133: The Strongest Survival King

As more and more blood flowed from his nose, Zhou Yan quickly pulled out a handkerchief to cover it.

But gradually, his ears also began to feel muffled. He reached up to touch them, and his fingertips were stained with blood.

"What's going on?!"

He quickly opened his panel and saw his hp rapidly decreasing, so he frantically started clicking on Medicinal Pills to restore hp.

Fortunately, the hp replenished by the Medicinal Pills far exceeded the rate of hp loss, so he could still hold on for now.

Just then, Shi Suiyan returned with the meal, intending to call Zhou Yan for lunch, but she saw blood gushing from his nose and seeping from his ears. He even had a basin ready to catch it.

Her face turned pale with fright. She rushed forward and slapped Zhou Yan's shoulder. Zhou Yan immediately felt the blood flow slow down considerably.

He was about to ask, but Shi Suiyan had already turned and ran out.

"Senior Brother, hold on, I'll go get help!"

"Mm..." Zhou Yan wanted to stop her, but fresh blood suddenly surged into his mouth, rendering him speechless.

In his panic, he forgot to use Sound Transmission and could only watch her run far away.

Zhou Yan lowered his head, feeling the effect of the slowed blood flow, and recalled a similar situation when Ma Hao pretended to be Feng Xu.

Considering Shi Suiyan's connection to the organization Ma Hao founded, he temporarily put aside his doubts and didn't investigate further.

But just then, a tremendous force violently struck his internal organs. With a "puff," he spat out a large mouthful of blood mixed with what felt like iron filings.

Suffering such a severe injury in a non-combat state was truly unbearable.

Fortunately, Zhou Yan's Divine Sense was already powerful and his spirit resilient, otherwise he would have long since been rolling on the ground in pain, shouting "Gaia." Though with his mouth full of blood now, he couldn't have shouted even if he wanted to.

Despite the slowed blood flow, that previous impact caused his hp to rapidly drop again. Every few seconds, the same impact would strike. Even though Zhou Yan continuously used Medicinal Pills, he gradually couldn't keep up.

He felt his eyelids growing heavier and his vision gradually blurring.

"Is this what a body without combat panel enhancements feels like?"

"Only two-thirds of my hp is gone, and I'm already on the verge of collapsing..."

"Am I... going to die?"

"So this is what death feels like?"

"Forget it! Forgot the beginning, forgot the middle, forgot the end—anyway, Dragon Transformation, activate!"

With the activation of his Divine Ability, Zhou Yan's body instantly transformed into a Dragon-human form. His hp soared to over 500,000 in one go, and he immediately felt refreshed.

He clearly felt that this Dragon Transformation was completely different from before. The previous Dragon Transformation was more like wearing an exoskeleton armor, while now it was more integrated, like moving his own limbs.

In contrast, he was now a genuine member of the Dragon Clan, whereas his previous Dragon-human transformation was more like a 'country bumpkin'.

"Ugh—" Another mouthful of blood was spat out. Zhou Yan quickly swapped basins to catch it.

This was Dragon blood, it couldn't be wasted!

In the following moments, his Dragon body continuously spat blood, but the damage received was significantly reduced, and the effect of the Medicinal Pills became even more pronounced.

With the increase and decrease, even though the impacts continued, they no longer posed a threat.

After spitting out two large basins of Dragon blood, Zhou Yan felt that his human form's hp recovery was almost complete, and the impacts gradually weakened, so he returned to human form.

Then he took out an empty basin, not wanting to stain the Dragon blood he had collected earlier. However, this time he held the basin for a long time, but neither a heavy blow came nor did the bleeding resume.

Looking at the new basin, which only had a thin layer of blood at the bottom, Zhou Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He manipulated wind and water, using his self-created cleaning method to wash away the bloodstains on his body. He then poured that small basin of blood into the large basin containing human blood, cleaned and put it away.

Finally, he put both basins of blood into his backpack, not wasting a single drop.

"So what exactly is going on?"

"What in the world is going on?!"

