Chapter 42: Jasmine as Master (Part 1)

“Bang!!”

Without any surge of energy, without any omen, at the very moment when Lily raised her right hand, Xiao Ni’s face underwent a sudden, inexplicable transformation—his expression became unimaginably terrified, as though in that instant he had glimpsed the most horrifying circle of hell. Then, in an instant, a deafening, earth-shattering explosion tore through him.

The skull, the limbs, the torso, the entrails—all were instantly pulverized, blown apart into a massive blood blossom, scattering crimson droplets that fell far and wide, staining the surrounding ground a deep, crimson red.

Chun Che: “!!!!!!!!!”

Xiao Ba and Xiao Jiu—two disciples of the Xiao Clan, sons of the Xiao Clan’s patriarch, guardians of the supreme masters—were both annihilated in an instant: one torn asunder in a breath, the other exploded body-to-body. Yet under Lily’s hands, they were both extinguished without a single flicker of resistance. Perhaps even in death, they never truly understood how they had perished.

And their deaths were each more harrowing than the last. Chun Che had slain countless souls across two lifetimes, growing accustomed to blood and brutality; when facing those he loathed, his methods were merciless. Yet never once had his violence reached the level of savagery he had just witnessed in this most recent killing. More precisely, he lacked the capacity to do so.

This girl, with hair like fire and calling herself “Lily,” what exactly was she?

“Ugh…!”

A cry of extreme pain escaped Lily’s lips, her slender frame collapsing to her knees, trembling violently.

Xiao Ba lay in countless splintered pieces, Xiao Jiu a pool of blood. Chun Che suddenly began to comprehend why she called herself “Lily stained with blood.” From her killing ways, he could imagine how many souls she had already extinguished, and how each of her victims had perished in such exquisite agony. She appeared nothing more than an unripe girl, yet her deeds were those of a heartless, cruel demon of death.

A cold, terrifying dread surged involuntarily within Chun Che’s heart. Watching her suffer, he hesitated for a moment, then took two deliberate steps forward, saying: “You killed him with such minimal force, yet you chose to obliterate him completely… Your spirit body now carries a strange poison. The moment you exert any spiritual energy, that venom will seep in, devouring your soul…”

“Aaaah!!”

A long, mournful wolf howl erupted behind Chun Che—close, impossibly close, as if right at his ear. He spun around swiftly, and there, less than twenty paces from him, a gray-muzzled adult wolf had appeared seemingly from nowhere, its eyes blazing with feral light.

A wild wolf!!

Chun Che’s heart leapt—how could a wild wolf appear at the edge of this town? Though this beast was clearly just an ordinary creature, it should never have been found here.

Wait… The wind had begun to blow, carrying away the stench of Xiao Ba’s grotesque demise… It was quite possible that the blood-soaked scent had drawn the bloodthirsty spiritual beast!

The sudden-appearing wolf gave Chun Che little time to react or think. It let out a low growl and charged in a straight line, leaping high after seven strides to pounce upon him. Its frosty, gleaming claws could rend his body apart in an instant.

Chun Che’s earlier words were entirely accurate. Lily, in order to enter the Divine Poison Bead, had drunk Chun Che’s blood and bound her life to his. Thus, his life had become intertwined with hers. If Chun Che died, she would die. Even if she survived, losing the Divine Poison Bead would mean certain spiritual dissolution within a short time.

So when she saw the wolf charging at Chun Che, a flash of killing intent flickered in her eyes. In an instant, brutal spiritual energy coalesced in her hands… But at the moment the spiritual energy surged, she seemed struck through the heart by ten thousand arrows, her body stiffening. A cry of intense pain escaped her lips, and the freshly formed spiritual energy instantly dissipated. Trembling with agony, her body flickered—suddenly coherent, suddenly ghostly.

The first strike that felled Xiao Ba had subjected her to a powerful backlash of the God-Slaying Poison. The second use of spiritual energy to kill Xiao Jiu intensified that backlash by severalfold. Now, attempting once more to wield spiritual power, the poison within her surged like awakened serpents, invading her very soul. She could not even attack that approaching wolf, nor stand upright. Her half-faint form trembled on the edge of vanishing into mist.

“Do not exert spiritual energy!!”

Seeing Lily’s body flicker between presence and absence, Chun Che furrowed his brow and roared loudly. Behind him, the wolf had lunged like a blade, its teeth rapidly closing the distance to his eyes.

“Yip—!”

His right shoulder tore as the wolf’s jaws ripped through his sleeve, nearly tearing flesh. With no time to rise, Chun Che, still dodging death, swung his tightly clenched right hand with all his strength toward the wolf. The powder he had originally prepared for Xiao Ba struck true, landing squarely on the wolf’s head as it lay on the ground.

The wolf let out a piercing, mournful cry. As it howled, its body collapsed. Its claws clawed frantically at its own eyes. Chun Che rose at the fastest possible speed, snatched up the short blade Lily had dropped, clenched his teeth, and lunged back at the wolf. His dagger flashed with all his might, driving deep into the wolf’s throat.

