FRGNM -Chapter 176 Royal Blood Awakening

“Looking like this, you really make me feel like one of those humans who’s had their essence sucked dry,” Ling Ruoxi said casually, scratching her cheek with a smile.

Then there was nothing to do but wait for nightfall.

A gentle breeze carrying a trace of chill blended with the scorching heat in the air.

Beneath the beautiful moonlight, countless figures fluttered about. Dancing butterflies leaped freely through the air, circling the enormous sphere floating above the pond.

A faint green glow spread outward, illuminating the surrounding leaves. Even the small animals in the mountains gathered by the pond, as if anticipating something, all drawn there without prior arrangement.

When Ling Ruoxi saw the scene before her, she was completely stunned. The animals seemed to have lost their own awareness—or rather, their attention was entirely consumed by what was happening, completely unaware of their arrival.

“Luo Mingyu, will Xiao Wu really be here?” Ling Ruoxi frowned slightly as she scanned her surroundings. It was almost midnight. If something was going to happen, shouldn’t it have appeared already?

Thinking of how those butterflies fed on the Dou Qi inside human bodies, goosebumps rose all over her skin. She couldn’t help inhaling sharply. No matter how beautiful this place was, she had no desire to linger.

Suddenly, Yu Chou’s pupils contracted violently, his expression changing drastically. He instinctively walked toward the pond, reaching out into the air as if grasping for something—yet touching nothing.

“It’s here… this place… could this place be…” His expression froze. He didn’t finish his sentence, instead abruptly lifting his head toward the dim sky. “Could it be that the birds returning to their nests—his purpose in coming here was to…”

“What do you mean?” Ling Ruoxi didn’t understand him at all and was about to step forward when Luo Mingyu grabbed her wrist.

Shaking his head, Luo Mingyu made a quieting gesture and said softly, “This is between Yu Chou and Xiao Wu. We shouldn’t interfere too much. Just watch. Whether it succeeds or fails depends on this night.”

“What do you mean?” Ling Ruoxi was completely bewildered. She couldn’t even understand Luo Mingyu’s words anymore and could only frown and stare ahead.

Buzz…

A noisy hum gathered in the air. Yu Chou, who hadn’t gone far, suddenly stopped and slowly lifted his head to look at the sky.

“Heavens… it’s beautiful.” Even Ling Ruoxi was mesmerized by the breathtaking sight.

In the darkness of night, countless points of light drifted about. Only when they drew closer did she realize those lights were lanterns carried in the beaks of birds. Like a flock returning from the north, they circled overhead, flying endlessly.

Before they could finish marveling, all the birds seemed to receive a command at the same time and dove downward, every one of them heading straight for the pond.

“No—don’t!” Ling Ruoxi’s face darkened. She had already witnessed how terrifying that pond was. Anyone who entered it would be frozen solid in an instant!

She had no idea what was frozen inside that massive sphere—it was enormous, occupying nearly one-third of the pond.

All the birds plunged down. Without exception, they were frozen instantly upon contact. The lanterns in their beaks still glowed faintly, but encased in ice, they had already lost all signs of life.

Crack—

It was as if something had awakened. A thin fissure appeared on the surface of the enormous ice sphere, like the cracking of a newborn shell. The sound of ice breaking grew sharper and clearer.

With a tremor at the top of the ice, a human right hand appeared, pressing against the frozen surface. Slowly, another hand followed.

Ling Ruoxi felt her scalp go numb, goosebumps rising all over her body. No way—was something like Sadako about to crawl out of this ice ball? What kind of joke was this? This wasn’t a horror movie!

Then, from within the ice, long black hair slowly emerged. Ling Ruoxi nearly screamed, her hands clenched tightly together.

But in the next instant, a perfect body suddenly revealed itself.

A beautiful man stepped forth, exuding noble grace. His golden eyes radiated lazy indifference. Powerful arms supported the heavens above him, revealing flawless, sculpted muscles—eight defined abs and alluring mermaid lines.

The languid figure looked as though he had just woken up, bearing the appearance of a twenty-year-old. A wicked smile curved at his lips as his gaze fell upon the group before him.

“What a beautiful man…” His presence was no weaker than Luo Mingyu’s—born with the aura of a king. Even his laziness carried aristocratic elegance.

Yet Yu Chou shook his head and smiled bitterly. “He’s evolved. He’s already reached adulthood. Were we… too late?”

“Huh? What are you talking about—adult, evolution—how could we be late? Isn’t it tomorrow—” Ling Ruoxi was speaking animatedly when something suddenly clicked. She nearly bit her tongue and whipped her head around to stare at the figure. “Damn it—he’s Xiao Wu!”

