A Sudden Mutation! A Bizarre Human Face! (Please Bookmark and Vote)

At this moment, there were no major changes in the small courtyard, yet an icy chill surged in from every direction.

Chen Yan did not need to think to know that another evil creature had appeared.

Suddenly—

An icy touch came from his back.

Behind him!

In the blink of an eye!

Chen Yan drew his saber, spun around, and slashed out. The chilling blade light tore through the air and collided directly with a deathly pale hand.

"Clang!!!"

A piercing clash of metal rang out, sparks flying in all directions.

What tough skin!

Chen Yan's heart jolted. Even the Fish Dragon Saber, sharp enough to cut iron like mud, had failed to leave a mark. One could only imagine how tough that palm was.

But Chen Yan soon had no time to be surprised.

The instant the Fish Dragon Saber touched the palm, an extreme chill swept forth from the point of impact, as though he had fallen into an endless winter. A faint layer of white frost even formed across the blade.

At once.

Chen Yan felt as though his blood had frozen solid, his entire body locked in place.

And at that moment, a disheveled head abruptly appeared beside Chen Yan's shoulder.

Under the moonlight, it seemed to be a woman's face. Her complexion was as pale as a corpse's, her lips bluish-black, and parts of her face had even begun to rot. When she saw Chen Yan looking at her, a sinister smile spread across her face.

"Not good!"

Goosebumps rose all over Chen Yan as alarm flared in his heart.

Yet his entire body seemed frozen solid. He could not move at all!

Just as he was about to fall into grave danger, a black shadow arrived from behind and struck first.

"Meow-ow!!!"

A fierce cry echoed through the night sky.

It was Facai!

Facai was like a panther in the darkness. His agile body even left an afterimage in midair as he pounced straight at the back of the human face's head.

Sssht!

Black Smoke rose.

"Aah!!!"

The Woman's Face immediately let out a piercing scream. Then she glared venomously at Facai and thrust her deathly pale hand toward him.

"Pfft!"

Flesh split open, blood spraying everywhere.

Facai cried out miserably and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily onto the ground. It was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead.

"Facai!!"

Chen Yan roared, fury erupting from him.

Freed from the human face's control, he had regained his mobility.

Without the slightest hesitation.

Scalding blood surged through every limb and bone. Chen Yan felt a blaze of rage burst from his chest as the power of his qi and blood exploded forth. Gripping the Fish Dragon Saber, he slashed down in fury!

"Die!"

"Swish!!!"

The frigid blade carved a chilling streak through the air.

"Aah—"

As though she had suffered some terrifying attack, the Woman's Face let out a shrill scream, and a great amount of Black Smoke rose from her.

Clearly.

Chen Yan's strike had injured the human face.

But it was not enough!

Chen Yan pressed his advantage without mercy, taking a great stride forward to pursue his victory.

Yet after the Black Smoke rose, the Woman's Face transformed into a shadow and fled. She was so fast that Chen Yan had no time to react.

Worried about Facai's safety, Chen Yan did not choose to chase after her. Instead, he hurried to Facai's side, crouching down to examine his injuries.

Facai lay unconscious on the ground. A wound so deep that bone could be seen ran across his abdomen, blood gushing from it without stop. His breathing was visibly weakening.

"Damn it!"

Chen Yan cursed grimly. His consciousness swiftly sank into the void space.

Without even looking at the new Cloud Seal Script that had appeared on the Heavenly Book of Merit, he quickly shouted:

"Activate all Minor Fortune of Great Luck!"

The moment he said that, he immediately withdrew from the void space. As expected, three brand-new Great Return Pills appeared in his palm.

At the sight of the Great Return Pills, Chen Yan breathed a small sigh of relief. He then fed one of them into Facai's mouth.

He did not feed him all three, because Chen Yan feared the medicinal power would be too fierce and turn a good thing into a bad one.

After feeding him the Great Return Pill, Chen Yan watched Facai's changes intently.

Before long, the wound that had just been gushing blood stopped bleeding entirely. It had even begun to scab over, while Facai's breathing gradually steadied. Faint snores could even be heard.

Only then did Chen Yan finally relax completely and let out a long breath.

