Above the mage

Chapter 673 Blood Drinking

Hunger left Gao De with no other options.

He had already tried to mobilize the dormant magical power within his body.

Those stagnant, lifeless mana threads were indeed a little looser than before.

Yet it remained like a frozen stream, unable to activate even the most basic magic tricks.

It will take time for him to regain his spellcasting ability.

The crisis of dehydration is imminent, and he has already come up with an emergency solution for this pressing issue.

It's just a bit weird.

"Your body is extremely dehydrated. If you don't replenish your fluids, you'll become dehydrated," he told Liu Ying.

Liu Ying nodded.

She shouldn't have run out of supplies so quickly.

It all stemmed from the three withered soul servants that had just launched a surprise attack.

"Come here," Gao De said.

Liu Ying obediently moved closer.

Open your mouth.

She didn't understand what Gaode was going to do, but she still obediently opened her lips slightly.

The dry, chapped lips were pale, but their contours remained soft.

Gao De looked down at his right index finger.

The wound that was bitten to test the healing ability has already healed completely under the effect of [Primary Healing Body], without even leaving a faint scar.

Without the slightest hesitation, he placed his index finger between his teeth and clenched his jaw tightly.

A sharp pain shot up from my fingertip, the fresh wound instantly reopened, and warm blood slowly seeped out.

The next second, Gao De gently and steadily inserted his index finger, still dripping with blood, into Liu Ying's slightly parted lips.

"Suck it in your mouth," he whispered.

Then, belatedly, I realized that the lines were somewhat terrible.

But he no longer had the mind to think about it in detail.

Because Liu Ying had already obediently closed her lips and gently held his finger in her mouth.

The stone tower was generally cold and damp, but the girl's lips carried a faint, fresh warmth, soft and moist, gently enveloping his index finger.

Dry yet soft lips brushed against the wound on the fingertip, causing a slight itch.

Warm breath gently brushed against the base of his fingers, a soft yet sticky and clean touch that was hard to describe, making Gao De's fingertips stiffen slightly and his heart skip a beat.

"I'm in good health, so a little blood loss won't affect me. I'll recover quickly," Gao De quickly shook his head, calmed himself down, and then explained to Liu Ying.

His meaning is already very clear.

"If you collapse from dehydration, we'll be truly unable to move an inch, and we won't even be able to go to the central tower. Don't worry too much, just treat it as an emergency, and drink a little blood to replenish your fluids."

He was trying to allay Liu Ying's concerns, both to prevent the girl from refusing to speak because she was "disgusted" and to prevent her from refusing to speak because she was "shy".

Fortunately, Liu Ying was never a pretentious or affected person.

She opened her clear, sapphire-blue eyes and glanced gently at Gao De.

There was no disdain or resistance in his eyes, only complete obedience, like a little animal that trusts its master.

Then she lowered her head and began to suckle earnestly and gently.

Her movements were extremely light and careful, her lips moving with almost utmost deliberation.

The tip of his tongue lightly and softly swept across the wound on his fingertip, slowly and gently absorbing it, making Gao De feel a strange itch in both his fingertip and his heart.

Her warm breath brushed against his fingertips again and again, carrying the light, clean scent unique to young girls.

Liu Ying's golden eyelashes trembled gently, drooping like butterfly wings under her eyelids, remaining completely silent throughout.

As blood is continuously drawn in, it gradually alleviates the body's near-limit thirst.

A moment later, Liu Ying gently parted her lips and slowly released Gao De's finger.

When the fingertips left the soft, warm lips, they still carried a slightly damp, sticky feeling, with the lingering warmth of the girl's breath, and a faint mist of moisture in the cold air.

"That's enough." Her voice was no longer as dry and hoarse as before, but clearer.

A faint blush returned to her pale cheeks, like parched plants receiving rain after a long drought, finally regaining some vitality.

Gao De withdrew his finger, the warmth and moisture of her lips still lingering on his fingertip.

"Your blood is very sweet." Liu Ying suddenly raised her head, her clear blue eyes looking straight at him, her tone serious and not at all like a joke.

"Moreover, it not only quenched my thirst, but also alleviated a small part of the soul-piercing pain caused by the withered soul's erosion."

Is it sweet? This was something Gao De hadn't expected. After several physical evolutions, his blood had undergone many changes, but he never imagined that even the taste would change.

As for the latter, Gaode had anticipated it.

