C1027 Please Continue!
The air was thick with a bloody mist, and the stench was overpowering. The corpses of the Otherkin, who had perished by Yu Yuan's blade, lay withering in pools of blood. The moisture and vital energy from their muscles seemed to fuse with the mist, turning it as dense as water. Fleeting glimmers, barely visible to the naked eye, emerged from the shattered bones, only to vanish without a trace.
Yu Yuan hovered amidst the blood mist of various Otherkin, his expression wild with elation, his eyes brimming with joy. He inhaled deeply, as if a whale drawing in water, eager to absorb all the vital energy concealed within the mist into his chest. He sensed the enigma of the Altar of Rebirth...
The crimson altar, nestled within the little world of vitality, spun rapidly, creating an immensely intricate magnetic field. The vital energy from the flesh and bones of the nearby fallen Otherkin coalesced into the mist, which the Altar of Rebirth then devoured, refined, and purified. This energy dispersed through his limbs and bones, reaching even his consciousness and soul.
The Altar of Rebirth's presence gave him an epiphany—that as long as he continued to slay Otherkin, he could harness the altar to channel various powers and sustain his formidable combat strength indefinitely!
Take, for example, this moment. The numerous wounds inflicted upon him by the combined might of the eighth-level Crypt Clan and Shura warriors had healed completely. The streams of vital energy emanating from the Altar of Rebirth had just replenished what he had expended in the fight. The vital energy that had drained from his acupoints was now so abundant it nearly overflowed.
The surplus of vitality essence vanished into his bones, meridians, and organs, continuously tempering his physique and amplifying his strength. While human cultivators typically replenished their vitality through dietary means—consuming meat rich in vitality or ingesting pills with similar benefits—the evilkind often resorted to consuming raw meat to fortify their bodies.
Yet, with the Altar of Rebirth at his command, Yu Yuan's ability to replenish his vitality had multiplied exponentially. In the midst of battle, he could directly seize the rich vital energy from the freshly burst corpses of the Otherkin, transforming it into a bloody mist and swiftly refining it for his own use.
In a remarkably short time, Yu Yuan's combat strength surged dramatically, bolstered by the feedback from the Altar of Rebirth!
He thrived on the principle of using battle to fuel further battle.
Wielding the 'Nine Celestial Slashes', his sword strikes were relentless, one after another, cutting down the attacking bandits. Far from showing any signs of fatigue, his fighting prowess only grew stronger with each encounter!
This was no mere illusion—it was an undeniable reality!
"Keep it coming!"
Standing proudly outside the Luminescent Barrier, his foot on the edge of a stone, Yu Yuan pointed his sword sheath at Pattinson and Lambing, flashing a brilliant white smile. "Such exhilarating combat—I could hardly have imagined this back in the Everlands."
Images of his past, when he served under Hong Qi and poisoned many formidable foes, involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
The thrill of directly slaughtering the Otherkin with the sharp crimson glow of his sword far surpassed the indirect method of using poison.
His real body was revealed with a hiss, and the blood mist trailing behind him continued to channel vital energy into the Altar of Rebirth, prompting him to let out a triumphant howl to the heavens.
At the forefront, Pattinson's face was etched with seriousness, while Lambing's smile had vanished.
They were facing a formidable challenge.
Nearly thirty bandits of the sixth and seventh levels had fallen, their deaths coming all too easily, instantly cleaved by the scarlet sword light.
Even the eighth-level bloodline warrior of the Crypt Clan, the Shura General, found himself in dire straits, immobilized by the luminous orb of sword light.
Yu Yuan, ostensibly just at the Spirit Walk level, boldly stepped out from the Luminescent Barrier, fully exposed to the corrupt energies of the Star River, seemingly unaffected.
"It must be the pale aqua light barrier protecting him, allowing him to shrug off most attacks. And that scabbard he wields—it's undoubtedly a high-level spiritual weapon!" Lambing inhaled sharply, contemplating whether to activate the potent device his father had left behind to utterly obliterate Yu Yuan.
"You've lived up to my expectations," Elena exclaimed with vigor.
As her underlings fell tragically to Yu Yuan's sword, not a trace of sorrow crossed her face.
Her heart was as cold as iron.
"Uncle Pattinson, he's extraordinary. Some of the vital energy from our fallen is being quietly harvested by him." Despite her excitement, Elena's keen observational and analytical skills remained sharp. "His constitution is incredibly robust. I believe he's every bit as strong as I am."
