Chapter 163: Dismemberment

Who on earth is the one dismembering my body right now? Could it be Chu Jun? Is it possible that he isn't dead? That's impossible—I saw him fall right in front of me, and that sword strike nearly severed his body in half. If he could still be living after that, it would be a ghost story! But then again, where is his corpse? It was clearly right here just a moment ago!

Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, a surge of pain shot straight into my brain, and I snapped back to consciousness. I had sensation again—it hurt! That kind of agony is something ordinary people cannot comprehend! I drew a sharp breath. Though I possess a self-healing body, it cannot cancel out the pain. Recently, I have been injured repeatedly, each time worse than the last. If this keeps up, I'm afraid this hundred-odd-pound frame of mine is going to meet its end right here!

Having barely found a trace of pain, I thought my body would be able to move, but who would have thought I still couldn't budge an inch? Having sensation was even worse than having none at all; my sole feeling right now was excruciating pain!

A series of twisting cramps tormented my internal organs. I glanced down sideways and saw a sharp black claw bursting through my chest. As expected, it was the Kui Ba. This monster had actually used telekinesis to freeze my body on the spot and then struck from behind—such despicable tactics were utterly outrageous! Did it really think I was easy to bully? Bearing the agonizing pain, I forced myself to calm down and unleashed all my mental power to summon my avatar. My spiritual energy was very weak; although it had improved somewhat after taking the Essence-Consolidating Pill, compared to the heaven-defying telekinesis of the Kui Ba, it was truly like a drop of water in the ocean!

The pain continued. Several times, I was thrown into disorder by the agony transmitted from my nerve endings. The Kui Ba's sharp claws had moved in and out of my chest cavity several times. I could feel my internal organs being forcefully pulled and dragged out of my body—a sensation that was not only painful but also slightly nauseating, making me want to vomit. It kept going, and despair set in. Was I really going to meet my end here today?!

I simply closed my eyes, refusing to look at the scattered limbs and flesh all over the ground. Even if I died, I wouldn't let that Kui Ba off easily! I used my spiritual consciousness to probe my own body. Once released, my awareness drifted rapidly upward. I hurriedly tried to control it with my mind, but this consciousness behaved like a lightweight balloon, slowly floating toward the high sky. Finally, enduring the excruciating pain, I channeled the last remaining energy within my body into my consciousness, allowing it to suspend mid-air, enabling me to see everything clearly.

To say my consciousness resembled a wandering ghost would be no exaggeration. My line of sight had shifted from my actual body to my consciousness. I wondered if this counted as an out-of-body experience. On the ground, my body was kneeling like a great sinner through the ages, while the Kui Ba tortured me bit by bit from behind. Not a single intact patch of skin remained on my back, and my ribs, stained with a mixture of bright red blood and shredded flesh, looked terrifyingly gruesome!

If this belonged to someone else's body, I wouldn't feel quite so chilled to the bone. But it was my own body, and I was watching it being brutalized by the Kui Ba without any power to stop it!

"Old Li!" A startled cry suddenly came from above. I recognized that familiar voice—it was Qin Tian. Qin Tian and Shiliu stood at the edge of the deep pit. Without hesitation upon seeing me and the Kui Ba, the two of them leaped down. Their forms passed right through my consciousness. Because Shiliu was already injured, she failed to mitigate the downward momentum when landing and twisted her ankle. Ignoring Shiliu entirely, Qin Tian swung a fist directly at the Kui Ba.

The Kui Ba had already ceased its brutalization the moment the two of them appeared, and Qin Tian's attack was deftly evaded by the creature. Seeing that they had arrived, I controlled my consciousness to merge back into my body. The moment it re-entered, that bone-deep agony struck me once more.

Taking advantage of Qin Tian's engagement with the Kui Ba, Shiliu limped over to my side. She supported my body and called out to me twice. Receiving no response, she lifted my head and checked my breathing with her finger beneath my nose, finally letting out a sigh of relief. Upon catching sight of my eyes, however, a look of profound shock washed over her.

It wasn't that I didn't want to speak, but rather that I couldn't. Every action of Shiliu's was captured by my eyes; apart from them, not a single part of my body could move. Shiliu hoisted me up from the ground and said, "Hang in there, I'm getting you out of here!"

Shiliu heaved me onto her shoulder and was about to leave when suddenly my lower limbs detached from the rest of my body. Below the waist, they were connected by only a thin, blood-stained strip of tissue. By then, my head had gained the ability to turn slightly, and seeing this scene clearly caused goosebumps to instantly break out across my back!

Shiliu was clearly even more shocked than I was. Supporting my upper body, she stood frozen in place at a loss, staring blankly at the Kui Ba. Suddenly, Shiliu dropped me onto the ground, gathered her strength, and charged straight at the creature. My upper body slammed hard against the earth, intensifying the agony even further! I wasn't going to die just yet, but after taking a fall like that, who knew how long it would take to recover? Shiliu probably didn't know about my self-healing ability; back during the battle with the Taotie Divine Bull, when my arm was severed, hadn't it grown back on its own? I figured this broken lower half would heal automatically as well. If it didn't, that would be far more painful than being killed outright!

I twisted my neck and saw Shiliu rush toward the Kui Ba and Qin Tian like a gust of wind. At that exact moment, Qin Tian took a hit from the Kui Ba; the creature's sharp claws pierced straight through Qin Tian's throat and were instantly withdrawn. Blood spurted forth in a torrent, but Qin Tian immediately pressed two fingers against his chest, instantly halting the gushing wound. Just like me, Qin Tian possessed self-healing capabilities, so minor injuries like this wouldn't prove fatal to him. However, I had never seen him use that sword-finger technique to stop bleeding before. Once we got out of our current predicament, I would definitely have to ask him to teach it to me!

I watched as Shiliu reached out, grabbed one of the Kui Ba's arms with lightning speed, and flung the creature with all her might. The Kui Ba's upright body was hurled through the air, slamming into the cavern wall with a loud crash and leaving a deep indentation in the stone. A wave of smug satisfaction washed over me—the Kui Ba had finally gotten a taste of my treatment. Judging by the impact, that hit wasn't light; the creature collapsed onto the ground and failed to climb back up for a long while.

Shiliu seemed to have exerted a tremendous amount of force with that throw. Afterward, she bent forward, resting both hands on her knees as she panted heavily. It was then that Qin Tian managed to break free from the Kui Ba. Spotting the upper half of my body lying on the ground, he strode over quickly. "Old Li!" he called out, squatting down beside me.

I blinked my eyes. "I'm still alive. Go help Shiliu!"

As soon as those words finished, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Damn it, was I about to pass out again? No, absolutely not! I couldn't let anything happen to my brothers! My vision was already blurring shut. Before my eyes closed entirely, I thought I caught sight of a black figure burrowing out from beneath the ground.