86 Cambrian Consciousness
Cong Xia grabbed his hand. “What are you doing?”
Ignoring him, Cheng Tianbi cut open the already stitched wound on his left arm, about four to five centimeters long. He then used his fingers to press on the wound, revealing a silver-white object from the bloody flesh.
Wide-eyed, Cong Xia’s heart raced.
Cheng Tianbi held the object between his fingertips and slowly pulled it out. It was an oval-shaped metal piece, about four centimeters long and three centimeters wide, with a thickness of three to four millimeters. The metal piece had an irregular shape, with its edges rounded.
He tossed the metal piece to the ground. It appeared extremely soft, as Cheng Tianbi only lightly pinched it, leaving shallow blood-stained fingerprints on its surface.
In a deep voice, Cong Xia asked, “Tianbi, what is this?”
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Ubldt Mkydck rknjle wr y eyttla yde bsyaplzu alrzkle, “Zsw’zz jdso obld usw pll kv.” Jlqsal bkp osaep qkdkpble, bl vbawpv vbl eyttla vsoyaep vbl pkzhla xlvyz rklnl!
Mbl xlvyz rklnl oyp lypkzu rklanle, nalyvkdt y bszl. Fweeldzu, Usdt Dky qlzv y hypv yde rsolaqwz ldlatu lxydyvkdt qasx vbl srldkdt. Tl bye dlhla lmrlakldnle pwnb y xyppkhl yde kdvldpl ldlatu qzwnvwyvksd clqsal. Usxryale vs vbkp ldlatu, yzz vbl ldlatu bl bye ycpsacle kd vbl rypv pllxle zkjl y easr kd vbl snlyd!
Gv vbl pyxl vkxl, Usdt Dky qlzv bkp cseu pweeldzu blyv wr. Tl zssjle esod yde pyo vbyv vbl ydnkldv fyel bkeeld kd bkp ycesxld oyp lxkvvkdt y ekx talld zktbv!
Hbwydt Zys kxxlekyvlzu awpble vs bkp pkel, ypvsdkpble cu vbl scflnv lxkvvkdt y qykdv tzso. “Ebyv kp vbkp?”
Ushlakdt bkp blye, Usdt Dky blyae vbl ydnkldv yde ekpvydv hsknl vbyv bye prsjld vs bkx obld bl qkapv ldnswdvlale vbl ydnkldv fyel. Tsolhla, vbkp vkxl, kv alrlyvle sdzu vos osaep kdnlppydvzu: Goyjl, yoyjl, yoyjl…
Mbl hsknl pswdele xswadqwz yde nbkzzkdt, yp kq nyaaukdt cswdezlpp psaaso.
“Usdt Dky, obyv’p oasdt okvb usw?”
Mbl hsknl iwknjzu qyele yoyu, cwv Usdt Dky pvkzz qlzv y przkvvkdt blyeynbl. Usze polyv pvalyxle esod bkp qynl yp bl bsyaplzu pyke, “Pke usw… qllz kv vss?”
“Are you talking about this?” Cheng Tianbi tore open the silver metal layer, revealing a thin black crystal the size of a fingertip. The crystal was pitch black and translucent, emanating a mysterious luster.
Could this be the Puppet Jade?
Zhuang Yao voiced the question in Cong Xia’s mind, “Is this the Puppet jade?” His voice trembled slightly as he looked at Cong Xia. “What is inside your clothes? Is it connected to this jade?”
Cong Xia didn’t answer Zhuang Yao. Instead, he reached out his finger, hesitatingly approaching the black crystal. Suddenly, Cheng Tianbi grabbed his hand and said in a deep voice, “I can’t be sure what this is. It’s just my speculation.”
In a low voice, Cong Xia said, “But I can be certain that it is the Puppet jade. You may not feel it, but I can sense it. It possesses an indescribably powerful neutral energy, as vast as the sea and boundless as the stars. It must be the Puppet jade.” Cong Xia clenched his teeth and firmly held Cheng Tianbi’s hand, pressing the palm against the Puppet jade. The immense energy surged into his body uncontrollably. His clothes fluttered, and his hair moved without wind. The boundless energy from the Puppet jade flowed into him like a river merging into the sea, unstoppable!
