Free Web NovelChapter 105: Chapter 105: Contact
Already transformed into a monster, Junior Brother Qian greedily and eagerly devoured Xiaoliu’s head and torso.
The gruesome scene sent a chill down Jiang Xu’s spine.
’Sure enough, a monster is a monster! It doesn’t just indiscriminately attack humans. It’s capable of disguise, hiding when it’s at a disadvantage and waiting to lure someone into isolation before launching a fatal sneak attack!’
’This is far more dangerous than any ordinary zombie!’
As Jiang Xu looked on in shock, the monster devoured every last scrap. The black membrane covering its surface visibly darkened.
It reverted to its human form, smeared some blood on itself, then flew back on its Magical Artifact.
...
Senior Brother Wang was anxiously awaiting their return.
After Xiaoliu and Junior Brother Qian left, the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong.
Junior Brother Qian had never been so impatient and aggressive before.
But today, after the attack, he was like a different person.
’Could it be because he was too severely frightened?’
Senior Brother Wang speculated.
Just then, he saw Junior Brother Qian flying toward him on his Magical Artifact, wobbling and swaying unsteadily. His body was speckled with what looked like blood, and his expression was one of sheer panic and terror.
He heard Junior Brother Qian cry out from ahead, "Senior Brother! It’s dangerous up there! Xiaoliu and I were ambushed!"
The remaining four from Wind and Thunder Manor were horrified. Senior Brother Wang, his mind in turmoil, paid no mind to how strange Junior Brother Qian was acting and rushed toward him. "What happened? Where’s Xiaoliu?!"
Upon hearing this, Junior Brother Qian burst into tears, his face a mask of grief and fury. "Xiaoliu... he... he’s dead!"
"What?!"
Senior Brother Wang froze in midair as if struck by lightning, unable to process the news for a long moment. It was all the time Junior Brother Qian needed to close the distance.
"Junior Brother, what on earth—"
As they drew close, the look of grief and fury on Junior Brother Qian’s face froze. And then another perfectly good head went flying.
It grinned. "That’s how."
The remaining three members of Wind and Thunder Manor were completely stunned.
They watched as Junior Brother Qian suddenly transformed into a disgusting, terrifying monster. They saw that monster decapitate Senior Brother Wang with a single swipe of its claw. They saw the monster charge at them. They saw...
their own headless bodies.
The monster, bathed in their blood, grew stronger at a visible rate. It was clear the blood was of immense benefit to it.
"ROAR!"
The monster roared with excitement. Human blood and corpses brought it incomparable joy.
It imagined a future sacrificial pool of blood, filled with the blood of thousands, tens of thousands of humans. What glory, what pleasure that would be!
But just then, a crack of thunder echoed from the heavens. A hazy purple ball of lightning locked onto the monster and struck it in an instant!
The moment of impact, flames erupted!
A raging inferno engulfed the monster, which had been paralyzed by the lightning. Under the dual assault, the creature couldn’t even utter a sound before it was reduced to a charred corpse.
His heart aching at the loss of a Tier One Upper Grade Thunder Fire Talisman, Jiang Xu gazed at the charred corpse.
He saw that the black membrane on its body was completely gone, not a trace remaining.
All signs of life had vanished from the body as well.
It looked as dead as could be.
Still, Jiang Xu didn’t dare let his guard down.
Who knew if this strange creature had some other means of survival? freёwebnovel.com
Jiang Xu proceeded to hack the monster into cinders, not stopping until it was utterly obliterated.
But even after completely destroying the monster, Jiang Xu felt no joy.
On the contrary, he was fraught with worry.
A single mutated Qi Cultivation Middle Stage Cultivator had been this difficult to handle.
He couldn’t begin to imagine how terrible the situation would become once the Array contracted and pulled the other Cultivators inside.
Yet this was not something Jiang Xu could prevent.
Fortunately, the Array wasn’t shrinking quickly. At its current pace, it might take half a year to a year before it shrank enough to threaten people’s survival.
But the Array’s ability to mutate humans and animals hung over his head like a sword of Damocles, leaving him deeply unsettled.
’I have to warn everyone inside the Array not to head toward the outer edge.’
’But I’m just a lowly Outer Disciple. My words carry no weight. Why would anyone listen to me?’
’It seems the only option now is to find Zong Ziqi first. Through him, I can contact Qin Muxian. I need an Elder of high status and authority to confirm this; only then will it be credible.’
Having made his decision, Jiang Xu took out the Communication Pearl Qin Muxian had given him and sent a message to Zong Ziqi:
"Brother Zong? Where are you? Is Elder Qin with you? Listen, a terrible danger has appeared at the edge of the Endless Forest. You have to be extremely careful of anyone who went to the Marketplace and has since returned. Don’t trust anyone who seems to be acting strangely, and be especially wary of anyone whose companions keep dying!"
After sending the message, Jiang Xu waited for a long time but received no reply, so he decided not to wait any longer.
He collected the scattered Storage Bags from the ground, then, as a kindness, incinerated the bodies of the men from Wind and Thunder Manor with a fireball each. At least this way, their corpses wouldn’t be left to rot in the wild for beasts to devour.
’Right now, I don’t have the power to deal with the Array, and I can’t raise my cultivation enough in a short period. But raising my power to deal with *people*... that’s much easier.’
Jiang Xu decided to lift the restrictions on his Spirit-Devouring Insect.
His Insect Control Technique was just a few Limit-Breaking Points shy of the Mastery level, which would take about six or seven days of effort.
It was time to start raising the Spirit-Devouring Insect. If he could cultivate it properly, it would become a major asset in a fight!
Spirit-Devouring Insects fed on anything containing Spiritual Qi. Spirit Rice, Spirit Medicine, Spiritual Ore, Spirit Beasts, Magical Artifacts, Talismans, Elixirs—as long as it had Spiritual Qi, they would eat it.
It was just that digesting different things required a different level of constitution.
Jiang Xu went through the Storage Bags of the six men from Wind and Thunder Manor, taking out the Elixirs, Spirit Medicines, Spirit Stones, Cultivation Method Books, and other items he could use.
He dumped the rest—some low-level Elixirs, useless Tier One Lower Grade Magical Artifacts, and low-level Spiritual Materials—onto the ground. He also added a pile of miscellaneous junk he had previously collected in his own Storage Bag.
Jiang Xu commanded the Spirit-Devouring Insect to fly out of its Spirit Pet Bag and said:
"Go on, eat. It’s all for you."
The Mother Insect hovered in the air, in disbelief.
After confirming that it really had been let out to eat, it actually felt an urge to cry.
’This ain’t easy! It’s been a whole month since he subdued me, and this is my first meal! Does anyone know what I’ve been through this month? I haven’t had a single drop! Wasn’t he afraid I’d starve to death? I was sure he’d forgotten all about me!’
