Chapter 171: Defect of the Gene

A figure slowly walked from the edge of the pit, a head of dazzling green hair gleaming with a faint luster, white bandages tightly wrapped around his upper body, faintly revealing the crisscrossing hideous scars beneath.

Fugaku's pupils shrank slightly. Qinglong — he had heard Tu Shu mention him once. The Captain of the Yanhuang Special Abilities Team, his strength already stood at the pinnacle of this world.

"You are Uchiha Fugaku?" Qinglong's gaze swept over Fugaku.

Just as Fugaku prepared to speak, a sudden sharp pain shot from his back. Fugaku let out a muffled groan, his knees buckling, nearly kneeling on the ground.

At this moment Fugaku felt a violent wriggling sensation suddenly come from the wound on his back. Countless tiny insects surged out from within, falling to the ground along with blood.

The Corpse King let out a light laugh upon seeing this: "Finally acting up?"

"This is." Fugaku's pupils violently contracted. He saw the insects in the wound multiplying at an astonishing speed, and each one releasing deadly poison in all directions.

"The Parasitic Worm ability, how is it?" The Corpse King's voice suddenly rang out. "This was inspired by the Horsefly. They will keep multiplying until they eat the host's flesh and blood clean."

Fugaku could feel a cold toxin rapidly spreading through his blood vessels. Wherever it passed, flesh and blood festered. His vision began to blur, his consciousness turning hazy.

If this continued, in no more than two seconds his entire left arm would be eaten hollow by the insects, then it would spread to his whole chest.

"No time left, must stop the spread immediately!" A flash of decisiveness crossed Fugaku's eyes. His right hand fiercely condensed chakra. Blue light rapidly rotated in his palm, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

The next instant, Fugaku unhesitatingly struck his own left arm with a palm.

"Tear!"

Fresh blood splattered. The left arm fell in response, hitting the ground with a dull thud. Fugaku swiftly circulated chakra, concentrating it at the wound.

Countless white worms gushed out from the severed arm, writhing on the ground.

"Cough!" Suddenly, Fugaku coughed violently, spraying a mouthful of fresh blood. Despite severing the left arm, the toxin had already spread to other parts of his body.

At this moment Fugaku's vision began to blur, his consciousness gradually fading. Susanoo began to collapse, turning into specks of starlight dissipating in the air.

"Decisive enough, but this degree of self-mutilation is already too late." The Corpse King's voice came from afar, carrying a hint of praise. "But the toxin has already entered your blood. Soon it will spread through your whole body. By then."

Before his voice fell, Qinglong's figure seemed to appear out of thin air, instantly arriving beside Fugaku.

Then his fingers tapped several times in succession. Several sounds of breaking air rang out. Golden needles shot out from Qinglong's fingertips like arrows leaving a bowstring, precisely piercing several of Fugaku's vital acupoints.

"I can only temporarily seal the toxin's spreading paths," Qinglong said in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of urgency. "But this is only a stopgap measure. It cannot eradicate the toxin inside your body."

As the golden needles entered, Fugaku felt a stream of cool energy surge into his body along the acupoints. The toxin's spreading speed noticeably slowed.

"Pfft!"

Fugaku violently spat out a mouthful of pitch-black blood. That blood was mixed with countless white worms, writhing on the ground. His breathing became slightly steadier, but his face remained pale as paper.

"This is enough," Fugaku said with difficulty. "At least it lets me continue fighting."

"Worthy of the First Guardian of Yanhuang, reaction speed truly fast." The Corpse King's voice suddenly rang out. "But do you still have time to heal here?"

Before his voice fell, the Corpse King's figure had already turned into a black shadow, instantly appearing before the two. His right arm transformed again, turning into a long spear covered in sharp spikes, aiming straight for Qinglong's back.

The next second, nine hairpins emitting a faint glow suddenly emerged, instantly shooting out, weaving into a dense, impenetrable silver net in midair. The Corpse King's figure violently stalled, hurriedly retreating several steps.

