novelraw Chapter 184 - 182: Main Course
Chapter 184 - 182: Main Course
At these words, the crowd couldn’t help but look outside.
At that moment, outside the door.
After twisting and turning through several long corridors, rock gardens, and archways, Wu Yu and Changzhu followed the group to the entrance of the dining hall.
"When the food is served, we’ll strike immediately and take care of them. Find the Yun Shen Tea Tree and leave right away. Don’t linger."
Although Wu Yu hadn’t opened his mouth, his voice sounded in Changzhu’s ear.
"Don’t worry!"
A smile lifted the corners of Changzhu’s mouth as she gently stroked her sleeve.
Her Giant Sword was hidden within it.
As a Disciple of the Sword Pavilion, her weapon was, of course, a Blood Refining Spiritual Soldier.
After years of nurturing, it had long since become incredibly miraculous, even capable of shrinking to the size of a finger for a short time, allowing her to hide it inside her sleeve.
Just then.
CREAK. The wooden door was pushed open, and the scene inside was revealed to the two of them.
But after getting a clear look at the situation inside...
The expressions on the faces of Changzhu and Wu Yu, who were standing at the very back, changed drastically.
They saw nine figures seated inside, whose gazes now fell upon them in unison.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room fell into a brief silence.
Changzhu and Wu Yu froze, their pupils shrinking.
From the dense aura of the Black Blood Species emanating from these figures, the pair instantly identified them.
They were all Middle-Rank Black Blood Species.
They couldn’t understand why there were eight additional Middle-Rank Black Blood Species in Black Stone City. Including the original Black Stone, that made nine in total.
In that instant, the thought of retreat rose in their minds.
At the same time, they secretly pushed their Concealing Breath Technique to its limit, and the flow of True Essence Power within their bodies nearly came to a standstill.
The aura around them was suppressed to the extreme, making them no different from ordinary people.
Even though they were top prodigies from the Seven Great Schools, confident enough to defeat any single Middle-Rank Black Blood Species one-on-one—or even escape from two—this was another story entirely.
But before them were a full nine Middle-Rank Black Blood Species, a number far beyond what the two of them could handle.
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and serve the dishes!"
Just then.
After the sinister-looking Lower-Rank Black Blood Species at the side asked with a fawning expression and received the order to serve, he immediately turned to the servants behind him.
Hearing this, the servants, who had been frozen by the oppressive auras, jolted and hurried forward.
They placed the dishes they were holding one by one on the table in front of the guests.
The table was laden with all kinds of meats and vegetables.
"Black Stone, is this your so-called surprise? This Exotic Beast Meat?"
A towering, iron-pagoda-like figure to the side spoke up.
His lower body was human, but bizarrely, three furry, ferocious wolf heads grew from his neck.
As a Middle-Rank Black Blood Species who had consumed blood-meals for at least several hundred years, he had seen every kind of meat imaginable and naturally recognized what was on the table with a single glance.
His tone was tinged with displeasure.
Among the Black Blood Species, while the flesh of other creatures was edible...
...none could compare to the flesh of the Human Race. It was as if humans were born to be their most suitable blood-meal.
Under normal circumstances, substituting other meats when hosting guests was an act of extreme disrespect.
At this, the other Middle-Rank Black Blood Species also looked over.
Their gazes all carried a hint of dissatisfaction.
’He invites us to a blood banquet but isn’t even willing to serve human flesh?’
"Heh heh, what’s the rush?"
Hu Qi chuckled, ignoring the gazes of the Black Blood Species.
"I invited you all to a blood banquet. How could I be so cheap? These are just appetizers.
Since none of you care for these appetizers, let’s just move on to the main course.
However, the main course is in short supply. It will all depend on your own abilities."
Before the many Black Blood Species could react to his words...
...Hu Qi’s gaze fell on the area behind the servants, a vicious grin flashing across his face.
As he raised his hand, a giant palm print formed from black qi materialized, smashing down toward Changzhu and Wu Yu like a mountain crashing from the heavens.
Seeing this, the servants on the spot pissed themselves in terror and scattered in all directions, leaving only Changzhu and Wu Yu standing there.
The expressions of the two, who had been about to abandon their plan, contorted in shock.
As top prodigies of the Seven Great Schools, they had mastered countless Secret Techniques, including Dharma Gates for concealing their auras.
While they couldn’t fool a Food Master, hiding from the senses of a Middle-Rank Black Blood Species should have been easy.
’But now... why did he see through our Disguise at a glance?’
But this was clearly not the time to be thinking about that.
Instead of retreating, Wu Yu advanced. He took a step forward and thrust out a palm of his own, gathering wisps of water vapor from the surrounding air.
Like a surging tide, his attack rushed toward the descending black palm print.
The two forces collided violently in mid-air, creating a deafening roar.
Under Wu Yu’s powerful strike, the giant black palm print shattered like fragile glass, dissipating into wisps of black qi.
The powerful aftershock seemed to tear the very air, and the scattered waves swept through the entire room like a violent gale.
With this move, his Disguise completely dissolved, revealing his true appearance as the aura of a Secret Martial Artist emanated from him.
The same happened to Changzhu. Her figure shrank, and the Giant Sword materialized in her palm.
