Douluo Continent: My Martial Soul is the Black Dragon, I am the Lord of the Gods

Chapter 297 Passionate Love and Desire
……

"If I give her my blood to drink, will it calm her down?" Xuanming asked.

The Killing City contains a terrifying, slow-acting toxin, like a drug, that is addictive and can also make people excited. So, from the first day he entered the Killing City, he never let Hu Liena touch Bloody Mary.

Even so, Hu Liena's desires still became very strange. This did not match the symptoms of Bloody Mary poisoning, but it was definitely not normal either.

“Brother, your blood… is a thousand times more terrifying than the poison in this godforsaken place,” the Ice Dragon King said strangely.

"Once it leaves the body, your blood will quickly lose its balance, and the forces of extreme cold and extreme heat will erupt instantly, annihilating each other and producing extremely terrifying destructive power."

"Let alone drinking it, even an ordinary Soul Master would probably have his meridians shattered or even explode from the conflicting energy if he got a single drop."

"Do you think your blood is some kind of super tonic? It's deadly stuff!"

Xuanming remained silent.

He could indeed feel the violent power contained in his blood, which was usually maintained in a delicate balance by his strong physique and willpower within his blood vessels.

As for what happens after leaving the body, he doesn't know, since he's never tried it.

“Then what about her condition…” Xuanming’s gaze fell back on Hu Liena. Even in her sleep, her body would occasionally twitch slightly, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead. Clearly, she was still struggling against her inner desires and the erosion of the killing city.

“The root of the problem is this godforsaken place.” The Ice Dragon King said with disgust, “It’s constantly eroding your mind, amplifying all negative emotions and desires. This girl’s obsession with you was already deep, and it’s been amplified infinitely here. Coupled with the pressure accumulated from long-term tension and killing, that’s why she suddenly lost control.”

"Your very existence is like an oasis to someone dying of thirst in the desert. They instinctively want to rush over and grab it. It's a mixture of survival instinct and emotional desire, and it's not so easy to suppress."

This hellish place is not a pure killing ground; it has been corrupted by the Rakshasa God, becoming a decadent breeding ground filled with all sorts of twisted desires.

The killing is just the surface; what lies deeper is the endless catalysis and depravity fueled by desire.

Hu Liena was already powerless against Xuanming, and now that her power has been amplified, it's only natural that she would lose control.

Rather than saying that Hu Liena was driven by desire, it would be more accurate to say that she was influenced by Xuanming.

Xuanming's expression changed slightly. "So, if I'm not by her side, she'll actually be fine?"

“Of course.” The Ice Dragon King’s tone was somewhat subtle.

"The more she loves you, the more she hates everyone else in this city. You are like the only light in the darkness; all her obsessions and survival instincts are tied to you. Without you, she might be colder and more wary, like a lone wolf licking its wounds, and less likely to lose control. With you, her vulnerability and dependence have an outlet."

Xuanming silently watched Hu Liena's still slightly furrowed brows as she slept, his fingertips unconsciously curling up slightly.

"So, my existence is her biggest weakness?"

"That's one way to understand it, but it's not entirely accurate." The Ice Dragon King's tone softened slightly. "Flaws are often both weaknesses and armor. At least just now, your presence calmed her down, didn't it? From another perspective, without you as an anchor, she might have already been completely assimilated by this endless slaughter and distortion, turning into a monster that only knows how to kill, instead of being like this now... just occasionally wanting to pounce on you."

“But I always feel like there’s another force stirring things up.” Xuanming stood up and looked out the window at the eternally crimson sky.

"illusion?"

……

a few days later.

Beneath the eternally unchanging crimson sky of the City of Slaughter, an extremely subtle aura, like a shadow blending into the blood mist, quietly descended upon the outer area.

Bibi Dong, dressed in casual clothes, concealed her aura to the extreme. She stood like a ghost atop a twisted building, her scarlet gaze piercing through space and precisely targeting the familiar stone house in the inner city.

She was still worried.

After Qian Renxue entered the Elder Hall, it was unusually quiet. The Spirit Hall was temporarily calm, so she took the time to come in person, just wanting to check on the two people's condition in secret, especially Hu Liena's condition.

She knew how terrifying the corruption of the killing city could be to one's character.

However, just as she regained her footing, a cold gaze shot out from the direction of the stone house below, as if it were a tangible object, precisely locking onto her location.

Xuanming's figure had appeared at the entrance of the stone house at some point, looking up at her with no surprise in his icy blue eyes, as if he had expected her arrival.

Bibi Dong was slightly startled. Her concealment skills were extremely good, yet she was detected so easily.

After a year in the City of Slaughter, Xuanming's senses seemed to have become even more terrifying.

She no longer hid; with a flicker of her figure, she appeared in front of the stone house as if by teleportation.

"Teacher?" Hu Liena, who was inside the room, heard the noise and cautiously peeked out. When she saw Bibi Dong, her face instantly lit up with surprise. But then, as if she had thought of something, a hint of panic and embarrassment flashed in her eyes. She subconsciously straightened her slightly disheveled clothes and hair.

