Shackles of Humanity

Luo Kai’s gaze suddenly locked onto a corner. Following his intuition, his saber struck out. With a BOOM, shattered rock flew everywhere, and a huge, narrow fissure was cleaved into the rock wall.

Inside the fissure was a small stone room. A woman with heavy, garish makeup emerged from within, covered in dust and grime, and exclaimed in admiration, "Third Brother, you never fail to surprise me. The way I see it, with your current strength, you’ll be invincible below the rank of Body Master!" The voice was hoarse and ancient—it was unmistakably Li Gui’s.

Luo Kai stared at him coldly. The woman was right before his eyes, yet with a single blink, her face would transform. The previous face would fade from his memory just as quickly. ’This old bastard’s shapeshifting skills are simply beyond belief.’

Li Gui ran a hand over his face and explained, "This is a Thousand-Faced Illusion Pearl from a Southern Sea Mirage Beast. It has the wondrous ability to erase visual memory."

Luo Kai took a deep breath, suppressing his violent rage. "You’re the one who took Lu Qing, aren’t you? So, spit it out. What the hell do you want?"

Li Gui contorted his body and rubbed a hand across his face. His form gradually hunched over, his features wrinkling until he had returned to his original, decrepit appearance. He spoke with a pitiable air, "Third Brother, my hand was forced. Those hounds from the Judgement Department tracked me all the way to Broken Star Island. There’s no place left for me in this world. Look at me... I probably only have a few months left. I had to resort to this last-ditch effort."

Luo Kai’s voice was cold. "So you’re still after me. You want to drink my blood?"

But Li Gui shook his head. "This old man’s life is of no consequence. The real reason I sought you out, Third Brother, is to pass my legacy on to you."

The moment he finished speaking, he broke into a heart-wrenching coughing fit. Afterward, his body seemed even more hunched. He sighed, his face a mask of sorrow, and walked over to the statue. He swiped a hand across his own palm.

The spurting blood congealed mid-air, slowly morphing into a symbol. Wisps of black light materialized from the void, seeping into the spot between his eyebrows. A moment later, his hunched figure straightened considerably, and a sharp glint returned to his eyes.

The cold, sinister Energy grew denser. Li Gui’s actions looked like some sort of ritual to communicate with an unknown power. Not knowing if Lu Qing was safe, Luo Kai didn’t dare make a reckless move.

Much of Li Gui’s withered Spirit returned. He continued, "Third Brother, I hail from an ancient organization: the Blood Holy Sect. By now, the Holy Sect has waned into obscurity. My life is a small matter, but the legacy of the Holy Sect cannot be allowed to die with me!"

Luo Kai considered this for a moment, then agreed readily. "Fine. I’ll accept this... inheritance of yours. But you have to release Lu Qing first."

"But of course," Li Gui said. "However, with your current strength, Third Brother, I’m no match for you. As a precaution, I must ask you to swallow this Brain Worm Pill. Afterward, I will naturally let the young lady leave."

A white cocoon appeared in Li Gui’s hand. Inside, a small, blood-red worm could be seen curled up.

One glance told Luo Kai the object was evil. "I want to see Lu Qing first," he said, his voice turning cold.

Li Gui let out a sinister laugh. "Of course. And I won’t hide this from you, Third Brother: the young lady has already ingested one of my Brain Worm Pills. They are exceedingly difficult to cultivate, requiring Essence Blood to be fed. Over time, they form a... genetic entanglement with their master. All it takes is a single thought from me, and it will devour its host’s brain."

Luo Kai’s expression turned frigid. He had immense control over his own body—ordinary poisons couldn’t harm him. But Lu Qing was different. ’This old bastard’s methods are utterly despicable!’

Li Gui gave a dry chuckle and clapped his hands. Another figure emerged from the fissure in the rock wall—a Mutant with a pointy face and simian features. It was Fur Monkey. He offered Luo Kai an apologetic smile and stepped aside, revealing Lu Qing standing behind him. She showed no fear; on the contrary, she was perfectly calm, her expression utterly detached.

