Pov: Vik
"Understood, Master," Roman said as he moved to seal the corrupt officer's dantian with a quick strike.
I crouched next to Noah, my hand hovering over his chest while my qi began to assess his broken body. "You've got talent, kid. Golden Core at 16, Soul Formation at 20. But right now, your body is wrecked. Do you want to live?"
Noah's jaw tightened. A fierce fire lit up his eyes despite his severe injuries. "I... I have to live. I need to make them pay for what they did to my family."
I chuckled softly, and Pushpa let out an approving sound from my shoulder. "Good answer. Now hold still. This is going to hurt."
I focused on Noah's inner body, channeling a mix of my Prana energy and restoration magic into his chest. As my power penetrated his shattered meridians, his body tensed violently. He let out a stifled groan. He was gravely injured. While there were no major external wounds, his insides were in turmoil, with dozens of broken bones stabbing into muscles and arteries, causing severe internal bleeding throughout most of his body.
Thanks to my newfound mastery of Prana energy, I could heal his injuries at a much deeper level. If I wanted, I could fully restore his foundation and talent. However, I held back. I needed to learn more about him. What if this man named Noah was a bad person? I wouldn't heal anyone who was trash in society.
Once my treatment finished, Noah's injuries were completely healed. However, he lost consciousness during the process, likely from the intense pain. I had used Prana energy to make his body heal itself, so he felt his bones and muscles regrowing, which was painful enough to knock out any normal person.
"Roman, hold him for now," I instructed. Roman complied and cradled Noah in his arms.
"Lina, catch your breath and guard the doorway," I added. "Xiaoran, keep an eye on Luther and the unconscious guards."
"Understood, Master!" Lina replied, taking deep, steady breaths as she stood by the entrance, her custom laser sword reverting back to a standard hilt.
Lu Xiaoran grinned, casually leaning against a steam pipe while watching the bound Luther, who was trembling on the floor.
Luther's only hope was that the A-rank officer was currently bound by my Maya manifestation technique, trapped in an illusion that could break his mind. Defeating a Void traveling realm would be easy for me, but doing so physically would cause collateral damage. That's why I attacked the weakest point of every cultivator—their mind. Cultivators often don't develop their soul or mind techniques.
In contrast, magic cultivators rely on their sharp minds and vast knowledge to weave spells and create magic circles. There are exceptions, like soul cultivators, but those are rare.
I redirected my focus to Luther and the A-rank officer, whose name I didn't know. After considering my options, I decided to take Luther with me since he was from the Western continent. As for the A-rank officer, I left him alone. Disturbing him could cause harmful effects, and in the worst case, he might lose his sanity and start attacking anything in sight. I didn't want that.
I made sure he'd remain unnoticed in this engine room, trapped in his illusion. In that illusion, he'd live a simple life, watching it crumble due to corruption and corrupt officers. This cycle would continue until the ship reached the port city in the Northern continent, which would take about another day.
When he emerged from the illusion, he'd have a deep hatred for corruption. He might even be traumatized, but that would be his punishment for taking bribes.
With those thoughts, I took Luther and Noah back to the submarine. As for the Golden Core guards, I figured they'd need to find new jobs after waking up since their current employer was coming with me to the Western continent.
**Pov: Noah Bloodborn**
Noah Bloodborn is not just a name; it means honor to me. Since I was born, I've only seen battlefields and wars. My parents named me Noah, and soon after, they died fighting for humanity's survival. Their sacrifices were all tied to a single name—a title that carries more weight than I can bear. "Bloodborn" is not merely a word; it's my identity, my destiny, with roots intertwined in the history of my ancestors.
The Bloodborn family is not an average family. We are more than a high-class noble family; we are something far grander, heavier, and darker. The Bloodborn family of the Western continent is known for one thing: war. Not just any war, but the fight to protect humanity.
They say that when the first cataclysm happened, my ancestors were the ones who killed the first monster, stepping onto a battlefield filled with horrors. History tells us that when they came back from battlefield, they were always drenched in blood—both theirs and their enemies'.
Slowly this became a symbol of my family; every time someone sees a human drenched in blood, they know that he is someone who is not prey but a predator, even monster started to fear us.
That's why they came to be called the Bloodborn family, a family born from blood.
With this title came immense respect and authority, but it's also a curse. No member of the Bloodborn family has lived past 30 years for the last 200 years. This curse was placed by a Great Demon monster after my ancestors destroyed an entire legion of demons attempting to invade Earth through a portal. Since then, none have survived beyond the age of 30. Most died in battle, believing they should meet their end fighting rather than hiding like cowards. Attempts to break the curse have failed; my grandfathers all died from a strange disease as soon as they reached 30.
For the last 200 years, my family's situation has declined. We no longer have any ancestors in the Body Refining realm since few live past 30. Still, my father reached the Void Traveling realm before he turned 30, creating a miracle. Yet, he died not in bed but at war, fighting an invasion alongside my mother.
I was left alone at the age of 1, but I didn't suffer. I barely remember them, as I was too young. As the last heir of my family, I had many caretakers. My ancestors foresaw that after the curse, our power would gradually wane, posing dangers for future heirs. They devised a method to safeguard us.
Every heir would control at least one retainer family from birth. These retainer families are loyal companions of my ancestors, choosing to stand by my family for generations. They remain devoted, not due to oaths or promises but because of my family's blood contract technique. Just as "Bloodborn" suggests, our family developed many techniques related to blood. Blood is not an element but still it is present in almost every living being, my ancestor mastered the way to control blood.
Mastering a blood contract can bind the loyalty of an entire bloodline to you. As the last heir, I oversee all seven retainer families, three of which have ancestors in the Body Refining realm. This means my family still holds significant power in the Western continent.
But everything changed due to my foolish mistake. In my arrogance, I underestimated my enemy and brought doom upon myself, further tainting the name of my family.