Ling Family Villa.
Unlike the oppressive and humiliating atmosphere of Panshi Fortress, the atmosphere here carried an absolute order that controlled everything!
Passing through layers of camouflaged and reinforced alloy gates, and descending along a corridor paved with dark basalt and inlaid with faint cold light wall lamps on both sides, the air gradually became cold and dry, filled with a peculiar scent mixing old book scrolls, disinfectant, and top-grade cigars.
At the end of the corridor was a heavy door, cast from a single piece of dark alloy, its surface etched with intricate and ancient vine patterns, exuding a calm and restrained luster.
The door slid open silently.
What came into view was not the imagined bloody lair or tech laboratory, but a quiet room exuding the aura of a medieval noble.
In the center of the quiet room, instead of a throne, was a wide, smoothly curved desk, polished from a single piece of dark purple crystal.
Behind the desk was a backrest chair of the same material, simple in design yet full of support.
Ling Chen was seated in this chair.
His figure was tall and straight, his posture relaxed and elegant, like a noble youth contemplating in an ancient study, rather than a Bone Eater Realm mutant who had just endured a bloody battle.
Opposite the desk, about five meters away, Zhuang Han knelt on one knee.
His massive body was covered in ink-jade-like bone armor, and he had now reined in all his wild aura, like the most loyal knight statue.
The newly grown bone armor on his left arm was slightly lighter in color but fully covered, with only tiny, porcelain-like cracks remaining at the edges.
He hung his head low, his crimson beast eyes hidden in the shadows, with only his heavy, suppressed breathing sounding exceptionally clear in the silent room, indicating the still-churning pain and not-yet-fully-calmed power within him.
Ling Chen did not look up, focusing only on trimming the end of a cigar.
The cigar cutter made an extremely faint "click" sound, exceptionally clear in the silence.
"Losses."
Ling Chen spoke, his voice deep and magnetic, with a strange metallic quality, like the lowest string of a cello, cold and pleasant, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
Zhuang Han's body imperceptibly tensed for a moment, then he responded with an even more respectful posture, his voice hoarse and suppressed, like sandpaper rubbing:
"Master. The Purple Lightning Bat swarm, thirty percent casualties. One elite Bat King, fallen. The Ghoul Legion, fifty percent reduction in personnel. Six Bone Eater Realm bone armor commanders, battle casualties."
Ling Chen's movements did not pause in the slightest, as if he had only heard irrelevant numbers.
He picked up a small, blue-crystal-polished torch, and a faint blue flame silently sprayed out, precisely toasting the end of the cigar.
The cigar leaf made a faint "sizzle" sound under the flame, and the rich aroma grew stronger.
"Xiong Yan, dead?" Ling Chen's voice remained flat, as if asking about the weather.
"Yes. This subordinate witnessed it personally; his heart was torn apart by Li Fan's Jiaozi beast-transformed Soul-Rending Claws..." Zhuang Han's voice carried a hint of imperceptible... delight? Or... a confirmation of a powerful opponent's demise?
Ling Chen softly "hmm"-ed, as if merely confirming a known fact.
He brought the lit cigar to his lips, took a deep puff, and his dark red pupils narrowed slightly in the swirling smoke, as if savoring an exquisite work of art.
Smoke slowly exhaled from his thin lips, forming a cohesive ring that slowly rose and dissipated under the starlight.
"What about Li Fan and Chu Hang?" Ling Chen's gaze fell on the rising smoke, as if that was his main focus.
"Li Fan was critically wounded and near death; when he was carried away, his breath was as faint as a candle in the wind. Chu Hang... suffered a backlash from the rules, his chest was pierced, and his life or death is unknown," Zhuang Han reported truthfully.
Ling Chen's fingertip gently tapped the cigar. He was silent for a moment, and deep within his dark red pupils, an extremely faint light seemed to flash, indicating the high-speed deduction of the Soul-Refining Jade.
