377: The road is narrow

Xun An Cai's expression was a bit unnatural, but it was hard to see clearly in the darkness.

In her heart, she believed that her man should be taken care of by herself, but due to the Clan Chief's identity, she couldn't use the Dog Clan's resources to support a man. Considering everything, Xu Sanyan's suggestion was reasonable.

"...Alright."

Xun An Cai ultimately yielded to reality.

Xu Sanyan smiled slightly. This kind of exchange of benefits was much more reliable than relying on emotions as a bond. He didn't need to pay a high price to get dozens, or even hundreds, of times the return.

For him, the things he paid were not worth mentioning at all. Whether it was a Magic Treasure or food, their value was extremely low, far from comparable to the blessings.

"Let's go."

Xu Sanyan stood up and stroked Xun An Cai's hair, "Let's go for the blessing."

Xun An Cai nodded, stood up, and went to the corner, turning her back to Xu Sanyan. After a slight hesitation, as if contemplating something, she then blocked his line of sight with her body.

From an angle Xu Sanyan couldn't see, she fiddled with something, and a crack suddenly appeared in the corner of the wall.

She then quickly took out some items from it and tucked them into her embrace. They were likely the earth vein stone and divine blood needed for the blessing.

Xu Sanyan secretly lowered his gaze, sighing inwardly.

Xun An Cai, Xun An Cai, your path is getting narrower and narrower...

...

The two arrived at Yinghun Mountain. The dog god statue was somewhat blurry in the darkness. Xu Sanyan squinted his eyes and examined it carefully, only to see a faint light emanating from the statue's pupils.

Xun An Cai took out the divine blood and poured it onto the statue's head. A foul, fishy smell spread. Immediately after, she clasped her hands together and knelt on the ground. The earth vein stone emitted a dim light, shooting directly towards the statue.

Rather than the earth vein stone's energy surging towards the statue, it was more like the statue was absorbing the earth vein stone's power.

However, this power was guided by Xun An Cai, passed through the statue, and had certain characteristics altered, making it absorbable by ordinary people.

At this moment, the statue's eyes suddenly glowed brightly, and the divine blood poured on its head slowly seeped into the statue's interior, causing a hint of redness to mix with the platinum light.

The brilliant light from its eyes shone on Xu Sanyan, and instantly, that heart-wrenching pain attacked him again.

"Ah!!"

This time, the pain was even more intense than before, possibly due to the added divine blood. He felt a special power attaching itself to his flesh and blood, causing even his internal organs to change.

"Ho ho~"

Xu Sanyan strained his neck, and streaks of blood-red bulges appeared, making his handsome face look quite distorted.

He dug his fingers into the ground with force, unconsciously grabbing handfuls of sand, desperately trying to keep himself from passing out.

His mind could no longer hold any other thoughts; he could only clench his teeth and maintain his last shred of consciousness.

Xun An Cai found this scene unbearable but was helpless. This was a necessary process for the blessing; it was the same for everyone.

"Ho~"

With a hoarse gasp, Xu Sanyan collapsed to the ground, completely out of strength. Only his exposed skin was still twitching, his flesh and blood seemingly convulsing within.

Xun An Cai stood up, carried him, and strode down the mountain.

Along the way, Xun An Cai turned her head to look at the unconscious Xu Sanyan. She hesitated several times, her expression shifting from conflicted to calm. Finally, she took a deep breath, shook her head, and stopped thinking about it.

She had actually guessed that the five Clan Elders were most likely killed by Xu Sanyan. She had just had the thought of killing him while he was unconscious, but ultimately, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Emotions were her greatest weakness. If she were one of the previous Clan Chiefs, she probably wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to kill Xu Sanyan.

"Alas..."

With Xun An Cai's sigh, the sharp spikes condensed in the Void Realm slowly dissipated.

Inside the cave,

Xu Sanyan opened his eyes, the intense pain from his body constantly reminding him that he was still alive.

Now he could barely move a single finger and could only rely on his Physique to slowly recover.

Normally, it would take seven or eight days to fully recover, but he wouldn't need that long. Once he returned to the outside world and had magical power, he could use it to nourish his Physical Body and recover in an instant.

He couldn't distinguish between day and night now, but he estimated the time was about right. This time, he would still only stay for three days.

"Woof~"

The Six-Headed Dog lay in front of him, poking its head out. Seeing him awake, it moved closer and licked his face.

Xu Sanyan had learned his lesson this time and didn't open his mouth to speak. He vividly remembered that tongue kiss from last time.

Not long after, Xun An Cai also returned. She lit a bonfire and began to roast meat. "Half of the long night has passed, and there's not much food left. If nothing unexpected happens, it should barely be enough."

Xu Sanyan glanced at her, knowing what she meant by that. She simply wanted him to help find some food.

"Alright, I'll think of a way. You should know how precious food is. I can only say I'll do my best."

"Mm..."

Xun An Cai lowered her head, staring at the bonfire, and hummed in acknowledgment.

She didn't know the situation outside, so she didn't doubt Xu Sanyan's words. In her understanding, food was, of course, precious, even more precious than weapons.

Suddenly, Xun An Cai whispered, "They found them."

Xu Sanyan was startled at first, then realized that 'they' she referred to must be the five Clan Elders. So he asked with concern,

"That's good they found them. They didn't die, did they?"

"They died. Only some bones were found. They looked like they were bitten to death by wild beasts."

Xun An Cai had just gone to see, and even if all five people's bones were put together, they couldn't form a complete corpse.

The bones were all crushed by wild beasts. It was only from the broken animal skins and scent on the ground that it was identified that the pile of bones belonged to the five Clan Elders.

"Died?"

Xu Sanyan's tone was surprised, "All five died?"

Xun An Cai frowned slightly, a suspicion rising in her heart. Could it be that he didn't kill them?

She only suspected Xu Sanyan now and had no concrete evidence, because she knew that although Xu Sanyan's methods were strange, they also had limitations. Each time he came, he could only use them two or three times; any more and he would faint.

She had witnessed it herself during the sneak attack on the Snake Clan. At that time, Xu Sanyan used that method twice, and in the end, he didn't even have the strength to stand up.

But this time, it was five people! How did he do it?

In Xun An Cai's understanding, there was no concept of Breakthrough in cultivation, and she certainly wouldn't connect it to that.

"Mm."

Xun An Cai didn't want to say more and silently roasted the meat.

Xu Sanyan clearly felt that after this incident, their relationship had become somewhat distant. Her love for him was no longer as fervent as before.

Xun Stone's death was like a tear in a beautiful silk fabric. Every time she thought about it, the tear would widen.

"When the long night passes, I plan to choose an heir," Xun An Cai said, handing him the meat.

Xu Sanyan took it and sniffed it. The smell was a little strange. He ultimately didn't have the courage to eat it and casually put it aside.

"Who are you planning to choose?"

"Xun Ye."

Xu Sanyan shook his head; he didn't recognize him.

Xun An Cai said, "The former Clan Chief's son."

Xun Baicao's son?

Next time there's a chance, he could meet him. Maybe they would become very good friends.