SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God Chapter 728 What are you standing around for, boy?

Over the past few days, Damon had immersed himself deeply in the principles of poisons, dissecting them, rebuilding them, and mastering every single detail from start to finish. Thus, the instant the symptoms matched perfectly, instant realization struck him like lightning.

"Found you," he whispered to himself.

This toxin wasn't basic at all. Rough in its creation, yet brutally potent in effect. The upside was his full knowledge of how to dismantle it. The downside lay in needing a precise herb that didn't sprout just anywhere.

"Now the true issue remains…" Damon breathed out steadily. "Does this location even possess it?"

Shutting his eyes, he extended his perception outward, beyond the cavern barriers, through rock and grit, scanning the landscape as rapidly as possible. Hope wasn't high. Such an herb was exceptionally scarce. Spotting it here would seem nearly impossible. Suddenly, his eyes flew wide open.

"…No way this is real."

It sat right there. Tucked amid two sharp boulders near the cave's mouth, emitting a subtle silver-green glow. Precisely the herb required. Completely unharmed. Almost like it had been placed on purpose.

Damon moved without delay. He dashed out of the cave, arriving in seconds, kneeling down and harvesting it delicately with his fingers. Right then, menacing growls resounded from everywhere as a group of ferocious creatures appeared.

They couldn't approach. Without glancing behind, Damon unleashed a poison explosion. The atmosphere rippled for a moment. The creatures crumpled during their charge, convulsing briefly before lying motionless. Already pivoting, he raced back to the cave, drawing blood essence smoothly from the fallen beasts.

Within the cavern once more, he ground the herb in his hands, turning it into a dense, sharp-smelling mush. He swiftly applied it to the woman's mouth and made her swallow.

She responded at once. Her form convulsed sharply, limbs rigid as though the toxin's power had intensified. Her breathing faltered. Veins turned black under her flesh. An onlooker might believe he had ended her life.

Yet Damon remained steady. His action hadn't just countered the poison. Rather, it dragged it to the forefront. Ripping off its disguise and partially shattering it. Rendering it visible, comprehensible, and under his command.

Moments passed, then he drew in a deep breath. Effortlessly, he pulled it all in—essence included—and his body welcomed it seamlessly.

A fresh blueprint clicked into position. In that instant, it belonged to him. He breathed out calmly and passed his palm over her torso. The final traces of venomous residue were extracted, vanishing into thin air. Vitality flooded back to her complexion. Her breaths evened out.

"Faron…?" Her eyelids lifted slowly. "Faron…" she murmured once more, her tone quivering. "I'm still alive…" With shaky limbs, she propped herself upright, hacking softly while tears streamed down her face. "You succeeded… my love… You rescued me…"

Damon prepared to clarify her mistake and pose additional inquiries when abruptly, darkness swallowed his sight anew, and the familiar tug gripped his form. Before grasping the situation, he returned to the crimson dunes, free of storms this time.

But something different appeared. A tiny, see-through fragment hovered before him, sparkling faintly.

Damon extended his hand and seized the shard.

[Ding! You have obtained a memory shard]

"What on earth is a memory shard?"

Blood Reign hastened to clarify. "My liege, these memory shards hold immense value. They're incredibly scarce and tough to acquire. I can't fathom one materializing from nowhere."

Damon scowled. "It definitely didn't appear from nothing." His gaze caught a ripple far off, likely an incoming storm's onset. "Might this connect to the storm?"

"What do you mean, my liege?"

"What's your take on that injured woman and the woods?"

"Ummm… what do you mean, my liege?"

Damon grinned. "So you're clueless, eh… forget it. Just one more storm, and it'll all make sense." Rather than letting the distant tempest catch and drag him in, Damon charged toward it eagerly this time. If his hunch held, clarity awaited shortly.

Seconds ticked by, and Damon plunged into the scenario again. No wounded lady or woodland now, but a thriving metropolis surrounded him, placing him inside a kitchen.

Smoke-blackened stone walls from years of use, ceiling-hung iron hooks, enormous pots simmering with fatty, savory stew. The atmosphere hung heavy with aromas of flesh, seasonings, and intense warmth. Genuine sweltering heat that seeped into the body and instantly slicked the skin with perspiration.

Directly ahead towered a pile of produce. No, that undersold it. Thousands of veggies awaited. Bulky roots as thick as a kid's body. Meat chunks piled like bricks. Endless boxes of ingredients ready for chopping, washing, dicing, and readying.

A gigantic shape towered above. Wide as a grizzly, clad in a splattered apron, sporting a bushy white beard fit for nesting wildlife. His cheeks flushed from effort and rage, eyes fiery under wild eyebrows.

He resembled Santa Claus. Except this one wrung necks of deer for his trade.

"Why are you idling, lad?" the giant bellowed, driving a huge knife into the board mere inches from Damon's fingers. The edge buried deep into the sturdy wood. "You think the banquet sets itself up?! Sundown bell tolls soon, and empty trays mean I'll flay you alive for the menu!"

Damon eyed him, a muscle in his cheek jumping. Could he slay the brute outright and skip ahead? Sadly, ignorance of the sequence and its guidelines blocked easy paths. The tough way it was, then. A blood knife materialized in his grip, and he began the task.