Hu Liena's body stiffened abruptly as she crashed into his arms, seemingly unable to comprehend this sudden acceptance.
The expected push and coldness did not come. Instead, she felt a firm chest, a slightly cool but unusually real touch, and strong arms that wrapped around her.
"Ugh..." she let out a muffled whimper, struggled for a moment, and seemed to want to continue that unfinished, frantic demand.
But Xuan Ming held her tightly, not giving her any room to continue losing control.
His chin rested gently on the top of her head, one hand encircled her back, and the other hand slowly and firmly patted her back.
"I don't hate you." Xuan Ming's voice was deep yet exceptionally clear, piercing through her frantic consciousness. "Calm down, Nana."
He didn't say anything more comforting, just repeated that simple yet powerful hug and pat.
Hu Liena's struggles gradually weakened.
The frenzied desire that was almost burning her up seemed to find an outlet in this sudden, firm embrace, or like the fur of a raging beast being gradually smoothed out.
Her tense body slowly relaxed, and she buried her face deep in the crook of his neck, greedily inhaling his unique, crisp scent tinged with a hint of blood.
Tears welled up again, but no longer in desperate madness; instead, they were sobs filled with immense grievance and lingering fear.
"I... I feel so bad... Xuan Ming..." Hu Liena sobbed, her voice broken, "This... this place feels like it's going to devour me... I can't control myself..."
"I know." Xuan Ming's voice remained steady, his gentle patting of her back continuing. "I'm here."
Hu Liena stopped talking, but hugged him even tighter, as if she wanted to completely merge herself into his body.
Hot tears soaked the fabric of his clothes on his shoulders, and his scalding breath sprayed on his skin, accompanied by a slight tremor.
Xuan Ming let her hug him, neither pushing her away nor making any further moves, simply maintaining the embrace.
Time seemed to slow down at that moment.
Inside the room, the suffocating smell of blood seemed to have faded somewhat, leaving only Hu Liena's gradually calming, soft sobs and Xuan Ming's steady heartbeat.
After an unknown amount of time, Hu Liena's breathing finally became even and long, and her tense body completely relaxed, as if she had exhausted all her strength. She fell into a deep sleep in his arms, but her brows were still slightly furrowed, as if she was still not at peace in her dreams.
Xuan Ming carefully lifted her onto the stone bed and covered her with a clean garment.
He stood by the bed, looking at Hu Liena, who was still unconsciously curled up in her sleep, seeking protection, his icy blue eyes filled with complex emotions.
The Ice Dragon King's voice echoed in his mind, tinged with a hint of teasing, yet also with seriousness. "See, isn't it working? Sometimes, a hug is more effective than any domain suppression. This girl... needs you more than you think."
Xuan Ming remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh.
He knew that Hu Liena's dependence on him was amplified in the special environment of the Slaughter City, and her desire for him was also amplified.
But Hu Liena's self-control couldn't be that poor; her bloodlust hadn't even gotten out of control yet, so how could her desire for him have?
What exactly went wrong...?
Chapter 297 Passionate Love and Desire
"If I give her my blood to drink, will it calm her down?" Xuan Ming asked.
The Slaughter City contains a terrifying, slow-acting toxin, like a drug, that is addictive and can even induce excitement. Therefore, from the first day he entered the Slaughter City, he hadn't let Hu Liena touch any Bloody Mary.
Even so, Hu Liena's desires still became very strange. This did not match the symptoms of Bloody Mary poisoning, but it was definitely not normal either.
"Brother, your blood... is a thousand times more terrifying than the poison in this godforsaken place," the Ice Dragon King said strangely.
"Once it leaves the body, your blood will rapidly lose its balance, and the forces of extreme cold and extreme heat will erupt instantly, annihilating each other and generating terrifying destructive power."
"Let alone drinking it, even a single drop would likely shatter the meridians of an ordinary Soul Master, or even cause them to explode and die."
"Do you think your blood is some kind of super tonic? It's deadly stuff!"
Xuan Ming remained silent.
He could indeed feel the violent power contained in his blood, which was usually maintained in a delicate balance by his strong physique and willpower within his blood vessels.
As for what happens after the body is separated, he doesn't know, since he's never tried it.
"And her condition..." Xuan Ming's gaze fell back on Hu Liena. Even in her sleep, her body would occasionally twitch slightly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, clearly indicating that she was still struggling against her inner desires and the corrosive influence of the Slaughter City.
