Chapter 217: Mental Control

As she said that, Ye Xi'an's face showed no trace of fear; instead, she eagerly stared at the giant centipede that looked incredibly strong.

After her ability rose to level nine, besides her psychic threads becoming thicker, she also gained an almost cheat-like ability.

That is "Mental Control".

As long as she infiltrates her psychic threads into the brain of any creature weaker than her, she can control that creature's behavior.

Ye Xi'an's eyes lit up; if she could control this centipede, those insect swarms would be nothing more than a slap to kill them all.

Saying that, she began to put it into practice.

In her "vision", the giant centipede was no longer just a massive entity, but a spiritual body emitting an eerie red light—that was the centipede's brain.

Ye Xi'an's thought stirred slightly; countless invisible psychic threads extended from her consciousness like living tentacles, silently probing toward that huge head.

The giant centipede's movement paused for a second, as if it sensed something, then its actions suddenly became more violent.

The already dilapidated research center completely turned into a pile of ruins.

A savage, chaotic consciousness, left only with resistance and devouring instinct, turned into an invisible barrier that frantically repelled Ye Xi'an's intrusion.

Ye Xi'an let out a muffled groan, feeling her head as if smashed hard by a heavy hammer.

It was the giant centipede resisting her mental control; moreover, it attempted to backlash against her.

The intense pain did not make Ye Xi'an retreat; her gaze became sharper, revealing a stubborn ferocity.

She gave it her all; after all, failing to control it meant death anyway.

She gathered all her psychic power; the previously scattered threads instantly coalesced, twisting into a thicker, tougher spike that she drove hard into the invisible barrier.

"Pfft."

A sound so faint it was almost inaudible echoed on the psychic plane.

The barrier was pierced.

Her psychic threads entered the centipede's chaotic psychic core without any hindrance.

In an instant, the centipede's relentless destructive movements jerked to a halt, as if its whole body had been hit with a pause button.

Those compound eyes flashing with brutal red light now turned hollow, losing all luster.

Success.

Ye Xi'an exhaled in relief and excitedly began trying to control the centipede's body.

She felt wondrous, as if she now possessed two bodies.

Raising her right hand, she silently chanted; in the next moment, both her own body and the centipede's right leg lifted.

After several attempts, she and the centipede moved simultaneously.

"Hiss, this won't do; I can't always stay in sync with the controlled target."

Ye Xi'an anxiously shook her head, striving to suppress her own body's movements, and instead let only the centipede move.

It was like controlling the left hand to draw circles while the right hand draws squares—awkward at first, but gradually Ye Xi'an figured out some tricks.

It seemed she wasn't merely able to control the body, but could issue commands to the controlled body.

As time passed, other insect swarms that had been hovering nearby, afraid to approach due to the centipede's intimidating presence, noticed the centipede's abnormality; several much smaller but equally ferocious insect swarms slowly flew toward Ye Xi'an.

However, before they could get close, Ji Jiangci's wind blades sliced them into mush, exploding in midair like fruit.

"Huh.", Yi Yang flicked his face in disdain, then continued staring at Ye Xi'an: "How's the wife? The insect swarms seem to have sensed something off."

Ye Xi'an curled her lips: "That's perfect."

She glanced at the ever-approaching insect swarms; a thought silently transmitted to the centipede she controlled.

"Strangle-kill."

The next second, the massive creature that had just been stiff and immobile moved.

Its huge body lunged into the swarm like a mad dog, its terrifying mouthparts frenziedly biting and tearing at the insects; a flick of its two shiny, oily antennae could sever an insect's torso, and its muscular legs mowed down the swarm like a harvester.

Within moments, the surrounding insects were cleared out, and the centipede's movements gradually slowed—its task was done.

With the insect swarms gone, everyone's view finally opened up, unlike before when even the sky was obscured.

"There's light of ability over there!", Yi Yang pointed to a spot several kilometers away; due to the distance, it wasn't very clear.

But this distance meant nothing to Ye Xi'an; she closed her eyes, shifted her perspective like a god, and indeed saw Lin Zhi Jing's figure there.

She snapped her eyes open, her tone filled with the joy of long-awaited reunion: "Found you!" In the blink of an eye, Ye Xi'an vanished and reappeared beside Lin Zhi Jing.

"Level nine?"

Lin Zhi Jing stared at Ye Xi'an in shock, unable to believe that his wife was actually a level-nine ability user.

Knowing that female ability levels are much harder to breakthrough than males', it seems he's destined to live off her for life.

His aloof persona collapsed; the smile at the corner of his mouth couldn't be contained, and he practically lunged into Ye Xi'an's embrace.

"Honey~, I really almost just died just now; hug me."

Ye Xi'an also knew Lin Zhi Jing had just been at death's door; she comfortingly embraced him: "Don't be scared, don't be scared."

Bao Jing rolled his eyes in disdain: "Lin Zhi Jing, you're disgusting.", then he also slipped into Ye Xi'an's embrace: "I want a hug too."

Ji Jiangci and Yi Yang exchanged a glance, then immediately rushed in for a hug as well.

Although Ye Xi'an is powerful, her petite frame and short arms couldn't possibly hold four large males.

The four of them jostled about, it was lively beyond description; Gu Feng stood behind them, enviously watching, he also wanted....

"Roar——"

From afar came a terrifying roar; the bustling few instantly halted their actions and looked toward the distance.

All they saw was the horizon continually rising until it completely blotted out the sky, letting no light through.

"Good heavens, could this all be insect swarms?", Yi Yang exclaimed, eyes wide; no one had told him there were so many insect swarms—don't they practice birth control?

Ye Xi'an's eyes darkened, because just earlier she had scanned the entire Zhu Shen Xing with her psychic power and discovered that the whole planet now had only the six of them left, meaning they were isolated and helpless—either they win or they die.

"Get ready; when the insect swarms approach, we'll act."

Six people stood on the head of a giant centipede, the wind lifting the edges of their clothes with a rustling sound; under the setting sun they seemed like fearless warriors.

The insect race kept advancing, moving from the outer ring into the inner ring as if entering an uninhabited realm, swiftly devouring everything of Zhu Shen Xing.

Charge!

Just as Ye Xi'an and the others were about to act, a missile shot out from behind them and then burst into a brilliant spark amid the swarm.