chsdbacks Chapter 281: The Imminent Awakening
Chapter 281: The Imminent Awakening
An indescribable anger and pity, mixed with overwhelming killing intent towards the "Council" and this "envoy," surged wildly in Nie Lingfeng's chest, as if to tear his heart apart! His fingers clenched so hard they turned white, his knuckles cracking, and the power within him began to boil and roar uncontrollably, like an ancient beast about to break free of its cage.
"You...you deserve to die!" Nie Lingfeng squeezed out these three words through gritted teeth, his voice so cold it seemed to freeze the soul, and even the surrounding air seemed to condense into frost flowers.
The "messenger" seemed completely unfazed by his anger, instead letting out a low, metallic laugh: "Damn it? Heh... On the path of pursuing truth and evolution, sacrifice is necessary. Their sacrifice will forge new gods and usher in a new era. This is... the highest honor."
"And you..." His gaze swept over the three of them again, especially Chen Duo, "Since you've come to me willingly, and... you seem to be of quite good quality, especially this little girl... the aura she exudes is very pure, very... unique. Perhaps, you can be used to further 'optimize' my experimental subjects, or even... create a container that is closer to 'perfect'."
"Dream on!" Nie Lingfeng roared, no longer able to suppress the killing intent and rage in his heart! He took a step forward, completely shielding Chen Duo behind him, the hard floor tiles beneath his feet cracking like a spiderweb! The power within him, fused with the blood of the Qilin and the Phoenix, erupted with a thunderous roar! Dark golden flames, like raging waves, surged from his body, illuminating the surrounding pale lights with a blazing golden glow! The terrifying heat and purifying will instantly dispelled the nauseating smell of the medicine, even distorting the air itself!
"Oh, getting angry?" Wang Ye chimed in at the opportune moment, his tone still carrying that smug, lazy air, but his eyes were now icy cold. "But seriously, the decor of your lab is awful. It's so white it looks like a morgue, it gives me the creeps. And these 'works'... tsk tsk, your skills are terrible. They look like something a kindergartener would do in art class, so ugly it's unbelievable. And you call this 'perfect'? Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about 'perfection'?"
The "messenger" paused almost imperceptibly. Even through the hood and black robe, one could sense the sudden surge of anger and murderous intent emanating from him. Clearly, Wang Ye's words were not only capable of infuriating the "Blood Buddha," but also held considerable sway over this even more sinister and enigmatic "messenger."
"Sharp tongue and biting remarks." The envoy's voice turned cold. "Since you don't know how to appreciate it, then... use your bodies and souls to personally experience the... power of my 'work'."
He slowly raised his hands, and from the fingertips of his gloves, a dark red, seemingly alive light began to flow and converge. The light was like viscous blood or a swarm of wriggling worms, radiating an ominous aura.
"Wake up... my children."
"For your Creator... tear these disrespectful... invaders to shreds."
"Buzz—!!!"
With his strange chanting and gestures, the dozens of enormous culture tanks on both sides of the laboratory simultaneously emitted a deep rumble, like muffled thunder from the earth! The liquid inside the tanks began to violently churn and boil, bubbling up large plumes of murky gas! The tubing and electrodes connecting to the experimental subjects shot out blinding sparks and crackled loudly! All the instruments and screens began to fluctuate wildly and alarm, with piercing siren sounds blaring one after another!
"Click...click..."
A crisp, teeth-grinding cracking sound echoed from the surface of each culture tank, like ice slowly crumbling under immense pressure. Then, under the solemn gazes of Nie Lingfeng and the other two—
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
One after another, the culture tanks exploded with a deafening roar! The sturdy reinforced glass shattered into countless sharp fragments, reflecting a cold light under the lamplight. Mixed with a viscous liquid, pale green or dark red, it surged forth like a burst dam, cascading towards the central passageway of the laboratory! Within the liquid, the twisted, deformed experimental subjects, exuding an intense aura of evil and pain, struggled, wriggled, crawled, and rose from the shattered tanks, accompanied by chilling screams and howls…
Liquid dripped from their deformed bodies, forming foul-smelling puddles on the ground. They opened their eyes. They were eyes filled with chaos, madness, pain, and the most primal killing intent towards all living things! Dark red, pale green, and pitch-black light burned in their eye sockets, like will-o'-the-wisps from the depths of hell! Their bodies continued to drip viscous fluid, their muscles twitching and writhing irregularly, as if they might collapse or mutate further at any moment—new flesh sprouted from some arms, and several mouths filled with sharp teeth split open on the backs of others, opening and closing silently.
