Chapter 193: Red Captain Wang!
Chapter 193: Red Captain Wang!
“Ah!”
Tang Jinbiao’s eyes revealed madness as he tightly gripped the Frost Silver Spear in his hand and raised it up.
The instant he opened his eyes, they were filled with pain!
Human nature is inherently good at birth!
No matter what a person became, there was always that kind side in him.
Tang Jinbiao was no exception; he was originally a good man, but merely forced by necessity.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The Frost Silver Spear in his hand was raised, trembling faintly, unclear whether it was instinctively fearing that red little insect or sensing Tang Jinbiao’s inner struggle.
“Die!”
Even though he was reluctant, he had to act now. A ferocious expression appeared on Tang Jinbiao’s face as he infused Qi Energy into the Frost Silver Spear.
Whoosh!
The Frost Silver Spear shot out from his hand, transforming into a silver streak and flying straight toward Captain Wang’s head.
If this spear hit, Captain Wang would perish instantly, and that red little insect might also die.
Even if this spear missed, Captain Wang would still die!
Regardless, Tang Jinbiao had no choice but to act!
Or rather, the moment Captain Wang saw Gonsun Lver die, he was already dead—his heart was dead.
“Thank you!”
Seeing Tang Jinbiao finally act despite the pain, Captain Wang’s ferocious face relaxed slightly; though still twisted, it held a smile, and similarly, Captain Wang’s gaze softened.
Hiss!
But this lasted only an instant. The red little insect on Captain Wang’s head seemed to sense danger, letting out a sharp, piercing screech.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The flying Frost Silver Spear was struck by that screech, causing immediate interference, and it developed a desire to flee.
“Ah!”
Tang Jinbiao also felt a sharp pain in his brain upon hearing that sound and nearly lost consciousness, but just as he was about to faint, a faint yellow glow suddenly emerged from deep in his mind, protecting his Spiritual Consciousness.
This was a measure left by Huang Biaozi; he dared to teach Tang Jinbiao the Way of Deception without fearing memory searches, much like when Wang Hanyu and others saw only what Huang Biaozi had falsified.
“Frost Silver Spear, go!”
Tang Jinbiao had no time to dwell on it. Discovering that the Frost Silver Spear actually wanted to flee, he shouted loudly.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Seemingly encouraged by Tang Jinbiao, the Frost Silver Spear emitted another soft hum and shot once more toward Captain Wang.
Gulp!
But in that split second of delay, the red little insect burrowed with a sizzle into Captain Wang’s skull.
After the small crimson worm burrowed into Captain Wang’s head, the tenderness in Captain Wang’s eyes rapidly vanished. Pupils went unfocused and vacant as his expression froze stiffly in place.
Yet this stillness lasted only a blink before change swept over Captain Wang’s eyes. Scarlet blood bubbled forth from his irises, instantly flooding both eyeballs. Muscles convulsed wildly across his face before just as abruptly smoothing into eerie calm.
Clang!
Witnessing this unnatural sight, Tang Jinbiao knew with absolute certainty: Captain Wang was dead.
“Frost Silver Spear, return!”
Life-or-death peril surged through him. Resistance abandoned, he recalled his weapon and fled.
Whoosh!
Already fearful of the crimson worm, the Frost Silver Spear responded instantly to Tang Jinbiao’s call, shrinking swift as thought into the form of an Embroidered Needle that vanished into his ear.
In moments, Tang Jinbiao’s figure was swallowed by the Dense Forest.
However, the “Captain Wang” now possessed through Soul Possession did not immediately pursue. He stood motionless, a wry smile twisting his face as he stared toward Tang Jinbiao’s fleeing path.
Gurgle gurgle!
Drastic changes wracked the body of “Captain Wang.” His skin rapidly flushed a deep, violent crimson. His height inched upward, muscles swelling relentlessly beneath the surface.
Riiiiip!
The expanding body tore through Captain Wang’s clothes, exposing now-bare skin.
A monster daubed in scarlet ink.
Still, the transformation pressed on. His skin’s surface began rapidly evolving, sprouting scale after scale as dark and lustrous as rubies, encasing him in gleaming armor.
Thud thud thud!
Concurrent with these bodily shifts, something inside his skull began violently hammering its confinement upward, like a germinating seed straining to burst from the earth.
“Aaaagh!”
The crimson creature exerted effort. Secure in its scaly shell, focus shifted entirely to forcing the intruder upward beneath its dome. Skin stretched and thinned under the continuous internal assault.
RIIIP!
Success. A raw hole tore open above “Captain Wang’s” former self. A fleshy tendril emerged, crowned by a single, vivid scarlet blossom. Alongside this bloom, a wispy, ectoplasmic white mist escaped—Captain Wang’s soul. But this soul held no trace of consciousness. A gust of wind caught it, and with a faint pop it shattered into countless, dissolving fragments.
