"This is my blood domain, Scarlet Purgatory!" His voice echoed through the domain. "Within it, my power increases by thirty percent, while my enemies' power is continuously suppressed and eroded. Every breath drains their stamina. Every second they remain, the domain assimilates them!"
Lin Jin stood at the edge of the domain, sensing its corrosive power.
Indeed, the surrounding natural energy had been cut off. The air was thick with the stench of blood, with faint signs that it was corroding chakra.
"Somewhat interesting," Lin Jin said calmly.
Seeing that he remained composed, Blood Twelve steeled himself and formed hand seals.
The blood-red patterns within the domain abruptly lit up. Countless blood-red tendrils rose from the ground, coiling toward Lin Jin like living creatures.
The tendrils moved extremely fast, sealing off every escape route in the blink of an eye.
"Blood Bind!"
Lin Jin darted aside, evading the first wave of tendrils, but they seemed endless, surging toward him wave after wave, growing ever denser.
Blood Twelve seized the opportunity to condense an even larger blood-red spear, its shaft wreathed in concentrated domain power.
He hurled it fiercely. The blood-red spear became a streak of light, stabbing straight toward Lin Jin's back.
Infused with the domain's power, this strike was several times stronger than before.
Sensing the threat behind him, Lin Jin turned, the scarlet glow of his Mangekyō Sharingan becoming even more eerie.
"Kamui."
Space twisted again, but the instant the blood-red spear shot into the vortex, it actually trembled slightly, as though trying to break free of space's restraints.
"That move again!" Blood Twelve gritted his teeth and frantically drove the domain's power. The light on the blood-red spear intensified, and it actually struggled forward several inches within the Kamui vortex.
A flicker of surprise crossed Lin Jin's eyes.
Not bad. An attack infused with domain power really was considerably stronger than before.
But that was all.
He increased the ocular power in his left eye. The Kamui vortex abruptly expanded, swallowing the entire blood-red spear in an instant.
At the same time, Lin Jin's right eye locked onto Blood Twelve.
"Kamui."
Space warped around Blood Twelve, accompanied by a powerful suction.
Blood Twelve's pupils contracted sharply. He felt the space around him collapsing inward, and that force was utterly impossible to resist.
He desperately drove his domain to fight back, but before this spatial distortion, the domain's power was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
His body began to deform, pulled by spatial power toward the center of an invisible vortex.
"What... what ability is this?!" Blood Twelve was utterly horrified.
Space? He had seen spatial Awakened before, but neither their techniques nor the way they used them had been this bizarre.
Was it because of those scarlet eyes of his? Was this his bloodline gift?
For the first time, he felt death so close.
Just as space was about to tear him apart completely, the distortion stopped.
Lin Jin withdrew his ocular power and watched him quietly.
"Still want to continue?"
Blood Twelve stood where he was, gasping for breath, his eyes full of lingering fear.
After a long while, he shook his head with a bitter smile.
"No more. I'm no match for you."
He retracted his blood wings and bowed slightly to Lin Jin.
"Blood Twelve of Blood Momentum pays his respects, Mr. Lin."
Lin Jin looked at him without speaking.
Blood Twelve straightened, his tone sincere.
"Rest assured, Mr. Lin, I came with no ill intent. I came to Jiangcheng on the orders of Blood One, the leader of Blood Momentum, to observe you."
"Observe?"
"Yes." Blood Twelve nodded. "We in Blood Momentum have already heard of your achievements in Jiangcheng. Killing an S-Rank Weird single-handedly and destroying an entire Weird Domain-with that strength, you would rank in the middle among the twelve of us. Blood One sent me to see whether you were worth befriending."
Lin Jin fell silent for a second.
"And now you've seen?"
Blood Twelve smiled bitterly.
"I have. You're stronger than I expected, Mr. Lin."
He paused, then said solemnly.
"Mr. Lin, aside from the observation task Blood One assigned me, there's another reason I came."
Lin Jin looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
Blood Twelve took a deep breath.
"On behalf of Blood Momentum, I'd like to invite you to join us."
Lin Jin raised his brows slightly.
"Join Blood Momentum?"
"Yes." Blood Twelve nodded.
"If I'm not mistaken, those scarlet eyes of yours should be your bloodline gift, Mr. Lin. In other words, you're a bloodline inheritor, just like us."
"You should know how rare bloodline inheritors are in this world, Mr. Lin. The twelve of us were selected from countless Awakened, and each of us has a unique bloodline ability."
"But while bloodline inheritors are rare and special, we're also in the greatest danger." His tone grew serious. "The major powers in this world both fear and covet bloodline inheritors. They fear our power and covet our bloodlines."
"If the twelve of us hadn't banded together and established Blood Momentum as a deterrent, certain powers would probably have captured us for research long ago."
He looked at Lin Jin sincerely.
"Your current situation is the same as ours was back then, Mr. Lin. You operate alone, without any faction's protection."
"The Dark Moon Organization already has its sights on you, and the great families will have ill intentions too. Someone stronger might come knocking at any moment."
"By joining Blood Momentum, you can gain support from companions, resources for cultivating your bloodline, and help when you encounter danger."
"As fellow bloodline inheritors, we should unite to face this world that isn't friendly to us."
After hearing him out, Lin Jin fell silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke.
"What restrictions are there on Blood Momentum's members?"
Blood Twelve shook his head.
"Very few. We normally live our own lives and only gather when something major happens or a member asks for help."
"Our leader, Blood One, doesn't interfere with our freedom or force us to do things we don't want to do. Joining Blood Momentum mostly means gaining a group of companions you can trust."
Lin Jin looked at him and suddenly asked.
"Do you trust them?"
Blood Twelve froze for a moment, then nodded.
"I do. The twelve of us have risked our lives for one another."
Lin Jin was silent for a second, then shook his head.
"I refuse."
Blood Twelve froze.
"Why?"
Lin Jin turned and looked toward the distant night sky.
"I'm not used to relying on others, and I don't need to. More importantly..."
"I don't want the hassle."
"I'm used to operating alone. Having companions is certainly good, but I don't need to attach myself to any organization."
He looked back at Blood Twelve.
"Thank your leader for his kindness on my behalf. But I'll pass on joining Blood Momentum."
Blood Twelve opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he merely smiled bitterly.
"I should have known." He sighed. "How could someone like you readily join anyone else, Mr. Lin?"
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