Chương 230: Chapter 119: Desperate Situation

When the sharp mouthpart of a single mosquito pierces through human skin, it inflicts nothing more than a faint, fleeting sting, stealing away a mere drop of blood. But if tens of millions—countless beyond measure—were to penetrate every single inch of a person's blood, flesh, sinew, and bone simultaneously, the excruciating agony caused by their synchronized suction would instantly drive any mortal or cultivator in this world to complete psychological collapse!

Right now, the endless crimson filaments sprouting from the tentacles of that shadowy demon phantom acted precisely like the horrific mouthparts of a swarm of parasitic mosquitoes. They plunged ruthlessly into every corner of Reyn's body. With a single, violent draw, they forcibly siphoned away more than half of the vital flesh-and-blood essence from his physical frame! Every square inch of muscle and flesh inside him convulsed in violent spasms.

Reyn threw his head back and opened his mouth wide, yet not a single audible shriek could escape his throat. Such was the terrifying nature of the Spirit-Devouring Array. The first phase devoured all physical essence, leaving the flesh to rot into decay! The next phase consumed all spiritual energy and the Primordial Soul, shattering the very spirit! The final draw plundered the creation of heaven and earth, stripping away the victim's Spirit Root to defy nature and rewrite destiny!

Once the devouring was fully realized, the victim's physical body would rot away into dust while their soul shattered into nothingness—denied even the chance of entering the wheel of reincarnation, erased from existence forever! And all of this agony was merely the First Suction! Even as Reyn threw back his head in a silent, agonizing scream, utterly powerless to make a sound, the Second Suction struck with mad, relentless fury.

The countless crimson filaments embedded deep inside his tissue shuddered violently in unison. From the split openings at their tips, a terrifying siphon force—more than twice as powerful as before—erupted instantly. Under the immense force of this second draw, Reyn's once-stout frame shrank at a visible rate, deflating like a punctured bladder. His skin withered into that of an ancient, dying old man, turning dry and utterly lusterless as it clamped tightly against his protruding bones.

Following the Second Suction, the remaining essence of his flesh and blood had been completely devoured, leaving behind only the vital blood hidden deep within the core of his bone marrow! As that vibrant flesh-and-blood essence flowed into the demonic shadow, it was rapidly refined into pure blood-red energy and funneled directly into Mu Nianxing's body. An involuntary moan of utter satisfaction escaped Mu Nianxing's lips.

Feeling the explosive surge of power within his veins, he could not restrain himself from throwing his head back and laughing maniacally! The sensation was indescribably sublime. As the crimson energy integrated into his system, every single cell of his body felt as though it were submerged in a soothing, warm bath. Waves of pleasurable tingling, numbness, and warmth washed over him.

He could almost hear his physical body greedily swallowing the stolen essence, while his vital energy and life force exploded outward in an unprecedented frenzy! Before the euphoria could even settle, the Third Suction arrived with a roaring gale! The endless blood filaments buried in Reyn's body underwent yet another sinister transformation. Withdrawing from the decayed, withered meat, they swarmed like a plague of ravenous locusts, driving ruthlessly into his bones and driving deep into his marrow!

Bone marrow was the cradle of blood generation and the wellspring of life force, representing the absolute last sanctuary of vitality within a physical body. Once the marrow was stolen, the physical shell would rot away completely! Snap! Crack! Crack! Under the terrifying pull, a dense barrage of sharp, snapping sounds echoed from Reyn's skeletal structure. The precious blood marrow hidden in the deepest recesses of his bones was forcibly dragged out and swallowed by those crimson threads!

Deprived of its living marrow, his entire skeleton instantly lost its luster, turning a sickly, ash-grey color—resembling an ancient skeleton that had been buried in a dreary tomb for centuries, slowly rotting into dust. When that rich marrow energy poured into the demonic shadow, it transformed into a blood-red stream of energy vastly more immense than the previous two suctions combined. Screaming through the crimson filaments, it surged straight into Mu Nianxing's body!

"How is this possible?! How could there be such a staggering amount of vitality condensed within Reyn's bone marrow?!" A look of sheer shock flashed in Mu Nianxing's eyes. The sheer volume of life force stored within that marrow far exceeded his wildly optimistic expectations! But right after the shock came an unbounded surge of ecstasy.

"It seems the Heavenly Dao truly favors me! For this insect to possess such terrifying vitality, he must have stumbled upon unimaginable opportunities in his past—and now, every bit of it becomes my fortune! Hahaha! Choosing to perform the Spirit-Devouring ritual on him was unequivocally the best decision I've ever made! Once I completely swallow him whole, my future potential will be beyond measure! Even the grand path to the Nascent Soul realm will no longer be an out-of-reach dream!"