"This is." The Corpse King's pupils shrank. "Yanhuang National Treasure, Nine Dragon Hairpins?"

Qinglong slowly stood up. Nine jade hairpins circled around him. Each hairpin was carved with lifelike dragon patterns. Faintly, golden dragon-shaped phantoms could be seen swimming within them.

"Let you witness Yanhuang Nation's might!" Qinglong's expression turned solemn. He slightly raised his right hand. Six jade hairpins flew back through the air, spiraling around him. On each hairpin, golden light halos flowed within the dragon-shaped patterns.

"Hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss!"

The six jade hairpins pierced into Qinglong's back one after another. With each hairpin sinking into flesh and blood, his aura surged a degree. Golden energy gushed out from where the golden hairpins entered, outlining profound dragon-shaped patterns on his skin surface.

As the last jade hairpin sank into his body, Qinglong took a deep breath, violently spreading his arms. With a muffled boom, dense cracks instantly appeared on Qinglong's skin surface. Fresh blood seeped out along the cracks.

Violent pain assaulted him like a tide. Qinglong gritted his teeth, forcibly enduring without uttering a sound.

"Dragon Soul Awakening!"

Qinglong let out a long howl to the sky. Two emerald-green dragon horns burst through the skin of his forehead. Every inch of growth was accompanied by the crisp sound of bones reorganizing. His pupils rapidly contracted, turning into vertical beast pupils. A deep green light flickered within the pupils.

Then a violent energy erupted from Qinglong's body. Air waves expanded outward in all directions like a tangible substance. The ground cracked inch by inch under this force. Rubble flew. In the blink of an eye, a circular depression several meters deep formed.

The Corpse King not far away only felt a suffocating oppressive feeling hit his face. Even breathing became difficult. "So this is the National Treasure's power? Heard each hairpin causes a qualitative change in strength. Interesting!"

Qinglong's right foot heavily stomped the ground. The land beneath his feet instantly cracked. Rubble scattered in all directions. Several cracks spread outward like a spider web.

"Boom!"

A dull sonic boom rang out. Qinglong's figure abruptly vanished. The air was instantly compressed, emitting a dull boom. The Corpse King's pupils shrank. The hair on his back stood on end. His body almost instinctively violently retreated backward.

"This speed!" Alarm bells rang in the Corpse King's heart. His vision blurred. Qinglong's figure had already appeared within arm's reach. A hand blade, like a drawn sharp sword, went straight for the Corpse King's throat.

The Corpse King hastily raised his arm to block. The surface of his right arm instantly covered with a layer of hard scales.

"Bang!"

Fist and arm collided. A visible ring of air waves expanded outward with the two as the center. The Corpse King's entire arm burst open, flesh and blood flying. The ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch.

The tremendous impact force made his body slide backward uncontrollably. Both feet plowed two deep grooves into the ground.

"Both power and speed exceed mine!" The Corpse King steadied his figure. His left hand fiercely swung. Countless pale blue-white electric arcs intertwined in midair, like a dense, impenetrable spider web enveloping Qinglong.

"Dragon Shape Nine Transformations!"

Qinglong's figure continuously flickered within the lightning net. Every movement left an afterimage in the air. The afterimages vanished in an instant, yet kept emerging anew, making the Corpse King's eyes dazzled, fundamentally unable to lock onto his true body.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Dense attacks assaulted from all directions like a violent storm. Every strike precisely bombarded the Corpse King's vital points. Amidst flying flesh and blood, the Corpse King's body continuously exploded.

However, the moment those wounds appeared, countless tiny black flesh and blood frantically surged, in the blink of an eye refilling the missing flesh and blood.

"Bang!"

A whip kick from Qinglong swept the Corpse King's waist. The terrifying power directly bisected him at the waist. The Corpse King's body rotated in midair, yet the corner of his mouth hooked a hideous smile: "Indeed strong enough! But"

Before his voice fell, the Corpse King's two halves reconnected at a speed visible to the naked eye. Black flesh and blood writhed like living things. In the blink of an eye, he was restored as before.

