Piaohua Palace: Depths of the Ten Thousand Beast Blood Pool
Lin Chen had been unconscious in the blood-colored cocoon for three days, the System's cold voice constantly echoing in his mind:
[System: Host in deep hibernation... Forced repair mode activated... Estimated repair time: 72 hours. Warning: Cannot perceive the outside world during this period.]
When Lin Chen opened his eyes again, he found himself still soaked in the dark red blood pool, but the corrosive feeling of the water had weakened considerably. He tried moving his fingers—though his shattered bones hadn't fully healed, at least the agony wasn't as excruciating as before.
[Ding! Host repair completion: 47%. Current state: Extremely weakened, unsuitable for combat. Recommendation: Continue recuperating.]
"Awake?" A gentle voice came from the pool's edge.
Lin Chen turned his head and saw Su Miaoyin crouching by the pool, holding a white jade food box. She carefully took out a bottle of dark red pills and gently sprinkled them into the pool. The pills dissolved upon contact with water, creating ripples. A gentle medicinal power seeped into Lin Chen's wounds through the water.
"This is..." Lin Chen's voice was hoarse.
"The Palace Lord told me to deliver 'Blood Essence Pills,' they accelerate bone and tendon repair." Su Miaoyin kept her head down, not daring to meet Lin Chen's eyes, "She said if you died, there'd be no one left to kill Tianxuan Sect elders for Piaohua Palace."
Lin Chen smiled bitterly: "She's refreshingly direct."
He studied Su Miaoyin and suddenly asked: "How old are you this year?"
Su Miaoyin was taken aback, clearly not expecting this question: "Almost... almost thirty."
"Thirty?" Lin Chen's heart sank. The Su Qingyao he sought should be around Lin Ying's age, just fifteen or sixteen. Even if she reincarnated, she wouldn't be thirty. The ages didn't match.
"Do you... have any birthmarks on your body?" Lin Chen stared into her eyes, "Like a lotus shape?"
Su Miaoyin's face flushed red, and she hastily waved her hands: "Young Master Lin, why would you ask such a thing? A lady's body..."
"Just curious." Lin Chen's tone was calm, but his gaze was sharp as a blade, "This is very important to me."
Su Miaoyin hesitated for a moment but still shook her head: "No. The only mark on my body is a burn scar on my left arm from when I was a child. It's not a lotus."
[System: Su Miaoyin has no lotus birthmark, age doesn't match. Possibility of being Su Qingyao eliminated.]
Lin Chen closed his eyes, his emotions conflicted.
It's not her.
Then the real Su Qingyao is still at Emei Palace.
"Young Master Lin is looking for someone?" Su Miaoyin suddenly asked softly, "A... woman?"
"Mm."
"Very important?" Su Miaoyin's voice grew even softer, carrying a trace of barely detectable loss, "More important than life?"
Lin Chen was silent for a long time, then slowly opened his eyes, the dark red of the blood pool reflected in his pupils: "I will spend my entire life searching for her."
[Ding! Su Miaoyin's favorability +30. Current: 60 (Admiring). System Warning: This woman has developed feelings for the Host, but the Host's target is another. Recommendation: Maintain distance.]
Lin Chen ignored the System's warning. He gazed at the churning malevolent energy above the blood pool, his heart holding only one thought:
When I recover, I'll go to Emei Palace.
Even if I have to sneak a peek at female cultivators bathing, I must confirm that lotus birthmark.
---
Ten days later.
Lin Chen rested quietly in the blood pool, his injuries sixty percent healed. During this time, Su Miaoyin delivered medicine daily. Though their conversations were few, unspoken feelings grew. Lin Chen noticed but always maintained his distance.
On this day, Meng Qingcheng suddenly descended upon the blood pool.
"Lin Chen, come out." Her voice was cold, "Trouble has arrived."
Lin Chen broke through the water, steam rising from his body: "Tianxuan Sect people?"
"More than that." Meng Qingcheng's expression was rarely grave, "The Tianxuan Sect Lord ended his seclusion early and is personally leading eight great elders. They'll arrive in... three hours."
Lin Chen's pupils contracted: "So soon?"
"There's something even more troublesome." Meng Qingcheng looked toward Lin Ying's direction, "Your sister's Chaos Green Lotus Mark has been fluctuating violently these past few days, attracting the spying of powerhouses from beyond the Canglan Realm. This Palace has already detected at least three Deity Transformation divine senses probing."
[System: Dual Crisis Alert!]
[Crisis 1: Tianxuan Sect Lord (Early Deity Transformation) + Eight Great Elders (YuanYing Stage), arriving in 3 hours!]
[Crisis 2: Unknown Deity Transformation powerhouses × 3, currently spying on the Chaos Green Lotus Mark! Target: Lin Ying!]
Lin Chen clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms: "What can I do?"
"Your injuries aren't healed. Going would be suicide." Meng Qingcheng said, "This Palace will activate the mountain-protecting grand formation to temporarily hold them off. But this formation won't last more than twelve hours."
She paused, tossing Lin Chen a jade slip: "This is the complete formation diagram for the 'Heaven-Stealing Life-Swapping Formation.' If you can comprehend it within three hours, you might be able to delay the Tianxuan Sect Lord for a moment."
Lin Chen's divine sense sank into the jade slip. The formation diagram was profound and complex, making his head spin.
[System: High-level formation jade slip detected. Comprehension time: At least 7 days. Host's current state cannot achieve rapid mastery.]
"There's another way." Meng Qingcheng suddenly said, "At the bottom of the Ten Thousand Beast Blood Pool, a fifth-stage demonic beast 'Blood Fiend Flood Dragon' is sealed. If you can kill it and absorb its essence blood, you can recover to peak condition within half an hour. But..."
She didn't finish, but Lin Chen understood—a fifth-stage beast was equivalent to Deity Transformation strength. Challenging it in his current state meant over ninety percent mortality.
"I'll go." Lin Chen's voice was firm, "Lin Ying is my reverse scale. Whoever touches her dies."
Meng Qingcheng looked deeply at him and finally nodded: "Fine. This Palace will help you open a corner of the seal, but you only have half an hour. If you can't kill it, you'll become its blood meal."
[Ding! Desperate Quest Triggered: Kill the Fifth-Stage Blood Fiend Flood Dragon!]
[Quest Reward: Instant recovery to peak state, Killing Intent Points max +2000, unlock Slaughter God "Wu'an Slaughter God Bai Qi" complete form!]
[Failure Penalty: Death, soul annihilation!]
Lin Chen didn't hesitate, diving into the depths of the blood pool.
There, a pair of vertical pupils, scarlet as blood, slowly opened...
[End of Chapter 20]