Chapter 36: The God of Slaughter!

Just as Su Yao was plunged into crisis, Xu Jiaya beside her was also overwhelmed, with two men in white coats aggressively attacking her. She took a blow to her back, but fortunately, the soft iron vest she wore absorbed most of the damage, leaving her only lightly injured. As her attackers struck, she seized the opportunity to scatter a handful of poisonous powder.

In an instant, the air filled with a dense white smoke. The toxic fumes spread rapidly. Xu Jiaya quickly took out two pills—one she pressed into Su Yao’s mouth, the other she held herself. The three white-coated attackers had not anticipated this move and, caught off guard, were unable to evade. They inhaled the poison, some more than others.

With only second-tier cultivation, they stood no chance against such potent toxins. Soon, all three collapsed, foaming at the mouth, their bodies convulsing as they lost all ability to fight. Xu Jiaya and Su Yao exchanged a glance, both letting out a breath of relief.

Elsewhere, the last white coat had joined forces with Big Waves to confront Xiang Nan. The Bear King Shield wielded by Big Waves was utterly impenetrable. Even with Xiang Nan’s skill, his Flood Fist—now mastered to perfection—could not break through. Behind him, the second-tier white coat was closing in. Surrounded, Xiang Nan was under siege.

“To hell with your Bear King Shield! I refuse to believe I can’t break it!” In the next moment, Xiang Nan drew a treasured sword from his storage space, its cold light gleaming, its aura sharp and threatening.

“Cross-shaped Plum Blossom Sword!” Xiang Nan shouted, launching a full-force assault. Silver serpents danced through the air, sword energy so dense it seemed impenetrable. The attacking second-tier white coat was stunned by the display. As a Rakshasa martial artist, he had never witnessed such exquisite martial arts—especially from a first-tier practitioner!

The fierce sword aura was so overwhelming that no one could approach without risking being shredded. At this moment, Xiang Nan let out a thunderous roar, gathering countless streams of sword energy into a single devastating strike.

“Take this!” The enormous, explosive force of the sword crashed down. With a resounding boom, the indestructible Bear King Shield split with a web-like crack. In the next instant, the shield shattered, fragments flying.

Seeing Xiang Nan’s sword prowess, Big Waves’ expression changed dramatically. Already poisoned and unable to exert her full strength, she now had no shield. Confronted by Xiang Nan’s power, she was nothing but a sitting duck.

Xiang Nan had heard from Li Mu that Big Waves belonged to the Rakshasa Demon Tomb, a group hostile to Jiuzhou. Since she was an enemy, he showed no mercy. Fueled by alcohol, Xiang Nan’s blood boiled, and beneath the bulging veins running with purple blood, he felt a surge of power threatening to burst from his muscles. If he didn’t release it soon, his body would surely explode.

As the purple blood coursed through him, Xiang Nan gripped his sword tightly, murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Unfortunately, at that very moment, another white coat rushed in recklessly. “Just a first-tier martial artist—how strong could he possibly be? I don’t believe it!” But the grandmaster-level Jiuzhou martial arts would not allow disbelief. Nor would the purple blood surging through Xiang Nan’s veins.

The white coat barely moved before Xiang Nan spun around, his killing intent unleashed. With a 180-degree turn, his sword cleaved through the air overhead. The surrounding air seemed to condense, surging with the sword energy. Overwhelmed, the white coat finally believed—but it was too late.

A scream echoed. Before he could turn, the white coat was sliced in two by the sword energy. Blood mist filled the air, splattering over Xiang Nan’s face. The stench of blood sobered Xiang Nan completely, yet the purple blood within continued to burn, leaving him restless. Sweat beaded on his forehead, mingling with the blood, giving his face a fierce, almost frightening appearance.

Big Waves, seeing Xiang Nan’s overwhelming strength, dared not attack again. Even after beast transformation, wielding the power of a black bear, she could not compete with Xiang Nan. At this moment, Xiang Nan was a god—an avatar of slaughter.

The transformed black bear, Big Waves, roared and fled in wild panic. Sword in hand, Xiang Nan pointed after her, intent on pursuit. Yet the purple blood inside him was now utterly out of control, making his body unbearably hot and causing spasms throughout.

Su Yao and Xu Jiaya, having just dispatched the three white coats, were left stunned by Xiang Nan’s effortless and ruthless kill. His descent as the god of slaughter inspired even their fear.

But then they saw Xiang Nan’s veins erupt with purple, his body convulsing, rolling on the ground in agony. Su Yao and Xu Jiaya cried out in alarm, both losing their composure. They rushed to his side. Xu Jiaya cradled Xiang Nan, her anxiety spilling over into tears.

“Brother Xiang Nan, Brother Xiang Nan, are you alright?” She pressed down on him, desperate to calm him. Su Yao, eyes reddened with worry, asked, “Why is this happening? What’s with the purple blood in his veins?”

At that, Xu Jiaya steadied herself, examining Xiang Nan’s circulatory system more closely. After a moment’s thought, she said, “This... this is likely a deadly poison.”

The Xu family, skilled not only in precision weaponry but also well-versed in toxins, had deep expertise. Su Yao shivered inwardly. “Deadly poison? Jiaya, you’re an expert in poisons—can’t you do anything?”

“I’ve never seen a poison like this.” Xu Jiaya shook her head, crystalline tears falling onto Xiang Nan’s face.

While the two despaired, the surging purple blood within Xiang Nan stirred the spiritual energy at his brow. As though awakened, wisps of aura seeped out, flowing through his limbs and bones. Wherever the aura reached, the purple blood began to cool.

Though plagued by the purple poison, Xiang Nan’s mind remained clear. The first time the purple poison entered his body, it had been suppressed by the spiritual energy at his brow. Now, once again, the aura subdued the purple blood. Moreover, Xiang Nan felt the immense power within the purple blood being absorbed by the aura, its restless nature greatly diminished.

The spiritual energy at his brow was accumulated from cultivating the Heart-Calming Mantra. Xiang Nan silently began to channel the mantra. As expected, within moments, the surrounding aura was rapidly drawn into his body, immediately suppressing the purple blood.

In just a few breaths, all discomfort vanished. Xiang Nan felt his body flush with aura, his strength surging.

[Ding! Cross-shaped Plum Blossom Sword skill maxed, compatibility +1%]

[Ding! Detected host acquisition of purple blood power, compatibility +1%]

Since reaching first-tier nine-star, his cultivation had seemed stalled, and even obtaining the Illusory Sky Spirit Fruit had not guaranteed a breakthrough. To gain two points of compatibility this time was no small feat.