He flipped in midair to steady his figure. A trace of mockery flashed in his eyes: "How long can you last overdrafting like this? I'll eventually grind you to death!"

"Then let's see if your recovery is faster, or my attacks are fiercer!" Qinglong's fist struck out again, directly piercing through the Corpse King's body. Fresh blood splattered. Minced flesh flew horizontally. However, at this very instant, the Corpse King's body suddenly writhed, like a living thing tightly locking Qinglong's arm.

"Bad!" Qinglong's pupils shrank. He wanted to pull back his arm, but discovered he could no longer move.

The Corpse King's mouth hooked a hideous smile. His right arm violently swelled. The scales on its surface inch by inch exploded, revealing the hideous bone spikes beneath.

The Bullet Mantis Shrimp's striking ability activated once more, the air compressed to its limit under the Corpse King's strike, forming a visible shockwave. Qinglong's pupils shrank sharply, instinctively wanting to dodge, but it was already too late.

He gritted his teeth, his right fist suddenly clenching tight, every muscle in his body tensing instantly, choosing to meet attack with attack.

And right at this critical moment, a terrifying energy wave suddenly came from behind the Corpse King.

"Boom!"

Ame-no-Nuboko arrived with a crash, wrapped in dazzling golden light, golden runes bursting forth from the staff like living things, instantly enveloping his entire body.

"When..." The Corpse King's pupils shrank sharply, only now discovering that Fugaku had unknown when already recovered his ability to move.

Ame-no-Nuboko swept across horizontally, smashing heavily into his back. Amid the sound of shattering bones, the Corpse King's body crashed toward the ground like a shell.

Golden runes flowed across the Corpse King's body surface, sealing his ability to move. Qinglong seized this instant of opportunity, his figure flashing to arrive before the Corpse King.

"Die!" Qinglong roared, his twin fists raining down on the Corpse King like raindrops.

Only afterimages could be seen in the air, every strike precisely blasting the Corpse King's vital points. The Corpse King's flesh and blood exploded continuously like paper scraps, black blood spurting out.

Although the Corpse King's flesh and blood were rapidly recombining, Qinglong's attack rhythm was too fast; newly grown flesh and blood had just emerged before being blasted apart by the next strike.

"Damn, this won't do." The Corpse King's pupils rapidly contracted, the wings on his back suddenly flapping, his whole person abruptly turning into a black shadow soaring into the sky.

"Want to run?" Qinglong stomped his foot, the ground instantly cracking, his figure pursuing upward like an arrow.

The Corpse King abruptly looked back, only to see Qinglong already closing within ten meters. A ruthless glint flashed in the Corpse King's eyes, his right arm transforming into a sharp bone spear.

"Die!" The Corpse King roared, the bone spear aiming straight for Qinglong's heart.

Qinglong's figure tilted, the bone spear brushing past his chest, leaving a bloody gash across his chest.

Just at the moment Qinglong dodged the attack, countless fine cracks suddenly surfaced on the bone spear's surface, immediately followed by a explosive burst, turning into a dense black mist enveloping the entire battlefield.

"This is!" Qinglong's pupils shrank, only feeling the surrounding air become viscous, his vision completely obscured.

"Think you can escape with this little trick?" Fugaku coldly snorted, his Sharingan rapidly rotating, Susanoo beginning to form hand seals with both hands.

"Uchiha Flame Formation!"

A ring of scorching flames exploded in midair, the firelight soaring to the heavens, instantly forming a massive flame barrier above the black mist. Countless fire tongues danced wildly within the barrier, the temperature so high the air twisted and distorted.

"Bang!" With a muffled sound, the Corpse King's body heavily crashed into the barrier, the barrier instantly shattering, but still blocking the Corpse King for a moment.

"It's over!" A cold light flashed in Fugaku's eyes, Ame-no-Nuboko instantly thrown, the runes on the staff rapidly flowing, emitting blinding golden light.