Beside the demonic shadow, the blood-gemmed eyes of the Demonic Spirit flashed with a momentary tremor of astonishment, which quickly gave way to burning, unbridled greed.

"Just how much condensed vitality was stored inside this brat's bones?! If only I were the one devouring him... What a pity that my primary avatar has already departed! Otherwise, I could have forcibly taken a share for myself. Now, I can only watch helplessly as this incredible heavenly fortune is claimed by this Mu Family scoundrel!" In truth, Reyn had originally possessed no native Spirit Roots at all.

He had managed to force his way to his current cultivation level entirely by consuming immense quantities of high-grade medicinal pills! Though the vast majority of the energy within those pills was refined into spiritual mana, a portion of the unrefined medicinal energy could never be fully absorbed, slowly precipitating over time into the depths of his bone marrow!

Furthermore, ever since Reyn had acquired that heavenly treasure known as the White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice, he had consumed and refined it continually. The overwhelming vitality contained in the rice could not be fully utilized all at once, so a substantial fraction had likewise settled deep within his bones! It was precisely this unique combination that resulted in his marrow harboring a staggering, unbelievable reservoir of life force, stunning both onlookers to their very core.

Out of the Seven Suctions of Spirit-Devouring, three were now complete. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. All of Reyn's flesh-and-blood essence had been completely drained. He was now reduced to a gaunt, skeletal frame with dry, shriveled skin clinging tightly to his bones. His once jet-black, lustrous hair had turned a lifeless, ash-grey color, brittle and utterly devoid of shine.

Even his usually bright, penetrating black eyes were now dim, cloudy, and lifeless, resembling those of a senile old man taking his very last breaths on his deathbed. In stark contrast, Mu Nianxing was overflowing with vibrant blood energy and boundless vitality. A radiant, shimmering glow covered his face, and his skin had turned clear and crystalline as precious jade! Having absorbed the entirety of Reyn's physical essence, he had obtained a monumental transformation.

His internal aura was expanding rapidly, unexpectedly reaching the absolute peak threshold of the Foundation Establishment Great Circle!

"Once I devour him completely and spend three months in secluded cultivation, I will definitely condense my Golden Core!" Mu Nianxing opened his eyes abruptly, two terrifying beams of divine light shooting from his pupils, burning with intense excitement and wild fervor. And then, the Fourth Suction descended! Every single crimson filament inside Reyn's skeletal structure pulled out from the bones in unison.

They split into two distinct waves: half rushed frantically toward his Primordial Soul, while the other half roared directly toward his Dantian! A cultivator's Primordial Soul was their absolute foundation; as long as the soul remained intact, any physical injury, no matter how severe, could eventually be healed. However, if the soul sustained damage, the agony inflicted would be tens or hundreds of times more excruciating than any physical torture!

If the damage was too severe, the soul itself would shatter, erasing the cultivator from the world forever. As for the Dantian, it was the central ocean of Qi where a cultivator absorbed external Spirit Qi and refined it into personal mana. If the Dantian were destroyed or drained, one's entire lifetime of cultivation and divine abilities would dissipate into thin air, severing all hope of ever walking the Dao of Cultivation again!

Formed from the condensed tentacles of the Spirit-Devouring Fiend, these crimson filaments existed between the physical and immaterial realms, capable of inflicting soul-rending damage while simultaneously swallowing spiritual mana! Within a split second, the blood threads blanketed both Reyn's Primordial Soul and his Dantian, stabbing ruthlessly into them!

After enduring the horrific decaying of his physical flesh during the first three suctions, Reyn had naively believed he could endure any pain this world had to offer. But only at this moment did he truly realize that the physical agony he had just suffered was less than one-tenth of what he was experiencing now! A tidal wave of agonizing torture that surpassed the physical limits of human endurance smashed into his consciousness.

Under this single suction, his Primordial Soul trembled violently, its humanoid outline collapsing into a distorted, blurry shape. Large clouds of white, misty soul energy were forcibly dragged out of his forehead. Simultaneously, the potent, refined mana within his Dantian offered zero resistance, being violently plundered and drained away in an instant. Yet, this was merely the Fourth Suction!

Without a single moment's pause after the fourth draw, the demonic shadow pushed forward, and the Fifth Suction struck with brutal, unyielding ferocity! The crimson filaments embedded within his Primordial Soul drove deeper into its core, unleashing an even more overwhelming siphon force simultaneously... Because of the unbearable, agonizing pain, Reyn's Primordial Soul fell into a state of deep unconsciousness.

