C9 The Power of Three Pythons!

"Aooo! Aooo! You devil, release me at once! Father! Mother! Save me!"

Lin Fan couldn't endure it any longer. Not only had he lost two-thirds of his blood, but his strength had drastically diminished. He was no longer able to perform the Fallen Leaf Finger technique. It was even a struggle for him to make a dent a finger's depth into Lin Xi's flesh. Lin Xi's voracious consumption of his blood had terrified him to his core. In his current state, how could he possibly have the courage to continue his struggle with Lin Xi?

At this point, his strength had diminished to less than that of two pythons. Even the Lin Xi of a moment ago, before this ordeal, had nearly reached the power of three pythons. With the balance of power so greatly shifted, Lin Fan had no chance of breaking free from Lin Xi's grasp. He felt as if his calves, tightly held by Lin Xi, were on the verge of snapping.

Despite being a Peak Initial Stage Warrior, Lin Fan was still just a teenager. Regardless of the malice in his heart, faced with a life-threatening crisis, he would inevitably panic and cry out for his parents' help.

Unbeknownst to him, within Lin Xi's mind, on the half-collapsed archway, a brilliant purple light was shimmering on the lower left eave. As Lin Fan's blood was involuntarily drawn into Lin Xi's stomach, it instantly transformed into a torrent of vital essence, absorbed by the eave and condensed into a drop of green dew.

A single mouthful of blood had propelled Lin Xi to the breakthrough of three pythons' power. Setting aside his martial skills and techniques, Lin Xi was now undeniably a Peak Initial Stage Warrior in sheer strength.

When Lin Fan's Falling Leaf Finger struck Lin Xi's head, the purple glow from the eave surged, reinforcing his skull to the toughness of steel. Not even Lin Fan's level of cultivation, nor even a Profound Martial Master, could inflict the slightest damage to Lin Xi's skull or brain.

As for Lin Fan's attempt to pierce Lin Xi's heart, while it could have been a potentially fatal blow, Lin Xi was not about to show any restraint, having just achieved the formidable power of three pythons with merely a mouthful of blood.

Lin Xi greedily gulped down Lin Fan's blood. After consuming ten mouthfuls, astonishingly, another drop of Green Dew coalesced.

The Green Dew infused his body, transforming into a torrent of vitality, healing his internal injuries as it flowed. Even his heart, which had been reduced to a bloody pulp, began to mend itself, much to Lin Fan's disbelief, who had thought further attacks pointless and had shifted his focus to other parts of Lin Xi's body.

By now, Lin Xi had drained two-thirds of Lin Fan's blood.

The purple glow shimmering on the eaves struggled to form a third drop of Green Dew.

Lin Xi realized that even if he were to drain all of Lin Fan's blood, it would not be enough to harness the power of the Four Pythons and advance to the mid-stage Warrior level.

In full view of the onlookers, it would be inappropriate to drain Lin Fan to death. Despite his intense desire to dismember Lin Fan, the setting demanded restraint.

Otherwise, he might indeed be condemned as a demon.

So, as Lin Fan wailed for his parents' rescue, Lin Xi decisively shoved Lin Fan's calf aside.

He had the urge to bite off Lin Fan's calf and devour it.

But human flesh... best to leave that alone.

With a thunderous crash, Lin Xi, riddled with bloody wounds, abruptly rose to his feet. Grasping Lin Fan's ankle, he swung it forcefully, hurling Lin Fan into the air before brutally slamming him onto the martial arts stage.

Lin Fan screamed in agony, his bones shattering under the impact.

Rolling his eyes and convulsing, Lin Fan gazed at Lin Xi in terror, unable to utter a word.

Lin Xi dragged Lin Fan towards the edge of the stage, surveying the silent Lin family disciples with a steely gaze.

His intimidating stare swept over each disciple, their faces ashen with fear.

As they instinctively shied away from his gaze, Lin Xi's bloodied lips twisted into a scornful smirk.

The bloody holes on his face were rapidly closing, soon to be as good as new. Yet, he consciously willed them to remain open, resisting the natural healing process.

He needed to maintain his miserable facade; he couldn't recklessly expose the full extent of his magical abilities.

Particularly now, as his power teetered on the brink between the strength of three pythons and that of four. The Green Dew, still not fully formed, would instantly reach perfection with the introduction of just one more type of novel food.

He was convinced that the moment it did, he would ascend to the middle stage of being a Warrior.

But he had to consciously slow down the pace of his advancement!

If he were to reach the middle stage of a Warrior overnight, the family elders, especially Lin Dong's mother, Lin Qiu, would surely lose their composure. They'd capture and interrogate him, and his fate would be out of his hands.

With this in mind, Lin Xi's gaze wandered to the outskirts of the martial arts field, where Lin Batian and the stunning Lin Qiu, clad in a white dress, stood.

For the first time in fifteen years, he faced his biological father. Waves of sorrow and pain flooded his heart.

He wondered if he still held any significance in Lin Batian's eyes.

After all, Lin Batian was absent when Lin Fan cruelly pierced his heart.

His haste to showcase his uniqueness stemmed not only from a need to vent his frustrations but also from a desire to see if his father, who had ignored him for fifteen years, would continue to do so now that he was on the rise.

He was well aware that shedding his former weak self would attract the machinations of nearly all the Lin family elders and their progeny, particularly the sinister tactics of Lin Qiu from the main branch.

