Chapter 79: Oen Yume

Chapter 79 - Oen Yume The effect of essence blood from a Foundation Establishment cultivator far outstripped Qi Refinement's. Even after Sharky Ink had burned most of his essence blood to sustain the Blood Bind Array, what remained—his flesh, his soul, his very life force—swelled the blood-mist around Lordi Payne into a grotesque, living shroud. It pulsed like a monstrous heart, thick and viscous, clinging to the air like a second skin. The twist horror unfolded in a blink. Neither Oen Shinae nor Fang Jit could react before Lordi Payne crushed Sharky Ink's corpse ashes beneath his boot—then suddenly whipped around, the corpse ashes mingling with the swamp's churn. His charred face—a blackened ruin steaming with dark wisps—bore no expression, his eyes glinting with a faint, ghostly blue, embers of the Ice Pith Fire still smoldering within. No expression. No hesitation. Silently, he hefted the Blade of Life Hater—its bone-white edge glinting—and lunged straight for Fang Jit, intent naked with malice. Fang Jit was horrified, his courage shattered. Even if Fang Jit was not as powerful as Oen Shinae, he was still a solid Foundation Stage cultivator. Lordi Payne was just a Qi Refinement—far beneath him, a gnat to his Foundation Stage might. Yet, in that moment, terror seized him like icy fingers around his throat. He spun, fleeing to afar, boots splashing muck. At this moment, Fang Jit's survival instinct surged. It made him split concentration while fleeing, as he commanded the Nether Locust Gworm to intercept and cover his retreat. The spectral insect uttered a desperate wail, its ghostly form solidifying as it threw itself at Lordi Payne's blade edge head-on. CLANG! The Blade of Life Hater met the Gworm's sickle-like forelimbs in a shower of sparks—then an unnatural immense force rippled through the strike. The blade recoiled violently, slamming back into Lordi Payne's chest. His body launched backward, tumbling through the mire's gloom, mud erupting in wet gouts around him. At the same time the system fled. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > External attack detected. > Cultivation session status: TERMINATED > Host control: RESTORED > Thank you for using the All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM (AllFullOS v1.0.0) > Feedback request: - We value your opinion! (No, really, we do.) - If you are satisfied with our service, please give us a five-star rating. > Tap to Rate: [☆☆☆☆☆] Lordi Payne gasped as his body became his own again, vitality surging back into his scorched limbs. But the pain—hell, the pain—still wracked him. His fingers, blackened and blistered, spasmed weakly. The blade slipped and fell first. Then he followed. Plop. Plop. Sounds of man and weapon crushed into the swamp mire, the murky water swallowing them with a thick, sucking splash. "Junior Brother Payne!" Oen Shinae's voice erupted, a feral snarl of rage. She lashed a bone chain—a whip of jagged ivory—slamming it into the gworm with a crack that echoed like a snapped spine, hurling the creature aside. The black fabric of her head-wrap billowed unnaturally, its surface crawling with glowing Dao Fulu runes. The next moment, the black coffin shuddered, and a petite figure suddenly drifted forth, hovering in the mire's chill air. A child. She was small—six, maybe seven years old—but her beauty's a haunting, unearthly vision. Her face was a delicate masterpiece, each feature sculpted with an artist's reverence: high cheekbones, a small, pursed mouth. Long, dark lashes fanned over cheeks untouched by life's warmth, her lips slightly parted as if in silent slumber. That skin—pale as moonlit porcelain, so translucent that the delicate tracery of blue veins beneath showed like cracks in fine jade. She floated naked. But not exposed. From collarbone to toe, her body was wreathed in Bone Blooms—ghostly gray-white flowers, petals like frosted glass, blooming wildly and flourishly across her skin. But the beauty curdled—thick, jagged bone chains slithered around her like serpents, their grinding, clicking noises filling the air with the sound of teeth on bone. Without these snaking bone chains, she might have looked like a fairy-tale young princess asleep in a garden of serene. The moment Fang Jit glimpsed her, his breath hitched. He could felt his blood running cold instantly. A great terror's clawing his soul. Without hesitation, he ignited his essence blood to cast the Blood-Burning Technique. Flesh withered quickly as crimson flames engulfed Fang Jit. Power surged—he became