Volume One, Chapter Seventy-Three: The Addict

Mode was intensely curious about what kind of supernatural move Chen Luoluo, who had been gathering her strength for so long, would unleash amid this chaotic and violent tide of aberrant energies.

The golden light on the blade flared once more, thrusting straight at the open jaws of the charging Jackal King. The Jackal King swung a claw at the long knife, intending to shatter this strange weapon whose length seemed to shift unpredictably.

But Mode dispersed the golden light on his own initiative, causing the Jackal King’s powerful blow to strike empty air. Seizing the moment when his opponent’s balance faltered, Mode closed in, twisting his body and smashing the Voidstone scabbard in his right hand hard against the Jackal King's lower jaw.

It must be said, this creature truly deserved its reputation as a formidable mid-stage Outsider. Mode's full-strength strike merely made the Jackal King's giant skull sway for a moment before those bloody jaws opened again, snapping down viciously at Mode's shoulder and neck.

Grinning as he watched the Jackal King’s massive maw descend, Mode raised his Voidstone scabbard to face it and released all of his stockpiled higher-grade rare metals.

The Jackal King abruptly halted its momentum, sensing that these metallic chunks were indigestible to it. If it swallowed them recklessly, it might just fall prey to this cunning little ant’s trick.

With a wave of the scabbard, Mode retracted the metals once more. The action happened so quickly that those observing from afar had no idea what he'd done to drive the Jackal King back. Even Zhang the Butcher, who had just arrived nearby, had his view blocked by the enormous jackal's body and failed to notice Mode wielding any storage device.

Having been toyed with yet again by this insignificant human, the Jackal King was nearly driven mad with rage.

The scarlet in its eyes spread, and its already powerful muscles swelled further, blood-colored patterns coursing across its tawny fur.

But just as the Jackal King was about to lose itself to frenzy and unleash its bloodline power, a single snowflake drifted softly down from the sky and landed on its body.

Instantly, a chill pierced through its burning flesh, slowing the spread of those crimson patterns.

If the cold within a single snowflake could chill the boiling blood of this Jackal King, then might this entire flurry of snow freeze the beast completely to death?

Zhang the Butcher and Mode swiftly retreated, careful not to get caught in this unseasonal October snowfall.

Even from a distance, without direct contact, the piercing cold of this dense snowstorm made everyone shiver involuntarily.

After sneezing, Zhang the Butcher turned to the others beside him. “Brother Qin, what method did this young lady use to unleash such a powerful supernatural ability even under the interference of the lunar tide?”

Glancing at Mu Qing, who had somehow slipped back behind him, Mode explained to Zhang Shun, “The lunar tide disrupts supernatural abilities because the turbulent aberrant energies saturating the world greatly interfere with their use. But Miss Chen simply started at her own position, cooling and slowing these rampaging energies within the area, making the environment as stable as it is inside the village barrier.”

“And with Aunt Wei’s help increasing the local concentration of water elements, that’s how we got this late-autumn snowfall,” Mode added in detail, though he’d only learned these things from Mu Qing.

At last, the water vapor gathered here was spent, and the heavy snowfall ceased. Within the ring drawn by the ice sword, amid the vast white snow, only the woman and the beast stood facing each other from afar.

A thick shell of ice encased the Jackal King, freezing it into a snarling, poised ice sculpture.

Sword in hand, Chen Luoluo advanced step by step toward the frozen beast, the chill around her growing ever more intense.

Across from her, the Jackal King—transformed into a statue of ice—still struggled. Scalding blood surged against the cold that sealed it, and the crimson patterns that had faded now slowly reemerged on its hide.

Deep in its mind, a surge of heat erupted, coursing through every limb and vessel, igniting the Jackal King’s very blood.

The ice shattered and melted, breaking its bonds. With blood-red patterns covering its body, the Jackal King threw back its head and howled again. Its scorching breath seemed to drive back the surrounding chill.

Chen Luoluo was a little surprised; it seemed Qin Qing’s earlier words were true. Something inside this Jackal King had just erupted, helping the creature break free from her ice.

But she wasn’t overly concerned. This heavy snowstorm had never been part of her original plan; it was a serendipitous result of her combined effort with Wei Qiaoyun. All she’d wanted was to create a quiet battlefield, free from the interference of the wild energies, so that she could truly test herself against this fierce sand jackal.

The Jackal King's immense body burned like a raging furnace amid the snow, the heat waves around it melting the drifts at its feet. Billows of heat swept outward, making the beast’s form blur in the haze.

Around Chen Luoluo, a haze of cold mist also began to rise, gradually obscuring her from onlookers. Only Mu Qing, peering through her sunglasses, could still see the young woman's every move.

