Chapter Fourteen: The Sacrifice (Part Two)

In a fit of rage, Xu Kang hurled the Despair's Agony spell at He Jin over a dozen times, not stopping until his own mind grew hazy and he realized he was exhausting his mental strength too rapidly. He quickly ceased. By then, He Jin had already fainted from the pain, clearly lacking the willpower to withstand such torment.

This round of casting revealed to Xu Kang a new characteristic of Despair's Agony—stacking effects. Though the spell’s duration was only fifteen seconds, repeated casting could extend its influence, and if cast multiple times within that window, the agony would compound. Xu Kang wasn’t eager to test the limits of this stacking, but seeing He Jin’s face twisted in pain even while unconscious, he understood well the potency of this skill.

Under other circumstances, mastering a new facet of a skill would have brought him joy. Yet, gazing at the blood-stained ground and the young women soaked in crimson, he felt only guilt and urgency.

“I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me. No—I cannot let them die like this. I must save them. Yes… with Healing and Disease Purge!”

Xu Kang recalled that Healing and Disease Purge was a merged skill combining the priest’s healing and disease removal, capable of curing wounds and sickness. He had wanted to practice it at home, but lacking a subject, he’d set it aside. He never imagined he’d be forced to practice under such dire circumstances, leaving him with a complicated mix of emotions.

But he knew this was no time for hesitation. His priority was to preserve as many lives as possible.

“Let this work… No—it will work!”

With that resolve, Xu Kang focused and cast the spell on the nearest young woman.

“Healing and Disease Purge!”

A pale golden glow enveloped her, scattering light across her body. Under its power, her bleeding wounds ceased instantly, and her formerly pallid complexion regained some color.

Xu Kang hardly paused to observe; seeing the blood flow stop, he immediately moved to the next target, unleashing the healing spell again.

“Healing and Disease Purge… Healing and Disease Purge… Healing and Disease Purge…”

With each casting, his mental strength drained further, but seeing the dancers and maids strewn across the ground, he could not stop.

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Moreover, the worst part was that, perhaps due to its potency, Healing and Disease Purge consumed far more mental energy than Create Food and Water or Despair's Agony. Every three or four healed individuals required him to drink an entire bag of magical water to restore himself.

To avoid delaying the rescue, he continued to cast spells frantically while retrieving and gulping magical water from his spatial backpack.

By the time he had healed every wounded soul in the courtyard, he had downed well over a dozen bags of magical water, leaving him bloated and hiccupping.

“Hic… hic… damn it, I might burst… hic… all because of that dog He Jin, I won’t let him off, hic…”

He Jin had regained consciousness by then. Hearing Xu Kang’s muttering, he trembled in fear.

“I’ve already fed him enough, but he still won’t spare me? This demon is not only vicious but also capricious. If things go on like this, I’ll surely die at his hands!”

Terrified, he flipped himself upright to kneel again, then knocked his head on the ground several times.

“Divine Immortal, forgive me! I truly didn’t know the extent of your appetite, and I feared these blood sacrifices would escape and neglect you, so I killed them all. But I know my mistake now. From now on, I’ll kill only ten people daily to offer you—how about that?”

Xu Kang: “o(￣皿￣///)”

Kill your sister! If you keep this up, I’ll chop you to pieces first!

Xu Kang was tempted to grab He Jin’s fallen sword and cleave the villain who treated human life as nothing.

Of course, it was just a thought. As a newcomer who had just crossed from a harmonious society to the Eastern Han, Xu Kang had gained some resolve, but actually taking up the sword to kill was beyond him.

Even if he gritted his teeth and killed He Jin, it would be meaningless. The imperial court would simply appoint another Grand General, the era would not change, and those girls he had just saved would likely still perish.

So Xu Kang dismissed the notion, and, still hiccupping, pinched his nose and addressed He Jin.

“Hic… I only need one meal every three years, so no need to kill anymore. Besides, these girls have given blood and life for me—they have both merit and hardship. You must never trouble, beat, or abuse them again, or I’ll end you. Understood?”

“Huh?”

In He Jin’s mind, the maids and dancers were already dead. Hearing Xu Kang’s words, he was stunned.

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But when he glanced around, seeing several girls, still covered in blood yet somehow standing as if unharmed, his confusion turned to shock and disbelief.

“This… how is this possible? It can’t be!”

His shift from question to exclamation revealed the storm in his heart.

Shaken, he snatched up his sword from the ground and gripped it tightly, as if only that could grant him a sense of security.

Seeing this, Xu Kang sneered with cold disdain and spoke again.

“Enough. No need to fear. I saved these people. I don’t want them to die, so they won’t die. But just as I won’t let them die, no one else can, either. Do you understand?”

“Uh…”

He Jin was baffled for several seconds, then nodded as if suddenly enlightened.

“Ah, I understand… it’s like the food I enjoy—if I don’t finish it this time, I’ll save it for next time. These women are your preferred delicacy, Divine Immortal—I get it!”

Xu Kang: “…”

Delicacy, my foot! You understand nothing!

Hearing He Jin’s words, Xu Kang wanted to slap him, but before he could act, He Jin spoke again.

“Divine Immortal, since you favor these blood sacrifices, how about this: tomorrow morning I’ll send them to the Daoist temple outside the city, so you can enjoy them whenever you wish. What do you think?”

Xu Kang: “(´･ω･`)”

Well… that might actually work?

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