Chapter 151: Heart Mind

When he saw these Yellow Springs Flies still flying around, even making Yilezi’s sound, he had already made a judgment.

‘They didn’t die just because the main body died?’

‘Does each bug contain his consciousness, or could he transfer his consciousness quickly between the bugs?’

‘Anyway, what comes next is probably a sonic attack.’

Thinking this, Zuo Zhicheng’s chest, suspended in mid-air, began to rapidly swell out like a balloon being inflated. That was him taking a deep, deep breath.

So, just as countless Yellow Springs Flies enveloped Zuo Zhicheng and were about to launch their sonic attack, hoping once again to inflict internal injuries, visible ripples expanded outwards from around Zuo Zhicheng’s mouth.

It was a terrible sound wave unleashed by Zuo Zhicheng’s lungs and throat forcing out air. This wave, mixed with air pushed to form an almost shockwave-like tide of high-speed currents, surged wildly outward from Zuo Zhicheng in all four directions and the eight points of the compass.

‘Hmph! What use is a strong body? The phantom roar of the Yellow Springs Flies will make you unable to summon even a tenth of your strength.’ Just as Yilezi thought this, a sound like a hundred tigers bellowing by his ear suddenly blasted forth.

ROAR!

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

The wave of sound crashed over them. The Yellow Springs Flies closest were instantly flung backward.

Even the phantom roars emitted by these insects need the medium of air to travel. Zuo Zhicheng’s furious roar completely disrupted the nearby airflow, utterly suppressing and blasting apart their ghostly cries.

A small portion of the Yellow Springs Flies were stunned by the sound wave and fell lifeless to the ground. Others wobbled through the air, flying erratically as if drunk.

Compared to the resilience of the Yellow Springs Flies, the ghouls standing relatively nearby fared far worse. Fifteen or sixteen of them dropped dead on the spot, bleeding from their eyes, noses, and mouths. Those a bit farther away were left dizzy and disoriented, almost completely losing their ability to fight.

Only Li Xunyi and his group, thanks to their sufficient distance, and both Quinlin and Alice, blessed with sufficiently powerful Physique Strength, managed to escape unscathed.

But watching this spectacle, Quinlin and Alice stood there utterly dumbstruck, their jaws hanging slack as they stared at Zuo Zhicheng like he was some primordial beast.

“Is that thing even human anymore?” Alice shrieked in disbelief. But her ears felt deafened by the recent barrage of punches and the thunderous roar; she couldn’t even hear her own scream.

Quinlin’s expression was even grimmer. His face cycled between shades of green and pale white, a flicker of conflict flashing in his eyes. Finally, with a frustrated roar, he whirled around and fled.

‘That man can’t be defeated by force. Staying means certain death. Evading is the only option.’

Alice sprinted after him. The two figures left afterimages trailing behind them as they raced towards the distant base. The surviving ghouls seemed bewildered, unable to believe their leaders had just abandoned them. Taking one look at the demonic Zuo Zhicheng within the makeshift arena and recalling his two utterly superhuman attacks, fear erupted. With a panicked clamor, they too scattered in every possible direction.

If everyone else was fleeing, how could Yilezi, directly involved, have any other thought? If Zuo Zhicheng shattering the Cloud Sea of Insects with a single punch had sent him into a furious rage, this time, seeing his attack dispersed by nothing but a roar, left him drenched in cold sweat.

“That monster… can’t face him directly. Need to find a chance to ambush him!” The Yellow Springs Flies still capable of flight whipped into a frenzy themselves, scattering wildly in all directions like startled sparrows.

The entire scene looked as if Zuo Zhicheng himself was the disaster—earthquake-like in its impact—as humans, ghouls, and insects alike scrambled frantically to escape the epicenter.

Liu Manwen, witnessing this, wanted to retreat temporarily as well. But her legs suddenly felt weak, numb, paralyzed, utterly refusing to move. When she opened her mouth to speak, the voice that emerged shockingly raw and raspy.

“Senior Brother Li, what should we do?”

Li Xunyi’s expression was severe. He carefully lowered the junior brother he had been carrying onto the ground near Liu Manwen. The dark red glow on his Flying Sword gradually dimmed until it shot back into his hand. Gripping the blade firmly, he planted the tip into the earth, his usual easy smile long gone. “He should be friend, not foe. And given his speed, if he intended to attack us, running would only give him an opening. Better to stay calm and observe.”

Hearing this, Liu Manwen managed to regain some composure amidst the panic. After all, she had received advanced education and been raised in a position of authority. Though initially terrified by Zuo Zhicheng’s inhuman display, thinking again, the man truly had no reason to attack them.

She raised her head, scrutinizing Zuo Zhicheng more carefully. A hint of profound confusion colored her gaze. Faced with the fleeing ghouls and the scattering insects, the man was doing nothing. He just stood there, head bowed, silently examining his own hand, opening and closing his palm.

“What is he doing?”

Zuo Zhicheng observed the movement of his hand, feeling the surges of surging power inside his body. Ever since emerging from the Blood Pool, he had felt the difference in his form. It wasn’t just the growth in Physique Strength; his brain had become far more active and clear.

He could accurately judge his own strength, calculate his jumping ability, his striking speed, the flow of air, the forces acting upon him and his opponents.

He had come here, waited for his opportunity, and punched through the Sea of Insects not out of anger, nor impulse. It was simply because he knew before he struck that this punch would absolutely shatter the swarm. It was an act of cold, calculated precision, the pinnacle of detached reasoning.

His body had never before felt so comprehensively under his command. Every function, every movement, was his to direct.

And the brain enhancement unveiled more changes outside himself. The world visible through his left eye—the information conveyed by Electromagnetic Waves—grew starkly clearer.

Varying degrees of heat, subtle vibrations, rays of light and energy—all were refracted and displayed within Zuo Zhicheng’s pupil.

He didn’t know their specific measurements, didn’t understand their underlying principles, but somehow, he grasped their meaning, their significance. The physical evolution brought about by the combination of the Corpse Vein and the Night Sea this time seemed to transcend mere ghoul enhancement.

Raising his eyes, he watched the insects desperately flapping their wings, scattering in frantic escape. Calmly, he spoke, “You won’t escape.”

His fist clenched. He threw a soft punch.

This time, there was no turbulent wind, no explosive force. On a physical level, nothing seemed to change.

Yet, far away where they stood, Liu Manwen, Li Xunyi, and the others distinctly felt an ice-cold chill, as if emanating from the Underworld itself, descend from the sky. It felt as if the ambient temperature shifted around them in response to Zuo Zhicheng’s fist.

Liu Manwen’s teeth began chattering uncontrollably. Goosebumps prickled across her entire skin.

“Why… why did it suddenly get so cold?”

“It hasn’t gotten colder. The temperature hasn’t changed at all,” Li Xunyi spoke each word with measured intensity. “It’s the Power of Mind and Spirit.”