Free Web NovelChapter 224: Chapter 139: Shocking Power, Blood Transaction
The next moment, Gu Lin vaguely heard a bloodcurdling scream from that direction.
A few seconds later, a cloud of blood mist rushed out of the woods and condensed into a human shape before the woman.
Though its features were twisted, she could still vaguely make out the face of the Winter Frost Priest from before.
With a flick of the woman’s finger, the human-shaped blood mist let out a silent wail before dissipating into the air.
Gu Lin watched this unfold, utterly shocked. While she felt a sense of vindication, she was also profoundly shaken.
’A Fourth-Class Priest... just died, so easily, right before my eyes.’
Although she had long suspected the woman was powerful, this level of strength was far beyond her imagination.
"All right, transaction complete. Remember the payment you owe me." The woman retracted her hand, her expression indifferent, as if she had just casually crushed an ant.
Gu Lin snapped back to her senses and asked, astonished, "You’re not collecting it now?"
The woman chuckled. "The payment for killing a Fourth-Class Winter Frost Priest isn’t that cheap. If I were to collect it all at once, I’m afraid I’d suck you completely dry."
Gu Lin was speechless once more. It took her several seconds to find her voice. "Then... when do you plan to collect your payment?"
"Hmm... let me think." The woman mused. "If I absorb two hundred milliliters of blood from you every day, about a year should do it."
Gu Lin’s eyes widened. "What do you mean? Are you planning to follow me around?"
The woman pursed her lips and smiled. "Is that a problem?"
"But... can you even get into Bai Bing City?"
"Of course," the woman said with a grin. "I have a Traveler’s Pass issued by the Star Realm Alliance. I can travel freely anywhere within its territory. Bai Bing City is part of the Star Realm Alliance’s domain, is it not?"
’A Traveler’s Pass?’
This was the first time Gu Lin had ever heard of such a thing.
But judging by the woman’s expression, she was most likely telling the truth.
’So, this woman really intends to stick by my side?’
Gu Lin’s feelings were a tangled mess, and for a moment, she didn’t know how to react.
Normally, having a High-tier Wizard by her side long-term would undoubtedly be a good thing.
But when that High-tier Wizard was a vampire who planned to take two hundred milliliters of her blood every day, it was hardly a pleasant situation.
But she was the one in debt, after all. After a moment of hesitation, Gu Lin finally agreed.
’On the bright side,’ she thought, ’this woman is a High-tier Wizard. Any little resource she lets slip through her fingers would be a massive fortune for me.’
’Just like that Purified Soul Crystal.’
’What’s a little extra blood in exchange for opportunities like that?!’
At this thought, Gu Lin’s mood lightened considerably.
"By the way, what’s your name?" the woman asked.
"I’m Gu Lin."
"I’m Annie. From now on, you can just call me by my name. I don’t like overly formal titles."
Gu Lin acknowledged her, then hesitated before saying, "I’d like to go retrieve my companions’ bodies. May I?"
"Of course," Annie nodded.
With Annie’s help, Gu Lin quickly found the bodies of Zhuo Jie and the other two. Her expression grim, she collected their remains to take back with her.
The entire time, Annie simply stood to the side with a placid expression, neither interfering nor speaking a word.
Once the bodies were collected, the two headed back to Bai Bing City.
As they neared Bai Bing City, Gu Lin suddenly said, "Hold on."
Annie turned to look at her, puzzled.
"Shouldn’t you change your clothes?" Gu Lin said, gesturing to Annie’s evening gown. "You’ll be very conspicuous entering the city like that."
"Is that so?"
Annie lifted the hem of her gown and spun in place.
"I don’t mind, but if it bothers you, I’ll change."
She snapped her fingers. The black evening gown instantly dissolved into black smoke that swirled around her body, then rapidly coalesced again, forming a black robe that enveloped her.
The fleeting glimpse of perfect, snow-white skin was enough to make even Gu Lin’s heart skip a beat, woman though she was.
’Do all vampires have such perfect figures?’ she couldn’t help but wonder.
"Alright, let’s go."
Annie led the way toward Bai Bing City.
Gu Lin snapped out of her daze, sighed, and quickened her pace to catch up.
...