Her mind hadn’t even caught up yet.

He… was Xiao Wu?

The man stepping out of the ice smiled faintly. With a casual wave of his hand, golden robes wrapped around his perfect body. Stepping onto the grass, Xiao Wu clenched his fists.

“Come on. I’m an adult now. I forced myself to grow up. You wanted to kill me, wanted to eat me—so come at me together. I can’t even be bothered to make the first move anymore.”

“Xiao Wu, what are you saying?!” Ling Ruoxi’s face sank as she tried to step forward.

But Yu Chou was already standing before Xiao Wu. His eyes flashed with sharp light. In the blink of an eye, his black figure flickered, and his right fist slammed straight into Xiao Wu’s face.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?! Why did you evolve early? Why did you force yourself to become an adult?! Bastard!”

Another punch landed on Xiao Wu’s cheek. Yu Chou struck wildly, like a madman—but the third punch never fell.

Taking a deep breath, Yu Chou slowly withdrew his hand.

Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Xiao Wu shoved him away. “What, not going to keep hitting me? Everything you owe me, I’ll take back one by one. Yu Chou—are you prepared?”

“Shut up!” The man who had never once lashed out at Xiao Wu finally erupted. Killing intent burst from his body as Yu Chou’s fists clenched loudly. “Do you think this is worthy of your deceased mother?!”

“You have no right to mention my mother!” Xiao Wu’s expression twisted violently. “You’re the one who should shut up, you stinking snake!”

He hated this man—always pretending to be righteous, preaching about justice and the Great Dao. It was him who had killed his mother. Xiao Wu would never forget it. He would never forgive him—never!

“Snake?” Yu Chou let out a cold laugh and suddenly grabbed Xiao Wu by the collar. “Snake? Who are you calling a snake? You can’t even recognize my true form—what kind of Golden Roc King are you? Royal bloodline? That’s bullshit! What right do you have to toy with your own life? Have you forgotten? Your life was exchanged for with the woman I loved most!”

His fist smashed into Xiao Wu’s mouth. Completely out of control, Yu Chou yanked at his own hair. “Wouldn’t it have been enough to just wait properly until adulthood?! Why did you force yourself onto a path of death?!”

“Pah!” Xiao Wu spat out a mouthful of blood, staring coldly at the rambling man. Loved woman? What right did this bastard have to claim he loved his mother? His mother would never have fallen for a stinking snake like him!

Boom!

The next instant, the sky darkened ominously. Heavy storm clouds rolled in, thunder roaring as lightning struck, illuminating the surroundings.

The oppressive pressure grew stronger and stronger. Even Xiao Wu froze, instinctively looking up. When he realized the lightning was locked onto him, his face turned deathly pale.

His lightning tribulation?

Why had no one told him that once he reached adulthood, he would face a lightning tribulation?!

No—impossible. He had just been born. He couldn’t die like this!

“It’s here… it’s finally here.” Yu Chou smiled bitterly, filled with helplessness. At this point, scolding him was meaningless.

In at most one hour, the lightning that had been gathering would strike down in succession. With Xiao Wu’s forcibly matured body, he had nowhere near enough Dou Qi to resist it.

“H-how is this possible…” Even Xiao Wu was terrified now. He instinctively took a step back, trying to seize the chance to escape.

But a warm grip wrapped around his wrist.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ling Ruoxi raised her brows and flicked his forehead hard. “Haven’t you caused enough trouble these days? Where can you run? No matter where you go, the lightning tribulation will chase you. You talk about revenge—but shouldn’t you at least understand the truth first?”

“There’s no time for him to understand the truth anymore,” Yu Chou said softly. “He knows it already—he just refuses to remember. Master, I want to ask you for one thing.”

His voice was low. His already pale face lost its last trace of color as he calmly rolled up his sleeve and looked at her. “Help me… exchange blood with him.”

“Why should I? With your lowly blood, how could I possibly use it to replace my royal—”

Bang!

Ling Ruoxi punched Xiao Wu on the head and sucked in a breath. “Are you really determined to do this, Yu Chou? I think you don’t need to go this far. The lightning tribulation—we all can—”

“No,” Yu Chou interrupted firmly. “The lightning tribulation only recognizes one target. Once it begins, a protection field will form. Anyone inside it will be struck by the tribulation; no one else can approach. Exchange the blood. I’ve already decided.”

The child his beloved woman had protected with her life—now, he would protect him with his own.

Just as she had said, children can lose their way. Only proper guidance can bring them back to the right path. Before, he only thought about imprisoning him, preventing him from ever being born. Now he realized how naive that had been.

“Stop him!” In that instant, it felt as though something tore apart inside her chest. Ling Ruoxi nodded heavily.