The Blood Demon Flood Dragon had initially been unwillingly captured by Zhang Fan, forced to submit by a soul restriction and acknowledge Zhang Fan as its master.
Before this, it had been extremely defiant towards Zhang Fan, believing that the human's strength was, at best, on par with its own. Moreover, it carried a trace of the Blood Dragon lineage, possessing certain Blood Dragon characteristics. For instance, its vitality was incredibly tenacious, allowing it to recover from severe injuries in an extremely short period. Its defense was also incredibly robust; even if it stood still and endured attacks from peak Divine Realm experts, it would be difficult to inflict any damage. Zhang Fan had only managed to defeat it by chance, by mastering a method to counter it.
However, over this period of following Zhang Fan, it discovered that life with such a master was far more comfortable than its past. Not only did it have an endless supply of spirit pills, but it also enjoyed such a superior cultivation environment. Compared to its former days of painstakingly guarding a single spirit herb for years, this was an era of pure bliss.
The Blood Demon Flood Dragon nuzzled Zhang Fan's arm affectionately with its fist-sized head, appearing exceptionally docile. This sight utterly astonished Ailebela and Lin Haotian, who had witnessed firsthand how arrogant this creature usually was when facing them. It would even toy with them when bored, not to harm them, but sometimes leaving them in quite a predicament. Despite being powerful cultivators in the Saint Domain Realm, they were like mere children when dealing with the Blood Demon Flood Dragon, whose strength had already reached the peak of the Heavenly Human Realm.
Zhang Fan gently stroked the Blood Demon Flood Dragon's glossy scales, which felt cold and smooth, exuding a sense of raw power.
"Master, I feel I am close to a breakthrough. If you continue to supply me with Vitality Pills, I am highly confident that within a year, I can form a demon core and advance to the Golden Core stage," the Blood Demon Flood Dragon communicated with Zhang Fan via divine sense. Although the Blood Demon Flood Dragon now possessed sentience, it was still incapable of human speech and could only communicate through its divine sense.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan couldn't help but chuckle. It turned out this obedient creature was merely trying to solicit Vitality Pills from him.
"Rest assured, as long as you have the ability to refine them, there will be as many Vitality Pills as you need. Don't worry about lacking spirit pills," Zhang Fan replied. As Zhang Fan's own strength grew, so did his alchemy skills, and naturally, his refining efficiency had increased significantly. For Zhang Fan, refining spirit pills of the Vitality Pill's caliber was as effortless as roasting beans; he could easily produce a large furnaceful with a casual effort.
Now, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon was arguably Zhang Fan's top subordinate, capable of handling many tasks for him. If it could successfully form a demon core and advance to the Golden Core stage, Zhang Fan's own burden would lighten considerably. After all, while Zhang Fan was currently unmatched in the martial world of China, his parents and loved ones were his weaknesses. Furthermore, he had already made enemies, including the Pope of the Holy See and a Divine Realm expert from the Bai family, both of whom had openly vowed to seek revenge. There was also the mysterious Daoist Changsheng, who, despite having no direct animosity towards Zhang Fan, was the one who made Zhang Fan most wary. Daoist Changsheng's strength had previously been on par with the deceased Kunlun, and he was a cunning individual who would go to any lengths for treasures, even killing his long-time friends.
Having inherited the legacy of a Half-Moon Immortal, Zhang Fan had a premonition that once Daoist Changsheng reached the Golden Core stage, he would be the first person he sought out. After all, the treasure left behind by a first-rank Golden Core cultivator was enough to drive ordinary Golden Core cultivators into a frenzy, let alone on Earth, where spiritual energy was scarce and cultivation resources were lacking. Daoist Changsheng was ambitious and powerful, forcing Zhang Fan to prepare himself to avoid being caught off guard should that day arrive.
With his current peak Divine Sea Realm strength, Zhang Fan was confident in his ability to protect himself against a cultivator who had entered the Golden Core stage, even if he couldn't defeat them. However, Zhang Fan worried about his parents and girlfriend, fearing they might be taken hostage to coerce him. Therefore, if the Blood Demon Flood Dragon could condense a demon core, its strength might even surpass Zhang Fan's by a considerable margin. Coupled with its innate physical prowess, it was likely that even ordinary Golden Core cultivators would find it difficult to overcome.
Having received Zhang Fan's assurance, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon's mood greatly improved, and it let out another cry, feeling a bright future ahead. While demonic beasts generally had much longer lifespans than human cultivators—for instance, cultivators in the Heavenly Human Realm typically lived only for a few hundred years—the Blood Demon Flood Dragon could easily live for a thousand years. However, they had a fatal flaw: their cultivation speed was much slower than that of humans. Many Heavenly Human Realm demonic beasts, having lived for thousands of years, still hadn't managed to form a demon core and advance to the Golden Core stage.
Of course, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon was not like ordinary demonic beasts. With spirit pills readily available and a blessed land established with a grand spirit gathering formation, advancing to the Golden Core stage was not a difficult feat for the Blood Demon Flood Dragon, which had already reached the peak of the Heavenly Human Realm.
"Cultivate diligently. If you can form a demon core within a year, I will teach you a body-refining technique from the Blood Dragon lineage," Zhang Fan decided after some thought, intending to nurture the Blood Demon Flood Dragon.
"What?"
Upon hearing Zhang Fan's words, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon's neck, covered in blood-red scales, stiffened. Its two cat-eye-sized pupils fixed on Zhang Fan, disbelief filling its gaze.
"Master, you... you're not tricking me, are you?" the Blood Demon Flood Dragon communicated with Zhang Fan, asking with extreme caution. It was well known that Blood Dragons were true dragons, possessing noble bloodlines. Every pure-blooded Blood Dragon was born with innate talent and memories. Their body-refining techniques were never passed down and were impossible to acquire. Blood Dragons were true dragons, possessing Dragon Yuan from birth, granting them at least the strength of a Golden Core cultivator. While not considered peak powerhouses in the myriad star systems, they were far beyond the reach of beings like themselves. Furthermore, like other dragon races, Blood Dragons reproduced extremely slowly, so the Blood Dragon clan fiercely protected their young. Generally, only those who had reached the Nascent Soul stage were allowed out by their elders for training. This meant that any Blood Dragon encountered in the myriad star systems would likely possess at least Nascent Soul cultivation, capable of crushing them with a mere finger. Therefore, the Blood Demon Flood Dragon harbored considerable doubt about Zhang Fan's claim of possessing Blood Dragon body-refining techniques.
"Heh, what's so difficult about this? When your strength breaks through to the Golden Core stage, you can come to me to claim your reward," Zhang Fan said nonchalantly, lifting the Blood Demon Flood Dragon.
"Very well. I can see that you are somewhat restless. Since you doubt your master's abilities, I will first impart the foundational part of this body-refining technique to you. It will be enough for you to cultivate for a considerable time," Zhang Fan said, gently stroking the Blood Demon Flood Dragon. Faint starlight gradually emanated from his hand.