Blood Crystal

Si Nan Ying supported me as we walked out of the warehouse. Thinking that this cold storage almost became our burial ground, I couldn't help but feel a chill of fear. If Si Nan Ying hadn't erupted at the last moment, I probably would have been torn to shreds by the bugs.

But none of that mattered anymore. The problem was the threat before us.

"Beast Tide..."

Si Nan Ying murmured the words, and I was stunned speechless by the sight before me. Setting aside the danger, it was undoubtedly the most spectacular sight I had ever witnessed.

Countless Demonic Beasts of various forms converged into a massive tide. Wherever it passed, devastation followed, its momentum surpassing that of floods and tsunamis!

And this unstoppable giant tide was surging towards us!

"Let's find another place to hide!" Si Nan Ying said, grabbing my arm. But after only two steps—

"Huh?"

Si Nan Ying's legs went weak, and she slumped against me. I, who had been supported moments before, suddenly found myself supporting her.

"Damn it... It's the first time I've successfully controlled my Supernatural Ability, and the mental strain is too much..."

"I probably can't escape. You should go first, Xiao Ye... Xiao Ye?"

But I no longer had the capacity to respond.

I groaned in pain, clutching the area between my Dantian and lungs—the location of my Blood Core!

When I had desperately pushed my blood to expel the toxins earlier, I felt something was wrong. My internal Blood Core seemed to have been stimulated, vibrating violently, causing my body to throb with intense pain. The agony kept escalating, and now I felt like my body was being torn apart!

"Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye! What's wr—"

Si Nan Ying's voice faded in and out, indistinct. As the pain intensified, wisps of strange energy flowed out from my Blood Core, spreading throughout my body. Wherever the energy passed, my blood churned violently, as if boiling!

It wasn't just my body that hurt; my brain felt like a lump of mush. Unfamiliar yet familiar scenes flashed through my mind—an endless sea of blood, mountains of rotting corpses, a dark hall, the icy depths of the sea, vibrant crystal islands, magnificent palaces, and a tall, slender, eerily strange man—

"Ah, ahhh, AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!"

Unable to bear it any longer, I let out a piercing scream. Some kind of savage power surged from all parts of my body, rushing and colliding within me, turning my insides upside down! No, if this power remains inside me, I will surely die!

Release it! I must release this power!

The surging Beast Tide was right upon us. I could almost feel its foul breath on my face. Fine... I'll use you as my outlet!

"Go!"

My blood spurted out like a fountain, forming a blood-red rainbow that swept towards the Beast Tide!

This blood rainbow was neither a whip nor a blade. It simply swept forward, seemingly without any power. But the moment it touched the Demonic Beasts—

Clang!

"Water, crystal!?" Si Nan Ying beside me exclaimed in surprise.

The instant the blood rainbow made contact with the Demonic Beasts, it solidified into blood-red crystals! It wasn't just gathering and hardening; it solidified like ice! The crystals expanded and spread like plants, quickly covering hundreds of Demonic Beasts, and then—

They bloomed!

The Crystal Flower burst into dazzling bloom, countless crystal thorns radiating outwards like petals, stirring up a cloud of Blood Mist!

The blood crystals looked like crystals stained crimson, exquisite and transparent, extremely beautiful. But beneath their lovely appearance lay astonishing lethality! Rows of thick crystal thorns, like prismatic greatswords, crushed, tore, and pierced countless Demonic Beasts! It was as easy as tearing cotton, with no resistance whatsoever!

The Demonic Beasts behind them, intimidated, scattered. They seemed to have an innate fear of these blood crystals and dared not approach within half a step!

"So powerful..." Si Nan Ying was completely mesmerized, muttering to herself blankly. After releasing that savage power, I felt a sense of relief. My Blood Core was no longer restless, and the pain in my body stopped. I just felt extremely tired and wanted to sleep.

"Second~~~Miss! Liu~~~Ye!"

A shout came from above. Judging by the silly tone, it had to be Li Cha. He's finally here to pick us up.

Li Cha carried the two women and, with astonishing speed, shook off the strange birds and flew over the Beast Tide.

The chaotic night finally drew to a close.

The next day.

The Beast Tide last night caused thousands of casualties. Winter Arrival City's major hospitals were overflowing. The Si Nan Family had to deploy professional healing ability users to set up stalls on the streets to alleviate the burden on the hospitals.

Due to the ravages of the Beast Tide, all the city's buildings suffered varying degrees of damage. The smooth streets were a mess, littered with rubble and broken glass. Even relief vehicles had difficulty passing. The city government had to conscript people from the still-shaken citizens to clear the streets. The expenses for tidying the streets, repairing buildings, and compensating disaster victims... added up to an astronomical figure. The city government's top officials felt like committing suicide.

Si Nan Yuan was overwhelmed with work. With Elder Hong incapacitated, the task of managing the situation naturally fell to her. Just mobilizing personnel was enough to keep her busy, not to mention taking care of Elder Hong and writing investigation reports... Most importantly, this Beast Tide was clearly aimed at them. The mastermind was still operating in the shadows, unseen. Under these circumstances, they had to further strengthen security and not let their guard down.

As for the second young lady... Liu Ye's suspicion had basically been ruled out. She also knew the dangerous nature of the young lady's ability. If she truly had ulterior motives or was the mastermind, she would definitely not have put herself in a position where she had to be saved by the young lady. Doing so might have endangered herself as well.

However, young lady...

Thinking of Si Nan Ying, Si Nan Yuan couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Si Nan Ying had awakened her Supernatural Ability before she was ten. In the past decade, she had blown up who knows how many things, causing losses that could buy half of Winter Arrival City. As a result, the younger generation in high society had given her nicknames like "Humanoid Mobile Bomb," "Bomb Princess," and "Demolition Genius." She had never been well-regarded.

Now that she could finally control her ability, once that savage power was under control, Si Nan Ying was destined to become a dazzling figure among the younger generation in the Imperial Capital. This way, she would also have more say within the family, at least not be completely reduced to a tool...

Knock knock. "Come in."

"Captain, the return ships are ready. The family also sent word that they've dispatched personnel to handle the follow-up work and told us to return to the Imperial Capital to rest."

"Dispatched personnel? With the four young masters vying for power, shouldn't manpower be tight?"

"It seems they were transferred from the Imperial Palace."

So that's how it is. Si Nan Yuan realized. The Imperial Palace was nominally the center of power, but anyone with a bit of sense knew it was just a facade, possessing only symbolic meaning and no real authority. Therefore, neither the Si Nan Family nor other major powers paid much attention to the Imperial Palace.

"There's also news... during this period, not only Winter Arrival City but also many other surrounding cities within the Si Nan Family's sphere of influence have experienced large-scale riots. The main family has also raised its alert level."

"Is that so... Could it be the Cleon Family's doing? Trying to make a move against the Si Nan Family while they're embroiled in internal power struggles?"

"It's unclear yet, but the Cleon Family is highly suspected."

"That's not something we can manage. In any case," Si Nan Yuan stretched, "this mission is finally over."

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