230: Chapter 226: Ashes to Ashes 230: Chapter 226: Ashes to Ashes It seemed incredibly long, yet it appeared to be just a blink of an eye.
At that moment, time itself seemed to be in disarray.
With a “bang,” Buck Teeth Zhu, who had been yanked up four or five meters into the air, plummeted down.
Although he landed on his buttocks, he still cried out in pain.
Looking up, he glanced overhead.
What he had just experienced seemed to him like nothing more than a dream.
The cobwebs, the giant spider, and the five ghostly shadows, which had been struggling against the webs to prevent him from being dragged into the giant spider’s huge mouth, had all vanished without a trace.
The gray sky had cleared once again, and the moon that had disappeared was now back in the sky.
If it weren’t for the severe pain still present on Buck Teeth Zhu’s body, and his clear memory of having fallen from several meters up, he really might have doubted whether the scene had actually occurred.
The thought of his subordinate Mountain Dog, crunched up by the giant spider’s bones and all, sent shivers down Buck Teeth Zhu’s spine.
At this moment, he felt a sense of relief from having survived a calamity, the pain in his body now insignificant.
Not far away, Hou Donggui, who had used the Five Ghosts to help him with all his might, had collapsed to the ground.
He who had fallen face-up looked much older, with deepened wrinkles on his face.
Elsewhere, Chen Hai’s physical body remained seated in lotus position.
Blood slowly seeped from every pore of his body, making him look like a blood-soaked figure.
What exactly had happened in that instant?
Why did the giant spider suddenly vanish?
At this point, Buck Teeth Zhu was completely bewildered.
All he remembered was yelling for help from Chen Hai, and as he shouted, his mind seemed to freeze, then intense pain engulfed him, and he found himself on the ground.
The giant leech that Chen Hai’s Divine Soul had transformed into had been clearly visible to Buck Teeth Zhu before.
But now, he could no longer see it.
In a place unseen by him, Chen Hai’s Divine Soul was wandering through the void.
After the giant spider was obliterated, the unknown existence known as the Black Water Leech Emperor withdrew its gaze, and normality returned to the area.
Whether intentional or not, the gaze of the Black Water Leech Emperor, though it incinerated the spider, seemed to not be completely thorough in its destruction.
In the invisible void, remnants of demonic power from the giant spider persisted.
To ordinary people, these remnants were more poisonous than the deadliest toxin.
But to Chen Hai, these remnants of demonic power were his most delectable food.
After devouring the leftover demonic power in the void, his soul returned to his body.
His blood-soaked appearance was merely a necessary price he had to pay to communicate with the Black Water Leech Emperor.
When Chen Hai first began his Cultivation and glimpsed its colossal form, tears of blood seeped from his eyes.
And now, in communicating with the Black Water Leech Emperor and inducing this terrifying presence to cast a glance upon the Material World, the backlash he suffered was much stronger than before.
Luckily, this was still within Chen Hai’s tolerance.
Based on the theories exchanged with Hou Donggui during their discussions, this sort of backlash likely did not come from the Black Water Leech Emperor but from the world itself.
After all, if the world had a rudimentary will, actions like Chen Hai’s, invoking an external existence to project power into this world, would definitely be abhorred by the worldly will.
That it would render a punishment and cause backlash to Chen Hai made sense.
As soon as his soul returned to his body, Chen Hai could already feel the severity of his physical injuries.
By his estimate, without a good ten to eight days of rest, a complete recovery would be difficult.
However, his spirits were very high.
After the spider turned to ashes, the mere forces that remained were devoured by him, and he could clearly feel the frenzied growth in his Divine Soul power.
“I might be able to advance further within a year and step into the Object Controlling Realm…”
Chen Hai felt this realization emerge within him.
If it were just normal Cultivation, according to his original estimate, breaking through the current Day Tour Realm and entering the Object Control level within three to five years would have been quite lucky.
After all, Day Tour or Night Tour were strictly speaking, only the initial stages of Cultivation.
Like now, despite his strong Divine Soul power, facing a group of ordinary people, he could still be beaten black and blue.
But the Object Controlling Realm was entirely different.
Once stepping into this level, one undergoes a complete qualitative transformation.
At that time, his spirit could truly interfere with matter, and as a Tao Cultivator, he could truly display his supreme power.
With such gains at hand, how could Chen Hai’s heart not be filled with joy?
Wiping the fresh blood from his face, Chen Hai steadied himself and stood up shakily.
