Chapter 19: Devouring the Blood Demon

Inside the House of the Blood Demon, Xia Shou stood at the center of the collapsed cathedral dome, slowly devouring the Blood Demon.

He did not know how much time had passed, but the sensation of devouring the Blood Demon was even more uncomfortable than consuming that charred corpse.

How to put it… it gave him a feeling of indigestion.

Although it was a strange way to describe it, that was the most accurate first impression that surfaced in his mind.

【Devour Progress: 100%】
【Devouring complete. You have acquired the skill—[Hemostatic Healing]】
【Description: Blood, the fragments of life… Collect the fragments of life, and even bare bones can grow flesh.】
【Effect: Your blood can fill wounds, allowing even non-regenerative body tissue to be reshaped. When you are in a state of blood loss, the food you digest can be directly converted into blood.】
【Cost: Using this skill increases your Deep-Dive Value (the depth within that ■■■■ sea)】

Xia Shou looked at the red text in front of him, where several characters were too blurred to read.

However, he still understood that the deep sea he had seen in his dreams was a form of cost—a universal cost, somewhat similar to MP in games.

As he pondered, the red text changed again, revealing another line of information.

【You have acquired the Transcendental Skill—[Blood Riot]】
【Description: Blood only possesses the value of being observed the moment it flows out. The host feels fear, the enemy feels joy, and blood accepts both emotions without distinction.】
【Transcendental Rank: Level One】 (The priority of a Transcendental Skill is the sum of your own anomaly rank and the skill's inherent Transcendental Rank.)
【Effect: Manipulate blood within a certain range. If the blood has a host, your anomaly rank must be at least one level higher than theirs.】
【Cost: No cost, but as your understanding of blood gradually increases, "He" will bestow a trial.】

"Transcendental skill…" Xia Shou chewed on these words.

According to his understanding, this meant that although his anomaly rank was only Level One, by using [Blood Riot], he could unleash the output of a Level Two transhuman with the qualifications of a Level One!

If he were to level up in the future, the priority of this skill would increase accordingly.

The text vanished, leaving only a few prompts.

【Although you consumed it entirely, you only digested 50%. You need a stronger stomach to digest the remainder.】

Xia Shou looked at the number in his left eye, which had risen to 1,100 meters, and let out a sigh of relief.

After eating the Blood Demon, not only had his depth risen by over two hundred meters, but the rate of sinking had also slowed significantly. It was almost imperceptible to the naked eye; clearly, the Blood Demon had provided him with considerable buoyancy.

"It seems that if the enemy is too powerful, it's possible to consume them without fully absorbing their strength. However, with this current buoyancy, I shouldn't sink below the red line in the short term," Xia Shou muttered to himself.

This time, Xia Shou did not consume the Beast Tamer's corpse. He intended to use it as a misleading clue to tell a lie.

After steadying his emotions, Xia Shou returned to the foyer the way he came. Now that the Blood Demon was dead, he should be able to leave through the entrance.

Upon reaching the foyer, he saw Su Weiyu squatting there, hugging her knees.

"Ah! You're out!" Su Weiyu jumped up from the ground and ran excitedly to Xia Shou. "What about the Blood Demon? Did you finish off the Blood Demon?"

"Yeah, it's taken care of. We should be able to leave now." Xia Shou gripped the foyer door handle and pulled it open.

Outside was the familiar, empty woodland with yellow caution tape, but there were far fewer staff members present than when he had entered. Only the site manager who had greeted him and the masked man remained.

Just as Xia Shou stepped out of the house, gray shadows flashed from all four directions.

Before he could react, three swords were held to his neck, and a fourth was pointed directly at the heart on the left side of his chest!

But someone was faster than the ambushers!

The moment the female executioner's blade was about to touch Xia Shou's neck, Su Weiyu had already drawn her katana and, with lightning speed, severed the arms of every executioner present, including the female one.

