Bloodline Gene Lock

In the distance, the juvenile Garuda had been happily gorging itself. Suddenly, its round, beady eyes widened in shock. Its downy feathers puffed out all over, and the cowlick atop its head spun like a radar dish. Halting in its tracks, it frantically looked left and right, tucking its massive yet chubby body into a round ball until it resembled an oversized rubber duck. "[Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji][Emoji]." "I surrender! Spare my life!" "I surrender! Please don’t kill me!" "降伏します！命だけは取らないでください！" "Surrendo! Ne me occidito!" "ni nesu em hotep nefer！" ",,！" Just then, a red streak of light flew over at extreme speed. The juvenile Garuda instantly ducked its head and blurted out pleas in dozens of languages in a single breath. It had clearly spotted Yu Xian within the crimson glow. Knowing the hostile newcomer was human, it had deliberately chosen human languages to beg for mercy. Yu Xian came to a halt in midair, gazing down at the juvenile Garuda on the ground in surprise. "Auntie, it can actually talk!" "It is a pure-blood Garuda; its bloodline carries inherited knowledge. The things it needs to know were already ingrained in its mind the moment it hatched," Zhenwo Changjing said with a gentle smile. The Garuda poked its head out from beneath its wing and nodded repeatedly. "Uh-huh, uh-huh! I was born knowing how to speak!" "Auntie, can it see you?" Yu Xian asked in astonishment, glancing between Zhenwo Changjing and the juvenile Garuda on the ground. Back on Earth, not even the Star-rank Edward could see Zhenwo Changjing. Yet this juvenile Garuda was merely Heaven Rank—the equivalent of God Rank on Earth—and could still perceive her. "Anyone with a pure heart can see me. If you don't believe me, think back carefully," Zhenwo Changjing replied with a smile. Yu Xian frowned slightly. A flurry of memories immediately surfaced in his mind—like when he had been eating street food and noticed a snot-nosed kid nearby staring blankly in Zhenwo Changjing's direction. That hadn't happened just once or twice; it had happened many, many times. However, young children were unpredictable by nature, and those toddlers had almost all been under three years old, so none of them had ever actually interacted with her. Snapping back to reality, Yu Xian accepted the explanation. He looked toward the juvenile Garuda, pointed at the few surviving rainbow-feathered dragons nearby, and said with a furrowed brow, "The thing is... Auntie, are you sure its heart is pure? Isn't it being a bit too cruel?" "Purity and cruelty have never been mutually exclusive," Zhenwo Changjing explained. Recalling how many ants he had stepped on as a child, Yu Xian had to admit that purity and cruelty could indeed coexist. Putting the matter aside, he looked at the juvenile Garuda. Just as he was pondering whether the thing would taste good, the chubby bird seemed to sense the danger and hurried to plead, "Big Brother, as long as you don't kill me, I can be your mount! When I grow up, I'll fly super fast!" *Damn it.* Yu Xian could have slaughtered the juvenile Garuda with a clear conscience, but the creature just had to call him 'Big Brother,' instantly making him feel as if he were murdering a little kid. "What's your name, and how old are you?" Yu Xian asked irritably as he landed atop a tree, staring at the juvenile Garuda, which was taller than him even while crouching on the ground. This fat bird was definitely packed with abilities. Surrendering so decisively the moment he flew over proved it could easily gauge relative strength. Its mastery of numerous languages showed that its inherited knowledge was remarkably comprehensive. On top of that, its bloodline allowed it to reach the peak of Li Rank without any cultivation, so long as it lived long enough. The more Yu Xian thought about it, the more his mouth watered. He truly wanted to swallow the fat bird in one gulp. "Big Brother, my name is Nora Hild Garuda. I'm eight years old this year," the juvenile Garuda answered. Yu Xian nearly coughed up a mouthful of blood. A dozen witty retorts rose to his lips, but after a moment, he could only ask weakly, "Auntie, it's not lying, is it?" "No, its name really is Nora," Zhenwo Changjing said with a smile. Yu Xian always felt that Zhenwo Changjing's smile carried a hint of mischief. He asked, "Isn't that a little too coincidental?" "The myriad realms are inherently woven from countless random occurrences, certainties, and coincidences. What you consider a random event is often something bound to happen, while what you consider inevitable may very well be a mere coincidence," she said, smiling serenely. It sounded profound and enigmatic, but in reality, it was just empty philosophy. Yu Xian was long used to Zhenwo Changjing's cryptic remarks. They always seemed loaded with hidden meaning, but upon closer thought, they were essentially nonsense, and he could no longer be bothered to dwell on them. Turning to little Nora, he said, "I can spare your life, but you have to give me some of your blood." "B-but I'm afraid of pain," little Nora whimpered feebly. Yu Xian bared his vampire fangs and smiled. "I can drink your blood. I promise it won't hurt at all." "Big Brother, you're a vampire?" Little Nora snapped its head up, looking down at Yu Xian atop the tree in shock. Yu Xian nodded. "That's right, I'm a vampire. What's the problem?" "My blood has a bloodline gene lock. If a vampire drinks it, they'll just get diarrhea—it won't do you any good," little Nora said hesitantly. Yu Xian frowned. "A bloodline gene lock? What's that?" "It's a seal that prevents the duplication, cloning, or theft of bloodline power. If we have offspring with non-Garuda races, it also causes incomplete inheritance of our power. Many half-blood creatures have flawed abilities precisely because their parents had bloodline gene locks. On top of that, our blood can't be used as food or as an artifact refinement material. Anyway, it has tons and tons of functions," little Nora explained. Yu Xian glanced at Zhenwo Changjing beside him. "Auntie, is what it's saying true?" "It is indeed. After all, the myriad realms possess countless methods to plunder bloodlines, and techniques like copying and cloning aren't particularly sophisticated. That is why many extraordinary races possess bloodline gene locks within their bodies," Zhenwo Changjing affirmed with a nod. Yu Xian finally understood why drinking the blood of so many draconic creatures had failed to piece together the complete bloodline of the Ancient Cosmos Dragon. It had all been because of the bloodline gene lock. With a pained expression, he said, "So my Blood Demon Stream: Infinite Autophagy Method is practically useless in the myriad realms?" "Not at all. As long as you are stronger than the person who placed the bloodline gene lock, you can forcibly unravel it, and your Blood Demon Stream: Infinite Autophagy Method can naturally be used as intended," Zhenwo Changjing said with a chuckle. Yu Xian looked at little Nora, utterly speechless. "In other words, if I want to obtain a complete Garuda bloodline, I have to be strong enough to beat its ancestor in a one-on-one fight? By the way... Auntie, was its ancestor at the peak of Li Rank?" "When its ancestor placed the bloodline gene lock, its ancestor was at the Hegemon Rank. A Garuda can naturally grow to Li Rank without cultivating; if one actually cultivates, it will naturally become far stronger. It is like an ordinary person in your world who can deadlift a hundred kilograms without training, whereas a trained strongman can lift five hundred kilograms," Zhenwo Changjing answered. The moment Yu Xian heard 'Hegemon Rank,' he knew there was no hope. That ancestor could probably obliterate him with a single breath. Dreaming of cracking a bloodline gene lock placed by someone like that was pure delusion. Right then, Zhenwo Changjing gave a faint smile. "However... there is another method that would allow you to gradually obtain the Garuda's power." *Why didn't you say so earlier?!* Yu Xian's eyes instantly lit up, and he looked at Zhenwo Changjing with eager anticipation.