novelraw Chapter 144: Descent (2)
Chapter 144: Descent (2)
If their Power of Life continued to drain away like this, death was the only thing awaiting them.
Once they were dead, they would have nothing left.
’As long as we can get back to the Inner Earth World, Lord Food Master will be able to save us!’
This was the only thought on their minds.
They couldn’t care less about the mission they had been assigned.
Any punishment, no matter how severe, was better than dying.
However, Hu Qi had no intention of letting the Modification Points that had fallen into his lap just fly away.
His figure flickered as he unleashed a torrent of Sword Lights, hacking away as if they cost him nothing.
Although these attacks were immensely powerful, their cost was also terrifyingly high.
If Hu Qi hadn’t opened a perfect Qi Vein Divine Treasure—especially one of such a massive volume—he would never have been able to sustain this level of consumption.
Even so, the True Essence Power in his body was being depleted at a rapid rate.
At this intensity, Hu Qi could only keep up the assault for an hour at most.
However...
In contrast, Blood Yin and Blood Sun couldn’t last for an hour—they couldn’t even hold on for a few more minutes.
In just a short time, they looked utterly wretched, their bodies riddled with fresh wounds.
As the number of gashes increased, the Vitality within them drained away even faster.
Their forms grew unstable in the air; it seemed they could barely maintain flight.
The feeling drove them mad with the desire to attack Hu Qi.
But Hu Qi never got close. He just kept his distance, relentlessly unleashing Sword Lights.
...
「Over the great sea.」
The three, who had been focused on healing, watched the terrifying fluctuations from the battle above Anshan City. Horrifying Sword Lights flared up intermittently, and their expressions were a mixture of emotions.
"Is someone fighting those two Middle Black Blood Species?" Li Xia asked.
"Could it be Old Man Jiang..." Chu Feng frowned.
After all, those were two Middle Black Blood Species. To be qualified to fight them, one had to be a Qi Dao Grandmaster at the very minimum.
There was only one Secret Martial Artist of that level in Anshan City.
Jiang Zuo.
"We need to get over there and support him! With the strength of those two Middle Black Blood Species, Master won’t be able to last long!" Du Wang said anxiously, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He had only recently broken through to become a Qi Dao Grandmaster, making him the weakest of the three.
Holding this position for several days had already consumed a great deal of his energy. Combined with the severe injuries he had suffered from the two while moving the island, he was nearly at his limit.
Having finally recovered a bit, he prepared to rush over to help.
"Your injuries are too severe. Just stay here." Chu Feng, seeing Du Wang’s condition, immediately stopped him.
Du Wang was about to say something more when, suddenly, the fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy from the battle in the distance died down.
At this sight, all three of their expressions changed.
This could only mean one thing: the battle was over.
And barring any surprises, it meant the two Black Blood Species had won.
After all, the three of them had just experienced the power of those creatures firsthand and understood it all too well.
...
"How... could I... die... here..."
At this moment, Blood Sun’s voice was filled with utter indignation.
A long saber had pierced straight through his head.
After forcing out those final words, his eyes filled with terror.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he turned to ashes and dissipated.
"No, don’t kill me!"
Seeing Blood Sun, whose strength was on par with her own, die right before her, Blood Yin trembled in terror.
She was covered in wounds of all sizes, and with so much of her Vitality extinguished, her power had been drastically reduced. She could no longer maintain her Blood Eagle form and had reverted to her original human shape.
She was a woman with sleek black hair and a stunning figure.
The form-fitting, black Blood Pattern Armor she wore was shattered, revealing the clothes beneath and large patches of fair, smooth skin.
Combined with her beautiful, pale face, she had a certain pitiable allure.
Unfortunately for her, she was facing Hu Qi.
Her pleas for mercy had no effect on him.
Hu Qi’s long saber flashed, and he plunged it straight into her face. The sharp, shard-like blade pierced through the back of Blood Yin’s head.
Instantly, a massive amount of energy transformed from her Black Blood flowed up the blade and into Hu Qi’s body.
Next, Hu Qi devoured and absorbed Blood Yin’s Light of the Soul.
Compared to Lower-Rank Black Blood Species, the energy provided by two Middle Black Blood Species was undoubtedly far more immense.
It significantly nourished his physical strength and increased the circulation speed of his True Essence Power.
If he could kill a few more, he might be able to break through to the Second Layer of the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map’s Qi Vein Chapter without relying on the crimson panel.
————
[Modification Points: 133 (9%)]
The two Middle Black Blood Species had successfully pushed his Modification Points past the one-hundred mark.
Just as Hu Qi was preparing to upgrade the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map...
BOOM!
A sudden, violent boom erupted.
The sound came from the distant sea.
Upon realizing this, Hu Qi’s expression shifted.
The sense of danger he had felt ever since the gray fog appeared suddenly multiplied several times over.
There was only one possible reason for this.
’This guy can’t take a loss. Is he planning to step in personally?’
The realization dawned on him.
First, his pawn, Helinta, had been killed. Then, the two Middle Black Blood Species he sent had also died at Hu Qi’s hands.
One failure after another.
This had caused the Food Master to completely lose its patience, and it was now preparing to take action against Hu Qi directly.
Once he understood this, he had no intention of confronting it.
’Are you kidding me? That thing is a Food Master.’
If Hu Qi hadn’t known much about that realm before, he certainly did now. After devouring its Divine Fragment and the memories of the two Middle Black Blood Species, he had a general understanding of what it entailed.
No matter how much of a prodigy he was, if that being locked onto him, there was only one way out: death.
