This sudden turn caught Lyn completely off guard.

He’d been holding the jar, ready to reseal the Crimson-gold blood. At such close range, he couldn’t dodge. By the time he reacted, the molten glow had already sunk into his body.

Agony exploded without warning!

Lyn didn’t even finish his curse. His heart clenched violently. He curled up and collapsed to the ground.

Fire.

That Crimson-gold blood burned like wildfire inside him. It surged through his veins, setting his own blood boiling as if molten lava coursed through his body.

As if he’d been plunged into a volcano, his very being dissolving.

The searing heat scorched even his thoughts, his soul. Yet Lyn forced his suddenly ignited bloodline to awaken a power.

Bloodrage Technique!

He didn’t know why this happened. But retreat was impossible now.

He had to devour and refine that Ancient Blood to ascend—or be torn apart from within by its power.

After all his painstaking efforts to reach this moment, how could he simply give up?

The feral instinct buried in the boy’s bones flared. Even as every nerve burned, his thin vampire bloodline rallied. It gathered fiercely, forming a core to devour the golden blood flooding his body.

As the Ancient Blood invaded him, Lyn’s body began transforming. Ancient, strange patterns surfaced on his skin. But his flesh couldn’t withstand such violent change. Jagged wounds split open across his frame.

“Master…!”

Xing Luo lunged the instant Lyn fell. She knelt beside him, gently cradling his head on her lap.

But Lyn had lost all awareness of the outside world. His entire being was locked in a life-or-death struggle against the Ancient Blood.

Xing Luo’s delicate face flickered with panic—then her golden eyes turned icy. She seemed to see past Lyn’s flesh, to the rampaging Ancient Blood within. Fury ignited in her gaze.

Sharp claws, like a dragon’s talons, sprang from her pale fingertips. Without hesitation, she slashed her other wrist. A thin thread of scalding golden dragon blood flowed into Lyn’s mouth.

“Cough… cough…”

Lyn choked unconsciously. Most of the blood spilled out.

Xing Luo didn’t flinch. She lowered her face and pressed her soft lips firmly to his.

Inside Lyn’s body, his vampire bloodline raged helplessly against the Ancient Blood. After swallowing only a fraction, his soul felt ready to shatter. The Ancient Blood’s power was too wild, too immense. At this rate, his body would burst long before he could digest even a drop.

Trapped, Lyn’s only hope was to use system items to prolong his life—to buy time to force his bloodline to adapt.

Just as despair tightened its grip, a soothing energy washed over him like cool rain. It mended the tissues torn by the Ancient Blood.

His vampire bloodline sensed the source. Golden dragon blood surged toward it, willingly devoured. The weakened bloodline surged with frenzied strength, nourished by the dragon’s power. It charged to devour the scattered Ancient Blood.

Relief didn’t touch Lyn. Realization brought only dread. Once his bloodline stabilized against the Ancient Blood, he seized control of his body.

“Xing Luo!”

Lyn opened his eyes to her pale face.

Golden blood stained the corner of her mouth. Seeing him awake, she offered a weak, heart-wrenching smile.

“Master…”

She tried to speak—but her body swayed. She began to topple sideways.

Lyn caught her just in time, pulling her into his arms.

He spotted the gash on her wrist. His own chest tore open with guilt. He understood what she’d sacrificed.

Then his blood ran cold. The girl in his arms… had shrunk again.

The strap of her dress had slipped off her shoulder—a haunting echo of her first transformation.

The initial Xing Luo had been a young woman. This loli form had puzzled him, mistaken for some unique ability. Now he realized—it was her power failing under the strain.

No time to dwell. While his bloodline devoured the Ancient Blood, Lyn slashed his own wrist. He let the refined blood flow toward her. He couldn’t let her pay this price for him.

But Xing Luo coughed weakly as his blood entered her mouth.

Lyn hesitated, staring at her pink lips. He leaned down—then froze. *Idiot.* His Blood Manipulation Art could control blood effortlessly.

Taking advantage now? Even if Xing Luo wouldn’t mind, his conscience would never allow it.

He activated his Blood Manipulation Art. Carefully, he guided the blood into her mouth. He didn’t notice her tiny fist clench weakly before her body went limp, truly unconscious.

Minutes passed. When Xing Luo’s breathing steadied and color returned to her cheeks, Lyn allowed himself to breathe. *Smart move,* he thought, relief flooding him.

He glanced at the girl sleeping soundly in his arms, her face peaceful. After a pause, he held her a little tighter.

Maybe all those 90-pity pulls in his past life had finally paid off—gifting him an angel like Xing Luo.