Chapter 237: Chapter 236: Forbidden Emissary

"No, nothing." Chen Xuan coughed, shifting his gaze, "Sounds plausible, but unfortunately, you can’t fool me. Aren’t the people from the Angel Alliance frequently cutting flesh from Lucy? If one could never come out once inside, how did this flesh spread all over the world?"

The so-called mind ring and flawless crystal are inseparably linked to Mother Lucy, a secret he’s already aware of from the future.

Liuli raised her head slightly surprised, brushed aside the white gauze in front of her, revealing a half-eye below. As she scrutinized Chen Xuan, he also saw her purple eyes—they were definitely not human pupils, more like a complex system: in the center was a gem with changing prisms, surrounded by countless star rays, their paths forming an extremely intricate flower.

This inevitably reminded him of Earth and satellites. If one were at a space station doing timelapse photography of Earth and all its orbiting satellites, this would be the view.

"I didn’t expect you to know quite a bit." Liuli chuckled, "But I wasn’t trying to scare you. There are conditions to approach Lucy. Even the angels most favored by it don’t dare enter when the stability level is at 9. Among you, there’s an angel, but it only meets half the conditions."

"Mother Lucy... loves angels?" Elorie questioned.

"Didn’t I say, all humans originated from it, and angels are the luckier ones among them. Your power-carrying bloodline is precisely a gift from the Mother."

"...Nonsense." She muttered softly, her expression clearly skeptical.

Chen Xuan heard a different nuance.

When he traded with Elorie, he discovered she indeed possessed something known as "Blood of Affinity," described as forbidden. Because there was no better choice then, he swapped for this ability, treating it like collecting stamps in the forbidden series. After obtaining it, he installed it himself as a trial, but nothing happened—it was as if it didn’t exist. Subsequently, he tossed the ability into storage and hasn’t touched it since.

Could it be that angels are deeply cherished by the Mother because of this "Blood of Affinity" ability?

If he arranged "Decomposition and Re-Fusion," "Seed of Flesh and Blood," "Curse: Flesh and Blood Hunger," and "Blood of Affinity," all together, maxing out the forbidden degree, would he not become a VIP of the other party?

Compared to angels, he was the spokesperson for the forbidden party!

"How does the stability level increase?" Lin Qing couldn’t help but ask.

"Feed it." Liuli answered succinctly.

"How to feed?"

She laughed, "What do you think?"

Lin Qing turned to Chen Xuan, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes. She clearly guessed the meaning of the word "feed."

Whether it was the Tower of Flesh and Blood in Chang’an City or the flesh monsters Chen Xuan encountered, they were all doing the same thing, that is fusion, constantly turning other creatures into parts of themselves.

Dead ones wouldn’t do, they’re needed alive.

Considering the fame and image of the Angel Alliance, this intelligence was somewhat deeply startling.

Only Elorie hadn’t reacted yet, "How to feed after all? Does it eat rice or meat?"

"They know it’s troublesome to do this, so the last time they fed the Mother was fifteen years ago." Liuli shrugged, "The longer the interval, the harder it is to satisfy Lucy’s hunger. Now, to restore the stability level to above 80, it’s afraid it needs to consume at least a hundred people in one go. There are less than ten people in the Holy Temple Treasure Vault, even counting all of you, it’s still far from enough. To rush in now would be certain death."

Elorie was stunned, finally understanding the meaning of feeding, her face turned pale.

"How... is that possible?"

She wasn’t afraid but couldn’t believe her organization would do such a thing!

"What to do?" Lin Qing was unsure.

"Open the door first." Chen Xuan was calm, "Let’s talk after opening the door."

If Mother Lucy was truly effective, it wouldn’t let the demons along with the treasure vault blow it up. Moreover, he believed that the so-called mother’s flesh was not the same existence as the one granting the flesh-and-blood curse. Though there might be a connection between the two, the status difference was obvious: if it were the real "Him," it wouldn’t allow itself to be confined in this small warehouse, satisfied by being fed a few people.

