Chapter 228 - 146: Eradicating All Parasites, Harvesting the Vine Core, Recruiting Members

Chapter 228: Chapter 146: Eradicating All Parasites, Harvesting the Vine Core, Recruiting Members

Even if the Bloodthirsty Vine completed its fusion, Chen Chong was fully confident he could take it down.

After all, Qi Zhen, Wang Biao, and the Assassin Insect were all present, and each possessed A-Level strength.

It was a shame the Identification Skill couldn’t be used on oneself, but Chen Chong estimated his own power was most likely at that level too.

Relying on his custom-fit Extraordinary Artifacts and weapons, his overall combat power was probably a tier higher than Qi Zhen’s, despite being somewhat behind in raw physical strength.

With his own power, plus the help of his subordinates, he could have easily cut down even the Unihorn Catfish and the Blood-tooth Python if they came back to life.

Even if this monster, formed from the fusion of fifty Parasites, had its power skyrocket far beyond that of an ordinary Parasite, Chen Chong didn’t believe it could be any harder to deal with than the Blood-tooth Python.

’If this thing were really that troublesome, the Bloodthirsty Vine King wouldn’t have been helpless against it, unable to completely devour it...’

The reason Chen Chong was so insistent on cutting it down first, regardless of the cost, was that he knew all too well that delays breed trouble.

Setting aside what unexpected abilities this damned thing might awaken after fusing, the threat it would pose once it fully formed would undoubtedly increase exponentially.

Transcendent ones like himself didn’t need to fear it, but there were still over a thousand unarmed, ordinary students in the square.

If they were caught in the crossfire, the casualties would be a hundred times more tragic than the twenty students who were just thrown through the air...

’Besides...’

It wasn’t that Chen Chong was completely indifferent to their lives.

With a thought, he sent a look.

The Tiger Striped Dog and the Blade-Limbed Assassin Insect instantly grasped their master’s intent. Even the distant Qi Zhen understood tacitly.

Qi Zhen immediately withdrew his fist and retracted his power. Instead, the strength of his entire body erupted, and amidst a flash of golden light, his once-lean muscles bulged as if inflated, his presence soaring.

He let out a low shout and smashed a fist toward the ground.

BOOM—

A terrifying shockwave instantly spread out from the point of impact.

As a pure Body Cultivator specializing in physical strength, Qi Zhen’s control over his power had already reached the pinnacle.

This punch didn’t actually touch the ground. He abruptly halted its momentum about three feet above the surface, yet all of his power was unleashed.

It slammed into the ground, wrapped in a howling gale, transforming into a massive impact force that shot skyward.

Everyone in the square felt this powerful impact. The fierce wind whipped at their faces and sent their hair flying, forcing them to squint their eyes.

Those who were a bit closer even felt their bodies lift slightly, hovering in the air for half a second.

As for the students who had been thrown earlier and were about to crash onto the hard concrete, their descent was abruptly halted by the buffering effect of this blast wave.

Their trajectories were forcibly altered.

They were no longer hurtling toward the ground but were now falling toward the dense crowd.

Even if they fell, they would just land on other people. At worst, they’d get a few bruises, but their lives would be saved.

The few remaining students who weren’t shielded by the blast wave and were still falling toward the concrete were caught at extreme speed by the Tiger Striped Dog and the Blade-Limbed Assassin Insect, who then gently placed them on the ground.

All the students who had narrowly escaped death were now ashen-faced, their lips trembling and colorless.

They clearly hadn’t recovered from the terrifying scene...

At almost the same instant, Chen Chong had already pounced before the fused Bloodthirsty Vine like a bolt of lightning.

The cold glint of his Snake Scale Short Knife flared as he plunged it straight into the fleshy, vine-woven ball, instantly engaging in a deadly struggle with the frantically writhing vines inside.

The sharp short knife slashed, and countless vines snapped in response.

Chen Chong gripped a vine with one hand for leverage, while his other hand swung the knife like lightning, madly hacking at the encroaching tendrils.

Wounded and enraged, the Bloodthirsty Vine sent even more vines surging toward him like a tide.

In just a moment, the dense mass of vines had wrapped Chen Chong in layer after layer, pulling his hands deeper inside and sucking his entire body in with them.

It was as if it wanted to drag him into the very core of the fleshy vine ball to be strangled and suffocated to death.

However, in the face of this, Chen Chong’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. He simply activated his Rock Body Transformation, and the short knife in his hand chopped even more fiercely...

Before long, Chen Chong was completely pulled inside.

All the vines continued to wrap around, once again forming a giant, constantly squirming ball of flesh interwoven with tendrils and mangled meat.

Seeing this, Wang Biao’s face changed drastically. He immediately leaped down from the high platform, roaring as he charged forward.

"Boss!"

Xu Jun, Qi Zhen, and Ning Yu also looked stunned, clearly not having expected things to turn out this way.

"I’ll do it!"

Qi Zhen shouted, terrifying power gathering in his fist as if he was about to unleash his full strength to blast all the vines apart.

But just as he was about to strike, Ning Yu reached out and stopped him.

"Don’t. If you throw that punch, you’ll likely hit him by mistake. Not to mention, with so many ordinary people around, they won’t be able to withstand your full power."

Everyone had witnessed Qi Zhen’s power.

A single punch could crack the ground and send people flying into the air.

No one doubted his strength.

But with Chen Chong trapped in the Vine Core, the consequences of a miss would be unthinkable.

Even if Chen Chong wasn’t hurt, the collateral damage to the surrounding students would be a significant loss...

Hearing this, Qi Zhen instantly retracted his fist’s power.

"I was being reckless. What do we do now?"

Just as everyone was growing anxious, Xu Jun suddenly spoke up. "Relax, he’ll be fine. Just trust Brother Chong."

As Chen Chong’s closest brother, no one knew his trump cards better than him.

His Rock Body Transformation ability alone was enough to render the Bloodthirsty Vine’s thorns useless.