Chapter Twenty-Seven: Drinking Human Blood

Seeing that she was able to move, Xiao Yun breathed a sigh of relief and immediately urged, "Master, I will coordinate with you; let’s finish it off in one go."

Since the creature was determined to seek its own death by harming its master, there was no reason for it to remain alive. Besides, it was a pity that she had missed out on the Condensing Essence Herb earlier; now that a beast core had delivered itself to her doorstep, it would be foolish not to take it.

Su Yunqing nodded slightly and replied, "Alright!"

Since the opponent had already formed the intent to kill, it would not spare her regardless of her actions. She, in turn, would leave no room for future trouble, and she certainly would not be soft-hearted.

Xiao Yun channeled its spiritual power, and soon, a golden aura condensed before its eyes. Though it was only a small mass, it split into two smaller clusters, then reshaped itself into the form of sharp, tiny blades.

Xiao Yun maneuvered the two golden blades toward the giant serpent in the water. They moved with incredible speed, zipping forward with a sharp "whiz" until they were right before the snake’s eyes.

The serpent jerked its head to dodge, but the golden blades followed like shadows, trailing its every move and aiming directly for its eyes. The serpent realized the danger and became enraged; simultaneously, it felt its body grow sluggish, as if suppressed by an invisible spiritual pressure.

To be precise, it was bound by a primal sense of fear emanating from its very bones. Confusion flickered in its eyes, fueling its growing fury. The relentless pursuit of the golden blades only intensified its rage. Seizing the opportunity created by Xiao Yun’s attack, Su Yunqing lunged forward.

She dashed to the front of the serpent, brandishing a dagger wrapped in Xiao Yun’s spiritual energy, and slashed fiercely at the creature’s belly. Blood erupted instantly.

The serpent writhed in agony, its body thrashing wildly. As it lowered its head to see who had struck it, the two golden blades plunged directly into its eyes, blood streaming from its pupils.

Su Yunqing did not waste the opening Xiao Yun had provided. She quickly retreated, circled behind the beast, and caught it off guard by leaping onto its head. In the span of three breaths, she struggled to catch her breath, wielding a long sword in one hand and a dagger in the other—both imbued with golden spiritual energy—and drove them deep into the serpent’s skull, dragging them downward with all her might.

A muffled groan echoed as the head beneath her feet thrashed violently from side to side. Had she not gripped her sword tightly, she would have been thrown off. She maintained her downward pressure, even channeling her own fire-element spiritual energy into the wounds. The serpent’s struggles gradually slowed until it finally went limp, its head tilting and collapsing into the water.

"Master, I want its beast core. Please retrieve it for me," Xiao Yun’s voice resonated in her mind, sounding noticeably weak.

Su Yunqing quickly withdrew her sword from the creature’s skull. Before the snake’s head could sink fully into the water, she extracted the beast core and stepped off its body back to the shore.

Once on land, she handed the core to the exhausted Xiao Yun. "Take it. Go back and rest well; you’ve worked hard."

She knew that without Xiao Yun’s help, she might well have died there, and seeing the creature in such a state made her heart ache. Who said her spirit pets were useless? They were clearly like thoughtful little companions.

Of course, Xiao Wu was still a bit of a troublemaker—after all, this entire mess had started because it had gone into the water to fetch a treasure chest, leaving her and Xiao Yun to clean up the aftermath. Still, she hadn't anticipated this outcome, and at the very least, this would allow Xiao Wu to advance its cultivation.

"Master, I need one day to absorb this beast core. Don't worry if you don't hear from me," Xiao Yun said before retreating, ensuring she wouldn't be anxious.

Su Yunqing nodded and returned it to the contract space. She did not rush to leave, deciding to tend to her wounds instead. As she bowed her head to rummage through her pack for medicine, a jade pendant she had hastily hung around her neck swayed before her eyes.

The pendant was carved in the shape of a lotus, with characters engraved in its center. Out of curiosity, she reached out to grab the swinging pendant to get a better look, and her eyes widened in shock.

She saw with her own eyes that the blood on her hand was being absorbed. Frightened, she released it instantly, only to see the pendant remain as pristine and white as before, without a trace of blood.

She glanced at her hand, where her wound was still bleeding, yet the previous blood seemed to have been washed away, leaving no mark.

Could this pendant really consume human blood? Whether driven by curiosity or an inexplicable impulse, she clenched her right hand to force more blood from her wound and grabbed the pendant again. Sure enough, she watched as it absorbed the blood at a visible rate.

She frowned and let go, feeling uneasy about an object that drank blood. Just as she was hesitating over whether to discard it, thin threads of red began to appear within the snow-white jade, pulsing inside, until the pendant suddenly shone with a brilliant white light.

Before she could process what was happening, the pendant transformed into a beam of light and shot into the center of her brow.

A moment later, she felt a searing heat between her eyebrows, followed by a surge of power rushing directly toward her dantian.

She immediately attempted to channel her spiritual energy to resist and expel the force from her body, but the power was savage, crushing her own energy as it forced its way through. It seemed provoked, rampaging through her system. The pain was so intense that she collapsed, writhing on the ground, her features twisted, veins bulging on her forehead. She bit her lips so hard they bled, unaware of the taste of blood in her mouth.

She felt as if she were being torn apart and squeezed by two opposing forces within her. The sensation was agonizing, leaving her gasping for air. Her face turned deathly pale, and thick beads of sweat soaked her hair, making her look as if she had just been pulled from the water.

She realized that if she continued to resist forcefully, her body would be the first to break, leading to ruptured meridians and certain death. The foreign energy was already battering her meridians, and a portion of it was steadily gaining the upper hand.

With a flash of resolve, she withdrew her spiritual energy and instead wrapped it protectively around her meridians to shield them from the rampaging force.

As if satisfied by her concession, the once-tyrannical energy began to calm, moving slowly and gently through her body as if it were merely taking a leisurely stroll.