Welcome to the Ability Shop!

Chapter 33 Emergency Rescue

People were bathed in blood.

They opened their arms to welcome the rain of blood. They cheered, cried, prayed, and sang, never stopping even as their tattered clothes were stained red with dragon blood. Although it looked like some kind of evil ritual, Chen Xuan felt a strange sense of holiness.

They were all calling out Liu Shuyue's name.

As he was soaked in the rain, Chen Xuan felt his body getting slightly hot.

"They have become qualified for spiritual practice."

He turned around, only to find Liu Shuyue had already walked up behind him.

"They weren't afraid at all."

“I told them that only the blood of the dragon demon could allow the disaster victims to truly establish themselves in this desolate mountain region. This blood... and the complete dragon corpse, are my gifts to them.”

"So what's next? Are you going to teach the disaster victims magic?" Chen Xuan asked. "They're not considered disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect, so wouldn't it cause trouble if we taught them privately?"

“Trading abilities doesn’t count as teaching, since I haven’t revealed a single secret technique,” ​​Liu Shuyue denied. “This is also the last thing I want to ask of you. Of the abilities I have left, you can choose one as payment, and the rest… go to the most talented among them.”

Chen Xuan was greatly surprised, "You want to trade your abilities to the disaster victims?"

"I—cough cough cough cough!" A violent cough interrupted her. Liu Shuyue covered her mouth tightly, and blood even spurted from between her fingers.

She swayed twice, and looked like she was about to fall.

Chen Xuan acted first, reaching out to support her.

Those eyes, which were always full of spirit, had now become dull and lifeless.

He suddenly realized something.

"Slaying a dragon demon isn't that simple." Liu Shuyue wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and chuckled softly. "The Demon-Slaying True Sword is a spell specifically designed to deal with demons and evil spirits. It gains power by burning a portion of one's life force. With my abilities, I have to go to that extent to be absolutely certain of victory. Didn't I... tell you before? This ability is powerful, but it's not that easy to use..."

As she spoke, she coughed up another mouthful of blood.

"Just how much of your life force have you consumed?"

"That's about it. I only have about half an hour left, so please listen carefully..."

"Don't rush to make your final arrangements, you're a VIP customer of our store!"

"What, do you care whether the guests live or die?" Liu Shuyue raised the corners of her mouth, trying to appear as energetic as possible. "I know my own situation best. While my three souls are still intact, hurry up and take out the magic item for the transaction."

She wasn't lying to herself.

She's about to die... if I don't take any action.

Chen Xuan pulled out a barcode scanner and pointed it at her forehead. "Not necessarily. You're not ready to die yet."

Liu Shuyue was slightly taken aback.

He has added the ability to choose, "black magic".

"what is this?"

“You’ll understand when you switch places,” Chen Xuan added. “By the way, dragons must have very long lifespans, right?”

"Of course...it's been at least several hundred years..."

"That's good then. If you could survive, would you still choose to die together with it?"

Liu Shuyue immediately understood the meaning behind his words.

"Of course... no."

The deal is done.

She traded a green-grade "Bagua Palm" for "Dark Magic".

Chen Xuan didn't care what abilities she offered in exchange, because her life force was still constantly draining away, and time was the most important thing. "Dark magic requires a ritual altar for sacrifice, you can understand that at a glance. The key item is the dragon's heart. It was killed not long ago, and its heart is still fresh. You just need to cut it out and place it in the center of the altar."

This was the method he had come up with to prolong his life!
Even if the lifespan gained through this method is reduced many times over, it's not a big problem compared to the long lifespan of dragon demons.

"This isn't... a legitimate ability, is it?" Liu Shuyue had now grasped the true essence of dark magic. "No, I can't accept such a curse. If the price is becoming a half-human, half-demon monster, then I'd rather die as a human..."

“Prepare the ritual first, and I guarantee you won’t be cursed,” Chen Xuan interrupted her.

She stared at him blankly.

Should I trust a businessman? "Master Immortal, just as you said, we can sense the energy!"

"Are you...are you alright?"

"Who is this person?"