The demonic red filaments continued their ravenous, unbridled devouring, not only siphoning away his soul strength at an alarming rate, but also rapidly erasing the memories within his mind—wiping them out completely as though they had never existed at all. Yet at that critical juncture, the moment those crimson threads wound themselves around Yu Meiren's Primordial Soul, Reyn's dormant consciousness suddenly fought back with ferocious intensity!

His Primordial Soul fluctuated wildly without pause, straining against the terrible pull to forcefully drag Yu Meiren's Primordial Soul back away from danger, even though this reckless act of protection caused the voracious blood-red filaments to devour even more of his precious soul essence in response! Reyn felt weaker than he had ever been in his entire life.

His entire body and mind were engulfed in an endless abyss of excruciating torture, while the dark, cold shadow of death gradually crept up and hovered over his heart. Am I really going to die like this? I am unwilling! I refuse to accept this fate! As vast tides of memory drained away from his mind, Reyn's consciousness grew increasingly faint and fragmented. Yet, paradoxical to his fading life, an unyielding, fierce will to survive blazed brighter and hotter deep within his spirit!

It stood defiant, like a sharp spear pointed directly at the heavens, determined to shatter every obstacle, every shackle, and every cruel turn of fate into dust! At that very moment, Mu Nianxing jerked his head upward, his eyes wide with utter astonishment and disbelief. Having absorbed the memories siphoned directly from Reyn's Primordial Soul, he had now uncovered every single one of the deeply hidden secrets Reyn possessed! The Heaven-Defying Golden Seal! His terrifying, unearthly alchemical arts!

The rare, precious White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice resting within his storage bag! And even the Dao Artifact, the Azure Jade Palace, which was currently working desperately to fuse with its true core inside the Mu Family estate!...

"To think this man actually possesses such unimaginable, heaven-defying treasures!" Mu Nianxing was thoroughly shaken to his core. In all his life, he had never even heard of an artifact as monstrous as this Heaven-Defying Golden Seal in the entire cultivation world! As for the legendary White Jade Dragon-Whiskers Rice, the mere thought of it ignited a blazing fire of insatiable greed inside his heart!

"They're mine! Mine! Every single one of them belongs to me now! Once this Spirit-Devouring ritual is complete, I will inherit everything this fool has ever owned! With such incomprehensible, divine luck and destiny, what does the path to the Nascent Soul stage even matter? Even the legendary Soul Transformation realm will be well within my grasp!"

"I must never allow anyone else to find out about this! Otherwise, even the Ancestor himself would succumb to greed, murder me without a second thought, and snatch these fortunes for himself!"

"There is only one final suction remaining! Complete it now, and everything shall be mine!" As Mu Nianxing bellowed hysterically in his mind, the Sixth Suction descended! Once the Sixth Suction concluded, the soul would be shattered into fragments, falling forever into the endless cycle of reincarnation! In that terrifying split second, the defiant rage and refusal to surrender within Reyn's consciousness reached an absolute crescendo—an earth-shattering, heaven-defying force of sheer willpower! Buzz!

Right at that perilous moment, deep within Reyn's Primordial Soul, the previously silent and motionless Heaven-Defying Golden Seal seemed to awaken to the desperate, unyielding aura radiating from Reyn's spirit. It trembled slightly, releasing a slender ray of radiant golden light that instantly merged into his Primordial Soul. Simultaneously, bathed under the protective glow of that golden light, Yu Meiren's Primordial Soul shuddered lightly, before beginning to fluctuate violently with renewed vigor.

The Sixth Suction descended with full force! Countless crimson tendrils snapped shut in a vicious, overwhelming pull, preparing to snuff out Reyn's life once and for all. But in the very next instant, every single one of those red filaments suddenly froze rigid! Their sharp tips had already ripped open his soul defenses, requiring only a fraction of a breath to kill him outright, yet under the soft, ubiquitous glow of that golden light, they were utterly immobilized!

"Damn it! It's that Heaven-Defying Golden Seal!" Shock washed over Mu Nianxing's face. The sudden, last-second intervention of the golden seal was something he had completely failed to anticipate! I cannot stop now! This devouring process must be completed immediately, or unexpected disaster will surely strike! Driven to desperation by this realization, Mu Nianxing shouted frantically, "Senior Demonic Spirit, quickly lend me your aid to complete this devouring!

Once this is done, this junior is willing to offer a sacrifice of one thousand virgin boys and girls to you!" Seeing the Spirit-Devouring Array obstructed, the Demonic Spirit's expression shifted drastically. But hearing Mu Nianxing's offer, a flash of sinister greed swept across its ghostly face. It roared, "Very well! This demonic master shall assist you!" With those words, its physical shape dispersed into a thick cloud of swirling black fog, shooting instantly into Reyn's body.