Chapter 119: The Ritual’s Embrace

In the following days, the seas were calm and the winds gentle, likely because the Captain had showcased her true prowess, deterring the surrounding pirates from making any reckless moves.

Bai Yu, too, settled into a leisurely life, akin to a vacation at sea.

It was, in essence, pure bliss.

As for food, given the absence of additional crew members on board—for this vessel was a confidential asset of the Dragon Summer Investigation Bureau—it was impossible to allow too many individuals aboard.

Consequently, Bai Yu found herself solely responsible for cooking.

Yet, she found it rather enjoyable.

The provisions here surpassed even those found in a well-stocked restaurant, and the ingredients themselves were beyond compare.

Captain Li Hua and Stella, in particular, savored every meal.

What truly left Bai Yu speechless, however, was Stella.

Her Mother had originally assigned Stella to protect her, but Stella had done nothing of the sort.

Even the cooking had fallen to Bai Yu.

Moreover, Stella harbored all sorts of bizarre notions about Bai Yu.

Bai Yu was growing increasingly irritated with her.

‘Should I genuinely consider having her warm my bed?’

Bai Yu lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

After all, she couldn’t simply allow Stella to do nothing but sleep.

She decided to drop the pretense.

As she was no virtuous paragon herself, and as long as Stella kept silent, no one would ever know what Bai Yu had done.

Bai Yu’s wicked thoughts intensified with each passing moment.

Having spent these past few days alone with Stella, two individuals isolated together, sparks were bound to fly.

However, Bai Yu had more pressing matters at hand, which was why she hadn’t acted immediately.

She gazed at the back of her hand, where the scythe mark was now completely suffused with light.

Golden particles gradually drifted from the mark, and the sacred aura emanating from them made Bai Yu feel as if she herself were being purified.

She was certain that once this absorption ritual concluded, the improvements she would gain would be immense.

It would not merely be a simple enhancement of her physical attributes; Bai Yu sensed a significant improvement would also occur in her mental faculties.

Bai Yu pondered this, as she currently possessed no means of enhancing her spiritual power.

Her sole stroke of fortune lay in her nature as a Witch; Witches were inherently endowed with exceptionally high attributes, which allowed Bai Yu to circumvent numerous mental assaults.

Especially when confronted with Outer Gods like Morpheus—or rather, Lili—without sufficient spiritual power, one would likely be slain before even having the chance to face them directly.

Bai Yu dared not gamble on every powerful adversary she encountered being a cute loli with an inexplicable obsession with her.

In truth, genuine enemies could materialize at any moment, intent on bringing about her demise.

This much, Bai Yu, having endured numerous battles, had fully grasped.

To control one’s own destiny, absolute power was an indispensable requirement.

This was an unalterable truth for anyone.

Bai Yu took a deep breath.

“I am ready.”

Bai Yu declared with resolute certainty.

[Don’t worry, you won’t die. At most, it will only be a little uncomfortable.]

Moweila attempted to reassure Bai Yu, but Bai Yu couldn’t shake the feeling that Moweila’s words were unreliable.

She recalled Moweila previously stating that absorbing the Reverse Metal would be entirely painless, yet now it had inexplicably become ‘only a little uncomfortable’.

This made Bai Yu suspect Moweila was deceiving her; after all, it wouldn’t be the first or second time Moweila had led her astray.

“Forget it, just begin!”

Bai Yu cast aside all reservations and directly initiated the ritual.

Since she had to undergo this ordeal anyway, she might as well get it over with sooner.

She had already informed Stella and the Captain that she needed to absorb a certain ‘marvel’ to enhance her physical attributes, and that it might cause a slight disturbance.

Since she couldn’t elaborate, Bai Yu had resorted to using the term ‘marvel’.

The Captain harbored no doubts whatsoever, for there were countless marvels in the world.

Thus, she believed Bai Yu’s words without a moment’s hesitation.

As for Stella, she had already become almost entirely subservient to Bai Yu’s commands, reaching a point that bordered on the pathological.

This made Bai Yu feel a slight tremor of fear; Stella truly baffled her.

With everything now prepared, Bai Yu was ready to officially commence the ritual at any moment.

“Feel the seal on the mark, then release it.

The ritual will truly begin then.

I will guide you if anything feels amiss.

Remember to open the window.”

“The window…”

Bai Yu walked to the window, opened the sash, and allowed the sea breeze to drift in.

The cool, refreshing sensation alleviated much of her tension.

“Then let us begin.”

Bai Yu focused on the engraving, and indeed, she felt something akin to a seal.

The moment she released it, the ritual would commence.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bai Yu released it.

The anticipated pain did not materialize, leaving Bai Yu somewhat perplexed.

She glanced at her arm, and noticed a crimson light spreading from the veins in her arm, extending throughout her entire body.

“Could Moweila’s words truly be accurate?

Was this process genuinely devoid of pain?”

Bai Yu sensed the crimson light slowly ascending her arm, tracing along her veins.

She could feel every fiber of her being undergoing a baptism, as if her fundamental meridians had been unblocked.

Every area the crimson light touched felt reborn, filling her with an exhilarating surge of power.

Moreover, a profound clarity settled within Bai Yu’s mind, as though everything had been cleansed.

Just as Bai Yu believed the process was nearing its conclusion, events took an unexpected turn.

“What is this?”

Bai Yu felt as though her very core had ignited.

The searing pain made her yearn to plunge herself into an ancient glacier.

Simultaneously, an agonizing sensation gripped her shoulder blades, as if her back were being wrenched apart.

The torment was so intense that she couldn’t even utter a sound.

The intensity of this pain was only slightly less than when she had transformed into a Witch, which was why she remained silent.

‘She could endure it, but it truly hurt!’

‘Moweila, you scoundrel!’

Bai Yu raged inwardly.

Moweila had deceived her yet again; this was an outrageous trick!

Bai Yu swore at that moment that she would resurrect Moweila in the future and make her experience Bai Yu’s formidable capabilities firsthand.

‘If she didn’t torment Moweila to death, she wouldn’t be Bai Yu!’

Under the dual torment of her bones and veins, Bai Yu’s body underwent a drastic transformation.

Her blood ran thick and scorching, like molten metal, yet her skin remained cool and smooth.

The strength of her bones reached an unbelievable degree, as the Reverse Metal of Heaven was perfectly absorbed by Bai Yu.

The terrifying crimson light gradually vanished, making Bai Yu appear as she normally did.

However, Bai Yu still struggled to stand steadily; the pain in her shoulder blades continued to render her speechless.

Bai Yu knew that these were her nascent wings, but she had never imagined the pain would be so excruciating.

At that moment, the violent tremors from the ritual began to propagate.

The entire ship swayed wildly on the sea, and the surrounding waters surged furiously.

The nearby ocean seemed to tremble in fear, its roars echoing like shrieks.

The terrifying spiritual essence of Heaven pierced through the seawater, advancing towards the ocean depths.