“Brother Zhu, I’ve taken a huge loss helping you this time.
I almost lost my life here.”
“Fortunately, I was lucky enough to take care of that giant spider and completely removed the curse for you!”
His gaze fell directly on Buck Teeth Zhu’s face nearby, and Chen Hai gave a displeased snort.
Having dealt with the giant spider, his gains were indeed not small.
However, this didn’t mean he had no complaints about Buck Teeth Zhu.
After all, he held a deep disdain for this guy.
The main reason he agreed to help him clear the curse was mostly for the sake of Hou Donggui.
The giant spider drawn out by his curse was incredibly terrifying in strength.
While being tortured by the giant spider between life and death, Chen Hai truly loathed Buck Teeth Zhu, itching with rage.
If it weren’t for his trump card, successfully drawing the Black Water Leech Emperor’s gaze, he could’ve ended up with his soul scattered to the winds.
“Young Master Chen, I had no idea it would turn out like this.”
“If I had known earlier that my curse would draw out such a creature, I would rather remain celibate all my life than trouble Young Master Chen, honestly!”
Buck Teeth Zhu hurriedly tried to explain.
Now, when he looked at Chen Hai, his eyes carried a hint of fear.
After all, he had witnessed firsthand the fearsome creature that emerged from Chen Hai’s body.
Although he had heard about soul departure, he had always believed it to be nothing more than a legend, never taking it seriously.
But now, having seen Chen Hai’s soul departure with his own eyes, there were some things Buck Teeth Zhu could no longer refuse to believe, even if he didn’t want to.
When it comes to the unknown, people naturally harbor a sense of awe.
What’s more, Chen Hai’s divine soul was so ferocious and terrifying in appearance.
To be honest, Buck Teeth Zhu was ready to back down before the giant spider even appeared.
It was Chen Hai himself who did not want to give up halfway.
He wanted to put an end to the curse once and for all, and thus he continued to probe until he ultimately lured out the giant spider.
Strictly speaking, Chen Hai’s near-fatal plight was indeed related to Buck Teeth Zhu, but the main cause was still on Chen Hai himself.
However, this truth was something Buck Teeth Zhu could only think about in his heart.
Already afraid of Chen Hai, he didn’t have the courage to say these words in front of Chen Hai.
Just in case Chen Hai thought he was shirking responsibility without taking accountability…
The mere thought of the grotesque creature hidden within Chen Hai’s body made Buck Teeth Zhu shudder uncontrollably several times.
“Young Master Chen, this is my fault, I’ve dragged you into this mess!”
“As for the compensation, whatever you want, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied.”
After hesitating for a while, Buck Teeth Zhu bit his lip and made his vow.
But Chen Hai didn’t bother with him, merely waving his hand at him dismissively.
With unsteady steps, Chen Hai walked up to Hou Donggui, knelt down, and checked his breathing.
The injuries on his body were already rather severe.
But Hou Donggui’s injuries were far worse than his own by many magnitudes.
When it came to healing, Chen Hai was not skilled; seeing the situation, he furrowed his brows and pondered for a long time.
“Hopefully, the Danghui Talisman can be somewhat effective for Brother Hou’s injuries,” he said, flipping his hand and a Danghui Talisman appeared, which he activated without delay.
The white light that burst forth from the talisman was blindingly bright against the darkness of the night.
Under the blanket of white light from the Danghui Talisman, the rise and fall of Hou Donggui’s chest became noticeably steadier.
His initially weak breathing also gradually became heavier.
The Danghui Talisman was targeted at unclean qi.
Using the talisman on Hou Donggui wasn’t strictly appropriate, but there was some effect.
After all, while the primary cause for his injuries was excessive energy consumption and spell casting backlash, there was also yin qi and unclean qi that had entered his body while he used the Five Ghosts, burdening him greatly.
“Cough cough cough…” After the yin and unclean qi in his body were expelled, Hou Donggui, slightly improved, coughed several times and finally slowly opened his eyes.
“Brother Chen, that terrifying creature, which you summoned at the end and cast its gaze, what kind of magnificent being is it?”
“Just being merely grazed by the remnant light of that gaze, my Five Ghosts didn’t even have a chance to react before they were utterly annihilated.”
“I, Hou, am best at the Five Ghosts Transportation Technique.
Now that the Five Ghosts are gone, my spell is completely ruined…”
With a complex look at the Chen Hai before him, Hou Donggui was utterly disheartened and let out a long, reluctant sigh.