Absorbing the Bloodthirsty Bead's Power

Zhu Xian told the story of Zhang Xiaofan, a youth from Cao Miao Village. After his entire village was massacred, he entered Qingyun Sect alongside his companion Lin Jingyu as an orphan. Later, because he carried Tianyin Temple's cultivation arts and an unorthodox artifact, and because his love for the Ghost King's daughter was discovered by his sect, he was not only expelled from his master's school but nearly personally purged by the furious Dao Xuan for refusing to harm Bi Yao.

At the critical moment, Bi Yao stood before Zhang Xiaofan and recited the Love Curse, sacrificing her three souls and seven spirits to block the fatal strike of Zhu Xian for him. Fortunately, one of her souls was captured by the Joyful Union Bell, allowing her body to remain intact as she fell into a deep sleep.

Afterward, in order to revive Bi Yao, Zhang Xiaofan adopted the name Gui Li and joined the Ghost King Sect. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Due to unforeseen changes, Bi Yao's body was destroyed, and the Joyful Union Bell vanished without a trace. Meanwhile, the Ghost King fell into demonic obsession, determined only to destroy Qingyun and make a comeback using Asura Power. In the end, Zhang Xiaofan overcame the Ghost King with immense courage and conviction, settling the thousand-year conflict between the righteous and unorthodox factions and fulfilling the promise he had made in his youth with Bi Yao, Lin Jingyu, and the others. Through the combined efforts of those youths, they finally earned a land as splendid as a painting, with fertile earth stretching for thousands of miles.

Lying in bed, Ye Yun slowly recalled the plot of Zhu Xian and silently sighed again. The entire story of Zhu Xian was truly brutal. In the original work, the protagonist Zhang Xiaofan first watched his entire village be slaughtered by the master he trusted most, Pu Zhi. Then the senior sister he loved threw herself into another man's arms. He finally found someone who truly loved him, only for her to be the Ghost King's daughter, the daughter of his sect's mortal enemy. In the end, they were separated by life and death. Even the master and mistress who loved him most died in the great war between the righteous and unorthodox factions. Although he resolved the thousand-year grudge between the two sides, his life was utterly tragic. If Lu Xueqi had not been there with him in the end, his entire life would have been a complete tragedy. And the source of it all was the Bloodthirsty Bead.

At the thought of the Bloodthirsty Bead, Ye Yun's eyes lit up. According to the original work, the Bloodthirsty Bead should be in Zhang Xiaofan's embrace right now. The system had said that as long as it was power, he could absorb it. That meant he could absorb the Bloodthirsty Bead's power too. And Zhang Xiaofan was still unconscious. This was practically a gift from heaven!

"Host, your idea is entirely correct. However, this system must still remind you that taking without asking is theft. As someone who will one day roam freely through the myriad worlds, it is exceedingly shameful for you to entertain such thoughts." At that moment, an emotionless voice suddenly rang out in Ye Yun's mind.

Hearing that voice, Ye Yun, who had already sat up and was about to get out of bed, froze. Then he roared wildly in his mind, "System, didn't you say you'd fallen dormant? Why are you suddenly coming back from the dead? Are you trying to scare me to death?"

"Host, this system had indeed entered dormancy earlier. However, because you altered part of the plot and allowed this system to absorb a tiny amount of energy, it can now barely activate and answer some of your questions."

"So you really can absorb the Bloodthirsty Bead's power? Also, will I be affected after absorbing its power?"

"No. All energy absorbed through the system will be converted into the purest form of energy, so Host may rest assured."

Since the system said there would be no effect, what was he waiting for? It might mean cutting off Zhang Xiaofan's opportunity, but the Bloodthirsty Bead was originally an unorthodox supreme treasure with the power to beguile hearts. Even a High Monk like Pu Zhi could not escape its influence, which showed just how formidable it was. If Zhang Xiaofan had not been kind by nature, he would likely have become a murderous demon long ago. Even so, during the sect tournament in the original work, he had still been influenced by it and struck his fellow disciples heavily. Now that he was letting the system drain all the Bloodthirsty Bead's energy, it was a good thing for both him and Zhang Xiaofan.

