The scene before him left Zhang Chen absolutely stunned, utterly clueless about what was happening within his own Crystal Core. Everything was so bizarre, far beyond his understanding.
"How dare you steal my Blood Dao fate! Return my fate, and I shall spare your life!" The innate mosquito roared furiously, its proboscis flailing in the air, sometimes getting close to Zhang Chen, only to be inexplicably flung away.
"Who would have thought you’d be so cunning, kid, able to seize its fate. Keep going, work hard. As long as you seize all its fate, when it runs out, the heavens will take their toll, and you and I shall achieve the final victory." The black-robed man was overjoyed, his voice full of wild delight.
"You wish! No one in this world can kill me!" The innate mosquito roared with rage, but as its blood was devoured by Zhang Chen and fate was taken by Zhang Chen, its strength waned, gradually matching that of the black-robed monster. At some unknown point, a robe draped over one of its wings and legs.
"Damn you, get out of my body!" The innate mosquito cursed furiously.
"Hehehe, you consumed my body back then, allowing yourself to take form. Now I reclaim your body, just returning the favor." The black-robed monster let out a cold laugh.
Amidst their struggle, a Ninth-Grade lotus blossomed within Zhang Chen’s body, an unusual red flame suddenly igniting from the gaps in the lotus petals, enveloping the entire blood-red lotus.
Meanwhile, the lotus pool in the Sea of Blood surged, expanding to a size of hundreds of miles, packed densely with blood-red lotuses of various grades blooming, creating a stunning and beautiful scene in the Blood Sea World.
Only the central Ninth-Grade Lotus flickered with red flames, while the other lotuses burned with no color.
The innate mosquito watched as Zhang Chen, this vampire, grew ever stronger. If Zhang Chen wasn’t dealt with swiftly, it wouldn’t be long before it succumbed to the black-robed monster’s possession, capsizing in the swamp.
Determinedly, it paid an unknown price, causing one of its wings to vibrate like lightning, slicing through the void, aiming to strike Zhang Chen.
"Boy, dodge!" the black-robed monster exclaimed urgently, trying to warn him.
But this was the strike of an innate spirit, swift as lightning; how could Zhang Chen avoid it?
In the next moment, Zhang Chen was cleanly cut in half by the wing, with his lower body falling to the ground while his upper body remained suspended, having his hand’s teeth embedded in the mosquito’s body.
"Hehehe~ This bug is dead now. Old man, how can you compete with me? Let me consume your immortal spirit and complete the unification of the Blood Dao’s great fortune." The innate mosquito’s eerie laughter echoed through the void, as it tightened its attacks, its vast divine techniques bearing down on the black-robed monster.
The black-robed monster was alarmed, cursing, "Zhang Chen, you scoundrel, you’ve doomed me! My life is at its end!"
Though filled with despair, the black-robed monster did not abandon resistance and continued to fight back against the innate mosquito.
Meanwhile, neither of them noticed that the blood from Zhang Chen’s fallen half rose up, filling his upper body, leading to flesh and blood regenerating from the powerful qi blood of the innate mosquito. Within seven or eight breaths, Zhang Chen had completed limb regeneration.
Their battle reached a fevered pitch, with neither paying attention to Zhang Chen’s transformation.
Zhang Chen quietly reaped rewards without making any noise, silently drinking the mosquito’s blood. Not much later, the blood-red lotus in Zhang Chen’s Crystal Core reached the tenth grade.
As the innate mosquito vied with the black-robed monster for control, its Primordial Spirit suddenly flickered, its onslaught inexplicably weakened, its voice breaking: "How could this be?"
The black-robed monster, previously disadvantaged, was on the brink of being consumed. But at this critical moment, the mosquito’s strength diminished by another tenth, giving the monster an opportunity to counterattack and regain a foothold.
"Impossible!" The innate mosquito sensed the abnormality within its body: "Damn ant, you haven’t died. Your life force is tenacious, but so what? It’s time to end this! I won’t give you another chance!"
With that, its proboscis pierced the void, aiming directly at Zhang Chen, to kill him.
Seeing that Zhang Chen was not dead, the black-robed monster was overjoyed. As long as Zhang Chen lived, they had a chance to turn the tables, so it fought for control of the proboscis. Just as it was about to pierce Zhang Chen, the innate mosquito’s proboscis suddenly halted in the void.
"You seek death!" the innate mosquito roared in anger at the black-robed monster, for challenging its plan by wrestling for control of the proboscis.
The black-robed monster’s voice rang in Zhang Chen’s ears: "Boy, just keep absorbing the mosquito’s blood. Last time it cut you was an accident; I won’t let it have another chance. Keep devouring safely, even if I die, I will protect you."
Afraid Zhang Chen would flee and leave it to die, the black-robed monster reassured him: "You just focus on drinking blood; leave the rest to me."
Zhang Chen said nothing; of course, he intended to drink. The feud was set, having stolen this creature’s fate. By now, its hate for him might surpass its hate for the black-robed monster.
Fate was the most mysterious of all in Heaven and Earth, wielding incredible power and was the greatest Creation in the realm.
As they spoke, Zhang Chen’s lotus reached the eleventh grade. The blood-red lotus flickered briefly, blossoming another petal.
Crucially, from the blood-red lotus platform sprouted a lotus seed. Yet it didn’t stop there; shortly, the platform bore more, producing thirty-five additional seeds, together forming thirty-six.
With Zhang Chen still seizing the mosquito’s fate, one lotus seed trembled slightly, transforming into a spring, as crimson water emerged, flowing into the endless Sea of Blood beneath Zhang Chen.
"Boy! You’re courting death! You want my Blood Dao fate; I’ll die before granting it. Even if I scatter it to the world, I’ll not hand you forty percent of it!" The mosquito, unable to reverse Zhang Chen’s capture of its fate, cursed angrily.
The blood it held was seventy percent, the body twenty, and the soul ten.
"Don’t! Are you crazy?" The black-robed monster was horrified, then yelled at Zhang Chen: "Stop drinking, run! This guy’s going all out!"
Zhang Chen was startled by the warning, a feeling of imminent danger arose, yet in his Crystal Core, an urgent craving emerged. If his thirty-six red lotus seeds all blossomed into springs, it promised immense gains.
Should he run?
Or continue?
Unsure, Zhang Chen wavered between listening to the black-robed monster and fleeing or continuing to devour the blood.
"Could it be that the black-robed monster already has the upper hand, controlling the mosquito’s Primordial Spirit, and is tricking me into stopping my capture of its fate by staging this drama?" Zhou Chen’s suspicion resurfaced.
In the end, regardless of who among the black-robed monster or mosquito won, they would claim the fate, not letting Zhang Chen, the outsider, benefit from it.
"So, are you two evenly matched now, planning to kick me out?" Zhang Chen questioned.
"Damn it..." The black-robed monster was speechless with anger: "You’re something else."
The innate mosquito’s eyes lit up: "Black-robed monster, we agreed before didn’t we? Fate’s importance can’t be overstated; no matter who wins, we can’t let this kid benefit. Kick him out first, but he’s seen through, so what now?"
"Damn you, it’s beyond explanation!" the black-robed monster couldn’t help but curse.