In stark contrast to the chill enveloping her, a fierce fighting spirit blazed from Chen Luoluo. The curve of her lips could no longer be restrained—she finally let go of her composure, revealing her true self to the monstrous Jackal King.

Well, Mode had mocked her for being an ice sculpture only to become a sand sculpture himself. She wasn’t much better, Mu Qing thought with a smug twist of her lips, as if she’d just won half a round against the other woman.

Chen Luoluo struck first. Her movement was so swift that she left the mist swirling behind her. Woman and sword became a single line, as if to kill her opponent by the shortest route and at the greatest speed.

Suddenly, a crack split open in the Jackal King’s brow, and a tiny blood-red horn emerged. With the appearance of this horn, the beast’s power surged to its peak. It slashed with a blood-tinged claw, meeting the oncoming arc of icy light head-on.

A crisp shattering sound rang out—the ice sword in Chen Luoluo’s hand was smashed to pieces by the Jackal King’s blow. A cloud of freezing mist burst forth, enveloping both woman and beast.

Chen Luoluo’s hand shot out, conjuring a massive gauntlet of solid ice that seized the Jackal King by the throat. Spikes of ice erupted from her palm, piercing its tough hide and drawing fresh wounds.

Her right hand conjured another frost-forged sword, but before she could strike, the ferocious Jackal King had already shattered the icy hand, its bloody jaws snapping down, exhaling waves of searing, fetid blood.

The long sword stabbed at the beast’s open mouth, only to be bitten to pieces once more. The resulting burst of cold fog did nothing to slow the Jackal King’s next attack.

Lowering its head, the blood jackal aimed its tiny blood horn at Chen Luoluo—a razor-thin blood-red beam shot out in an instant.

She spread her fingers, layering ice mirrors between herself and her foe.

But the blood light pierced through the cold mirrors as easily as bullets through paper, melting each one before boring straight through Chen Luoluo’s forehead and into the earth below.

Seeing its attack succeed, the blood jackal was about to let out an excited howl when a chill suddenly crept up its spine. Alarmed, it lashed out with its tail.

The jackal’s red-and-yellow tail whipped through the icy mist like a bolt of lightning, only to be blocked by a massive blade wielded by a slowly emerging figure—

It was Chen Luoluo, revealing herself once more.

Back where the blood beam had struck, an ice effigy began to lose its luster and crumbled away.

The “Frozen Effigy” combined with “Ice Mirror Camouflage”—together, they had perfectly lured out the blood jackal’s hidden trump card.

Her physical strength and mastery of ice surged together. Wielding a colossal blade of frost, she forced the Jackal King's tail back, the sharp edge slicing a long gash into the beast’s hide. Hot blood spurted forth, steam rising where heat and cold met.

Howling in pain, the Jackal King twisted its body to face her once again. Its wild, boiling blood made it fearless and elated, yet now it had become a liability.

Neither muscle nor fur could staunch the torrent of scalding blood pouring from its wound. The Jackal King's eyes narrowed, and the tiny horn on its head flared with light, this time directing the blood energy to its injured back.

The glow sank into the flesh, and the bleeding gradually slowed. Though the wound remained open, the Jackal King was no longer at risk of bleeding out mid-battle.

Chains of ice lashed out once more. Dodging left and right, the blood jackal was still caught off guard and snared by the ankle.

The massive ice blade descended again. The blood jackal’s horn flashed, its right claw bursting with light, swelling to twice its size as it intercepted the blade’s blow. The blood-red patterns on its body deepened, while the rest of its glossy fur seemed to wither and fade, turning ashen as before.

Clearly, every use of the blood horn rapidly drained the Jackal King’s vital energies. If not for that earlier dose of poison that had replenished it, the battle might already be tilting decisively in Chen Luoluo’s favor.

With another furious roar, the blood jackal summoned the jackal beasts attacking the village back to its aid.

The Jackal King had to admit it had been too careless this time. It had sent its pack away to keep the other Outsiders from poaching its precious blood food and threatening its dominance, but now, mired in this desperate struggle, it had no choice but to call for help.

As if dissatisfied with the Jackal King’s divided attention, Chen Luoluo conjured a javelin and hurled it at the beast. The Jackal King, no longer as agile after breaking free of the ice chains, could only burn its blood energy once more, activating the blood horn to block the spear.

Both combatants were mid-stage Outsiders. Chen Luoluo, abandoning her composure and letting the wild curve of her lips soar, reveled in the exhilaration of pummeling the Jackal King.

She no longer held herself back, caring nothing for the eyes of others. Her mind was wholly consumed by the thrill of battle.

Crystalline tears welled at the corners of her eyes, freezing and shattering as they flew. Her twisted smile settled once more.

At that moment, Chen Luoluo wore the gentle smile of the girl next door—neither an act nor a sign of madness.

It was pure, heartfelt joy.

Killing, it seemed, could become an addiction.