Slipping Away
The human players who had initially planned to take a gamble quickly retreated, taking advantage of the fact that the monsters hadn't dispersed yet. The anticipated bloody chaos in the horror world never happened.
Some were horrified, some were envious, and some, like Niu Feichen and Bai Yu, were consumed by greed. Their eyes gleamed with desire as they fixed their gaze on Sun Xiaohui.
Niu Feichen shamelessly begged, "Xiaohui, you saw it with your own eyes—how terrifying that Young Master Yi Bai's strength is! Even with so many monsters working together, they couldn't even touch him. He's clearly no ordinary divine favored one!"
"Behind him, there must be secrets that can make him stronger. For our future happiness, you need to seize this opportunity. Get close to him and pry those secrets from him. Then, we'll never have to struggle for survival again!"
His words were filled with persuasion, yet they carried an undeniable appeal.
Sun Xiaohui nodded expressionlessly, and no one knew what was truly going on in her mind.
...
Back in his room, the blood Yi Bai had ordered was delivered just in time. The quantity was generous, the packaging exquisite. Each bottle contained 500 milliliters of blood, crystal-clear glass bottles holding a total of ten, enough for a demon-level blood clan to replenish their strength, with even some surplus.
"Big brother, are you really going to take part in the Blood Hunt mission?"
The little girl, Xier, appeared, her adorable face full of concern. As the daughter of the Mirror Lady, she knew far more than the average person.
The Blood Hunt mission was a high-risk special task for both humans and demons. Most importantly, once the Blood Hunt started, Xier would be locked inside Yi Bai's body, unable to assist him in any way. Only through the power of the contract could Xier still offer him help.
"I have no choice but to participate. The need to grow stronger is urgent. The state of Yinming City is off, and I must have stronger self-preservation abilities." Yi Bai's voice was firm as he opened the horror game's Store.
Among the items, a bloodstained and worn ticket, like a key to some forbidden passage, gleamed with an eerie light.
"If you really must, Big Brother, please take this," Xier said, her amber eyes filled with deep concern as a small magical mirror appeared in her hand.
The Lost Soul Mirror trembled violently upon its manifestation, as if it disapproved of her action. Fortunately, the Mirror Lady did not personally appear, allowing Yi Bai a small sigh of relief.
"Xier, you're so good!" Yi Bai praised her generously and gave her a pat on the head. The little girl melted into a bundle of soft cuteness, defenseless and adorable.
Just as Yi Bai intended to continue his actions, a buzzing sound interrupted—vroom... vroom...—the mirror shook as if it were an electric motor, vibrating wildly. Clearly, someone on the other side was very displeased with Yi Bai's actions!
Reluctantly, Yi Bai stopped what he was doing. He took the Lost Soul Mirror from Xier's hand and placed it into his beast-head belt.
With the mirror secured, Yi Bai now held a bloodstained ticket in his hand. The Blood Hunt ticket was priced at 300 Ghost Coins in the Store, making it an affordable choice compared to expensive protective talismans.
It was simple: survival items were costly, while those with a high chance of death came at a much lower price.
"No time to waste. I'll start now while there's still a break," Yi Bai muttered as he cleared the blood-filled bottles from the table.
Xier obediently returned to Yi Bai's body. Since she couldn't prevent him from taking risks, she resolved to assist him as much as she could. Fortunately, while the Mirror Lady was enraged with Yi Bai, she still allowed him to use the Lost Soul Mirror.
With a deep breath, Yi Bai prepared to begin.
But just as he was about to speak, a knock sounded at the door.
Frowning, Yi Bai glanced toward the door. "Who is it?"
He immediately thought of Sun Xiaohui and the other female players. He guessed one of them might be standing outside.
A voice, seductive and charming, floated through the door. "A tender and affectionate big sister is here. Little brother, don't you want to talk about life with me?"
The voice carried an innate allure, and just hearing it made Yi Bai imagine a mesmerizing, blurred figure.
"One of the two from the viewing platform?" Yi Bai narrowed his eyes, a dangerous gleam flickering in his gaze.
Snake Sixteen had warned him—those two women were no simple individuals. They were "outsiders," sent to represent a powerful faction seeking an alliance with Yinming City.
As for their purpose… Yi Bai was certain it had something to do with the impending death of the untold and unavoidable escape.
But what did they want with him?
"Talking about life can wait. As for whether I'm a little brother or not, that's not for you to decide. Please leave. I'm not in the mood for visitors."
Unwilling to waste time with unknown individuals, Yi Bai tore open the bloodstained ticket in his hand.
Before him, a black portal appeared without a sound. Without hesitation, he stepped through it.
In an instant, his pendant lost its power, and Xier inside his body became unreachable. The Lost Soul Mirror also stopped vibrating violently.
Yi Bai was cut off from any power that exceeded the demon realm, and even the Mirror Lady couldn't connect with him through the mirror.
"Interesting..." Yi Bai surveyed his surroundings, finding himself in a small, dusty room.
The furniture was covered in grime, except for the desk and chair, which were clean and pristine. There were no traces of demons or humans, but Yi Bai summoned two Wraith Shadows, hiding them in his own shadow.
In a bloody, ruthless game of predators and prey, not a moment could be spared for carelessness.
"This isn't right... Why hasn't the usual tense and thrilling chase started in the Blood Hunt?" Yi Bai pondered.
"Instead, it's eerily quiet. There's not a sound from outside."
"This doesn't align with the information shared by the divine favored ones who have participated in the Blood Hunt before..."
Yi Bai furrowed his brow.
The Peace Palace had made many public details available to increase everyone's survival chances, and the Blood Hunt task was one of them. But now… the Blood Hunt mission he was in seemed different from what others had experienced."