Once the Wanxing Martial Academy's side won a crushing victory, he impatiently returned to the academy to study the rare beast, the Summer-Winter Cicada.
Zhuang Xun used his clone creation to conduct various experiments, confirming that the Summer-Winter Cicada was merely a mindless living creature driven solely by instinct. After verifying there were no other dangers besides the two side effects clearly recorded in the books, he confidently placed the Summer-Winter Cicada onto the center of Yan Pingsheng's chest—the clone he was currently using.
The moment the Summer-Winter Cicada came into contact with his flesh, it automatically burrowed inside, leaving only half of its fiery-red, jade-like carapace exposed. Spiderweb-like blood vessels spread outward from the carapace, covering his entire upper body.
Inexplicably, Zhuang Xun felt an intricately tangled connection form between himself and the Summer-Winter Cicada on his chest.
He pried the Summer-Winter Cicada back out, and the blood vessels vanished. When he put it back in, they reappeared.
“Hiss, that stings a bit.”
Zhuang Xun patted the Summer-Winter Cicada and thought to himself. The Summer-Winter Cicada allowed the host to instantly bypass the various stages of energy absorption. In other words, if he ate food, the energy within it could be immediately utilized by his body to synthesize muscle.
His Character Creation Panel took time to allocate points to a clone's cultivation realm. Theoretically, by using the Summer-Winter Cicada's ability for instant absorption, he could eliminate the time required to allocate points, allowing for instant level-ups with a single tap.
However, the side effects were also quite significant. When using the Summer-Winter Cicada's ability, the body's growth limits would be removed, and muscles would grow wildly out of control.
Well, that was actually an advantage. What kind of muscle-bound hunk didn't have the ability to explode with muscle? Besides, he could use the Character Creation Panel to convert the excess flesh and blood back into points later, returning his body to its original size.
The other side effect was that during use, various hormones in the body would be released in massive quantities. The brain would fall into a state of extreme hyper-excitation and mood swings, and self-awareness would be reduced to some extent.
But it was only temporary. Once the duration ended and hormone levels returned to normal, the user's brain would recover as well.
“Hmm... It shouldn't be too big of a deal, right?” Zhuang Xun recalled Hu He's crazed behavior that day.
He shouldn't end up like that. With his soul strength far exceeding Yan Pingsheng's physical body, he should be able to suppress the frenzied state of the brain. At most, his personality would just be a bit more lively than usual.
It was normal for a muscle-bound hunk to be a bit unhinged. Other muscle-bound hunks were all like that. Yeah, it was fine.
In any case, he definitely wouldn't use the Summer-Winter Cicada's ability publicly in front of others. As for his enemies, they'd all be dead anyway, so it didn't matter if they saw it.
In conclusion, there were no side effects.
“Heh, someone hurry up and attack me. I can't wait to play the pig to eat the tiger, and then transform.”
Zhuang Xun stroked the Summer-Winter Cicada on his chest, filled with anticipation.
...
“Blood Son, another of our outpost cultists has lost contact. The last message they sent before disappearing was that they were going to ambush disciples of the Wanxing Martial Academy.”
Inside a temple bathed in crimson, the handsome yet gaunt Blood Son wore a loose, grand ceremonial robe. He knelt before a blurry, multi-headed, multi-armed statue, praying with devout sincerity.
Hearing the Left Protector's report from behind him, he remained silent for a long time before nodding slightly. “I understand.”
“Blood Son! Just how long must we keep enduring this?!”
The Blood Son did not grow angry at the Left Protector's questioning. He merely murmured, “When the Blood Ancestor awakens, everything will be fine.”
The Blood Ancestor's awakening...
The Left Protector felt a breath catch in his throat, unable to vent it.
Looking at the man before him who pinned all his hopes on the Blood Ancestor, a wave of desolation washed over his heart.
The Blood Ancestor had stopped responding to them thirty years ago. Just how long did he intend to remain this despondent?
How glorious had their Sacred Cult been in the past? Yet now, of the four Sacred Veins, only one remained. Even a third-rate force from some backwater corner could humiliate them at will!
Clenching his fists, he stared at the Blood Son, who had returned to his devout prayers. Feeling a deep sense of frustration at his lack of resolve, the Left Protector violently whipped his sleeve and strode out.
“Someone, come.”
“Left Protector.”
Bai Yujing, even if their Sacred Cult had declined, he was not someone who could afford to offend them. He would start with those around him to make him understand the price! Harboring a secret hatred in his heart, the Left Protector said coldly, “Find an opportunity to assassinate the people on this list.”
“Yes, Left Protector.” The man took the list. At the very top of the list was a portrait of a kind-looking, ordinary man.
Below it was the name—Yan Pingsheng.
Rate on N.U.
