Blood Sacrifice Night

"Please take a bath and change your clothes, Miss Su." Chi Lian raised the corner of his lips in a cruel arc, his eyes fixed on Su Baiwei, admiring this sacrifice that was about to be completed.

Seeing Su Baiwei held hostage by two silver-armored guards, her eyes hollow and her steps unsteady, Chi Lian's eyes practically overflowed with delight. This submissive gesture, to him, was the remnant of resistance completely crushed, adding a touch of sadistic pleasure to this bloody feast.

3:15 PM.

A huge bronze brazier roared with flames, spewing fire and casting a swaying shadow on the altar's fire totem. The air was hot and sticky, filled with the smell of burnt sulfur and blood.

Su Baiwei, clad in a dazzling crimson dress, was led toward the massive blood-marrow cauldron at the center of the altar. Her skirt trailed across the firelit stone floor, and every step seemed to tread on the edge of despair. Around the altar, countless pairs of eyes watched silently.

Chi Lian admired his masterpiece. The combination of the Heart-Eroding Powder and the Seven Emotions Inducing Agents multiplied their effectiveness. Once her heart's blood entered the cauldron, she would be reduced to a complete corpse. This perfect ending captivated him. His cold gaze swept over the silver-armored figure behind Su Baiwei, like a cold blade scraping across skin, a scrutinizing glance. A deeper, more playful curve curved the corners of his lips.

Finally, she was pushed to the side of the Blood Marrow Cauldron. Its surface was covered in strange dark patterns. In its center, a fist-sized, living thing shaped like a twisted heart slowly pulsed. It was the Mother Gu. At its core, a thin, dark purple humanoid figure floated up and down, its face vaguely discernible.

Black-hearted tiger!

Chi Lian actually wanted to use the Su family's bloodline as a guide and use the power of blood sacrifice to reshape the remaining soul of the Black Heart Tiger!

This thought penetrated Tiao Tiao's mind like thunder. His face beneath the visor was twisted with fear and rage, and only his fingers gripping the hilt of the sword were clenched until they turned pale under the silver armor.

It’s midnight.

Chi Lian stepped forward, a blood-drawing knife gleaming with a cold, blue edge. "Wouldn't it be more respectable to do it yourself, or would you rather have your uncle do it for you?" A sense of strangeness crossed her mind. Her resignation was like a pool of stagnant water, too silent. Just as Su Baiwei struggled futilely, Chi Lian suddenly struck. Her fingers, packed with immense force, clamped down on Su Baiwei's jaw, nearly shattering it with such force. A faint metallic clang escaped from her sleeves.

"You are so obedient..." He moved closer, his cold mask almost touching her face, his eyes fixed on her dilated pupils, "It makes your uncle reluctant to tear out your heart." Before he finished speaking, a cold internal force had already followed his fingertips and quickly penetrated into her body.

Su Baiwei groaned, her face instantly turning pale as paper, blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. Chi Lian's inner energy raced through her dry, tangled meridians, only to feel a bone-chilling emptiness pervade. The expected frenzied pulses triggered by the Seven Emotions were, surprisingly, so weak as to be practically nonexistent. It seemed the Heart-Eroding Powder had hollowed out her heart meridians, rendering the Seven Emotions' effects useless. The sight of complete domestication before him, coupled with the urgency of midnight, halted his investigation. The perfect sacrifice lay before him, a blood sacrifice that could not fail. Doubt vanished from his eyes, replaced by a morbid delight. The unruly prey had finally been crippled.

"The time has come." Chi Lian was confident of victory and handed the blood-collecting knife to her.

Su Baiwei stared down at the blade for several breaths. Her gaze drifted unfocused over the twisted lines on the blade, her body hunched, her breathing shallow. Just as Chi Lian thought she had surrendered, she reached out two fingers and gripped the blade's tip with disgust, as if it were a filthy, poisonous insect. She swung her hand and dropped it with a clang to the stone floor. This abrupt and contemptuous gesture brought a momentary silence to the solemn altar. She slowly withdrew a light green handkerchief and carefully wiped the fingertips that had touched the blade.

The corners of his eyes twitched violently beneath the Chi Lian mask. A surge of anger, the feeling of being publicly humiliated, surged through his head. But the hour was too urgent to miss. Thinking of her becoming a puppet after the blood sacrifice, he suppressed his anger, forcing a sinister smile across his twisted face. "Very good. But the knives here at the altar all belong to the Holy Fire Hall. If you don't use them, how will you draw blood? Perhaps... with your teeth?" He spoke with mockery.

