Timeline Player

The fire flickered, and the liquid in the pot gradually became viscous.

Chi Que held his breath, staring at the pot of boiling soup. The six blood gold coins had already melted and intertwined with the dragon blood essence crystal, presenting a strange golden-red color, like the last rays of the setting sun.

But it has no fragrance.

There wasn't a trace of fragrance.

This was completely different from the aroma that filled the house when he used blood coins to stew dishes before. Chi Que even wondered if there was something wrong with his sense of smell.

But when I got closer and smelled it, there was indeed nothing there.

Only a faint, oppressive feeling, sending chills down his spine, slowly rose from the pot.

【Dragon Blood Soup - Evil Purple】

[Rank: Iron]

[Effect: After consumption, Flesh and Blood Mastery is permanently increased by 1 point, effective up to 5 points; Elemental Mastery is temporarily increased by 1 point.]

[Awakening Talent, Dragon Blood Transformation]

[Dragon Blood Transformation]

[Rank: Iron]

[Upon activation, Flesh and Blood Mastery is temporarily increased to six points, and vitality regeneration is greatly enhanced for three hours. After the effect ends, the user will fall into a weakened state, which can be replenished by consuming blood products.]

[After the second Dragon Blood Transformation, Flesh and Blood Mastery will be temporarily increased to ten points, and vitality will be greatly enhanced. However, if Spirituality is below nine points, it will be difficult to actively shut down, which may eventually lead to death from exhaustion.]

[Gain a heightened sensitivity to blood and the ability to gain beneficial effects by consuming blood; the effects depend on the quality of the blood.]

[By consuming more Dragon Blood Crystals, one can achieve further enhancements, up to a maximum of Bronze rank.]

Chi Que glanced at the Dragon Blood Soup, then at the Starshine Protection Brooch Aston had given him, and fell into deep thought.

It can only be said that there are differences in the quality of purple.

If taking the Boiling Blood Soup only brought him close to a yellow-level player in terms of proficiency, there was still a gap between them. But with the Dragon Blood Transformation skill, he felt that he could finally fight head-on.

Chi Que picked up the bowl of dragon blood soup and drank it all in one gulp.

The liquid slid down his throat. Although it wasn't very hot, it felt like swallowing a hot coal. The next moment, it was as if an ancient beast had awakened inside him, and an indescribable surge of power exploded out!

He could clearly feel something budding deep within his body, about to sprout and grow.

However, just as this power reached its peak—

hum!

A silent tremor arose, as if from the depths of the soul.

Chi Que suddenly clutched his chest, and a cold, deathly stillness, carrying an aura of boundless heaviness and sorrow, awakened him without warning.

It's remnants of the underworld!

It had been lying dormant deep within the game space, without any reaction, but now it has generated a strong response!

In a daze, he seemed to see countless wailing souls, mountains of white bones, and a figure exuding endless majesty and twisted obsession, raising a scepter and calling upon the dead.

Lord of Death!

Chi Que instantly understood its true identity.

'The Lord of Death...could he also be one of the beasts?' He realized a startling possibility.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to explain why the remnants of the underworld would be attracted by the aura of dragon blood. The Demon King is the leader of all beasts, and for this reason, the power of both the Lord of Death and the Lord of Blood can be attracted and sublimated.

But he was not feeling well at that moment.

Consciousness seemed to hover on the boundary between life and death, with extreme coldness of spirit on one hand and extreme heat of flesh on the other, slowly and laboriously merging under the power of the Demon King.

After an unknown amount of time, Chi Que collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily.

He felt more physically exhausted than ever before, but deep down, he felt an indescribable heaviness.

[Fusion degree of Hades residue: 1%]

[Gain a full mastery boost when near death.]

[Increased Death Affinity]

[Elemental Mastery permanently increased by 1.]

"Premature fusion..." Chi Que's eyes gradually brightened.

As far as he knew, players needed to fuse a singularity to advance to bronze after reaching yellow rank. However, this did not mean that they could fuse it perfectly. They could advance if they reached 60%, and the rest would be wasted.

The higher the degree of fusion during advancement, the stronger one becomes after the breakthrough. He is still at the Black Iron level, but he has already begun fusion.

What does this mean?

He won at the starting line, and when he truly advances to the Bronze level, he may even have the opportunity to fuse with a second singularity!

Not to mention the benefits that the Fusion Singularity brings him now: his total mastery points have reached sixteen, which is already the value of a normal purple player. With the Dragon Blood Transformation activated, he is truly comparable to a yellow player.

The boost to all mastery levels when near death, while the exact extent is unknown, is at least a life-saving trump card.

As for death affinity...

Although I don't feel anything about the pool yet, it should be useful in certain situations.

He pondered.

Dragon Blood Crystal.

One of them transformed him completely; what if he got a few more?

Chi Que stood up and walked to the window. The blood moon hung high, and dusk was deepening. In the distance, the faint sound of celebration horns could be heard, deep and long, as if summoning all participants into that dark red mist.

A burning desire simmered in his chest; he felt his emotions gradually escalating, a urge to kill, to celebrate, to...drink blood.

He didn't control his impulse; instead, he let it run wild. A burning sensation exploded from his heart and surged through his limbs and bones.

Behind him, blood energy burst forth, condensing into a pair of enormous dragon wings as if they were real.

With a light tap of his toes, Chi Que shot into the night sky like an arrow. Then, his dragon wings unfurled in the air as he looked down at the blood-stained town, everything rushing past him.

In the blink of an eye, he flew away from the old town.

"So fast." He was secretly surprised. After the dragon blood transformation, everything had risen to a new level, far surpassing yesterday.

However, just as he flew over a pile of ruins, he suddenly sensed a chilling aura coming toward him.

Chi Que abruptly retracted his dragon wings, changed direction, and plummeted downwards. A dark red light flashed past the spot where he had just been.

He steadied himself and looked up.

A man in a dark red uniform flapped bat wings on his back and wore a badge shaped like a dripping bat on his chest.

At his waist hung a bright red booklet and a dark red bell.

It was the Blood Tax Official.

"Celebrations have their rules." The Blood Tax Collector raised his head, his eyes cold. "You've gone too far."

"Rules?" Chi Que landed on the opposite rooftop. "All I know is that in the Blood Mist Zone, you can do anything."

He clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him. Now, he might be able to fight the Blood Tax Collector.

"What, you want to make a move?" The Blood Tax Collector's lips curled up. "I advise you to think carefully. You've just completed the Blood Saint Ritual, haven't you? I don't mind enjoying the essence of flesh and blood of a clansman who has recently advanced to a high rank."

"Then you've already lost," Chi Que said provocatively, seemingly unaware that he wasn't a vampire.

"How arrogant." The blood tax collector shook his head and slowly pulled the thick booklet from his waist.

As the cover was opened, a dark red light seeped from the pages, and the surrounding air suddenly became heavier.