The air was torn apart, emitting a piercing whistle. Ame-no-Nuboko was like a golden lightning bolt, instantly piercing through space's obstruction.

"Puchi!"

Blood splattered, Ame-no-Nuboko unstoppably pierced through the Corpse King's chest, pinning him to the ground. Countless golden runes burst forth from the staff like living things, instantly enveloping the Corpse King's whole body.

And just at this time, the Corpse King instead revealed a bizarre smile. "Yeah, it's indeed over."

Bang! The Corpse King's chest suddenly exploded with a bloody hole, a black shadow only the size of a fist darting out from within. It was shockingly a miniature Corpse King, its whole body covered in fine black scales.

"The previous body was merely a container." The Corpse King's voice was sharp and piercing. "Just to stall you all, to give me time to completely analyze that guy's genes, and conduct tracing."

"Bad!" Fugaku's face changed drastically, Ame-no-Nuboko violently trembling, wanting to transfer the runes onto the small Corpse King.

Qinglong stomped his foot hard, the ground instantly cracking, his figure like a sword released from its string, instantly closing the distance with the small Corpse King.

"Too late." The small Corpse King coldly laughed.

The next second his body suddenly violently swelled, green patterns surfacing on his body surface, rapidly spreading like tree rings.

"Boom!"

With a huge sound, countless thick branches suddenly burst forth from within the Corpse King's body, the branches like living things rapidly taking root in the earth, emitting a dull rumbling sound.

The earth trembled violently, countless cracks spreading outward with the Corpse King as the center. The ground suddenly bulged, more branches breaking through the soil, growing wildly. Every branch swelled at an astonishing speed, in the blink of an eye growing to dozens of meters thick.

Subsequently countless thick branches began to fuse, transforming into a single giant tree with a diameter exceeding hundreds of meters. Pitch-black branches extended across the sky, the canopy blocking out sunlight, a radius of several kilometers instantly plunging into darkness.

"This scale..." Fugaku looked up, only feeling his scalp go numb.

Just at this time, the giant tree's root system began frantically absorbing underground energy. Grass and trees on the ground withered at visible speed, trees cracking and turning to flying ash. Soil rapidly lost moisture, cracking open.

At the giant tree's top, a massive black fruit slowly grew out, its surface covered in pitch-black scales, constantly wriggling, as if something was about to break out of its cocoon.

Suddenly, countless fine cracks surfaced on the fruit's surface, black liquid seeping out from the cracks.

"Crack!"

The fruit exploded, the Corpse King's figure slowly emerging from within. His body underwent massive changes, his skin surface covered in a layer of silver-black scale armor, a single horn growing on his forehead.

Most eye-catching was the very center of his forehead, a tightly closed vertical eye faintly visible.

A suffocating oppressive feeling burst forth from his body, Qinglong and Fugaku simultaneously feeling their chests tighten, as if a great mountain was pressing down on them.

"This degree of evolution..." Qinglong's pupils shrank, sensing that heart-palpitating aura on the other party.

"What's going on?" Suddenly the Corpse King's brows tightly furrowed, as if sensing something abnormal. The vertical eye on his forehead throbbed violently, yet could never open.

Just at this time, a faint "crack" sound came from within his body. The Corpse King's expression suddenly twisted, his body violently trembling. A surge of intense pain welled up from within.

"Ugh!"

The Corpse King muffled a groan, dropping to one knee. The scale armor on his arm suddenly began to shatter, revealing the wildly writhing flesh and blood beneath. Several ferocious bone spikes suddenly stabbed out from the flesh and blood, blood splattering.

"Damn..." The Corpse King's voice became hoarse and distorted, accompanied by metallic noise. "Clearly I've already completely analyzed his DNA, why is this rejection reaction still occurring?"

The Corpse King could feel the blood in his body boiling wildly, every cell crying out: "Is it a defect existing in the genes..."

(Chapter End)