"If I'm not mistaken, he must be practicing the Colddeath's mystical spell in the Everlands," Pattinson stated gravely.
"Colddeath!"
Lambing and Elena were both taken aback.
In the vast expanse of the cosmos, there were numerous tales about the Colddeath and the Blood Fiend. Those Otherkin who had encountered the formidable members of the Colddeath and Blood Fiend were convinced that this sinister sect, shunned even by its own, from the Everlands, had some murky connection with the Star-Spawned Terror, the Otherkin of the Blood Fiend.
For both the followers of the Colddeath and the kin of the Blood Fiend shared an insatiable thirst for blood!
Moreover, they could draw additional strength from the lifeblood within the bodies of other races.
"It all makes sense now..."
Lambing nodded to himself, observing several seventh-level Moonlit Wanderers advancing towards Yu Yuan along golden chains. He furrowed his brow and, using the ancient tongue of the Moonlit Wanderers, intervened.
They were his kin from the Moonlit Wanderers.
The senseless death of his own people would still cause him pain.
At his call, the seventh-level bandits nearing Yu Yuan either halted on their own or were restrained by their Moonlit Wanderer peers.
Yu Yuan, with a smirk that wasn't quite a smile, watched the bandits who had ceased their suicidal onslaught and said with a tinge of regret, "They are indeed too weak. Coming here is just a death sentence."
Having fought alongside several Otherkin warriors in the Moonfall Sanctuary and after a recent bout of carnage, he had a basis for comparison. The Otherkin warriors mixed in with the bandits were far inferior to the regular armies that had entered the Everlands, especially when compared to the elite forces of other races.
At the seventh level of bloodline, the bandits from the Ashen Hollow were no match for the combined forces of the other races' warriors.
On the one hand, the Otherkin who made up the bandits were already from disadvantaged groups, and on the other hand, they were not particularly distinguished within their own races.
In addition, it was unlikely they would receive the most rigorous training or possess truly formidable weapons and artifacts, nor was their bloodline awakening sufficient...
Under all these circumstances, the bandits appeared even weaker.
For Yu Yuan, dispatching them was effortless and satisfying, posing no challenge at all.
"Ugh..."
Just as he was preparing to traverse the Star River and make a solitary dash for the mainland, he heard a soft cry of pain from the Voidweaver girl beneath the Luminescent Barrier behind him.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look.
Somehow, Hart had managed to bring Benin from a remote corner to a position right behind him.
Benin was shivering, her breath erratic, and her soul was pulsating in an unusual manner. In such a state, she might die quickly even without facing any external threats.
Hart supported her, his eyes bloodshot, and said with a voice thick with emotion, "You promised us! You said we would survive!"
"He has kept his word. It's just that I've been corroded once more by the psionic powers of the Star River..." Benin's voice trailed off weakly.
"He, he..." Hart stammered, his face flushing as he struggled to find an excuse and realized he was at a loss for words.
Yu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
By rights, Benin had met his expectations by identifying the stable space rift and bravely venturing through it first.
Upon reaching the Ashen Hollow, Yu Yuan had not harmed Benin and Hart; he had granted them their freedom.
In the Ashen Hollow, they were ill-equipped to handle the bandits who were at odds with the allied forces, and they couldn't escape. Technically, their predicament was unrelated to him.
The only connection was that they were collateral damage. The enemy had lifted the "Luminescent Barrier" to target his Lunar Spirit, inadvertently triggering Benin's dormant afflictions.
He could easily overlook Benin's plight and let her fate unfold without his intervention.
His gaze shifted to Hart.
Hart met his gaze, eyes wide with fear but also with a fierce determination.
In Hart's eyes shone a desperate resolve to ensure Benin's survival, regardless of the cost, even if it meant risking his own life.
Yu Yuan was moved by Hart's fearless defiance and nodded, "Let's leave it to fate. I'm not sure if this will work."
With those words, he tossed the World-Sundering Stone to Benin.
The gray stone effortlessly ripped through the "Luminescent Barrier," causing a third of the hidden arrays and crimson patterns beneath to burst open.
Pattinson's heart raced, his complexion ashen with fear.
Benin, on the brink of death due to her volatile bloodline, felt a noticeable improvement in her spirits as the Dragon Slaying Stage passed through the "Luminescent Barrier" and drew near.
Benin reverently clasped the Dragon Slaying Stage with both hands and gently knelt.