Bibi Dong's sharp gaze swept across Hu Liena's face, and she immediately noticed something was amiss.

Although Hu Liena tried her best to appear normal, the lingering restlessness and fatigue deep in her eyes, as well as the faint, suppressed yet still keenly perceived aura of desire emanating from her body, all made her frown.

"It seems I've arrived at the wrong time?" Bibi Dong's voice was emotionless, but her gaze shifted to Xuan Ming, questioning him. Hu Liena lowered her head, her fingers twisting together, her voice soft, "Teacher, I...I'm alright..."

She dared not speak of the times she had lost control.

Xuanming stepped forward, pulled Bibi Dong aside, explained Hu Liena's situation to her, and also expressed his doubts.

"Out of control?" Upon hearing this, Bibi Dong's pupils contracted slightly, as if she had thought of something.

She strode into the room, grabbed Hu Liena's wrist, and a pure yet chilling spiritual force quickly probed into her body, carefully examining her.

Hu Liena trembled, but did not resist.

A moment later, Bibi Dong's expression turned extremely ugly.

She did indeed sense a very subtle, almost fused with Hu Liena's own soul, alluring and wild, alien spiritual imprint deep within Hu Liena's spiritual origins!

The mark was silently absorbing the evil aura of the City of Slaughter and amplifying Hu Liena's primal desire for Xuanming!
Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox!

"What do you mean!" Bibi Dong asked angrily in her heart.

"What do you mean? This is something she has to go through," the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox said leisurely.

"She gained my power and possessed the potential to become a god, but of course she had to pay a corresponding price. The allure of the Celestial Fox Clan is irresistible even to gods. Do you think this power comes without a cost?"

"Explain yourself clearly!" Bibi Dong said coldly in her mind, her killing intent almost reaching her through the mental link.

The languid and alluring voice of the nine-tailed celestial fox, tinged with a hint of mockery, echoed in her mind: "Oh dear, don't be so angry, Your Holiness. I didn't harm her; I'm helping her, and I'm helping you too."

"Help her? Help her be consumed by desire? Help her become a puppet who only knows how to demand?" Bibi Dong's voice was icy cold.

“That is incorrect,” the nine-tailed celestial fox replied slowly and deliberately.

"The power of the Celestial Fox originates from the deepest emotions and desires."

"Extreme love, possession, and desire... these are the sources of our power."

“Suppression and restraint will only cause power to stagnate.”

“Your disciple’s heart is already filled with Xuanming, but he’s also an iceberg that’s impervious to reason.”

"This girl usually works very hard to control herself, but once she entered this city of slaughter, where the aphrodisiac and lustful aura is everywhere, her desires are amplified infinitely. My fragment of soul merely went along with her wishes and slightly... fueled the flames."

"You call this fueling the fire?" Bibi Dong was furious. "She almost completely lost control!"

"Out of control?" The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox chuckled lightly, with disdain. "That's because she hasn't learned to control this power yet. A true Celestial Fox should be the master of desire, not its slave. I'm forcing her to confront her own heart and to take control of this power."

"Compared to how you used to constantly endure the corruption of Rakshasa's evil thoughts and hold fast to your principles, what is her desire compared to that?"

Hu Liena absorbed the Nine-Tailed Fox Heart Lotus, obtained its remaining power, and evolved into a true Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. She possessed the potential to ascend to godhood. Moreover, this girl was human, not a soul beast. As long as she could control this power, becoming a god in the future would be almost a natural outcome.

However, Hu Liena obtained this power too easily, lacking a gradual process. She almost instantly gained the power of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, which was the result of her hundreds of thousands of years of hard work!
This so-called loss of control was simply because Hu Liena's cultivation level was too low and her mental training was too insufficient, causing her to be devoured by her own power.

Listening to the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's explanation, Bibi Dong gradually calmed down.

Yes... compared to the erosion of Rakshasa's evil thoughts that she had endured day and night, the burning desire that Hu Liena was experiencing now did seem... much milder.

Although that beast was despicable, what it said wasn't entirely without reason.

The power of the Celestial Fox originates from the deepest emotions and desires.

Extreme emotions are a powerful force, but they also come with great risks.

Hu Liena gained this power in one fell swoop, but lacked the corresponding control over it. It was almost inevitable that she would be devoured by the power.

The environment of the Killing City merely accelerated and exacerbated this process.

"So, your help is to watch her be consumed by her own desires?" Bibi Dong asked coldly via telepathy.

"Of course not." The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's voice became more serious.

“I will pull her back when she is truly on the verge of losing herself completely, but more importantly, she needs to figure it out and take control on her own.”

"This is the tribulation of lust that every celestial fox must go through. Once she passes through this tribulation, her spiritual power and control over her own strength will be elevated to a whole new level."

"If she can't overcome it... then it means she's not qualified to inherit my power, and it's only natural that she'll be devoured by the backlash."

(End of this chapter)