Chapter 24: The Source
As Wang Zizia emerged, he was greeted by a sight of corpses strewn about. Over thirty guards from the Wang Mansion lay lifeless, their bodies stiff and showing signs of decomposition, indicating they had been dead for over two days.
However, in the distance, within the corridor, maidservants and servants carrying lanterns roamed about, seemingly oblivious to the grim scene. This only reinforced Wang Zizia's feeling that this eerie domain was akin to a game setting.
"The gate guards are triggered actively, while the mansion guards are triggered passively, and there's a collective response!" Wang Zizia mused, likening the situation to entering a dungeon in a game. "Feels like entering a dungeon, but it's a shame it's not fully developed yet. No sense of immersion at all. Poor rating!"
Wang Zizia thought to himself, displaying a complete lack of self-awareness.
If this kind of strangeness were to become a reality, he doubted he would even qualify to stand on the sidelines and cheer, similar to the bizarre battle with the goat-headed monster the previous night.
After a brief examination of the guards' corpses, he found them to be ordinary mortals, with no valuables to plunder.
Wang Zizia then proceeded to call out the names of the maidservants and servants in the courtyard one by one, much like before. As these individuals approached him, they were overwhelmed by his imposing aura and collapsed on the spot, just as others had done before them.
After a moment, Wang Zizia had scrutinized every living being in the vicinity and caused over ten of them to collapse.
Gaining 131 points in value, his cultivation successfully surpassed the six-hundred-year mark!
Once he confirmed there were no mobile objects left, Wang Zizia made his way towards the center of the courtyard, where he sensed a fluctuation that both irritated and intrigued him.
It seemed to be a study of sorts, quite spacious.
"Mine, left to me by my master!"
"Mama..."
"It's mine, left to me by my master!"
Slurp, slurp...
As he approached the room, he heard murmuring voices, accompanied by the sounds of chewing and swallowing, as if people were fighting over food.
"Living beings? Wasn't it said that it was still in gestating period?" Wang Zizia's thoughts flickered as he paused for a moment, before quietly approaching the window and licking his fingers. He then gently poked a hole in the paper covering the window and peered inside.
Upon seeing the situation in the room clearly, Wang Zizia's pupils contracted suddenly.
He had been mistaken earlier; this was not a study but a cultivation chamber, albeit with a bookshelf on one side.
And at this moment, at the center of the vast and empty cultivation chamber, there was a creature of indeterminate nature.
It was a massive fleshy ball nearly two meters in diameter, its surface not smooth but rather resembling raw flesh torn from a body, crimson and extremely rough.
Veins were visible on its surface, and there were numerous fleshy protrusions, each with a human face appearing faintly.
At the point where the massive fleshy ball met the ground, there were tangled root-like blood vessels, as if the ball had grown out of the earth.
At the top of the fleshy ball, there were a man and a woman seemingly attached to it, with their lower bodies submerged within the ball.
The two figures no longer appeared entirely human, as they continuously bit each other, with wounds rapidly healing.
As their wounds made contact, fleshy buds sprouted, as if attempting to merge, but due to their movements, the buds stretched and intertwined, enveloping each other.
Meanwhile, both parties seemed to instinctively avoid each other's heads, constantly pressing their bodies against each other, writhing, twisting, and entwining like snakes, while continuously biting, healing wounds, and producing sprouting flesh buds.
It appeared that the fleshy ball below was gradually forming in this entanglement.
"Mine, left to me by my master!"
"Mama..."
"It's mine, left to me by my master!"
Slurp, slurp...
In their delirium, both individuals were murmuring unconsciously.
"Gurgle..."
Watching this scene, Wang Zizia involuntarily felt a lump form in his throat.
After careful observation for a moment, Wang Zizia roughly understood the situation of the two individuals.
These two, like Wang Zizia before, seemed to be in a state of madness, albeit more thoroughly so, having lost all consciousness.
He wondered if, when this so-called gestation process ended, there would be a restoration of consciousness or the birth of something new.
After scrutinizing for a while and feeling unafraid of contamination, and considering that the fleshy ball was currently immobile, Wang Zizia drew out a dagger and inserted it into the gap in the window.
Exhaling his true qi gently, he moved the dagger slightly upward, cutting off the window's latch and opening it.
He didn't immediately jump into the room but kept his entire body tense, ready to flee at any moment.
As the window opened, the eerie moonlight illuminated the room, adding to its sinister atmosphere.
Despite the considerable commotion, the fleshy ball and the two entangled figures atop it remained unresponsive. Seeing this, Wang Zizia breathed a slight sigh of relief.
After checking that there were no other people inside the room, Wang Zizia cautiously flipped into it and approached the massive fleshy ball at its center.
The fleshy ball paid him no heed, resembling nothing more than a giant egg.
Wang Zizia circled around it, his courage bolstered slightly.
He gently prodded the fleshy ball with his dagger. Though the dagger was sharp, the fleshy ball, contrary to its terrifying appearance, lacked any resilience. It oozed blood with a light touch.
The blood rolled down the fleshy ball, yet before it could reach the ground, the wound had already healed. Throughout the process, neither the fleshy ball nor the figures above showed any particular reaction.
This was indeed an "egg"!
Wang Zizia's eyes brightened. He aimed at one of the fleshy protrusions on the ball and thrust his dagger into it.
Squish!
The fleshy protrusion looked terrifying, but it was more fragile than ordinary flesh. With a light stroke, the dagger almost pierced through it.
This time, the fleshy ball trembled slightly, and the two figures being consumed by it seemed to gnaw more vigorously.
Wang Zizia narrowed his eyes, reassured of the lack of danger. Suddenly, his true qi surged throughout his body, his six-hundred-year-old innate qi billowing, and the dagger in his hands emitted a blade aura extending half a meter.
"Wandering Dragon Blade: Phantom Shadow!"
"Wandering Dragon Blade: Twin Dragon Formation!"
...
Facing the fleshy ball, Wang Zizia wielded his dagger, and with the enhancement of the blade aura, it was as if he held two radiant swords, swiftly cutting through this fragile entity.
As the dual blades danced, the fleshy ball was relentlessly hacked into pieces by Wang Zizia, scattering all over the floor.
However, what slightly concerned Wang Zizia was that the bloody chunks of flesh, upon falling to the ground, did not lose their vitality. They continued to squirm, attempting to reassemble. This spurred him to cut even more ferociously.
Swish!
Finally, the entire fleshy ball was sliced into chunks by Wang Zizia, and the two entwined figures on top fell down. Amidst the wriggling flesh, their frenzied movements slightly slowed, hinting at a return of consciousness.
But Wang Zizia paid no heed. He continued to cut at the fallen figures, including severing the intact heads of the two.
Splatter!
As he cleaved off half of their skulls along with portions of their brains, the entangled, gnawing figures finally ceased their actions.
(End of Chapter)