Chapter Eighteen: My Heart is Like Iron
"He's bleeding!"
As an injured person, Zhu Qiaoqiao did not help transport the corpse like Tian Wenlong and Fang Rui.
She stayed by Zhao Liuyun's side, intently watching the process of him absorbing the spirit ring.
Seeing abnormal conditions like blood seeping from his skin, which wouldn't occur when ordinary people absorb a spirit ring, her brow furrowed, and a trace of worry flashed in her eyes.
"It's over six hundred years old; it should be a spirit ring that a normal person can absorb. Why is he bleeding?"
Tian Wenlong put down Ye Ye's corpse:
"Liuyun once said, 'He is a Mental System Spirit Master, and the first spirit ring he absorbed came from the mutated White-striped Purple Scorpion, which didn't bring him much physical enhancement.'"
This statement, combined with the power of his Spirit Ability, was very convincing.
"This is a hurdle, and Liuyun has been working hard to temper his body just so he could overcome it."
Tian Wenlong was also anxious, like an ant on a hot pan, but he still had to pretend to be calm:
"We can't help much; we can only rely on him."
Fang Rui remained vigilant, guarding the surroundings against potential Spirit Beast attacks.
Wu Qianming closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, still recuperating.
Having suffered mental trauma, he would need to rest for quite some time.
Zhao Liuyun, the focus of everyone's attention, was currently engaged in a fierce struggle.
Energy raged within his body, and in his meridians, his spirit power was resisting with difficulty.
Zhao Liuyun finally understood why Tang San had an extra degree of tenacity when absorbing spirit rings compared to others.
While willpower was certainly important, the characteristic of the Mysterious Heaven Skill, [Endless Life], was the most crucial factor.
The spirit power was tough and enduring; one retreat could quickly lead to regrouping and linking up with a second attack.
Failing repeatedly in battle, yet fighting again and again despite failure!
And though defeated, he was not beaten.
The spirit ring energy, like water without a source, could not outlast the long-lasting spirit power bolstered by the [Endless Life] characteristic.
Zhao Liuyun's body seemed to be spurting blood mist everywhere, but the energy was being conquered little by little, rapidly and efficiently strengthening his flesh, bones, and meridians... In contrast, the battlefield within his Sea of Consciousness was even more perilous.
This was only maintained because Zhao Liuyun's own mental force was strong.
If he hadn't had this Silver Dragon Eye external Spirit Bone, the mental battlefield should have been quickly won.
But there are no "ifs" in the World.
Still, external Spirit Bones were slightly more appealing.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, centered around the Silver Dragon Eye, the residual mental force of the Ghost Eye Demon Dragon Spiderwas wantonly eroding.
There was no consciousness within it, only a trace of brutal instinct remained, yet it was still fierce and untamable.
Furthermore, the Dragon Might pressing close prevented Zhao Liuyun's mental force from concentrating, and scattered resistance was like splashing water against a rock, only creating sparse, broken waves.
He did not panic, and the method he adopted was very simple.
Summarized in four words—
Strategic retreat.
Trading space for time, using time to adapt to the Dragon Might in the mental space, and allowing the Ghost Eye Demon Dragon Spider's mental force to continue spreading thin.
Even with a Spirit Bone to rely on, it was still rootless duckweed; once the quality dropped, Zhao Liuyun's scattered mental force could compete!
One-third.
The mental force within the Ghost Eye Demon Dragon Spider's spirit ring expanded to nearly one-third of the territory of the Sea of Consciousness!
Zhao Liuyun finally adapted somewhat to the pressure of the Dragon Might, and his mental force was no longer as scattered as before.
His gaze sharpened—the time had come!
Counterattack!
Zhao Liuyun's mental force surged like an angry tide, launching a fierce assault toward the Silver Dragon Eye.
Due to the Dragon Clan bloodline factor, the Ghost Eye Demon Dragon Spider's mental force was indeed higher quality, its aura fierce and exceptionally domineering.
However, lacking conscious guidance, the instinctual energy output was extremely rigid.
Zhao Liuyun's mental force was greater and more agile.
He adopted a strategy of divide and conquer, continuously shattering larger groups through fierce collision.
At the same time, he eroded and absorbed the opponent's smaller forces, gradually compressing their range of activity.
Until, in the entire Sea of Consciousness, only the Silver Dragon Eye remained.
The Dragon's Vertical Pupil possessed unparalleled power. Even though this eye was not born from a true giant dragon, and the power remaining within it was scarce, it still sent a chill down one's spine.