The gap between a Food Master and a Middle Black Blood Species was far greater than the one between an ant and a Qi Dao Grandmaster. It was simply beyond comparison.
For now, the only option was to hide.
’That thing didn’t show itself before because it was wary of certain individuals within the Xia Federation. Now, it has rashly descended to the Surface World just to kill me.’
This would inevitably attract the attention of the powerful beings within the Federation.
Thinking this, Hu Qi’s figure flickered, transforming into a streak of Flowing Light that shot into the distant city, quickly disappearing from view.
...
「A few seconds later...」
On the surface of the sea, the water churned and the gray fog boiled.
The three of them looked down.
Deep beneath the sea.
The island that had been moved to block the whirlpool passage exploded.
A colossal, 10,000-meter-tall figure in a black robe solidified into view. It rose from the depths like a towering black mountain.
As the dark silhouette emerged, the sea began to churn violently, sending monstrous waves into the sky.
On its giant black robe, complex silver patterns became visible, radiating an ancient and desolate aura.
"Quick, run! It’s a Food Master! A Food Master has descended! We’re finished!" Chu Feng’s face went deathly pale.
Hearing his words, Du Wang and Li Xia’s faces also changed drastically.
Not daring to linger, the three of them frantically squeezed out the last of their True Essence and fled into the distance.
A few breaths later, the black-robed figure fully solidified.
A pressure unique to a Food Master swept out, blanketing the entire sea.
All the fish and creatures in the ocean were frozen in place as an infinite pressure bore down on them.
Then, they exploded into clouds of blood mist, which were drawn by an unseen force into the black robe.
The silver patterns on the robe seemed to grow a little brighter.
Far away, Du Wang and the other two, who had fled more than ten li, seemed to suffer a devastating blow. They burst into clouds of blood mist and plunged into the sea, sending up small splashes.
The invisible wave continued to spread, enveloping all of Anshan City.
Ordinary people and Secret Martial Artists alike felt as if they were being stared at by a Divine Spirit.
Their bodies were like insects trapped in amber, unable to move in the slightest.
...
「Meanwhile, in an ordinary apartment in Anshan City.」
An all-black cat lay on the floor, completely still.
However, a closer look would reveal an unnervingly human-like expression in its amber eyes.
’So this is a Food Master? It’s truly terrifying.’ Hu Qi’s heart shook as he felt the gaze that seemed to pierce through everything.
The Food Master’s power was far beyond his imagination.
It was obvious that the creature was searching for him.
Fortunately, Hu Qi already had a countermeasure for this situation.
————
[Bloodline: Three-Eyed Primordial Snake (30%)]
[Talents: Spirit Devouring, Twisted Light]
...
[Modification Points: 33 (9%)]
In the brief moment he had while finding a place to hide, he had spent Modification Points to raise his Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Bloodline from 20% to 30%.
This had cost him exactly one hundred Modification Points.
One hundred Modification Points was no small sum.
If he had used them on the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map, it would have been enough to upgrade it two layers.
That would have been fine under normal circumstances, but in this situation, such a small boost in power wouldn’t play a decisive role.
He would still be facing certain death against this Food Master.
However, by spending them on the Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Bloodline and increasing its completeness, he could indirectly enhance his Talent Abilities.
The results were just as he expected.
As he brought his Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Bloodline to 30% completeness, he could clearly feel his Spirit Devouring Talent and Twisted Light Talent getting stronger.
The former was now more powerful and had a wider range.
The latter, his Twisted Light, had also grown in power.
It could not only distort others’ perception but could even distort his own being.
Right now, he was a cat, inside and out. Even an autopsy wouldn’t reveal any difference.
Feeling the gaze that continuously swept over the area, Hu Qi knew that in his animal form, he would attract far less attention than he would as a human.
He understood that unless his enemy destroyed all of Anshan City, it would be impossible to find him.
And by appearing in the Surface World and unleashing its power so recklessly, the creature couldn’t possibly stay for long.
All he had to do was keep himself safe in the meantime.
——
Things were unfolding just as Hu Qi had predicted.
The moment the enraged Ao Lin descended to the Surface World through the Earth Core Passage...
...far away, ten thousand li from there, in the capital of the Xia Federation.
A majestic mountain stood tall.
An endless stream of tourists flowed up the stone steps that snaked up from the mountain’s base.
There were young people in stylish clothes, cameras in hand, stopping from time to time to take photos.
There were parents with their children.
There were also some elderly people, their steps slow but steady, their eyes filled with devotion.
All of them ascended the steps.
Making their way toward the summit.
There, nestled on the peak, was an ancient Daoist temple.
On the plaque above the temple entrance were two large words:
[Xuanqing Temple]
The calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, as if drawn by a dancing dragon.
It was clearly the work of a master.
At this moment, the temple gates were wide open.
Upon entering, one was greeted by the rich scent of burning incense.
In the courtyard, tendrils of blue smoke curled up from several large incense burners.
All around were various divine statues.
But in the main hall, right in the center, stood only a single, giant divine statue.
Unlike the glittering, gold-plated Buddha statues often found in other temples, the divine statues in a Daoist temple could be simple clay sculptures.
The statue before them was immense. It held a horsetail whisk, sat straight and tall upon a lotus throne, and radiated an aura of sacred, inviolable majesty.
It was draped in a bluish-purple robe embroidered with exquisite, flowing patterns in vibrant colors, as if woven from celestial clouds.
However, there was something strange. This divine statue was different from the others.
This statue had no delineated facial features—only the faint outline of a face.