Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Only Corroding Clothes

[A single finger from a first-tier Extraordinary person can summon “Xiao Zuo” once. Each time “Xiao Zuo” is sacrificed, it undergoes changes. It now has over ten fingers forming its legs.]

[The last time I summoned “Xiao Zuo,” it stayed longer than usual. Its palm bulged out like it was pregnant.]

[Spiritual beings are also evolving.]

[If I summon “Xiao Zuo” outside of the simulation, what form would it stay in?]

[Using different materials for spiritual summons results in creatures that have some correlation with the material properties.]

[This correlation is especially evident when using the corpses of first-tier Extraordinary persons. As long as they are of the same path and tier, the summoned entities will be very similar, different individuals of the same spiritual being.]

[The “formula” for spiritual summons is akin to potion recipes.]

[Is there any connection between them?]

[Through multiple summons, I’ve gained some insights on how to communicate with them… However, each summon consumes a significant amount of blood and spirit. While spirit is manageable, the loss of blood is quite taxing.]

[The blood of dead Extraordinary persons and ordinary people is useless. Is it necessary to use my own blood?]

[If I were to sacrifice an Extraordinary person alive, would I need to draw my own blood?]

[Save some energy and test with Jiti’s corpse later… First, let the shadow gather some brain tissue and skull fragments of hers, keeping them as intact as possible.]

A notebook with crooked Chinese characters lay in the pool of blood, allowing the blood to seep into the pages, making the distorted text even more bizarre.

Xia’er gazed intently at the blood mist vortex and Jiti’s burning corpse.

Blood threads continuously peeled away from Xia’er’s body, causing her to feel dizzy due to the lack of blood.

“Have I summoned too much at once?” Xia’er thought to herself.

Since she was in a simulation, Xia’er wasn’t too concerned about her physical state.

If she could identify any side effects, it would be better; avoiding real-life pitfalls.

The black noise in Xia’er’s brain continued. She felt the ground shake slightly as the corpse burned.

Such a commotion for this summon?

As fine sand and gravel fell onto Jiti’s burning corpse from the ceiling, Xia’er was surprised by the magnitude of the summon.

This was the most intense summon she had experienced, fitting for a second-tier corpse…

What could the corpse of a “Missionary” summon?

Would the Satarna Mark within Jiti bring any changes?

If “Satarna” truly was a deity, wouldn’t sacrificing a corpse with his mark summon something akin to his offspring?

Luckily, the summoned entity didn’t attack her and could still communicate simply.

Perhaps due to its low tier, the spiritual being couldn’t engage in complex communication, resembling communication with a small cat or dog—just with a drastically different appearance.

The blood threads stopped flowing, and the blood mist vortex finally formed.

Lucky, it didn’t drain her completely…

At that moment, Xia’er felt a distinct vibration, accompanied by sharp cries.

It felt like thousands of people were wailing in her mind, almost causing her head to explode!

This spiritual being… no!

It could be one of Satarna’s offspring!

Will Judge Xia’er’s save file become an acolyte?

Xia’er struggled to lift her left hand and tightly grabbed her head, hoping the pain would help her stay clear-headed.

A massive tentacle emerged from the blood mist, adhering to the nearby wall. A giant mouth, like one from the abyss, pulled itself out along the blood mist vortex, dragging its spiked tentacles.

Its giant grinding mouth connected to a throat lined with jagged teeth like a sandworm, deep and endless… The throat seemed like a path to another world.

Entering here… could it really lead to the Other Realm?

The shadows beneath Xia’er began to boil, ready to confront the terrifying creature that caused her severe delusions.

However…

Xia’er saw a circle of eyes around the giant mouth. Some of them stared at her, emitting obvious goodwill.

The creature’s throat produced “gurgling” sounds, sounding like playful whimpers. These sounds didn’t disturb Xia’er mentally.

Now, it felt like a golden retriever trying to enter through a door with a stick stuck in it, looking pitifully at her.

Unable to come out… insufficient materials? Missing parts? Too little blood?

These weren’t immediate concerns for Xia’er.

Because, in the reflection of the purple eye on the giant mouth, she saw familiar figures.

So it was them…

No wonder my head feels like it’s going to explode… Why did they bring so many people?

If they don’t quiet down soon, my mind won’t hold up.

Xia’er pressed her head with her left hand and slowly turned around to look behind her.

They seemed to be shouting something, and those following them were staring in terror, but Xia’er couldn’t make out what they were saying.

“Shut up…”

Can you be quieter?

Before she could finish, a few mournful cries echoed in her mind. She saw several Extraordinary persons behind the door, already hugging their heads and fleeing in panic.

The third-tier “Crown Guard” Nia had already raised her sword and shield in front of Aivana, the silver shield flashing faint blue light.

What’s happening? Why is the sword pointed at me?

Xia’er hesitated for a second.

Fighting a third-tier opponent? Really or fake?

Oh right…

Xia’er suddenly remembered she had an unsightly spiritual being behind her, which must have scared them.

Phew—

Blows of wind sounded beside her ears. As Xia’er pondered how to explain the situation, the threatened mouth lunged forward with all its tentacles, aiming straight for the four people who hadn’t escaped yet.

Oh no!

Xia’er quickly lifted her hand and pressed against the tentacle next to her, stopping it in its tracks.

But she could only stop one tentacle.

Dozens of other tentacles covered the sky and charged directly at the others.

The giant mouth that was previously stuck in the blood mist vortex gave up trying to emerge and retracted, leaving behind a section of skin with eyes for observation. The rest of the space was already filled with dense tentacles.

“Covered.”

“Bang!”

