Chapter 79: Oen Yume
The effect of essence blood from a Foundation Establishment cultivator far outstripped Qi Refinement's.
Even after Sharky Ink had burned most of his essence blood to sustain the Blood Bind Array, what remained—his flesh, his soul, his very life force—swelled the blood-mist around Lordi Payne into a grotesque, living shroud. It pulsed like a monstrous heart, thick and viscous, clinging to the air like a second skin.
The twist horror unfolded in a blink. Neither Oen Shinae nor Fang Jit could react before Lordi Payne crushed Sharky Ink's corpse ashes beneath his boot—then suddenly whipped around, the corpse ashes mingling with the swamp's churn.
His charred face—a blackened ruin steaming with dark wisps—bore no expression, his eyes glinting with a faint, ghostly blue, embers of the Ice Pith Fire still smoldering within.
No expression. No hesitation. Silently, he hefted the Blade of Life Hater—its bone-white edge glinting—and lunged straight for Fang Jit, intent naked with malice.
Fang Jit was horrified, his courage shattered.
Even if Fang Jit was not as powerful as Oen Shinae, he was still a solid Foundation Stage cultivator. Lordi Payne was just a Qi Refinement—far beneath him, a gnat to his Foundation Stage might. Yet, in that moment, terror seized him like icy fingers around his throat. He spun, fleeing to afar, boots splashing muck.
At this moment, Fang Jit's survival instinct surged. It made him split concentration while fleeing, as he commanded the Nether Locust Gworm to intercept and cover his retreat.
The spectral insect uttered a desperate wail, its ghostly form solidifying as it threw itself at Lordi Payne's blade edge head-on.
CLANG!
The Blade of Life Hater met the Gworm's sickle-like forelimbs in a shower of sparks—then an unnatural immense force rippled through the strike. The blade recoiled violently, slamming back into Lordi Payne's chest. His body launched backward, tumbling through the mire's gloom, mud erupting in wet gouts around him.