In a hidden cave outside Jiangzhou, a gaunt old man was bleeding from all seven orifices, his hands, gripping a hammer and nails, trembling incessantly.

He stared at the straw effigy with the words "Zhou Yan" written on it, almost spitting blood, but forced himself to swallow it back.

"Master, are you alright?" The young man beside him, seeing this, hurried forward to pat his back and help him regulate his Qi.

The old man took a long while to recover before speaking with difficulty.

"This Zhou Yan... he's too strange. I risked being backlashed by the national destiny to continuously curse him to death, but he actually managed to hold on for so long... and in the end, I don't know what method he used, but he briefly achieved a Core Formation dao body, making it impossible for me to kill him."

He wiped his face with a withered hand, clearing away the bloodstains, and glared fiercely at the straw effigy.

"This time I was unlucky; I acted too hastily and suffered a severe backlash from the national destiny."

Then he turned to the young man and said.

"Xiao Mo, set up the altar for me! He's just a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; even if he has some life-saving methods, he must be severely injured and difficult to heal now."

"In a short time, even if a Nascent Soul physician comes personally, he won't recover. After I've rested a bit, I'll use the Soul-Reaping Curse to finish him off once and for all!"

The young man was stunned and looked hesitant.

"Master, we can't set up another altar! Your Lifespan is running out. If you do it again, I'm afraid..." He couldn't finish his sentence, and tears silently streamed down his face.

"Alas~" The old man sighed helplessly upon seeing his disciple cry, "When we walk the Jianghu, integrity is paramount. Since we promised to help Assistant Prefect Qiao this time, we absolutely cannot break our word. Moreover, he gave so many Spirit Stones and the opportunity to leave the Northern Territory."

He reached out and gently stroked the young man's head, continuing.

"My life is pretty much set. When I was young, I was competitive and made countless enemies; how could I expect a peaceful end in old age? It's you, though, you haven't learned much true skill from me, but you've suffered no less."

"Whether I can enjoy my later years doesn't matter anymore; I've had enough enjoyment in my youth anyway. Even if the ending is tragic now, at least I'll die by my own craft, which can be considered having a beginning and an end."

"After this matter is done, if I'm still alive, our grandpa and grandson will go see the Eastern Domain. If I die, you take the Spirit Stones and go by yourself."

"Master!" The young man couldn't help but raise his voice.

"Enough!" The old man interrupted him, "We're considered cultivators of the evil Dao, so let's not get all sentimental. I've shed so many bloody tears just now; I don't have any left to waste on you."

"Hurry and set up the altar, time is running out. If things get out of hand, let alone me, you probably won't be able to leave either."

After speaking, the old man found an empty spot, sat down cross-legged, and began to meditate. The young man wiped away his tears and snot with his sleeve, silently preparing the items needed for the altar.

At this moment, inside the Jiangzhou Prefecture Yamen.

Zhou Yan looked at the crowd who had rushed over, including physicians, Alchemists, and even Huo Zhongshan. Everyone was carrying large and small bags, their expressions tense.

Seeing this, Zhou Yan gave an awkward smile and waved at them.

"Hello, everyone."

"Senior Brother, weren't you on the verge of death?" Shi Suiyan looked bewildered.

Zhou Yan could only give a dry chuckle and explain.

"Just a minor injury, only spat out a few basins of blood, and my internal organs suffered a slight injury. I'll be fine after some rest. I wanted to tell you then, but you ran too fast, and I couldn't stop you."

Hearing these familiar lines, Shi Suiyan's vision went dark.

Why is everyone around her more outrageous than the last?

One was almost beaten into minced meat but called it a superficial wound, and another was spraying blood like a waterfall but called it a minor injury? Are all Prodigies like this? How is it completely different from her impression?

While Shi Suiyan was still in a daze, Xiao Sheng stepped forward with a serious expression.

"Old Zhou, you've been cursed."

"If this continues, you won't live much longer!"

At these words, everyone's gaze collectively shifted to Sage Xiao.

Even Zhou Yan looked at him with a serious expression.