Su Baiwei raised her eyes, a fleeting trace of fatigue in their depths. Without a word, she raised her hand and plucked the silver hairpin that bound her hair. The moment she pulled it out, her dark black hair cascaded down, spreading across the crimson ceremonial garments. A few strands brushed against the hibiscus stamens at the end of the hairpin.

"If you don't hurry up and miss the deadline, your uncle will have to do it himself." Chi Lian issued an ultimatum coldly.

Su Baiwei gripped the hairpin tightly with four fingers, her thumb resting on the hibiscus flower at the end. Then, without hesitation, she slid the silver hairpin across the old scar on her wrist.

The bronze basin leaped with flames, and a dark shadow swayed. The moment the hairpin's tip pierced flesh, it felt as if something incredibly subtle merged, as fast as an illusion. This strange sensation was swallowed up by the gushing blood and the swaying, uneasy shadow. At the same time, a faint, icy, tingling sensation mingled with the sharp pain, like the brush of cold metal.

Blood dripped into the cauldron, splattering on the pulsating surface of the mother Gu. She took a deep breath, the color draining from her already pale face. She forcibly activated the Su family's secret "Burning Heart Technique," forcing all her energy into her heart.

A sharp pain, like thousands of steel needles piercing her heart, erupted instantly. The pain was like molten lava burning through her internal organs, coursing through every nerve. Her body tensed like a bowstring stretched to its limit, cold sweat instantly soaking through her undershirt. Her vision darkened, and a thick, bloody smell rose in her throat. Finally, with immense willpower, a drop of golden-red blood, imbued with the essence of life, was forced out of her heart, dripping slowly down onto the dark purple remnant soul at the core of the mother insect.

Su Baiwei swayed violently and only managed to avoid collapsing after holding onto the edge of the tripod with both hands. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were dazed.

Chi Lian expressionlessly spat out two words: "One drop." His eyes swept over her shaky body, and with a hint of mockery, "What about the other eight drops?"

Before he finished speaking, the drop of heart blood had been absorbed by the mother insect, and the dark purple residual soul core quietly spread out a trace of dirty dark green.

"No! This blood..." Chi Lian's pupils suddenly shrank and he cried out in shock. Just as he was looking at it in surprise -

Behind Su Baiwei, Tiao Tiao, who was disguised as a silver-armored guard, suddenly burst out with the murderous intent and anger that had been pent up for a long time.

The time has come!

He suddenly drew his sword, and the sharp blade light burst like cold water, and with the determination to die together, it pierced Chi Lian's throat.

Although Chi Lian had been prepared, his mind was distracted, and his reaction was ultimately a little slow. He turned hastily, his palms red, infusing them with all his strength, and clamped tightly around the middle of the deadly blade.

Swish!

The tip of the blade sliced ​​through strands of hair before its sharp edge slashed across the side of his neck, leaving a streak of blood. Chi Lian grunted in pain, the blade vibrating violently within his suede glove amidst the harsh sound of metal scraping against metal. His hasty defense, coupled with the relentless force of the blade, cracked his knuckles, blood instantly soaking his gloves. His internal energy surged, and he stumbled backward.

Almost at the same time, the blade of another guard behind Su Baiwei slashed towards Tiao Tiao's neck with a sound of breaking wind; the chain of the third guard on the side twisted towards his ankle; and several silver-armored guards who reacted roared and rushed forward with weapons.

The altar guards are definitely not mediocre!

If Tiaotiao wanted to completely avoid the fatal double attack, he would have to abandon the assassination attempt. In the split second between life and death, a fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he turned his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade that was about to strike his neck. He kicked the knife-wielding man's wrist fiercely, but the heavy chain at his side was no longer able to escape.

With a dull crack, the chain struck Tiaotiao's left shoulder. Severe pain washed over him, and the strength in his left arm suddenly vanished. He groaned, stumbling. The sudden blow inevitably loosened his grip on the knife.

Chi Lian immediately noticed the decrease in pressure on the knife. A fierce gleam flashed in his eyes, and he seized this fleeting opportunity, infusing his palms with internal energy and thrusting them outwards!

There was a sharp, metallic clatter. Tiao Tiao's blade was violently swung away by the immense force, its blade narrowly grazing Chi Lian's throat. The force knocked Tiao Tiao off balance, and he stumbled into the swarm of guards charging from the side. Several cold beams of light descended upon him.

The moment the blade touched his body, Tiao Tiao twisted his body and rolled over with his remaining instinct.

Swish! Swish!

Two streaks of cold light grazed his ribs, leaving behind a sharp scraping sound and a shower of sparks, leaving deep, bloody wounds. The excruciating pain pierced his heart, yet he narrowly escaped through the gaps in the blade net. Though he survived, his blood quickly stained the silver armor's lining, making his movements even more sluggish.

