Chapter 114 Blending In

Chapter 114: Chapter 113: Blending In

The life energy radiating from it was vast and biting, emitting a cold and tranquil sensation.

Its massive trunk looked as if it were carved from ancient, profound ice, completely devoid of any impurities. The branches twisted and coiled, forming a lush, overlapping geometric structure. Just looking at it conveyed a sense of lush abundance. Dense networks of fine twigs stretched in all directions. The leaves at their ends were not rounded; instead, they condensed into clusters of slender, sharp spikes that resembled ice crystals.

Faint, water-like blue ripples flowed across them, circulating a frigid halo within his spirit perception. The plant’s structure was made of ice, yet an azure, water-like liquid flowed over its surface. It was truly miraculous. The complexity of its structure far exceeded any plant Han Ning had ever seen.

The flexibility of water, pervasive and yielding. The hardness and sharpness of ice, freezing all things...

"It’s you." Han Ning’s mind was instantly captivated.

Water and ice—it perfectly matched his intentions. Of course, the plant inherently possessed the "wood" attribute, but that went without saying. Gathering all his mental power, Han Ning attempted to establish a connection with the massive tree.

The moment their minds touched, the plant’s projection trembled violently, like an ancient entity awakening from an eon of slumber. A vast, icy energy, yet brimming with vibrant vitality, surged into his body.

BOOM!

Han Ning felt as if his soul had been plunged into the deepest layer of permafrost. An indescribable, extreme chill erupted within him, sweeping through his limbs, his internal organs, and even his conscious mind. This coldness was not just a physical drop in temperature. It was an absolute zero originating from the depths of his soul, freezing his thoughts to the point of near rigidity. His blood felt like it was turning to solid ice, his bones groaned under the overwhelming burden, and every inch of his muscle fibers stiffened.

[Spiritual Power -10]

[Spiritual Power -10]

[Spiritual Power -10]

The spiritual power within his body was draining at a rapid pace. It seemed to be counteracting the frigid air, yet also attempting to fuse with it. The severe depletion made his vision go dark.

"Ugh..." Han Ning grunted muffledly. His body began to tremble as a thick layer of white frost condensed on his skin, hanging ice crystals from his eyebrows and hair.

"I can’t pass out. If I do... I’ll never wake up!" he told himself, sensing an inexplicable crisis. Gritting his teeth, his eyes twitched frantically beneath his closed eyelids as he desperately fought to keep his mind clear.

"Beast Form..." Han Ning’s body expanded inch by inch, shifting into the Molten Gold Battle Tiger to use the heat generated by the Transformation Technique to alleviate the internal cold. A scorching, wild power inherent to the Molten Gold Battle Tiger erupted from within, clashing against the pervasive frost.

"Natural Blessing." Emerald life energy circulated, continuously nourishing the bodily tissues eroded by the cold.

"Rejuvenation Technique." Gentle healing power soothed his frostbitten nerves.

SIZZLE. Under the dual effects of the molten gold’s heat and the natural vitality, the frost on his body began to melt, rolling off in thick clouds of white mist.

But that was merely on the surface. The true fusion was taking place deep within his body. The cold current surging inside him was washing through every corner of his being with a devastating momentum. It felt as if ice crystals were condensing and flowing through his veins. His cells were freezing.

Gradually, within his spiritual world, a new presence emerged—a phantom plant rooted in the sea of his consciousness, swaying its ice crystal leaves and encircled by flowing blue currents!

"Argh!!"

As the plant phantom appeared, his muscles instantly snapped taut. The veins on his forehead and neck bulged, writhing violently like twisted earthworms. Bead-sized drops of cold sweat seeped from his pores, only to freeze into fine ice crystals in the blink of an eye and tumble to the ground.

The physical agony fed back into his spiritual plane. Han Ning suddenly felt as if his consciousness had been thrown into a massive, icy millstone. On one side was the pervasive, crushing pressure of deep water, squeezing every inch of his soul in an attempt to grind him to dust. On the other side was the ultimate chill that could freeze all of creation, acting like countless tiny ice blades scraping and slicing into his soul piece by piece. It sought to completely freeze his consciousness, his memories, his emotions—everything—to serve as nourishment for that frosty, ancient tree!

The pain of merging with a plant spirit far exceeded the trial of willpower required when fusing with a beast spirit. A beast spirit only strictly tested one’s will and mental power. But fusing with this plant spirit was a dual torment of both flesh and mind. It felt as though billions of fanged insects were crawling along his veins, nerves, and bone marrow, gnawing at his skin, his organs, and his very soul!

His soul screamed and wailed, struggling madly amid the torment of ice and water.

In the real world, Han Ning had reverted to his human form due to the excessive depletion of his spiritual power. His originally healthy complexion lost its color at a visible rate, becoming paler than a corpse. It took on a livid, ashen gray hue, resembling thousand-year-old frozen meat from the Qin Dynasty.

Fine, intricate lines, somewhat like the crackle glaze on porcelain, began to spread from his heart, tracing the paths of his blood vessels and meridians outward across his entire body. Wherever these frost patterns passed, the underlying muscle fibers rapidly hardened physically, losing all elasticity.

These eerie, frost-white patterns began to surface on his exposed arms, neck, and even his cheeks. They pulsed faintly, and with every subtle throb, another shockwave of agony wracked Han Ning’s body. The ambient temperature plummeted, and a thin layer of white frost even condensed on the water beneath his feet.

The process was agonizingly long.

"Argh!!" Every second felt like suffering in a hell of absolute cold.

"Ugh..." Han Ning was in so much pain he almost lost his voice. His body trembled incessantly under the clash of freezing cold and scorching heat. Sweat would freeze into ice granules the moment it seeped from his pores, only to be melted by the heat again, repeating in an endless cycle.

"What’s that sound? Did you guys hear someone screaming bloody murder? Could it be some kind of monster?" Inside the office building, Lin Qianqian, who was holding Xu Yinyin and chatting with Yu Na and the others, frowned and pressed her head against the glass window.

"I think so. And why does that voice sound familiar?" Yu Na leaned in closer as well.

"It’s Uncle Han! It’s Uncle Han’s voice, and he sounds like he’s in a lot of pain!" The little girl instantly recognized the roars that had lost their normal tone due to agony; they belonged to Han Ning.

"The boss?!" Xu Ming was startled.

The group exchanged glances and hurriedly ran outside.

"What’s wrong?" As they passed the adjacent room, Chairman Wu noticed their alarmed expressions and couldn’t help but ask.

"Something seems to have happened to Han Ning. We’re going outside to check," Lin Qianqian replied quickly.

"Mr. Han?!" Chairman Wu’s face changed. He immediately shouted to the surrounding people, "Everyone, stop resting! We’re heading out right now to rescue Mr. Han!"

At the entrance of the office building.

Following the faint cries of pain, the Awakened gradually located the source of the sound. By this time, the stretch of water behind the office building had completely frozen into a sheet of pristine white ice. The raindrops falling from the sky froze mid-air, tumbling down as a flurry of ice granules.