodline in the most beneficial way, essence blood was needed, so Xue Wei began to rouse his energy and forced out some of the most important blood he possessed.
This essence blood was important to him, and by the time it was forced out from his cut, the air surrounding him began to tremble and boil as if it had come into contact with burning water.
The amount of energy stored within was easy to guess, but Xue Wei did not hesitate and sent it to the young beast seated in front of him.
The moment the blood made contact with Hei Gou"s body, it appeared as if a suction force from within aggressively dragged it through the skin, and not even the slightest trace was left behind.
At the beginning, Hei Gou seemed the same, but as time went by, his handsome face became pale, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
It did not take long for his fists to be clenched so hard that the fingers had turned white, and soon his entire body was trembling. The pain that Hei Gou was experiencing could not be understood by anyone other than himself, but even so, everyone understood that this was an important time for him, so no one spoke, they all patiently waited for him to succeed.
Hei Gou had previously undergone the bloodline mutation, but from the previous experiences, Xue Wei had noticed that each mutation was harder than the previous, and he was painfully aware of how many had succ.u.mbed when he helped the Vermilion Bird Clan mutate their experts.
Even the slightest distraction could prove fatal, and although his determination was admirable, it was uncertain if it would be enough to keep him alive.
Xue Wei had complete faith in Hei Gou. He knew his determination and his willpower, but he was still worried. To him, Hei Gou had become a brother whom he could fully trust. He dared not think about what would happen if anything went wrong, so while he was worried, he had completely convinced himself that it was going to succeed.
The last time that Hei Gou underwent the bloodline mutation, he had been in such an agonizing pain that his body had been twitching on the ground uncontrollably, and he almost lost his consciousness, but although his reaction this time seemed much more controllable, Xue Wei was worried whether or not it was truly like that.
Only he himself knew how great the influence of the Black Turtle Bloodline had on himself, so he could not imagine it being as simple for others who got a bit of this blood to temper their own mutation.