"The Boulder... is half Waste." He finally concluded, his voice still flat and unwavering, as if stating an objective fact rather than a glorious battle result.
"You did well."
Ling Chen's gaze finally moved from the smoke and landed on Zhuang Han.
"To preserve the core strength in such a situation, and even... make progress." His gaze lingered for a moment on the darker bone armor on Zhuang Han's chest.
Zhuang Han's massive body trembled violently!
Not from pain, but from... an indescribable... excitement!
To receive such a calm and affirmative evaluation from his Master was already a great honor for him!
He lowered his head even further, letting out a suppressed, muffled roar like distant thunder from his throat: "Thank you... Master!"
"Get up." Ling Chen's voice carried an undeniable command.
Zhuang Han stood up as ordered, his bone armor making a faint "clatter" sound as he moved. His massive body stood like a silent mountain before the desk, respectfully awaiting his Master's next command.
Ling Chen did not speak immediately, but turned his gaze to the other side of the quiet room.
There, a slender figure was curled up in a large armchair upholstered with dark grey velvet, almost completely burying herself. It was Tang Yinmeng.
She wore a white silk nightgown prepared by Ling Chen, which was clearly ill-fitting, making her face appear even paler.
Her amber eyes were filled with lingering terror and deep unease, like a startled fawn.
She hugged her knees tightly, her body trembling slightly, her gaze darting away, not daring to look directly at Ling Chen, much less at Zhuang Han, who was like a demon god.
Around her neck, the time-space silver foil pendant, emitting a faint silver light, was now clutched tightly in her hand, her knuckles white from the force.
Ling Chen's gaze fell on her, calm and unwavering, yet carrying an invisible pressure that made Tang Yinmeng's body tremble even more violently.
"Her name is Tang Yinmeng."
Ling Chen's voice sounded, addressed to Zhuang Han, his tone still flat, as if introducing a newly acquired item.
"From now on, she stays here."
Zhuang Han's crimson beast eyes instantly turned to Tang Yinmeng! That gaze was cold, violent, full of pure bestiality and... a hint of predatory greed! A massive pressure enveloped her as if it were tangible!
"Uh!" Tang Yinmeng let out a short shriek, her body recoiling sharply, almost sliding off the chair! Her face instantly turned ashen white! Tears welled up in her eyes!
"Watch her, don't scare the little girl."
Ling Chen's voice interrupted Zhuang Han's pressure, calm but carrying undeniable weight.
"Her safety is your responsibility. If anything happens to her, you are responsible."
The savagery in Zhuang Han's eyes instantly receded, replaced by a cold, program-like... obedience.
He let out a low growl: "Yes, Master!" His gaze swept over Tang Yinmeng again, no longer aggressive, but still chillingly cold, as if looking at a fragile, valuable item that needed careful safekeeping.
Tang Yinmeng felt a chill run through her body under that gaze, her teeth chattering.
Ling Chen put down the cigar, leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the desk, his fingers interlaced to form a stable triangle.
His dark red pupils calmly watched Tang Yinmeng, his voice deep and clear: "Give me the silver foil."
Tang Yinmeng's body stiffened abruptly! Her fingers clutching the pendant tightened even more! This silver foil... was her only... reliance!
"I... I..." Her voice trembled incoherently, "It... it's broken... I can't fix it..."
Ling Chen said nothing, just watched her quietly.
That calm gaze was more oppressive than any roar.
The air in the quiet room seemed to solidify, leaving only the slow dissipation of cigar smoke and Tang Yinmeng's increasingly rapid breathing.
