Chapter 113: The Fusion Experiment of Devil Blood and Source Code

The moment the bloody light swept across, Shen Yan’s finger slashed fiercely across the Programming Pen, forcibly pushing the final segment of the Cache Code into the Terminal. The scythe blade that should have severed the Fox Tail paused mid-air—like a video that had dropped frames, delayed by a tenth of a second.

Now!

He bit through the index finger of his right hand, the tip of his finger swiftly tracing through the air as three lines of blood characters materialized: If Devil Blood fluctuations exceed the critical value, forcibly seize control authority. The Code had barely taken shape before it was automatically compiled into a stream of purple-gold light, shooting straight into the data conduit on Yu Xiaotang’s chest.

“Wait for my signal!” he rasped, shouting half a sentence at Luo Li, “Cut the third one!”

Luo Li wasted no words, her Fox Tail already taut as a bowstring, waiting only for that instant’s Command. She stared at Shen Yan’s back; the hem of his plaid shirt, scorched three times by Demonic Fire, had split open, revealing an unhealed burn mark on his waist—in the exact same spot where she had blocked Ye Shi’er’s poison needle for him last time.

Shen Yan closed his eyes, his Mental Power pouring madly into the Protocol along his Source Code Spiritual Root. The Terminal Interface in his mind finally flashed a line of green text: 【Cross-Bloodline Protocol loading… 9%】

This was only the beginning.

But at that very moment, Yu Xiaotang’s body suddenly shuddered violently.

She opened her eyes.

Not the sweet, Candied Hawthorn-like gaze of a young girl, but crimson vertical pupils, deep within which countless Runes seemed to spin and burn. The Devil Blood patterns on her collarbone grew wildly like living things, crawling up her neck and onto her face like venomous snakes seeking a Host.

“Heh…” The corner of her mouth lifted, her voice unnaturally deep, “Did you think awakening me would allow you to control the entire Devil Clan army?”

Ye Shi’er’s Scythe was knocked away by an invisible force, clattering to the ground. Yu Xiaotang slowly raised her hand, fingers spread, as the Spiritual Energy in the air condensed into phantom Talisman Papers, each one branded with ancient royal insignias.

Shen Yan’s heart sank.

Damn it, this wasn’t saving someone; this was inviting out an Old Ancestor sealed away for a thousand years.

Suppressing the explosive pain in his head, he swiftly switched the Program mode to “Two-Way Verification,” his lips moving slightly as he input the passphrase: “Identify user: Yu Xiaotang—Childhood Talisman Array serial number Jia Nine Wu Seven.”

The Terminal fell silent for a second.

The next instant, a Popup Window flashed: 【Authentication passed, activating Empathy Synchronization Channel】

Yu Xiaotang’s expression faltered slightly, the red light in her eyes fluctuating violently, as if two people were fighting for control of the body. She suddenly clutched her head, letting out a muffled groan, her voice reverting to that of the little girl who loved Candied Hawthorn: “Quick… stop it before I completely become ‘her’! I don’t want… don’t want to become a killing machine…”

Shen Yan’s breath hitched.

He knew the real Yu Xiaotang was still struggling inside.

“Listen to me,” he said, stepping forward, the tip of his Programming Pen pointing at the Energy pillar, “You are the Host Machine now; she’s a Background Process of the System. Don’t let her seize the Administrator Permission.”

“Then… don’t delete me,” Yu Xiaotang’s voice trembled, “I’m afraid… I’ll be gone when I wake up.”

“I won’t,” Shen Yan grinned, though blood seeped from the corner of his eye, “If you’re gone, who else would use Talisman Paper to blow up my hair? Who else would steal Pei Yue’s medicinal herbs to make hotpot? Who else could turn Sword Flight techniques into roller coaster tracks?”

The corner of Yu Xiaotang’s mouth twitched, as if she wanted to laugh.

At that moment, Shen Yan pushed the energy of his Source Code Spiritual Root to its limit, guiding his own blood and qi to resonate with the Programming Pen. A silver-blue light stream surged from the tip of his finger, entwining around the data conduits on Yu Xiaotang’s body.

The two forces began to merge.

His blood and her Devil Blood intertwined in the air, transforming into a spiral-shaped purple light pillar that directly connected to the energy core. The Terminal suddenly issued frantic alarms: 【Detected primitive Devil Clan royal gene chain. Execute Demon Dissolution Protocol? Countdown: ten, nine, eight…】

“What protocol?” Luo Li’s face abruptly changed, her Fox Tail instantly wrapping around Shen Yan’s waist. “That’s a Forbidden Technique capable of tearing apart the Barrier of the Three Realms!”

“I know!” Shen Yan gritted his teeth. “But I have to try! Otherwise, she’ll die!”