Besides its powerful effect of strengthening qi and blood, the Great Return Pill also possessed remarkable healing properties.

Just as Chen Yan had expected, Facai's life had been saved. He might even turn misfortune into a blessing and grow stronger because of it.

Yet Chen Yan did not feel happy. His face was dark, his expression grim.

If Facai had not risked his life to protect his master and given him the opportunity to wound the Woman's Face, Chen Yan's fate would likely have been grim indeed.

Of course, that was also related to the Woman's Face's immense strength.

This bizarre Woman's Face was absolutely not comparable to an ordinary Skin-Peeling Puppet.

An ordinary Qi and Blood Martial Artist would likely not last even one exchange before her. A Martial Master at the Blood Qi Realm would probably die the instant they came face-to-face.

But there was no denying that Chen Yan's carelessness was also one of the major reasons for the situation before him.

His rapid rise in strength over the past two days had made Chen Yan lose the vigilance he once possessed.

Had Chen Yan remained vigilant from the start, he would never have been so easily controlled by the Woman's Face.

Facai's injury today had also taught Chen Yan a lesson: never let down his guard, especially when enemies still lurked in the shadows.

After repeatedly warning himself inwardly, Chen Yan finally had the time to look at the contents on the Heavenly Book of Merit.

As expected.

The two Skin-Peeling Puppets he had slain just now had given him a total of three hundred points of merit.

The reason it was more than the middle-aged human skin from the night before last was, Chen Yan guessed, either because tonight's two Skin-Peeling Puppets were stronger, or because they had committed greater evils.

No matter what, gaining three hundred points of merit was something worth celebrating.

And Chen Yan had exchanged all three hundred points of merit for Great Return Pills.

One had been fed to Facai, leaving two in his hand.

Looking at the two Great Return Pills in his palm, Chen Yan did not hesitate and swallowed them in one gulp.

After witnessing the strength of the bizarre Woman's Face, Chen Yan had deeply realized the inadequacy of his own power.

The Blood Qi Realm was still far from enough!

As the two Great Return Pills were swallowed, at that very moment.

Boom!

A massive medicinal power rose within Chen Yan's abdomen. Then the qi and blood throughout his body churned violently, his bones releasing crisp explosive cracks as though they were enduring some tremendous pressure.

But such agony was child's play to Chen Yan.

Soon, the pain receded like a tide, replaced by a sensation of comfort as though he were soaking in a hot spring, washing through his entire body.

"Hoo!"

Chen Yan opened his eyes. They were bright and sharp with spirit.

Coming back to himself, he stood where he was and casually moved his limbs, silently assessing his current condition.

"I haven't broken through to the Second Blood Qi Realm yet, but my qi and blood have grown more than twice as strong as before. I should be able to break through with another two Great Return Pills."

"My strength and speed have both risen by a great deal. Taking down my former self would not be difficult."

"If I face that Woman's Face again, I still may not be her match, but at least I won't be as helpless as before. At the very least, I won't be so easily controlled..."

Overall, although he had failed to break through to the Second Blood Qi Realm, Chen Yan was still very satisfied with the effects of the two Great Return Pills.

As for the Great Return Pill he had fed to Facai, Chen Yan did not feel the slightest regret. Including today, Facai had already saved his life twice. Moreover, Facai was quite useful; at critical moments, he could often play a decisive role. Strengthening Facai was also indirectly strengthening Chen Yan himself.

"What is this...?"

After coming back to himself, Chen Yan suddenly noticed something strange at his chest.

He pulled it out and found a talisman paper broken into two pieces.

Seeing the talisman paper, Chen Yan recalled that it seemed to have been given to him by Zhang Yuanlin, the Temple Master of Bai Yun Guan, the night before last. Looking at the broken talisman paper in his hand, Chen Yan frowned slightly.

You could say it was useless, but Chen Yan had indeed escaped danger tonight.

But if you said it was useful, Chen Yan's escape from danger tonight did not seem to have anything to do with this talisman paper.

Shaking his head, he tossed the talisman paper away. Such idealistic speculation was meaningless. The only thing he believed in was his own strength.