There were more than thirty of them! Moreover, judging from the energy fluctuations emanating from them, although they were not as organized as the monster hordes that Wang Ye had cleared out in the mine, the danger of each individual monster and the aura mixed with biochemical pollution and energy filth were even more unsettling! It was an aura that seemed cursed, something that should not exist in this world, a desecration of life itself!
"roar----!!!"
"Hiss...!"
"Kill...kill them...!"
A chaotic, inhuman roar and howl, mixed with the sounds of shards of glass and gushing slime, created a terrifying symphony in the laboratory! More than thirty experimental subjects, dragging their twisted bodies and moving with bizarre gait, surrounded and charged towards Nie Lingfeng and his two companions in the central aisle of the laboratory from both sides! Some crawled with incredible speed on their deformed limbs; some stumbled and staggered, leaving long trails of slime behind them; others even scurried along the walls and ceiling like giant geckos. Their gazes, hungry and frenzied, were locked onto the three, especially… Chen Duo, who emanated a pure life force!
"Old Nie! Little Chen Duo! Get ready to receive our guests! This time it's a 'feast'!" Wang Ye shouted, his lazy expression vanishing, replaced by a chilling, battle-ready look! He rapidly formed hand seals in front of his chest, his fingers flying like phantoms, and he uttered a low murmur:
"Qimen Dunjia - Four Plates in Harmony! Open!"
"Buzz!"
A more solid and vast phantom of the Qimen formation, even more imposing than in the mine outside, unfolded once again centered on him! This time, the formation's scope almost covered most of the central passageway of the laboratory! The four discs of light representing Heaven, Earth, Man, and God flowed, and the eight trigrams appeared and disappeared, radiating a majestic aura that suppressed this area of space and time! Wherever the phantom passed, even the dust floating in the air seemed to freeze!
"The character '巽' (Xun) – Raging Storm!"
Wang Ye pointed his finger, and the position representing "Xun" (wind) in the Qimen Dunjia formation suddenly lit up, emitting a brilliant blue light! In the laboratory, a fierce hurricane, filled with countless transparent wind blades, suddenly arose out of nowhere! The sharp whistling of the wind blades almost pierced eardrums. They sliced through the contorted bodies of the experimental subjects, making muffled "hissing" sounds and leaving wounds of varying depths—some only cut through the skin, oozing dark brown pus; others severed limbs, the severed parts tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground, still twitching! The hurricane howled, forcefully halting their momentum; the first few experimental subjects were even pinned to the wall by the wind pressure, unable to move!
"Nie Lingfeng! You take care of the right side! Xiao Chenduo and I will handle the middle and the ones who slipped through the net!" Wang Ye quickly assigned tasks while maintaining "Raging Storm," and fine beads of sweat had already seeped from his forehead.
"Alright!" Without hesitation, Nie Lingfeng faced another group of experimental subjects roaring and charging from the right. He took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet collapsing with a deafening roar! He poured all the power within him into his hands! The dark golden flames were no longer merely protective; they condensed into a gigantic fire blade burning with raging flames! The fire blade was over two meters long, with the faint phantom of a Qilin roaring and galloping on its surface! He gripped the "blade" with both hands and unleashed a deafening roar at the onrushing monsters:
"Qilin True Fire - Slay all evil!!"
"Boom!!!"
The colossal fire blade, carrying the overwhelming power to incinerate all filth, slashed fiercely into the group of experimental subjects on the right with a world-shaking force! Terrifyingly high temperatures and purifying power erupted instantly, transforming into a ring of dark golden flames that spread in all directions! The experimental subjects at the very front didn't even have time to scream before they were instantly vaporized upon contact with the fire blade! Not even ashes remained! Those behind were also violently thrown back by the aftershocks and impact of the fire blade's eruption, their bodies engulfed in raging dark golden flames, writhing and struggling, emitting piercing screams, and filling the air with a nauseating stench of burning flesh.