「Red Maple City. Battlefield Buffer Zone.」
Billowing smoke rose above the castle where a fierce battle had just ended, revealing a scene of utter devastation.
Blood-soaked corpses were visible everywhere amidst the collapsed stone walls.
Pei Ze stood on the ramparts, gazing at the distant sky.
A cold corpse lay at his feet. On its blood-soaked sleeve, three snowflake patterns were faintly visible.
Compared to the previous Fortress 89, the garrison at Fortress 17 had been much stronger.
Not only had the number of Winter Frost Priests increased to four, but one of them had even been a Third-Class Priest.
Yet for Pei Ze, who had broken through to the liquefaction stage, this battle had been far easier than the last.
After he effortlessly dispatched the four Winter Frost Priests, the morale of the castle’s garrison of Turin Warriors plummeted. The swarm of Fog Crows then wiped them out with ease.
Pei Ze hadn’t even needed to deploy his Oak Guardians for this battle.
"My Lord, everything is here."
Su Ya came to his side, presenting a Space Badge to him with both hands.
Pei Ze took it and glanced inside, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.
One Divine Statue, three smaller statues, and four Eyes of Cold Winter. He could refine at least three Faith Crystals from these.
There were also three hundred thirty milliliters of Holy Water, which would be no problem to exchange for over six hundred merit points.
It was a shame he hadn’t found any rare resources like Demonic Refined Steel, or the haul would have been even greater.
’The mission’s maximum reward of 1,000 merit points, plus over six hundred more from the spoils... that’s enough to exchange for five Sacred Spirit Buds. That should last me a long time.’
Pei Ze decided then and there. He would return and enter closed-door cultivation for a while, only coming out to earn more merit points once the Sacred Spirit Buds were used up.
He was starting to get used to this rhythm: complete a mission, then cultivate for a while.
He had to admit, the feeling of his power increasing so rapidly was exceptionally addicting.
"Let’s head back," Pei Ze said, putting away the Space Badge.
Su Ya and Peng Yan immediately complied, turning and leaping off the ramparts to fetch their giant eagle. Just then, however, Pei Ze’s expression shifted as he looked up and gazed into the distance.
On the horizon, a black speck was flying toward them at extreme speed.
Pei Ze raised an eyebrow in surprise.
’They’re pretty quick this time.’
As the speck drew closer, its true form gradually became clear.
It was a middle-aged man in a white Sacrificial Robe, with four snowflake patterns clearly embroidered on his sleeves.
’A Fourth-Class Winter Frost Priest!’
’Could he be from the Secret Silver Resource Point?’ Pei Ze wondered.
In just a few moments, Andri arrived above the castle.
He looked down at the ruins, then at Pei Ze standing alone on the ramparts, a look of shocked uncertainty in his eyes.
’The enemy is just a single Wizard?’
’Could he be a Second-level Wizard?’
Andri instantly grew wary and began to speak in a low voice, "You..."
But before he could get his probing words out, Pei Ze, still on the ramparts, had already raised his hand. Liquid metal pooled in his palm, instantly condensing into a glittering silver spear.
The next moment, brilliant lightning surged forth.
Thunderburst Combustion, Energy Gathering, Lightning Rune, and the Power of Thunder Element!
A scorching, violent aura instantly swept across a thousand-meter radius.
Looking at the spear that seemed to have been forged from solid lightning, Andri felt a chill shoot straight up his spine.
He summoned several ice shields in front of him without a moment’s hesitation.
The next instant, the Thunder Spear materialized before the ice shields, striking them like a meteor.
Only then did the piercing sonic boom erupt!
CRACK!
The five ice shields couldn’t even hold for a second; they shattered into fragments in an instant.
The Thunder Spear continued onward, striking Andri in the chest. A halo of light around his body flickered wildly, shattering an unknown number of divine art artifacts in a single instant.
Fortunately, that momentary delay gave Andri just enough time to cast a Divine Art.
An intensely brilliant, azure orb of light emerged from his fingertip. Carrying a bone-piercing chill, it struck the Thunder Spear. As lightning and frost clashed, both were annihilated.
Having caught his breath, Andri turned and fled without the slightest hesitation, streaking into the distance even faster than he had arrived.