Due to the escape of others, Xia’er’s mind and ears temporarily recovered somewhat from the muttering. She heard the clashing sound of metal, faintly audible by her ear, yet it shook the entire ground.

In the gaps between the writhing tentacles, Xia’er saw a golden honeycomb-like light barrier flicker in front of Nia at the entrance. Although there were gaps between each light barrier, they tightly protected Jiti and Aivana behind her.

The seemingly terrifying tentacles and barbed thorns did not affect the shield around Jiti at all.

A large number of tentacles covered the shield, although they couldn’t harm the occupants inside, the suction cups on the tentacles continuously released green mucus, which flowed down through the gaps in the light barriers, covering them entirely.

Upon feeling the terrifying spiritual alert in her mind, Yulis instinctively gathered all the white shadows in front of her, severing the probing tentacles, which left purple blood dripping all over her.

Adelle was more straightforward. The single white shadow left by Yulis could not determine where the attack came from since the alarm sounded all around — the tentacles had already surrounded Adelle.

The result was that the first-tier Adelle had no defensive means and was instantly wrapped up by four tentacles and pulled back.

“Mmm.”

Adelle was bound by the tentacles and hung beside Xia’er.

Seizing this moment, Xia’er turned her head to look at the eyes in the blood mist vortex behind her, glaring fiercely and mentally shouting, “Stop attacking!”

Xia’er could not issue any complex commands. From previous experiments, she knew that too complex instructions might be incomprehensible to spiritual beings.

The purple, sinister pupils rotated slightly before slowly retracting the tentacles, pulling the remaining ones to the edge of the blood mist vortex.

At this point, the blood mist vortex was gradually shrinking, indicating that it was about to end.

After dealing with the spiritual beings’ attack, feeling the increasing muttering that was giving her a headache, Xia’er turned to look at Adelle, who was still hanging in mid-air by several tentacles.

“No crying!”

Xia’er put her index finger in front of her lips, trying to remain calm, but her tone still sounded threatening.

Adelle, hearing Xia’er speak, hesitated for a moment before tightening her lips and stopping her sobs, though tears continued to fall.

“Let her down.”

Xia’er waved her hand, signaling the tentacles to release Adelle.

Standing still, Adelle looked at Xia’er, her legs trembling, but she dared not run away, fearing she would be caught again.

“Adelle? Adelle, where are you?!”

“Miss, are you alright?”

“I… I’m fine…”

Xia’er glanced toward the door, where chaos reigned. She couldn’t hear what they were saying.

She turned to Adelle and asked, “Why did you come here?”

This time, Xia’er’s direct question finally brought Adelle back to her senses.

After confirming she wasn’t hallucinating, Adelle sniffled and asked, “Xia’er… Are you… insane?”

“Why would I go insane?”

Xia’er frowned and said, “I just can’t hear you well. Yulis also ran off mysteriously.”

“…What?”

Adelle blinked, stunned, and murmured, “They said you drank a first-tier potion and a second-tier potion within 24 hours… and went insane…”

“My ‘Avenger’ potion wasn’t drunk within 24 hours.”

Xia’er shook her head and said, “I just have hidden means. You misunderstood.”

Adelle: “What… What about that monster?”

Adelle could sense Xia’er’s rationality and fluent communication, but she still couldn’t understand the evil ritual Xia’er set up or the terrifying monsters summoned… It was clearly a cultist method.

“A few cultists held a sacrifice ritual here before escaping. When I woke up from unconsciousness, I came over to resolve it.”

Xia’er made up a story, then silently told the spiritual being to retreat.

As the tentacles retracted, the blood mist vortex slowly shrunk until it completely vanished.

Even the purple blood and mucus left by the tentacles and the remains on the ground began to fragment, turning into faint blue spiritual light and dissipating.

Adelle clearly believed Xia’er’s explanation, no longer looking dejected. Xia’er’s mental muttering immediately eased.

However, the muttering from the doorway continued to invade Xia’er’s mind.

“Help me explain this to them,” Xia’er said to Adelle, “and tell them that I have many chaotic voices in my head. If they stay fearful, it will only make my muttering worse.”

“Okay.”

Adelle nodded vigorously and ran towards the doorway.

At the doorway, after the purple blood and mucus disappeared, everyone regrouped and kept an eye on Xia’er’s direction.

Except for Nia, who was unharmed, the cloth on Yulis and Aivana was corroded, revealing large holes that almost exposed their vital areas.

Seeing Adelle running towards them unharmed, they were stunned.

Only after Adelle relayed Xia’er’s words did Aivana and Yulis look at Xia’er with suspicion.

Xia’er’s words were full of doubts… However, it was clear now that Xia’er hadn’t been assimilated by the potion and still retained her rationality.

As their attitudes changed, Xia’er’s buzzing in her ears gradually subsided, and the dizziness from massive blood loss finally hit her, making her feel unsteady.

Noticing Xia’er’s condition, Adelle and Aivana ran towards Xia’er, followed closely by Yulis and Nia.

Just as Xia’er’s legs gave out and she started to fall forward, Aivana stepped forward to support Xia’er, helping her lie down gently, with Xia’er’s head resting on Aivana’s bare thigh.

“Hang in there, Xia’er.”

Adelle, who had been frantic earlier, now calmed down and noticed Xia’er’s severe lack of blood.

She quickly took out a deep green potion, shook it slightly, uncorked it, and handed it to Xia’er.

Already severely dehydrated from blood loss, Xia’er drank the potion in one gulp.

After the cool potion entered her mouth, warmth began to spread from where the potion flowed, reviving Xia’er’s numb limbs.

But the soft object beneath her head brought on waves of drowsiness, overwhelming Xia’er who was already exhausted.