Chapter 638 - 645: Acquiring Another Blood Lotus

She hovered in mid-air, surrounded by countless Blood Lotuses.

It was a surreal, dreamlike scene.

If he could ignore the terrifying power of the Blood Evil, the Flower Clan Leader would have given Song Wanning a round of applause.

He cursed under his breath as he dodged and weaved, doing his best to minimize the damage he took.

Song Wanning gazed at the innumerable Blood Lotuses and slowly closed her eyes.

She had to follow the Bodhi Tree Spirit’s instructions and draw out the source of the Blood Evil.

’The appearance of this Blood Evil is most likely just a coincidence.’

So, she closed her eyes and released her Divine Sense, beginning a meticulous search.

Thanks to the Twin Blood Lotus, her Divine Soul was suffused with a similar aura, so the Blood Evil wouldn’t harm her at all.

Her Divine Sense passed through the countless streams of Blood Evil, extending deeper and deeper.

An invisible passage seemed to open before her, and the scene in Song Wanning’s mind’s eye began to change.

All traces of crimson vanished, leaving only an endless black.

She couldn’t see the path ahead, but she couldn’t retreat. She stubbornly flew forward.

Time trickled by. Like a lost little animal, Song Wanning searched continuously for an exit.

But for some reason, a faint premonition bloomed in her heart.

’Soon. It’ll be soon.’

Driven by this feeling, she persevered through the long darkness. Finally, inside a small black void, she saw a single, trembling Red Blood Lotus.

The aura of that Blood Lotus was related to the Twin Blood Lotus she had obtained, yet it was different.

From it, Song Wanning could feel a powerful, destructive aura, just like the Blood Evil—full of aggression.

Just looking at it from a distance was enough to make one feel suffocated.

Song Wanning wasn’t in a hurry. She moved her Divine Sense closer to the Blood Lotus, little by little.

She approached it with a friendly attitude, hoping to have a nice chat and perhaps understand its thoughts.

But as she drew near, the Blood Lotus began to tremble violently, looking absolutely terrified.

From it, Song Wanning felt an incredibly familiar sensation.

’Isn’t this just like the Bodhi Tree Spirit?’

She had a good idea of what was happening. She softened her aura as much as possible, then released the dharma manifestation of her Twin Blood Lotus.

Faintly, a dazzlingly brilliant Twin Blood Lotus bloomed within her Divine Sense.

The Red Blood Lotus froze for a moment, then its shock turned to joyous surprise.

But after the surprise, it seemed to recall something and curled up again, looking utterly pitiful.

If she didn’t know it was the source, Song Wanning would have found it hard to connect the Blood Lotus before her with the Blood Evil.

"Blood Lotus, I won’t hurt you. I might even have some of your family with me..."

She coaxed it gently, the aura of the Twin Blood Lotus emanating from her growing stronger.

The trembling Blood Lotus finally began to waver.

Sensing the familiar aura, it quietly peeked out, tentatively trying to approach Song Wanning.

Song Wanning could even sense a feeling of grievance from it...

She kept smiling, and after a moment’s thought, she began to hum a soft tune.

The melody was gentle, yet it carried an endless sense of acceptance and warmth.

Under the dual assault of the song and the familiar aura, the Red Blood Lotus finally drew closer to Song Wanning, bit by bit.

At last, it stopped in front of her, seeming to make one final test.

Song Wanning opened her arms. "I’ll protect you. Come here."

It was just a single promise, but suddenly, she heard the sound of loud wailing.

"WAAAH—"

The Red Blood Lotus seemed to have found an outlet for its emotions and began to cry its heart out.

Sobbing, it threw itself into Song Wanning’s embrace, burrowing into her arms as if seeking a sense of security.

"I was so scared, SOB SOB SOB—"

"SOB SOB SOB—"

"Scared—"

The Red Blood Lotus kept repeating these words, its pitiful, frightened cries nearly breaking Song Wanning’s heart.

She was a bit overwhelmed by the little one’s emotional onslaught and immediately held it close, trying her best to soothe it.

"Don’t cry. I’ll protect you from now on, you don’t have to be afraid!"

"You have lots of big brothers and sisters, too! They’re all super powerful and will definitely love you!!!"

Sometimes, even Song Wanning felt that she had gathered all sorts of Spiritual Objects around her.

Others would find it difficult to encounter even a single nascent Spiritual Treasure, yet she was collecting them one after another.

She gave a wry smile and continued to comfort the Red Blood Lotus.

She could feel that the Red Blood Lotus was truly terrified.

From the moment its consciousness was born, it had been stuck here, with no light and no companions.

All by itself.

That was why, when an outsider entered, it created the Blood Evil to protect itself.

Therefore, the Blood Evil had nothing to do with a curse; the Flower Clan Leader had simply connected the two.

After finally managing to stop its crying, the Red Blood Lotus looked cautiously at Song Wanning.

It sensed the aura of its kin within Song Wanning, but it couldn’t detect the presence of the Blood Lotus’s spirit.

"Don’t worry, I won’t lie to you."

Song Wanning gently stroked the Red Blood Lotus again, then extended her hand and cradled it in her palm.

"Let me take you away from this place, alright?"

’It shouldn’t stay here forever.’

"Okay."

The Red Blood Lotus clung tightly to the soft flesh of Song Wanning’s palm, incredibly docile.

The more Song Wanning looked at it, the more she liked it. She carried the Blood Lotus and started back through the passage.

It was the same endless darkness, but the Red Blood Lotus’s emotions had stabilized considerably. Perhaps having someone with it made it less afraid.

Watching it, Song Wanning’s heart ached a little.

’This Blood Lotus has been in the dark for over ten thousand years. It’s truly pitiful.’

’I’ll have to get the other little ones to take it out to play more in the future. Bit by bit, we can make up for its past.’

The return journey always feels shorter. A quarter of an hour later, Song Wanning withdrew from the passage. Her Divine Soul returned to her body, and a Red Blood Lotus now rested on her shoulder.

She took a closer look and saw that the Flower Clan Leader had lost all composure. He was screaming curses while dashing left and right, looking utterly wretched.

His clothes were in tatters, but he couldn’t leave. After all, Song Wanning was still here, and he couldn’t just abandon her.

But compared to the completely unscathed Song Wanning, he had suffered terrible luck. His body was covered in large holes where the corrosion had eaten through.

The large trees in the area had also suffered, riddled with corrosive holes until they looked completely ravaged.

The moment he saw the Red Blood Lotus, the Flower Clan Leader’s cursing grew even more ferocious.

He was absolutely certain that this thing was the true culprit behind the Blood Evil!!

"Put them away!"

Song Wanning’s voice sounded like a melody from heaven ringing in his ears.

Following her words, the immensely powerful Blood Evil actually receded like a tide.

It happened so fast, it felt like a dream.

"Cough, cough—"

The Flower Clan Leader stopped, panting for breath, and strode right up to Song Wanning.

"That’s the thing that created the Blood Evil?!"

His tone was urgent.

Song Wanning frowned, immediately pulling the Blood Lotus behind her protectively.