Chapter 554 - 236: Refining the Blood Crystal, Then It’s Settled
Chapter 554: Chapter 236: Refining the Blood Crystal, Then It’s Settled
Cold, clear moonlight bathed Silent Calamity Island, illuminating the gleaming white Snow Leaf Grass at its very center.
Su Li was fond of this patch of Snow Leaf Grass, as it was one of the few Spirit Grasses capable of surviving the curse.
Although its leaves visibly drooped as she drew near, it didn’t matter. She knew what to do.
’I just have to water it with my blood!’
The curse was tied to life force, its intensity during an outbreak directly linked to Su Li’s own physical state.
If she was in a weakened state, the range of the Lunar Eclipse’s influence would also be reduced.
By exploiting this, she could control the curse’s range, confining it to the island and preventing it from affecting the Sea Fish.
Su Li slowly raised a hand. Between her slender fingers, a small dagger gradually materialized.
She wasn’t doing this entirely to save the Sea Fish. More importantly, it was the only way she could currently intervene in the curse’s progression.
Perhaps this struggle was meaningless in the face of lifting the curse, but the act of resisting held a meaning all its own.
"Ngh!"
Su Li grunted softly, a flicker of pain in her eyes.
Her Witch Blood contained a powerful life force, one of its properties being the rapid healing of her wounds.
Furthermore, for the Witch Race, minor blood loss was not enough to induce a state of weakness.
That was why she had to cut herself, again and again!
Her brow tightened with every slice, yet her hand never faltered.
The Witch Blood trickled into the soil, and the once-drooping leaves of the Snow Leaf Grass instantly perked up.
Thanks to an underground river, the forest on the other side of the island would also become lush and verdant over the course of the next day.
The sea breeze, carrying a chill, swept across the island. With it spread the thick, cloying scent of blood, strangely reminiscent of laurel.
The once-tranquil island suddenly erupted in a clamor.
Birds of all kinds shrieked as they took flight, circling restlessly in the air. Hidden insects and beasts crawled out from the grass and hollow trees, their movements a constant rustle in the shadows.
The scent alone was enough to drive them all into a frenzy.
"What a fragrance!"
In the forest, Xiao Chen had just finished felling his first Spirit-Extinguishing Cloud Wood when a rich, fragrant aroma, like blooming laurels, drifted toward him.
’An inexplicable, exotic fragrance... It must be the sign of one of the Treasures of Heaven and Earth appearing!’
His mind immediately went to the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma, and his heart skipped a beat.
To be safe, Xiao Chen glanced at the sky. It was only 9:45 PM, still a full hour before Midnight.
’Excellent. Plenty of time. Change of plans—time to gather some Spirit Medicine.’
’Besides, Su Li herself said I could take any Spirit Grass I wanted from the island.’
’Spirit Wood can’t compare to Spirit Medicine. I’d better go pick it now.’
However, when Xiao Chen followed the fragrance to the center of the island, he was greeted by the sight of a ground stained scarlet.
Su Li, clad in a white dress, stood in the center, her body trembling slightly. At the sound of footsteps, she whirled around in a panic.
"Don’t come any closer!"
Su Li snapped, "I told you to leave before Midnight! Why are you still here?"
As she spoke, a bizarre, blood-red halo materialized around her, flickering in time with the heaving of her chest.
"Senior, please don’t misunderstand."
Xiao Chen stopped in his tracks and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. "It’s only 9 p.m.," he explained. "It’s not Midnight yet."
His gaze swept over Su Li, and he immediately grew wary. She was clearly not in a good state, faintly emanating an obscure and indecipherable aura.
Just then, the Snow Leaf Grass on the ground began to tremble violently. Its once-crystalline white leaves took on a bizarre, scarlet hue.
"Get out of here!"
Su Li’s fingernails dug deep into her palms. Crimson Blood Pearls trickled down her fair wrist. "Leave Silent Calamity... COUGH, COUGH..."
Before she could finish, a violent coughing fit cut her off.
In that instant, the ground began to shake violently. The scarlet soil swelled upward and cracked apart.
Immediately following, clusters of Mandala Flowers burst from the soil, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Their petals were a vibrant, almost demonic red, yet their centers were an eerie, inky black. They twisted and writhed under the moonlight, spreading with wild abandon.
Everywhere they touched, even the rocks emitted a SIZZLING sound of corrosion as an acrid stench filled the air.
The Lunar Eclipse had been triggered early!
"It’s too late! Close your eyes! Whatever you do, don’t look at me!"
The moment Su Li saw the Mandala Flowers, her delicate features were overcome with terror.
Anyone unlucky enough to witness the Lunar Eclipse would suffer the full force of the Curse Power.
A century ago, any Cultivator who witnessed the blooming of the Mandala Flowers died screaming as their skin festered and peeled away in layers, like rotting bark.
It was a sight she could not bear to witness again.
The panic and despair in Su Li’s heart surged like a tidal wave, paradoxically accelerating the curse’s outbreak.
A hundred-zhang-wide sea of blood-red Mandala Flowers bloomed beneath her feet, their layered petals resembling a burning ocean of fire.
An overwhelming tide of blood-red thorns erupted from the ground, their sharp barbs glinting coldly in the moonlight. They rapidly formed a dome, imprisoning her in mid-air.
It was at once a barrier to protect her and a cage to restrain her.
A beam of moonlight, so bright it seemed tangible, shone upon Su Li’s forehead, forcibly awakening her bloodline memories.
During this agonizing process, a new Blood Crystal slowly condensed over her chest. Its faint light illuminated her pale face.
Then, with a soft CLINK, it fell into the sea of flowers below.
"What?"
Cultivators have excellent eyesight, so Xiao Chen saw it with perfect clarity. Aside from its richer color, the Blood Crystal was identical in shape to the mysterious crystal he had found beneath the Moon-Dyed Jade Marrow Ganoderma.