"Truly worthy of having once been the ruler of the World!"
Zhao Liuyun exclaimed, and his mental force surged forward like a storm, wave after wave.
Absorbing a Spirit Bone required force; without the inheritance of a 100,000-year Spirit Bone linked by blood, there was no gentle path.
To show respect, he would go all out.
Six hours passed in the blink of an eye.
His body surface went from seeping blood to emitting a soft, shimmering light. The pain gradually lessened, and the spirit ring's power was finally worn down and began to convert.
"It should be fine now." Zhu Qiaoqiao's face was pale, and her eyes were full of exhaustion.
Fang Rui said happily, "He has passed this hurdle."
The spirit ring absorption was complete, and Zhao Liuyun was immersed in the transformation brought by the Spirit Bone.
For a mental-type external Spirit Bone, the transformation naturally occurred in the Sea of Consciousness.
He could sense that his already vast Sea of Consciousness was continuously spreading and expanding outward, while also becoming tougher.
His mental force received extra tempering, becoming more refined.
Two more hours passed, and the transformation stopped.
Zhao Liuyun estimated that now, a single Dream Creation should be enough to take down an average Spirit Ancestor.
Joyful in his heart, he opened his eyes.
Beside him, Uncle Tian and Fang Rui were diligently guarding him.
Zhao Liuyun's lips curled slightly, and just as he was about to speak good news, his expression suddenly changed.
A searing, tearing pain suddenly came from the center of his forehead, slightly above his brow, and then it abruptly split open, revealing a silver-white Dragon Eye that emitted heart-pounding fluctuations.
Seeing Zhao Liuyun frown, the two men were about to ask what was wrong.
The next moment, they were stunned by the phenomenon of a silver pupil appearing between his eyebrows.
"Nephew, what... what is this thing?" Tian Wenlong was stunned for a moment, and distant memories were awakened from the depths of his mind.
His gaze instantly became obsessed.
"You, how did you grow the eye of that Ghost Eye Demon Spider?"
Zhao Liuyun sensed the sudden surge of intense malice in Tian Wenlong's heart, and his own heart turned cold.
Tapping his toes lightly, he retreated swiftly like the wind, decisively avoiding the hand reaching out from behind him.
"Uncle Tian, I don't know either."
He tried to gloss over the matter, while secretly activating [Hypnosis], intending to erase that trace of malice.
But, he couldn't do it!
This was an obsession; Tian Wenlong had linked it to the Spirit Bone!
The malice quickly transformed into killing intent.
A look of regret flashed across Tian Wenlong's face. He looked at Zhao Liuyun with a covetous gaze and whispered:
"A spirit ring couldn't cause this. This is a Spirit Bone, isn't it?"
Although the two words "Spirit Bone" were spoken softly, they weighed more than a thousand jun in the ears of the others.
Instantly, several gazes focused simultaneously on the silver pupil on Zhao Liuyun's forehead, and greed began to breed in everyone's heart.
Because of those two words—Spirit Bone—obvious malice appeared in everyone's hearts!
"This is not a Spirit Bone. Spirit Bones only come in six main parts: two arms, two legs, the torso, and the head. This is a mutation caused by absorbing the spirit ring."
Zhao Liuyun suppressed his emotions and argued in a deep voice.
He truly did not want to draw swords against these companions with whom he had fought side-by-side, and he continuously tried to soothe their minds using [Hypnosis].
Wu Qianming's malice was the first to dissipate, followed closely by Zhu Qiaoqiao.
Both were injured and their fighting strength was greatly diminished. Perhaps they had no intention of fighting for it, or perhaps they remembered their past friendship—
Regardless, they returned to their normal state of mind.
Fang Rui's malice transformed into killing intent, coiling around his heart like a venomous snake, refusing to dissipate.
He hesitated, wavering between killing and not killing.
"This is a Spirit Bone! Besides the six great Spirit Bones, there are also legends of external Spirit Bones!" Tian Wenlong was extremely excited, his voice trembling.
A trace of sorrow flashed in Zhao Liuyun's eyes, and his heart instantly turned cold as iron.
Indeed, Spirit Bones were known as treasures bathed in blood, capable of causing brothers to fight and couples to turn against each other... They had only been together for a little over a year. What was this small friendship worth?
Moreover, he had already spoken the name of the external Spirit Bone... No matter how kind he had been in the past, how sincere he was to others, or how much help he had provided me—
This killing intent was real, absolutely genuine!
Those who wish to kill me, I can kill without exception!