At this moment, the refugees gradually gathered around. Seeing Liu Shuyue's weak appearance, their gazes towards Chen Xuan became more wary and hostile.

By asking him to witness this final moment, doesn't that mean I already believed him?

“No… no, we mustn’t be rude to him.” Liu Shuyue raised her hand to stop everyone’s suspicions. “He’s here to help us. Listen carefully, I have some things I need you all to do.”

She was ordering the materials for building the altar.

Knowing that the other party had agreed, Chen Xuan got up and walked towards the small house not far away. "Hang in there, I'll be back soon."

To avoid severing the connection between the two worlds, he deliberately did not close the door.

He returned to the store through the back door, opened the store manager, and flipped to the transaction record section. There were only three names there: Liu Shuyue, Gilles de Rais, and Jeanne d'Arc.

He recalled that the LV2 store manager could follow up with customers, and there were two ways to do so: one was to arrange accommodation, and the other was to make it easier for regular customers to find the store entrance.

He right-clicked on Joan of Arc, and sure enough, there was an "Invite to Visit Again" option in the expanded menu.

After clicking, it was as if nothing had happened.

There wasn't even a notification in the software indicating that the invitation was successful.

Chen Xuan knew that this kind of follow-up visit was not mandatory; customers could choose to ignore it or never set foot in the Ability Shop again. But he had no other choice but to open the door as usual and wait for a response from the other party.

Less than five minutes later, two very familiar figures walked in through the door.

"Your Excellency, are you calling me?"

Chen Xuan looked up and saw that the landscape of the neighborhood had transformed into scattered villages. The speaker was none other than Joan of Arc, and standing beside her was none other than Gilles de Rais.

However, the two looked very different from when they last parted.

Joan of Arc looked to be around thirty years old, dressed like a country shepherdess, while Marshal Gillespie had a few strands of white hair.

She did indeed follow her own suggestion, relinquishing her position as commander and retiring to the countryside.

“I’ve been dreaming about the gentle light emanating from the window of this shop for the past few days, so I came to the village for a stroll and unexpectedly saw the familiar shop door.”

"That's right, I'd like to make a deal with you."

"Please just tell me what abilities you desire."

Chen Xuan picked up the barcode scanner. "I want 'The Blessed Saint Maiden'."

……

……

When Chen Xuan returned to the Great Wilderness of Ten Thousand Mountains through Room 201, a small stone altar had been erected on the mountaintop. Torches were placed around the altar, and in the center was the heart of the dragon demon. Even after being separated from its body, it was still trembling slightly, seemingly unwilling to be slain by the sword.

Liu Shuyue's face grew even paler. She sat cross-legged by the altar, her body swaying precariously, as if she might collapse at any moment. Only when she saw Chen Xuan appear did a faint smile reappear on her face.

"If you can't keep your promise... then you have to do as I say."

"Don't worry, our shop never makes false claims," ​​Chen Xuan replied confidently. "Let's trade abilities again."

He wanted to exchange the Saint Maiden's abilities for Liu Shuyue.

According to the description of this ability, it only works on women. Although it has the side effect of being easily injured by fire, the most important thing is that it makes the user immune to all curses and keeps the holder away from darkness!
The moment she saw the "Blessed Saint Maiden," a glimmer of light returned to Liu Shuyue's eyes, which were about to close. She was not someone who wanted to die; she had fought with all her might to slay the dragon only to be true to herself. If she could continue to live, she had absolutely no reason to give up.

Following the ritual of sacrifice, Liu Shuyue plunged a dagger into the dragon's heart, unleashing dark magic.

In an instant, the world changed color! A sudden gust of cold wind swept around, its sound shrill and piercing, like the mournful howl of a demonic dragon!
But the next moment, a dazzling light emanated from Liu Shuyue's body, completely dispelling the yin wind!

Not only that, even the crimson bloodstains on the surrounding grassland were faded, and the hillside became lush and green again.

"The Immortal Master has manifested!"

The refugees knelt down and worshipped Liu Shuyue.

Chen Xuan saw that the "crack" in the sky, cleaved by the sword, was closing little by little, with clouds rushing in from all around, forming a magnificent cloud waterfall at the edge of the crack.

(End of this chapter)