62 Yearning: Part 2

It was different than the last time.

After he had a taste of the ritual sacrifice, he once again cast his attention on Sir Kaarman.

If he could get something that great out of a mere follower, what would he be able to get from the man himself?

Lin Sheng had high hopes.

He gently pushed the iron gate of the sanctum open and ran toward the Kaarman manor to enter it.

He went past the fountain and straight to the front door.

The owl on the door slowly unfurled its wings, and the door opened.

Lin Sheng took a deep breath and pushed it open.

It was dark all over inside, more so than the last time he was there. Only a sliver of moonlight came through the window, casting light on the carpet.

Lin Sheng quickly noticed the fallen rack, and Annie's body lying beside it.

Next to her body was the familiar black sword, his corrupted blade.

He went over to pick the blade up and carefully ascend the second floor on full alert.

Annie had charged at him from the second floor the last time...

And that crazy ax-wielding brute could very well come down from there too.

Before Lin Sheng could even get to the staircase with his sword in hand, an ominous wind blew out of nowhere.

He suddenly found it difficult to breathe as the air around him seemed to have been sucked out. Without much thought, he quickly rolled away and stood up a distance away from where he had stood, and looked over.

Over at where he had stood earlier, there was the two-meter tall giant standing in the darkness.

He was wielding a massive double-headed ax. His head was encased in a metal helm, while a thick mail skin adorned his lower body, as his chest was bare.

The mail shone under the reflection of the moonlight.

*Crack!*

The monster pried the ax off the wall and turned to Lin Sheng before he broke into a charge.

His heavy footfalls left dents in the carpet.

The monster stormed over like a tank and brutally swung his ax at Lin Sheng's chest with both of his hands.

*Bam!*

Lin Sheng bent down and allowed the blade to cut into the wall above his head without harm.

"You managed to ambush me the last time. Let's see who's dead meat this time!"

Lin Sheng held his sword with his two hands and powerfully thrust it at the monster's chest.

Unexpectedly, his skin was extremely tough, and the sword tip only managed to bite in a little before it got stuck.

By then, the monster had pulled his ax out again and swung it in a downward arc at Lin Sheng.

"Sacred Blood!"

Lin Sheng felt his muscles swell slightly as purple veins appeared all over his chest and temple. A surge of explosive energy came bursting forth from his heart.

*Clang!*

The black sword was raised and smashed against the ax head. As the two weapons collided, the area around them imploded.

Both Lin Sheng and the monster were pushed back by the impact.

Lin Sheng felt his back against the wall as his arms shuddered from the shock.

However, he was unconcerned. He quickly got into a stance, and shortly after, he dashed toward the monster like an arrow.

It was a test of the limits of his power and the beginning of his real change.

He was tired of playing hide and seek, as though he was some sewer rat.

With explosive strength, the black sword produced heavy and powerful strikes.

Accompanied by the unleashing of Lin Sheng's Blackfeather techniques, the explosive power was even more terrifying than when he faced the rotten swordsman.

It was nothing but a flurry of violent attacks as well as techniques, and that staggered the monster.

Without proper balance, he could not swing his ax and was pushed back by Lin Sheng.

*Clang, clang, clang!*

Under the flurry of strikes, wounds started to appear all over the monster's naked chest.

"Rwarrrr!!"

A roar boomed out as he tried to counterattack, but just as he was about to move, the black sword bit diagonally into his face.

The powerful blade could cut through steel like butter, and it slashed through his eyes, nose, and mouth.

The monster immediately froze in place as a gaping wound appeared across his face.

A thud later, his ax fell to the ground as he dropped on his knees before collapsing. He was motionless.

Lin Sheng was steaming hot as he approached the dead monster and stabbed his chest.

Black blood gushed out of the heart wound.

Lin Sheng shuddered a little as black smoke materialized and formed into a black stream. It moved toward him and entered his chest.

Lin Sheng quickly retreated.

A few steps later, he rushed out of the hall into the yard.

He rested against the wall until the influx of memories in his brain and the resulting headache had lessened. Only then did he get up and enter the hall again.

"You got me once. You won't get me again."

Lin Sheng took a deep breath and brought his black blade before the monster. He knelt down as he searched the body for any spoils

From the memory fragments he gained, the man was called Bard. He had been adopted by Kaarman since young.

While Bard had knowledge of rituals, upon comparing, it was not the same sacrificial ritual to obtain special powers, which he had obtained from Annie.

Rather, it was a proper ritual called the Beckoning.

In the memory fragment, Bard's strength was not his own, but rather the animal companions he had bonded through the ritual.

"The Beckoning? A type of ritual that enables one to bond with animals and control them?" Lin Sheng was intrigued.

Any and every ritual now piqued his interest.

The earlier ritual sacrifice could only be performed once, but the Beckoning ritual was different. As long as he had sufficient materials and his spirit could withstand it, he could repeat the ritual.

However, to Lin Sheng's slight dismay, he did not get the details of the ritual from Bard's memories.

Perhaps he simply had not gotten the memory fragments containing the ritual. Instead, he had obtained more of the nitty-bitty details of his love and life.

It seemed like this Bard person was the type who placed massive importance on love.

Lin Sheng quickly went upstairs while his Sacred Blood was still active.

In the memory, Bard's room was on the second floor, and Lin Sheng wanted to see if he could find any information regarding the Beckoning ritual in the other rooms upstairs.

Being able to bond with animals and control them... Such a ritual was certainly much safer and hidden in contrast to the ritual sacrifice.

The key point was that the ritual allowed Lin Sheng's prior idea to work even better.

As the effect of the Sacred Blood remained, Lin Sheng felt his body reaching its physical limit.

He rushed up the staircase and stopped before the second floor.