As Xu Mo's voice faded, the expression on “Bai Feifei's” face made him look exactly like a mad scientist.
The 【Source of Bloodline】 Medal activated, and a unique power surged from Xu Mo's dark version of the Heart of Reality, using blood as its medium.
A single drop of blood slid down his fingertip and forcefully seeped into the wound on the Xu family elder's neck.
The elder was highly vigilant. The instant he felt his neck being touched, he turned into a streak of light and used his Escape Art to retreat.
This was the instinctual, split-second reaction of an Edgerunner.
Yet after pulling back, he didn't feel any harm. On the contrary, the energy within his body seemed to surge, growing slightly stronger.
Hm?
His expression turned completely bewildered. Had his enemy rushed him just to give him a buff?
That made no sense.
But in the next second, his bewilderment vanished, replaced by a sudden, violent distortion of his entire face.
“What... what did you do?!” He stared at “Bai Feifei,” his voice shrill with shock and terror.
Xu Mo watched him with keen interest, as if observing a test subject.
“Just some good stuff to help you ascend to the heavens in a single bound. I don't give this to just anyone.”
The Xu family elder clutched his neck as excruciating pain began to wash over him in relentless waves. The agony was so intense that it felt as though his very soul was trembling.
It was as if something was tearing his soul apart, grinding every bone in his body to dust while he remained fully conscious.
“Aaaaaagh!!!”
The pain was entirely unbearable, forcing a shrill, blood-curdling scream from the throat of this seasoned Edgerunner.
The sound was so horrific and distorted that it didn't even sound human.
The chaotic battlefield ground to a sudden halt for a brief moment because of this abrupt, agonizing shriek.
Everyone instinctively turned their heads to look at the figure clutching his neck, thrashing and convulsing wildly in mid-air.
“What did you do?! What on earth is this?!”
The Xu family elder repeatedly cast his Escape Art, attempting to phase his body out, but it was entirely useless. This was not the kind of damage that could be avoided by escaping into the void.
Everyone was stunned by his wretched state, and they even temporarily ceased their fighting.
After all, the screaming was far too horrific, sending a shiver down their spines just from listening to it.
Xu Linyuan watched his family elder in utter disbelief, staring at the agonizing state that seemed worse than death.
Wait, it was one thing that you couldn't take her down earlier, but now you've let her counterattack you like this?!
What the hell are you doing!
Xu Mo himself was somewhat surprised. This casual experiment of his seemed to have yielded a massive result.
He looked at the thrashing Xu family elder, then down at his own hand, murmuring to himself, “This reaction is a bit too extreme...”
He had originally only wanted to test what the standard for being “qualified” actually was, as well as what the consequences would be if someone was “unqualified.”
After all, when he used it to save Wan Qianhong last time, it succeeded immediately without any system prompts.
Looking at it now, this elder was clearly in the “unqualified” state.
It looked rather terrifying...
While he was pondering, system notifications began to flash frantically across his game panel.
【Warning: An “unqualified” target has been detected receiving the power! The target's willpower and attributes are insufficient to accept the power.】
【Warning: Abnormal energy detected inside the target's body!】
【Error: Abnormal fusion has occurred! The target's vital signs are unstable. Unable to distinguish whether the target's current state is “Human” or “Aberration”...】
【Error: Anomalous error... Energy conflict detected. Re-evaluating...】
A barrage of red warnings completely spammed Xu Mo's game panel.
Xu Mo couldn't make heads or tails of most of it, only understanding the first line: “The target's willpower and attributes are insufficient to accept the power.”
It seemed the standard for qualification indeed depended on willpower and attribute levels.
Though it was still vague, at least there was a general standard now. It was better than nothing.
However, as for the subsequent abnormal fusion...
Suddenly, a thought struck him.
These people from the Xu and Li families, who were most closely tied to the pharmaceuticals, must have injected those specialized potions!
And those things were originally researched by Zhulong's faction using the power of the Mother of All Souls' blood vessel.
And now, the power of his medal was also related to the Mother of All Souls' blood vessel. Pouring the power of the Heart of the Real World into them...
This must have literally blown them up from the inside!
The elder's intense suffering was probably an unexpected stroke of luck!
Just a single drop of blood could cause this much havoc?
Once he figured this out, Xu Mo looked at the Xu family elder on the ground, whose body was already beginning to deform—making it impossible to tell if he was mutating—and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hehehe~ So that's how it is!”
“How is it that you guys are constantly delivering yourselves right into my hands every single day?”
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping across Xu Linyuan, Li Tai, and Huang Xin.
“Honestly, you people weren't even much of a threat to begin with.”
“But now, I've even found a hard counter specifically for you. How is this any different from using cheats?”
Xu Linyuan and the others didn't quite understand what he was talking about, but as they witnessed the Xu family elder's state, their expressions turned incredibly grim.
Earlier, they had been worrying about whether they might have to face members of that mysterious organization.
But now, they realized that even Bai Feifei herself was so damn hard to kill!
What kind of incomprehensible technique was this?
On the ground, after a round of frenzied screaming, the horrific mutation in the Xu family elder's body slowly ground to a halt.
As if drained of all his strength, his entire body convulsed. He barely managed to survive the power of that single drop of blood, wobbling as he struggled to his feet.
However, his face and body were covered in bulging veins that looked ready to burst at any second, and his eyes were filled with agonizing confusion.
Looking at the bulging veins all over his body, Wan Qianhong couldn't resist. She casually made a grasping motion in the air.
Splurt!
A mist of blood erupted from the Xu family elder's body as several of his veins burst instantly!
This was the perfect example of kicking a man while he was down.
“You!”
He didn't even have the breath to curse. Hastily stabilizing his condition, he activated his Escape Art again and retreated a significant distance.
Xu Linyuan immediately landed beside him, reaching out to support his shoulder, but stopped after a moment of hesitation, maintaining his distance instead.
Then, he asked urgently, “Xu Si! What just happened?!”
Hearing Xu Linyuan's voice, the elder weakly raised his hand, pointing at “Bai Feifei” opposite them as he hissed in agony:
“Be careful... watch out for that woman!”
“Her blood is poisonous!”
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