Crimson blood splattered across the bench. Li Xiye froze as if turned to stone. A bone-chilling cold, like a legion of vipers, slithered up her limbs and paralyzed her.
Xia Lan lay on the ground, her white dress stained red with blood. Her eyes were filled with confusion and terror. Clutching the gushing wound on her neck, she gasped for air like a drowning person. With the last of her strength, she forced out a desperate cry from her throat:
"Quick… run…"
Li Xiye's pupils trembled violently. Her heart seized in agony, and she could barely breathe. It was as if she'd been thrown into an ocean of pain, rcilessly drowned by the cruelty closing in from all sides.
Countless mories flashed through her mind. There was the ti she ran away from ho in middle school and got caught in a downpour. Huddled and shivering under the eaves, she swore she would rather die than return to that cold, loveless ho. The sky was dark, and the rain was torrential. Pedestrians in raincoats hurried down the streets as cars sent waves of water splashing from puddles. Though the rainy city night was still bustling with light, she felt abandoned by the entire World. It was then, at her most lonely and helpless mont, that a sopping wet Xia Lan found her.
Xia Lan had clearly taken a fall. Her knees and palms were scraped, and her expensive white clothes were splattered with dirty water. She was a complete ss. Anyone else would have been furious, but Xia Lan didn't bla her or get angry. After a visible sigh of relief, she gave her usual smile, squatted down, and patted Li Xiye's head.
"You should have at least sent a text. I was so worried about you."
"I know you've been down lately. Want to stay at my place for a few days? I have that ga console you love, and we can go to the music festival in a couple of days. If you don't want to go to school, I can call you in sick. But you can't run away from ho again, okay? It's dangerous. What if you'd run into a bad guy?"
She was as gentle as an Angel fallen to earth.
Back then, she felt so incredibly lucky to have a sister like Xia Lan, who would comfort her after her parents' harsh criticisms, care for her when she got hurt in fights, and lie on the grass with her, counting the Stars and sharing their Dreams…
But now, that person was lying in a pool of blood.
The cruelest of deaths…
SWISH! A sound of sothing slicing through the air. A wisp of dark energy, sharp as a blade, swept across Li Xiye's neck. Her Constellation Barrier flared to life, blocking the fatal attack.
"High-end stuff… tsk." The pale, handso man clicked his tongue in annoyance. Dark Energy, far more imnse than before, gathered between his fingers once again.
But just then, he saw the young woman's blood-red eyes.
It was a fire fueled by Anger and grief.
Sothing, brewing in her anguish, had changed.
Arcs of cyan lightning crackled to life, wrapping around Li Xiye's body. She felt her heart thumping powerfully like a war drum, her blood burning scalding hot. A violent emotion welled up from deep within, incinerating her sanity.
And with that, she descended into madness.
"I'm… going to kill you…"
Driven by pain, hatred, and rage, Li Xiye's body erupted with unprecedented Power, hurtling forward at an unbelievable speed.
"An awakening?" The Blood Race mber raised an eyebrow, a playful smile on his face. "You all continue with the plan. I'll play with her for a bit. She's quite an interesting…"
Before he could finish, Li Xiye was upon him. Cyan lightning converged on her fist as she poured all her rage and inner tornt into a savage punch, letting out a ferocious roar.
THUMP!
With a dull thud, viscous blood dripped from her fist. Li Xiye's punch had gone straight through the Blood Race mber's chest. She glared furiously at the still-smiling man, the fire inside her threatening to burn everything to the ground.
"For a newly awakened Ascender who hasn't gone through the Extraordinary Developnt Stage, your punching power and physical conditioning are quite astounding. Your Extraordinary Ability seems interesting…"
The Blood Race mber, completely unconcerned by the hole in his chest, began to comnt with great interest. "I can tell you've had training in Fighting Skill. But unfortunately, an injury of this level is nothing to us Blood Race."
Li Xiye yanked back her blood-soaked arm. Her fists were covered in cyan lightning, like a pair of gloves. She let out a beast-like snarl and began pumling the Blood Race mber's face like a professional boxer, her ruthless blows severely distorting his cold, handso features and sending blood flying.
But he was still smiling.
"Wonderful strength. To be honest, this kind of physical assault is my greatest pleasure. It's the only thing that makes feel truly alive. If this were any other ti, I'd gladly let you hit for days on end, but…"
He let out a low laugh. "My ti is limited right now. You have the potential to beco a High Level Blood Race, but whether you live or die depends on your performance…"
The cold Blood Race mber's body suddenly split apart, transforming under the moonlight into hundreds, even thousands of red-eyed bats. They flapped their wings and scattered in all directions. Every few dozen bats would form a chaotic, swirling swarm, encircling Li Xiye and trapping her.
"You'll have to kill every single bat to truly kill . Why don't you give it a try?" The Blood Race mber's mocking words emanated from the mouth of every bat as a disorienting sonar wave.
The frenzied young woman had long since lost her reason, dominated by her inner rage, violence, and killing intent. The cyan lightning around her surged, covering her entire body. With a roar, she beca a ravaging thunderstorm.
·
「In the banquet hall.」
Zhou Chen, who had been looking over so docunts, abruptly looked up.
