Chapter 85 The Saintess's Wavering
The black pillar of light, like a passage connecting to Hell, appeared exceptionally glaring in the night sky.
That cold aura from the depths of the earth was like countless invisible tentacles, spreading along the ground and precisely coiling around Iliya's ankles.
"Come here... my child..."
A hoarse, aged, yet seductive voice exploded in Iliya's mind.
"Your Bloodline is the glory of the imperial clan and also the key to the revival of the beast race. Why mix with lowly humans? Come back... return to your Imperial Father's embrace..."
Iliya's body stiffened.
Her pupils began to dilate, and a strange, blood-red hue gradually emerged from her originally clear purple eyes. The nine tails behind her began to dance uncontrollably, emitting waves of pink, bewitching aura.
"Imperial... Father..."
She muttered to herself, her footsteps moving mechanically toward the direction of the black pillar of light as if they no longer obeyed her.
That summoning originating from the depths of her Bloodline was like a slave brand carved into her genes, making it impossible for her to even conceive a thought of resistance.
"What's wrong with the Saintess?"
Su Qingyue was the first to notice something was wrong. She just wanted to reach out and pull Iliya, but she was repelled by that layer of pink aura, and there was even a trace of a burn on her palm.
"Don't touch her! This is Bloodline resonance!"
Mu Qingxue flashed in front of Su Qingyue, her expression grave. "That old monster is forcibly summoning her. If she walks over there and is devoured, that Demon Lord will recover to Peak strength, and we will all die by then!"
"Then what do we do? Knock her out?" Lei Heng raised his blade, ready to charge.
"It's useless. This is a pull at the Soul level." Mu Qingxue shook her head and looked at Jiang Chen, who had been silent. "Only he... the one who planted the Nightmare Contract in her Soul, might be able to wake her."
At this moment, Jiang Chen was squatting by the city wall, earnestly... rummaging through Little Fatty Chen's backpack.
"Little Fatty, where is that spiced beef jerky you hid? And that dried plum candy?"
"Brother Chen! What time is it, and you're still looking for food!" Little Fatty Chen was almost crying. "The Saintess is about to be abducted!"
"What's the rush."
Jiang Chen finally dug out a crumpled dried plum candy from the bottom of the bag, unwrapped it, and tossed it into his mouth.
"Hmm, sweet and sour, not bad."
He stood up, clapped his hands, and looked at the young girl walking toward death like a walking corpse.
"Hey, that fox."
Jiang Chen's voice was not loud, lazy, but it was like a needle, precisely piercing into Iliya's chaotic consciousness.
"If you leave, what happens to my body pillow? Who will warm my bed?"
Iliya, who was moving, paused slightly.
But the next second, the Bloodline summoning became even more violent.
"Don't listen to him! He is a human! A devil who enslaves you! Only your Imperial Father is your destination!" The voice in her mind roared.
Iliya held her head in pain and screamed: "No... I don't want to be a body pillow... but I don't want to die either..."
"What a hassle."
Jiang Chen sighed.
His figure flashed, and he instantly appeared in front of Iliya.
Without any nonsense, without any unnecessary movements.
He reached out, grabbed Iliya's delicate chin, and forced her to look up into his eyes.
"Look at me."
Jiang Chen's eyes were now as deep as a bottomless black hole. There was no killing intent inside, no greed, only a kind of... calm that inexplicably put people at ease.
"That old thing says you are a key, a tool."
Jiang Chen took another dried plum candy from his pocket, unwrapped it, and stuffed it directly into Iliya's trembling mouth.
"But with me, although you are a body pillow, a hand warmer, and occasionally have to guest star as a megaphone..."
"But at least, I provide food."
The sweet and sour taste melted on the tip of her tongue, and that sensation stimulating her taste buds was like lightning, instantly dispelling the cold whisper in her mind.
Iliya was stunned.
She held the candy in her mouth, staring blankly at Jiang Chen.
Provides food?
What kind of reason is that?
But for some reason, this incredibly unreliable-sounding sentence made her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, suddenly settle.
That's right...
That so-called "Imperial Father" would only make her offer sacrifices, make her sacrifice herself, and make her die for the greater good of the race.
