Chapter 453: Rendezvous
“Aren’t you a battle-hardened prodigy, famous since you were young? You must have killed SSS-level Star Beasts before, so why do you look like you’ve never seen anything like this?” Ning Xuan shot Di Youlin a look. She could see the excitement in his eyes, an expression of wanting more.
“That was different. On the Star Domain Battlefield, you never get this close. Besides, this Exotic Beast’s power far surpassed a normal SSS-level one. It was as if its true strength was being suppressed by this Secret Realm.” Di Youlin wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, leaving a stark red streak of blood on his pale face.
Ning Xuan saw Qinghe leading Zeng Yu and the others to dig out the Exotic Beast’s Blood Core. Soon, Qinghe brought over a glittering red Blood Core the size of an adult’s fist.
‘How beautiful!’ Ning Xuan couldn’t help but marvel inwardly.
The Blood Core was an irregular hexahedron, crystal clear and dazzling. It was her first time seeing the Blood Core of an SSS-level Exotic Beast, and even from a distance, she could feel the immense energy it contained.
“Master, it’s extremely rare to capture an SSS-level Star Beast on the interstellar battlefield. Even when we win, Star Beasts of this level usually self-destruct, and their Blood Cores are never preserved. Only in a place like the Chaotic Divine Domain, which can suppress an Exotic Beast’s self-destruction, can a Blood Core of this level be obtained.” Qinghe held the Blood Core in both hands and presented it to Ning Xuan.
The Blood Core within a High-level Mutant Beast contained immense energy, and each one was of incalculable value.
The first kill was followed by a second, and then a third. In less than two days, Ning Xuan had added over a dozen high-quality Blood Cores to her Space Button.
On the third day, Ning Xuan rendezvoused with Ying Yaoshi. She was able to sense his general location through their Spiritual Link Channel.
When Ning Xuan found Ying Yaoshi, he was in the form of a Four-winged Teng Snake, locked in an earth-shattering battle with an equally massive Horned Dragon.
The giant beast, over ten meters long, had four wings sprouting from its back. Unfurled in mid-air, it looked like a black lightning bolt tearing across the sky. The scales covering its body weren’t pure black but shimmered with a deep, dark purple luster, like an undercurrent stirring at the bottom of a deep pool. Each palm-sized scale was as sharp as a blade, overlapping in intricate layers that produced a faint metallic scraping sound as its body coiled and writhed.
On its serpentine head, a pair of vertical pupils burned like flames, a mixture of gold and crimson. The moment its pupils contracted, the very air seemed to freeze. It coiled in mid-air, surrounded by a faint black mist within which tiny arcs of electricity could be vaguely seen dancing.
Compared to the almost unscathed body of the Four-winged Ying Snake, the Horned Dragon was battered and torn. The horn on its head had been severed at the root, and a massive, bloody hole in its abdomen was still bleeding profusely.
A section of the Horned Dragon’s spine had completely collapsed, and even its eyes had lost their light.
“ROAR!” the Horned Dragon bellowed in grief and rage, turning to charge toward Ning Xuan.
This Horned Dragon was none other than Ying Taihe. The moment Ning Xuan appeared, he had keenly sensed a flicker of distraction in Ying Yaoshi. Recalling intelligence he had received earlier, he immediately guessed Ning Xuan’s identity and decided to take her hostage to create a chance to escape.
However, he quickly realized it was a fatal mistake. Di Youlin and Qinghe both transformed into their beast forms and shielded Ning Xuan. The instant Ying Taihe clashed with them, he was so overwhelmed that he coughed up blood. Though the two were young, they both possessed SSS-level Combat Power. He was no match for them at all.
With a soft sound, Ying Taihe felt a chill on his neck. The next moment, he saw his own head flying through the air. The head, still in its terrifying Horned Dragon form, was grotesque as a pillar of blood erupted from the neck. The massive Horned Dragon’s body collapsed to the ground.
Di Youlin dodged frantically but still got the hem of his clothes soaked by the gushing blood.
Di Youlin shot a glare of extreme dissatisfaction at Ying Yaoshi, who had reverted to his human form. Forming his fingers into a blade, he sliced off the blood-stained corner of his clothes with a look of disgust.
Ying Yaoshi was dressed in a set of black robes. The cuffs, hem, and collar were all adorned with exquisite golden patterns that flickered in and out of sight as he moved. The clothes were crisp and perfectly tailored, accentuating his broad shoulders and long legs, giving him a flawless figure.
“Are you well, Lord Contract Master?” Ying Yaoshi bowed slightly to Ning Xuan.
“I’m fine. You, on the other hand, don’t seem to be.” Ning Xuan frowned as she looked at Ying Yaoshi. His aura felt wrong.
“Pfft—” The moment Ning Xuan’s words fell, Ying Yaoshi spat out a mouthful of blood. His normal complexion instantly turned pale, and his tall, straight body swayed and fell toward her.
A black vine shot out from Ning Xuan’s palm, wrapping around Ying Yaoshi’s body and pulling him into her embrace. She placed her fingers on his pulse, her brow furrowed. Then, she immediately took out a glittering golden Elixir Pill and a bottle of a Seven-color Potion from her Space Button and poured them all down his throat.
“Form a defensive perimeter!” Ning Xuan commanded. Di Youlin and Qinghe, along with Zeng Yu and the others, immediately got busy, activating a Protective Shield and forming a defensive formation to guard the area.
She didn’t know what Ying Yaoshi had done. He looked fine on the outside, but his internal condition was terrible. This was especially true for his Spiritual Sea, where a black mist was spreading, throwing it into utter chaos.
Although Ying Yaoshi maintained his human form, his eyes were still the vertical pupils of his beast form, and a black mist could be seen flickering within their shifting light.
After drinking the medicine Ning Xuan gave him, Ying Yaoshi knew he was out of immediate danger. Once his tense mind relaxed, he felt a splitting headache.
“Xuanyuan, my head hurts so much!” Ying Yaoshi looked at Ning Xuan, a pained expression on his face, and buried his head in the crook of her neck, whispering softly.
“If I hadn’t sensed something was wrong with you and risked coming here to find you, I’m afraid you would have been in grave danger this time.” Ning Xuan sighed, gently stroking Ying Yaoshi’s hair as she inserted a four-inch-long Golden Needle into the Baihui Acupoint on the top of his head.
Ying Yaoshi closed his eyes. His pale face looked somewhat vulnerable.
‘Advancing to the Extraordinary Realm would cause a massive shift in Combat Power. That’s why he couldn’t let Ying Taihe successfully advance.’
‘Of course, he knew that Ying Taihe might not have succeeded even without his interference. But he couldn’t take that gamble. If Ying Taihe had managed to advance, he and everyone close to him would have faced utter annihilation.’
“I’m sorry, Xuanyuan. I never thought you’d come. I’ve dragged you into this mess.” Smelling Ning Xuan’s scent, Ying Yaoshi felt a deep sense of peace.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, lifted his head, and looked at Di Youlin and the others on the perimeter. “Wait a minute, Xuanyuan,” he asked, his eyes filled with shock, “don’t you only have one key to the Chaotic Divine Domain? How did everyone else get in?”