Protected between the two, Chen Duo faced the experimental subjects who were swarming towards her from the front and flanks, emerging from the storm and the aftershocks of the fire blades. She gritted her teeth, her pale lips pressed into a thin line. She knew her strength was inferior to Nie Lingfeng and Wang Ye's, but her Phoenix True Fire… possessed a natural restraint against these filthy and twisted creatures! She no longer pursued wide-range attacks, but instead focused her power to its extreme. Her fingers moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, each flick precisely controlling a single energy. Thin, yet dazzlingly concentrated golden-red fire threads shot forth from her fingertips! These fire threads, like living serpents, drew treacherous arcs in the air, precisely… piercing the eyes, mouths, noses, or the most chaotic energy fluctuations on the bodies of the attacking experimental subjects!
"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"
As the fire entered their bodies, the experimental subjects let out even sharper and more piercing screams! Their movements suddenly froze, as if nailed to the spot by invisible iron nails. A warm golden-red light shone from within their bodies, the light shining through their twisted skin and scales like lanterns lit from the inside out. Then… from the inside out, they rapidly turned charred, disintegrated, and turned to ashes! Chen Duo's attacks, seemingly insignificant, were surprisingly efficient at killing these experimental subjects! Often, just one or two fire threads were enough to completely incapacitate an experimental subject, or even purify it! However, with each fire thread she released, her face grew paler, her forehead was covered in more cold sweat, and her breathing became rapid, clearly indicating a huge drain on her energy.
The trio, working together, once again demonstrated astonishing teamwork and combat prowess. Wang Ye used his unique magical techniques to control the battlefield, employing wind blades and air pressure to restrict the monsters' movement; Nie Lingfeng unleashed his domineering fire blades for the main attack, each strike clearing an area; Chen Duo's precise finishing blows targeted those who broke through the defenses or possessed exceptional resilience. Despite the sheer number of these experimental subjects, and their fearless, relentless advance, they were actually held back by the trio's combined efforts! And were being continuously worn down and purified!
Inside the laboratory, flames soared into the sky, wind howled, and the roars of monsters mingled with explosions, creating utter chaos. The ground was covered with charred debris, shattered glass, and slime of various colors, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of burning and chemical reagents.
The black-robed "messenger" stood silently deep within the laboratory, beside the largest, unbroken culture tank, observing everything with cold indifference. His figure remained motionless, like a lifeless statue. His gaze, passing over the fiercely fighting crowd, fell once more on Chen Duo, watching her precise and effective fire attacks, watching the pure and warm aura of fire emanating from her… Beneath the shadow of his hood, a hint of… satisfaction, even greed… of a smile seemed to appear.
"Very good...very good..." he muttered to himself, his voice tinged with a morbid excitement, like a viper flicking its tongue, "This purity...this natural restraint against filth...it's simply...the perfect 'material'..."
"Perhaps... I don't need to wait for the 'Lord's' will to descend... I can... personally 'optimize'... my 'perfect creation'..."
His gaze returned to the enormous culture tank beside him. Inside, the female experimental subject, with its tattered wings on its back and curved horns on its head, remained curled up silently, like a beautiful, desecrated statue. The dark red scales on her body, soaked in the nutrient solution, gleamed with a sickly sheen, and the twisted runes seemed to writhe slowly beneath her skin, as if alive.
But at that moment—
"Buzz..."
A faint yet clearly audible humming sound emanated from the enormous culture tank. The sound was unlike mechanical vibrations; it was more like the first heartbeat of some ancient, dormant being.
Then, under the sudden, frozen gaze of the black-robed "messenger"—
The female experimental subject in the tank, whose eyes remained tightly closed...
Her eyelids were covered with fine, dark red scales...
Extremely slight...
It trembled slightly.
The tremor was so subtle, almost negligible, yet it was like a silent thunderclap, cleaving through the chaotic noise of the laboratory. A single bubble rose slowly from between her slightly parted lips, swirled in the viscous liquid, and burst silently.