"The root of the problem is this godforsaken place," the Ice Dragon King said with disgust. "It's constantly eroding her mind, amplifying all negative emotions and desires. This girl's obsession with you was already deep, and here it's been magnified infinitely. Coupled with the pressure accumulated from long-term tension and killing, that's why she suddenly lost control."
"Your very existence is to her like a person dying of thirst in the desert seeing an oasis; instinctively, they want to rush to grasp it. It's a mixture of survival instinct and emotional desire, not so easily suppressed."
This hellish place is not a pure killing ground; it has been corrupted by the Rakshasa God, becoming a decadent breeding ground filled with all sorts of twisted desires.
The killing is merely the surface; the deeper issue lies in the relentless catalysis and descent into depravity fueled by insatiable desire.
Hu Liena was already completely defenseless against Xuan Ming, and now that her defenses have been amplified, it's only natural that she would lose control.
Rather than saying that Hu Liena was driven by desire, it would be more accurate to say that she was influenced by Xuan Ming.
Xuan Ming's expression changed slightly. "So, if I'm not by her side, she'll actually be fine?"
"Of course." The Ice Dragon King's tone was somewhat subtle.
"The more she loves you, the more she hates everyone else in this city. You're like the only light in the darkness; all her obsessions and survival instincts are tied to you. Without you, she might be colder, more wary, like a lone wolf licking its wounds, less likely to lose control. With you, her vulnerability and dependence find an outlet."
Xuan Ming silently gazed at Hu Liena's still slightly furrowed brows as she slept, his fingertips unconsciously curling slightly.
"So, my existence became her biggest weakness?"
"That's one way to understand it, but not entirely." The Ice Dragon King's tone softened slightly. "Flaws are often also weaknesses and armor. At least just now, your presence calmed her down, didn't it? To put it another way, without you as an anchor, she might have already been completely assimilated by this endless slaughter and distortion, becoming a monster that only knows how to kill, instead of being like this now... only occasionally wanting to pounce on you."
"But I always feel like there's another force stirring things up." Xuan Ming stood up and looked out the window at the eternally crimson sky.
"Illusion?"
Several days later.
Beneath the eternally unchanging crimson sky of the Slaughter City, an extremely subtle aura, like a shadow merging into the blood mist, quietly descended upon the outer area.
Bibi Dong, dressed in casual clothes, concealed her aura to the extreme. Like Gui Mei, she stood atop a twisted building, her scarlet gaze piercing through space and precisely targeting the familiar stone house in the inner city.
She was still worried.
After Qian Renxue entered the Elder Hall, it was unusually quiet. The Spirit Hall was temporarily calm, so she took the time to come in person, just wanting to secretly check on the two people's condition, especially Hu Liena's condition.
She knew how terrifyingly the Slaughter City could corrupt one's mind.
However, just as she regained her footing, a cold gaze shot out from the direction of the stone house below, as if it were a tangible object, precisely locking onto her location.
Xuan Ming's figure had appeared at the entrance of the stone house at some point, looking up at her with no surprise in his icy blue eyes, as if he had expected her arrival.
Bibi Dong was slightly startled. Her concealment skills were extremely impressive, yet she had been detected so easily?
Slaughter City, Xuan Ming's senses seemed to have become even more terrifying.
She no longer hid; with a flicker of her figure, she appeared in front of the stone house as if by Teleportation.
"Teacher?" Hu Liena, who was inside the room, heard the noise and cautiously peeked out. When she saw Bibi Dong, her face instantly lit up with surprise, but then, as if she had thought of something, a hint of panic and embarrassment flashed in her eyes. She subconsciously straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and hair.
Bibi Dong's sharp gaze swept across Hu Liena's face, and she immediately noticed something was amiss.
Although Hu Liena tried her best to appear normal, the lingering restlessness and fatigue deep in her eyes, as well as the faint, suppressed yet still Bibi Dong detected desire emanating from her body, made her brows furrow.
"It seems I've arrived at the wrong time?" Bibi Dong's voice was emotionless, but her gaze turned to Xuan Ming, questioning him.
Hu Liena lowered her head, her fingers twisting together, and said in a soft voice, "Teacher, I... I'm alright..."
She dared not speak of the times she had lost control.
Xuan Ming stepped forward, pulled Bibi Dong aside, explained Hu Liena's situation to her, and also expressed his doubts.
"Out of control?" Upon hearing Bibi Dong, Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly, as if she had realized something.
She strode into the room, grabbed Hu Liena's wrist, and a pure yet chilling Divine Power swiftly probed into her body, carefully examining her.
