375: Chapter 374 Tianxing Sea Area

"Hahahaha! Colluding with demons? Isn't it all just for my Xiao Family's Spirit Treasure?!"

The woman in red standing atop the mast laughed towards the heavens, appearing as if she were driven to madness.

"You bully my Xiao Family for having no one left, coveting our Heaven Rank Spirit Treasure! For this, you slaughtered over three thousand four hundred members of my family, along with countless servants and vassals. You even framed us as demons! You claim to be people of the Righteous Path, but in truth, you are the real demons!"

Her crazed and shrill voice echoed in all directions. The crowd became even more indignant, pointing and shouting in anger.

"Xiao Luowei, death is at your doorstep. Do you still refuse to repent?"

"Chen Yuannan, the leader of the Juyi Gang, was a hero of unparalleled benevolence and righteousness, yet he met a tragic end at your hands. If you aren't a demon, then who is?!"

"Considering the Xiao Family was once a prominent clan in Cangzhou and a leader of the Righteous Path, if you hand over the Spirit Treasure, we will allow you to take your own life to atone for your sins!"

"A Heaven Rank Spirit Treasure is a creation of heaven and earth; it does not belong solely to your Xiao Family. Hand it over quickly!"

"Hand over the Spirit Treasure immediately..."

Amidst the waves of angry rebukes, Chu Xuan looked up at the woman in red who was the target of everyone's accusations.

Chu Xuan remembered that not long ago, when he first used a random teleportation scroll in a dream, he had arrived at the entrance of the Xiao Family estate.

Back then, she wore a simple green dress, her face elegant and refined as if she had stepped out of a painting. When she was scolded by the crowd, her brow furrowed slightly, giving off an air of helplessness that evoked pity.

But seeing her today, though her face remained just as elegant, her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her eyes were filled with murderous intent, making her aura completely different from before.

Especially that bright red robe—it wasn't its original color, but rather one dyed by fresh blood.

At this moment, Xiao Luowei laughed even more crazily. "Since you covet the Spirit Treasure, why not come and take it yourselves? What, are you afraid of my final deathbed counterattack?"

She pointed her finger around at the crowd, only to see them keeping their distance. Not a single person dared to strike first. Her crazed, cold eyes were instantly filled with disdain and mockery.

"Over the past two years, I've said it countless times: Chen Yuannan, that hypocritical leader of the Juyi Gang, did not die by my hand, nor did my Xiao Family collude with demons... Heh, but none of that matters anymore."

"Since you all call me a demon, then fine... what's the harm in me actually becoming one?!!!"

Suddenly, a wild laugh pierced the air. Xiao Luowei whipped her red robe, and in an instant, the clear sky turned into a sea of blood.

"Bloody Rain and Windy Storm!!"

Xiao Luowei spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed maniacally. "Stay here and all of you turn into my Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood!"

In an instant, a strange vision of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood appeared behind the woman in red.

Skulls formed ridges, and skeletons became forests. Countless bits of flesh and blood rotted into dust, and the walking dead covered the hills and fields. An indescribable scent of blood surged forth.

In the next instant.

On this giant ship, where the sky had been clear just moments ago, a gale suddenly roared, and countless drops of crimson blood rain began to pour down.

The deck of this giant ship, more than ten times larger than a football field, was completely covered by the blood rain.

Screams of agony rose one after another.

Many present saw their flesh and blood melt away, yet a few remained unaffected, illusory visions appearing behind them as well.

Countless blood shadows surged out from the Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood behind Xiao Luowei.

"Strange rain..."

Chu Xuan murmured softly. As the drops of blood rain fell on him, he felt a certain Corrosion, and waves of bloodthirsty, crazed thoughts surged into his mind.

However, Chu Xuan's spirit attribute was strong enough that he remained as steady as a mountain under this Corrosion.

"This blood rain... gives me a strange feeling. It seems it can corrode flesh and blood, but it can also..." Chu Xuan gently raised his hand. Although the blood rain failed to penetrate his skin, it gave him a faint stinging sensation.

After a dozen seconds, the System suddenly sent a notification.

[You have been corroded and nourished by an alien energy. Your health points -10, your Strength +1.]

Chu Xuan's eyebrows twitched slightly. His original thought of leaving immediately vanished, and he simply stood there without any protection, letting the blood rain soak him.

[Your health points -10]

[Your health points -10]

[Your Strength +1]

[Your health points -10]

[...]