"Hmph! Finally can't hold it in anymore?" Chi Lian steadied himself, a sneer curling around his lips. His gaze subconsciously swept towards the Blood Marrow Cauldron, where he saw the scene that had shaken him to his core: Su Baiwei! Her previously unfocused eyes were now as sharp as the moon reflected in a cold pond, terrifyingly intense. The silver hairpin in her hand flashed with a cold gleam as it pierced the restless Mother Gu, now agitated by the sip of her heart's blood.

"Bitch! Stop!" Chi Lian's roar tore through the air, filled with despair and rage. Sacrifices, puppets, all forgotten at this moment. He had only one thought in his mind: stop her!

He lunged forward recklessly, like a madman, his body swift as an arrow from a bow. His right palm, brimming with a sinister force powerful enough to split stone and shatter stone, struck Su Baiwei's head with a shrill, air-breaking sound. If this palm landed, Su Baiwei would have no chance of survival.

The palm strike was fierce, barely three feet from Su Baiwei's head. Su Baiwei knew that if she retreated now, Chi Lian would be on guard. Surrounded by a thicket of guards, further contamination of the Mother Gu would be impossible. Seeing the silver hairpin's medicinal juice barely a hair's breadth away from being fully injected, she quickly weighed the pros and cons: Taking the blow head-on would inflict severe damage, but not death. She gritted her teeth, pressing her right thumb firmly against the hairpin's pistil. She raised her left arm, determined to complete this final thrust, even at the risk of serious injury.

Tiao Tiao, struggling with several guards, caught sight of a figure lunging at Su Baiwei and a palm wind tearing through the air. A bone-chilling fear gripped her heart; her life hung by a thread!

The body acts before the mind.

"Get out of the way!" Tiaotiao roared, completely ignoring the blade slashing down from the side. He abandoned all attempts at blocking and poured all his remaining strength and will into his legs. He stomped the ground hard, his figure like an arrow from a bow, hurtling towards the narrow gap between Chi Lian and Su Baiwei.

The price comes with it.

laugh!

The blade, which he had completely ignored, slashed down unhindered from the side. The sharp blade tore through his shoulder armor and dug deep into his already severely injured left shoulder. The sound of bone cracking was audible, and the excruciating pain overwhelmed his consciousness like a raging tide. His vision went black, and his left arm completely lost control. But this excruciating pain only fueled his final madness. He used the momentum of his forward charge, holding the knife tightly in his hand, and thrust it straight at Chi Lian.

He was gambling. He was gambling that Chi Lian valued his own life far more than killing Su Baiwei immediately. This was a pure act of self-sacrifice, using his own flesh and blood and the blade of his sword to build a final barrier for Su Baiwei. If Chi Lian insisted on striking, his throat would undoubtedly collide with the blade in his path without a break.

Chi Lian's frantic forward charge was abruptly halted. His palm, brimming with 100% strength, came to a halt just half a foot from Su Baiwei's left palm, the wind already rippling her hair. The backlash from forcing himself back caused a bitter, salty sensation to well up in his throat, and the muscles beneath his mask spasmed uncontrollably. His eyes erupted in humiliating fury. To avoid severing his throat, he forced his palm back and twisted his body, retreating in a disastrous manner, his gaze fixed on the silver hairpin embedded in the Mother Gu, nearly burning through it.

At this critical moment of life and death, Su Baiwei had completely injected the medicinal juice in the hairpin.

Buzz——

A terrifying, invisible force suddenly descended. The stabbed Mother Gu convulsed and curled up violently, like a living creature plunged into boiling oil. Its surface shimmered at a visible rate. The remnant Black Heart Tiger soul at its core, once a shimmering dark purple, instantly gave way to a dark green, its form twisting, expanding, and collapsing madly. An invisible shriek, filled with utter agony and venom, violently engulfed the entire altar.

The impact shook the altar, and the pale green will-o'-the-wisp flames around it suddenly swayed wildly. The mother insect's pulse became disordered and weak, and its remaining soul was like a candle in the wind, its vitality severely damaged and on the verge of annihilation.

On the altar, all eyes were fixed on the dying mother Gu. The twisting, dancing flames, like a ghostly dance, illuminated Chi Lian's face, distorted by shock, anger, panic, and the backlash of his internal energy. It also captured Su Baiwei's figure, her hair disheveled and her right cheek swollen, yet she stood tall and resolute. It also illuminated Tiao Tiao, who stumbled before Su Baiwei—his left shoulder's silver armor shattered, a deep wound visible to the bone, a bloody mess, his left arm drooping limply. Two deep, bloody wounds beneath his ribs, where the armor had been torn, oozed blood, staining the lining. Yet, the knife in his hand remained firmly between Chi Lian and Su Baiwei.