Her speed was so fast that even Xia Shou had failed to react.

Just as when she had killed the Beast Tamer, the uncanny "negation" took effect as naturally as a law of nature.

After being wounded by Su Weiyu, the executioners showed no signs of shock, and the people around them ignored the abnormal injuries entirely. Everyone present "naturally" accepted the fact that the execution squad had lost their arms.

"Plan B!" the most burly executioner hissed.

In an instant, all the executioners around Xia Shou pulled back.

Then, the air in front of him distorted strangely, and a translucent scene resembling a mirage appeared in the air.

At a glance, Xia Shou recognized this as the room of the giant lizard he had visited earlier that day!

The giant lizard in the illusion seemed to be able to see the scene here as well. It lunged forward like a tiger pouncing on prey. Its translucent head grew larger in front of Xia Shou, and as it crossed an invisible boundary, it suddenly became real.

By the time it reached Xia Shou, the dragon-lizard's head had fully materialized!

Its blood-red maw, filled with fangs, emitted the stench of rotting meat and fresh blood, and a nauseatingly hot, humid breath washed over him.

The bite of the Calamity Crystal Dragon-Lizard was as fast as lightning. Its powerful tongue coiled around Xia Shou’s body like a python, exerting enough force to easily crush a man's ribs!

"Don't eat him!"

The dagger-like teeth stopped three centimeters above Xia Shou's forehead.

Xia Shou looked up, and disgusting, transparent mucus dripped from the yellowed, sharp teeth onto his forehead.

The dragon-lizard slowly retracted the tongue wrapped around him. Its eyes narrowed into thin slits, revealing a subtle, human-like expression as it glanced sideways at Su Weiyu.

"Oh~~ you're here too. They called me here, said if I ate this kid, they'd give me extra rations."

The dragon-lizard spoke in a tone that was almost sarcastic, yet his words carried a subtle hint.

"678, what are you doing? Eat him now!" the execution squad leader roared.

The dragon-lizard ignored him entirely, staring at Su Weiyu instead. "These people think this kid is a freak, but I don't care whether I'm eating a human or a freak. After all, I only get fed if I work, and every prisoner hopes for extra rations~"

Su Weiyu remained calm. She waved a hand at Xia Shou, signaling him not to worry, then held up two fingers to the giant lizard. "Double. I'll pay double!"

The giant lizard shook its head and looked at Xia Shou, who was trying to sneak away. It gave a weird laugh: "Guess how fast I can eat you?"

Xia Shou thought about the speed at which the creature had coiled its tongue around him and abandoned the idea of trying to put distance between them. If this beast truly wanted to eat him, there was no way he could dodge it.

For now, it was better to leave the initiative entirely to Su Weiyu. She and this monster seemed to be old acquaintances, and she appeared confident in her ability to persuade it.

Su Weiyu looked at Xia Shou, took a deep breath, and asked as calmly as possible, "Then what do you want?"

"Add one month of book reading. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"

Su Weiyu frowned, clearly reluctant, but eventually nodded. "Fine, deal!"

"Heh heh, the generous shall receive generous rewards." 678 emitted a harsh, grating laugh and slowly retracted its head back into the wormhole. Its black scales and golden pupils returned to their translucent state before it retreated into the prison within the mirage.

Seeing the Calamity Crystal Dragon-Lizard return to the other side of the wormhole without doing anything, the entire execution squad stood there in shock.

"It actually backed down…"

Although the Calamity Crystal Dragon-Lizard was a high-risk anomaly, it had cooperated with the Control Bureau many times over the past few decades due to its high intelligence, willingness to communicate, and tendency to cooperate.

In any previous cooperation, negotiating with 678 was the most troublesome step. But once a deal was reached, 678 would always fulfill its duties diligently, completing the agreed-upon content. Never before had it abandoned its duties without explanation, as it had today!

For what reason did 678 give up on devouring the Blood Demon parasite?