novelsite Chapter 14 Corpse Beetle King
Chapter 14 Corpse Beetle King
After tossing the purple-gold box to Wu Sansheng, Zhang Qiling fell silent, standing quietly to the side as if he hadn't been the one who had just snapped the neck of a thousand-year-old living corpse. An eerie silence descended upon the cave, broken only by the crackling of the torches and the heavy breathing of the group.
Wang Pangzi, rubbing his heart which had nearly given him a heart attack from the Black Gold Ancient Sword, moved closer to Wu Sansheng, his eyes still darting towards the coffin. He clicked his tongue in amazement, "Good heavens... I've really seen something new! This old geezer isn't the mystical King Lu Shang, nor the wandering King Zhou Mu. After all this time, it's that... Iron-Faced Sheng, that cunning old codger? He's been occupying this place for thousands of years, enjoying himself here?"
Wu Sansheng held the heavy purple-gold box, his expression grave, and nodded: "I'm afraid it's pretty much true. As Lu Shang's strategist, Tie Miansheng knew the inside story and risks of the immortality technique. After Lu Shang passed away, he probably used Lu Shang's identity and this ready-made tomb to lie inside this jade terracotta figure, hoping to achieve immortality. Unfortunately... it seems that immortality is not what he imagined."
His gaze swept over the corpse in the coffin, whose neck was twisted at an eerie angle, whose skin was deathly pale, and whose features were contorted in agony. This was no immortality; it was clearly a corpse that had endured thousands of years of torment and mutation!
While everyone's attention was focused on the Purple Gold Box and the truth about Iron-Faced Man, no one noticed that Qin Yuan silently approached the jade terracotta warrior corpse that Zhang Qiling had dealt with.
His bloodline has a unique sensitivity to energy. At this moment, he can clearly feel that the black jade figurine that has grown together with the corpse, although its life force has been cut off, still retains a pure and cold strange energy inside!
Qin Yuan's heart stirred; he remembered the system's notification about the need to improve his bloodline control. He tried secretly circulating his bloodline power, his palm held a short distance away, slightly aimed at the jade figurine. The pure energy remaining within the jade figurine, like a gentle stream, was slowly drawn out and merged into his body.
This energy was cold and ancient. After entering his body, it did not cause discomfort. Instead, it acted as a catalyst, making his perception of the violent corrosive power of his own bloodline clearer and his control more adept. Although the improvement was negligible, it was definitely there! He was secretly delighted, but on the surface, he remained calm. The absorption process was extremely brief and concealed, and no one present noticed it.
However, just as Qin Yuan stopped absorbing and was about to retreat—
"Click..."
A very faint cracking sound suddenly came from the broken neck of the Iron-Faced Man!
Then, to everyone's horror, a fist-sized, blood-red insect with transparent thin wings on its back and a ferocious mouthpart suddenly burst out of the severed neck cavity!
The red worm was incredibly fast, like a streak of blood-red lightning, carrying a nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell, and buzzing shrilly in the air!
"The Corpse Beetle King!!" Zhang Qiling's usually indifferent expression suddenly changed, and he shouted sharply, "Get out of the way! Don't touch it! It's highly poisonous!"
This loud shout was like a thunderclap, jolting everyone out of their brief daze!
The Corpse Beetle King! Just that name is enough to send chills down your spine!
Everyone was terrified and instinctively scattered to avoid them!
The Corpse Beetle King circled halfway in the air, seemingly attracted by the aura of the living, and suddenly swooped down, heading straight for Da Kui, who was closest to it!
Da Kui was already terrified by the living corpse, and now seeing the blood-red worm flying towards him, he was even more frightened. In his terror, almost instinctively, he raised his hand and slapped the flying corpse beetle king!
"No!!" Wu Sanxing and Wu Xie exclaimed at the same time!
But it was too late!
A soft "poof" sound.
Da Kui's palm struck the Corpse Beetle King squarely, sending it flying.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
Da Kui stared at his palm, which had just slapped the insect, and was stunned for a moment. Then, an indescribable, burning pain, like lava, spread from his palm to his entire arm and then rapidly spread throughout his body!
"Ah—!!!" A shrill, inhuman scream burst from Da Kui's throat.
