The Monster Flower's Desperate Plea
The Abyssal Reverse Blood Great Law: Poison Human Realm. If I sum up the principle of this great law simply, it's this: "Reverse the blood flow starting from the heart to gain immense power." It sounds like nothing special at first glance, but in reality, it's insanely powerful. I could probably fill a whole chapter explaining it in detail, but that might shatter the delicate balance keeping the 300 Survivors Alliance intact, so I'll keep it simple with just a few key points.
First, reversing the blood flow. It sounds casual, but the very idea of blood flowing backward is absurd. The human body is like an incredibly precise computer. Even without conscious thought, the heart and blood vessels automatically regulate blood flow with the perfect strength and rhythm every moment. The instant you reverse that, every blood vessel and the heart itself would burst. Of course, some smartass might say, "Then what about sword qi shooting from hands strong enough to slice steel? That makes sense?" Yeah, at that point, I got nothing. Still, borrowing from Pill Seller's insight, it feels like this: "Reversing blood flow is akin to a ritualistic incantation."
Fundamentally, the Reverse Blood Great Law was created to save all lives. Its very purpose sets it apart from other martial arts rooted in killing others to survive alone. In that sense, it's true life-saving swordsmanship. The flow of medicinal qi from the heart always seeks harmony with the universe and all things, carrying the energy to cure any ailment in any being. Reversing it? That creates a vicious cycle of death applicable to all life forms. That's the second reason the Reverse Blood Great Law is so extraordinary.
"Not every poison has to work on everyone." Take avocados—they're poison to dogs, cats, birds, horses, cows, you name it. But to humans, they're just high-calorie food. Salt's the same. Essential for pork soup or blood sausage dipping sauce, but dogs and cats drop dead from heart failure if they eat it. Meanwhile, those same pets gobble raw meat full of parasites that humans can't touch. Poison is that mysterious—lethal to one creature, medicine to another. Hell, somewhere in the universe, there might be aliens who treat nuclear radiation like candy. But the Reverse Blood Great Law produces a substance that's poison to any living thing, equally. Even mutants. If it's alive, it'll meet its end from this great law's ultimate venom.
"Physical enhancements are just a side benefit along the way." From the moment I activated the great law until now, every drop of blood produced in my body was ultra-toxic. The Monster Flower, rooted across this entire city, absorbed it all without exception. Its massive size let it hold out this long, somehow. But even that has reached its limit.
-[Kuuuuaaaaaack!!!]
The Monster Flower spewed another waterfall of blood-like fluid and toppled to the ground. Unable to endure any longer, it laid its enormous body flat on the earth. It screamed in desperation.
-[...Deal... Deal... let's...!!]
"Oh ho. Now that's got some sincerity."
Yeah, this was it. The reason its trade offer felt so damn shady earlier. There was no real desperation in its demands back then. Shaking hands would've led straight to hellish slave-contract exploitation. But now, its proposal brimmed with urgency to give me anything I wanted.
-[...I'll give... three... tenths of my true body...!]
Three-tenths? Thiiiird?
"Are you insane? Hey, buddy. You grasp the situation? Once I lop off your head, it's all mine anyway. What's this three-tenths bullshit?"
In a spot where it'd be grateful just to keep its pants, it's talking thirds.
-[...Half...!]
"Okay, boss is nuts. Time for the bloodbath sale."
I slashed my wrist with the half-broken Kugri. Flesh split wide, and the now-ultra-toxic blood dripped onto the soil where its roots dug in. Seeing that, the Monster Flower freaked out and yelled.
-[...Seeds...! Seeds... I'll give you...!]
"...Seeds?"
What the hell? I paused for a second, and it took that as a good sign, hurriedly adding.
-[...You feel it... too... don't you...!]
-[...That body... has limits... to evolution...!]
-[...But with... the seeds... you can... surpass... your species' limits...!]
So desperate, its choppy speech raced on. But it hit a wall soon enough.
-[...So... take my hand... and... Kuuaack!]
"Aigoo, what to do. Time's up~"
The Monster Flower vomited blood with unprecedented force. Lucky the ground was cracking open, or the whole area would've flooded. "Even a divine immortal might not save it now... but our Pill Seller won't be dropping by anyway."
-[...You bastard... from the start...]
"Never planned to shake hands? Obviously."
I once thought it resembled a dragon when I first saw it. But I quickly corrected that. Even as a silhouette, I've seen the real "dragon" in the gallery. Compared to that, this thing's barely a worm. "Cockroach at best?" Anyway, the only reason I listened to its ramblings was one.
"I got no other immediate way to claim your share besides this, so I just heard you out. Now shut up and die already."
Ultimately, beheading it wouldn't work with a knife—it's Pill Seller's poison doing the job. Even if it mustered its last strength for a slash, nothing would change. So I just waited for timeout natural death.
-[...So... unjust...]
In the end, like a fake dragon that never became real, it met its demise with a resentful last breath. Aw, reborn as a true dragon next life, kid.
Ku-kung. Kung—
As it died, massive rumbles echoed everywhere. Looks like the ground it was holding up collapsed now that its power was gone. Classic pattern, so I yanked out Hope, still planted in the earth, to bail.
But, "Huh? What's this?"
Pulled Hope clutched something tightly. Wondered what, but with the area collapsing in real-time, no time to check. Decided to look later and GTFO'd fast.
Epilogue. Not much to tell, really. Once I confirmed the Monster Flower's death, I bolted straight back to base without looking back. Why? "Kuuh... Hope... I'm dying..." Wooong... Wooong...
The rightful backlash from stabbing my own dantian to use the Reverse Blood Great Law hit full force. Truth is, bluffing in front of the Monster Flower was a life-risking gamble. A bit more time, and I'd be the one in the grave. Pill Seller saw my state and said:
For reference, surviving this time was thanks to the Zaha Divine Pills I packed just in case. I nearly passed out a full day each making them, but with nowhere to use 'em, they sat boxed in the corner. Right after releasing the Reverse Blood Great Law, the backlash hit—vomiting blood from all orifices, collapsing. But I barely managed to swallow the crushed pills from my pocket and clawed back from death's door.
After that? Nothing special. Hopped on the snowmobile, dragged my ass back to the shelter, dove straight into Yoji. No medical knowledge here—what other recovery option? Pure prayer meta, but in a world with a Martial God, prayers pack a punch. Two days later, I'm recovered enough to whine about the pain.
Plus, all that near-death struggle paid off unexpectedly. "Huh? What's this?"
Today, finishing my Yoji soak and starting qi gathering meditation, absorption speed felt off. By feel, about 20% faster? Qi intake accelerated that much. But total meditation time stretched longer. Means one thing.
"My dantian... expanded?"
The capacity to store absorbed inner energy grew. DM'd Pill Seller right away.
"!!!"
I know this!! Classic wuxia trope!! Super saiyan after dying and reviving. I'm finally experiencing it...!!! Turns out there's a real way to get stronger!!
But then Pill Seller dropped something intriguing.
Doubt hit me, so I fired up the gallery right there. And, "...Fuck, what is this?"
I beheld the abyss on the spot.