Chapter 099
Chapter 99: Useful
Li Mu Sheng stretched his five fingers into a claw, grasping at empty air. The world echoed with the sound of clanging iron, as if countless heavy chains appeared from nothingness, forming invisible shackles that bound Su Chang Qing’s veins, muscles, and flesh.
In an instant, subtle points of blue light shimmered from Su Chang Qing’s vital points, clearly tracing his internal pathways like glowing rivers.
Then, Li Mu Sheng tapped lightly through the air. Countless phantom shadows flickered—seeming to be hundreds or thousands of taps, yet perhaps only two had truly struck.
One tap halted the flow like damming a celestial river, reversing blood and Qi. Another tap bound tightly like chains encircling a dragon’s tendons, condensing the vital essence.
The air around them froze instantly. Under Su Chang Qing’s disbelieving gaze, wisps of fiery golden-red mist began seeping slowly from his heart.
The Qilin blood coursing within his body was swiftly extracted, gathering visibly until it formed a sphere of molten blood, burning with golden-red flames.
Li Mu Sheng gently opened his palm, and the fiery Qilin blood drifted lightly into it.
This blood resembled molten lava, so fiercely hot that it warped the very air, radiating heat intense enough to melt metals and stone.
Li Mu Sheng glanced up at Su Chang Qing, raising an eyebrow slightly.
[He truly has some talent. Swallowing this Qilin blood must have been like swallowing burning iron; no wonder he’s ended up neither human nor ghost.]
Thinking this, Li Mu Sheng shook his head, no longer concerned with Su Chang Qing. Instead, he examined the Qilin blood in his palm with curiosity.
Of course, there was absolutely no way he’d eat such a thing.
It was entirely different from any blood he knew. It was hard even to imagine a creature whose body could contain such searing, molten blood.
But this martial world was strange—perhaps there truly was a divine beast like a fire Qilin?
Li Mu Sheng stroked his chin thoughtfully. With a flicker of intent, a golden whirlpool emerged in his palm, and he began slowly absorbing the Qilin blood into his own body.
Instantly, an overwhelmingly fierce force stirred within him. Soon it surged wildly through his veins and vital points, rampaging like a fierce flood.
At once, Li Mu Sheng’s skin glowed red as if wrapped in blazing flames.
At that exact moment, wild laughter burst forth.
Su Chang Qing, whom Li Mu Sheng had ignored, suddenly exploded forward without warning. Gathering terrifying martial Qi into a single fist, he aimed directly for Li Mu Sheng’s heart.
“Kid, daring to swallow the Qilin blood right in front of me? You’re asking for death!”
Su Chang Qing’s face, twisted with rotten flesh, filled with vicious confidence. Freed from the strain of suppressing the Qilin blood, he had already recovered his Heavenly Union-level martial prowess.
He knew Li Mu Sheng was strong, but he was certain that while Li Mu Sheng fought the Qilin blood, he would be as helpless as a lamb.
Even if this punch didn’t kill Li Mu Sheng, at least it would seriously injure him.
Yet in the next moment, Su Chang Qing abruptly froze in mid-air. He felt his entire body suddenly drained of strength.
Unbeknownst to him, a neat hole had appeared at the center of his forehead. His raised fist never completed its attack as his life quickly drained away.
In seconds, he fell stiffly toward the ground.
To the very end, Su Chang Qing couldn’t understand. [How could Li Mu Sheng—who should have been helpless—have defeated me with a single strike?]
Li Mu Sheng calmly glanced at Su Chang Qing’s corpse, then shifted his gaze to Han Mei Yan not far away.
She merely stood there silently with her head lowered, pretending not to see anything at all.
Even earlier, when Li Mu Sheng absorbed the Qilin blood, Han Mei Yan had neither attempted to intervene nor to flee.
“You really just ate the Qilin blood?” Li Yuan Ling’s voice carried over as she swiftly arrived.
She had been startled when Su Chang Qing suddenly attacked and had rushed to help. Yet before she even reached halfway, Su Chang Qing was already dead.
Realizing this, Li Yuan Ling knew her formidable sworn elder brother didn’t need her help at all. Still, she remained curious. Li Mu Sheng seemed perfectly fine after “swallowing” the Qilin blood.
Li Mu Sheng leisurely glanced at her and teased, “Sworn younger sister, seeing you hurry here so fast, perhaps you’re upset I didn’t share?”
Li Yuan Ling instinctively glanced at Su Chang Qing’s rotting corpse and shook her head rapidly like a drum.
“I didn’t say that! Don’t frame me!”
Li Mu Sheng chuckled, turning his attention back to the violently surging Qilin blood inside him.
Though fierce, the Qilin blood caused him no harm. The fearsome flames and scorching heat hadn’t damaged even a strand of his hair.
Instead, the power of the blood was swiftly integrating into his body.
Before long, the fiery glow around him faded, and Li Mu Sheng’s eyes brightened.
During this short time, he had completely absorbed the blood’s strange power.
This energy was entirely different from martial Qi—a peculiar, special force.
Although it didn’t enhance his martial cultivation, it subtly improved his body, slightly upgrading his bones and flesh.
The improvement was tiny—almost negligible—but for Li Mu Sheng, even such slight progress mattered.
“Not bad at all,” Li Mu Sheng nodded approvingly. His face grew thoughtful.
One’s natural talent and bones were born fixed; practically no miracle medicine could change them.
Yet this Qilin blood was different. Not only could it strengthen bones, but it also gradually enhanced the bloodline, beneficial even to Li Mu Sheng, who had long reached martial dao’s peak.
Li Mu Sheng stroked his chin again. Still, this small amount of blood was far too little to truly transform him.
If he could gather more Qilin blood—or better yet, find that legendary divine beast fire Qilin and absorb it entirely—
Perhaps then he could truly discover a path beyond martial dao.
Thinking of this, Li Mu Sheng’s eyes shone. After uncovering the Heavenly Revelation Secret Treasury, he’d finally found another possible path toward martial transcendence.
Of course, a divine beast like the fire Qilin was elusive. None had ever found it before.
But since Qilin blood existed, perhaps the divine beast was not mere legend after all.