As the System notifications continued to appear, Chu Xuan acted like an indifferent bystander, quietly watching the slaughter.

Under this blood rain, most people were instantly dissolved, turning into pools of blood.

A small number of people, relying on the visions behind them to resist, lunged forward to engage Xiao Luowei in battle.

Amidst the booming sounds, figures flew about, the giant ship shook, and the deck was shattered in numerous places.

The scene was filled with a riot of colors and radiating wonders. Various strange visions appeared, but they were all soon swallowed up by the sea of blood.

These people, who seemed to possess impressive auras, were killed one by one under the palms of the woman in red as she attacked with total disregard for her own life.

"May I ask who you are down there, brother? How much longer do you intend to sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight?! Do you really think that once we're all dead, you'll be a match for this female devil?"

"Why haven't you joined forces with us yet to kill this female devil as quickly as possible? Beware, delays bring trouble!"

While the visions collided in the sky, three people were still besieging Xiao Luowei.

Xiao Luowei was covered in wounds, and the bodies of those three were also battered and broken.

A shout came from above, but Chu Xuan remained indifferent, simply looking up and quietly watching the scene unfold.

It was as if none of it had anything to do with him.

His health points had decreased by 450, but his Strength attribute had increased by a full 8 points, reaching 161.

"It seems only I am gaining improvements... I just don't know if these increased attributes will remain after I wake up from the dream."

Chu Xuan's eyes showed a strange look. He didn't understand the reason, but that didn't stop him from continuing to strengthen himself in this blood rain.

"Judging by what Xiao Luowei just said, it seems two years have passed in this place, yet it was only the day before yesterday when I last came here."

"This second visit didn't bring me to the front of the Xiao Family estate like before, but right next to Xiao Luowei. Does this signify something?"

"The random teleportation scroll... it seems it's not so random after all..."

While Chu Xuan's thoughts raced, he had lost 500 health points, but his Strength attribute stopped increasing, as if it had reached its limit.

At the same time, his steadfast and unmoving figure caught Xiao Luowei's attention.

"Hmm?" Xiao Luowei looked down, her whole body jolting. For the first time, a strange look appeared in her cold eyes. "Benefactor?"

Chu Xuan's expression remained calm as he looked up and met her gaze.

While Xiao Luowei's mind was shaken, she was already exhausted.

She spat out another mouthful of blood. After blasting out countless blood-colored palm shadows, the blood rain vision vanished, and she fell powerlessly from the sky, landing with a thud not far from Chu Xuan.

Of the three people in the sky, one was blown into a mist of blood.

But the other two turned into streaks of light and came roaring down.

"You piece of trash! Since you refused to act, then perish in this Tianxing Sea along with this female devil!"

The remaining two were in tatters and covered in wounds, but the ruthlessness on their faces was more intense than ever as they both dove down to kill him.

A blade light suddenly appeared between the hands of one man. When he slashed down, it was as dazzling as a crimson sun.

The other threw a punch, a massive yellow fist shadow comparable to a large bell, rumbling straight towards Chu Xuan below.

"Benefactor, be careful... run..." A miserable smile appeared on Xiao Luowei's face on the ground nearby, and a look of deathly relief flashed in her eyes.

Chu Xuan's expression didn't change.

From watching the battle earlier, Chu Xuan already had a general idea of these people's strength.

Although their various attack methods were quite mysterious, their basic attributes weren't particularly strong, probably roughly equivalent to Huo Gui's back then.

At this critical moment, Chu Xuan grabbed the dying Xiao Luowei from the ground, and the deck beneath his feet instantly exploded.

He had already shot out diagonally dozens of meters away, carrying Xiao Luowei.

As the blade light and fist shadow exploded on the deck, tearing out a massive hole and kicking up a cloud of dust, the two above remained fully focused, staring intently at the original spot.

It seemed they hadn't yet noticed Chu Xuan's movement.

Not until another explosive sound came from below did the two turn their heads in unison, only to see white air currents swirling under Chu Xuan's feet as he suddenly leaped into the air.

One of his hands still held the back of Xiao Luowei's collar, while the other, at some unknown point, had grasped a pitch-black long saber shimmering with a cold light.

In that split second, a cold light flashed.

One of them was split in half by the force.

"So strong..."

The other person was terrified and filled with disbelief. He wanted to retreat, but Chu Xuan, who was still in mid-air not far away, suddenly vanished.

Only the blood-red figure, no longer held, fell freely downwards.

