As that petal gradually withered, a surging aura of life flooded into Yan Xicai's body like a tide.
Thud—— Thud—— Thud...
The aura of life gathered in his chest, rhythmically hammering at his chest. His originally dead heart began to beat again. The fatal wound on his neck healed at a visible speed, recovering more than half within just a few short seconds.
Yan Xicai abruptly opened his eyes, as if jolted awake from a nightmare!
"Don't kill me!!"
He shouted out a sentence like a sleepwalker, but the only response was the whimpering sound of the wind, and the angry roars of slaughter in the distance.
Yan Xicai lay blankly in the pool of blood for a long time before finally coming to his senses. His hands fumbled at his chest, ultimately only pulling out a withered petal...
"This thing really works!" Seeing that he was saved by the petal, the wild joy of surviving a disaster surfaced on Yan Xicai's face. "It seems Dad really still cares about me! Heaven does not want me to die! I, Yan Xicai, have returned!! Hahaha..."
This petal was a treasure Yan Xicai's father, the president of the Stars Chamber of Commerce, had obtained from who knows where. When he handed this petal to Yan Xicai back then, he didn't specify its purpose. He just told him to keep it close to his body and never take it off under any circumstances... Now, Yan Xicai finally understood the efficacy of this petal.
"Jian Changsheng... Hehehe..."
"A lowly cripple actually dared to kill me? Wait until I escape, if I don't slaughter your whole family, my surname isn't Yan!"
Yan Xicai cursed as he staggered to his feet from the pool of blood. He cast a glance at the chaotic battlefield in the distance, then immediately turned and headed towards the direction of the Ancient Vault's entrance.
After all, there wasn't much time left until the Ancient Vault opened. As long as he could find a place to hide until the end, he could wait for the Enforcers to enter... By then, who could hurt him?
Yan Xicai had just taken a step when, as if he remembered something, he ran back to the corpse of that Fire-Stealer and earnestly began to fumble around.
"Where is the ring... Where is my ring?" Yan Xicai fumbled for a long time but still didn't find it, frowning in doubt.
"Are you looking for this?"
A voice drifted over from behind.
Yan Xicai's Body Trembled. He turned back to look, only to see a figure wearing a Great Crimson Theatrical Robe standing in the pool of blood, casually playing with a ring, looking at him with a half-smile.
The moment he saw that face, Yan Xicai was as if he had seen a ghost, widening his eyes in astonishment.
"You... You..."
"Why am I here? Didn't I die? Am I a man or a ghost?"
Without waiting for Yan Xicai to speak, Chen Ling unhurriedly finished his lines for him, and then slowly walked towards Yan Xicai, leaving the latter dumbfounded on the spot.
The smile on Chen Ling's mouth gradually faded. He looked down at Yan Xicai, and after a moment, coldly spat out two words:
"...Kneel down."
The cold glint of a Dagger flashed instantly. Chen Ling forcibly slashed open Yan Xicai's Achilles tendons. The latter screamed miserably, dropping to his knees with a thud, his entire person curling up in the pool of blood.
"This is impossible... You're clearly dead!" Yan Xicai hugged his legs, his face incredibly pale.
"Even you had to be killed twice to die, why can't I?" Chen Ling said indifferently. "I told you, all of you will die here... Did you think you could be spared? Young Master Yan?"
"Chen Ling... let me go, give me a way out! I promise! I won't speak of anything that happened here!"
"Actually, there's no deep hatred between us, is there? Except for on the boat... I can apologize to you, really! I can even kowtow to you!"
"I can send you into Aurora City, you can take your pick of any Enforcer position! I guarantee you'll have endless glory, splendor, wealth, and rank to enjoy!"
"Also, there are many treasures in my home. Whatever you want, I can give it to you..."
Yan Xicai pleaded bitterly. His life-saving measures had already been used up. If he were killed by Chen Ling again this time, he would truly be dead... Once dead, he would have nothing left.
Chen Ling unhurriedly slipped the Ruby Ring onto his own finger, turning a deaf ear to Yan Xicai's pleas.
He carefully examined the ring for a moment, then suddenly interrupted Yan Xicai:
"How do I use this thing?"
Yan Xicai froze.
"Didn't you say you'd give me all your treasures?" Chen Ling spoke again. "How do I use this thing?"
Hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in Yan Xicai's eyes. Chen Ling being interested in this ring meant he had a chance to use treasures to buy his life!
"This is a Ritual Artifact with a great origin. It is said to have been obtained from a Gray World generated during a Seventh-Tier Calamity Invasion." Yan Xicai immediately introduced. "As long as it devours Spiritual Power, it can manipulate space on a small scale. If the user's Spiritual Power is below the Fourth Order and is insufficient for it to devour, fresh flesh and blood can be used as a substitute..."
"It can only be used without cost at the Fourth Order?"
"Yes, only at the Fourth Order can one master a Domain. Before possessing a Domain, Spiritual Power is almost zero..."
"Then how do I make it devour flesh and blood?"
"There is a mechanism on the side of this ring. With just a touch, the needle that pops out can be pierced into the body, and it will..."
Pfft——
Before Yan Xicai finished speaking, Chen Ling gripped the other party's throat with one hand. The ring's needle pierced beneath the skin and began to frantically devour Yan Xicai's flesh and blood!
Under the ring's devouring, Yan Xicai's originally round and plump body visibly shriveled, just like when Chen Ling first saw Qian Fan use the knuckle Ritual Artifact in the courtyard. Only, the devouring speed of this ring seemed to be even faster than that Ritual Artifact!
With his throat gripped by Chen Ling, Yan Xicai wanted to wail but couldn't make a sound. He could only stare fixedly at Chen Ling, pleading for him to spare him.
"Cough cough cough cough..."
Yan Xicai collapsed to the ground, coughing violently. At this moment, he looked like someone who hadn't recovered from a severe illness, his whole body skin and bones. At a glance, he looked no different from a skeleton with skin stretched over it, his original appearance almost unrecognizable.
"So that's how it is." Chen Ling looked at the faintly glowing ruby, deep in thought.
"It... it is already yours." Yan Xicai panted like a broken bellows. "Chen Ling... can you let me go now?"
"Sure." Chen Ling patted him on the shoulder, his figure slowly standing up from the pool of blood. "Oh right, didn't you say you liked my clothes? I can't give you those clothes... What do you think of the ones I'm wearing right now?"
Yan Xicai took a look at the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe on Chen Ling's body and hurriedly shook his head... At this time, how could he still dare to act like he did on the boat?
Besides, he hadn't really taken a fancy to Chen Ling's tattered clothes on the boat. He just wanted to find an excuse to make trouble for Chen Ling.
"N... No need..."
"Alright, what a pity then."
Chen Ling turned around and walked into the distance.
Seeing Chen Ling leave just like that, the heart Yan Xicai had been holding in his throat finally settled down... He crawled wretchedly in the pool of blood, advancing little by little toward the entrance of the Ancient Vault.
He could finally go home.
Right at this moment,
A gust of cold wind swept past the hem of the Great Crimson Theatrical Robe.
As Chen Ling walked forward, he casually raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
"Knead."
Crack——
Yan Xicai's body was twisted like a fried dough twist, and his already feeble aura of life instantly vanished.
He lay emaciated in the pool of blood, his pupils dilated, staring at the sky. Upon this grayish-white earth, it was as if he was draped in a Great Crimson Theatrical Robe identical to Chen Ling's.