Chapter 344: Chapter 343: The Red Thread

Chapter 343: The Red Thread

At this moment, Luo Wusheng felt extremely conflicted.

The main issue was that he wasn’t sure whether he should throw the Ancient Phoenix Essence Seed he possessed into the hollow of the tree in front of him.

Even though there was already a red thread floating inside the hollow, the seed formed from the Ancient Phoenix Essence was small—there should still be enough space to squeeze it in.

(Besides, this is probably the most likely place I’ll find today that matches the white-haired loli’s request to plant the Ancient Phoenix Essence…)

Even the level of concealment matched his expectations.

Though the essence seed still hadn’t reacted at all… Luo Wusheng could clearly sense a familiar, strange sensation.

It was the same fleeting feeling he had experienced back in the outside world when he tied a red thread onto the Qifeng Parasol Tree—but now, that sensation was especially vivid.

Still, he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly it signified.

(Tch, If I were alone and in peak condition, trying it out wouldn’t be a big deal. But in my current state, acting rashly could really cause some trouble…)

Should he just give up for now? There would be chances to gamble later—worst case, he could try sneaking back in again another time. This trip could just be considered pre-investigation?

But just as Luo Wusheng was thinking this, he suddenly froze.

He first noticed something unusual from the little girl beside him. Then, he too noticed the change happening with the red thread inside the tree hollow.

One end of the red thread… now bore his aura, and a mark that hadn’t existed a moment ago began to faintly appear.

Luo Wusheng instantly recognized that mark.

It was the symbol he had carved by hand on the red thread he tied to the Qifeng Parasol Tree in the outside world.

It was a cube with fluid-like lines—representing his [Phantomless 2.0]…

Simple to draw and, most importantly, didn’t require revealing his terrible handwriting.

(But why would a mark I made show up here?)

Luo Wusheng was absolutely certain this red thread wasn’t the one he had tied earlier.

Especially when he sensed the aura coming from the other end of the thread, he became even more certain.

(That’s Bai Xiaoyao aura… huh? Why is it turning into Yuliu? Wait—it changed again, now it’s the little pink fox… She tied a red thread for protection too? Not impossible, considering of the Phoenix Great Netherfiend)

(Hold on—this aura… it’s my dearest Ling Shuangxue? There’s no way she has anything to do with this, right?)

Luo Wusheng was thoroughly confused now.

But the aura at the other end of the red thread kept shifting—one after another, as if stacking and rotating.

Something about this felt… eerie. Could something be going wrong…?

Suddenly—

“Gurk-gurk-gurk-gurk—!”

A pained, screeching cry rang out, making Luo Wusheng’s heart skip a beat.

He immediately saw a sinister clump of black sludge erupt from the shadow beneath his feet.

The dark mass quickly slithered away from him and appeared several meters away, near the massive tree. As it writhed, it morphed into the shape of a fist-sized rooster.

The black-mud-formed rooster looked miserable and let out a long, pitiful cry.

It’s the chicken Netherkin!

Luo Wusheng felt like his heart nearly leapt out of his throat.

. . . . . . .

At the exact moment this strange rooster-like being appeared—still inexplicably not quite dead—Bai Xiaoyao sprang into action.

She moved to shield her Senior Brother behind her, and threads of silver light lashed out from her palm like blades.

The silver strands effortlessly sliced through the black-mud chicken Netherkin—but the black sludge flowed and rejoined instantly, sealing the wound as though nothing had happened.

Bai Xiaoyao furrowed her brows.

At that moment, she felt her small hand being gently tugged.

Turning back, she saw Luo Wusheng’s face had regained its calm expression.

“Looks like this was its final life-preserving trick… shifting its form and concealing its presence entirely. No wonder we couldn’t detect it earlier.”

Originally, he had thought his earlier strike had been so powerful it had completely obliterated the chicken Netherkin’s body and soul.

Turns out, under the influence of the Buddhist Arrogance Attachment, he had gotten a little too flashy—if it were his normal self, he would’ve canceled the glowing effects of the attack right away to better sense the aftermath, leaving no clues unnoticed and staying cautious.

“Still, judging from its current state, it’s on its last legs.”

This chicken Netherkin’s survival skills clearly didn’t compare to that escape-artist Rat Netherkin from before.

Bai Xiaoyao blinked at his words, then turned her gaze once more toward the black sludge.

She saw that although the chicken Netherkin’s form had recovered somewhat, the black sludge that composed it was steadily decreasing over time.

“Its existence is weakening… Is that why it can’t keep hiding anymore?”

Relieved from her initial tension, Bai Xiaoyao made a guess, frowning at the strange sight before her—yet her vigilance didn’t waver in the slightest.

Luo Wusheng, meanwhile, glanced toward the giant tree behind him.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the space around them… seemed to be radiating a kind of hostile emotion toward the black sludge.

Before he could dwell on it further, the chicken Netherkin’s pained screeching suddenly stopped—as though a consciousness had awakened within the sludge.

“Impossible… impossible!”

The voice sounded like it came from the depths of hell, brimming with deep, unyielding resentment.

Though it had now taken on a muddy form with no clear shape, Luo Wusheng could still feel the Netherkin’s intense hatred focused squarely on him.

“I gave everything in this life to reach where I am— I even descended into the Fallen Phoenix Abyss! How could— how could I die at the hands of a mere human!?”

“Damn it, damn it, damn it! You accursed Holy Saint of the Demon Sect—this one curses you!!”

The black-mud-formed being had gone completely mad.

In the next instant, the sludge exploded outward, dispersing and evaporating rapidly. Only a speck of blackness remained where its eyes once were.

A curse?

Bai Xiaoyao’s heart tightened as she kept her guard up.

She could feel it—some sinister and ominous force was indeed descending from the void, aimed precisely at her Senior Brother.

But the force was intangible, like a rule of the world itself. With her current cultivation, she couldn’t stop it, nor could she destroy it.

Bai Xiaoyao grew anxious.

Curses were among the most vile and insidious of mystical spells, often requiring immense sacrifices—harmful to both the caster and the target.

And because of their elusive nature, they were notoriously difficult to guard against, and their effects could range wildly.

Bai Xiaoyao had no desire to risk what kind of curse this one might be.

Especially since her Senior Brother currently lacked any spiritual energy for protection—he could barely resist, if at all…

Time seemed to slow to a crawl in that moment.

But the more dire the situation, the more acute Bai Xiaoyao’s instincts became—allowing her to notice subtle details others would miss.

For instance—the sinister force descending upon them began to show slight signs of distortion as it drew near.

Her mind raced, and she suddenly sent a strand of her silver thread flying toward the hollow on the trunk of the great tree.

But before the thread could reach the red thread inside the hollow—it vanished into nothing.

The red thread that should have been within the hollow… now appeared beside the young man and woman’s tightly clasped hands.

Its two ends were now tied around their wrists, binding them together.

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Note: Link to the character Illustration:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD¹

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