"These are Secret Martial Artists from the surface. Their flesh is of the highest quality and needs no cooking..."
Just then, Hu Qi’s voice drifted over leisurely.
"Secret Martial Artists?"
There was no need for Hu Qi’s introduction. The various Black Blood Species, who had been sitting calmly, all shot to their feet, their eyes locked on the pair.
The powerful aura emanating from the eight Black Blood Species combined was so intense it seemed to freeze the very air.
The blood-red greed in their eyes was practically spilling from their sockets.
The physique of a Secret Martial Artist was in no way comparable to that of an ordinary person.
And to the Black Blood Species, a Qi Dao Grandmaster’s body, radiating with rich Qi and Blood and True Essence Power, was like a walking Treasure Medicine.
As Middle-Rank Black Blood Species, they had naturally heard of such a top-grade blood-meal.
Unfortunately, since those Secret Martial Artists only existed on the surface, they had only ever heard tales and had never seen one for themselves.
They never expected to see one here.
"Go!"
At that moment, Changzhu and Wu Yu exchanged a look, their figures transforming into streaks of Flowing Light as they smashed through the roof and bolted.
"Hehehe, everyone, I’ll be helping myself to these two blood-meals first."
The Blood Lizard gave a sinister smile, one filled with ferocity and greed.
His figure blurred into motion, flashing like a brilliant crimson light. He shot out in an instant, his speed so great that he left only a hazy afterimage in the air.
The remaining Middle-Rank Black Blood Species were not to be outdone, each one of them unleashing their formidable power.
One by one, their figures shot out like fleeting streaks of Flowing Light, bursting through the roof with a sharp momentum and vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, the room became exceptionally quiet, with only Hu Qi left sitting there silently.
In addition, there were a dozen or so Lower-Rank Black Blood Species who had accompanied the Middle-Rank ones.
These Lower-Rank Black Blood Species now looked panicked, glancing at each other, unsure of what to do.
A tense atmosphere filled the air, like the calm before a storm.
Hu Qi showed no intention of giving chase, as if he didn’t care about the outcome at all.
Eight Middle-Rank Black Blood Species were a terrifying force when combined.
There was absolutely no way Changzhu and Wu Yu could be their opponents.
But those two were, after all, prodigies meticulously nurtured by the Seven Great Schools.
Therefore, the possibility of them being killed was also slim.
The reason he was so certain...
...was that after his strength reached Qi Dao Grandmaster Peak and his Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Bloodline was perfected to 69%, his perception had become much more refined.
He sensed a faint feeling of danger from the two of them.
’Those two definitely have some kind of trump card to save their own lives.
This is perfect. I can let these Black Blood Species force them to play their trump card.’
With that thought, Hu Qi devoured the remaining Exotic Beast Meat in just a few bites.
Then he stood up and spoke.
"Feathered Crow!"
At his call, Feathered Crow’s figure stepped forward.
"Lord Black Stone, what are your orders?"
However, before she could finish speaking, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen.
Looking down, she saw a thick arm had pierced straight through her chest.
"Wh... Why? Lord Black Stone... Was there something I didn’t do well enough?"
She looked up, and her eyes met Hu Qi’s indifferent face. Her beautiful features were filled with disbelief.
Just as she finished speaking, her entire body turned into a dry skeleton, crumbled to the ground, and disintegrated into Ashes.
"No, you did very well!"
Hu Qi’s voice slowly followed.
This woman, Feathered Crow, had been a competent subordinate.
But unfortunately, her essence was that of a Black Blood Species. Her loyalty was to "Black Stone," not to him.
"Lord Black Stone, this..."
A nearby Lower-Rank Black Blood Species started to say something, only to see the corner of Hu Qi’s mouth curl up, revealing his stark white teeth.
His pupils instantly elongated and turned Crimson as his gaze fell directly upon them.
"The appetizers are finished. It’s time for the main course!"
As he spoke, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
BANG! BANG! BANG! ...
Immediately after, the nearly twenty Lower-Rank Black Blood Species, who had just sensed that something was wrong and were about to flee...
...had their heads explode almost simultaneously, like watermelons dropped on the ground, splattering black blood and brain matter everywhere.
They turned into headless corpses, teetering unstably, about to fall to the ground.
The next second.
A faint red, invisible wave radiated out from Hu Qi.
In an instant.
It was as if an invisible, intangible, transparent giant mouth appeared in the void and devoured all the Black Blood Species whole.
Hu Qi’s aura surged, and the Crimson snake-like pupils in his eyes grew even more scarlet, looking as if they might start bleeding at any moment.
This was, of course, Hu Qi’s doing.
After upgrading his Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Spirit Devouring Map and his Three-Eyed Primordial Snake Bloodline...
...the Talent of Spirit Devouring was naturally enhanced as well.
It could even extend beyond his body, forming a Gorging Realm centered on him that covered an area with a twenty-meter radius.
The Gorging Realm was a derivative of his Spirit Devouring Talent, equivalent to an invisible giant mouth.
It could devour everything within it.
In Hu Qi’s eyes, it was a divine skill for disposing of corpses—no, for disposing of Black Blood Species and harvesting Modification Points.