Inside the Red Line, in the dark cave, Lyssar slowly opened his eyes. He saw Ming standing in front of him, his posture straight, his expression filled with determination.
Lyssar spoke first.
"Ming… has a week already passed?"
Ming bowed.
"Yes, Master Lyssar."
Lyssar's human-form face looked calm, but his eyes were serious.
"And in this entire week… did you change your mind?"
Ming shook his head firmly.
"No. Even if I die, I will still do it."
Lyssar nodded.
"Good. Then listen carefully. When you absorb Blood Essence, you don't just take the blood—you also absorb a part of the person's Origin Qi."
Ming looked confused, so Lyssar continued:
"If a human absorbs another human's Origin Qi, it doesn't harm them. It strengthens them. But I… am not human. If you take my Blood Essence, you must also take my Origin Qi. And that Qi may kill you."
Ming answered without hesitation:
"Even if it kills me, I'll still do it."
Lyssar sighed.
"I expected that answer. But I have thought of a possible method for you to survive."
Ming immediately asked:
"What method?"
Lyssar explained:
"Humans use the Qi of Vitality. I use both Vitality Qi and Death Qi. If you can separate the two—use Vitality Qi in your vitality meridians and Death Qi in the death meridians—you might survive my Origin Qi."
Ming froze in surprise.
Lyssar continued:
"Humans are born with their death meridians sealed. Normally, it's impossible to use Death Qi. But if you somehow open it… you could become a perfect being, able to use both Death Qi and Vitality Qi. And of course, my blood will help you absorb both types of Qi."
The cave trembled softly as Lyssar finished speaking.
A path no human could ever take—yet Ming was being offered that very path.
Ming replied with firm determination. "Master, I will try my best."
Lyssar gave a faint smile and sat down cross-legged.
"Then sit. This is the last instruction: once you swallow my blood, you must circulate your Qi immediately."
Ming nodded.
Lyssar cut his finger. A single drop of blood—blacker than darkness—fell, pulsing with origin Qi. Ming swallowed it instantly.
The moment it entered his body, Ming's veins turned pitch-black. His muscles trembled violently as the blood and origin Qi began to merge with his own.
Ming gritted his teeth, trying to control the overwhelming power.
But Lyssar's origin Qi was too powerful.
Seeing Ming on the verge of collapsing, Lyssar moved behind him, pressing his palm on Ming's back. He infused his own Death Qi, forcefully opening Ming's sealed death meridians.
Inside Ming's body, Vitality Qi flowed normally.
But the Death Qi had nowhere to go.
It rampaged wildly, tearing through his organs.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
Ming screamed as unbearable pain surged through every corner of his body.
"Don't lose consciousness!" Lyssar shouted. "If you faint, you die!"
Ming clenched his jaw, trying with all his strength to break even one death meridian.
But he wasn't strong enough.
Realizing time was running out, Lyssar used his final method.
He poured his own origin Qi straight into Ming's death meridian, stabilizing the chaotic Death Qi.
With the combined pressure of both master and disciple—
BOOM!
Ming's meridians burst open one after another, and in an instant…
All of Ming's meridians fully awakened.
A massive wave of dark aura exploded out of Ming's body, shaking the entire Red Line region.
Elsewhere, the Allinsec Leader, the Emperor, the Blood Cult Leader (face still hidden), and another mysterious figure all turned toward the Red Line, sensing the terrifying change.
Inside the cave, Ming sat drenched in blood—bleeding from all seven orifices—while Lyssar, now in his original form, breathed heavily, exhausted but filled with pride as he looked at his disciple.
Ming sank deep into meditation, unable to move even a single muscle.
With two origin cores inside him—one filled with Vitality Qi and the other slowly filling with Death Qi—his body felt an unbearable, tearing pain. If he moved even slightly, his body would collapse under the pressure.
So Ming remained perfectly still, controlling his breathing, gathering the two opposing Qi as much as he could. Hours passed… then days… until finally—
He opened his eyes.
His entire body had transformed.
His eyes glowed golden, and his skin had turned into shifting dark smoke, (just like the figure on the front page of the book) Confused, he raised his hand, watching it blur like mist before reforming.
Ming was no longer human.
He had become something like Lyssar—half human, half abyssal.
A smile spread across Ming's face as he turned toward his master.
"Master… I did it."
But Lyssar wasn't standing.
He was barely able to sit upright.
Ming's smile vanished instantly. He rushed toward his master.
"Master, what happened to you!?"
Lyssar gave a faint breath.
"So… you finally awakened."
"What do you mean awakened? And how long was I in that state?"
"You were like that… for at least a week."
"What!? A whole week? Forget that… what happened to you?"
Lyssar didn't answer. He didn't want Ming to feel guilty.
Because using his origin Qi was the same as committing suicide.
Even using essence blood was dangerous—
But using origin Qi drained life itself, even for someone in the Supreme Realm.
But Ming wasn't stupid. He grabbed Lyssar's smoky hand, his voice shaking.
"Master… is it because of me?"
"No," Lyssar said quickly. "Absolutely not."
"I'm not stupid!" Ming shouted.
Lyssar gave a weak smile.
"I know… my disciple is the smartest human alive. Ah—no, not human anymore. Half human, half abyssal…"
"Master!" Ming's voice cracked. "It's not the time for jokes! Tell me how I can save you!"
Lyssar's smile faded. His voice trembled.
"I think… this is it for me. At most, I have… a week, maybe a month left."