CHAPTER 916: BLOOD PARASITE

Phoenix Blood Crystal? Dragon Blood Stone? Even one of those was already a rare treasure that might not appear even once in a thousand years. As for the Sun Essence Stone and Six Yin True Water—those were Demigod Rank treasures. Most experts only ever heard of them as myths recorded in ancient texts; no one could even say for sure if they truly existed in the mortal world.

To ask for all four at once was no different than ordering them to search for four needles hidden somewhere in four different worlds. It was an impossible task.

Yet at this moment, neither Max nor Kevin had any right to refuse. Their lives were hanging by a thread, clutched in the invisible grasp of whatever terrifying will resided in the Nether Stone.

Kevin was the first to respond, his voice slightly shaking, "Don’t worry, senior. We... we will definitely find the four materials you asked for. But... before that... could you please release us first?"

Max didn’t ask and talked with Blob. "Blob... how is it? Have you figured out what he is?"

Blob’s voice came back, shaken and heavy, "No... I can’t even sense his true form. It’s like he doesn’t exist at all in this world. His presence is... unreal, like something outside the natural order."

Max’s heart sank, and he almost hissed aloud, "How is that possible?"

Blob’s tone was helpless, "That’s the truth, Max. For now, we can’t fight him. He hasn’t killed you or taken your soul, so the only option you have... is to do as he says. At least for now, you’ll live."

Max exhaled slowly, his face dark as he lifted his head to the Nether Stone, forcing his voice to remain calm, "Senior, don’t worry. The two of us will do everything we can to find those four materials. But... you must know how rare these treasures are. Phoenix Blood Crystal alone appears once in a millennium, and Six Yin True Water is something most consider a myth. I... I can’t guarantee we will succeed."

Kevin, still clutching his own chest where the parasite had settled, nodded as well, his face pale, "Senior, we will try our utmost, but what if—"

The voice from the Nether Stone interrupted them, hoarse and commanding, "Little fellows, you need not tell me what I already know. Because of that, I give you ten years. Ten years to bring me what I need. After ten years, come back to this valley and present the four materials to me."

For a moment, both Max and Kevin felt a wave of relief wash over them. At least they were being given time. At least they could live.

But before that thought could even settle, the voice changed, becoming colder, darker, its tone like an icy knife sliding across their spines, "In order to ensure you remain... motivated, I will plant blood parasites in your bodies."

Max and Kevin’s eyes went wide with shock, "Blood parasites?!"

Before they could even react, the Nether Stone pulsed with a crimson light, and from its surface, two small, blood-colored worms crawled out. They were tiny, no larger than grains of rice, yet their aura was chilling and filled with hunger.

"No, wait—!" Max shouted, but it was too late.

The two worms shot forward with unnatural speed, latching onto their arms and biting straight through their skin.

"Ahhhh!" Both Max and Kevin screamed as their bodies convulsed. The worms slithered under their flesh like living threads of fire, racing through their veins toward their hearts. Pain unlike anything they had felt before erupted inside them.

Their vision blurred, cold sweat poured down their backs, and their faces turned pale, bloodless, as though their vitality had been drained in an instant.

Inside their chests, they felt it—two tiny wriggling presences that clung tightly to their hearts, like shackles that couldn’t be broken.

The voice from the Nether Stone returned, now sharper, with a sinister edge that felt almost gleeful, "These blood parasites answer only to me. If you return within ten years and bring me the materials I seek, I will remove them. But if you fail, or if you attempt to betray me... they will awaken and devour your hearts whole, tearing you apart from within."

The sound of its laughter was low and ancient, echoing unnaturally through the dark cave, "Remember this well... you have only ten years."

Max and Kevin stood frozen, breathing heavily, their hands instinctively clutching their chests where the parasites had settled. For the first time since entering the secret domain, they felt a true and unavoidable sense of death looming over them.

"I didn’t expect blood parasites to still exist in this world. Max, this isn’t the spirit of the Nether Stone—it’s something far older, an ancient soul that somehow became trapped within it." Blob’s voice rang in Max’s mind.

Max’s heart tightened when he heard that. His eyes flickered with anxiety, and he asked hurriedly, "Blob, is there any way to remove this blood poison? There has to be a way, right?"

Blob responded with an uncharacteristically heavy tone, "Of course I know a few methods, but listen carefully—blood parasites are not ordinary toxins. They are refined life-bonds that directly attach to the heart and soul of the host. Normally, only the person who refined them can undo them. That’s how dangerous they are."

Max felt his breath hitch as Blob paused before adding, "But nothing in this world is absolute. Once we leave this secret domain, I will teach you some methods that might work. Don’t get your hopes too high, but we’ll find a way."

At the same time, Kevin was having his own furious exchange with Old Devil Dave. His face was pale, but his spiritual voice was boiling with anger. "How could this happen? Are you saying he’s the only one who can remove these things?"

Old Devil Dave sighed in Kevin’s mind, his tone uncharacteristically helpless, "That’s right, Kevin boy. I’m sorry... I didn’t expect this either. Otherwise, I never would have led you here."

Kevin’s chest rose and fell as he clenched his fists. "What’s the point of saying that now?" he snapped aloud, his tone edged with suppressed rage. Then, forcing himself to calm down, he looked at the Nether Stone and said carefully, "Senior, this secret domain only remains open for about another month. When it closes, how are we supposed to return with the materials you’re asking for?"

Max, standing beside him, also nodded, his tone similarly restrained. "Senior, that’s indeed an important matter. Even if we find the materials, how do we deliver them here after the secret domain closes?"