"Before the great fusion is realized, ’He’ allows you to remain graceful."

This phrase seemed tolerant and could also be seen as a recognition.

If the Blood of Affinity could make the other party perceive, then all his forbidden abilities should have a similar effect.

"You guys are really... reckless." Watching Lin Qing start to chisel the door again, Liuli’s tone carried some disappointment. She slightly turned her body, resting her right hand on the hilt of her sword.

Seriously... didn’t she say breaking into the treasure vault was not her concern?

Chen Xuan simultaneously entered the slow-motion state of the Divine Eye Technique, preparing to summon the Thousand Thoughts Sword to intercept the opponent.

Suddenly, a fierce explosion sounded from outside the treasure vault!

The hall shook like never before! 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Amidst such violent tremors, the three couldn’t help but crouch to maintain balance, with only Liuli standing like a nail, unaffected by the shaking floor.

She withdrew her hand from the hilt, sighed, and looked towards the north side of Vault One, which was also the direction of the Holy Temple Treasure Vault’s main entrance.

"What’s going on? An avalanche?" Elorie panicked.

An avalanche in such a place would sound much like an earthquake.

Before she finished speaking, another two loud booms echoed, shaking down a significant amount of dust from the ceiling!

"No, the sound resembles an explosion." Lin Qing judged, "The explosion originates externally from the building; someone is launching an attack here!"

"Can you see what’s going on outside?" Chen Xuan shouted.

"I should be able to, I’ll pull up the surveillance footage." Lin Qing could hack into the surveillance system, naturally capable of operating them. She hadn’t done so earlier to avoid suspicion, but the situation had evidently changed. She cycled through the cameras and swiftly found the point monitoring outside the treasure vault.

The scene shocked her.

"It’s an armed helicopter!"

A heavily armed helicopter was hovering above the clearing, pointing at the disguised old wooden house. The house had been completely blown apart, the solid ice around it shattered into ice chips, and deep within the house lay a collapsed steel door, its panels showing marks of being gnawed by metal streams.

Undoubtedly, no door, however sturdy, could withstand the repeated assaults by armor-piercing rounds.

But the question is, how did this contraption appear in the Himalayas?

Chen Xuan suddenly had a bad premonition.

"Could it be that the demons have arrived?"

"More helicopters are coming!" Lin Qing alerted.

This time, it was the Black Hawk-like utility helicopters, each approaching the flat ground, opening cabin doors, and throwing down cables. Subsequently, one after another masked soldier in black combat uniforms descended along the ropes, rushing into the burning wood house amidst the swirling dust, targeting the Holy Temple Treasure Vault.

These individuals were not only well-equipped but also highly trained, taking the main entrances of the vault immediately. As Lin Qing switched to an interior camera, she found them already engaged with the guards. The latter, being ordinary people, were dizzy from the abrupt explosion earlier, unable to make effective resistance. After a few stun bombs, the invaders quickly subdued them. Even if some guards surrendered injured, the invaders showed no intention of leaving anyone alive, finishing each with a shot to the head.

At this moment, the four heard the intense gunfire.

Chen Xuan activated the Celestial Mist Skill, allowing his consciousness to spread out, soon detecting over thirty light spots inside the Holy Temple Treasure Vault, at least five of which had diffuse spiritual qi, resembling traits of Demon Fiends.

His suspicions were confirmed: the attackers were indeed demons! However, their method of operation wasn’t as he imagined; instead of breaching with abilities, they organized a fully armed assault team.

"Someone is invading the vault!" Chen Xuan told Liuli.

"I know." She nodded.

"You won’t deal with them? The guards of the Angel Alliance are being slaughtered!"

If they could send her to deal with the demons, it would naturally be an ideal outcome. While they fought tooth and nail, they could focus on dismantling Vault Nine’s door.

But Liuli remained unmoved.

"I mentioned it, my duty is to guard the treasures, ensuring they aren’t lost or damaged. Haven’t they invaded yet?" She spoke casually, "Furthermore... I can’t leave this place."