“You’re insane!” Luo Li roared, pulling him back forcefully. “You’re not saving her now; you’re gambling with the fate of the entire world!”

Seven, six, five…

Shen Yan no longer spoke. He stared at the countdown, his fingers rapidly tapping in the void, as if blindly typing a piece of Code no one could see.

Four, three…

Just as “two” was about to appear, he abruptly rewrote the Command—

“Do not execute. Switch to isolation simulation.”

The Terminal flashed green: 【Simulation environment established. Real world unaffected】

The entire hall violently shook once, then returned to calm. The destructive energy that was about to erupt was forcibly sealed into Shen Yan’s Mental Power Container. He knelt on the ground, a mouthful of blood spilling from his lips, and the Programming Pen cracked with a fissure, as if ready to shatter at any moment.

Yu Xiaotang’s body softened, sliding down from the energy pillar. The devil patterns completely faded, her face pale as paper, with only the faintest breath keeping her alive. Her lips moved slightly, murmuring: “The Key… has been given to you… remember… don’t turn it into a weapon…”

Then, she fell completely unconscious.

Luo Li rushed forward in a swift step, catching her falling body. Her Fox Tail gently coiled, protecting her in her embrace. She lowered her head to look at Yu Xiaotang’s face, then raised her gaze to Shen Yan, her eyes too complex to articulate.

“You always do this,” she said softly. “Knowing it’s impossible, yet forcing yourself forward. Code that fails can be rewritten, but once a person dies, they’re truly gone.”

Shen Yan propped himself up on the ground, panting like a dried fish, yet still smiled: “But this time… it ran successfully.”

Luo Li glared at him, though a flicker of concern flashed in her eyes. Her right arm had already been scorched by Demonic Energy, the skin blackened, and a few tufts of fur on her Fox Tail were singed and curled. But she disregarded herself, instead pulling out a Silver Needle and inserting it into Yu Xiaotang’s wrist Acupuncture Point to stabilize her heart pulse.

At that moment, a light chuckle came from the corner.

Ye Shi’er stood at the edge of the mirror array, his Bronze Mask showing a crack, revealing half of his lips. He bent down to pick up his Scythe, his movements slow, as if severely wounded.

“Brother,” his voice was hoarse. “You always manage to write Code no one understands, even in desperate situations.”

Shen Yan wiped the blood from his mouth, looking up at him: “And you always love setting up pointless test questions. Next time, could you make it simpler? Like letting me choose A or B?”

“This isn’t a test,” Ye Shi’er slowly raised his head. The eye behind the crack bore a striking resemblance to Shen Yan’s. “This is screening. Only you can withstand the fusion of Devil Blood and Source Code. Only you… can open that door.”

“What door?”

“You dreamed of that door when you were young,” Ye Shi’er whispered softly. “The one singing inside the cabinet.”

Shen Yan’s heart trembled.

He still remembered that dream. On the last night before the fire, a child hid inside the wardrobe, humming a children’s rhyme out of tune. He asked, “Who are you?” and the reply came: “I am your backup.”

Later, the fire died down, the cabinet was empty, and he thought it was just a hallucination.

But now, perhaps it wasn’t.

“So you are…” His voice tightened.

Ye Shi’er didn’t answer, merely raising his hand to gently trace the crack on his mask. “You think I’m forcing you to surrender the Source Code Spiritual Root? No, I’m waiting for you to willingly merge with it. Because only when you truly understand what ‘sacrifice’ means can you rewrite that final line of code.”

Shen Yan froze.

Rewrite?

Suddenly, he realized something.

The Source Code Spiritual Root wasn’t a tool, nor a cheat—it was an abandoned program, a fragment of incomplete code that required the host to fill it with emotion, memory, and bonds.

And what Yu Xiaotang had just called the “Key” might not be power at all, but rather… trust.

He looked down at the cracked Programming Pen in his hand and suddenly smiled.

“You’re mistaken,” he said slowly, standing up even though his legs still trembled. “I’m not the only one who can run this code.”

He glanced at Yu Xiaotang in Luo Li’s embrace, then at Luo Li herself, wounded in her right arm yet refusing to retreat.

“They are too.”

Ye Shi’er remained silent.

The mirror array shimmered faintly, reflecting his shattered mask.

Just then, Yu Xiaotang’s finger twitched slightly.

On her ring finger, the copper coin hair tie quietly snapped, the coin falling to the ground with a crisp sound.

Shen Yan bent down to pick it up. As his fingertip touched the coin, the Terminal suddenly displayed a new notice: 【Hidden Protocol Unlocked: Bloodline Resonance·Primary】

Before he could react, an extremely tiny ancient symbol appeared on the surface of the copper coin, vanishing instantly.

Its shape resembled the character for “return.”

(End of Chapter)