"He's gone..." The man's gaze was drawn for a moment by the falling red-clothed figure, but he was immediately struck with horror.

By the time he reacted, he felt the light above him dim. He looked up abruptly and saw a long saber enveloped in Black Flames already slashing down.

Chiss—

The Fire of Nirvana flared, and under this strike, the man vanished completely.

Boom!

Another white air trail appeared under Chu Xuan's feet as he shot downwards even faster.

At the moment Xiao Luowei was about to hit the ground, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of her collar, holding her steady so she wouldn't fall.

At this point, no other living person could be seen on the giant ship besides Chu Xuan and Xiao Luowei.

"The combat effectiveness of this [Void Burst Step] is even stronger than I expected. In the past, I might have only been able to use Slashes against enemies. Although I could still kill them, it would have been too wasteful of spirituality value..."

Chu Xuan's lips curled up slightly, very satisfied with the performance of the [Void Burst Step] skill.

"The only pity is that, just like last time, killing beings here still yields no spirituality value, even when the Fire of Nirvana burns them to nothing."

Chu Xuan's eyes flickered, and then he gently set Xiao Luowei down.

"Benefactor..."

Xiao Luowei looked back at Chu Xuan, a spark of brilliance flashing in her hazy eyes, but it quickly dimmed.

Her cold and crazed expression vanished, replaced by a hint of bitterness. "I'm sorry, Benefactor. I might have disappointed you."

As she spoke, she looked around.

Blood gushed like waterfalls in the area, crimson liquid flowing down the deck. The surface of the sea was dyed scarlet, and as the giant ship drifted forward, it left behind a trail of blood like a ribbon.

Chu Xuan remained calm and said in a level voice, "I'm not interested in how many people you killed, but that blood rain you just unleashed was quite interesting. Release a bit more of it."

"Benefactor, could it be that you don't blame me and even want to test me?" Xiao Luowei was slightly stunned, then a hint of joy appeared on her face.

As she spoke, the illusory vision of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood appeared behind her once again. The sky darkened, and amidst the howling wind, drops of blood rain began to fall.

But in the next second, Xiao Luowei suddenly spat out another mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

Her face was as pale as paper, and her poignantly beautiful face was full of shame. "Benefactor, I'm sorry. I've let you down..."

Chu Xuan gave her a faint glance, feeling that Xiao Luowei's state was somewhat strange.

Through the emotional perception of [Heart Bewitchment], Chu Xuan sensed that she seemed to have an inexplicable dependence on him, as if she viewed him as some kind of spiritual support.

"Please wait a moment, Benefactor. I need to heal my wounds for a while."

Xiao Luowei nodded apologetically to Chu Xuan, then sat down cross-legged as if no one else were there. As she moved her arms, the illusory scene of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood appeared behind her once more.

Streaks of blood-colored energy emerged and entered her body, causing a visible flush of healthy color to return to her face.

"It's similar to some kind of Healing skill..." Chu Xuan's eyes showed surprise.

Just then, the first hour of the dream had passed, and the System sent a notification.

[The time limit for your Talent skill is approaching. Do you wish to spend 10 spirituality value to extend it for 1 hour?]

—Yes.

Chu Xuan made his choice immediately.

Compared to the cost of entering the dream each time, the spirituality value consumed for this extension was incredibly worthwhile, almost negligible.

Time passed slowly.

The sea seemed boundless, devoid of any signs of life; not a single marine creature could be seen.

And the destination of this giant ship was unknown.

By now, seawater was pouring in through various shattered gaps.

It looked as though it wouldn't be long before the giant ship was completely submerged.

Within the surging seawater, Chu Xuan faintly sensed a dangerous aura.

His eyes narrowed slightly. Chu Xuan didn't risk testing it himself; instead, with a thought, he took out a Flying Boat from his Exclusive Space, ready to handle any emergencies.

"Benefactor, you may not know, but in this Tianxing Sea Area, only vessels recognized by the Sea Lord can pass. Except for a few creatures, all other species will have their lives eroded by the seawater."

Xiao Luowei's voice slowly rang out.

Though her aura was still weak, her overall condition had clearly improved.

"This is the Tianxing Sea Area? What is the Sea Lord?"

Chu Xuan didn't try to hide his ignorance of this place. Before she could answer, he asked directly, "And what is your Xiao Family's Spirit Treasure?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Luowei's cheeks, which had regained some color, instantly turned pale again.

...

...

(Today's update is 4,000 words, released in one chapter. Goodnight~~)