Chapter 19: Poisoned Paths and Fractured Peace

The air in the camp was still, the sun dipping beyond the horizon as Jin placed Sarah gently on a bed of spare blankets beneath the makeshift canopy.

Her body was flushed red, sweat clinging to her skin, eyes glazed in fever. The soft panting from her lips, and the occasional whimper, left no doubt — the aphrodisiac was coursing violently through her veins.

Arielle had already diagnosed it.

  "Grade 3 spiritual aphrodisiac… mixed with soul-binding herbs. She's resisting with her spirit energy, but she won't hold out much longer."

Lana turned away, troubled. She couldn't stand to see another girl broken like this.

Jin clenched his fists.

It wasn't fair.

She was one of the few people from his past life here who had shown kindness. Sarah had once healed him when he was just a dismissed, bloodline-less prince — and now her own comrades had betrayed her in the cruelest way.

Arielle stood by his side. Her voice was steady.

  "Jin… you have the constitution. You've done it before. If you don't… the poison will take her mind."

His chest tightened.

  "Will she… agree?"

Sarah, in her haze, shifted — her trembling hand finding Jin's. Her eyes opened for just a moment.

  "P…please," she whispered, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. "I don't want… to die like this."

Her lips quivered. "You're the only one I trust… Jin."

His breath caught. The moment hung between them, fragile and suffocating.

He looked to Arielle.

She nodded, silently, her eyes calm. Lana walked away, leaving them their privacy, though her back stiffened with emotion.

Jin turned back to Sarah, brushing a strand of hair from her burning cheek.

  "I'll help you," he said softly. "But only if you truly want it."

She nodded once, weakly.

And so, beneath the darkening sky, surrounded by the chirps of crickets and the glow of moonlight, Jin let his qi flow in sync with hers. Their bodies intertwined, not out of desire — but survival. She clung to him like a lifeline, breaths growing ragged, her body tensing, then slowly relaxing.

The poison burned… and then faded.

She clutched his chest tightly, her voice barely audible.

  "I'm… free."

 "ahhh ahhh..ahhh..ahhh" she was moaning endlessly. and after Jin released the medicine, guilty and helpless. Sarah was exhausted And then, sleep took her.

Elsewhere – A Storm Brews

Far away, deep in the Iron Sky Sect, five spirit tablets cracked at once. They glowed faintly—each one belonging to the cultivators Jin had slain during Sarah's rescue.

Then, the memory projections triggered.

A blazing image of a young man with dark eyes, bloodstained robes, and silver streaks of lightning clinging to his arms appeared in the sky above the inner sect altar.

An elder's hand trembled.

  "That's no ordinary brat…"

Another slammed the ground.

  "Find him. Track him. This boy has killed Iron Sky blood."

Across several noble factions, the image was seen. Already, couriers and bounty tokens began circulating.

Back at the Camp – A Boy Without a System

Jin sat alone outside the tent, his eyes heavy, his heart even heavier.

The system was still silent. He missed its calm, emotionless guidance — the monotone voice that gave him clarity in chaos.

  "If the system were active… would it have even allowed this?" he whispered to himself.

He looked at his hands.

Blood on them. Qi pulsing through them. And now… two women who had entrusted their bodies and hearts to him. One through fate. One through desperation.

He exhaled, rising slowly. His body felt stronger than before. The rogue cultivators he'd slain had their essence sucked unconsciously into his demonic bloodline.

System (Dormant) – Passive Auto Logging…

[Demonic Bloodline Awakened: 5% → 8%]

[Blood Qi Absorbed: +460]

[New Technique Gained: Blood Devour Sutra]

A passive technique that allows the user to instinctively absorb residual qi from slain foes within a short radius. Increases recovery rate and resistance during battle. Passive absorption during emotional or brutal combat may raise affinity over time.

[Tyrant Body – Progress 100% → Tier Upgrade Achieved: Silver Form Unlocked]

Muscle density, pain tolerance, and resistance to elemental attacks increased by 50%.

Combat Stage Raised to Blood Refining Stage 2

The Morning After – Awkward Stillness

When Jin awoke, the camp was quiet. Sarah still slept, peacefully this time. His robes were wrinkled, but his spirit was strangely calm.

He stepped out of the tent, only to meet two gazes.

Lana — who offered him a faint smile, eyes holding motherly warmth.

And Arielle — who was watching Sarah's tent silently, her face unreadable.

They didn't speak for a while.

Then Arielle said softly,

  "You're not the boy I met in Moon Lotus City."

  "I know," Jin answered, his voice steady. "I'm becoming something else."

Arielle walked toward him and gently brushed dirt off his shoulder.

  "I just hope… you won't lose yourself."

Lana stepped between them with a clap.

  "Well, now that you're awake, how about helping me make breakfast?"

The awkwardness broke.

Meanwhile – In the Capital…

Molana stood by a dark mirror, seething.

The assassin had failed.

The plan with Han had failed.

And now… that cursed prince was nowhere to be found.

  "Do we still not know his location?" she growled.

A man behind her bowed low.

  "We've deployed three spy hawks and two seers. They're… being blocked by a formation."

She hissed through her teeth. "Damn that bitch Lana…"

Molana turned to her most trusted — her father, Duke Ravos.

  "It's time. The king is ill, dying. We'll strike during the next council."

Ravos bowed. "Long live Queen Molana."

Later that night, she vented her frustration — not on court strategy — but on the man named Rodgers, whose only skill, as she moaned in heat and fury, was not losing to her in bed.