Elder Li and Uncle Thirteen also sensed sothing, and their expressions changed drastically.
"Essence Fluctuation. An Ascender is fighting. I also sense a Dark Barrier, and many dark creatures are approaching… Blood Race!" Zhou Chen stood up, his expression grim. "Does the Li Family have other Ascenders?"
"We have hired bodyguards, but they shouldn't be in the Garden," Uncle Thirteen replied.
"It's Xiao Ye…" Mother Li realized sothing and said gravely, "Xiao Ye ran into Xia Lan just now. They must have gone to the back Garden…"
"Sound the alarm!" Zhou Chen walked over to a workbench piled with Extraordinary tal, casually grabbing two pieces of Silver tal. Pale white flas erupted from beneath his feet, engulfing him completely. When the flas dissipated, he was gone.
A piercing alarm instantly blared throughout the entire manor. But at that exact mont, the night sky suddenly dimd. The stars vanished, as if covered by a giant black curtain that descended and imprisoned the entire manor in Darkness.
—A Super Large Dark Barrier!
'Damn it,' Zhou Chen cursed inwardly. He hadn't expected the Blood Race to co knocking at a ti like this. If the entire Blood Race force gathered in Hong City were to attack, the Li Clan would very likely be wiped out tonight!
'I hope the Star Association can get here in ti.'
After a few Fla Jumps, he arrived at the back Garden of Li Manor. The Dark Barrier enveloped the area, causing the manor's entire electrical system to fail. Not a single speck of light could be seen; it was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. This was the perfect environnt for the Blood Race to fight in.
The next second, Zhou Chen dodged to the side, evading an incoming Long Saber. He threw a punch in return. A thunderous explosion echoed in the Darkness as a pale fla flared, briefly illuminating the scene.
A powerful gust of wind erupted. A figure exploded into pieces, flesh and blood flying everywhere, instantly reduced to a scattered pile of gore.
The fleeting flash of fire illuminated the surrounding Darkness, revealing dozens of Blood Race mbers wielding various Weapons who had silently surrounded Zhou Chen. The cruel, savage grins on their faces were frozen in place. They had intended to toy with this human to death in the dark, but they hadn't expected one of their own to be taken out so decisively right at the start.
That Blood Race mber showed no signs of healing. It was utterly and completely dead.
Blasted to bits by overwhelming Power…
"Don't be scared! There are more than ten of us! If we all strike him once, we can cut him down!" one of the Blood Race shouted to bolster their courage.
Zhou Chen showed no fear. With a cold and stern expression, he said, "I know so of you were forcibly conscripted. You don't like to fight, and you don't like to kill. If you put down your Weapons and tell the Blood Race's plan, I will guarantee your safety."
"Hmph, do you think we're like those cowards? That lot isn't even worthy of participating in an operation led by the Saint Child." A cold sneer ca from the Darkness.
'The Saint Child… The Blood Race brought a Saint Child?' Zhou Chen frowned. 'I wonder what rank that Saint Child is, and how difficult they'll be to deal with.'
'So there are no innocent Blood Race mbers here…'
"Grant the Ability of night vision."
He made a wish in his heart. At the sa ti, the two pieces of Silver tal he had pocketed earlier were swiftly forged into two sharp Silver Swords by the Hamr of Forging. Zhou Chen gripped the twin swords, took a deep breath, and Essence surged from the soles of his feet as flas violently erupted.
Unleashed with explosive acceleration—My Style Secret Technique: Gale Step!
And, completely modified in a flash of inspiration—My Style Secret Technique: Turbulent Sword Dance!
In that instant, Zhou Chen charged forward, wreathed in Fiery Fire and gusting wind. The blades of his two Silver Swords blazed with roaring flas, transforming into two silver-white shooting stars that streaked through the Darkness. Their paths curved and extended, gentle yet swift, like a stream flowing through a winding mountain gorge, yet they carried a sharp, cold glint that was impossible to look at directly.
When the two lines of brilliant light ca to a halt, every Blood Race mber touched by the silver glint was decapitated. The sound of gushing blood was like falling rain as heads rolled across the ground like soccer balls, their ability to self-heal seared away by the Soul-Burning Fla.
Zhou Chen flicked the blood from his twin swords and sighed.
The sound of flapping bat wings ca from the Darkness, a sign that more and more Blood Race were being drawn by the scent of the living.
A nacing swarm of bats descended from the dark clouds, blanketing the sky. Pairs of crimson eyes glowed with bloodthirsty malevolence. The combined wave of their hungry shrieks seed powerful enough to rupture eardrums. Upon catching the scent of a healthy living person, the swarms changed direction and charged toward Zhou Chen.
Ti to feed!
"I don't have ti to waste on you."
Zhou Chen stabbed one Silver Sword into the ground and created an extra-large Alchemy Bomb with one hand. He tossed the basketball-sized Alchemy Bomb into the air, then gripped the hilt of his sword and, as if playing tennis, swung the flat of the blade—
—Serve!
The Alchemy Bomb traced a perfect parabola through the air and landed amidst the dense swarm of bats.
BOOM!!!
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