Hu Liena trembled, but did not resist.
A moment later, Bibi Dong's expression turned extremely ugly.
She did indeed sense, deep within Hu Liena's Spiritual Origin, an extremely subtle, almost fused with Hu Liena's own soul, a strange spiritual imprint that was both alluring and wild!
The mark was silently absorbing the Evil aura of the Slaughter City and amplifying Hu Liena's primal desire for Xuan Ming!
Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox!
"What do you mean!" Bibi Dong asked angrily in her heart.
"What do you mean? This is something she has to go through," the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox said leisurely.
"She gained my power and possessed the potential to become a god, but of course she had to pay a price. The allure of the Heavenly Fox Clan is irresistible even to gods. Do you think this power comes without a cost?"
"Explain yourself!" Bibi Dong said coldly in her mind, her killing intent almost reaching her through the mental link.
The languid, alluring voice of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, tinged with a hint of mockery, echoed in her mind, "Oh dear, don't be so angry, Your His Holiness the Pope. I didn't harm her; I'm helping her, and I'm helping you too."
"Help her? Help her be consumed by desire? Help her become a puppet who only knows how to demand?" Bibi Dong's voice was icy cold.
"That's not true," the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox replied slowly and deliberately.
"The power of the Celestial Fox originates from the deepest emotions and desires."
"Extreme love, possession, and desire... these are the sources of our power."
"Suppression and restraint will only cause power to stagnate."
"Your disciple's heart is already completely filled with Xuan Ming, yet he's such an unyielding iceberg."
"This girl usually tries very hard to control herself, but once she entered this Slaughter City, filled with the Evil aura of aphrodisiacs and lust, her desires were amplified infinitely. My fragment of soul merely went along with her wishes and slightly... fueled the flames."
"You call this fueling the fire?" Bibi Dong was furious. "She almost completely lost control!"
"Out of control?" The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox chuckled lightly, tinged with disdain. "That's because she hasn't learned to control this power yet. A true Celestial Fox should be the master of desire, not its slave. I'm forcing her to confront her own heart, forcing her to take control of this power."
"Compared to how you used to constantly endure the Rakshasa Evil Thoughts and uphold your principles, her desires are nothing."
Hu Liena absorbed the Nine-Tailed Fox Heart Lotus, gaining its remaining power and evolving into a true Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox. She possessed the potential to ascend to godhood. Moreover, this girl was human, not Soul Beast Clan. As long as she could control this power, becoming a god in the future would be almost a natural progression.
However, Hu Liena obtained this power too easily, lacking a gradual process. She almost instantly gained the power of the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, which was the result of her hundreds of thousands of years of hard work!
This so-called loss of control was simply because Hu Liena's cultivation level was too low and her mental training was too insufficient, causing her to be devoured by her own power.
Listening to the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox's explanation, Bibi Dong gradually calmed down.
Yes... compared to the erosion of Rakshasa Evil Thoughts that she had endured day and night, the burning desire that Hu Liena was experiencing now did seem... much milder.
Although that beast was despicable, its words were not entirely without reason.
The power of the Celestial Fox originates from the deepest emotions and desires.
Extreme emotions are a powerful force, but they also come with enormous risks.
Hu Liena gained this power in one fell swoop, but lacked the corresponding control over it. It was almost inevitable that she would be devoured by the power.
The environment of the Slaughter City merely accelerated and exacerbated this process.
"So, your help is to watch her burn to death because of her own desires?" Bibi Dong asked coldly via telepathy.
"Of course not." The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox's voice became more serious.
"I will pull her back when she's truly on the verge of completely losing herself, but more importantly, she needs to figure things out and take control for herself."
"This is the tribulation of desire that every Celestial Fox must undergo. Once she passes through this tribulation, her Divine Power and control over her own strength will be elevated to a whole new level."
"If she can't overcome it... then it means she's not qualified to inherit my power, and it's only natural that she'll be devoured by the backlash."
Chapter 298 The Blood Spear Grows Again
Bibi Dong fell silent.
She couldn't completely trust this cunning Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox, but there weren't any major logical flaws in what it said.
Power is never gained out of thin air; the more you gain, the more risks you must bear.
but...
Her gaze fell on Hu Liena's pale and restrained face, where the child's eyes held a dependence on her teacher and a hint of barely perceptible pleading.
Nana is her disciple, not a tool.
She wanted her to be strong, but even more so, she wanted her to be safe.