Chapter 600: City of Flesh and Blood

Chapter 600: The City of Flesh and Blood

In the night of Xin'an City, a lone silhouette dashes wildly along the road.

"You cannot escape, Wang Qi; join me, merge with me. From now on no shackles will bind you, the Sequential Path, you and I shall soar together into the blue clouds!"

The frantic voice, like a bone‑eating ghost, clings tenaciously to Wang Qi's back.

No matter how he speeds, he cannot shake it off.

"Wang Qi, have you ever wondered why our martial sequence must be pure flesh and blood, why only by following the ritual can the dormant genes awaken? Who defines 'pure', and who wrote the ritual?"

"All this is but an artificial obstacle! Stop resisting, quickly merge with me; I will break these narrow boxes, and you shall grow freely, ever onward!"

While the bewitching sorcerous voice droned on, a hidden tearing sound suddenly echoed behind Wang Qi's head.

"Treacherous bastard!"

Wang Qi muttered curses in his heart, lunging forward in a desperate sprint, narrowly evading a shattered beam hurled at him.

At the moment of landing, he performed a forward roll, sprang up instantly, kicked away his legs, and ran again without pause.

Wang Qi glanced sideways with his peripheral vision.

His eyes beheld flickering lights and collapsing houses, a bulky figure charging recklessly, unblockable, moving at a staggering speed!

He felt a heavy weight in his heart: the corpse being dragged by the other, and the constant tearing and chewing sounds at his ears.

What the other was doing was obvious.

"Huo Hanhuo, isn't this the martial sequence? How could it suddenly become such an unnatural monster!"

Not only the hair‑raising scene before him, but his subconscious kept issuing warnings.

Whenever he tried to approach Huo Hanhuo, his genes agitated, as if urging him to keep his distance, lest any flesh or fluid from the other invade his body.

Even setting aside his mastery of close combat, relying only on the two Weiwu blades in his hand, he could not overcome the opponent.

In other words, at this moment Huo Hanhuo was beyond Wang Qi's ability to confront.

"Is this dream's backdrop the seedy world of the streets? How could such a thing appear?"

Wang Qi asked again, yet he had no way now to dispel these doubts.

He clenched his fists, suppressed the shock in his heart, and with head down surged forward along the Northern Jingyuan Road.

If he must flee, why head to Jingyuan Road?

Because his base in Xin'an County lies there.

Although he didn't know how a simple 'punishment of a traitor' task turned so bizarre.

But fleeing cannot mean abandoning his belongings.

All his gains on this beginner map remain at home; if he loses the money and the infuser, what then?

Moreover, Wang Qi was unwilling to simply run away, for such an act amounted to betraying the Heavenly Rift.

Having lost a sturdy tree that could shield from wind and rain right at the start, continuing this millet dream would be arduous.

Wang Qi also believed that, given the Heavenly Rift's power in Xin'an County, it could not ignore a traitor like Huo Hanhuo; someone would surely be sent to handle it.

If he merely delays the opponent, he might still reap a modest reward.

With his resolve set, Wang Qi sprinted wildly and soon returned to Jingyuan Road.

A solitary courtyard stood before his eyes.

Suddenly, Wang Qi's eyes widened in surprise.

In the dim night, he saw clearly that his courtyard had become a field of ruin, littered with shattered bricks and grotesque, mutilated limbs, as if a brutal massacre had just occurred.

"The roof leaks just as the night rain falls; could I really be that unlucky?"

The sudden dizziness made Wang Qi's steps slow involuntarily.

In an instant, a massive black shadow enveloped him from behind.

"Give me your body, and I can correct the wrong path you've walked; give me, take you!"

A nauseating stench was near at hand, and a cold chill surged from his tailbone to his crown.

Wang Qi's scalp went numb; he tried to strike back, but discovered his limbs were tightly bound by a slimy intestine, and he could not break free.

"Come, come!"

Huo Hanhuo's swollen, deformed face wore a greedy grin, a terrifying fissure running from his neck to his navel, like a huge mouth gaping open.

The dripping, viscous intestine flew from that 'mouth', coiling and dragging Wang Qi's body, intent on swallowing him whole.

"Take me as the field, you as the seed, and we can grow a more perfect body, with genes that will never collapse!"

Murky eyes shot with feverish anticipation, while the patterns on his forehead twisted like living things within the raging cyan‑black veins.

