He Jinfan was scared out of his wits.
He was truly terrified. Staring at the blood mist drifting through the air, he even forgot to breathe for a moment.
W-Wasn't he just saving her life?
She was already a corpse, so why did he have to pull a stunt like this?
Recalling the purple armor that had just materialized on Wan Qianhong's body, He Jinfan's mind began to run wild with speculation.
That transformation was probably some kind of empowerment ritual for joining the society. It looked quite similar to an Evil God's blessing...
Could it be that she couldn't withstand it... and just exploded?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
How could an organization of the Masked Hermit Society's caliber let just anyone join? Every single one of them had to be a complete monster.
While he didn't mind being a monster himself, this standard was a bit much... What if he couldn't withstand it and exploded too?
He Jinfan swallowed hard and quietly took half a step back.
Meanwhile, Xu Mo was also dumbfounded.
Ignoring whatever He Jinfan was thinking beside him, he stood before the cloud of blood mist, the expression on his face beneath his faceplate incredibly colorful.
Wait, sister, why did you explode?
As he was wondering, he suddenly noticed something was off.
On his game panel, the Source of Bloodline Medal had not gone dark.
It was still glowing, and even brighter than before.
Xu Mo froze for a moment, then looked up at the blood mist in the air.
The crimson mist drifting in the air did not disperse and vanish. Instead, it was systematically contracting backward.
Within a few seconds, the blood mist gathered once more and began to solidify.
First came the outline of the skeleton, followed by blood vessels, meridians, muscles, and skin...
It was like watching a video in reverse.
A few seconds later, Wan Qianhong stood there completely unscathed, her original clothes still draped perfectly over her body.
After steadying herself, she blinked, her expression utterly dazed.
It was as if she had just awakened from a long dream, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.
Xu Mo looked at the prompts on his game panel.
【Source of Bloodline: It is confirmed that the user has successfully found a “sufficiently qualified” member.】
【From this day forth, with your permission, she may borrow the power of the Heart of Reality. At the same time, the reputation she spreads in the outside world can increase your power of faith!】
Power of faith?
After reading the entire description, Xu Mo was somewhat surprised by the final prompt.
As an Old-Timer, he knew what this was.
Old Ones' Awakening did indeed feature a power of faith mechanic, but that was content only utilized in the late game, typically after reaching the Eternal Sleeper rank.
This was looking way too far ahead; he had absolutely no use for it right now. Still, having an extra member was a good thing.
He looked back up at Wan Qianhong and glanced at her stats on his game panel.
【Level: 61】
Level 60, the threshold for an Edgerunner, and she had just crossed it.
My goodness, it seemed that the explosion just now was because she had directly mastered an Escape Art.
Blood Escape—now that was a cool technique!
By now, the aura around Wan Qianhong had completely stabilized.
She raised her head, a trace of confusion still lingering in her eyes. Wasn't I dead? Am I really fine?
“This is...”
“Congratulations,” Xu Mo spoke from the side. “You have now stepped into the Edgerunner rank.”
Wan Qianhong snapped her head up, staring at the black figure before her.
Only now did she realize that her physical state was very likely due to the big shot in front of her once again.
This was the first time she had ever been so close to Sinking Black.
“Se... Senior?”
She spoke with a slight stutter, her mind in utter disarray. “Did you save me?”
Xu Mo said calmly:
“It was Bai Feifei's request.”
“Furthermore, she paid a heavy price to convince me to save you.”
The Old-Timer decided to employ a bit of moral kidnapping. After all, she only had three months left to live; he had to mobilize every bit of power he could leverage.
Wan Qianhong's pupils contracted sharply as she quickly asked:
“How... how is she doing now?”
Xu Mo rolled his eyes internally. Her mind is asleep, and her body is currently standing right in front of you...
“She was corrupted by the power of the blood vessels and now needs to find a way to extend her own lifespan.”
He gave a vague explanation before steering the conversation in a different direction.
“However, there is another matter you should be more concerned about.”
Xu Mo took a step forward, the cold gleam of his black armor reflecting onto Wan Qianhong's face.
“You have passed the trial. From this moment on, you are a member of the Masked Hermit Society.”
“Welcome, Unceasing Purple!”
Listening from the side, He Jinfan's expression beneath his mask was priceless.
Just as I thought! That was indeed a trial.
Her strength isn't exceptionally high either. If she can join like this, maybe I stand a chance too...
Wan Qianhong stood frozen, her mouth slightly agape, her mind in a state of absolute upheaval.
Bai Feifei needs to extend her lifespan? What on earth happened to her?
And just like that... I've become a member of the Masked Hermit Society?!
For a moment, it all felt surreal. She had stepped into the Edgerunner rank and even joined an organization of such a legendary scale.
She suspected that within that organization, someone of her level was probably at the very bottom tier.
She suddenly recalled the “trial” mentioned by the yellow-masked man earlier.
Could this have been a test from the very beginning?
Wan Qianhong's emotions grew incredibly complex.
Every single time, it was Bai Feifei's connection that saved her. She truly owed her far too much now—she literally owed her a life.
Bai Feifei's connection... Wait!
What a terrifying existence Sinking Black was. Since she was alive, he must have taken care of that Evil God's blood vessel!
For such an entity to repeatedly show respect to Bai Feifei... that in itself was somewhat unusual, wasn't it?
She raised her head, her expression complicated. Looking at the black figure before her, she asked on a sudden impulse:
“Um... what is the relationship between you and Bai Feifei?”
Xu Mo: ?
Beneath his faceplate, his expression instantly became utterly bewildered. Why did he feel like this woman's train of thought was so bizarre?
Feeling thoroughly speechless, Xu Mo replied coldly:
“What does that have to do with you?”
...
Outside the massive nest constructed of red blood vessels, in the red soil region.
By now, Liu Yun was practically going out of her mind.
She had placed an aura tracer on Wan Qianhong. While she couldn't sense it earlier due to the storm's interference, she could detect it clearly now.
Ever since she entered this area, she had been able to feel Wan Qianhong's faint aura fluctuating like a candle flickering in the wind, desperately in need of rescue. Consequently, while maintaining her vigilance of the surroundings, she had been moving as fast as possible.
Yet just moments ago, that faint fluctuation had suddenly snapped without warning, as if it had been forcefully severed by something, rendering her unable to track it.
Is she dead?!
Her heart clenched violently, and she charged forward with even more reckless abandon.
Suddenly, a colossal structure that was clearly anomalous and exuded an eerie aura loomed before her eyes.
Countless lusterless, dark red blood vessels were intertwined and tangled together, weaving a massive, bizarre red nest.
Without the slightest hesitation, her eyes blazed with golden light. Behind her, one of the heavenly soldiers swelled in size against the wind, unleashing a colossal palm strike that surged forward like a mountain-toppling wave!
Rate on N.U.
