Lord of Prayer - Chapter 241 175: An Out-and-Out Fighting Ability

A surging explosion of fire blasted away the darkness, tearing a gruesome scar across the jet-black curtain of the barrier. It bloomed in the air like a pale firework, illuminating the manor as bright as day.

The sea of fire roiled, burning with a blinding intensity.

The scorching flames instantly engulfed the swarm of bats in the air. Most were obliterated by the explosive shockwave, leaving no trace behind. The bats lucky enough to survive, or those left half-dead, were set ablaze. They shrieked and fled in the ultimate agony of their souls burning. Soon, the Cyan Flame incinerated their spiritual will, and their bodies lost all momentum. One by one, they plummeted from the sky, transforming into a downpour of fiery rain.

Illuminated by the blaze, Zhou Chen clearly saw the scene in the rear garden.

Li Xiye was like a mad demon, her body wreathed in cyan arcs of electricity. She displayed strength and speed far beyond that of a normal human, locked in a deadly struggle with a swarm of dozens of red-eyed bats. Every punch easily smashed a bat into a pulp. She roared like a crazed beast, brutally destroying everything in her path.

Dozens of bat swarms swirled chaotically around her. Seeing this, Zhou Chen instantly realized this was the scene the unfortunate Abyssal Cultist, who died from excessive inspiration, had witnessed before his death. The tangled mess of lines on the prophetic drawing, like a child’s scribble, was in fact a swarm of chaotically flying Blood Race bats.

The bats flapped their wings, the sound layering and converging into a noise a hundred times worse than nails on a chalkboard. It was a unique form of spiritual pollution, designed to make someone already on the brink of insanity completely snap the last thread of their reason.

‘They want to corrupt Li Xiye…’ Realizing the Blood Race’s scheme, the Silver Sword in Zhou Chen’s right hand began to transform, shifting into a sharp javelin, which he hurled with all his might.

The silver javelin, wreathed in Fiery Fire, was as fast as lightning. It shot straight into the nearest swarm of bats. The Blood Race member who had split into these small bats obviously sensed it, but had no time to react.

BOOM!!

With a massive explosion, the Essence contained within the javelin detonated violently. Dirt flew into the air. Not a single red-eyed bat caught in the blast wave survived; they were swiftly reduced to ash in the flames, scattering with the stirred-up dust.

Zhou Chen pulled another Silver Sword from the ground. A wave of pale fire rose from his feet, engulfing him completely just before the fearless Blood Race Warriors could pounce.

The next second, his figure vanished from within the burning flames. The Blood Race Warriors looked on, bewildered. Then, they saw the pale fire before them suddenly expand… BOOM!

The roar of the explosion echoed as flesh and blood flew everywhere. Several Blood Race Warriors were blown to pieces. Those still conscious lay on the ground, screaming in agony. Others gritted their teeth and tried to jam their severed arms and legs back onto their stumps, hoping to reattach the limbs with their powerful regenerative abilities.

But after a few seconds, their shrill screams ceased as they died. They were burned into mindless, empty shells by the incredibly bizarre Soul-Burning Fire, and finally reduced to charcoal by the rampaging flames.

The flames flickered, and Zhou Chen appeared beside a long bench. He knelt down, held his palm out toward Xia Lan—whose face was as pale as paper and whose heart was about to stop—and wished inwardly, ‘I wish for her to be healed of her injuries and restored to health.’

For Zhou Chen, as long as there was still a breath left, they could be saved!

A brilliant and beautiful Wish Star Seed floated out and merged into Xia Lan’s body, transforming into a vigorous life force that spread throughout her. The shocking wound on her neck healed rapidly, her heart began to beat with renewed strength, and new blood was generated. Her deathly pale face, a result of massive blood loss, regained its rosy complexion at a visible rate.

“Save… Xiye…” Xia Lan’s throat was still full of thick blood, making her voice extremely muffled. She could only look at Zhou Chen with pleading eyes.

Zhou Chen nodded, then stood and looked at the Blood Race member whose form had solidified under the burning Cyan Flame. “The aura of darkness on you is very strong. If I’m not mistaken, you’re the Blood Race Saint Child leading this operation?”

The handsome Blood Race member narrowed his eyes slightly. The injuries Li Xiye had previously inflicted on his body were completely healed, but the baptism of fire just now had damaged him spiritually. A bizarre Spiritual Fire had even burned its way into his Spiritual World, though fortunately, he had managed to extinguish it in time.

“I am Pansi Francis, from the ‘Ring of Authority’ clan, one of the seven great families of the Blood Race. I am the current ‘Power Ring Saint Child.'” His figure flickered as he dodged Li Xiye’s attacks, introducing himself with effortless grace.

The Blood Race had propagated for many years, growing to an enormous scale. They were internally divided into seven great families. There were reclusive families that never showed themselves, dovish families that cooperated with humans, and naturally, hawkish families that were hostile to humans. The ‘Ring of Authority’ clan was a thoroughly hawkish Blood Race family. They constantly schemed to rise above humanity and become the rulers of the World.

‘It seems they’re the clan chasing after the Eternal Life Machine.’

