Chapter 421 298: Abnormal Transformation (Part 2)

The fiercely righteous Imperial Decree of the Red Heart Sect was precisely the kind of sound the Echo Worm could not replicate.

The middle-aged woman, who had been lying flat on the ground, arched her body. The mimicking sounds stopped, her abdomen squirmed, and she began to wretch violently.

WRETCH!!

A cloud of faint black smoke was wretched from her body, materializing outside of it.

The smoke gathered, condensing into a slightly ethereal object that looked like a long, writhing worm.

This was the Echo Worm's true form.

'An ethereal object formed from the condensation of some strange "Qi"?'

'After entering a human body, this Qi combines with the person's own Primordial Qi, corrupting the body's functions and causing all sorts of bizarre behaviors?'

'But without a physical form, how can this Qi possibly survive and move?'

Zhao Xuanqi's eyes narrowed slightly.

"It's out!"

Shen Hong and Peng Lin tensed, preparing to act.

The ordeal wasn't over just because the Echo Worm had left its host. If they didn't destroy it in time, it would recover from its brief paralysis, return to the host's body, and inflict even greater harm.

But just as the three were about to make their move—to activate their Blood Qi Runes, unleash their Blood Qi, and attack the Evil Spirit on the ground to completely destroy it—something unexpected happened.

The Echo Worm, which should have been paralyzed after leaving its host and at most only capable of crawling back into her body, suddenly became aggressive. Its worm-like form shot forward, transforming into a streak of black light that rocketed toward Zhao Xuanqi at an incredible speed.

"Look out!!"

Chen Zhanyun, who had been standing guard nearby, hadn't anticipated the Echo Worm's actions at all. He took a step forward, his Qi and Blood surging, as the Blood Qi Runes on his palms erupted with bloody light. He lunged in Zhao Xuanqi's direction.

But he wouldn't make it in time!

'The Echo Worm should have been briefly paralyzed after leaving the body, so why is it suddenly moving this fast? At this speed, these New Disciples with their half-baked Blood Qi Runes have no hope of activating them in time to deal with a sudden attack.'

'Their Qi and Blood are stronger than an ordinary person's, so the Echo Worm won't be able to complete its Possession immediately. But coming into contact with an Evil Spirit corrupts one's Qi and Blood and impairs bodily functions. Being weakened for a day or two is a minor issue, but it will slow down their training progress.'

On the other side, Shen Hong and Peng Lin were closer to Zhao Xuanqi, but in their haste, they couldn't manage to activate their Blood Qi.

After all, they were just beginners and couldn't yet command the Qi, Blood, and Force in their bodies with perfect control.

In an instant, the Echo Worm was right in front of Zhao Xuanqi, about to slam into his face.

Just then.

THUMP!!

The low thud of a heartbeat echoed. Zhao Xuanqi's expression was calm as he suddenly swung his arm. The Blood Qi Rune flared, and a faint bloody light instantly enveloped his hand. At the last possible moment, he snatched the streak of black light lunging for his face and squeezed hard.

POP!!

With a soft pop, the bloody light covering his palm exploded. Under the impact of the Blood Qi, the Echo Worm in his grasp was blasted by Primordial Qi, its body instantly destroyed. It vanished along with the bloody light, as if it had never existed.

Watching this, Chen Zhanyun, who was still rushing over, felt his eye twitch.

'Never mind that his ability to instantly activate his Blood Qi far exceeds that of a New Disciple; the sheer strength of the Blood Qi he used to crush the Echo Worm was remarkable.'

'The Echo Worm might be the lowest-level Evil Spirit, but it's still quite difficult for a New Disciple who's just entered the Blood Strengthening realm to destroy it instantly. My original plan was for the three of them to attack together multiple times to finish it off.'

'This means that not only can he activate his Blood Qi at will, but the power of his Blood Qi Rune is also quite strong.'

'This Zhao Xing is no simple character. Of the three New Disciples, he's probably the strongest.'

Chen Zhanyun gave Zhao Xuanqi a meaningful look, then scanned the surroundings to confirm that the Echo Worm was truly gone. Only then did he ask Zhao Xuanqi, "How are you? Are you okay?"

Zhao Xuanqi shook his head slightly. His attention was currently on the Rebirth Jade. Just as he expected, after the Echo Worm was destroyed, he felt a wisp of Merit aura being captured by the Rebirth Jade. On the Merit record, the counter for the "Gain" character fluctuated for a moment. However, because this wisp of Merit aura was too faint, the record merely flickered once before going still.

'So, it's true. Evil Spirits are related to the Alien Source of this world. But I remember Hua Guangcan saying that Evil Spirits have existed in this world since ancient times; they only started getting worse two hundred years ago. Why is that?'

At the same time, the hairs on Zhao Xuanqi's body suddenly stood on end. Having already recovered his Hundred Beasts Fist to the middle stage of Cross-Training, his Hundred Beasts' Intent seemed to sense a subtle, fleeting trace of danger.

But the feeling was extremely faint and didn't last long, disappearing so quickly that it even made Zhao Xuanqi wonder if he had imagined it.

'What's going on?'

Zhao Xuanqi pondered for a moment before realizing that all three of them were staring at him. Shen Hong and Peng Lin had also noticed that his reaction just now had been extraordinary.

He didn't offer any explanation. Now was the time for him to gradually reveal how different he was. Ignoring their stares, he looked at Chen Zhanyun and asked, "Senior Brother Chen, why did that Echo Worm attack on its own? The records don't seem to mention this kind of behavior."

"I'm not sure. I've never encountered this situation before, either. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared let you all try your hand at it."

Chen Zhanyun also frowned slightly, a look of confusion in his eyes.

"Senior Brother Chen, something seems wrong with the host."