Shackles of Humanity

Luo Kai fought back the tingling itch of his skin being corroded by Dark Energy, forcing his heart to pound as he transformed into a giant once more. Spitting a mouthful of blood onto the Severing Blade, he caused the Black Flame to erupt. He swung the torch-like blade to meet the blurry branch that shot toward him.

CLANG! The ever-victorious Severing Blade only managed to carve a small notch into the black root. For the first time, the all-corroding Black Flame was useless; it was extinguished the moment it touched the root, seemingly neutralized and absorbed by some other powerful energy.

A Complete Form Fierce Beast was simply too terrifying. Not only was its power unstoppable, but its body was so durable that almost no substance in the world could compare.

”Heh heh heh!” The Yao Yue Liu cackled, unable to contain its excitement as it batted the four of them back and forth like balloons.

Luo Kai was the first to give out. His body couldn’t compare to the Body Masters who had undergone Energy Infusion. He was instantly reduced to a bloody mess and could feel his internal organs rupturing. While his muscles and bones were quite tough, his organs and skin were extremely fragile. Waves of weakness washed over him, and his giant form rapidly shrank back to its original size.

The Yao Yue Liu seemed to have had its fun. A black root suddenly shot out, wrapped around Luo Kai, and squeezed viciously like a python. The one it hated most wasn’t the three Body Masters, but this young man. If he hadn’t shouted a warning earlier, the three Body Masters—even without drinking the Rotting Dragon’s Blood—would have been lured into the underground Yin Veins. Then, so many of its kin wouldn’t have died, and it wouldn’t have been forced to hastily fuse with the Complete Form Fierce Beast.

Luo Kai couldn’t possibly dodge the root, its trajectory completely unpredictable. All he could do was grit his teeth and make his heart pound. His vitality flared once more as every muscle rippled like a wave, his body swelling slightly to resist the immense, crushing force.

But human strength has its limits. Even though the power he could now unleash was no weaker than a Body Master’s, it was nothing in the face of a Complete Form Fierce Beast. He lasted only a few seconds before he was squeezed into an elongated shape. The extreme flexibility granted by his Soft Body Technique kicked in, making him as pliable as modeling clay. Otherwise, he would have been crushed to a pulp.

Tuoba Ye saw what was happening. Golden light, a foot long, suddenly shot from his eyes, and the aura around his body grew even more dazzling. The light solidified around the Golden Mace in his hand, vaguely transforming into a Golden Dragon.

Driven to desperation, he began to use a Secret Technique that drained his life force. With a furious roar, he swung at the Yao Yue Liu’s root with earth-shattering force. The blow was shockingly powerful, directly severing the root. Unfortunately, such a minor wound meant nothing to the Yao Yue Liu. It simply shot out another root to lash at them.

Su Chengbo’s face was deathly pale. The vertical pupil between his brows periodically fired a ray of light with extremely strong Penetration Power, searing scorch marks onto the Yao Yue Liu’s body.

Of the four, Xi Jinghui was in much better shape. The Water Attribute Technique he cultivated wasn’t suited for offense, but it was incredibly effective for defense and Force Discharge. His body moved like a gentle current, deflecting most of the force. Although he was sent flying by the Yao Yue Liu’s vicious strikes each time, he wasn’t severely injured.

They were now at a dead end. They couldn’t harm the Fierce Beast in the slightest. If they were outside, they could have fled when outmatched. But in this Mist-shrouded underground ravine, escape was impossible.

Luo Kai’s vision started to go black. The physical pain was nothing to him, but his consciousness was slipping into Chaos. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time. For some reason, facing death again, he felt no Fear. A thought even surfaced from the depths of his being: ’After I die, will I be able to completely merge into the embrace of Heaven and Earth?’

He felt something sticky on his hands. He couldn’t tell if it was his own blood or something else, but it smelled incredibly fragrant. At this critical juncture, he was suddenly overcome with an immense hunger. He opened his mouth and bit down hard on the root coiled around him.

The Yao Yue Liu’s jet-black root was not something he could just bite through. The force jarred his teeth, and his mouth was ground raw and bloody. He cursed his teeth for not being sharper. As if some unseen force had sensed his thoughts, his canine teeth suddenly began to grow. They lengthened and sharpened, becoming incredibly pointy. In an instant, they pierced the root.

A cool liquid slid down his throat. It was fragrant, rich, and smooth, only slightly inferior to the Cyan Dragon Brain Marrow he had eaten before. Once in his stomach, the liquid quickly circulated throughout his body. The cool Energy extinguished his burning vitality, and a pleasant, soothing sensation spread through him.

