sinovels Chapter 983 Mysterious Contact
Chapter 983 Mysterious Contact
"A withered entity?!" Qingya's voice changed. "The kind of thing recorded in the arena's data... something that mutates after being corroded by strange source energy for a long time?"
"That's right." Shadow's voice was deep, his hand already gripping the short dagger at his waist. "If a deacon-level person stays in an area with an excessively high concentration of strange source energy for too long, their body will be assimilated, turning into something between a zombie and a source energy creature. They retain some of their fighting instincts from their previous life, but have completely lost their reason, leaving only an instinctive craving for the source energy of living beings."
The withered creature slowly raised its head, revealing an extremely shriveled face beneath its hood—skin clinging tightly to bone, eye sockets sunken, leaving only a pair of fluorescent blue eyeballs, like two will-o'-the-wisps flickering in their sockets. It opened its mouth, revealing a row of uneven, grayish-yellow teeth, and emitted an extremely low, hoarse sound, as if squeezed from the depths of its throat, like some kind of language, or perhaps a meaningless sob.
Then he moved.
His speed was astonishing, completely unlike the speed that his withered body should have. He was like a gray-white ghost, skimming the ground as he sped towards Lin Qiye, his thin claws in front of him, the fluorescent blue mist at his fingertips leaving two long streaks of light in the air.
Lin Qiye did not retreat. His gaze was calm as he swiftly changed the direction of the black iron spear in his hand, the tip drawing a semicircle in the air before piercing the chest of the grayish-white ghostly figure.
The spear tip collided with the claw wind.
A ring of fluorescent blue ripples exploded at the point of impact, sending surrounding ashes and crystal fragments flying several meters high.
Lin Qiye felt an extremely strange force coming from the tip of the spear—unlike the powerful impact of a normal Origin Qi attack, it was a chilling, penetrating force, like countless fine needles simultaneously piercing his meridians, attempting to invade his body along the spear shaft. He acted decisively, slightly circulating the Blood Demon Power within his body, and that chilling force was instantly incinerated upon contact with the Blood Demon Power, like ice meeting a branding iron.
The withered creature, having missed its first attack, twisted its body in mid-air in a manner defying human anatomy, its claws crossing as it once again lunged for Lin Qiye's throat and heart. Its movements were ghostly swift, and it showed absolutely no intention of defense—it disregarded its own injuries, focusing solely on attacking and devouring.
Lin Qiye's pupils contracted slightly. He turned his feet slightly, his body swaying like a willow catkin in the wind, sliding half a foot to the side and back just as the claws were about to touch his skin. The claws of the withered creature grazed his clothes, the force of which carried a putrid stench. The fluorescent blue mist left a shallow corrosive mark where Lin Qiye had just stood.
He didn't rush to retaliate, but instead quickly glanced behind him during the brief moment of dodging—
Ying was crouching behind a black rock at the edge of the basin, having already put away the recording jade slip in her hand, and was rapidly gesturing to Kuishan. Kuishan's face was terribly gloomy, his gaze quickly switching between Lin Qiye and the withered body several times, before he gritted his teeth and made a "retreat" gesture to Ying and Yunyin.
Without a word, Yunyin turned and leaped backward, his movements swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation. Qingya paused for a moment, opening his mouth as if to say something, but Kuishan grabbed his arm and dragged him backward.
"But Lin Qiye is still here—"
"He's blocking our way, let's go!" Kuishan's voice was low and urgent, without any intention of lowering it, clearly not caring if Lin Qiye heard him. "We've already got the mission data, and if we drag this out any longer, all the withered creatures around will be attracted! I won't stop you from dying here, but don't drag us down with you!"
Qingya's expression changed several times, and finally he gritted his teeth and followed Kuishan to retreat.
Ying was the last to move. She stood behind the rock, her gaze lingering for a moment on Lin Qiye's back. Her lips moved slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't utter a single word. She turned around and disappeared into the mist behind her like a shadow, her speed astonishing.
Five figures vanished in the blink of an eye into the gray-white mist above the basin.
Lin Qiye sensed movement behind him.
He heard Kuishan's undisguised words, and the sound of five figures rapidly receding into the distance. He didn't turn around, nor did he show any emotional fluctuation—as if their departure was entirely within his expectations.
Temporary teammate.
Mission accomplished, everyone flees for their lives.
In a place like the arena, this is the most normal choice. Let alone those who are just reserve deacons working together for the first time, even if they are old teammates who have gone through life and death together for many years, in a truly desperate situation, only a few will be willing to lend you a hand.
He didn't blame them, and he couldn't be bothered to.
Because he really doesn't need any help right now.
Seeing him dodge the attack again, the withered creature let out an even deeper roar, slammed its claws into the ground, and pounced at him like a gray cannonball. This time it was even faster than before, its fluorescent blue eyes leaving two fierce streaks in the air, carrying a kind of relentless madness.
Lin Qiye stopped dodging.
He took a deep breath, and the newly formed source energy within his body, which had just broken through and was not yet fully stabilized, instantly flowed through all his meridians under the guidance of the Blood Demon's power. A dark golden wave of energy exploded around him, and fine cracks appeared on the black rock beneath his feet under the impact of the energy wave.
His right hand, gripping the gun, tightened suddenly, the black iron spear tracing a semi-circle at his side, its tip flashing upwards like a dark golden lightning bolt tearing through the night—
"break--"
The spear tip collided head-on with the claw-like wind of the withered body.
Instead of the crisp clang of metal, there was a muffled cracking sound, as if something had been shattered from within. The moment the withered creature's emaciated claws made contact with the spear tip, they crumbled inch by inch, starting from the fingertips, sending grayish-white bone fragments and fluorescent blue mist flying in all directions. The cracking spread upwards along his arm like an invisible venomous snake, devouring everything in its path.
The withered creature let out a piercing shriek, its entire body sent flying backward by the recoil, crashing heavily into a cluster of fluorescent blue crystals dozens of feet away. The crystals shattered, and fluorescent blue fragments scattered everywhere, illuminating the area brightly.
He struggled to get up, but both arms were shattered at the elbows, leaving only a bare upper arm twitching in vain.
Lin Qiye did not give him any chance.
His foot touched the ground, and his body, like a dark golden meteor, instantly caught up with the fallen withered body, his spear thrusting straight down—
The spear tip pierced through the withered creature's head.
The withered skin was as fragile as paper beneath the spear tip, which pierced through the back of the head, drawing out a puff of grayish-white, viscous liquid. The withered creature's body convulsed violently a few times, the fluorescent blue light in its eyes dimming rapidly like an extinguished candle flame, finally fading into utter stillness.
Lin Qiye drew his spear, flicked the tip, and shook off the filth that was stuck to it.
The surroundings became quiet.
All that remained was the low whistling of the wind as it swept across the basin, and the occasional glow of distant crystal clusters flickering in the darkness.
He stood still, gripping his gun, his gaze slowly sweeping over his surroundings.
My teammates have completely disappeared; I can't even sense their presence anymore.
He did not leave immediately, but turned around and looked back at the bone tower in the center of the basin.
During the brief battle with the withered entity, the resonance within him not only did not weaken, but actually intensified.
He could sense something deep within the tower responding to the Blood Demon power within him. The response wasn't strong, but it was undeniably real, like an extremely fine thread extending from the depths of his heart, piercing through layers of void, and connecting with some unknown entity within the tower.