91: Chapter 91 Abnormal Transmission of Life Essence

The door closed softly behind Li Yuan, completely isolating the metallic cold light of the bridge and the dull atmosphere of the debriefing meeting.

The room was filled with an overwhelming red, like the condensation of the finest rubies.

It was a long dress.

The hem of the dress was fully spread out, covering almost the entire floor of the room. On the silk-smooth surface, a watery halo flowed, yet it was finer and more vivid, as if life itself were breathing within it.

And the person wearing this dress—

Laya sat on the bed in the center of the room.

She didn't pounce over as she usually did. The overly long, magnificent hem of her dress spread across the floor like spilled quicksilver, acting like a soft red shackle that restricted her movements. She only slightly tilted her face up and reached out both hands toward Li Yuan, who stood at the door.

Her eyes were currently veiled in a moist mist. Her fair cheeks were stained with an unnatural flush.

Her breathing was slightly more rapid than usual. With every breath, a faint blue glimmer of energy escaped from between her slightly parted lips, sketching fleeting trails of light in the dimness.

"...Brother Li Yuan."

Her voice was softer than usual, carrying a subtle tremor that was hard to detect. The end of her words trailed off, like a feather scratching at the tip of one's heart.

Li Yuan locked the door behind him, shutting out all possible sounds and prying eyes from the outside. He walked to the bedside in a few steps. Before he could even stand still, Laya had already impatiently grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her with force.

The overly eager force made Li Yuan lose his balance, nearly causing him to fall on top of her. He quickly braced himself against the edge of the bed to avoid actually pressing down on her.

This posture brought him extremely close to Laya—close enough to see her distinct eyelashes trembling slightly, and to feel her warm breath brushing against his chin.

"Laya?" Li Yuan called out instinctively, feeling that something was not quite right with her state. Although the gathering of life essence had made her a bit "dizzy" in the past, it had never been like this... as if her entire reason was being submerged by some intense need.

Laya did not answer.

She simply wrapped her arms around Li Yuan's neck, tilted her face up, closed her eyes, and slightly puckered her lips, seeking in a posture that couldn't be clearer.

Li Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed.

Well, transmission was the top priority, and it was the only way to resolve her abnormal state before.

He no longer hesitated, lowered his head, and kissed those soft lips.

Almost the instant their lips met—

"Boom—!!!"

A blood-colored life essence, more turbulent and surging than ever before, poured unreservedly from Laya's mouth like a bursting star-river, crashing directly into Li Yuan's body.

The massive torrent of energy even caused Li Yuan's vision to go white for a moment, and his body gave an uncontrollable shudder. He instinctively tightened his arms, pulling Laya closer into his embrace, as if only then could he receive this overly "passionate" gift.

The bei ming core in his dantian began to spin frantically at an unprecedented speed.

The golden cyclone, which was already nearly liquid, began to undergo a visible transformation under the infusion of such a massive amount of life essence.

At the center of the cyclone, a point of ultimate darkness quietly emerged, immediately beginning to greedily devour all the surrounding blood-colored energy. The speed of rotation grew faster and faster as the liquid energy was forcibly compressed, purified, and collapsed inward...

Li Yuan's consciousness was being double-impacted by the earth-shaking changes within his body and the continuous flow of energy from his mouth, leaving him somewhat dazed.

He could clearly "see" that the bei ming core was transforming from a "cyclone" into a more condensed form—

An event horizon with clear boundaries. The bei ming core had actually turned into a "black hole." Although its scale was extremely small, the "sense of presence" and the gravitational pull on the level of laws it emitted gave Li Yuan a slight sense of trepidation.

At the same time, his body's data was also refreshing frantically.

Lifespan had long since lost its meaning; a data point that would never decrease had never had any meaning;

Energy and essence were increasing by orders of magnitude, one zero and then two;

Physical strength was also continuously breaking through its original limits;

And Laya, who was being tightly embraced and kissed by him, had an even more intense reaction.

"Mmm...!"

A muffled hum escaped from between their joined lips and teeth. Her body trembled slightly in Li Yuan's arms.

It was a manifestation of being unable to withstand the excessive intensity of the energy transmission process.

Her arms were wrapped around Li Yuan's neck, her fingers unconsciously clutching the fabric of his back, her knuckles turning slightly white from the exertion.

The transmission continued, but Laya seemed no longer satisfied with just the exchange of energy.

She began to respond to Li Yuan's kiss clumsily yet eagerly, her tongue tentatively touching his, as if she wanted to demand more.

The arms around his neck tightened further, and her entire soft body pressed almost completely against him. Even through the clothes, he could feel her abnormally elevated body temperature and racing heartbeat.

Li Yuan's breathing also became heavy. He responded passionately, one hand cupping the back of her head to deepen the kiss, while the other instinctively caressed her gently, trying to soothe her overly agitated state.

Along with the transmission of energy.

That magnificent and complex bright red dress began to flow and gather like a living thing, and then... shrink inward.

The wide hem that had originally covered the floor silently and slowly shortened, retracting onto the bed, revealing Laya's slender, crystalline white ankles, then her calves.

The cuffs tightened, becoming a more form-fitting style. The intricate embroidery patterns also became simpler and more condensed, as if the redundant parts had been absorbed back.

The long dress was becoming "shorter" and more "form-fitting" at an elegant and slow pace.

A large amount of blood-colored halo emanated from the shortening hem and sleeves, permeating around them and bathing the entire room in a warm red glow.

Laya panted slightly, her eyes half-closed, the mist within them almost ready to drop. Her cheeks were startlingly red, and the hand clutching Li Yuan moved further...

The process that followed was full of ignorance, exploration, clumsiness, and obstruction.

Accompanied by faint groans.

...

A sudden change occurred!

Inside Li Yuan's dantian, the bei ming core, which had already qualitatively changed into a miniature "black hole," suddenly shuddered!

A force containing the true meaning of the Intent of the Northern Darkness—"the sea embracing all rivers, inclusion and assimilation"—surged majestically into Laya's body through the newly established connection.

This power washed through Laya's limbs and bones, meridians and blood vessels, both gently and forcefully. Wherever it passed, it was like the most skilled craftsman performing the most precise carving and reshaping.

Purifying and strengthening Laya's body.

Then, deep within Laya's lower abdomen, it began to condense and rotate, finally constructing a bei ming core that echoed the one in Li Yuan's dantian!

My Intent of the Northern Darkness talent has evolved?

Is this incorporating Laya into the cultivation system of the Intent of the Northern Darkness?