Chapter Forty-Two: Salvation

Before Chen Qi could think further, the pain at his wounds faded in an uncanny way, replaced instead by a tingling numbness. The sensation quickly spread, and Chen Qi could almost feel every nerve trembling with pleasure, filling him with an otherworldly sense of bliss. After a few seconds, a feeling of complete lightness washed over him, ease climbing up his spine, making him forget the peril before his eyes for a fleeting moment.

It was as if a voice arose in his mind, tempting him to indulge in another injection. He shook his head swiftly, suppressing the bone-deep pleasure, and only then, with a shudder of fear, did he begin to scan his surroundings.

At last, he understood why that shifty-eyed outer disciple had shown such a bizarre expression before death—the Bloodfiend Venom brought not only pain, but this strange transformation afterward. Had he been trapped in the encirclement, this brief lapse might have consigned him to eternal doom.

Fortunately, right now, the broad, warm shoulders of his senior sister stood before him...

Even after throwing her sword, the leader’s ferocious assault did not falter. Her pale, slender left fingers flicked out repeatedly, each strike sending a blue-green light lancing toward the Bloodfiend Wasp chieftain like an arrow.

The Bloodfiend Wasps seemed to have a rigid hierarchy; the chieftain was always guarded by lesser wasps. This was why, though injured, the chieftain had not yet joined the heaps of corpses carpeting the floor.

Watching as several guardian wasps fell wounded, a brief opening appeared before the chieftain. The leading senior sister’s face finally lit with a trace of satisfaction. Drawing a deep breath of true energy, she lifted from the ground, her right hand—previously folded behind her—unleashing a fierce thrust with her index finger.

The energy at her fingertip had been gathering for some time, compressed into a jade-green radiance that rendered her finger translucent and gem-like.

Her jade finger pierced through several desperate wasps plugging the gap, unimpeded, striking the chieftain—nearly the size of half a football—so that blue light shot out the other side of its body.

Amber blood gushed forth as though for free. The chieftain could no longer remain airborne, crashing to the dank earth of the cavern.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

At the rear, Chen Qi, already brandishing his pistol, brightened. Following his muscle memory, he double-handed the gun and fired until the magazine was spent.

The dying chieftain was struck, its body shuddering uncontrollably under the barrage.

Hearing the commotion, the senior sister at the front glanced at Chen Qi in puzzlement, but swiftly turned to finish off the remaining Bloodfiend Wasps.

With the chieftain’s death, the blood links binding the swarm dissolved. Under the senior sister’s blazing strikes, the wasps fell apart, unable to withstand a single blow or even flee.

Only now did Chen Qi gain a clearer sense of her strength. Glancing at the two inner disciples still locked in combat nearby, he couldn’t help but smirk and let out a soft whistle.

Though faint, the sound was keenly caught by the inner strength experts. The leader turned and, seeing Chen Qi’s gaze shifting between the battles, offered a brief explanation:

“Xiaowei and Brother Shen are simply being cautious, afraid of being stung. You’ve tasted the Bloodfiend Wasps yourself, haven’t you?”

Before Chen Qi could reply, her form blurred into mist and vanished, darting toward the outer disciples just as he opened his mouth to call for aid.

That was fast! Chen Qi followed with his gun, the thrill of finishing off the chieftain still fresh in his veins.

A quick glance at the “Germination Space” quest notification: [Current Beast Spirit Resentment: 54/100].

He picked up his pace.

His health had already recovered to 31%, meaning that as long as he wasn’t surrounded, a few stray wasps posed little threat.

Ahead, the misty figure swept past the sword planted in the ground, and with no visible motion, the sword rose again, purple energy swirling about it as it shot forth, tip aimed at the embattled outer disciples.

Following the sword’s path, the four outer disciples resembled lonely boats in a raging sea, beset by the wasp swarm, attack after attack crashing upon them like waves. Their situation was critical.

Where the sword sliced through, purple flames trailed behind, streaking through the swarm like a comet across red clouds. For a moment, purple haze glittered like stars and wasp bodies fell like rain.

Though the sword slew only a handful of wasps, that streak of purple was enough to rekindle hope in the desperate disciples. Such a beautiful purple! Exhausted, they squeezed out the last dregs of their energy to barely maintain their defense.

Their eyes involuntarily tracked that purple shadow, fiery and tinged with longing—the yearning for life.

Behind the purple sword, the graceful silhouette grew clearer with each flicker, the blue-green glow around her intensifying visibly.

Boom!

When the light reached its peak, it detached from her form, shooting forth even faster as if to chase the purple sword.

The blue light pierced the swarm as well, but unlike before, it ignited the purple flames left in the sword’s wake. Blue and purple fused in a wondrous reaction, a gray mushroom cloud blooming in the air, scattering the wasps in every direction.

In an instant, the sky cleared, the air freshened, and the deadly encirclement was broken.

Even the graceful figure, now close at hand, seemed surprised by the power of her combined technique. For a moment her eyes shone, drawing a dazed stare from Chen Qi behind her.

Seeing the swarm routed, only a few wasps still hovering, Chen Qi quickly called out:

“Senior sister, I’ll go finish those off. You’d better check if the others are in any mortal danger.”

He changed magazines as he spoke, firing at intervals.

For someone with no basic marksmanship, hitting moving targets in the air was tough. Soon, he reluctantly holstered his pistol and chased after them with his blade.

The once-fearsome wasps had lost all their menace—the gray cloud had clearly terrified them, and now they flew aimlessly, directionless.

Spurred by the title quest, Chen Qi set about dispatching the stragglers, even earning another green treasure chest.

A treasure chest?

The thought stirred memories of blue glimmers among the slain wasps earlier, but there was no time for that now. His blade-work grew fiercer, reminiscent of those exaggerated “one slash for 999” moves in certain advertisements...

With the mortal crisis passed, the three outer disciples slumped against the cavern wall, mustering the last of their strength to swallow pills or press acupuncture points to detoxify and staunch their wounds.

But soon, as the Bloodfiend venom set in, manic grins twisted their faces, their features spasming, bodies collapsing utterly—a grotesque sight.

The leader, still standing, grew solemn, her clear voice now cold and sharp as she spoke, enunciating each word:

“The lingering poison of the Bloodfiend Son is truly a scourge!”