And this man in front of her, although he always bullied her, used her as a pillow to sleep, and would complain about her shedding fur, he... would give her not-so-tasty military rations when she was hungry, and would protect her behind him when in danger (although it was to save the pillow).
Most importantly, the candy he gave was really sweet.
"Snap."
Something seemed to shatter in her mind.
The Bloodline shackles controlling her body actually showed a crack at this moment.
"I..."
The blood color in Iliya's eyes faded, and she regained her clarity. She looked at Jiang Chen, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"I don't want to go back... the food there is not good."
Jiang Chen smiled.
He let go, and casually rubbed her fox ears.
"That's right. What's so good about following that old bone? Besides gnawing on bones, all you do is drink the northwest wind."
He turned around, looked at the pillar of light in the distance that was still continuously spewing black gas, and his eyes gradually became sharp.
[Ding! Iliya (Saintess) loyalty has broken through the critical point.]
[Obtained special bond: Soul Resonance (Elementary).]
[System prompt: The host successfully poached the Demon Lord's corner with a piece of candy. This operation is very flashy.]
"But having said that..."
Jiang Chen rubbed his stomach. Although that candy just now was appetizing, the more he ate, the hungrier he got. "Just eating candy isn't filling. Little Fatty, how much of our food supply is left?"
"It's... it's all gone."
Little Fatty Chen made a bitter Face. "At the celebration banquet just now, it was all eaten up by that group of starving ghosts."
"Gone?"
Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, his gaze casting once again toward that perilous wasteland, especially those high-level Demonic Beasts lingering at the edge of the black gas.
"Since there's no food at home, then... let's go restock."
"Restock?!"
Lei Heng and Mu Qingxue exclaimed in unison, "Where are you going to restock? The outside is full of Demonic Beasts right now!"
"It's exactly because it's full of Demonic Beasts that it's called restocking."
Jiang Chen said as if it were a matter of course, "I think that pig with wings looks good, it should be very fragrant when roasted. And that big crab... steamed?"
He pointed at several 6th-grade and 7th-grade Demonic Beasts in the distance that were startled by the emergence of the Demon Lord, his eyes glowing green.
"Madman... this is definitely a madman!"
Lei Heng felt his brain wasn't enough.
Others would dodge a beast tide as fast as they could, yet this kid actually treated the beast tide as a buffet restaurant?
"Let's go, Little Fatty, bring the pots and pans."
Jiang Chen called out, then looked at Iliya, "You come too, you're responsible for washing the vegetables... oh wait, no, responsible for luring the monsters. Those beasts love your scent the most."
Iliya: "..."
The little bit of emotion just now was instantly fed to the dogs!
"Jiang Chen! I won't allow you to go!"
Mu Qingxue stood in front, blocking him, "That is the Demon Lord's territory! You are going to your death!"
"Teacher, you don't understand."
Jiang Chen patted Mu Qingxue's shoulder earnestly, "Man is iron, food is steel, go hungry for one meal and you'll feel weak. Besides... I want to change my taste. Eating braised pork every day, I'm a bit tired of it."
After speaking, his figure flashed, directly bypassing Mu Qingxue, and he jumped off the city wall with a determined (actually drooling) Little Fatty Chen and a reluctant Iliya.
Leaving only Mu Qingxue in a mess in the wind.
"To change his taste... go solo the Demon Lord's army?"
"This reason... why is it so impossible to refute?"
Watching the three figures disappear into the night, Lei Heng took a deep drag from his pipe and exhaled a smoke ring.
"This kid... if he's not truly stupid, then he's boundless in his strength."
"Pass the order down! Heavy artillery, prepare! Once they are in danger, flatten that direction for me! Even if it's the Demon Lord, he has to give me some Face!"
On the wasteland, the cold wind howled.
A special operation called "Midnight Diner" officially began.
And in the depths of that pitch-black earth, the Demon Lord who had just had his "friend request" rejected was now on the verge of rage.
"How dare you refuse this seat's summoning..."
"For a human?! And a piece of candy?!"
"Unforgivable... simply unforgivable!"
"When I get out, I will definitely turn that human into cured meat! Let him never be reincarnated!"