30: Chapter 30 Death Countdown: I Treated the Female Lead as My New Money Vault

Silence, deathly silence.

The frost in the secret chamber had not yet melted, and the dust kicked up by Manager Qian as he scrambled away still hung in the frigid air; everything resembled an absurd painting frozen in time.

Shen Xiao slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air carrying white frost and sat down cross-legged.

The piercing cold had receded, and the skin on his left shoulder was as smooth as before, as if nothing had ever happened.

But he knew that a snake-like strand of ice was coiled upon his heart meridian, ready to take his life at any moment.

He closed his eyes, settled his mind, and cautiously mobilized the not-so-abundant Spiritual Qi within his body, like a poorly equipped exploration team, probing toward the area on his left shoulder marked as "Extremely Dangerous."

However, reality was even crueler than he had imagined.

The moment his Spiritual Qi touched the perimeter of the Meridians where the ice-heart strand was coiled, it was like a drop of water falling into a red-hot iron pot; with a "sizzle," it was instantly devoured by an overwhelmingly domineering, extremely cold force!

Immediately following that, an indescribable, intense pain exploded from his left shoulder!

"Ugh!"

Shen Xiao let out a muffled groan, his body trembling violently, his face instantly turning as pale as paper, and a wisp of bright red blood slowly spilled from the corner of his mouth.

It was not merely a stinging or tearing sensation, but a terrifying feeling as if his very Meridians were being forcibly "formatted"!

He could clearly "see" that the Spiritual Qi he had cultivated so painstakingly could not even put up the most basic resistance before that cold energy; it was frozen, shattered, and then assimilated as the other's nourishment.

Almost at the same time, the cold System notification sound in his mind frantically blared an alarm, each word carrying the chill of death:

[Warning! High-Order Karma lock-on object detected: "Sword Bone Origin Qi"!]

[Warning! This substance is undergoing irreversible assimilation with the host's Meridians! Estimated time to complete assimilation: 89 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes...]

[Warning! After assimilation is complete, the host's Life Origin will be completely controlled by "Xia Lengbai"; the other party can decide the host's life or death with a single thought. This judgment overrides System protection authority!]

A series of bloody warnings, like heavy hammers, smashed the last shred of luck Shen Xiao had just ignited into pieces.

"Old Ghost!" He roared in his Sea of Consciousness, enduring the soul-tearing pain, "Is there any way to get it out! This thing is a ticking time bomb!"

Xuan Chenzi's remnant soul floated out, his illusory face full of gravity and helplessness.

He flew around Shen Xiao twice, shaking his head and sighing incessantly.

"Kid, it's useless. This is the Origin force of a 'Natural Sword Bone'; it is no longer just energy, it carries the 'Dao' of that madwoman, Xia Lengbai.

With your current Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, any attempt to forcibly peel it away or suppress it will only stimulate it, just like before, and accelerate its assimilation speed! It might even cause it to go out of control on the spot, and you would explode and die from being stretched by this strand of Sword Qi; even an Immortal Master couldn't save you!"

Shen Xiao's heart sank little by little.

"Then there's no other way? I finally managed to jump off that chessboard of the Heavenly Dao, am I just going to be leashed like a dog by this madwoman for the rest of my life?" His voice betrayed an irrepressible madness.

Xuan Chenzi was silent for a moment, appearing to be performing a difficult deduction.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse: "A way... it's not entirely non-existent. Or rather, there is only one path with a slim chance of survival."

"Speak!" Shen Xiao's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"The assimilation speed of this strand of Sword Qi is constant; it follows its owner's 'Dao', cold and stable, just like the spread of a glacier. It will not slow down because of your weakness, nor will it accelerate because of your struggle. But..."

Xuan Chenzi changed the subject, "But your growth speed is not constant!"

Shen Xiao's pupils shrank sharply, instantly understanding what Xuan Chenzi meant.

"You mean... racing against it?"

"Exactly!" Xuan Chenzi's voice suddenly rose, "You must, before it completely assimilates your heart meridian, raise your Realm and strength to a height sufficient to suppress it!

Ninety days! You only have ninety days! Within these ninety days, you must Breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage! Only by condensing your own Golden Core Origin can you carve out an 'independent kingdom' within your body, forcibly sealing this partially assimilated Sword Qi within specific Meridians, preventing it from continuing to erode your heart meridian's root. This is the only way to survive!"

Ninety days, from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core?

Shen Xiao almost spat out a mouthful of blood when he heard this.

This was simply a fantasy!

In the Qingming Sect, even among those Inner Sect Disciples hailed as Peerless Geniuses, the fastest record to Cultivate from the Foundation Establishment Initial Stage to the Golden Core Stage was a full ten years!

And that was only achieved with the Sect pouring massive, cost-free resources into them.

Three months?

This wasn't just cheating; this was trying to poke a hole in the sky!

