Qilin's Grudge

Lin Yi stood at the edge of the Blood Pool, gazing at the crimson below that seemed to devour him. He took out a pill from his Storage Ring, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.

Qin Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Turtle Breath Pill.

This stuff comes in different grades, but the effect is the same: it makes the user's aura extremely weak, as if they have entered a state of suspended animation.

But Lin Yi taking it at this critical juncture makes his intentions all too clear.

He never intended to undergo the trial of the Qilin Blood Pool; he only wanted to use the Turtle Breath Pill to deceive the lingering spirit of the Qilin in the Blood Pool and leave safely.

This kid is a talent.

Lin Yi's actions made Qin Yu even more curious about what would happen next.

After taking the Turtle Breath Pill, Lin Yi's aura rapidly weakened, becoming almost imperceptible within a few breaths.

He seemed to have finally gained some confidence, and cautiously took a step into the edge of the Blood Pool.

The pool was shallow; the water only reached his ankles at the edge.

Lin Yi took two more steps forward, then found a spot on the edge of the pool and carefully lay down.

Yes, he lay there on the edge of the Blood Pool, with most of his body still above the water.

Lin Yi closed his eyes tightly, placed his hands clasped over his abdomen, and adopted a posture that conveyed the message of "no offense intended, evil spirits please dispel."

Qin Yu stood to the side, completely dumbfounded.

That's amazing!

Although Lin Yi was only trying to protect himself, Qin Yu was not optimistic and felt that Lin Yi would most likely not escape.

Sure enough, less than half a cup of tea's time after Lin Yi lay down, an extremely subtle ripple appeared on the surface of the Blood Pool.

The dark red pool water slowly gathered towards Lin Yi, and the resentment filled with anger and violence was silently spreading along the bottom of the pool, approaching Lin Yi.

However, Lin Yi was completely unaware of this, and simply closed his eyes tightly, silently praying that he could get through this ordeal.

Qin Yu stood in the shadows, about to withdraw his gaze, when suddenly, a sense of being watched emanated from the depths of the pool, pinpointing his exact location.

Qin Yu's body stiffened slightly.

The effect of Extra Character... was it all figured out?

The feeling of being watched came and went quickly, but Qin Yu was certain that the other party had indeed discovered him.

He paused for a moment, glanced at Lin Yi who was still lying comfortably at the edge of the Blood Pool, and sighed softly.

If he hadn't focused his soul perception on Lin Yi for that brief moment, the remnant spirit of the Qilin probably wouldn't have noticed his presence until now.

However, now that he had discovered it, Qin Yu decided not to hide anymore.

He stepped out of the shadows and came to the edge of the Blood Pool.

As soon as he stood still, the stench of blood quickly gathered around Qin Yu.

The dark red pool water condensed into a churning mass of liquid in mid-air in front of Qin Yu, transforming into a translucent blood-red Qilin.

This Qilin was only the size of an ordinary horse, its entire body covered in a thick blood mist, and the patterns on its surface vaguely revealed the shape of its scales.

But its body is covered with hideous cracks, like a piece of pottery that has been torn apart and forcibly pieced back together.

Most shocking of all were its gouged-out eyes, which blazed with a furious, blood-red light, like two unquenchable flames of karma.

The Blood Qilin slightly opened its mouth, and an aged and hoarse soul fluctuation directly entered Qin Yu's mind:

"Who... are you? And why do you possess such bizarre methods of concealment?"

Qin Yu steadied himself and replied:

"Who I am is not important; what is important is that I am not a citizen of the Heavenly Qilin Empire."

The Blood Qilin's empty eye sockets stared at Qin Yu, scanning him over several times.

After a long while, the soul fluctuations of the Blood Qilin resounded once more:

"... You can sense my lingering resentment and possess the attributes of fire, earth, and metal; you are no ordinary cultivator."

"I can give you the pure Qilin Bloodline. Rest assured, it's not the incomplete blood soaked in waste, but my true, original blood."

Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't speak immediately.

"But I need your help..."

The Blood Qilin's soul fluctuations suddenly became more intense.

A blood-red light blazed from those empty eye sockets, and the entire Blood Pool churned violently because of his emotional outburst.

"Avenge me! Reclaim my body... from those treacherous people!"

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

The lingering resentment of the Blood Qilin was silent for a moment, as if it were lost in a distant memory.

After a long while, the Blood Qilin's suppressed anger resounded in Qin Yu's mind once more:

"I was originally a member of the Qilin clan. Back then, our clan suffered a great calamity, and was besieged and annihilated by a large number of Magical Beast and humans. My clan members scattered and fled."

"I wandered here when the Heavenly Qilin Empire was newly established. Seeing that there was still a glimmer of hope in this place, I stayed and became their guardian beast."

"For centuries, the Heavenly Qilin Empire has flourished under my protection, producing numerous talented individuals and reaching its zenith. I have bestowed upon them bloodlines, aided their cultivation, and protected them from external enemies..."

"However, the fortunes of heaven and earth eventually come to an end, and my power gradually weakened until I finally slept here forever."

At this point, Blood Qilin's tone suddenly turned resentful:

"But do you know what they did?! They dissected my body just three days after I died!"

"Drain my blood, dismantle my skeleton, strip my skin... dispose of everything I have!"

The resentment almost solidified, and tiny bubbles popped and exploded on the surface of the Blood Pool.

"They thought they could cultivate more powerful individuals using my flesh and blood, my body tissue."

Blood Qilin's voice lowered, carrying a hint of irony:

"And the result? Those mortals who had been tainted with my blood and flesh were simply unable to withstand the power of my bloodline, and they died one after another."

Qin Yu listened quietly without interrupting.

The Blood Qilin remained silent for a long while, its violent emotions subsiding slightly, before continuing:

"Now, besides my blood, the Blood Pool also contains the remains of those fallen Imperial Family experts that have been recovered. I only need three things now."

"If you can help me retrieve my intact body, I will give you the complete Qilin Blood Essence."

"Not only that, I will also help you integrate the Qilin Bone into yourself, temper your physical body, and increase your cultivation level."

Qin Yu remained silent for a moment, then looked up at the churning blood mist:

"What three things are still missing? And who has them?"

"My eyes, my horns, and my claws."

The Blood Qilin responded immediately.

"The eyes and horns are on that old emperor; as for the claws, they should be in the hands of a prince named Lin Feng."

Well, it's another "acquaintance".

"Okay, I promise you."

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, the bloodlust in the Blood Qilin's empty eye sockets faded slightly, and the surging blood mist gradually subsided.

"The day you retrieve the remains will be the day I bestow my bloodline upon you."

The Blood Qilin said nothing more, its body slowly dissipating and merging back into the pool, leaving only a final ripple of its soul.