Chapter 76: Clothes

As the petal withered, a surging tide of life force poured into Yan Xicai's body.

Thump—thump—thump...

The life force gathered in his chest, rhythmically hammering his heart. His once-still heart began to beat again, and the fatal wound on his neck healed at a visible rate, recovering largely within mere seconds.

Yan Xicai suddenly opened his eyes, as if waking from a nightmare!

"Don't kill me!!"

He mumbled a cry, but was met only by the howling wind and the roars of battle in the distance.

Yan Xicai lay dazed in the pool of blood for a long time before finally regaining his senses. He fumbled at his chest, only to pull out a withered petal...

"It actually worked!" Seeing that the petal had saved him, Yan Xicai's face erupted in the wild joy of a man spared from death. "It seems Dad still cares about me after all! Heaven doesn't want me dead! Yan Xicai is back!! Hahahaha..."

This petal was a treasure Yan Xicai's father, the President of the Starfall Merchant Guild, had acquired from an unknown source. When he gave it to Yan Xicai, he didn't explain its purpose, only instructing him to keep it close and never remove it. Now, Yan Xicai finally understood the petal's power.

As Yan Xicai recalled everything that had just happened, the joy in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by endless resentment and fury.

"Jian Changsheng... Hehehe..."

"How dare a lowly cripple try to kill me? Once I escape, if I don't slaughter your entire family, I'll change my surname!"

Yan Xicai cursed as he staggered to his feet from the pool of blood. He glanced at the distant battlefield and immediately turned towards the entrance of the ancient vault.

After all, there wasn't much time left until the ancient vault opened. As long as he could find a place to hide until the end, he could wait for the Enforcers to arrive... Who could harm him then?

Yan Xicai had only taken one step when he seemed to remember something, and rushed back to the arsonist's corpse, meticulously searching it.

"Where's the ring... where's my ring?" Yan Xicai fumbled for a long time, unable to find it, and frowned in confusion.

"Are you looking for this?"

A voice drifted from behind him.

Yan Xicai's body stiffened, and he turned to look. He saw a figure in a large red opera costume standing in the pool of blood, casually toying with a ring, watching him with a half-smile.

The moment he saw that face, Yan Xicai looked as if he'd seen a ghost, his eyes wide with shock.

"You... you..."

"Why am I here? Didn't I die? Am I human or ghost?" Before Yan Xicai could speak, Chen Ling calmly finished his lines for him, then slowly walked towards Yan Xicai. The latter simply stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded.

The smile on Chen Ling's lips gradually faded. He looked down at Yan Xicai, and after a moment, coldly uttered two words:

"...Kneel."

The cold glint of a dagger flashed instantly. Chen Ling brutally slashed Yan Xicai's Achilles tendons. The latter screamed, collapsing to his knees with a thud, curling up in the pool of blood.

"This is impossible... You were clearly dead!" Yan Xicai clutched his legs, his face deathly pale.

"If even you need to be killed twice to die, why can't I?" Chen Ling said calmly. "I told you, all of you will die here... Do you think you'd be an exception, Young Master Yan?"

"Chen Ling... let me go, give me a way out! I promise! I won't tell anyone what happened here!"

"We don't really have a deep-seated grudge, do we? Apart from on the ship... I can apologize, truly! I'll even kowtow to you!"

"I can get you into Aurora City, you can pick any Enforcer position you want! I promise you endless wealth and glory!"

"And, I have many treasures at home; I can give you whatever you want..."

Yan Xicai pleaded desperately. His life-saving measures were exhausted. If Chen Ling killed him again this time, he would truly be dead... And if he was dead, he would have nothing.

Chen Ling calmly slipped the ruby ring onto his finger, completely disregarding Yan Xicai's pleas.

He examined the ring carefully for a moment, then suddenly interrupted Yan Xicai:

"How do I use this thing?"

Yan Xicai froze.

"Didn't you say you'd give me all your treasures?" Chen Ling asked again. "How do I use this one?"

Hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in Yan Xicai's eyes. Chen Ling's interest in the ring meant he had a chance to buy his life with treasure!

"This is an artifact with a significant origin," Yan Xicai immediately explained. "It's said to have been found in a gray realm created during a seventh-tier calamity invasion. If it devours spiritual power, it can control space within a small range. If the user's spiritual power is below the fourth tier and insufficient for it to devour, fresh flesh and blood can be used instead..."

"Only fourth tier can use it without cost?"

"Yes, only the fourth tier can master a domain. Before mastering a domain, spiritual power is almost zero..."

"Then how does it devour flesh and blood?"

"There's a mechanism on the side of the ring. Just touch it, and then insert the popping needle into your body, and it will..."

Before Yan Xicai could finish speaking, Chen Ling single-handedly clamped the other's throat. The ring's needle pierced beneath the skin, and began furiously devouring Yan Xicai's flesh and blood!

As the ring devoured, Yan Xicai's formerly plump body visibly withered, just as Chen Ling had seen Qian Fan use the knuckle artifact in the manor, except this ring's devouring speed seemed even faster than that artifact!

With Chen Ling's hand clamped around his throat, Yan Xicai wanted to wail but couldn't make a sound. He could only stare desperately at Chen Ling, begging for his life.

Finally, just before Yan Xicai was completely drained, Chen Ling released his grip.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough..."

Yan Xicai collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. At this moment, he looked like someone recovering from a severe illness, emaciated and skeletal. He was barely distinguishable from a skin-covered skeleton, his original appearance almost entirely gone.

"I see." Chen Ling looked at the faintly glowing ruby, deep in thought.

"It... it's yours now," Yan Xicai wheezed like a broken bellows. "Chen Ling... you can let me go now, right?"

"Alright." Chen Ling patted his shoulder, slowly rising from the pool of blood. "By the way, didn't you say you liked my outfit? I can't give you that one... How about this one I'm wearing?"

Yan Xicai glanced at the large red opera robe on Chen Ling and quickly shook his head... At this point, how could he dare to act like he did on the ship?

Besides, on the ship, he hadn't truly been interested in Chen Ling's shabby clothes. He had simply wanted an excuse to cause trouble for Chen Ling.

"N-no... no need..."

"Alright, what a pity."

Chen Ling turned and walked away.

Seeing Chen Ling simply walk away, Yan Xicai's heart, which had been pounding, finally settled... He crawled miserably through the blood, inching towards the ancient vault's entrance.

He could finally go home.

Just then,

A cold gust of wind brushed the hem of the large red opera robe.

As Chen Ling walked forward, he casually raised his right hand and lightly snapped his fingers.

"Twist."

*Crack—*

Yan Xicai's body was twisted like a pretzel, his already faint life force vanishing instantly.

He lay emaciated in the pool of blood, his vacant eyes staring at the sky. On the gray-white ground, he seemed to be draped in a large red opera robe, identical to Chen Ling's.