This is one of the effects of [Intermediate Azure Body]:

Your blood detoxification effect has been greatly enhanced. You can apply it directly to wounds to neutralize toxins, drink it to relieve the erosion of intermediate-level toxins, and it also has a certain alleviating effect on mild soul toxins.

The erosion of the withered soul energy is essentially a slow-acting soul toxin, so it is quite reasonable in a strict sense that his blood can have an effect.

Seeing that Liu Ying's condition had greatly improved, Gao De waved his hand and called to Liu Ying.

"Let's continue on our way and get to the Central Tower as soon as possible."

In the desolate and barren realm, there is no sunlight, and naturally, no distinction between day and night.

The sky was always a dull gray, and the faint gray-white halo on the distant horizon was like a dusty mirror, barely illuminating the path underfoot, but bringing no warmth whatsoever.

The layer of cremated remains on the ground was soft and thick; with each step, one would sink half an inch, making a soft "rustling" sound.

The faint sound was amplified infinitely in the absolute silence, making it sound particularly jarring.

The two kept their bodies low and tried to walk as quietly as possible, following the direction marked on the stone tablet.

Along the way, one could occasionally see groups of withered souls slowly moving about.

Their bodies are shriveled like dehydrated mummies, their empty eye sockets devoid of any luster, and from a distance they look like a blurry black shadow wriggling slightly.

His steps were stiff like a marionette's, each step accompanied by the "creaking" sound of bones rubbing together. He wandered the wasteland on instinct alone, unresponsive to the sounds around him.

Whenever this happens, Gaode will immediately pull Liuying and quickly find cover.

Whether it was a pile of unweathered bones or a broken stone tower, the two held their breath as they watched the hunched black figures stagger past.

After escaping three waves of withered soul servants without incident, the fourth wave of monstrous shadows appeared a hundred feet ahead.

The two instinctively crouched down and ran towards a pile of tilted, massive rib fragments not far away, preparing to hide again.

While dodging the fourth wave of withered soul servants, the layer of ashes in front of us looked no different from the rest of the area, flat and without any undulations.

However, the unexpected still happened.

The ash layer in front looks no different from the rest of the area, so flat that there isn't a single undulation.

But when Gaode stepped on it, a crisp "crack" sound suddenly came from under his feet.

It was a tiny fragment of bone hidden beneath the ashes, crushed to pieces by the sole of his boot.

The sharp sound, like a thunderclap, shattered the silence of the desolate wasteland, instantly breaking the surrounding tranquility and spreading in all directions.

"Oh no!" Gao Gaode's heart sank suddenly. Almost instinctively, he turned to the side and pulled Liu Ying behind him to protect her.

Sure enough, within a few breaths, the three withered soul servants, who had been wandering aimlessly, suddenly stopped moving and turned their empty eye sockets toward the source of the sound.

They let out low, hoarse growls, their hunched bodies tensed abruptly, and their previously unsteady steps instantly became agile.

Three dark figures, arranged in a triangle, lunged at the two. Their exposed finger bones gleamed coldly, and dried black blood was embedded in their fingernails.

"Stay behind me and don't move!" Gao De whispered, his voice steady and strong, without a trace of panic.

He was perfectly capable of handling the three withered soul servants.

His only concern was Liu Ying.

I was afraid she would be scratched and afflicted by the poison again, like before, and that her delicate and fragile body would suffer further harm.

However, having learned from the previous experience, Gaode Maps is much more experienced this time.

He firmly gripped Liu Ying's shoulder with his left hand, protecting her completely in the safe zone behind him.

His right hand was gripping the broken bones he had picked up earlier.

In the blink of an eye, the first withered soul servant rushed forward.

A foul, fishy stench hit me.

It raised its withered arm, its finger bones like sharp claws, and clawed at Gao De's face.

Gao De's eyes sharpened, and instead of retreating, he advanced.

He dodged the claws like an arrow shot from a bow, bone dust rising in fine white mist at his toes.

At the same time, he gripped the bone fragments tightly in his right hand, twisted his wrist, and the sharp bone fragments, like swords, whistled through the air and slashed precisely at the neck of the withered soul servant.

"Snap!"

With a crisp crack, the neck vertebrae of the withered soul servant were instantly severed.

The withered head rolled onto the layer of ashes with a dull thud.

His body lost its support and crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of bone dust.

Before the first withered soul servant's body had completely hit the ground, a sudden gust of wind arose from the left.

The second withered soul servant cunningly circled around to the side, its empty eye sockets locking onto Liu Ying, who was completely unprepared behind Gao De.

