Chapter Forty-One: The Cuckoo Behind

Lin Lei watched as the man holding the blood-stained blade walked toward him.

"Let me introduce myself. I am called 'Blood Shadow,' a priest of the Blood Cherry Society... For everything the Investigation Bureau has done to our society, I will pay you back slowly... You will not be the last!"

"Blood Shadow?" Lin Lei looked at the man, inevitably recalling the final whispers of the Blood Fox after its death. He wondered if this was the person it had referred to.

As the man spoke, he reached Lin Lei.

*Swoosh!*

The blood-red long blade in his hand slashed down toward Lin Lei. Lin Lei watched the blade descend, but suddenly raised his hand to meet it with his palm, a sharp, cold glint flashing in his eyes: "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The blood-red blade was razor-sharp, easily slicing through Lin Lei’s skin, yet it could not penetrate his bones at all. In an instant, the black dagger buried in Lin Lei’s chest vanished, and he suddenly opened his mouth.

*Roar!*

An incredibly strange roar emanated from his throat. The sound was not loud, but it carried a terrifying power that shook the soul. Upon hearing it, the blood-red figure froze in place, a look of horror flashing across his face. This was the second ability granted by the black dragon hilt: Dragon Might!

As Dragon Might was unleashed, Lin Lei thrust his hand forward. Black threads from the black blade in his hand surged outward, shooting straight into the head of the blood-red figure.

*Splat!*

Because of the mental suppression caused by [Dragon Might], the man was unable to trigger his bizarre ability to turn into blood mist. In fact, had it not been for his caution regarding that unique ability, Lin Lei would have struck much sooner. A cold, frigid light flashed in Lin Lei’s eyes.

*Riiip!*

Black sword-bone extended in all directions within Blood Shadow’s head until...

*Pop!*

Spikes erupted from within his skull, causing the entire head to explode, splattering blood and brain matter across the ground. His body collapsed limply, and the blood blade fell from his hand once more. The corpse twitched a few times, then went still.

Lin Lei activated "Gluttony" to confirm the man was truly dead, then stepped forward. Within the man's heavy robes were many vials and jars, likely containing extraordinary potions. Lin Lei stripped the robes and activated "Plunder" on the corpse.

*Hiss, hiss, hiss!*

His fascia and muscles began a rapid transformation once more. After all, this man was a Third Realm entity; despite his severe injuries, his constitution was immensely powerful! At the same time, the source energy within Lin Lei surged. However, since Lin Lei had already reached the overflow state of the Second Realm, this influx of energy could not be absorbed and was instead converted entirely into [Calming Force]! Because his own source energy could not increase, his level of corruption remained unchanged.

Afterward, he turned his gaze to the blood blade. He picked it up, but couldn't help but shake his head. Having "plundered" Blood Shadow and the dagger with "sealing" capabilities, his gluttony energy was completely depleted; he could not use it to absorb this blood blade, which was likely also a source artifact.

He raised an eyebrow, then turned toward Hong Qiuqiao, whose body was still twisting and writhing not far away. She had completely lost her human form; all that was visible was a large mass of flesh covered in smaller, pulsating tumors. Images of the girl’s once shy and adorable appearance flashed through his mind. Lin Lei sighed again and walked over with the blood blade.

Among the masses of flesh, Lin Lei could only see one eye shimmering with tears. He placed a hand on the mass, and the [Calming Force] within his body flowed into Qiao'er. As the force poured in, the tumors and lumps on her body gradually flattened.

But Lin Lei knew clearly that this was only temporary. Once he stopped the flow of [Calming Force], Qiao'er would continue to mutate. [Calming Force] could soothe the emotional changes caused by source energy corruption, but it could not reverse a process that had already caused physical deformity. After all, the level of the [Calming Pendant] was limited.

After Lin Lei poured all his excess [Calming Force] into Qiao'er, her body did not fully return to its original state. Her head and various parts of her body still had numerous tumors and slight bulges. She still wore a look of pain on her face, her eyes fixed on Lin Lei as she opened her mouth with great effort: "I'm sorry... Investigator Lin... I can't control myself..."

Lin Lei shook his head and gently placed his hand over Qiao'er's eyes to close them. "Sleep well. When you wake up, everything will be fine."

He raised his hand.

*Swoosh!*

The blood blade swept across Hong Qiuqiao's neck, ending her suffering. Killing her while she was in a state as close to human as possible was the greatest mercy Lin Lei could offer. He stood up, slid the blood blade into the scabbard on his back, and stared into the seemingly quiet darkness, sighing softly.

"Does the pursuit of source energy ultimately lead to tragedy?"

He shook his head and was about to turn away when his eyes suddenly narrowed.

Accompanied by a violent surge of source energy, *Boom!* A piercing sound tore through the air, arriving with a speed that left Lin Lei unable to react. A sharp, intense pain flared in his chest. A fiery red bullet easily tore through Lin Lei’s combat gear, piercing his chest and sending his body flying backward to slam heavily into the wall behind him.

*Crash!*

The wall collapsed.

*Gurgle!*

A bowl-sized hole appeared in Lin Lei’s chest. As blood spilled from his mouth, he looked toward the darkness in astonishment. There was someone else?

"I truly didn't expect a mere Second Realm source energy user to have so many secrets, and to be so powerful..."

A voice that exuded infinite charm echoed. A beautiful woman in a red dress walked slowly out of the darkness, holding a crystalline pink handgun.

"It's a pity... The power of [Blood Shadow] was something even I wouldn't dare underestimate. To think you managed to kill him—even if it was a sneak attack—is quite impressive..."

The person was Du Juan of the Deathbird.

Lin Lei’s mouth twitched. Why would someone from the "Deathbird" launch a sneak attack on him? The first thing that came to Lin Lei's mind was the hilt he had "plundered." In truth, he had no grievances with the Deathbird before this; only the hilt was worth them taking action.

Lin Lei’s thoughts raced, and he felt a hint of helplessness. No wonder that when they first met, this woman had looked at him specifically; she must have noticed something about him back then...

Du Juan stepped forward but stopped at a certain distance, looking at the black bone sword in Lin Lei's hand. "I never imagined a mere Second Realm user could master the power of a 'Sealed Item'... What a truly miraculous little thing you are!"

Lin Lei lay half-prostrate in the ruins, coughing violently as blood gushed from his mouth. He appeared weak, yet his eyes remained sharp as he watched her.

Du Juan’s lips curled into a smile: "Stop pretending, little one. I know your abilities are quite special; a single shot like that wouldn't be enough to make you this weak."