Yet, Lin Xi still chose this path.

He required an almost limitless supply of energy to condense the Green Dew, and Demonic Beast meat was the most accessible food to him.

Thus, upon entering the martial arts field, he publicly requested sustenance from the Lucky Mug.

He was entitled to any of the four meals, without restriction!

Even if it was the flesh of a second-level demonic beast.

Whether Lin Batian's approval was genuine or not, Lin Xi had received the ultimate directive.

This was his most effective means to swiftly enhance his cultivation.

Beside Lin Batian stood the icy figure of Lin Qiu, her gaze as piercing and frigid as the harshest winter gale, fiercely sweeping over Lin Xi.

It was a killing intent so powerful it could not be suppressed.

But what of it?

Having concluded the duel and secured fifty-three fasting pills, Lin Xi could consume them on his journey. Surely, they would suffice to perfect the Green Dew drop.

The strength of the four pythons was now within his grasp.

Lin Xi bared his teeth in a silent laugh directed at Lin Qiu, a blatant challenge.

A fierce desire to kill blazed within Lin Qiu's heart.

"Monster!" he hissed through clenched teeth.

Lin Batian's eyes narrowed, his thoughts inscrutable.

Lin Xi, shifting his focus, hoisted Lin Fan once more and slammed him down onto the martial arts platform.

"Are you going to concede, you cur?" he taunted.

At this point, Lin Fan was on the verge of passing out. The dizziness from severe blood loss, combined with utter terror, left him with an overwhelming urge to urinate.

He opened his mouth, his voice quivering as he shrieked, "I concede..."

Lin Xi burst into triumphant laughter, his chest swelling with pride.

"So, you're admitting you're the offspring of a bitch?" he jeered.

"I..." Lin Fan began, intending to deny it. But the thought of Lin Xi's ferocity and the likelihood of further bone-shattering blows made him reconsider.

With a dismissive snort, Lin Xi tossed Lin Fan onto the stage, signaling the end of the confrontation.

To continue would be futile; not only would the elders intervene, but Lin Fan's father, Lin Batian's cousin, would surely seek vengeance.

Lin Fan's father, Lin Yutian, was a late-stage Warrior with the power of seven pythons, a force Lin Xi was not yet ready to confront.

"Damn, the blood of this lackey is truly revolting..." Lin Xi muttered, squatting on the platform and retching.

He hoped this display would distract from the fact that he was using Lin Fan's blood to enhance his own abilities.

They would likely rationalize that after enduring countless humiliations from Lin Fan over the years, Lin Xi's consumption of his blood in a fit of rage was understandable.

At that moment, every member of the Lin family, from the disciples to the servants, watched Lin Xi with a mix of fear and complexity in their eyes.

None had anticipated that Lin Xi could defeat Lin Fan, who was at the peak of the early Warrior stage, leaving him without a single unmarred patch of flesh.

Despite the severity of his injuries, with hardly a patch of unscathed flesh on his body, Lin Xi had been nothing more than a complete failure just yesterday. Now, Lin Huan, fueled by rage, charged onto the martial arts stage, intent on attacking Lin Xi.

"You worthless trash! How dare you drink Lin Fan's blood? I suspect you're possessed by a demon. You must be taken in for questioning!" he bellowed.

Just then, a figure whooshed onto the stage, intercepting Lin Huan's ferocious "Azure Dragon Fist."

"Lin Bei, what are you doing?" Lin Huan demanded.

With a muscular build, Lin Bei stood firmly in front of Lin Huan and snorted with contempt. "What does it look like I'm doing? You're breaking the rules by meddling in the bet between Lin Xi and Lin Fan. I'm here as a witness. What do you think my intentions are?"

Lin Huan's face turned a deep shade of purple with frustration.

"Lin Bei, this trash is demon-possessed. Are you really going to defend a monster who could drink human blood at any moment?" Lin Huan accused.

Waving his hand dismissively, Lin Bei retorted impatiently, "If I had been humiliated and beaten for over a decade like him, I'd want to drink their blood too. Don't believe me? Try bullying me and see if I don't threaten to eat your flesh and drink your blood!"

Lin Huan was left speechless, his heart a tumultuous mix of anger and unease. Lin Bei's words hit home; he and his cronies had been at the forefront of the Lin family's abuse towards Lin Xi. Such deep-seated hatred was etched into their very bones, beyond any hope of reconciliation.

Meanwhile, Lin Xi was spewing blood all over the ground, purging the stagnant, damaged blood from his body after being critically wounded by Lin Fan. His vomiting served a dual purpose: to rid himself of the toxic blood and to create an illusion for onlookers. 'See, he's even throwing up the blood he drank from Lin Fan. Would a demon willingly expel what it consumes?'

Grinning through a face marred with bloody wounds, Lin Xi taunted Lin Huan, "So I'm a demon? Fine... I'd relish the taste of your blood even more. Come on, try to kill me!"

Lin Huan's fury was unbridled, yet with Lin Bei standing in his way, he realized he was powerless to act. Lin Huan, a prodigy on the cusp of becoming a late-stage Warrior, possessed strength that even surpassed Lin Huan's own.

Lin Huan let out an angry snort and swiftly exited the stage.

Lin Bei handed a storage bag to Lin Xi, who had just stood up.

"You have to promise me that you'll catch up to me one day and challenge me. Consider this your compensation for having me as your witness!"