Chapter 105: The Method of Marking

“Substantial guarantees?”

Uchiha Li’s heart skipped a beat at her words, recalling some things Sara had said in the real world. Clearly, it must have been at this moment that he agreed to something, leading to all the ensuing events.

After pausing for a few seconds, Uchiha Li asked, “What kind of guarantee do you want?”

As long as it wasn’t too excessive, he felt he could agree. After all, the Dragon Vein was not like the masterless Grelle Stone; its power was subject to control. Koroso’s ability to absorb such power would not be very effective here. The best choice was to have Sara cooperate with him, which would be much faster.

Sara responded with a serious expression, “I have two conditions. First, I need to know your true identity and information—and his, as well.”

“Fine,” Uchiha Li agreed without hesitation, then reached up and removed his mask. As soon as the mask came off, the dried blood at the corner of his eye became visible. He didn’t care, wiped it away casually, and introduced himself, “My name is Uchiha Li, from the Uchiha clan of the Leaf Village.”

Sara scrutinized him and showed a trace of amazement. “Li, you can’t be more than a few years older than me. You’re so young.”

Uchiha Li shook his head at her words. “No, I should be about the same age as you.”

They were currently in the Loulan of the past, so Sara was naturally still young. But in a few years, in the real world, their ages would be similar.

Sara’s eyes lit up as she understood the meaning behind his words, then she looked to the side at Kakashi.

“My name is Kakashi, also from the Leaf Village,” Kakashi said, a little helpless. But since he had resolved to join Terra to grow stronger, he had no other choice. In any case, it wasn’t him agreeing to the conditions but Uchiha Li—so what was there to be afraid of?

Sara nodded, although she was a little puzzled that Kakashi still wore a mask under his mask, but she didn’t ask further.

“My second condition: to ensure that my future self can find you smoothly, I need to leave a mark on you.”

Hearing this, Uchiha Li frowned. “What kind of mark?”

“A mark formed by the bloodline of my clan,” Sara replied. Before Uchiha Li could refuse, she continued, “Don’t refuse—this is for your own good.”

Uchiha Li was taken aback, signaling for Sara to go on.

Sara spoke slowly:

“For generations, the Dragon Vein has been controlled by the bloodline of my clan, and it seems to have developed something akin to a consciousness.”

“Its ‘consciousness’ can identify whether someone belongs to my clan, and it only obeys my clan’s commands.”

“So if I don’t leave a mark, it won’t let you take its power so easily.”

After she finished, Sara looked silently at Uchiha Li, not urging him.

Uchiha Li fell silent as he absorbed this explanation. At last, for the sake of successfully transferring and controlling the Dragon Vein, he chose to agree. “Alright. What preparations are needed?”

Since he’d already met Sara in the real world, when he returned he could fulfill her request and resolve any lingering issues.

Moreover, since the Dragon Vein had brought him and Kakashi to this past Loulan, it was likely due to this very mark. In other words, this was something that must and should happen. If he refused rashly, unpredictable consequences might follow!

Seeing Uchiha Li agree, Sara replied, “No need for any preparations, just leave it to me.”

With that, she bit her own finger and held it out to him.

Uchiha Li stared at the pale, delicate finger, fresh blood welling at its tip, momentarily stunned and unable to react.

Sara prompted him, “What are you spacing out for? Hurry and drink it.”

“Eh?” Uchiha Li was taken aback, feeling awkward about the act.

Sara stamped her foot, exasperated, and simply dabbed her bloody finger onto his lips herself.

A faint metallic taste seeped into his mouth, and Uchiha Li instinctively swallowed the drop of blood.

He never expected that Sara’s so-called “mark” would involve her own blood—delivered in such a manner.

For some reason, Uchiha Li felt a strange sense of guilt, despite having done nothing questionable.

“Aren’t you going to let go?” came Sara’s soft, slightly embarrassed voice after a moment. Her cheeks were tinged with red.

Uchiha Li immediately stepped back in embarrassment, but before he could speak, he sensed subtle changes in himself and his surroundings. A wave of warmth flashed through him then vanished, but now, when he reached out with his senses toward the Dragon Vein deep underground, he felt a strange sense of kinship.

It was a subtle feeling, difficult to describe, but there was no doubt that the mark was working: the Dragon Vein’s power no longer rejected him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Uchiha Li said, shaking off his stray thoughts and changing the subject. “Alright, time’s almost up. Let’s begin.”

He stepped to the center of the altar, placing his right hand on the ground.

The immense power of the Dragon Vein below seemed to sense something, and the entire tower began to tremble.

Activating his Mangekyo once more, Uchiha Li called out to Sara behind him, “Now, release the Dragon Vein’s power completely!”

“The Dragon Vein is yours,” Sara replied without hesitation. She closed her eyes, lips moving in a murmured chant.

The strange incantation became a song, echoing throughout the tower, and the Dragon Vein began to surge, flooding upward.

The Dragon Vein, symbol of the ancient Loulan kingdom, was a treasure passed down through generations of Loulan’s queens. But for the sake of her people’s safety, she was willing to relinquish it. To her, the true treasure of Loulan was its people.

Now, with Terra’s protection, Loulan could continue on in another form, avoiding annihilation.

As the song reached its crescendo, the Dragon Vein’s power surged from the heart of the earth.

Seeing this, Uchiha Li began to exhaust his eye power, constructing Terra’s teleportation array.

A giant vortex appeared at his left eye, generating a powerful suction.

The vast energy of the Dragon Vein, sensing the kinship emanating from Uchiha Li, offered no resistance and flowed straight into his eye.

Standing nearby, Kakashi and Sara were speechless at the scene before them. Uchiha Li’s abilities continually defied their expectations.

Time ticked by. Uchiha Li didn’t know how long he’d been absorbing the energy—only that when even the regenerative power of the First Hokage’s cells could no longer keep up with the drain on his eyes, the transfer finally ended.

Suddenly, a noise sounded from above the tower.

Without hesitating, Uchiha Li hurriedly donned his mask and called to Kakashi, “Put your mask on, quick!”

Kakashi, realizing what was happening, hastily put his own mask back on.

“Flying Thunder God Technique!”

A streak of golden light appeared more than a hundred meters away.

In an instant, it sliced through the tower, moving at a speed that was impossible to follow with the naked eye, and arrived at the altar’s center.

Minato’s figure appeared before the three of them…