Stronger with Crimson Modifier-Chapter 114: Blood [2]

But it was completely worth it.

’In my opinion, his strength is just average,’ she thought. ’The only reason he managed to hurt me was because of that unpredictable, almost supernatural swordsmanship of his.’

’Now that his weapon is broken...’

’The tables have turned in an instant.’

’With my powerful endurance as a Black Blood Species, wearing him down to death will be no problem at all.’

’This is a member of a Martial Arts Family who has completed a life-altering transformation.’

’He’s nothing like my usual meals.’

’To use a term from the TV shows of surface-dwelling humans, he’s like a living, walking Earth Treasure.’

’If I can just kill and devour him, not only will my injuries heal, but I might even reach the next level.’

Thinking of this,

she didn’t retreat. Instead, she advanced.

She pressed forward, meeting Hu Qi’s fists with her own.

A series of dull, thunderous cracks echoed through the air.

It was the sound of immense power compressing and tearing through the air.

As a Black Blood Species, her physique, defense, and Recovery Power were all far superior to those of a Secret Martial Artist of the same rank.

Coupled with her Black Scale Talent,

she refused to believe that this man, now without his Long Saber, could still be her match.

But this line of thought didn’t last long. As time passed,

the look of certain victory on Chen Yu’s face disappeared completely.

There was a simple reason for this.

After trading just a few blows with Hu Qi, her arms were already growing numb.

Worse, each of his punches carried a scorching heat that burned her arms.

If it weren’t for her Black Scale,

she was certain her arms would have been cooked through by now.

’This kind of power...’

’As a Lower-Rank Black Blood Species who has lived for over a hundred years,’

’I’ve fought my fair share of members from the Martial Arts Families.’

’I know what this is.’

’Qi Blood True Strength.’

’But this man’s Qi Blood True Strength is far too powerful.’

’And throughout this fight, it hasn’t weakened in the slightest, as if it’s inexhaustible. It’s simply unbelievable.’

Hu Qi was oblivious to Chen Yu’s thoughts.

His expression was impassive.

Aside from parrying her claws as they shot toward his face, he made no attempt to defend himself.

The corners of his eyes glowed faintly red, and his two brawny arms were a solid crimson.

They looked like two red-hot branding irons, wisps of white steam curling off them in the cold winter air.

Every attack

was infused with terrifying heat.

A careful observer would notice

that Hu Qi’s attacks were not random.

Most of his blows landed on just a few specific spots on her body.

After dozens more exchanges,

PSH!

Suddenly,

as one of his fists landed,

the spot he struck erupted. A patch of Black Scale, mixed with blood, burst open.

"Argh!"

Chen Yu let out a pained grunt.

She retreated with Rapid Speed, trying to create distance.

However, Hu Qi stuck to her like glue, impossible to shake off.

"You... How can you break through my defense?"

Her voice was filled with disbelief.

"Heh. Even if I told a fool like you, you wouldn’t understand."

Hu Qi’s voice rang out, clear and emotionless.

’To put it simply, it’s just a technique for stacking Power.’

’As long as you land the Qi Blood True Strength from every punch on the same spot...’

’once it stacks high enough, it creates an explosive effect.’

’Of course, achieving this isn’t easy.’

’It places immense demands on a Martial Artist’s total reserves of Qi Blood True Strength, as well as their technique.’

’But there’s no need to explain all that to her.’

As he spoke,

his attacks grew even more ferocious.

Seeing this,

fear gripped Chen Yu’s heart. She deliberately took one of Hu Qi’s blows.

Using the impact, her entire body shot backward at high speed.

"Trying to run? Too late! You’re not going anywhere!"

Hu Qi let out a vicious laugh.

The ground beneath his feet shattered, leaving a shallow crater.

As cement fragments flew everywhere,

his body shot forward like a cannonball. He reached out his palm, tearing through the air with a terrifying sonic boom.

In an instant, his fist slammed into Chen Yu’s back.

The blow, packed with a massive amount of Qi Blood True Strength, blasted a hole straight through the Black Scale on her back.

She slammed into a distant wall,

which immediately burst open, sending dust and debris flying.

Hu Qi didn’t pause for a second.

The billowing dust couldn’t obscure his vision in the slightest.

With a flicker of movement, he charged straight through the opening.

「Inside the room.」

It looked like a storage room.

Now, it was a ruin filled with shattered masonry.

But Chen Yu was nowhere to be seen.

Seeing this,

Hu Qi’s eyes narrowed, the smile on his face widening.

He began to walk around slowly, surveying the room.

He spoke in a soft, singsong voice.

"Little one, you’re so naughty. Come on, big brother sees you. Come on out."

In the adjacent room, separated by just a wall, Chen Yu was plastered to the upper corner of the ceiling like a spider.

Hearing Hu Qi’s voice,

she instantly suppressed her aura.

A black mist enveloped her wounds, preventing any blood from dripping down.

"Hmm, did she really get away? What a shame."

Hu Qi’s voice, tinged with puzzlement, drifted from the other room.

Then, the sound of footsteps faded into the distance.

Everything fell silent.

At this,

Chen Yu’s expression relaxed slightly.

But she didn’t move.

She remained perfectly still.

