Chapter 172

Lin Yifan instinctively wanted to shake off the Bloodsucking Vine, but the vine seemed conscious, tightly coiling around his wrist, the thorns digging deeper and deeper.

"Don't move!" Lin Changsheng shouted low, his gaze solemn, "It's helping you!"

"Helping me?" Lin Yifan gritted his teeth against the pain, watching his blood flow along the vine and finally seep into the Pure Spirit Flower.

The originally pure white petals gradually tinged with a hint of scarlet, then the whole flower slowly bloomed, emitting a faint fluorescence.

At the same time, a strange power surged from the flower, flowing back along the vine into Lin Yifan's body.

His whole body shuddered, feeling a cool breath flowing through his limbs, as if cleansing every inch of flesh.

"Is this... the Purifying power?" Lin Yifan murmured.

Lin Changsheng nodded, speaking solemnly: "Yes, this is the purifying power! But the purifying power within you is buried too deep; relying on yourself alone, you cannot draw it out at all."

"Fortunately you have this Bloodsucking Vine; it uses your blood as a medium, the Pure Spirit Flower as a carrier, barely managing to channel this power out. Now, try to feel it, guide it..."

Before his words finished, a deafening explosion suddenly came from behind!

"Crack!"

The two turned sharply, seeing the half-transparent barrier already covered in cracks, the Illusory Face's twisted visage pressed against the fissure from behind, its scarlet eyes locked on them.

"Too late!" Lin Changsheng shoved Lin Yifan aside, shouting sternly, "Remember, attack its core with the purifying power—right at its chest!"

"What about you?" Lin Yifan staggered a few steps to steady himself, asking urgently.

Lin Changsheng didn't answer, merely tearing open his own collar.

Lin Yifan's pupils constricted—on the opponent's chest, countless maggots writhed beneath the skin, as if about to burst out at any moment!

"I told you before, I am your future self, but in the future I have been infected for five years already; being able to hold on until now is already the limit." Lin Changsheng gave a bitter smile, then said with resignation:

"I also, knowing my end was near, did not want to become a walking corpse, so I spent everything I had accumulated in my life to exchange for this chance to travel through time."

"Now I have actually traveled back, but at least... let this 'copy' of mine finally be of some use."

"Boom——!"

The barrier shattered completely, the Illusory Face's massive form descending like a shadow, its twisted visage showing no trace of humanity whatsoever.

Its body sprouted countless tentacles, each tentacle being a bundle of maggots.

The tentacles flailed wildly, lunging straight at the two!

Lin Changsheng lunged forward, arms outstretched, instantly transforming into countless slender black vines that wove into a giant net, temporarily blocking the illusory face's assault.

Lin Yifan stared at those vines, his pupils constricting instantly!

Though these vines had grown countless times larger, he was all too familiar with them.

They were Bloodsucking Vines!

If before he had found Lin Changsheng's claim of coming from the future utterly unbelievable, now he felt a bit inclined to believe it!

He had only just obtained his Bloodsucking Vine, and had never told anyone about it; even if someone tried to imitate him, they could hardly replicate the Bloodsucking Vine itself.

And just then, Lin Changsheng suddenly let out a roar:

"Why are you still standing there dazed? Hurry up and act—I can barely hold on any longer!"

His voice had become hoarse and twisted, his body continually disintegrating, maggots bursting out one by one from his seven orifices.

Even so, the Bloodsucking Vines spreading from his body still clung tightly to the Illusory Face, but they were clearly unable to hold out much longer.

Lin Yifan quickly came to his senses, gathered his mind to feel that Purifying power, then slowly raised his wrist.

Moreover, on his wrist, the Pure Spirit Flower that had been half-open now bloomed to its fullest.

On the immaculate white petals, a faint blue light glowed!

Lin Yifan could now feel the Purifying power within him boiling.

But how to release it? How to attack?

Yet he had not the slightest clue!

In desperation, he could only rely on instinct, thrusting his wrist toward the Illusory Face, with only one thought in his mind—

"Kill!"

"Swish!"

A faint blue light burst forth from the Pure Spirit Flower, piercing the Illusory Face's chest like a sword!

"Ah——" the Illusory Face staggered, lowered its head to glance at its chest, then let out a piercing wail.

The part struck by the blue light began to rapidly vaporize and crumble, revealing a black void.

"Well done!" Lin Changsheng burst into excited laughter.

At that moment, Lin Yifan went limp, dropping to one knee, but his eyes remained fixed on that void—

Because curled up inside that void was a small girl, her whole body deathly pale.

The girl had originally kept her eyes closed, but when she lifted her head, her closed eyes slowly opened.

Her gaze was empty, yet as she met Lin Yifan's eyes, the corners of her mouth slowly twitched into a grin.

"I found……you……"

Lin Yifan's heart clenched, a chill crawling up his spine—that girl's face was unmistakably a miniature version of Ruan Qingtán!

"This……impossible……" he murmured, but the next second the girl's figure dissipated like smoke, and the Illusory Face's body collapsed with a boom, turning into countless black ashes.

Lin Changsheng's shattered body fell to the ground, countless blood‑sucking sugar instantly withering and snapping apart.

And the maggots under his skin all burst out, but the moment they touched the air they turned to flying ash.

Seeing this, Lin Yifan didn't even have the leisure to wonder what that little girl was all about.

He hurried over to Lin Changsheng's side, anxiously asking:

"How do you feel now? You look badly wounded—can I help you? If so, tell me quickly."

"You can't help me, and my business is already done; there's no need to cling to life any longer." Lin Changsheng gave a utterly candid light chuckle, then lifted his head, a strange smile curling his lips, and said in a low voice:

"What just happened, you saw it, right? This is……the truth……"

Lin Yifan, upon hearing this, staggered forward and lunged, grabbing his collar, anxiously asking:

"What is the truth? What on earth is going on?! Why is there Ruan Qingtan inside Xu Yan?!"

"Speak clearly—what exactly is happening?!"

"Heh... I said before... this is the nesting-doll world to come..." Lin Changsheng coughed up a mouthful of black blood, "The Ruan Qingtan you think of... perhaps never existed; of course, it's also possible that the situation you're now in is an illusion!"

"And she might be a projection of a higher-dimensional existence—anyway, anything is possible!"

"But I advise you not to be too obsessed; otherwise, you won't have a good ending."

"What do you mean?! What exactly do you mean by that!" Lin Yifan was almost going crazy.