Chapter 28: Sudden Change, The Devouring Worm!

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From eternal night to eternal day.

The entire sky was illuminated.

Above the black domain, a massive rift appeared, countless lightning bolts pouring in through it, crashing down onto the towering mountain giant.

In an instant, its massive body was struck until it was entirely pitch black.

The objects that had been granted life and animated began to char and peel off layer by layer, eventually revealing the black sphere once again.

CRACK, CRACK, CRACK…

One crack after another appeared on the black sphere. Accompanied by shattering sounds, the entire sphere turned into powder, scattering into ashes.

Only then did Han Zhen finally let out a sigh of relief.

"We've won!"

He looked up and saw a smile also appear on Yi Fan's face. But in the next moment, Yi Fan's smile turned into shock, his pupils trembling as he looked behind Han Zhen.

An even more terrifying aura rose behind Han Zhen.

Han Zhen clearly saw Yi Fan mouth two words: "RUN!"

In his Eight Locks Fist state, Han Zhen instinctively sidestepped, but his abdomen was still pierced through by an attack.

The massive impact sent Han Zhen flying backward with his Fuxi Qin in his arms. As he looked up at the sky, his expression was one of shock.

The black domain hadn't disappeared.

'Did the Rover not die?'

'No, the black sphere was its core. That couldn't be fake. Dead meant dead.'

'Then what is going on with this black domain?'

Only now did Han Zhen finally see clearly who had ambushed him from behind.

Bai Shuang.

And floating beside her, a fully grown Rover.

Having absorbed the life force of the deceased juvenile Rover, this adult Rover maintained a special humanoid form. Its two bone wings unfolded behind it, as it retracted the right hand it had just raised.

On its chest, an even larger black sphere was emitting an eerie glow.

It was this.

Han Zhen's pupils contracted sharply.

"Surprised?" Bai Shuang still wore the heavily made-up look from when Han Zhen had first met her. She stood elegantly beside the adult Rover.

"This adult Rover is my gift to you. So? Do you like it?"

An adult Rover, a peak third-order insectoid with near-fourth-order strength.

If Han Zhen's group could barely manage to deal with a juvenile Rover, then against an adult Rover, they were absolutely no match.

Only now did Han Zhen realize this was an outright trap.

"I disguised it with my 'Deception' and kept it by my side, then waited for the right moment to release it for a finishing blow."

Yi Fan ran over with a solemn expression, positioning himself protectively in front of Han Zhen. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why? Hahaha! Why?"

Bai Shuang laughed, tears suddenly streaming down her cheeks.

She raised her hand to cover her eyes, but her other hand seemed to lose control, grabbing her own wrist instead.

Bai Shuang awkwardly struggled, lifting her head. Han Zhen and Yi Fan, facing her, caught a fleeting silver-white insect shadow flash through her pupils.

"What was that?"

"The second time. There's no mistaking it, this is the second time I've seen it."

"What second time? What do you know?"

Yi Fan saw Han Zhen weakly raise a hand and point at Bai Shuang. "Bai Shuang, she's been parasitized."

"Parasitized?"

"Yes. That silver-white insect shadow in her pupils just now—it's the fabled Devouring Worm."

The Devouring Worm, a fourth-order insectoid.

In Lin Jingxuan's notes, this species of insectoid should have been entirely eradicated 32 years ago during a large-scale insect disaster, wiped out by the First War Zone at the time.

That was why Han Zhen couldn't believe what he saw when he first encountered that silver-white shadow.

Fourth-order insectoids were utterly beyond their current capabilities to handle.

It was classified as fourth-order because of its terrifying innate ability, [Brain Devour]

Once the Devouring Worm invaded a brain, its ability would completely seize and control the host, turning them into nothing more than a puppet.

Not only that, but it possessed traits of asexual reproduction and division.

This made the Devouring Worm far more dangerous than other insectoids of the same order.

Once the Devouring Worm infested en masse, humanity would be reduced to mere empty husks, bringing unimaginable calamities.

In the history of Blue Star, there was a case where a careless seventh-order powerhouse was parasitized by a Devouring Worm, leading to the slaughter of an entire city he was supposed to protect. It resulted in massive carnage and a sea of corpses.

It took an immense amount of time, effort, and casualties to finally eliminate the threat.

The Bai Shuang before them had clearly been taken over, completely turned into a puppet.

Her awkward and struggling reactions were merely residual instincts triggered by hearing Yi Fan's voice.

"You should go," Yi Fan said, his expression complicated after hearing Han Zhen's explanation. "I have the Immortal talent. I won't die."

"We can't escape," Han Zhen barely stood up, shaking his head.

"The adult Rover's [Black Domain], after absorbing the juvenile Rover, has expanded by at least ten times."

"With our current speed, we'd be caught and killed before reaching the edge of the domain."

"Not to mention, there's still the Devouring Worm lurking."

"This was designed as a dead-end trap."

Han Zhen's gaze suddenly calmed.

"Yi Fan, you still have four uses of [Immortal] left, don't you?"

"Yes, four more times today," Yi Fan replied, puzzled by the question.

He saw Han Zhen suddenly grin.

In such a dire situation, he could still smile?

"Can you give me the time for one song?" Han Zhen asked, clutching his abdomen as he slowly sat down.

"No problem."

Hearing Yi Fan's firm reply, Han Zhen no longer hesitated. He immersed his mind in the Fuxi Qin and began to play once more.

The melody was serene, like pearls and jade cascading, clear and melodious.

The piece was [Serene Heart Tune]

The heavily drained spiritual energy and the gaping wound on his body began to recover at a visibly rapid pace.

Seeing this, "Bai Shuang" and the Rover moved.

They knew Han Zhen's strength. The power of his strike that killed the juvenile Rover earlier was enough to make even them wary.

The Rover raised its hands, releasing a dark energy blast. Yi Fan charged forward, holding his ground with all his might.

At that moment, "Bai Shuang" closed in and grabbed his shoulder.

"Your Immortal Body is fake. You don't actually have an Immortal Body." "Bai Shuang" taunted, as the silver-white insect shadow in her pupils split and began crawling toward Yi Fan's body through her arm.

Pinned face-to-face with her, Yi Fan hesitated for a moment.

But then, he suddenly headbutted her hard, smashing her face.

"Fake or not, it's not for you to decide," Yi Fan said, pulling a silver-white worm from his body and crushing it forcefully.

[Immortal], remaining uses: 2.

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