“So it’s the ‘Ring of Authority’ clan—”

Suddenly, Zhou Chen’s words trailed off as his figure blurred. He shot forward using Gale Step and, just as he was about to reach the Blood Race Saint Child Pansi, immediately activated Flame Jump to teleport behind him.

Pansi had just witnessed his teleportation ability and was prepared. Orbs of blood burst around his body—corrosive blood, more terrifying than strong acid. The instant it splattered on the ground, flowers, and trees, it ate away pits and holes. Green smoke rose as the once-vibrant plants lost all their life, turning a grayish-white before withering away.

Seeing his sneak attack had failed, Zhou Chen activated Flame Jump again, appearing beside the mindless Li Xiye. He grabbed the back of her collar, yanking her backward out of the range of the corrosive blood, while simultaneously making a wish in his mind:

‘I wish for Li Xiye to regain her sanity.’

Li Xiye felt a cooling sensation in her mind. The rage and brutality deep in her heart were swiftly suppressed. Clarity returned to her eyes, and her reason was fully restored.

“Go take care of the person over there. Don’t get too far away from me,” Zhou Chen instructed, tossing her behind him.

Li Xiye steadied herself, turned her head, and froze. She saw Xia Lan leaning against the long bench, coughing up blood. The fatal wound on her neck was gone. Instead of the aura of death and weakness of someone who had just returned from death’s door, she had a healthy, rosy complexion.

‘Alchemy…?’ Li Xiye’s mind raced, and she quickly arrived at the answer. Her vision instantly blurred, and she felt an urge to cry—the heartfelt relief that comes from recovering something precious that was lost.

But she knew this wasn’t the time. The Blood Race was invading the Li Family and had already surrounded the rear garden. A group of savage-looking Blood Race members were eyeing them covetously as they closed in.

Li Xiye looked at her fists. After regaining her sanity, the cyan arcs of electricity flashing around her body had vanished. Now, she didn’t even know how to activate this gift of hers.

She recalled Zhou Chen’s previous lesson to He Qingsong: follow the impulse in your heart and release your Extraordinary Abilities.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed her mind. ‘Follow the impulse…’

CRACKLE—

The cyan arcs of electricity leaped to life again, winding around her body in thin strands.

In that moment, Li Xiye felt a connection and understood the ability she had awakened.

It wasn’t the “Beast Taming” or “Plant Type” she had longed for, nor was it “Thunder Type.”

These cyan arcs of electricity were, in fact, a manifestation of her Willpower.

“The stronger my will to fight, the greater the power I can unleash…” Li Xiye murmured to herself.

‘This is really… a pure brawling ability!’

She looked at the approaching Blood Race members with a cold gaze. The cyan arcs crackled and flashed around her, growing in number. An invisible aura was brewing and rising, manifesting as a tangible airflow that spread outward.

‘In all her years of fighting, she’d never lost when it came to sheer presence!’

“What fighting spirit.”

Pansi’s tone was filled with regret. It would have been wonderful if such a genius could have joined the Blood Race. He had originally planned to personally convert Li Xiye just as she was about to fall into corruption, as that would yield the best results. But he never expected an Ascender to show up out of nowhere.

This also surprised him greatly. To think the Li Family was hiding such an expert.

Zhou Chen thrust his Silver Sword. A cold light flashed. Pansi twisted his head to evade it. The blade then swung downward, but Pansi took a step to the right, his body grazing past the sword’s edge as he dodged.

As someone who held the position of Blood Race Saint Child, Pansi’s strength was undeniable. He was among the strongest of Tier Two, his figure as elusive as a phantom. Whether it was a close-range attack or a large-scale destructive Skill, he could always dodge it perfectly.

He had yet to use any Skills or Extraordinary Artifacts. It was obvious he was stalling for time.

After all, their only goal was the Eternal Life Project. The Li Manor was probably already flowing with rivers of blood.

“Let me tell you something,” Zhou Chen said, his hands never ceasing their deadly attacks, yet still having the breath to speak. He clearly wasn’t using his full strength, merely probing. “I’ve seen the documents for the Eternal Life Project. It’s a complete sham. Charles and the others were wrong from the very beginning.”

Pansi’s eyes narrowed slightly, followed by a cold laugh. “Even if it is a sham, it’s still worth us pursuing with our lives, like moths to a flame.

You have no idea what eternal life means to us, the Blood Race.”

“Not even the gods can claim eternal life, let alone a bunch of winged sewer rats like you,” Zhou Chen sneered.

As if a taboo had been struck, a hint of fury appeared on Pansi’s face. “You’re the second person I’ve met who dares to compare our noble Blood Race to filthy sewer rats.”

“Oh? Let me guess, are you going to say that the first person who said that was brutally killed by you, and now you’re going to kill me in the same way? Please, that trope is so old. Don’t even bother.”

Zhou Chen slashed down with his sword. Raging flames appeared on the sharp blade. Then, the blade whined, letting out a metallic tremor.

A short, blood-red dagger appeared in Pansi’s hand. It met the Silver Sword head-on, sending bright sparks flying.

His eyes turned sinister. “The last person who dared to say that, I had him skinned, his bones pulled out, and thrown into a rat’s nest. In less than half an hour, he was entirely in the rats’ stomachs.

I guarantee your death will be even more miserable than his.”