Spirit Blood

Perhaps because his injuries were too severe, Xia Fengshe drank some water, closed his eyes, and fell unconscious.

Seeing the number over his heart, Ou Yanling furrowed her delicate brows.

A Time Curse Monster!

A stealth-type monster that killed primarily through curses. When someone was cursed, bloody words appeared over their heart.

When the number reached three hundred, the cursed person would die, and their vital essence would then flow into the monster itself.

Like the Immortal Flower Monster, this kind of monster didn't need to use its true form to kill. It could grow quickly through its curse alone.

If it infiltrated a large settlement and couldn't be found and killed in time, it would quickly advance by feeding on a vast supply of blood essence.

"If it's a Time Curse Monster, then this could be a bit troublesome."

Ou Yanling's delicate brows furrowed, but soon relaxed.

"For now, I'd better deal with this problem first."

As she watched, the blood-red number over Xia Fengshe's heart had begun to rise.

He was unconscious from his injuries, which counted as being "asleep" involuntarily, but the blood-red number continued to increase, steady and slow.

"Big Brother Xia."

Ou Yanling called softly, trying to wake him. Some monsters' curses had triggering conditions. The Time Curse, for example, took effect when a person was falling asleep and heard a knock at the door or some other sound.

Once the sound had been heard three hundred times, the curse would take effect.

If the person stayed awake, they could temporarily delay the curse from erupting.

Her voice was soft, but still loud enough to wake an ordinary sleeper.

But Xia Fengshe, unconscious from his injuries, was clearly no ordinary sleeper.

Stepping closer, Ou Yanling pressed her lips together, then called loudly, "Xia Fengshe, quit sleeping and get up!"

At the same time, she put a hand on his shoulder and shook him hard.

It was no use.

Xia Fengshe remained unconscious, like a quiet, burly man.

"I knew it..." Ou Yanling stared at Xia Fengshe's fleshy face. "You won't hold it against me, right? Right, Big Brother Xia?"

She raised her hand and swung it hard.

"Slap!"

"Slap!"

"Slap!"

Five minutes later, Ou Yanling's hands were bright red. She rubbed them vigorously and looked at Xia Fengshe's swollen, bruised, black-and-blue face.

Her expression was calm, but there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Sorry, Xia Fengshe. I really did my best."

"I put up with your foul temper all the way here."

"Let's call this interest. You still owe me..."

She looked at the number over Xia Fengshe's heart. It was still faintly pulsing. "It's not easy to kidnap a big, dumb guy. I'll save you this once."

She took out a small knife and made a light cut. A tiny wound appeared. With a flick of her finger, a drop of blood landed precisely over Xia Fengshe's heart.

The blood was crystal-clear, like a ruby, with a beauty that seemed born of nature itself.

The moment the blood left her body, Ou Yanling's face turned deathly pale.

The drop fell onto Xia Fengshe's chest.

The next instant, it was as if a hot iron had been plunged into water. Hissing sounds rang out without end as wisps of black smoke rose from his chest, while the bloody light over his heart began to dim.

There seemed to be some strange power in Ou Yanling's blood. It could actually dispel a monster's curse.

At last, the blood vanished. The bloody light over Xia Fengshe's heart had dimmed considerably, but it was still visible.

After checking carefully, she saw that the blood-red number was still there, still rising.

But it was rising much more slowly.

"At this rate, Xia Fengshe should be able to last three days.

"It won't take three days at all. This guy's so sturdy, he'll probably wake up tomorrow morning."

"If the monster doesn't kill him tonight, I can put him through the wringer. Hmm... three days without sleep. Just thinking about it sounds great."

Ou Yanling left the room with light steps. There was another empty room next door. She lay down on the bed, her eyes bright.

"Still, with a Blood Refining Realm martial artist taking action, the most likely outcome is that the monster will be killed tonight."

"I haven't even reached the Body Refining Realm. The spirit blood inside me hasn't matured yet. If I run into a High-Level Monster, it's best to turn tail and run."

"But..." She looked toward the room next door, as though she could see Xia Fengshe's swollen, pig-like face through the wall. "I didn't let a Bone Refining Realm martial artist die. Otherwise, with the blood essence of another Bone Refining Realm martial artist, that monster might have advanced."

She concluded, "I helped out, too."

Beneath the Brightness Gathering Talisman, the light was gentle.

Jiang Yan and Shan Renhu stood together, watching their surroundings warily without letting their guard down for a moment.

Jiang Yan had drawn his long sword long ago and held it tightly in his hand. In his left hand, he pinched a high-grade Blazing Flames Talisman between two fingers. As for the Blazing Flames Talisman he'd used before, he had put it away in his robe and hadn't used it.

He had used that Blazing Flames Talisman many times, and it didn't have much talisman power left. Tonight was a special situation. If a monster appeared and he used it again, then ran out of talisman power while fighting the monster, that would be bad.

So Jiang Yan hadn't even considered it. He'd gone straight for the high-grade Blazing Flames Talisman.

That was the safer choice.

"Brother Shan, we absolutely can't let our guard down tonight. From what Lord Ning said, before they exterminate the monster, he'll use some method to gather the Rune Soldiers' power in advance."

"During that time, the Rune Soldiers' defensive capabilities will be reduced. That'll make it more likely for other monsters to sneak in."

"In other words, there's a good chance we'll run into a monster tonight."

He suddenly remembered that he seemed to run into monsters whenever he stood night watch with Shan Renhu.

Jiang Yan's face darkened.

"How could I forget? Maybe I should keep my distance from Old Shan this time."

He thought to himself.

Just then, rustle, rustle, rustle.

Footsteps sounded in the darkness.

Jiang Yan's ears twitched. He turned, swung the sword tip around, and held it across his chest in a defensive stance.

"Who's there?"

He asked in a low voice.

One, two, three, four, five.

Jiang Yan counted silently. He decided that if he reached five without getting a reply, he'd immediately... retreat.

He couldn't just charge in and start hacking away. What if it was a person? What if it was a monster... that he couldn't beat?

Running first—no, retreating first—was also a way to protect himself.

Fortunately, all those actions had only played out in his head. Just after he called out, the figure in the darkness immediately answered loudly.

Clearly, the person knew that approaching like this would make them seem suspicious.

He stopped about five or six meters away from Jiang Yan. It was just the right distance for both of them.

Jiang Yan lowered his sword, angling the tip forward.

In the light, he looked the other person over carefully.

The man looked ordinary, with thick brows and big eyes.

"Brothers from Yuyang Village, I'm here on Lord Ning's orders to inform you that the Rune Soldiers will gather their talisman power even faster. Their defensive power will melt away during that time."

"Please be sure to stay alert."

His expression grim, he said, "The monsters are sure to get in."

Gathering their talisman power even faster, while their defensive power melted away.

In other words, to eliminate the monster lurking in the village, they were concentrating all the Rune Soldiers' power in one place.

Without the Rune Soldiers' defense, there'd be nothing to hold the monsters back.

Qingshan Village was densely populated, brimming with life and surging with blood and vitality. To monsters, it was like a feast laid out right before them.

Jiang Yan's body stiffened. If things continued like this, not only would the Patrol Team come under far greater pressure, but sooner or later some unusual monster would find a special way into the village and gorge itself.

Qingshan Village would inevitably suffer terrible losses.