Chapter 634: Yun Xiaozi (II)
Huiyao, reverting to his fish-headed form, led the way while muttering over his shoulder, "My clan produces offspring annually, with each brood numbering 36,000. Out of those, only three transform into serpent fish; the rest devolve into eels, lampreys, and moray eels. We are nothing like you humans."
This left both Li Qinghong and Kongheng astonished. Huiyao sighed deeply and muttered, "The Hui fish clan originated from the union of the third son of the Hornless Dragon's fifth grandson and a lamprey. Who knows how diluted our lineage has become? Even after a millennium, we have ended up as such a pathetic sight."
Huiyao grumbled, "You humans, on the other hand, benefited from your ancestors' early beginnings, amassing countless Metallic Essences and Fruition Attainments. You have established stable foundations, dividing lineages into different surnames to distinguish noble descendants. With countless cultivation methods available, how could we possibly compare?"
Huiyao kept nagging, "Even the descendants of the True Hornless Dragon, after ten thousand years, have achieved only minor success in Water Virtue and the Twelve Essences. When all is said and done, they still fall short of you humans."
Huiyao's demeanor lacked the pride typically associated with dragon-lineage demons. Instead, he appeared somewhat despondent. Shrugging, he remarked, "Otherwise... why else would we eat humans? They are a tremendous supplement. Even a mere fraction of their essence would provide benefits beyond measure."
Neither Li Qinghong nor Kongheng replied, silently listening. Huiyao quickly shifted the topic, explaining, "This Cloud Octopus cultivates the Soft Advance, one of the Twelve Essences, also called Auspicious Essence. Its direct combat strength is not particularly high; just make sure it does not escape."
The Dao lineages, such as Water Virtue or Fire Virtue, included numerous types. The Twelve Essences were one of them, encompassing twelve categories. Some were particularly famous, such as the Purple Essence of the Purple Smoke Gate and the Radiant Essence of the Golden Feather Sect.
The most common, however, was the widely known Minor Pure Spiritual Qi, which belonged to the Pure Essence category. It was the easiest to gather and was commonly cultivated by rogue cultivators.
Kongheng, having traveled widely, was familiar with many of these, but Li Qinghong, who had not encountered much, found herself curious. Together, they flew south, the sky growing darker as they advanced.