Clearly, they had noticed that the girl was weaker and wanted to exploit her vulnerability.

Gao De caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, his heart tightened, and he suddenly pressed Liu Ying behind him with his left hand.

At the same time, he used his waist to twist his body, and the broken bones in his right hand, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, accurately blocked the claws of the withered soul servant.

The bone blade clashed with the arm of the withered soul servant.

The strength of the withered soul servant far exceeded his expectations. Gao De felt a tingling sensation in his arm, but he still managed to keep his body steady and prevent it from taking another step forward.

Using the recoil from the parry, his wrist suddenly sank, and the sharp bone blade slid down the withered arm along the withered soul servant.

The blade sliced ​​through the dry, wrinkled skin, cutting straight into the fragile ulna below.

ho-

The withered soul servant let out a shrill, hoarse roar, its voice like a broken bellows, extremely piercing.

The body driven by the withered soul felt no pain, and its movements did not stop; instead, another claw reached out even faster.

Gao De's eyes were sharp as an eagle's. He took a half step forward with his left foot, completely protecting Liu Ying behind him, while his right hand suddenly thrust out the bone blade.

The bone fragments pierced the withered soul servant precisely from its empty, dark eye sockets, reaching its skull cavity.

With a soft thud, the bone blade pierced through the skull, and the withered soul's movements froze instantly. The roar in its throat stopped abruptly, and its body fell straight backward.

After dealing with two, there's still a third withered soul servant left.

It suddenly accelerated and lunged towards the gap between the two, trying to tear through the defenses.

Gaode had anticipated this, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

His body spun like a top, his left foot sweeping across the ground, raising a ring of bone powder mist.

The bone blade in his right hand, accompanied by a whistling sound, drew a perfect arc and cleaved through the waist of the withered soul servant.

Click!

Another crisp cracking sound of bone breaking.

The lumbar vertebrae of the withered soul servant were instantly severed, and the upper and lower body were completely separated.

The two severed bodies fell to the ground, twitched a few times in vain, and then completely turned into a pile of lifeless, withered corpses.

In just over ten seconds, all three withered soul servants were dealt with.

The battle was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

"Good bones!"

Seeing that the broken bone in his hand was still intact and the blade was as sharp as ever despite such a fierce battle, Gao De couldn't help but praise it in a low voice.

Parry, thrust, slash, spin.

Every move he made was precise and ruthless, without any unnecessary frills, yet each strike was fatal, ending the battle with effortless ease.

"Are you alright?" After the battle ended, Gao De did not relax immediately. Instead, he cautiously looked around to make sure no other withered soul servants were approaching before slowly turning around and asking.

He then raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Although the battle was brief, it had taken a lot of energy, especially since I had to keep protecting Liu Ying at all times and dared not be distracted in the slightest.

This is also why Gaode is unwilling to have a direct conflict with the Soul Servant.

Currently in a magic-free plane, unable to use any magic power, all battles rely on pure physical strength.

Without food and water to replenish their energy, frequent battles would eventually exhaust their stamina, making it impossible to reach the central tower.

Although these withered soul servants contain precious fragments of soul essence, killing them yields considerable rewards.

But once the adaptation to magic is reached to a certain extent and the body's magic power is utilized, dealing with these withered soul servants will be a piece of cake.

"It's alright, you protected her very well," Liu Ying replied softly.

"It's good that you're alright." He smiled, his tone much more relaxed, and his left hand "naturally" fell down, taking Liu Ying's slender wrist again.

The familiar, faintly golden burning sensation returned, spreading from my fingertips to my palm.

But Gao De's expression remained calm, without the slightest sign of abnormality, and he said in a natural tone, "Let's go, we shouldn't stay here any longer, let's get going as soon as possible."

After this period of recovery, the injury on his palm has almost completely healed, and he has long harbored the desire to revisit the Fluorescent and refresh his [Adaptive] resistance.

It's just that there hasn't been a suitable opportunity until now.

Touching it rashly would be too abrupt, appearing both presumptuous and suspicious.

The arrival of these three withered souls was a close call, but it also gave him a perfectly reasonable excuse.

Having just protected her after the fight, it was only natural for him to "casually" take her wrist.

He certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.

Liu Ying looked down at her wrist, which was being held by Gao De.

Even if Gaode acts naturally, this handshake gesture under the scorching light of the sun is still unreasonable.

However, she blinked her long eyelashes, her blue eyes clear as water, and asked nothing or said anything, simply letting him hold her hand obediently.

(End of this chapter)