Chapter 22: 117

“Repeat after me—the incantation—”

Xiao Luobo stood by Wu Xiaomi’s ear.

This incantation was different from the one used to commune with the Spirit of Abundance—what Nanalia had recited that time was more like poetry, and in human language too, so she could at least understand it.

But what Xiao Luobo was chanting now, she couldn’t make out a single word.

“Aruihtka—”

Xiao Luobo chanted one string after another, and Wu Xiaomi copied one string after another.

“Aruihtka—”

Seeing that Wu Xiaomi repeated each word clearly, Xiao Luobo couldn’t help glancing at her again.

Not bad at all.

These runes held mysterious power. 

Ordinary people would feel dizzy and overwhelmed just hearing them—let alone learning to repeat even one line, which would usually take many tries to get used to.

But Wu Xiaomi caught on in just one go.

This girl learns fast!

Was this the reason the witch had taken a liking to her?

“Milukniiya—”

“Milukniiya—”

“Asuxibfash—”

“Asuxibfash—”

As Wu Xiaomi continued chanting, the dark red liquid before her began to ripple.

Like petals unfolding, revealing the translucent starlight hidden within.

That starlight flew toward Wu Xiaomi’s palm.

Seeping in, slowly.

It felt subtle—unlike the awakening of the Spirit of Abundance, where everything flowed naturally, like moving a limb with ease.

This felt more like being fitted with a prosthetic limb—it could receive signals from the body and move on command, but felt stiff and unnatural.

It would take time and effort to fully adapt.

“Like memorizing vocabulary, right?” Xiao Luobo suddenly asked.

Do people from another world memorize vocabulary too?

“You have to remember and master this sensation—like memorizing vocabulary—so it becomes etched into your brain, something you can call on instinctively—Hurry! The Guardian is going berserk!”

The black blood tendrils had already begun twisting, lunging at Wu Xiaomi from all directions.

“You focus on the fusion! Leave this thing to Jifeng!”

Ah Lei slashed through three or four tendrils in one blow, and the others also drew their weapons, forming a protective circle around Wu Xiaomi.

Wu Xiaomi simply closed her eyes, focusing all her attention.

This was way harder than memorizing vocab.

At least vocab had clear goals. This thing? No goal at all.

And of all times, her thigh was starting to itch—that tingling, crawling sensation spreading through her entire body… Damn it, and she couldn’t even scratch now.

“Kid, you…”

What?

Xiao Luobo covered her mouth, staring at Wu Xiaomi’s skin. 

That smooth, pale surface was now crawling with dark vein-like markings, like cracks forming across white jade, running from her thigh up to her neck, and spreading to her hands.

“No, it’s nothing.”

The berserk blood tendrils had already grabbed several members of Jifeng, smashing them violently into the ground.

If not for the cushioning flesh mats, they would’ve been pulp by now.

There was no room for distraction.

“It might not be a bad thing. Stay focused.”

Those markings didn’t seem malicious—Xiao Luobo could sense the witch’s aura within them.

“The witch’s brand…? Never heard of her branding anyone before. Why this little idiot… Why this special treatment? What is she thinking?”

“And that spiritual source in her body… it’s chaos, like a sky full of stars. How is she not drained dry by now?”

Wu Xiaomi couldn’t hear Xiao Luobo’s thoughts.

But she realized something strange was happening to her.

In her mind’s eye, a “Starry Tree” appeared.

One star glowed brightly, while the others remained dim.

The glowing star was at the very base of the tree.

It was a gentle, familiar light—Wu Xiaomi could tell clearly that it was the Spirit of Abundance’s source.

She was the seed of this great tree—every future branch and leaf would begin from her.

Then she continued to grow, quickly spreading toward one of the dim stars.

That star was gradually beginning to glow.

Its brightness came from what she held in her hand—the Seed of Sequence.

Wu Xiaomi hated memorizing vocabulary. 

She had once thought, if only those words could be written directly into her brain.

And now, something like that was happening.

Knowledge was appearing in her mind out of nowhere, and her understanding of the Seed of Sequence in her hand was becoming ever clearer.

……

“Captain! We can’t hold on anymore!”

Just as Ah Feng shouted, his ankle was grabbed, and he was yanked upside down into the air.

He swore he’d never mess with anything involving tentacles ever again.

This was way too much.

Captain Ah Lei looked around—besides himself, all the other members had been entangled.

These tendrils were smart. They knew the enemy’s strength came from their swords.

So they chose to bind the arms first, rendering the members powerless to fight back.

“Captain… cough help me. I can’t… breathe…”

Realizing that slamming their enemies into the ground wasn’t working, the tendrils shifted tactics.

They wrapped tightly around their enemies’ necks.

Squeezing.

Bit by bit.

Until they suffocated.

Ah Lei held his ground behind Wu Xiaomi.

As his team dwindled, the pressure on him multiplied.

There were just too many tendrils—he could barely keep up.

He couldn’t hold the line any longer.

On his own, it was impossible.

Ah Lei stared in despair as more than ten tendrils came at him all at once.

“Get lost—!”

He roared and slashed three of them down.

But the next three wrapped around his arms and torso.

The remaining four tendrils shot straight toward Wu Xiaomi.

He had no strength left to intercept—could only watch helplessly as those filthy things reached for Wu Xiaomi’s neck.

And then—

Wu Xiaomi opened her eyes.

In her pale pink pupils, a flash of light flickered and vanished.

“Sequence 117—Flourish!”