166 Blood Energy (I)

The young man that drew the attention of dozens of people across the Gaia Continent was currently at the bottom of a giant cauldron, feeling how his entire body was boiled alive by a river of scorching blood.

The heat was excruciating, and the moment Cain was outside Morgana and the other scientists’ view, he immediately activated his Wave Cloak.

Unfortunately for Cain, while his Astral Wave Cloak granted a layer of protection, it was not enough to fight off the heat. Things could change if he used Wave Burst, but that sudden spike in energy could alert Morgana, so he could not do it.

Cain’s body was livid red due to the heat, but what happened to his face was even more shocking, as this one was melting. Of course, that was not really Cain’s face since, even for someone like him, something like that would carry a level of unbearable pain.

The thing that was melting was Cain’s One Hundred Faces. Although the Wave Artifact proportioned exceptional levels of camouflage, it was not meant for battle and could not endure such a hostile environment as a cauldron full of boiling blood.

Cain took the mask out before it could harm his actual face as he stood at the bottom of the giant cauldron with his eyes closed. He could not see, but thanks to the [Basic Scan Force Field] tool, he knew everything that happened in the room.

The [Basic Scan Force Field] did not have the Ego Wave’s range or unique abilities, but it could cover Peak Wave Champions without these ones noticing it. Cain came to that conclusion when Jonathan entered the scope of the force field and did not realize it.

Of course, things were different if Cain used the [Basic Scan Force Field] tool to do any sort of invasive maneuvers.

Right now, Cain’s whole focus was on Morgana, and every second the old masked woman passed inside the room, he came closer to his death.

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The exchange between Morgana and the other three scientists was impressive and involved a high level of Genetic Coding knowledge. Yet, Cain did not have the luxury of enjoying it.

Due to his mastery over Wave Cloak, Cain could keep it active for days, if not weeks. It was his body that would crumble before his energy pool drained.

If Morgana left, Cain was ready to activate his Wave Burst to a very low percentage, enough to provide proper protection for his body but not so high that the three scientists would notice.

Unfortunately for Cain, the masked old woman seemed energized as she spoke about Genetic Coding, and it did not look like she would leave anytime soon.

Cain’s willpower was at the First Realm, allowing him to keep calm even in some of the most extreme conditions, but even he could not help but grow anxious when he felt that his eyelids began to burn. They would not last long, and the next thing to be scorched by the heat would be his eyes!

Just as things were about to escalate to the point of no return, Cain’s mind and heart filled with determination as he opened his mouth and swallowed a mouthful of blood. It was like drinking fire; if he had not used Wave Focus to cover his intestines with Astral Wave, this would have melted.

Now that the blood was inside Cain’s body, he could use it to fuel the Blood Refinement Art without worrying that someone outside could notice it. The reasons why he did not do this from the beginning were plenty.

Cain had no idea what there was in this blood, but he knew that it crippled hundreds of people and provoked incredible pain. Still, the main reason was that this was human blood, and no matter how you look at it, he was consuming the blood of his own race as food.

Although Cain had consumed the blood of Dark Races’ warriors for his Fiend Devourer Cultivation Technique, it was not the same. He had overcome the empire’s indoctrination but still saw members of the Dark Races as alien life forms, making things like eating their flesh and drinking their blood much easier.

Some would rather die than drink the blood of their race due to how a civilization could judge them, but Cain stopped caring about that the moment his life was on the line. He would not die just to avoid angering hypocrites that would have done the same if they were in his place.

The moment the blood reached his stomach, Cain mobilized the Blood Refinement Art, and he could not hide the sense of awe and shock that assaulted him.

Whenever Cain mobilized the Blood Refinement Art, he would purify the blood and obtain blood essence that would then nurture his body.

However, there was no need for purification right now as the blood inside his stomach instantly transformed into blood essence, overflowing his body with vitality.

Things did not end there since the amount of blood essence generated was so much that not only was it enough to heal the damage caused to his skin by the scorching heat, it reignited his body’s refinement.

Cain’s domain over the Blood Refinement Art had reached a very high level, and the only reason it could not advance further was its nature as an auxiliary technique.

Auxiliary techniques granted an immense boost to someone’s strength, but the user’s cultivation limited their growth. Cain had pushed the Blood Refinement Art to the absolute limit his Level 4 Wave Warrior cultivation could obtain. Yet, thanks to the incredibly pure and potent blood essence, that limiter was breaking apart.

Cain was ecstatic as he realized that, and he began to revolve the Blood Refinement Art at full power, ensuring his skin would heal from any damage while tempering his body.

Those mouthfuls of blood lasted less than five minutes, but Cain would simply consume another and carry on. He was not afraid that Morgana or the others would notice something in the volume of the cauldron since more than one hundred corpses generated this blood.

Cain not only felt how any damage he endured due to the scorching heat healed instantly, but his body was also growing stronger shockingly fast.

Three days had passed, and Morgana did not leave the room, talking to no end with the three scientists, but that no longer bothered Cain. She could stay in the room as long as she wanted since he did not want to go anywhere and was perfectly fine at the bottom of that cauldron full of boiling blood.

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The blood was just too amazing, and Cain could not help but feel that this giant cauldron was perfect for training his Blood Refinement Art.

Cain was so focused on his training that he almost forgot about the world and fell into a state of trance, but what he saw in his [Basic Scan Force Field] drew him back to reality.

Another of the youths had perished due to the genetic flaws in her genome reaching a catastrophic level.

Cristian saw that, and his face showed nothing as he waved his hand, making tubes enter the young woman’s body so they could reignite her heartbeat before glancing at one of the other scientists and returning to his conversation with Morgana.

The scientist walked toward the deceased’s guard and stripped her before throwing her into the giant cauldron.

Like all the others, that guard was brainwashed to the point that even if they were about to die at the hands of the mysterious organization, they would show no disloyalty.

The guard fell into the boiling blood like a rock and began to submerge immediately. The hypnosis had shut down her survival instincts to the point that she did not even close her eyes.

She was about to lose her vision due to the boiling blood scorching her eyes, but just before that happened, she saw a young man at the bottom of the cauldron.

A sense of shock appeared on the woman’s face when she realized that someone was alive inside this cauldron. She was about to inform Morgana and the others when a finger pierced through her eye and reached her brain, instantly killing her.

Cain’s eyes were still closed, but there was a bursting red light in them as he removed his finger from the guard’s head. He knew nothing about the woman, and she might very well be a good person that found herself in a bad situation, but none of that mattered.

She was about to reveal his presence, and Cain would not allow anyone to endanger his life. There was no guilt or remorse in his mind or heart, and he simply carried on with the Blood Refinement Art.

The golden humanoid deep inside Cain’s soul dimension saw that level of brutality and smiled since he was glad the young man could make the hard choice when needed.

However, the next second he turned toward the place where the Alter-Ego resided and saw how the cruel and merciless part of this one grew a little stronger.

Unlike all Alter-Egos that represented one person’s will, the one inside Cain was made by his heroic nature and the Red King’s ego.