Chapter 46: 45、The Omen of Death

45、The Omen of Death

"Good dog!"

Zhou Chang hid in the corner and praised Ao Duoji.

He reached out and rubbed Ao Duoji's head; this dog head covered in curly fur felt like a mass of Qi filling it, not the hard, sinewy and bony texture of a real canine.

Taking the blackened human skin from Ao Duoji's mouth, Zhou Chang took out a fire starter and directly set this Xiang Demon skin shell ablaze!

As soon as the flame met this blackened skin shell, multicolored flames erupted upon the shell!

"Whoosh!"

The Xiang Nian flames roared upward!

Just then, a series of terrifying sounds tearing flesh and skin suddenly rang out in the darkness.

Accompanying that sound, Li Xiamei's shrill scream echoed through the pitch-black front courtyard: "Ah—"

On the Xiang Demon skin shell ignited before Zhou Chang, the Xiang Nian fire boiled and billowed in the air with the wind, drifting straight toward the headless body of Li Xiamei standing in the front courtyard!

Li Xiamei's bulging abdomen had been torn open; 'Li Xiamei' poked its head out from within, followed by its arms and upper body crawling out of the abdomen.

And the surging Xiang Nian flames rushing toward it poured into the neck cavity of the headless body, causing Xiang Nian fire to ignite all over the headless body; such fire scorched the headless body until it gradually turned black, making the headless body slowly wither and shrivel!

Li Xiamei crawled out of its 'mother body' and circled around its 'mother body'.

On the neck of its headless mother body, the illusory multicolored Xiang Nian flames gathered into an illusory woman's head.

The woman's head with a blurred face emitted an unconscious murmur from its mouth that made a living soul like Zhou Chang momentarily lose his composure: "Li... Xiamei, Li... Xiamei..."

"What is it doing?"

Zhou Chang turned his head, looking at Bai Xiue's face, and matched her lip movements.

"Self-preservation." Bai Xiue said coldly, mimicking the lip movements as well, "It is trying to absorb the last Xiang Nian from the skin shell to forge a temporary skin shell for itself.

—Every Xiang Demon, when its skin shell is about to be exhausted, will exhibit self-preservation behavior.

However, this skin shell lacks a head; as long as it does not attach that head, it cannot succeed in forging it."

"I understand." Zhou Chang looked at Bai Xiue/Bai Ma, "You two stay here and behave well.

Do not make a sound; try your best to seal your own Qi with lotus silk."

When Zhou Chang's Nian Robe was still initially complete, although it could cover his whole body, it could not completely conceal the Qi on his body.

Until now, most of the Nian threads had been strengthened, becoming Blood Nian Threads and Iron Nian Threads; only when he covered his whole body with Nian threads again did he gain the ability to block his own Qi, an ability that even Li Xiamei could not detect.

And Bai Xiue's lotus silk was of the same origin as his Nian threads.

Bai Xiue's current Nian threads might not be sufficient to conceal her own Qi, so Zhou Chang merely ordered her to cover her Qi as much as possible and did not press the matter further.

Zhou Chang stood up silently from the corner; he stepped out of the corner quietly, his Nian threads on his hand swirling and transforming into a net that caught Ao Duoji, who was sticking out its tongue, sealing its Qi and voice.

He slowly untied that net, looked at Li Xiamei wandering aimlessly in the distance, pointed at the head that was gradually rolling toward the feet of the headless body in response to the headless body's call, and shouted loudly: "Ao Duoji!

Go!

Bring that head back to me!"

Zhou Chang's voice rang out instantly, and Li Xiamei, who was wandering and patrolling in the distance, locked onto him directly!

The long-haired Xiang Demon, clutching a ghastly sharp knife, pounced on him like a wisp of black smoke!

And the 'Ao Duoji' he had released from restraint barked excitedly a few times, then shot out like an arrow leaving the string, faithfully executing its master's command!

As quick as a rabbit rising and a magpie falling!

Before Ao Duoji could reach that head, Li Xiamei had already approached Zhou Chang's form.

Zhou Chang's entire body was covered by Nian threads; the Nian threads sealed his Qi and even isolated the sound of his heartbeat—so much so that Li Xiamei lost her target for that instant!

But in the next instant, the sound of a child's crying suddenly rang out from behind Zhou Chang!

"Waa—Old man! Old man—save me!"

"Dad! Dad!"

The moment this child's crying sound rang out, the knife-wielding Li Xiamei instantly had a target—it actually brushed past Zhou Chang and rushed straight toward the area behind him!

Hearing that child's crying, Zhou Chang's heart tightened instantly, and a strong ominous premonition suddenly arose!

Some long-vanished, bone-chilling coldness, at this very moment, suddenly clung to his back!

It was as if a pair of eyes full of malice were staring at him fixedly from behind!

At the same time, another child's crying, mixed in with the first child's wail, suddenly rang out—this crying sound was extremely real, almost perfectly imitating the first child's cry, but in this crying sound, there was not a shred of sorrow or fear, only endless cold malice: "Wuwuwu... Old man, old man save me!

Mom, mom, save me!"

Hearing this crying sound, Zhou Chang instantly froze in place!

Bai Ma's panicked cry followed: "Don't turn around! Don't turn around!

It's all fake! It's a trap set by the Vulgar Gods—if you turn around and catch the Omen of Death, everything will be completely over!

You are still fighting the Nie Corpse for control of the body, and you are at a disadvantage—if your soul gains another Omen of Death, you will have no chance, absolutely no chance!"

In her voice, there was an undeniable obsession!

Hearing her voice, Zhou Chang was certain she knew many things related to 'himself'.

She was even most likely one of the pieces left by the God of Wealth!

But Zhou Chang had no time to ponder these matters now; hearing Bai Ma's voice that was almost pleading, he finally turned around: "That child is real!

He is alive!"

He spoke loudly and rushed straight toward Li Xiamei's back!

Bai Ma lowered her eyelids; her expression was dead silent, colder than before.

On this cold face, however, Bai Ma's eyes held a dense light of reluctance, turning into tears that flowed down the corners of her eyes: "I told you not to turn around, I told you that if you turn around there will be no chance..."

Zhou Chang had already walked past her side.

Was she speaking these words to Zhou Chang, or to herself?

The malicious chill clinging to Zhou Chang's back vanished the instant he turned his head, as if it had never existed.

Yet Zhou Chang, who could no longer feel his own heartbeat, heard his heart pounding violently.

"Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!"

Wild drumbeats exploded continuously beside his ears.

Listening to that heartbeat, he also perceived the end of his life.

His head grew dizzy repeatedly, and severe pain invaded his thoughts.

But such pain lasted only a few breaths before vanishing without a trace.

Yet this sudden pain was enough for Zhou Chang to perceive his doomsday: "My head will burst and I will die in ten days!"

This is the omen of death!