Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 34 - 33: Emergency Rescue

The people were bathed in blood.

They spread their arms wide, welcoming this blood rain. They cheered, wailed, prayed, and sang, even though their tattered clothes were stained red with Dragon Blood, they did not stop. While it seemed like some kind of evil ritual, Chen Xuan felt a strange sense of sanctity.

They were all calling out the name of Liu Shuyue.

Under this rain, Chen Xuan also felt his body slightly heat up.

"They have gained the qualification to cultivate."

He turned around, and Liu Shuyue had somehow come to stand behind him.

"They’re not afraid."

"I told them that only the blood of the Dragon Demon could truly establish the disaster survivors in this desolate mountain wilderness. This blood... along with the intact dragon corpse, is my gift to them."

"So what’s next? Are you going to teach the disaster survivors spells?" Chen Xuan asked, "They’re not disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect, passing techniques might cause trouble, right?"

"Ability transactions don’t count as teaching. After all, I haven’t revealed a word of secret techniques," Liu Shuyue denied, "This is also the last thing I want to ask of you. Among my remaining abilities, you can freely pick one as a reward, and the rest... I’ll give to the most talented among them."

Chen Xuan was greatly surprised, "You want to trade abilities to the disaster survivors?"

"I—cough cough cough!" A fit of violent coughing interrupted her words. Liu Shuyue covered her mouth tightly, and blood sprayed from between her fingers.

She swayed twice, about to fall.

Chen Xuan quickly stepped forward, reaching out to support her.

Those eyes that always shone brightly were now dim and lifeless.

He suddenly realized something.

"Slaying a Dragon Demon isn’t that simple," Liu Shuyue wiped away the blood at the corner of her mouth and said with a soft smile, "The Demon-Slaying True Sword is a spell specifically against demons, burning a part of life in exchange for power. To accomplish this, I needed to go to this extent to be certain of victory. Didn’t I tell you? This ability is strong but not easy to use..."

As she spoke, she vomited another mouthful of blood.

"How much of your life force have you exhausted?"

"Almost all of it. I have about half a two-hour period left, so listen carefully..."

"Don’t rush to make last arrangements, you’re a VIP customer of the store!"

"What, do you also care about the life and death of your customers?" Liu Shuyue smiled, trying to appear spirited, "I know my situation best. As long as I still have my three souls, quickly bring out that transaction Magical Treasure."

She was not deceiving herself.

She was dying... unless he took action.

Chen Xuan took out a scanning gun and pointed it at her forehead, "Not necessarily, you’re not dying yet."

Liu Shuyue was slightly taken aback.

He had already endowed her the selected ability, "Black Magic."

"What is this?"

"You’ll know when you receive it." Chen Xuan continued, "By the way, dragon’s lifespan should be long, right?"

"Of course... at least a few hundred years..."

"That settles it. If you could avoid dying, would you still choose to perish together with it?"

Liu Shuyue immediately understood the meaning behind his words.

"Of course... I wouldn’t."

The deal was made.

She traded her green-grade ability of "Eight Trigram Palm" for "Black Magic."

Chen Xuan was not concerned about what ability she took for the exchange at the moment, as her life force was still depleting—time was the most crucial factor. "Black Magic requires setting up a ritual altar for sacrifice. You’ll understand at a glance. The key item is the dragon’s heart. It was just killed not long ago, and its heart is still vibrant. You just need to carve it out and place it at the center of the altar."

This was the life-extending method he thought of!

Even if the life gained through this method was significantly reduced, it was not a big problem in the face of the Dragon Demon’s lengthy lifespan.

"This isn’t a... proper ability, is it?" Liu Shuyue now comprehended the essence of Black Magic, "No, I can’t accept such a curse. If the price is becoming a half-human, half-demon monster, I’d rather die as a human..."

"Set up the ritual first; I assure you that you will not be cursed," Chen Xuan interrupted her.

She looked at him silently.

Can I trust a merchant?

"Immortal Master Lord, just as you said, we can feel the qi now!"

"Are you... are you alright?"