To the Yao Yue Liu, however, it was like a mosquito bite. It shook its root violently, trying to fling Luo Kai off. But having tasted a benefit, Luo Kai refused to let go. His elongated body wrapped tightly around the root as he gulped down the Yao Yue Liu’s sap. The Holy Blood Worms inside him immediately went to work, using their microscopic filaments to filter the Dark Energy, making it absorbable for their host.

Strictly speaking, Fierce Beasts could no longer be classified as mere plants or animals; they belonged to a higher order of existence. The Yao Yue Liu’s sap was the equivalent of blood in an animal-type Fierce Beast—a vital channel for Energy transport. It, too, could have its Dark Energy filtered out by the Holy Blood Worms.

The Yao Yue Liu seemed to go berserk. Forgetting to attack, it just thrashed its roots wildly. Luo Kai was like a stubborn leech; once attached, he was nearly impossible to shake off. Amidst the clashing of branches and leaves, a terrified shriek rang out: ”What have you done?! Why can’t I control it anymore!”

Su Chengbo and the other two were stunned at first, then overjoyed. They unleashed their full power and attacked the Yao Yue Liu.

Before long, Luo Kai had drunk his fill of sap, becoming so bloated he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to vomit some out even as he continued to drink. Compared to the Yao Yue Liu’s massive size, the amount of sap he’d drunk was negligible, but he couldn’t digest it fast enough. The frigid energy seemed intent on freezing his organs solid. If he kept drinking, he’d probably turn into a popsicle.

He didn’t notice that Zilan, from within the necklace on his chest, had also cautiously extended a small branch to greedily lap up the sap dribbling from his mouth.

The Yao Yue Liu fell into a state of psychosis. Its original consciousness had been awakened by Luo Kai’s bite. At the level of consciousness, every living being possesses a protective system, like a firewall. The Spiritual Willpower of a Complete Form Fierce Beast is immense; even if its primary consciousness had been dead for a thousand years, its residual consciousness could show signs of revival if given the opportunity.

Had the Abyssal Clan member taken another ten days to a half month, he might have truly assimilated the Yao Yue Liu’s residual consciousness. But because of the hasty Fusion, the Yao Yue Liu’s consciousness still remained. Upon awakening, it immediately began to fight him for control of their shared body.

Meanwhile, the other three seized the opportunity and rushed to the Yao Yue Liu’s main body. Tuoba Ye swung his Golden Mace, hacking away at its base. He could only chip off a small piece with each blow, but with the persistence of dripping water wearing away stone, he eventually carved out a large gap after a long time.

The wood beneath was much easier to cut. Su Chengbo and Xi Jinghui took over, and half an hour later, with a deafening series of creaks and groans, the Yao Yue Liu’s massive trunk finally fell. An unearthly, shrill scream seemed to ring in their ears as a semi-translucent human figure emerged from the severed stump. Its features were much clearer this time: a man with a strangely long face, his crimson eyes wide with terror as he stared at them.

Tuoba Ye, who had been squatting on the ground panting, saw this and roared, ”You old bastard! You finally decided to show your goddamn face!” He swung his mace at the figure.

Su Chengbo followed up with a cold snort. The vertical pupil between his brows shot out a scorching ray of light, Piercing straight through the figure. Puffs of green smoke rose from the wound and began to spread. The purifying Power of Light Energy was the bane of all creatures from the Abyss. In moments, the semi-translucent body was completely purified into smoke.

The Abyssal Clan specializes in strengthening one’s spiritual consciousness. The spirit had already been severely wounded in its struggle for control against the Yao Yue Liu. Normally, while he would still be no match for three Body Masters, he would not have been killed so easily.

...

Even though the Yao Yue Liu’s trunk had been severed, the creature was not yet dead. The three men mustered their remaining strength, dug up its entire root system, and dismembered it piece by piece. The Mist in the valley finally dissipated, a sign that the Yao Yue Liu’s residual will had faded from the world. At last, the three of them could breathe a sigh of relief.

Tuoba Ye suddenly remembered something. He looked around and asked, ”Where’s Xiaokai?”

”I’m over here. Give me a hand,” a faint voice called out from beneath the fallen trunk of the Yao Yue Liu.

The three men scrambled to push aside the trunk. When they saw the person on the ground, they froze.

”Holy shit, Xiaokai! How did you turn into a girl?” Tuoba Ye blurted out in astonishment.

Luo Kai stared blankly for a moment before struggling to his feet. The first thing he noticed was his own hair, which now reached his waist. His wounds had healed at some point, and his skin had become even fairer.

’Oh no,’ he thought. ’Dark Energy focuses on strengthening the Nine Yin Meridians. The Holy Blood Worms must have filtered too much Dark Energy, making me even more feminine!’