Schlorp!
Just as Captain Wang’s soul began its ultimate disintegration, the new Red Captain Wang turned. Its jaws gaped, a crimson tongue lashing out like a net, ensnaring the dissipating soul-haze instantly and dragging it back into the maw.
Gnash gnash gnash!
Swallowing the soul, the creature’s cheeks pulsed rhythmically as if chewing. Though no sound was heard, the phantom echoes of agonized, scalp-prickling screaming seemed to permeate the sudden stillness of the air.
GULP.
After a moment of silent mastication, Red Captain Wang’s throat bobbed, consumption complete.
Beyond its fully scarlet skin, heightened stature of roughly a foot, and the garish bloom protruding from its crown, this Red Captain Wang bore unsettling resemblance to his original form.
Crick crack!
Quiet descended. Then, subtle shifts began: the crimson hue of its skin and scales began to recede, inch by inch.
In a blink, it became nearly identical to the original Captain Wang, except for the faint crimson flower still swaying atop its head.
Crack-crack-crack!
Once its body regained normalcy, Red Captain Wang flexed its limbs, lips curling into a cruel smirk.
“Heh heh… Ten thousand years, right? Must’ve been ten thousand years since I last stirred!”
After stretching, it examined its borrowed form, murmuring ambiguously to itself.
Though its cultivation level remained Mid Core Formation Stage, the threat it radiated now surpassed even Nascent Soul Cultivators.
“That boy’s intriguing—he actually holds relics of the Ice Emperor! Hm? No… This isn’t the Divine Realm. The space here feels… fragile?”
After muttering briefly, its expression shifted abruptly, brows knotting deeply.
“This… is the Mortal Realm? That lost plane! So it wasn’t mere legend! The Mortal Realm survived the War of Gods? Impossible… Utterly impossible!”
Yet moments later, its eyes widened with dawning elation.
“The Mortal Realm! It truly IS the Mortal Realm! Could that Dragon Emperor have meant to flee here? He must’ve! I smell that ancient fossil’s stench! No—everything here reeks of him!”
As Red Captain Wang pondered, a dark mass surged toward its location from the distance.
“Hm?”
It lifted its head skyward, spotting nearly a thousand cultivators approaching. A faint wrinkle creased its brow.
“Scatter! Deploy formation!”
A man’s resonant voice boomed across the landscape.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Instantly, dozens of Core Formation cultivators shot skyward, fanning out in all directions. Each carried a ten-foot tall banner upon their shoulder.
“Banner positions!”
Once the Core Formation cultivators took their places, the command rang out again.
“Spirit Annihilation Array!”
The cultivators shouted in unison, driving their banners deep into the earth.
Thud-thud-thud!
Sixty-four banners pierced the ground at precise locations.
“Activate!”
The man’s voice echoed as the banners sank from view.
“ACKNOWLEDGED!”
Thunderous roars answered from every direction.
Thwump-thwump-thwump!
Bodies plummeted downward, merging with the buried banners—each cultivator becoming the anchor of their spectral pillar.
“All await command!”
The man ordered once more.
“ACKNOWLEDGED!”
“ACKNOWLEDGED!”
Crisp replies echoed not just from the anchor points, but also from the dense formations of foot soldiers and Flying Chariots. Within moments, a colossal white Light Barrier enveloped a ten-mile radius—ground and sky—with Red Captain Wang at its heart.
These arrivals were Jia Longwu’s reserve forces from the Divine Wind Academy. Originally bound for the depths of the Hundred Thousand Mountains—specifically, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Mountain—to reinforce their comrades, they’d detected potent energy clashes en route. Assuming a battle between cultivators and Demon Beasts, they diverted to assist.
The aura they’d sensed belonged to the Azure Dragon, though it had long since escaped with Tang Jinbiao miles away, evading the Spirit Annihilation Array.
“Hmph? Pathetic mortals!”
Red Captain Wang observed the newcomers with contemptuous indifference—even relish. A predatory grin spread across its face.
Truth be told, Jia Longwu’s force was relatively weak. Beyond the banner-positioned Core Formation Cultivators, it comprised mostly Foundation Establishment Cultivators—diluted by Qi Condensation Cultivators, bolstering numbers without strength.
“Full readiness!”
The commander’s voice permeated the barrier.
“ACKNOWLEDGED!”
“ACKNOWLEDGED!”
Every Cultivator tensed. Fists clenched. Power surged. Focus sharpened.
When preparations finalized, Jia Longwu—the core of this contingent—unfurled wings from his back. He broke formation, soaring higher to observe Red Captain Wang far below…