C1406 Blood Puppet

"Stop!"

Yu Yuan's voice suddenly escalated.

Yet, Ann Ziqing ignored him completely.

She staggered forward as if intoxicated, her cheeks flushed with a persistent determination.

Yu Yuan observed her closely, able to perceive every movement within her body.

The flow of her blood, the intricate connection between her Solar Spirit and the seven amethyst pools within her little world of vitality.

The seven acupoint worlds brimming with a faint blood mist, imprinted with the arcane of the Colddeath.

With a mere thought, Yu Yuan attempted to halt Ann Ziqing's actions using his own Solar Spirit.

"Freeze!"

Ann Ziqing's delicate legs tensed, the fine muscles within seemingly snapping tight, abruptly cut off from their supply of blood and strength.

Her moving legs became as heavy as mountains, and her body slowly stiffened until it came to a standstill...

Yet, she was completely unaware that Yu Yuan had influenced her limbs.

She continued to gaze at Yu Yuan's Solar Spirit with an awe akin to discovering a new world or beholding a priceless treasure.

She seemed utterly bewitched.

In that moment, the term "blood bound slave" surfaced in the depths of Yu Yuan's mind.

Back in the Annihilation Nebula, numerous Warpbeasts were transformed into blood bound slaves by the Demon God Grec, who masterfully manipulated them to traverse the frigid astral seas, conquering new territories and vanquishing foes for him.

Cao Yi, once a prodigy of the Ebon Star and a practitioner of both the Ebon Star and Colddeath mystiques, was full of sinister tricks. Yet, even he became a blood bound slave to Grec on the Primal Blood Continent.

Cao Yi's entire being was twisted, utterly subservient to Grec, at the mercy of his every whim.

In times of peril, Grec could even draw upon the theurgy of the Blood Fiend to siphon energy from his blood bound slaves for his own use.

The lives of these slaves were inconsequential to him; they existed solely to serve and, if necessary, to die for him.

Now, Ann Ziqing gave Yu Yuan the impression that she had become his blood bound slave.

A unique bond of blood connected them, granting him the power to manipulate the flow of Ann Ziqing's blood and command her body.

It was as though the seven amethyst pools within Ann Ziqing's body were connected to her Solar Spirit.

Ann Ziqing had become, in essence, an external amethyst pool for Yu Yuan.

But why was this the case?

Yu Yuan wore a puzzled expression. His first thought was of the time he used the psionic power from the Altar of Rebirth to heal the gravely injured Ann Ziqing within Ionodios. He had infused the vital energy, imbued with the essence of life and rebirth, into her seven amethyst pools.

This act had reinvigorated Ann Ziqing with new life.

The vital energy within the pools had been assimilated by Ann Ziqing into her Solar Spirit, becoming an integral part of her being.

The sinister spell practiced by Ann Ziqing and the entire Colddeath originated from the Blood Fiend, an entity from beyond their world. The creator of the Blood Fiend hailed from the Root of the Solar Meridian on the Primal Blood Continent!

Yu Yuan's Altar of Rebirth, forged from the Sunsorrow of the Abyssal Leviathan, was in fact a missing piece of the Root of the Solar Meridian.

The blood crystal belonging to Grec, containing the essence of the Demon God's blood, also belonged to the Root of the Solar Meridian, a fragment of that enigmatic being.

"It must be so! It was I who, during her time of dire injury, infused my own unique lifeblood into her seven Blood Pools! After she refined this vital energy and integrated it with her Solar Spirit, she became linked to me by blood."

"With the formation of my unique Solar Spirit, I could subtly influence her through this natural bond."

"Has she thus become my... peculiar blood bound slave?"

Yu Yuan pondered.

Whoosh!

Streams of blood light burst forth from the amethyst pools within Ann Ziqing's body, drawn by the shifts in Yu Yuan's thoughts, flying towards him.

As the blood light neared the brink of leaving Ann Ziqing's acupoint, Yu Yuan reconsidered, and the light obediently retreated to its origin.

Yu Yuan was merely experimenting to confirm his suspicions that he could indeed seize Ann Ziqing's blood power and assimilate it into his own. Once he ascertained this was possible, he decisively refrained from doing so.

