Chapter 104: The Great Battle of the Human Elixir

“Ah!” Chen Qi couldn’t help but let out a low growl, his limbs and meridians bulging as sweat poured out like a burst dam.

The mysterious pill’s medicinal power continued to slowly spread. Wherever it reached, a swelling pain followed, as if it had fused his blood vessels and organs into one, causing Chen Qi immense suffering. Gradually, he felt that most of his chest had lost all sensation.

“Hurry, use all your blood energy to crush the pill!” Yun Tianxin’s urgent calls rang incessantly in his ears. Chen Qi barely maintained a semblance of clarity and activated his Focused Burst skill.

The skill’s activation gave him a rough understanding of his internal condition:

Inside his chest was a watermelon-sized red energy sphere spinning continuously. The closer to its center, the deeper the color grew, culminating in a brilliant, flame-like red rune shimmering at its core. The aura felt ancient yet constantly radiated a looming sense of imminent explosion.

“What exactly did I swallow?” A chill crept into Chen Qi’s heart. He couldn’t imagine what it would feel like if this thing exploded inside him. He even cursed inwardly, “That girl must have wanted to murder her own husband!”

Trying to distract himself from the pain, Chen Qi’s blood surged rhythmically toward the pill under the command of his nerves and muscles, like moths drawn to a flame.

This was his desperate improvisation: a precise stream of limited blood energy, which, though smaller in volume than chaotic large blood energy clusters, was far more accurate.

Each blood-energy moth that neared the pill’s energy sphere was mercilessly shattered into gas by the sphere, then diffused elsewhere in his body, slowly condensing back into blood.

But this was not in vain. Every bit of blood energy vaporized carried away some of the pill’s energy, gradually thinning the sphere’s outer layer.

Before the skill ended, Chen Qi finally exhaled in relief. He had found the correct way to “digest” the pill. Moreover, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the blood energy absorbing the pill’s aura was becoming increasingly crystalline, seemingly fused with some mysterious energy.

Yun Tianxin watched Chen Qi attentively from behind. Seeing this, her delicate face relaxed slightly as she lay down to rest.

A strange, complex feeling welled up in her heart:

This precious Dragon Blood Mysterious Cloud Pill was originally part of her preparations to break through the Spiritual Origin Realm, capable of greatly purifying blood and removing impurities. If measured in contribution points, it was worth a full 900 points and was limited annually. Even as the sect leader’s daughter, she couldn’t secure one every year.

For her current self, this pill would be immensely beneficial, refining her internal world further and stabilizing her cultivation to take a small step forward.

Logically, she shouldn’t have given this pill to Chen Qi. But thinking of her own misguided path, using it on herself would likely be a waste!

At the thought of this sorrow, Yun Tianxin’s bright eyes dimmed, and a hint of sadness appeared between her brows. If Chen Qi could see her now, he would be stunned by her fragile, enchanting expression.

“Well then, at least this lecherous scoundrel benefits from it,” she murmured, a trace of blush warming her worn face. She lightly spat once.

That was her second reason for making Chen Qi take the pill—simple and pitiful: she just wanted to quietly get through the night.

“This pill isn’t that simple,” Yun Tianxin’s poised face revealed a sly glint as she turned her head to observe Chen Qi, silently counting the time.

At this moment, Chen Qi’s face was filled with excitement. He felt the numbness in his chest shrinking, confident that within a short incense burn, the pill would be fully refined—and then he could finally sleep with his senior sister.

Just as Chen Qi’s smug expression surfaced, the fiery red rune at the pill’s center suddenly flickered.

With this inexplicable flash, the pill’s energy swelled again like a red nebula, causing a red glow to spill beyond Chen Qi’s chest. In the dark tent, this was striking and extraordinary.

“Ah, I’ve become the sun,” Chen Qi grimaced with a bitter smile, numbly repeating the blood-gathering movements. Seeing that the vivid red rune had only dimmed slightly, he faintly realized: this wonderful night was probably lost to him.

Yun Tianxin saw the red glow emanating from Chen Qi and stifled a laugh, closing her eyes peacefully. The unease that had risen in her heart dissipated completely.

“Tonight, I don’t need to worry about this lecherous scoundrel,” she thought, her beautiful eyes shut tight, no longer watching Chen Qi.

