The dagger pierced Ling Yuan’s forehead and exited through the back of his skull.
In Telo’s terrified gaze, Jiang Ke’er twisted the dagger, stirring it inside Ling Yuan’s brain.
Ling Yuan instantly lost even the ability to convulse, collapsing with a thud right in front of Telo’s feet.
Jiang Ke’er didn’t have any penchant for abusing corpses.
The only reason she stirred the dagger in his brain was because cultivators of the Taiming Sect possessed such powerful Life Force—if she didn’t destroy his Spiritual Platform like this, she couldn’t be sure he was truly dead.
The dagger, stained with fresh blood, glowed with an Evil Aura, its bright Runes spreading from the blade to Jiang Ke’er’s arm, then extending to her whole body.
Once her entire physical form was enhanced, the glow gradually faded away.
Jiang Ke’er closed her eyes, savoring the exhilarating rush of Soul-Devouring.
Telo was petrified.
He had seen many ruthless fiends before, even Monsters that tore raw flesh and drank blood on those wild grasslands of Xiniu Hezhou, but right now, Jiang Ke’er—though not as grotesque or vicious—radiated an even more terrifying, otherworldly presence.
“Monster, monster… help…”
Telo tried desperately to scream for help, but Jiang Ke’er had already severed all the meridians and muscles in his body, leaving him only able to let out feeble groans.
Telo struggled with all his might, so hard that the Vine binding his neck left bruises, but all he could do was watch helplessly as that sinister figure smiled and walked slowly toward him.
“Zzz—”
With a gentle slash, Telo’s left arm dropped to the ground.
“Zzz—”
His right arm followed.
“Zzz—”
Left leg.
And finally, the right leg.
The elegant precision was akin to a master butcher carving up an ox.
Or perhaps, in Jiang Ke’er’s eyes, Telo at this moment was nothing more than a lump of meat waiting to be disassembled.
Her cold, sinister Spiritual Power sealed the wounds on Telo’s severed limbs, freezing them to prevent blood loss.
“Even if I become a ghost, I won’t let you off…” Telo’s eyes were bloodshot as he squeezed the words out through gritted teeth.
“Sorry, ghosts are my responsibility.”
Jiang Ke’er grinned, then skewered Telo’s body with a Vine like threading pork, hanging him upside down behind her.
“Demon! The Human Clan will avenge me!” Telo spat, “You’ll end up penned like cattle sooner or later! Dream on if you think you can live like a human… you’re delusional!”
“Mm,” Jiang Ke’er didn’t mind, “If I were human, I’d probably think the same way as you. Nothing wrong with that. But you’re too noisy.”
Jiang Ke’er abruptly lifted her heel and stomped hard on his chin.
“Crack—”
The world was quiet again.
Looking at Ling Yuan’s corpse on the ground, and Telo’s severed limbs, Jiang Ke’er shook her head.
“What a disgusting world.”
Carrying Telo’s torso away, Jiang Ke’er, before returning to see Qian Yue, first cut a bamboo stalk to use as a straw, then stuffed Telo into a hollowed-out log, sealed it with a wooden lid, leaving just a small hole for the bamboo tube.
“Senior Sister, I’m back.”
Qian Yue didn’t answer.
She was half-awake, half-asleep, lying amid a pile of clothes in the center of the Bird’s Nest, her body trembling.
Jiang Ke’er sensed that Qian Yue’s Spiritual Power had recovered considerably; her meridians were more flexible and her Spiritual Power’s quality had improved.
Clearly, the Gluttony Dagger’s bonus had kicked in.
The Gluttony Dagger provided a boost to the whole team.
That was exactly why Jiang Ke’er had chosen it.
But having Qian Yue recover Spiritual Power at a time like this—whether it was a blessing or a curse was hard to say…
Jiang Ke’er inserted the bamboo straw into Telo’s carotid artery. With each beat of his heart, blood gushed through the straw like a spring.
The blood reached Qian Yue’s lips. In her daze, Qian Yue licked it, but then frowned and spat it out.
Her body instinctively rejected Telo’s blood. Jiang Ke’er couldn’t understand why.
Even when she brought Telo’s neck directly to Qian Yue’s mouth, there was no reaction—completely different from when she drank from Jiang Ke’er’s own wrist.
Was it a matter of location?
Jiang Ke’er tried extracting blood from Telo’s wrist veins, but Qian Yue still couldn’t swallow it.
Helpless, Jiang Ke’er even tasted Telo’s blood herself, then compared it to her own.
There was no difference; both were salty.
Yet, when Jiang Ke’er cut herself and tasted her own blood, Qian Yue’s body trembled slightly, and her stomach rumbled with hunger.
…How strange.
It really has to be my blood?
Could it be that after drinking someone’s blood for the first time, she has to keep drinking only from that person until she drains them dry before she can move on?
With no other choice, Jiang Ke’er stabbed the dagger through Telo’s skull and threw him, barrel and all, into the river far away, letting the current carry him off.
Realizing that other people’s blood wouldn’t work, Jiang Ke’er felt a pang of trouble.
Seven days—having to drink every six hours. How could her frail body withstand that? Before others could even try anything, she herself would be sucked dry.
But there was no other solution for now.
Jiang Ke’er smiled wryly, returning to Qian Yue’s side and kneeling gently beside her.
She once again cut open her own wrist.
Watching Qian Yue’s complexion gradually regain its rosiness, Jiang Ke’er’s vision dimmed a bit, and her weakened other hand had to brace against the ground.
The night’s first breeze brushed Jiang Ke’er’s ear.
She shivered, watching the rising moon cast its light across Qian Yue’s face, and found herself lost in the sight.
In a trance, her heart ached faintly.
She gently caressed Qian Yue’s face, murmuring, “If only Qiao Xiaoxian were you—how wonderful that would be.”
Qian Yue’s trembling gradually subsided, her body temperature rose.
It seemed she had drunk enough and was recovering.
Seeing Qian Yue about to awaken, Jiang Ke’er quickly pulled her hand back and used Sacred Light to wipe away the wound on her wrist.
“Mm…”
Qian Yue, sensing her improved condition, instead frowned and asked, “Did I drink your blood again just now?”
“No,” Jiang Ke’er grinned broadly, looking energetic. “Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Taiming Sect’s all-time greatest Little Junior Sister! Catching a few trash fish to bleed is a piece of cake!”
“Really?” Qian Yue looked at Jiang Ke’er skeptically, but seeing the bloodstains on the Gluttony Dagger and sensing her increased cultivation, she was half convinced.
She didn’t know she could only drink Jiang Ke’er’s blood, and Jiang Ke’er didn’t want her to find out.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all planned out,” Jiang Ke’er reassured her.
“Everything’s under my control, just like in the Tower. I have a plan.”
“Another plan you can’t tell me?” Qian Yue gazed into Jiang Ke’er’s eyes.
“Yup!” Jiang Ke’er smiled mysteriously. “Shh, walls have ears.”
Jiang Ke’er leapt out of the Bird’s Nest, her movement graceful and agile: “Senior Sister, wait here. I’ll fix this place up a bit more.”
Qian Yue, seeing Jiang Ke’er’s nimble movements, finally relaxed.
But she only caught sight of Jiang Ke’er’s lithe form vaulting over the nest’s edge—she missed the awkward moment when Jiang Ke’er nearly landed on her backside after jumping down.