"Who is this person?"

At this time, the refugees gradually gathered around. Seeing Liu Shuyue’s weakened appearance, they stared at Chen Xuan with additional vigilance and hostility.

Didn’t my invitation for him to witness this final scene mean that I already trusted him?

"Do not... be disrespectful to the gentleman." Liu Shuyue raised her hand to stop the suspicions of the crowd, "He’s here to help us. Listen, I now have something for everyone to do."

What she directed was the materials for building the altar.

Chen Xuan knew she had agreed, so he got up and headed towards the small house not far away, "Hold on a bit, I’ll be right back."

To avoid the interruption of the connection between the two worlds, he intentionally did not close the door.

Returning to the shop through the back door, he opened the store manager and scrolled to the transaction log, where there were only three names, Liu Shuyue, Gildre, and Joan.

He remembered the Level 2 shop manager could conduct a follow-up visit with customers, and there were two ways of follow-up: accommodation or making the store door easier for old customers to find.

He right-clicked on Joan, and sure enough, there was an "invite revisit" option in the expanded menu.

After clicking it, seemingly nothing happened.

There was not even a successful invitation notice within the software.

Chen Xuan knew this kind of revisit invitation was non-coercive, and the guest could choose to ignore it or never set foot in the Ability Store for life. However, he had no other option but to open the door and continue business as usual while awaiting a response.

Within five minutes, two very familiar figures walked in from outside the door.

"Envoy, was it you calling me?"

Chen Xuan looked up and saw the suburban scenery outside had changed to sparse villages. The speaker was Joan, and who else could be standing beside her but Gildre?

However, the two appeared vastly different than when they last parted ways.

Joan now looked about thirty years old, dressed much like a shepherdess from the countryside, while Commander Gildre’s hair had several white strands.

She was indeed following her proposal, leaving her command role and retiring to the countryside.

"These days I’ve been dreaming of the soft light from the store window, so I wandered around the village. Never expected to truly see the familiar store door."

"Indeed, I want to make a deal with you."

"What ability do you want, just say it directly."

Chen Xuan picked up the scanning gun, "I want the ’Blessed Holy Maiden.’"

...

...

When Chen Xuan returned to Wanshan Wilderness through room 201 again, there was already a small stone altar on the mountaintop, surrounded by torches, with the Dragon Demon’s heart laid in the center. Even after leaving its body, it still trembled slightly, as if unwilling to have been slain by the sword.

Liu Shuyue’s complexion had grown paler. She sat cross-legged at the altar, her body swaying, as if she could collapse at any moment. Her face finally revealed a slight smile when Chen Xuan appeared.

"If you can’t fulfill your promise... then it will go according to what I said."

"Don’t worry, this store never makes false advertisements," Chen Xuan replied with confidence. "Once more deal an ability."

He intended to trade the Holy Maiden ability to Liu Shuyue.

According to the description of this ability, it only takes effect on females, though there is a downside of being easily injured by flames. But crucially, it grants immunity to all curses, keeping the bearer away from darkness!

The moment Liu Shuyue saw the "Blessed Holy Maiden," her nearly closing eyes were filled with a renewed glimmer. Not someone eager for death, she had given her all to slay the dragon just to prove herself worthy. If she could continue living, she surely had no reason to give up.

Following the sacrificial Dharma Method, Liu Shuyue stabbed a dagger into the dragon’s heart and unleashed Black Magic.

In an instant, the world changed color! Suddenly, piercing winds blew around, the sound fierce and shrill, like the howling wails of the Demon Dragon!

But in the next moment, a brilliant light emanated from Liu Shuyue’s body, sweeping the eerie wind entirely away!

Not only that, but even the crimson bloodstains on the surrounding grass faded away, and the hilltop once again became lush and green.

"The Immortal Master Lord has manifested!"

The refugees knelt down, worshipping Liu Shuyue devoutly.

However, Chen Xuan noticed the "crack" created by the sword in the sky was slowly closing, with clouds frantically converging, forming a magnificent waterfall of clouds along the edge of the rift.