To everyone's horror, the hand that Da Kui had struck the Corpse Beetle King turned a bizarre crimson red in the blink of an eye. This crimson red, like ink dripped into clear water, rapidly spread upwards along his arm! The blood vessels under his skin bulged out and turned black, making it look incredibly terrifying!
Da Kui curled up on the ground in agony, rolling and convulsing wildly. His skin turned bright red and swollen at a visible speed, his features contorted and deformed by extreme pain, emitting a hoarse, bellowing sound. In just a dozen seconds, his entire body turned completely red, and his form seemed to have swelled up. The aura he emitted was even somewhat similar to the blood corpse he had encountered before!
"It's...it's hopeless..." Pan Zi muttered, his face ashen, as he looked at Da Kui's miserable state. The poison was far too potent, far beyond their comprehension.
Zhang Qiling's eyes were cold as he gripped the hilt of the Black Gold Ancient Blade. He knew that even if he cut off Da Kui's hand, it would be futile.
The Corpse Beetle King seemed to be enraged by Da Kui's slap. It took flight again, its thin wings flapping and emitting an even more piercing buzz. This time, its target was none other than Fatty Wang, who had just gotten up from the ground and hadn't had time to run far away!
"Watch out, Fatty!" Wu Xie screamed.
Hearing a gust of wind rushing from behind, the fat man turned around and saw the blood-red lightning bolt already upon him. His obese body had no time to dodge effectively, and he could only watch helplessly as the deadly red worm lunged at his face. Terrified, his pupils dilated, and his mind went blank: "I'm doomed!"
At this critical moment!
A figure was even faster than the Corpse Beetle King!
It's Qin Yuan!
He had been closely monitoring the situation, and was on high alert when Da Kui was attacked. Seeing the fat man in danger, he acted almost without thinking. The bloodline within him, which had just gained a slight increase in control due to absorbing the energy of the jade figurine, instantly activated. He pushed off with his feet, his body moving like lightning, and suddenly took a step to the side, blocking the fat man's path!
At the same time, he made a move that left everyone dumbfounded. Instead of dodging, he raised his right hand, opened his palm, and faced the oncoming crimson corpse beetle king squarely!
"Qin Yuan!!" Wu Xie exclaimed, thinking that he was going to risk his life to save the fat man!
The next second, under the horrified gazes of everyone, the corpse beetle king, which would kill at the slightest touch, landed on Qin Yuan's outstretched palm.
Its sharp feet touched the skin of his palm, and its menacing mouthparts seemed about to pierce down...
However, the scene that Qin Yuan had envisioned—his palm turning red instantly and him collapsing in pain—did not occur.
on the contrary--
"laugh--!"
A soft but clear sound, like a red-hot iron being plunged into water, came from Qin Yuan's palm!
Immediately afterwards, a very thin wisp of blue smoke rose up.
The Corpse Beetle King, which had just caused Da Kui's gruesome death and transformation into a zombie within a dozen seconds, didn't even have time to struggle the moment it touched Qin Yuan's palm. Its entire body rapidly turned charred, shrunken, and carbonized as if it had encountered its nemesis! The transparent wings on its back instantly turned into ashes, and its ferocious mouthparts and limbs melted away in the blue smoke!
In the blink of an eye, the terrifying Corpse Beetle King was completely reduced to a small clump of inconspicuous black ash in Qin Yuan's palm! A gentle breeze blew by, and even that ash disappeared without a trace.
Qin Yuan shook his hand expressionlessly, as if he had just swatted an ordinary mosquito.
The entire cave fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone froze in place, remaining in a posture of either dodging or exclaiming in shock. Their eyes were wide open like copper bells, and their mouths were agape enough to fit an egg. They stared in disbelief at Qin Yuan's perfectly intact hand, without even a red mark, and then at Da Kui on the ground, who had stopped convulsing and was now dead, his body completely red.
The air seemed to freeze.
The fat man, barely escaping with his life, slumped to the ground, staring at Qin Yuan's retreating figure, then at his empty palms. After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth: "I...I fucking...Little Blackie...you...you motherfucker...what kind of monster are you?!"
Even Zhang Qiling, who had been expressionless the whole time, revealed an undisguised shock and deep curiosity in her eyes when she looked at Qin Yuan.