Chapter 386: Drowning

Ever since the battle of mental images began with An Qisheng, Li Miao had been pondering a question.

There is nothing outside the mind; everything within a mental image is a manifestation of one's "nature." As the master of this mental image, whether it be this pitch-black beach, the boundless seawater, or the slowly churning black storm on the surface, all were Li Miao's "nature."

In essence, the pitch-black seawater and the black water that flowed from Li Miao after he was injured were the same thing, both in form and substance.

Then why did these pitch-black humanoids, and even An Qisheng, turn a blind eye to the seawater and only exert themselves against Li Miao's physical body?

Li Miao grabbed the neck of a pitch-black humanoid and slammed it into the pitch-black seawater like a meteorite, splashing black waves several yards high!

"I'll know once I try!"

Splash!

Li Miao's palm was already riddled with holes; in just a moment, over a dozen mouths sprouted on the humanoid's neck, gnawing at the flesh and blood on Li Miao's hand.

Crunch, crunch—

They were even gnawing on the bone and tearing at the tendons.

Li Miao's gaze, however, remained as calm as water; he gripped it tightly and continued to move deeper into the sea.

One foot underwater.

Li Miao's hand crunched, the stark white bone exposed.

Three feet underwater.

The dozen mouths greedily gnawing on Li Miao's flesh suddenly paused—even the swallowing and chewing motions came to a halt. Li Miao raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling up, and he continued to dash deeper.

One yard underwater.

The pitch-black humanoid stopped moving, and the dozen mouths surrounding Li Miao's palm closed tightly.

But how could Li Miao let it off?

"What, full already?"

Li Miao sneered, his left hand suddenly locking onto the humanoid's jaw, his five fingers embedding deep into the skin and flesh like steel hooks, gripping the jawbone.

"I'm a rather generous person."

He slowly pulled his left arm back.

Rip, rip—

The sticky sounds of skin and tendons snapping echoed incessantly. The pitch-black humanoid suddenly opened its eyes, and the dozen tightly closed mouths on its neck also suddenly flew open.

"No, no..."

Li Miao sneered.

"If it tastes good, then—"

His left arm jerked upward.

"Eat more!"

Rip—

With the final sound of snapping tendons, the entire chin of the pitch-black humanoid was torn off by Li Miao!

At the same time, it raised its hands, attempting to cover the wound, but was firmly held by Li Miao.

Now, its esophagus was exposed to the seawater.

The next moment, the seawater flowed.

As if a hole had been punched in a water-filled barrel, a vortex formed in the sea, pouring continuously into its esophagus.

Under Li Miao's mocking gaze, the humanoid's belly swelled like a sponge saturated with water, expanding several times over in just a few breaths, even pressing against Li Miao.

"Urgh, urgh—"

"Let me go, let me go."

"Let me leave!"

The dozen mouths on its neck suddenly wailed in unison.

The next instant—Boom!

A dirty firework exploded in the water.

The pitch-black humanoid burst open from the belly, and over a dozen finger-sized human faces swam out with extreme speed, heading toward the surface.

"Leaving after eating your fill?"

"Leave your life to settle the bill!"

Li Miao struck a boxing stance in the water, his left palm in a crane-beak shape, his right hand clawed, pointing at the fleeing faces.

Taiji Fist—Embrace the Peacock's Tail!

Soft force, suction, and the massive Qi of dual cultivation of nature and life stirred the seawater. In an instant, a massive vortex formed on the pitch-black sea surface. On the shore, dozens of pitch-black humanoids stood by the water, staring fixedly at the vortex, their hands and feet rubbing incessantly, desperately suppressing the hunger in their bellies.

The vortex expanded continuously until it was several yards wide, stirring the air above the sea; the gale blew to the shore, lifting countless pitch-black sand grains.

But after about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the vortex suddenly stopped.

It didn't disappear; it just stopped.

As if in that instant, the liquid seawater had been firmly frozen by an unknown force; every spray of foam, every drop of water was suspended in mid-air, visible to the finest detail.

There was no more movement.

The pitch-black humanoids waited for a long time, but they did not see Li Miao jump out of the sea.

If it were An Qisheng, he would only sit cross-legged on the ground, coldly watching the sea surface, waiting for Li Miao to emerge. But Li Miao was the one short on time; he could not afford to drag this out.

Yet the pitch-black humanoids, or rather, the Zheng Anqis, were chaotic in mind; aside from beast-like instincts and moves carved into their bones, there was nothing human about them.

How could they restrain themselves?

First, they ground their teeth and twitched their noses, saliva flowing from their mouths.

Then they paced and hissed, emitting incessant wails.

Finally, they stared fixedly at the sea surface.

Instinct told them not to enter the water.

But instinct also drove them to compete for and tear at Li Miao's flesh. As long as they swallowed enough, they could obtain what they craved most—a physical body, freedom, memories, and a self.

They paced on the shore like beasts caged, watching fresh flesh hanging outside, grinding their teeth and sucking blood.

Two instincts were battling each other.

If they just kept waiting, there would eventually come a moment when they couldn't help but rush into the sea—perhaps in an hour, perhaps in a month.

But Li Miao would not give them that much time.

Suddenly, the nose of a pitch-black humanoid twitched a few times, its eyes shifted abruptly, and its gaze locked onto the frozen vortex.

Fragrance.

A fragrance it could not suppress was being carried to it by the sea breeze.

It was a pool of black water flowing out from the center of the frozen vortex, the only liquid moving within that motionless sea, reflecting in its pupils.

That was Li Miao's "nature."

The black water flowing from Li Miao's body.

"Roar! "

Without a hint of hesitation, the hunger that had been suppressed to the limit exploded!

Dozens of pitch-black humanoids leaped high, charging toward the frozen vortex.

————————

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

A series of sounds of metal clashing instantly traversed the massive Hall of Supreme Harmony. The golden maces and axes struck An Qisheng's protective Qi, exploding into massive sparks.

The two Li Miao bodyguards wore ferocious smiles, ignoring the large chunks of flesh An Qisheng tore from their bodies, only incessantly raining desperate attacks upon him!

An Qisheng's gaze remained calm as he parried the two Li Miao bodyguards. It looked like a heated battle, but a closer look revealed that only his peripheral vision remained on them; his focus was constantly shifting.

The Li Miao bodyguards, if judged by the strength of ordinary Heaven-men, were probably at a level above two paths but not yet three; they couldn't break his protective Qi and were merely a distraction.

The real killing blow was—

"Take a punch from this Prince."

A lazy voice suddenly sounded from behind. An Qisheng's eyes narrowed, and he turned, striking out with a palm!

But it landed on empty air.

Crown Prince Li Miao was not behind him at all; instead, he was standing several yards away, watching him with a mischievous smile.

"This Prince has always felt that shouting things like 'die,' 'go to hell,' or 'take my punch/sword' before attacking is something only an idiot would do. I didn't expect you to actually fall for it."

Crown Prince Li Miao shrugged.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"Look behind you."

An Qisheng's pupils shrank. The next instant, a whistle of air being torn apart came from behind!

"Die—"

It should have been "Die," but the word was swallowed halfway, and only a fist filled with even more anger slammed into An Qisheng's back.