Under immense pressure, in Tang Yinmeng's mind, the cold system prompt sounded uncontrollably again:
【Omni-Spirit Summoning System activated】
【High-dimensional spatial carrier detected (Rating: SS)】
【Item Name: time-space silver foil (Damaged)】
【Damage Level: Core spatial pattern fractured (0.3%)】
【Repair Requirements:】
【1. Psionic Energy: 10000 points (Current: 85 / 10000)】
【2. Spatial Affinity: Lv.5 (Current: Lv.1)】
【3. Spatial Origin Crystal Core × 1 (Not acquired)】
【Warning: Forcibly repairing may lead to complete disintegration of the carrier (99.9% probability)】
【Recommendation: Raise Host's Rank to Energy Condensation Realm Peak (Spirit Awakening Realm Lv.9) or above, and acquire a Spatial Crystal Core】
Cold data cascaded through her consciousness like a waterfall! That immense requirement! Those unattainable goals! They made her feel utter despair!
"I can't do it..."
She whimpered, her voice faint and desperate.
"It needs... too much energy... I... I'm too weak... It says it needs a very high level... and also... a spatial crystal core... I... I don't have it..."
Ling Chen's fingertip tapped the desk very lightly, making a soft "tap" sound. This sound was exceptionally clear in the silent room.
"Can't do it?"
His voice was still calm, showing no emotion, yet it carried a power that could pierce through hearts.
"Then change. It's about time you leveled up anyway."
He slowly raised his right hand. His movement was elegant and unhurried, like a gentleman preparing to display a treasure. His palm was facing upward.
Buzz.
An extremely restrained, yet intensely heart-pounding bloody aura permeated the air. It was as if a corner of some ancient seal had been opened.
Above his palm, the air subtly warped.
A single drop... of dark red liquid, like the purest ruby... condensed out of thin air!
It was only the size of a grain of rice, yet it exuded a vast, suffocating vital essence and an... extremely cold will fluctuation!
Inside the liquid, countless minuscule, dark red runes seemed to flow and perish! Like a miniature, living universe!
At the same time, the color of the blood patterns at the corners of Ling Chen's eyes faded slightly.
The appearance of this drop of blood crystal seemed to lower the temperature of the entire quiet room by several degrees.
Unconcealed... craving and... a hint of... instinctive... fear erupted in Zhuang Han's crimson beast eyes! He instinctively recoiled half a step!
Tang Yinmeng felt as if her heart was clutched by a cold hand! The aura emanating from that tiny blood crystal made her soul tremble! It was a... pure, absolute suppression of lower life by higher life!
Ling Chen's gaze calmly rested on Tang Yinmeng's face, his dark red pupils like the deepest starry sky.
"This is the key, the energy essence condensed from my flesh and blood origin. Because it has been purified, you will not turn into a mutant."
His voice was deep and magnetic, carrying a strange, undeniable allure.
"It can unlock the shackles within you, allowing you to... become... less... useless."
His slender finger flicked gently.
That drop of dark red blood crystal, as if guided by an invisible thread, slowly, steadily... floated towards Tang Yinmeng!
"Swallow it."
The command was concise and direct, with aristocratic elegance and undeniable authority.
Tang Yinmeng looked at the slowly floating blood crystal, radiating fatal temptation and terrifying aura, her amber eyes filled with extreme struggle!
Fear! But... more than that was a kind of... a craving for power... that she herself had not even noticed!
She trembled as she reached out. The moment her fingertips touched that drop of blood crystal!
A bone-chilling, yet strangely burning energy instantly surged into her fingertips!
It spread wildly upwards along the meridians of her arm!
Wherever it passed, her blood seemed to freeze! Her bones seemed to shatter! But... at the same time! An... indescribable... sense of power... like an electric current... instantly spread throughout her body!
"Either use it to open the door," Ling Chen's voice echoed like a spell in the silence. "Or forever remain outside the door."
Tang Yinmeng abruptly closed her eyes! Her long eyelashes trembled violently!
She let out a desperate and resolute whimper, like a young beast! She suddenly opened her mouth! And... swallowed... that dark red blood crystal floating to her lips... in one gulp!
There was no earth-shattering explosion! No agonizing scream!
Only...
Silence!
Dead silence!
Tang Yinmeng's body suddenly froze! As if instantly frozen! Her eyes snapped open! Her pupils... instantly... were completely... taken over by a... demonic... blood-amber color!