a streak of bloody light, fleeing desperately through the marsh. The girl's eyes remained shut. Just a single, subtle twitch from one bone chain behind her. Then— THOOM. The chain pierced outward fiercely, the reality's cracked with a scar of void. Next moment, a long section of the chain disappearing into this darkness— —and abruptly, Fang Jit stopped fleeing. He staggered a few steps before stood still on the ground, as if he was frozen. Blood bloomed on Fang Jit's back, staining his cloak. CLATTER-CLATTER-CLATTER! Bone chains, numerous chains, erupted from his chest—a storm of ivory spikes threading his flesh, weaving through his corpse in a grotesque tapestry. Behind him, a massive Bone Bloom Curse flower unfurled, petals glistening with his blood, a monstrous blossom feeding on his ruin. The Nether Locust Gworm, which was connected to Fang Jit's life, screeched—a sharp, dying wail—then crumbled to ash. "Junior Brother Payne! Are you alright?" Oen Shinae had no time to spare for Fang Jit as she rushed to Lordi Payne's side, cradling him urgently. Her voice trembled slightly as she repeated, "Junior Brother? Can you hear me? Talk to me! Junior Brother?!" Before she could finish, her delicate hand brushed Lordi Payne's neck. A chunk of scorched flesh flaked off, crumbling to ash in her grip, and she flinched, eyes widening in alarm. But then, she found beneath the scorched, new skin bloomed—pink and raw, knitting fast over the blackened husk. "Blood Fiend Sword Art?" As an Inner Sect disciple, Oen Shinae's vision was naturally high, not comparable to those Outer Sect disciples such as Chen Huant. She immediately recognized it, "Although this sword art is an assault martial technique, sure, by practicing and forming the external fiend, it can also absorb the essence blood and devour flesh of enemies to restore the vitality of the wielder. Thanks the abyss! He's pulling through!" With a long sigh of relief, Oen Shinae knew that Lordi Payne needed to concentrate on recovery at this moment, so she carefully laid his head on her lap. She then turned around, grabbed the air towards the direction of Fang Jit's body from a distance. With a swift motion, the giant Bone Bloom Curse flower wrapped around Fang Jit's corpse, hurled midair, slamming it down beside them. Oen Shinae urged. "Junior brother, Sharky Ink's essence blood alone is too slow for you to recover. Quickly, take advantage of Fang Jit's death body was fresh, and devour his warm essence blood and flesh into your external fiend." Lordi Payne was exhausted at this moment, and his whole body was recovering rapidly. Burning pain seared his nerves, electric numbness jolted his limbs, and an unbearable itch crawled beneath his skin, as if he was bitten by thousands of poison insects and fire ants. However, the agony feeling was much lighter than the process of fusing Dao Flame into the body just before. Otherwise, he would have writhed and howled on the ground. Therefore, although he sensed that Fang Jit was dead, he had no time to care. Hearing Oen Shinae's words, he gritted teeth, cracked his eyes open, meeting hers—gratitude flickering in his stare: "My... gratitude... Senior Sister." This senior sister is a damn saint! Beautiful, kind—Oen Shinae, you're my goddess in this hellhole! Lordi Payne thought so, but he did not dare to act immediately. After all, the mentally retarded AwfulOS system just prompted that "Foundation Stage cultivators x3 will be gifted to the host for FREE". As expected, Oen Shinae was also likely tagged within the system's gift range. Fortunately, he was interrupted by the Nether Locust Gworm, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous. So, Lordi Payne managed to sit up, he picked up a stone near by, estimated the timing, infused spiritual power in the stone, and lobbed it high to the sky. Then he quickly called the system in his mind without hesitation. "System, I want to cultivate! Select the Blood Fiend Sword Art. Smart Duration! One-Click-Cultivation!" Next moment, the system immediately seized his body. Lordi Payne grabbed the Blade of Life Hater, stood up and chopped towards Fang Jit! But when the blade edge was about to cut through the flesh, the Bone Bloom Curse flower suddenly wrapped around Fang Jit and yanked his corpse backward. The system's attack hit nothing this time. Without any hesitation, Lordi Payne's feet stomped forward, stubborn as the system swung a second time, aiming for Fang Jit's neck. At this moment, the stone fell and smacked on his head. ~ Ding! *System Notification