After waiting for another thirty seconds or so,

and confirming that Hu Qi was truly gone,

she prepared to flee.

’I can’t stay in Qirong City any longer.’

’Last time, that madman cut off my arm.’

’This time was even worse; I was nearly beaten to death.’

’It’s not that I haven’t fought members of Martial Arts Families in all my years.’

’But even when I couldn’t win against them, I could always escape.’

’Something’s been off lately, though.’

’If it weren’t for the long lifespan of the Black Blood Species,’

’and the fact that our power doesn’t decline with age, I’d almost suspect I was just getting too old for this.’

However, just as she dropped down,

a voice like a Devil’s echoed from behind the wall.

"Found you!"

As the words fell,

BOOM!

the wall behind her exploded inward.

Amidst a shower of rubble,

a thick, scorching hot arm burst through the wall and clamped down on Chen Yu’s face.

A terrifying, unending torrent of Qi Blood True Strength poured from Hu Qi’s arm without reserve.

The intense burning sensation

twisted Chen Yu’s face in agony, the Black Scale on her skin glowing red-hot.

She opened her mouth to scream, but in the next instant,

a large hand, blazing with heat, crushed her jaw.

She instinctively tried to raise a hand to fight back,

but her arm was ripped from its socket by an immense force.

Black blood sprayed everywhere.

Where it landed on the floor and walls, wisps of green smoke instantly rose.

Unlike the blood of an ordinary Blood Slave,

the blood of a Lower-Rank Black Blood Species seemed to possess a powerful corrosive property.

Due to their close proximity,

some of the Black Blood inevitably splashed onto Hu Qi.

However, the blood’s corrosiveness only managed to eat a few holes in his clothes; it couldn’t harm his skin. The sensation was no worse than being splashed with lukewarm water.

"You... you wretched... piece... of... fodder... How dare... you do this... to me..."

A weak, hoarse, and grating voice escaped Chen Yu’s lips.

If not for Hu Qi’s sharp hearing, he might not have been able to make out her words at all.

But Hu Qi paid her no mind.

He was focused on the scent of the Black Blood splattered on him.

Surprisingly,

unlike the pungent, nauseating blood of the Blood Slaves,

the Black Blood from this creature had a faint, sweet aroma.

As he smelled it,

a pang of hunger struck him.

It was accompanied by a loud "GRRRUMBLE."

It was as if some rare delicacy lay before him.

The sensation was overwhelming.

Driven by this hunger, Hu Qi

stuck out his tongue and licked a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth.

However,

there was no nauseating, metallic taste as he’d expected.

Instead, the taste was incredibly sweet and delicious.

It was more delicious than any drink Hu Qi had ever tasted.

Hu Qi found himself getting addicted.

His eyes gradually turned Crimson.

But unlike a Black Blood Species,

Hu Qi’s pupils elongated into vertical slits, like the eyes of a serpent.

When Chen Yu, who was still muttering curses, saw this,

a flash of joy lit up her eyes.

’It must be known,’ she thought, ’that the blood of a Lower-Rank Black Blood Species is a potent poison to humans.’

’Those Blood Slaves were transformed precisely because they consumed my blood.’

’I don’t understand why this guy would willingly consume my blood...’

’...but that doesn’t stop my elation.’

Seemingly sensing the craving in Hu Qi’s eyes,

the Black Scale on her body receded,

revealing her original human form.

A faint smile graced her beautiful face.

"Come now, lick my finger. Drink as much as you like."

By now, her crushed jaw had already repaired itself enough for her to speak clearly.

As she spoke,

she raised her one remaining hand and, with a flick of her nail,

opened a cut on her slender finger. A Crimson Blood Bead welled up and trickled out.

Then, she held it out to Hu Qi.

’Any creature that consumes the blood of a Lower-Rank Black Blood Species becomes addicted.’

’In the end, there are only two outcomes.’

’Either they are successfully transformed into a Blood Slave...’

’...or the transformation fails and they simply die.’

’There is no third possibility.’

’This man is so powerful. If he were transformed into my Blood Slave, his strength would be immense.’

However, Hu Qi merely glanced at Chen Yu’s finger with his cold, Crimson, slitted pupils.

Then, he opened his mouth wide.

And bit down directly on her fair, jade-like neck.

His sharp, serrated teeth easily tore through her skin and plunged deep into her artery.

Instantly,

a massive amount of blood gushed out.

GULP... GULP...

Hu Qi swallowed in great gulps.

The Crimson glow in his eyes intensified.

Chen Yu, after her initial shock, chose not to resist.

’In my view, since he’s from a Martial Arts Family...’

’...the amount of Black Blood needed for his transformation would naturally be far greater than that for my usual meals.’

Therefore, she didn’t try to stop him.

However...

「Five seconds later.」

The smile had vanished from her face, which was now deathly pale.

「Ten seconds later.」

Her lips began to turn purple, her cheeks grew gaunt, and her whole body started to tremble.

Yet Hu Qi, latched onto her neck, showed no sign of stopping.

Seeing this, a look of terror appeared in her eyes.

It was the fear of death.

She could clearly feel her own powerful Life Force draining away along with her Black Blood.

"No, stop! You... get... off... me!"