In the treacherous, power-scarred landscape of the Dou Qi Continent (斗气大陆), a single choice can determine the fate of an entire clan. For Yao Ming (妖暝), the newly restored leader of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons, this dilemma materialized in the form of two vials of legendary essence blood. One offered a path to ancestral purity, a return to a mythic past. The other promised raw, immediate strength and a formidable new alliance. His decision between the Ancient Heavenly Snake essence blood and the Yellow Springs Demon Saint essence blood would echo far beyond a simple power boost, defining his clan's future in an era of upheaval.
The Allure of Ancestry
The offer from the Northern Dragon Island was intoxicating. The Ancient Heavenly Snake essence blood represented the primordial origin of all serpentine magical beasts. For a clan like the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons, whose bloodline had grown diluted over millennia, this was more than a treasure; it was a genetic holy grail. Absorbing it could theoretically purify their lineage, awaken lost innate abilities, and potentially restore them to their perceived ancient glory within the hierarchy of beast tribes.
This choice was deeply symbolic. It mirrored the desperate yearning of clans like the Heavenly Demon Phoenix for their own progenitor's blood. Accepting it meant embracing a philosophy of racial supremacy and historical reclamation. The blood was a key to a sealed door, behind which lay a restored identity and a dominant position in the beast world, a chance to rewrite their declining narrative through the power of heritage.
Yet, this path was fraught with uncertainty. The process of bloodline refinement is perilous and its outcomes are never guaranteed. More importantly, the gift came with strings attached—an alliance with the fractured and scheming Northern Dragon Island faction. The promised return to ancestral roots was a long-term, risky gamble, dependent on the stability of an untrustworthy partner in the volatile power struggles of the Ancient Void Dragon civil war.
The Pragmatism of Power
In stark contrast stood the essence blood gifted by Xiao Yan (萧炎), obtained from the Yellow Springs Demon Saint's testament. This was not a heritage-specific relic but the condensed cultivation essence of a half-step Dou Di powerhouse. Its value was universal: immense, pure, and readily convertible into combat strength. For Yao Ming, who had just reclaimed his throne from centuries of imprisonment, the need for immediate, overwhelming power was not a luxury but a survival imperative.
The results were spectacular and immediate. Xiao Yan himself used a drop to leap from the early to the late stage of Dou Saint. Yao Ming leveraged it to break through from a two-star to a three-star Dou Saint. Later, figures like Little Fairy Doctor and Qing Lin (青鳞) also reached the Dou Saint realm using this resource. This blood provided a rapid, quantifiable upgrade in a world where "strength is supreme." It allowed Yao Ming to consolidate his rule, deter internal dissent, and ensure his clan possessed the martial weight to navigate coming conflicts.
Ultimately, Yao Ming's choice of the Demon Saint blood was a choice of context over nostalgia. He prioritized assured strength in the present over a speculative return to an ancestral form. More critically, he chose the ally over the artifact. By accepting Xiao Yan's gift, he forged a strategic bond with a rising legend, a person of proven resilience and shocking potential. This alliance represented a dynamic future, contrasting sharply with the unstable patronage of the Northern Dragon Island.
History vindicated his pragmatism. The alliance with Xiao Yan and the Eastern Dragon Island proved far more valuable than a vial of progenitor's blood. It secured the Nine Serene Deep Earth Pythons a position as one of the continent's preeminent beast forces, second only to the unified Ancient Void Dragons. Yao Ming secured not just a power-up, but a powerful friend. In the ruthless calculus of the Dou Qi Continent, a reliable ally in a chaotic era often outweighs even the most sacred of relics.