Huo Hanhuo's voice brimmed with fervor and restrained excitement, for the 'good seed' that could save his life was right before him!

Once, a mistaken promotion had caused his genes to collapse.

To survive, Huo Hanhuo toiled tirelessly, following faint traces to Xin'an County, hoping to find a rescue from the famed 'Old Mountain Gate'.

But after joining forces with the other, the outcome left him utterly disappointed.

Even the 'Old Mountain Gate' offered him no path to life.

Despairing, Huo Hanhuo had planned to simply await death, yet the course of events took a sudden turn.

He encountered a group who called themselves "State".

They offered a technical method that gave him hope of life, in exchange for killing a single "Old Mountain Gate", or more precisely, a person of the Heavenly Rift.

Such a simple condition was impossible for Huo Hanhuo to refuse.

As long as he lived, who else couldn't die or kill?

Watching the ever‑closer twisted mouth, Wang Qi's resentment surged, burning away all fear in his eyes.

Rather than be devoured by this disgusting thing, he would risk his life to slay the opponent.

It's merely a millet dream; I have no desire to play, so be it!

Snap!

A cracking sound like a snapped string rang out.

Wang Qi's right hand broke free from the coiled intestine, his inner force surged and roared along his meridians, gathering wholly upon his fist.

"Want to eat? Come, let me feed you something tastier!"

Wang Qi smiled ferociously, his drawn fist like a fully drawn crescent moon bow.

Just as his fist was about to strike, a faster shadow of a fist shot past his shoulder and smashed into Huo Hanhuo's twisted skull!

Bang!

Splattered gore and stench drenched Wang Qi's head and face; the intestines clinging to him suddenly loosened, and his limp body fell to the ground.

Wang Qi stared, seeing the once‑desperate Huo Hanhuo, now pierced through the belly by an arm, lifted helplessly.

Hoo!

A flame of fury erupted, engulfing Huo Zhi in its entirety. Though his head had been severed, it seemed he hadn't fully died yet, his swollen body convulsing within the flames. No matter how Huo Zhi struggled, the arm gripping his spine remained motionless. The scalding heat lashed against his face, and as the firelight flickered, Wang Qi finally glimpsed the arm's owner. "Ao Hu?" Wang Qi gasped, his gaze fixed on the armor scarred by slashes and decay, unable to move an inch. "Good you're not dead." The flames dimmed, leaving a charred skeleton that crumbled into ash. Ao Hu lowered his eyes, the cold glow of his mechanical eye reflecting unbearable fatigue. "Clean up, I'll take you out of Xin'an. Too late if you delay." Before Wang Qi could ask, Ao Hu turned toward the ruined courtyard. Following his silhouette, Wang Qi's face paled again. A figure sat cross-legged before a broken wall, his face pale as paper beneath bloodstains, eyes closed. If not for the faint chest movements, he'd be indistinguishable from the dead. Wang Qi recognized the face—he'd seen him in a dream, named... Shen Kase. After tea time, a black horse galloped toward Xin'an City. "Ao Hu, tell me honestly where you've been hiding. You know I've searched for you, right? Bringing me here and abandoning me—do you take me for a guide?" "And what's this Huo Zhi? A martial sect disciple turned into this... thing? Eating me? What era is this? How can such customs exist? Or is there really a monster?" Wang Qi gripped the wheel, eyes darting between the road and Ao Hu's relentless questions. Fortunately, Xin'an was unusually quiet; otherwise, his frenzied state and the storm would have killed passersby. "Why so many questions? How do I answer?" Ao Hu sighed, rubbing his helmet's side, the sound sharp. "Of course I'll answer!" Wang Qi insisted. "You must give me an answer today." "Fine." Ao Hu exhaled, "I've been in Xin'an County." Wang Qi erupted, "I knew it! Why hide from me?" "I didn't hide. I had matters to attend to, you couldn't join." "Couldn't join." Wang Qi sighed, "You called me a savior, now you drag me from Jiangnan to Guangzhou and leave me? What's a hero's reward?" Rain lights pierced the downpour, striking Ao Hu's scarred body. "Wang Qi, do you truly want to be a hero? A normal life would be better, wouldn't it?" "Don't talk such deep nonsense. If not a hero, I'd enter this dream." Wang Qi, thinking he'd slipped, quickly changed course: "What's my purpose here?" "You think I live freely? Almost devoured alive, is that good?" Wang Qi snapped, "Back to Huo Zhi—what's his deal?" "He was infected. This city's full of such seeds." "What? Seeds?!" Wang Qi's eyes widened, stunned. The word was too shocking, he missed Ao Hu's next words. If it were between men and women, he'd understand. Even two men, he'd accept. But Huo Zhi's image made it incomprehensible. Who'd breed with such a thing? "Not like you think. They plant genes and desires." Ao Hu's voice cut through Wang Qi's thoughts. "They? Who?" Wang Qi blinked, "Who?" "Nong Xu, She Hui." Ao Hu paused, slowly saying a name Wang Qi never heard. "If you know the enemy, why run? Can She Hui be stronger than Tianque?" "Not about strength. Tianque lost." Wang Qi's expression shifted, murmuring, "Impossible." Though in Xin'an, he'd glimpsed Tianque's power through guild flattery. If Tianque fell, what was She Hui? And this was his starting point—why the sudden difficulty? "Tianque isn't the same sect. Moreover..." Ao Hu glanced back, "They have a traitor." The car fell silent. Rain pounded, the sound like a sealed cage, thickening the tension. "Was that Shen Kase?" After silence, Wang Qi asked. "Yes." "I saw him in a dream. He injected me, nearly killed me." Ao Hu nodded. "I know." "You know?!" Wang Qi frowned, "So my memories aren't dreams?" "Haha, Wang Qi, think this is a game?" The car's silence deepened, the storm's roar echoing their unspoken fears.