The chilly mountain wind seeped through a small hole in the tent, brushing Chen Qi, who was blocking the entrance, and instantly turned into a warm breeze.

“Ah, I’m still just a wind-blocking wall!” Chen Qi’s face stiffened as he kept distracting himself to endure the ordeal.

By now, his body had become slightly numb from sitting so long. Worse, his blood was simmering from constant evaporation—if one were to imagine, countless hot ants crawled freely through his vessels and organs.

“The legendary Bone-Eating Ants can’t be worse than this, ah!” Chen Qi tried to numb himself with words, but gritted his teeth and reactivated Focused Burst.

This time, he didn’t carefully sense his internal state. After a glance at Yun Tianxin resting beside him, he concentrated all his blood energy toward the pill’s aura.

For his one fleeting chance tonight, Chen Qi resolved to go all out!

As his blood surged intensely in a short burst, the pain he had grown accustomed to soared anew. Chen Qi clenched his lips tightly, veins bulging on his neck, his exposed skin pale as withered wood.

In contrast, the red glow on his body deepened, blood energy overflowing dramatically, surrounding him like a blazing furnace. Using his blood energy as fuel, he stoked the great pill in his chest.

His hair stood on end from exertion, and white vapor continuously drifted from his body’s surface, caused by the violent overflow of internal energy.

Time passed unknowingly. Even the tent’s temperature rose slightly from Chen Qi’s desperate efforts, reaching a comfortable twenty degrees Celsius. Only then did he come back to himself.

“Ah, I’m still a central air conditioner!” Chen Qi joked bitterly inwardly. His limbs had turned pale and stiff from blood energy deprivation, and his brain slowed from lack of oxygen. He slipped into a lingering daze, nearing his limit.

“Bang bang bang.”

A faint explosive sound suddenly came from Chen Qi’s chest. His life-or-death struggle had finally borne some fruit—the red rune at the pill’s core swayed wildly amid the blood energy storm, on the verge of shattering.

Sensing the critical moment, Chen Qi bit his lip hard, trading agonizing pain for momentary clarity. He launched his Focused Burst skill one last time.

The rapid nerve reflexes brought him more alertness but no immediate strength. Using his nearly exhausted consciousness, Chen Qi gave his final command.

The blood energy inside his chest began to rotate counterclockwise like a massive blood mill, launching its ultimate assault on the red rune.

“Pop!” With a crisp sound, the red rune finally dissolved into the surging blood energy.

Its disappearance seemed to change the blood energy’s color—it became crystal clear, and with each steady, powerful heartbeat, the blood energy flowed through his entire body. Chen Qi’s aura strengthened visibly and rapidly.

Feeling his mind clear, Chen Qi’s face finally lit up with joy. He joked inwardly one last time:

“I’m still a blood dialysis machine.”

At that moment, the ‘Sprout Space’ seemed to send wave after wave of prompts, but Chen Qi ignored them, choosing to block the notifications. He decisively turned his gaze to Yun Tianxin lying beside him.

She was now sound asleep, her rhythmic breathing and gently fluttering eyelashes emitting a unique charm.

Chen Qi suppressed the noise from his limbs, slowly wrapping his arms around her from behind.

After this silent yet fierce struggle between man and pill, Chen Qi had finally won. It was time to enjoy the fruits of victory.

His mind began to relax. He nestled his nose against the back of her neck, one hand gently pressing her silky hair, greedily inhaling her scent.

Countless thoughts flooded his mind. Familiar scenes surged forth, and he had already planned hundreds of positions.

Tonight, Chen Qi would complete his youthful transformation!

But in the next moment, perhaps because his spirit relaxed suddenly, or more likely because his energy had long since been depleted, Chen Qi’s expression softened. The familiar scent seemed to soothe him like a lullaby. His breathing slowed and deepened, his features growing peaceful.

He—actually—fell asleep!

It is well known that after intense exertion, suddenly becoming still stirs overwhelming fatigue. Unfortunately, this young man couldn’t resist it...

Though physically stronger than most, this fierce battle between man and pill pushed him to his limit. Both mentally and physically, he finally succumbed to the drowsiness, his breath steady and deepening.

The bridal chamber, yet not fully consummated...