The Patriarch of the Qian Family spoke at length.
Mo Hua listened in shock. He found some sense in the words, but also felt that something was not quite right, and for a moment, he was somewhat confused.
Suddenly, he found something else strange.
Those with deep schemes speak little.
This Patriarch of the Qian Family should not be a talkative person, so why would he keep talking to himself for so long?
Moreover, until now, it had been only the Patriarch himself who incessantly spoke; that Qian Hong seemed not to have said a word, had he?
How odd...
Mo Hua peeked out his little head again, stealing a glance. This time he looked longer and saw more clearly, but involuntarily, his pupils shocked.
That Qian Hong, with his eyes closed, had a deathly pale face.
His chest was marked with blood-red Formation Patterns, and it seemed as if all his blood was converging toward his heart through those patterns.
But his blood was black, decayed.
All of his skin was as pale and papery as his face, devoid of any sign of vitality.
This Qian Hong was already a dead man!
Mo Hua was startled.
The Patriarch of the Qian Family had been talking to a dead man all along.
The dead do not speak; thus, it had been only the Patriarch who prattled on without pause.
It seemed the Patriarch was waiting for Qian Hong’s blood to coagulate, to form into an Evil Formation.
With time to spare while waiting, he had the leisure to talk so much.
Watching Qian Hong, the Patriarch said faintly,
"The Lifespan Transformation Elixir has a flaw. Using different people for alchemy results in a mixture of bloodlines too miscellaneous…"
"One needs the heart of a close blood relative to act as a catalyst to harmonize the various bloodlines within the pill. Only then can one consume the elixir without suffering from the rejection of its power."
"I originally chose Xinger for this, but he was disappointing, so now I must ask you, his father, to take his place."
"I had high hopes for you, made you the Family Head, but it’s a pity. You have it all, yet you lack a little in each aspect. You are not cruel enough, not selfish enough, nor can you endure enough… And you covet the position of Family Head, worrying about the survival of the Qian Family, even defying my orders because of it. That is both foolish and laughable."
"In this world, beside oneself, everyone else is an outsider, even if they are your flesh and blood. You just didn’t understand this principle..."
...
Mo Hua listened with a shocked heart. This Qian Hong must have had some disagreement, some dispute with the Patriarch of the Qian Family, which led to his current fate.
As Mo Hua was pondering, he suddenly saw a sinister, blood-red light emanating from Qian Hong’s chest.
The Evil Formation had solidified!
Before Mo Hua could react, the Patriarch showed no mercy. His palm pierced directly through Qian Hong’s chest, plucked out his heart, and tossed it into the mouth of the Pig Monster.
The Pig Monster, dull and foolish, swallowed the heart. Its aura surged powerfully, the blood traces on its body glowed, oozing more blood, and a bizarre demonic power began to circulate with the Evil Formation.
The Evil Formation was forcibly activated, and the Pig Monster’s blood flowed backward, emitting a more piercing, heart-wrenching shriek.
Mo Hua’s eardrums buzzed, his head throbbing, and he quickly crouched down, covering his ears.
But the screeching invaded every aperture, continuing to reach Mo Hua’s ears.
The sound was mournful, gradually turning uncanny, as though it entwined with human voices, almost as if countless cultivators were screaming and struggling in the endless agonies of hell.
Mo Hua endured the pain and discomfort forcibly, not knowing how much time had passed, before the Pig Monster’s shrieks finally ceased.
In their place came the Patriarch’s ferocious laughter.
Mo Hua calmed his emotions and looked over once more.
Qian Hong’s eyes were tightly shut, his chest wide open, his skin dry and pallid, he looked even more like a corpse than a dead man.
The Pig Monster lay prostrate on the ground, seemingly lifeless, but through its flesh, one could see a faintly glowing redness in its chest, as if a heart was trembling madly with both evil and frenzy.
Even from a distance, Mo Hua could feel the throbbing of the Pig Monster’s heart.
Thump after thump...
With each beat, Mo Hua’s heart skipped.
By that time, the Patriarch of the Qian Family had lost his composed appearance, his expression was ferocious, and he laughed arrogantly, saying,
"The Lifespan Transformation Elixir, my hundred years of effort, has finally succeeded!"
Before his words fell, the Patriarch’s hands turned claw-like, swift as the wind, casting a bloody glow as he tore open the Pig Monster’s chest and extracted its heart.
Mo Hua was appalled.
This heart was the Lifespan Transformation Elixir!
The Patriarch opened his mouth and directly consumed the bloody elixir.
Events took a precipitous turn, and Mo Hua felt a chill run through his heart, thinking it was over.
After ingesting the Lifespan Transformation Elixir, the Patriarch’s aura became increasingly fierce, and he began to assimilate its power. Once he refined its energy, he would be able to break through his boundaries and become a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.