A death-sprint plan that was nearly impossible to complete was just so arrogantly placed before him.

Shen Xiao's gaze involuntarily fell upon the Storage Pouch that Xia Lengbai had casually tossed on the ground not far away.

That was originally his money.

Now, it had become his "investment capital" and... his only hope.

He struggled to get up, walked over, and picked up the Storage Pouch that was emitting a faint chill.

The Divine Sense imprint Xia Lengbai left on it was extremely domineering, but she didn't seem to be deliberately making things difficult for him; Shen Xiao managed to erase it with a bit of effort.

As his Divine Sense probed inside, his breath suddenly hitched.

The space inside the pouch was far larger than he had imagined; the pile of High-Grade Spirit Stones he had worked so hard to earn now occupied less than a tenth of a corner.

And beside it was an even larger quantity of Top-Grade Spirit Stones, with even purer Spiritual Qi, piled into a small mountain!

Besides that, there were over a dozen bottles of Medicinal Pills emitting an astonishing medicinal fragrance; their grade was so high that even Xuan Chenzi couldn't help but let out an exclamation of wonder.

This wealth, let alone supporting a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, was more than enough to support a Golden Core Immortal Master to the Late Stage!

Just as he was shocked by the richness of this "investment," his Divine Sense touched a cold, hard object in the corner of the Storage Pouch.

It was a Jade Slip that was ice-blue all over, engraved with intricate cloud patterns.

Xia Lengbai had not mentioned this item before.

Shen Xiao's heart stirred, and he probed the Jade Slip with his Divine Sense.

In an instant, a bone-chilling yet incredibly clear stream of information surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

There were no Cultivation Techniques or Secret Manuals in the Jade Slip, but a list.

A list that made his scalp tingle and his heart race!

[Target 1: seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus.]

[Location: Tiannan City, Baibao Pavilion auction.]

[Time: Three days later, at noon.]

[Opportunity details: Lin Yun's Divine Sense was damaged due to forcibly deducing a Cultivation Technique; he urgently needs this item to repair his Foundation. This lotus is the grand finale item of the Baibao Pavilion auction.]

[Estimated trump card of Lin Yun: One "Purple Lightning Rushing Thunder Talisman" bestowed by his Revered Master (can instantly kill a Foundation Establishment Great Perfection), carrying thirty thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones.]

[Guardians: Baibao Pavilion Revered Master Qian Wanshan (Golden Core Early Stage), two auction house retainers (Foundation Establishment Great Perfection).]

[Target 2: Earth Fire Heart Lotus Seed.]

[Location: Soul-Severing Mountain Range, deep within the lava caves.]

[Target 3: Extraterrestrial Meteorite Iron.]

One, two... a full seven Opportunities!

Each one detailed the specific location, trigger time, guardian strength, and Opportunity details, and even the trump cards that Lin Yun, that Child of Destiny, was expected to use were clearly marked!

This was no mere list; it was practically a robbery plan written by a top-tier player with a map hack for a newbie village player!

And at the very end of the list, there was a line of small text carved with Divine Thought, the handwriting cold and aloof, yet carrying an unquestionable, commanding tone:

"This is your mission list, and also my investment return sheet. Do not disappoint me, my... collection."

Shen Xiao was silent for a long time.

After a long while, he slowly, slowly exhaled a breath.

That breath seemed to exhale all the stifled frustration, anger, and unwillingness in his heart.

In its place was a nearly twisted excitement and madness.

Crisis?

Death countdown?

This was a massive Opportunity!

The only Opportunity for him to complete this impossible task within ninety days!

"Crack!"

He tightened his five fingers abruptly, and the priceless, ice-blue Jade Slip shattered in his hand, turning into a handful of cold powder that slipped through his fingers.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no longer a shred of confusion in Shen Xiao's eyes, only the wolf-like decisiveness and greed remaining.

Xia Lengbai.

This madwoman not only gave him the seed capital but also personally handed him the blade to slay the Dragon!

He unhesitatingly chose the first target from the list already branded in his mind, which was also the most time-sensitive one—the "seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus" at the Baibao Pavilion in the marketplace at the foot of the mountain in three days.

He put away the Storage Pouch, no longer paying attention to the chaotic secret chamber, turned, and strode outward.

Just as he stepped out of the deep shadows of the black market and bathed in the night again, an ethereal, extremely cold Divine Sense seemed to traverse the distant space, sweeping past from a direction deep within the Sect, lingering on him for a fleeting 0.01 seconds before vanishing.

That feeling was just like being precisely locked on by a satellite.

Shen Xiao's footsteps paused, and then a cold sneer curled the corner of his mouth.

Surveillance?

Very good.

He looked up at the deep night sky, as if he could see those crazy and beautiful eyes watching him from behind the scenes.

Then watch closely.

Watch how this "collection" of yours dances the most insane, bloodiest dance on the stage you have defined!