Ye Yun carefully got out of bed, ran to Zhang Xiaofan's bedside, and removed the purplish-red Bloodthirsty Bead from Zhang Xiaofan's embrace.

Fortunately, both Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu were still unconscious. Otherwise, he would not have succeeded so easily. The instant the Bloodthirsty Bead entered his hand, a suction force emerged from his palm. The bead immediately lit up with a red glow and began to tremble violently. Yet before the system, its struggle was utterly powerless. Within seconds, its purplish-red color began to fade until it became transparent. Ye Yun stared speechlessly at the Bloodthirsty Bead in his hand, which looked no different from a glass marble. With it looking like this, even a ghost would know it had been tampered with.

Perhaps sensing Ye Yun's thoughts, the crystal-clear Bloodthirsty Bead in his hand, which resembled a glass bead, suddenly flashed red and returned to its former color. At the same time, the system's voice sounded in his mind.

"In accordance with Host's request, this system has restored the Bloodthirsty Bead's original color. Furthermore, to prevent Host from feeling guilty, this system has specially modified the Bloodthirsty Bead. After modification, it will no longer devour blood essence. Instead, it will autonomously absorb spiritual energy for the artifact's owner to use when their spiritual power is insufficient."

Ye Yun froze when he heard the system's words. Wasn't this just a power bank? With this thing, he would no longer have to worry about his phone running out of battery while gaming—no, he would no longer have to worry about running out of spiritual power during battle. It was also equivalent to an inexhaustible spirit stone. The benefits were obvious. Ye Yun was almost reluctant to return it to Zhang Xiaofan, but he was not a greedy man. He was already satisfied with absorbing the Bloodthirsty Bead's blood-energy power. At worst, he could drain all the baleful energy from Soul Devourer later.

After gently placing the Bloodthirsty Bead—no, it should now be called the Spirit Storage Orb—back into Zhang Xiaofan's embrace, Ye Yun climbed back into his own bed and silently made plans for the future. He did not know how much time passed before he heard movement from the bed beside him. Turning his head, he saw that Lin Jingyu had awakened.

After waking up, Lin Jingyu glanced at Ye Yun. His lips moved, but in the end, he silently opened the door and walked outside. A while later, Ye Yun heard faint sobbing. It made his heart ache, because it reminded him of his parents, who were somewhere in another world.

Irritated and restless as he listened to the sounds outside, Ye Yun tossed and turned in bed for quite a while. In the end, he went outside and sat on the steps by the door, staring blankly into the distance. The exquisite little courtyard failed to draw even the slightest interest from him. After a while, Zhang Xiaofan also woke up. Hearing the door open, the two turned back to look. As their gazes met, tears slowly slid down from the corners of all three pairs of eyes.

From some unknown place in the distance came the clear, tranquil chirping of birds. The sky was azure, and fluffy white clouds drifted with the wind.

The three of them simply sat there in silence. The little courtyard was utterly still.

After an unknown length of time, Lin Jingyu slowly said, "I woke up before you. There were still a few people in the courtyard then. I asked them, and they said this place is Tongtian Peak of Qingyun Mountain."

Zhang Xiaofan lowered his voice. "Qingyun Mountain."

Lin Jingyu said, "They said that several Qingyun Sect disciples passing by saw what had happened in the village, in the village..." His voice caught in his throat as he spoke.

He raised a hand and rubbed his eyes hard, took a deep breath, and continued, "Later, they found the three of us behind the village and brought us up the mountain."

Zhang Xiaofan's lips moved, but he did not raise his head. "What will we do from now on, Jingyu?"

Lin Jingyu shook his head and said mournfully, "I don't know."

Zhang Xiaofan was about to speak again when an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from the corridor behind them. "Ah, you're all awake?"

Emmm... I nearly forgot to post this. Also, please give me some recommendations and save it to your collection.