Stroking his chin, he observed Ann Ziqing, who stood motionless, unaware of what had transpired, gazing at him with eyes full of expectation, completely under his influence.

She hadn't fully assimilated her soul yet and was not completely a blood bound slave.

Yu Yuan gradually became aware, tapping into the knowledge about blood bound slaves hidden within his Solar Spirit. He understood the situation.

To fully enslave Ann Ziqing and ensure her soul's obedience, he would need to cleanse her again with his own life force.

Her Solar Spirit, the seven amethyst pools, and the impurities within her acupoints would be entirely purged.

This method could resolve most of the latent issues within the body of this Colddeath witch.

Yet, by doing so, Ann Ziqing would truly become his exclusive blood bound slave, her body and soul utterly under his command.

Unlike the ghouls controlled by the Ghoul King, the blood bound slaves created by the Blood Fiend retained their intellect and spirit if they were originally alive.

Ghouls, however, were merely the dead...

"No, this isn't the way," Yu Yuan murmured to himself, dismissing the thought.

Given Ann Ziqing's talent and potential, she should be capable of purifying her body's impurities on her own. His intervention was unnecessary.

He didn't wish to make Ann Ziqing his blood bound slave, nor did he desire to hold power over her life and death.

Their relationship should be one of mutual alliance, not of master and servant.

"Alright!"

With his decision made, his Solar Spirit swiftly retreated back into his little world of vitality, ceasing the emission of the blood waves that had overwhelmed Ann Ziqing, leading her towards unconsciousness.

Boom!

A burst of rainbow-hued blood light erupted from Ann Ziqing's rigid form. She shuddered slightly and then quickly came to her senses.

Her blood circulation normalized, and she regained control over her body.

The obsession and fervor in her eyes faded, replaced by a growing calm.

She took a deep breath, gently closed her eyes, and began to piece together the recent events.

Yu Yuan stayed quiet, giving her space to process and waiting for her questions.

The Frost Queen, with her icy gaze, observed them both with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

What exactly had transpired?

The Frost Queen was at a loss, sensing that for a brief moment, this formidable woman from Colddeath had become one of them, a part of their group.

She was unwaveringly loyal to Yu Yuan, unable to resist, and even content with that reality.

"Between you and me..."

After a considerable pause, Ann Ziqing reopened her eyes, her expression still clouded with bewilderment, as though she hadn't quite made sense of it all. "It seems there's some sort of bond between us?"

Yu Yuan acknowledged this with a nod.

"What is it?"

Her gaze fixed on him, her face feigned tranquility, but it was clear she harbored a concealed fear.

Just moments ago, she had experienced an uncontrollable and terrifying impulse to willingly die for Yu Yuan!

She felt as though Yu Yuan had secretly rooted himself deep within her soul through some malevolent arcane technique.

"When we were in the Annihilation Nebula, you were gravely wounded by Cao Yi's ambush. Encased in a blood cocoon, you slipped into a prolonged coma. To rescue you, I utilized the peculiar Altar of Rebirth within me, harnessing its inherent life force to replenish your Blood Pool," Yu Yuan explained gently.

Ann Ziqing nodded, signaling him to get to the point, yet her eyes betrayed a hint of menace.

"That is, I seem to be able to influence you through the blood connection we share. It's akin to the Blood Fiend's blood puppet and the Colddeath's blood bound slave techniques. As you're aware, despite the different terms, the implications are identical."

Yu Yuan gestured openly as he clarified.

"Blood, blood bound slave? I, Ann Ziqing, nearly became your blood bound slave?! Yu Yuan, what have you done to me?"

"It means exactly that. If I were to continue influencing you, using my blood to purify your Solar Spirit and body, such a possibility could indeed arise."

Yu Yuan was forthright, as he had no intention of proceeding in that manner, so he felt no need to obscure the truth.

"How can you possibly transform me like this? Who do you think you are, the Great Demon God Grec?" Ann Ziqing, suddenly agitated, saw her pupils flash a deep crimson. The veins at her heart's core, like awakened, sinister blood snakes, surged with an exceptionally pure and potent vital energy.

In her body, the seven crimson realms corresponding to the amethyst pools burst into life, igniting with blood-red flames.

Inside, it had transformed into a world drenched in blood, with lines of crimson intertwining as if emulating the infamous Baneblade, Bloodhell.

...