Chapter 126: The Purple Raven

Song Nan had been knocking about Mist Spirit City for over thirty years. He had suffered at the hands of many, but he had always managed to get even, never fearing anyone.

Nowadays, even Gold-tier adventurers in Mist Spirit City had to give him a measure of respect. They knew him to be vengeful and treacherous—though his own strength was mediocre, he was full of insidious, backstabbing tricks.

However, this time he had not only suffered at the hands of a young boy, but his only two subordinates had also been killed. Being a man who always sought retribution, he was naturally unwilling to let it go.

"You two brats, I’ll slaughter every single one of those ugly puppets in this canyon first, and then let's see how you manage to obtain life seeds! So what if your Blood-thirsty Seed is powerful? Once I return to the city and buy a blood-decay potion, you’ll be nothing but a piece of trash!"

Whenever Song Nan recalled the scene of Bai instantly killing his two subordinates, his hands would tremble slightly. He did indeed fear Bai, but he knew the best way to eliminate that fear was to confront its source directly. Only by killing that Blood-thirsty Seed with his own hands could he truly be rid of his terror.

Before that, however, he planned to collect some interest by clearing out the four strongholds of those ugly puppets.

There were only four such strongholds in Mist Valley, and Song Nan had already wiped out two, not even leaving a single corpse behind for those two kids to find.

Just as he was on his way to the third stronghold, two dark figures suddenly swept over his head and appeared before him in the blink of an eye.

They were a man and a woman. The man was exceptionally tall, standing at least two point two or two point three meters, while the woman was of average height.

Both were dressed strangely, wearing black trench coats and black hats.

"Who are you?" Song Nan looked at them, full of vigilance. These two had appeared without any warning, and he couldn't sense their strength at all.

"You're headed in the same direction as us; you might as well come along," the woman said, extending her tongue to lick her blood-red lips.

"Did that brat send you?" Song Nan assumed they were people Lin Huang had hired to deal with him.

"What brat?" The tall, burly man frowned.

"No need to waste breath on him, just grab him." As soon as the woman finished speaking, she tapped the ground with her toes and actually took flight.

Song Nan was stunned, but when the woman turned around, revealing the pattern on the back of her trench coat, the color drained from his face instantly.

The black trench coat billowed in the wind, and on the back, there was a white circle containing the image of a purple crow perched on a branch.

Only then did Song Nan recognize them: they were members of the Purple Crow.

Anyone who was a hunter or adventurer had heard of the Purple Crow, as it was one of the top organizations in the dark world.

There was a saying on the internet that described this group: "When the Purple Crow cries, blood stains the world for ten thousand miles."

The Purple Crow was an elite organization in the dark world. Its official members were few in number, but each one was an Extraordinary-tier powerhouse, possessing the terrifying strength to wreak havoc in any safe zone.

If Song Nan was just a petty thug from a small place, then the Purple Crow was akin to a supercharged version of the mafia, with every official member being a world-class professional killer.

In front of the burly man, Song Nan was snatched up like a chick, completely unable to offer any resistance.

The two carried Song Nan through the air, heading toward the center of Mist Valley. They did not slow down until they reached a clear, limpid lake.

"Are you sure it's here?" The burly man threw Song Nan onto the ground and turned to look at the woman.

"Of course. Do you think I wouldn't know something I set up myself?" The woman rolled her eyes at him. "Move aside."

The burly man kicked Song Nan further away before stepping back a few paces.

Song Nan’s entire body was sealed; he could not move a muscle and was at their mercy. He dared to be angry but did not dare to speak against the burly man’s treatment of him.

The red-lipped woman stood beside the lake, slowly crouched down, and pressed a palm against the surface of the water.

A moment later, the entire lake began to churn as if it were boiling.

The woman withdrew her hand and stepped back, watching the changes in the lake in silence.

The originally clear water, under the boiling effect, slowly began to turn red. As time passed, it grew increasingly crimson, until it finally transformed into a lake of blood.

Watching the transformation, Song Nan felt his anxiety deepening.

"How is it?" the burly man asked, walking over to the red-lipped woman.

"This lake of Yellow Springs water has been brewing for twelve years. Judging by the color, it should be ready," the woman nodded. She turned to look at Song Nan behind her. "Since we brought a test subject, why don't we just throw him in and see?"

Song Nan heard every word of their conversation, but he was completely immobilized and could only watch as the burly man grabbed him once again.

"Release the seal before you throw him in, otherwise we won't see the experimental results," the woman reminded him.

In the next instant, the seal on Song Nan was lifted. He desperately shouted at them, "Don't throw me in! I can help you find other test subjects; I know there are two other brats in this canyon..."

Just looking at the churning blood-red lake made his skin crawl; he knew nothing good would come of being thrown in.

"I only need one test subject," the woman said, her eyes indifferent, as if looking at a dead man. "Throw him in!"

The burly man did not hesitate and tossed Song Nan into the lake.

The two stood by the lake, quietly observing Song Nan's changes.

The Gold-tier weapon on Song Nan’s finger automatically transformed into a streak of golden light and merged into his body.

This sight made the eyes of the two people on the shore light up.

But under the churning of the lake water, Song Nan’s body soon began to undergo bizarre changes.

His skin began to slowly turn a greenish-blue, his already gaunt frame became hunched, and his hands and feet began to elongate...

After about three minutes, the changes to his body finally ceased, and the churning blood-red waves automatically carried him to the shore.

Both of the Extraordinary-tier powerhouses looked at the transformed Song Nan with delight.

"He actually fused with his weapon and turned into a mutated Blade Slave?!" The burly man found it incredible.

"This is indeed a new discovery. After we go back this time, we should find some test subjects to perform weapon fusion tests," the woman said, her face full of excitement.

"Should we take this one back?" the burly man asked.

"No need. Let him fend for himself; we happen to need some field testing. We'll come back in a year to see if he's still alive, and while we're at it, we can collect information on his survival habits in the wild." The woman shook her head, then added, "For now, the effect of this Yellow Springs water is about what I expected. We can put it away."

The burly man nodded. He took out a palm-sized box and tossed it into the void.

The box hovered in the center of the lake, mouth facing downward, and the churning blood-red water seemed to be swallowed by a whale as it poured into the box.

In just a minute or two, the entire lake was drained dry by the palm-sized red box, not a single drop remaining.

The box automatically returned to the burly man's hand. He closed the lid and stored the box in one of his storage rings.

"Since everything is done, can we go now?" The burly man looked at the red-lipped woman.

"Wait a moment. I just found an interesting little fellow..." The red-lipped woman’s lips curled upward as she gazed into the distance.