Though a mere beast, the wolf’s flesh, bones, and sinew were sturdy. A normal person’s full-force thrust into the throat would merely pierce skin and bone, unable to end its life—and would only inflame its fury. But Chun Che’s blade fell with blinding speed, locked in his condensed gaze—its edge splitting the throatbone’s seam, severing the wolf’s trachea cleanly.

The wolf’s cry turned suddenly weak and mournful. Its body convulsed wildly, then collapsed motionless.

“Phew…” Chun Che exhaled a long breath, wiping the cold sweat from his brow. Though his strength had waned and his body remained frail, his combat awareness and eyesight still held. Yet the once-proud master now faced a mere ordinary wolf with such peril, forcing a bitter smile upon his lips.

Lily’s body still flickered, curled like a wounded kitten on the ground, her face twisted in pain. After recovering, Chun Che approached her, his left hand resting on her shoulder. The Divine Poison Bead’s purification ability surged, restraining the rampaging poison within her body and soul.

The God-Slaying Poison… What kind of toxin was this? One capable of nearly claiming even a girl of such terrifying power.

Lily’s face gradually eased from its torment, though her form continued alternating between clarity and blur, the frequency of which quickened—clear signs she was on the brink of dissolution. Then, Lily suddenly lifted her face, extended her hand, and seized Chun Che’s right wrist. Her soft lips parted, white teeth sinking firmly into his index finger.

The searing pain twisted Chun Che’s features. He felt his finger torn by sharp teeth, blood welling up—all of it drawn into Lily’s mouth. Compared to the first time she had drunk his blood in terror, this time Chun Che remained calm, offering no resistance as she bit his hand. A warm, tender tongue pressed steadily against his fingertip, granting him, amid the agony, an indescribable sensation of pleasure…

As drops of blood were drawn into Lily’s mouth, her body’s flickering slowed, finally ceasing after half a minute. Lily withdrew her teeth from his finger. Though her complexion remained pale, she was no longer in pain.

Chun Che stepped back, staring at the bite mark still oozing blood on his index finger, breathing coolly: “Are you… a dog? I’ve been bitten once, and you bite me again!”

Lily extended her small hand, gently wiping her cornered mouth. Her young face bore an expression of lingering shame. She bit her lip, raising an eyebrow in a cold, steady voice: “Not because you weren’t strong enough. Otherwise, how could Princess by my side be forced to this extent!”

“Not strong enough?” Chun Che laughed bitterly. “Indeed, compared to you, I was useless. A simple wolf might have taken my life. If not for your two rescues, I’d already be dead atop the corpses of the two people you killed… Yet, however useless I may be, I did save you twice. Had you not met me that night, you’d already be dead. And just now, if I’d abandoned you, that dangerous little sister of yours, you’d surely have been scattered to the winds. When you call me useless, did you never consider thanking me?”

Lily fell silent.

“When you encountered the Divine Poison Bead at the brink of death, it was a great fortune. Though your luck has clearly reached its end. My meridians are damaged. If not repaired, I’ll remain trapped at the initial Foundation stage forever. You carry a toxin that prevents casual exertion of power. With only my own strength, any significant danger could strike me down at any moment, endangering you as well.” Chun Che gripped her still-flowing finger, his voice calm and resolute.

Lily remained silent, yet her eyes shifted constantly, as though wrestling with something internally.

“But rest assured—I’ll find a way to repair my meridians… No, I must find a way. Until then, I’ll do my utmost to preserve my own life.” Chun Che spoke with serene determination. In his mind, the images of Xiao Ze and Xiao Shi Xi resurfaced. For their sake, this path—surely one of extreme difficulty—he would walk at any cost, no matter how swiftly.

“Repair meridians?” The girl’s face cracked into a disdainful smile: “I’ve examined your meridians—they weren’t damaged by external forces recently. They were injured even before forming, when they were still young, before they had rooted. Now your meridians are beyond repair! Such a condition does have a method for forced restoration, but afterward, you can only open three spirit gates—that’s already the limit. Moreover, you missed the crucial foundation-building period before fourteen. With this state, you couldn’t even break through to initial Foundation in ten years! And in your lifetime, you’d never reach the Nascent Soul stage. You’re nothing but a useless cripple!”

Lily’s words struck Chun Che like cold steel, piercing the harsh truth he had been desperately avoiding… For as she said, his meridians were truly ruined at the root. Even with his knowledge, he could only restore a fraction—his meridians would remain half-crippled. Added to that, missing the critical foundational period, his spiritual energy cultivation would lag behind others by many times, and… nearly impossible to reach the True Foundation stage.

Chun Che’s chest heaved heavily. He bit his teeth: “I’ll find a way!”

“You think to gather various medicinals, use the Divine Poison Bead to forge elixirs and forcibly elevate yourself? That does sound like a decent plan. But with your ridiculous abilities, how could you ever obtain such high-grade materials? You’d only end up repeatedly falling into a near-death state, dragging Princess down with you to die!”

Lily lifted her face, her eyes suddenly clear and decided: “Put away those foolish ideas. You’ve saved my life—Princess truly owes you. You only need to agree to three conditions, and then… I will grant you… a new spirit root!”

In the instant Chun Che’s eyes widened in shock, Lily’s gaze turned deep and mysterious, her voice gradually lowering: “One with the power of the gods as its root!”