An unfamiliar woman's laugh suddenly rang in my ear.

Wang Qi stared, unable to discern the source of the sound, when he saw the nearby mantis‑tiger undergoing a sudden change.

A vivid flesh bud dragged a cyan‑colored vessel, emerging from the cracked carapace, like a restless serpent, spreading instantly, as if a spider's web enveloped the mantis‑tiger.

The helmet's visor was stretched by bulging muscles, replacing the once reddish glinting ocular lenses with a pair of dark, abyssal eyes that stared fixedly at Wang Qi.

That gaze was so familiar, unmistakably akin to the ash‑filled flower bud of Huo!

‘Damn it!’

Wang Qi's entire body broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat, his tightly constricted pupils flickering with immense terror.

He snatched a loaded 'flower‑spear' from under the car door, aiming the barrel at the mantis‑tiger that was sprouting flesh and blood.

At the instant Wang Qi pulled the trigger, an arm suddenly shot up, seizing the barrel and pointing it toward the roof.

Boom!

A deafening gunshot reverberated within the cramped carriage.

Rainwater, racing to get in, forced its way through a bullet hole in the roof and dripped onto Wang Qi's bewildered face.

Before him, the mantis‑tiger's body no longer showed any sign of pulsing flesh; everything was merely an illusion.

‘Their farm has already been built; hurry, or we’ll be too late!’

The mantis‑tiger seemed to know what Wang Qi had just endured, and without asking why he had shot at it, its two blood‑red eyes stared steadfastly ahead.

This downpour grew fiercer, the relentless rain soaking the windows into a blurred sheet, ten meters away turning into a white, indistinct haze; the raindrops hammered the puddles as if boiling them.

‘What exactly happened just now? What is this farm?’

Wang Qi swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

‘The new city of Xin'an is their farm now!’

Boom!

The mantis‑tiger's words had barely faded when a thunderclap exploded across the heavens.

A brief flash of lightning illuminated the road ahead.

Only then did Wang Qi realize that the distant path was crowded with swollen, twisted faces, grotesque as evil spirits, packed tightly together.

These unknowable entities, neither wholly human nor beast, hunched like beasts, emitting a hungry, low moan toward him!

Then the lightning receded.

The encroaching darkness swallowed all those terrifying specters.

Yet Wang Qi knew they waited ahead, poised for him.

‘Charge forward! Don’t stop!’

The mantis‑tiger whispered, his voice cold and murderous.

Wang Qi's mind, a foggy mess, obeyed instinctively, his foot pressing down, the black steed's body shuddering, then surging forward with regal acceleration.

‘Tianchou, I will kill you!’

At that moment, the dazed Shen Li in the back seat seemed roused by the thunderous roar, suddenly opening his eyes and unleashing a soul‑shattering, gut‑ripping scream!