Chime* [AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0] > External attack detected. > Cultivation session status: TERMINATED > Host control: RESTORED > Thank you for using the All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation SystemTM (AllFullOS v1.0.0) > Feedback request: - We value your opinion! (No, really, we do.) - If you are satisfied with our service, please give us a five-star rating. > Tap to Rate: [☆☆☆☆☆] Lordi Payne: "? ... " Lordi Payne blinked through his daze, confusion clawing his mind. He's about to open his mouth to call out—"Senior Sister, what's going on—" but only see Oen Shinae's's entire demeanor changed. Her face darkened as she whirled toward the floating child, voice sharp as a blade: "Oen Yume—what are you doing!" The command cracked through the air like a whip: "Release Fang Jit and return to the Coffin of Netherbloom Virgin—now!" Lordi Payne jolted at her tone, heart thudding. Before he could process it, a sound sliced through the stillness—a crisp, chilling giggle from the girl: "Tee-hee-hee-hee..." It echoed, high and jagged, like glass shattering in a crypt. His head spun, vision smearing into a blur, the swamp tilting under a wave of nausea. Oen Shinae's fury erupted. "Enough!" she snarled, her black nails spiking into vicious claws. SHIIINK! She slashed the air, five streaks of qi roaring forth—claws of a spectral beast whistling through the fog. They raked the girl's pale cheeks, shredding her flawless skin. No blood flowed—only thick, tar-like stains oozed from the wounds, dripping slow and viscous, staining the Bone Bloom flowers wreathing her with inky rot. The girl—Oen Yume—didn't flinch. Her eyes stayed shut, but with a sickening crack, her neck twisted, snapping to an unnatural angle—a contortion no living spine could bear. Still eyes closed, her lips stretched into a grin too wide, too full of teeth. Then, with a sudden lurch, she toppled backward—falling like a broken marionette with cut strings into the mire's gloom. The black coffin, cast aside moments before, surged upward with a ghostly hum, catching her mid-drop. Then the coffin lid flew over automatically and slammed shut with a loud BANG! Oen Shinae rushed over at once—re-binding the black coffin with layers of bone chains and glowing Dao Fulus! Even so, her face stayed grim. She leaned against the black coffin's cold surface and panted for a few times before turning her head. Then she saw Lordi Payne again grabbed a stone and threw it high up to the sky. Next moment, Lordi Payne wield the blade, and chopped in Fang Jit—now free of the Bone Bloom's grasp. The blade bit deep, a wet schlick as it carved through flesh. After the blood mist around him rolled for a while, charred skin sloughed off in clumps, revealing fresh, pink-white flesh beneath. And then at this time, the stone fell down and hit Lordi Payne's shoulder. This junior brother seemed to be stunned for a moment, and then slowly put away the blade. Oen Shinae looked at him in surprise, not quite understanding why this junior brother kept hitting himself with stone. But now was not the time to be curious, Oen Shinae wasted no time. She quickly collected the remain relic of Sharky Ink and Fang Jit, then shouldered the black coffin on her back, walked over and stomped on Fang Ji's corpse into ashes, and said in a deep voice, "Junior brother, can you move? If yes, let's get out of here quickly. Although I don't know what happened to Miu Tyanh, the Bloodline Lord of the Wraithbone is definitely not someone just you and I can deal with." Lordi Payne thought so too. Although he felt very uncomfortable with the numbness and itchiness all over his body during recovery, he nodded without hesitation: "Aye, Senior sister! I can walk, let's leave now." Oen Shinae knew these lands well. After a quick scan of their surroundings, she led them out of the Skeleton Roost Mire at a punishing pace. "We'll head for the Necrospore Chasm first," after leaving the swamp mire, Oen Shinae pointed in a direction and told Lordi Payne, "There is—" Her words died mid-sentence. Lordi Payne subconsciously turned at her, but saw Oen Shinae stood motionless. After a heartbeat, she slowly lifted her head. The black cloth wrapping her hime-cut hair shifted... revealing not Oen Shinae's face, but Oen Yume's. The girl's bloodless lips stretched into a grin too wide for her delicate features. The next instant, countless bone chains erupted. They speared toward Lordi Payne, tips gleaming with a hungering malice, the air shrieking as they closed in.