"Qing’Er, what’s wrong?" Luo Kai asked anxiously, stepping forward.

Lu Qing looked at Luo Kai as if for the first time, studying him from head to toe before gently shaking her head.

Luo Kai’s heart clenched. He whipped his head around and snarled, "What did you do to her?"

Li Gui looked puzzled as well. "I haven’t done a thing. She’s had that look on her face ever since she got here. Are you two lovebirds having a fight?"

Luo Kai extended his Spiritual Power, carefully scanning Lu Qing. He found nothing different from before. He was intimately familiar with her consciousness frequency; anything else could be faked, but a person’s unique spiritual signature could not. Besides, the two of them had once... merged deeply.

Li Gui urged, "Third Brother, you can take the Brain Worm Pill now, can’t you? Rest assured, the legacy of my Holy Sect is no ordinary thing. The moment I pass it to you, I, the original master, will immediately perish. You will then naturally gain control over the Brain Worm."

Luo Kai hesitated for a moment before taking the white cocoon. ’With my current physique, ordinary poisons are no threat to me,’ he thought. ’But Li Gui is too mysterious. This Brain Worm Pill is definitely something else.’

’Still, I have absolute confidence in my own body. As long as my Spiritual Will is strong enough, anything that enters me must submit to my will.’

Just as he was about to swallow it, Lu Qing suddenly spoke. "Are you taking that for my sake?"

Luo Kai froze, turning to look at her. ’What’s wrong with her?’

Lu Qing continued, "If you don’t want to take it, you don’t have to. It’s all right."

Luo Kai finally realized something was wrong. His voice turned cold. "You’re not Lu Qing. Who are you?"

Lu Qing looked stunned. Her delicate brows furrowed as she murmured, "That’s right... who am I?" The words had barely left her lips when her body began to tremble violently, and she slowly crumpled to the ground.

Luo Kai rushed forward and caught her. He could feel her consciousness frequency fluctuating wildly, descending into chaos. He quickly activated his Spiritual Power, making gentle contact to soothe her spirit.

Fortunately, Lu Qing’s consciousness didn’t reject his. As if sensing his call, it gradually stabilized. With a soft moan, she opened her eyes and looked around in a daze. "Luo Kai, you’re back... Where is this?"

The gaze of the woman in his arms was once again the one he knew. Luo Kai breathed a sigh of relief. "It’s nothing," he said softly. "You like Moon Lake, don’t you? It’s just outside. I’ll take you to see it in a little while."

Li Gui also let out a sigh of relief. ’If something had happened to that girl, Luo Kai would have surely gone on a rampage, and all my plans would have been ruined.’

"Third Brother, are you at ease now?"

Luo Kai helped Lu Qing to her feet. He swallowed the Blood Worm Pill in his hand in one gulp and said expressionlessly, "There. Is that enough?"

Li Gui closed his eyes, sensing something. When he opened them again, his face was alight with ecstatic joy. He roared with laughter. "Excellent! With the Holy Sect in your hands, Third Brother, it is certain to prosper!" As soon as he finished speaking, his face turned a deathly gray. His hair fell out in clumps, and in an instant, his entire body shriveled into a desiccated corpse. His aura vanished completely. He was dead.

As Luo Kai stared in astonishment, Fur Monkey sighed. He walked over and covered Li Gui’s body with a thick blanket. "Months ago, Teacher could no longer withstand being devoured by the Holy Insect," he said, turning back. "The only reason he held on this long was to find you."

Luo Kai’s voice was grim. "What do you mean?"

Fur Monkey spoke with great solemnity. "What you just swallowed wasn’t a Brain Worm Pill at all. It was the heirloom of our Holy Sect... the Holy Blood Worm!"

Luo Kai’s expression changed. The thing he had just swallowed had already vanished without a trace within his body. He sat down cross-legged, sinking his spiritual consciousness into his own bloodstream, searching inch by inch. Finally, he found a clue. His blood seemed to be filled with countless tiny threads, forming a fine net over his red blood cells. ’What is this stuff?!’