Although Cheng Tianbi and Zhuang Yao couldn’t sense the neutral energy of the Puppet jade, they could clearly see the changes in Cong Xia.
As the energy rushed in massively, the muscles on Cong Xia’s face even contorted.
Cheng Tianbi tried to stop Cong Xia, wanting to pull his hand away, but Cong Xia’s hand seemed stuck to his, no matter how hard he pulled. A visible black energy field emerged around Cong Xia’s body, appearing extremely eerie and horrifying. Looking into Cong Xia’s eyes, his pupils dilated, and the whites of his eyes were filled with black mist. He seemed to be completely controlled by some force, losing all rationality.
Cheng Tianbi shouted, “Cong Xia, snap out of it!”
Hearing Cheng Tianbi’s shout, Cong Xia felt as though the voice was distant from him. He had never felt so fulfilled and powerful before, as if his entire life had reached its peak. He couldn’t distinguish whether he himself was absorbing the energy or if the energy from the Puppet jade was flowing into his body. But he knew that he couldn’t let go. He wanted to absorb more, to feel complete…
Suddenly, the ancient jade in his abdomen emitted a brilliant glow. The dark green light surged into his palm, severing the connection between him and the black energy.
Cong Xia felt an intense pain, as if countless knives were simultaneously tearing him apart. It was a pain that no human could bear even a fraction of. Then, he was forcefully thrown away, mercilessly crashing into the rough stone wall of the cave before landing on the ground.
“Cong Xia!” Cheng Tianbi and Zhuang Yao quickly rushed over.
Cong Xia was dazed from the impact but not completely unconscious. With Cheng Tianbi calling out to him, he slowly opened his eyes. It felt like everything that had just happened was a dream, but the lingering taste of the excruciating pain was undeniably real.
Cong Xia was in so much pain that he almost cried. He looked at Cheng Tianbi with a vacant stare, completely unfocused.
“Cong Xia, how are you? Can you hear me?”
After a full two minutes, Cong Xia gradually regained his focus, his scattered gaze gathering some clarity. He murmured, “Tianbi… I…”
“What happened to you? What just happened? Did you lose consciousness?”
Cong Xia slowly sat up. After the intense pain subsided, his body was filled with an overflowing energy. He felt relaxed and full of strength, an incredible sensation.
He looked at his hand, stuttering with excitement, “Tianbi, en-energ-energies, so many energies! My energy core is filled up, so much, so much energy!”
Cheng Tianbi looked at him with concern.
Cong Xia grabbed Cheng Tianbi’s hand, and the energy immediately flowed into Cheng Tianbi’s body. Excitedly, he said, “Can you feel it? So much energy.”
atOptions = { ‘key’ : ‘a2c08536ac5f3373f407464a13564065’, ‘format’ : ‘iframe’, ‘height’ : 50, ‘width’ : 320, ‘params’ : {} }; document.write(”);Cheng Tianbi pulled his hand away, gripping Cong Xia’s chin and staring directly into his eyes. “Answer my question now. What just happened?”
Zhuang Yao also looked at him eagerly, his eyes filled with an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Cong Xia slapped his face lightly, calming himself down. “I felt that there was an endless amount of energy inside that jade. I kept absorbing, and absorbing, until… until I was forcibly pushed away by intense pain.”
“Did you hear me calling you just now?”
“I heard you, but at that moment, it felt like I wasn’t in control of myself. I didn’t want to let go. The feeling of being filled with energy was too good, and I didn’t want to release it.”
Zhuang Yao spoke in a deep voice, “Does the Puppet Jade possess some kind of magic?”
After calming down, Cong Xia carefully recollected what had just happened. He felt a sense of lingering fear. “It’s possible. I entered a state that I can’t even explain myself. I could feel everything around me, but it was like I was enveloped in a membrane, unable to communicate with the outside world. In any case, I did lose control for a moment.”
Cheng Tianbi still had lingering fear in his heart. “This is probably the evil aspect of the Puppet Jade. If it weren’t for the ancient jade, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“The ancient jade? What is it? Is it the thing in your clothes?” Zhuang Yao looked at Cong Xia’s abdomen, covered by a thick down jacket, but the holy and solemn green light from earlier was visible to the naked eye.
Cong Xia knew that there was no point in hiding anymore. He unbuttoned his clothes and opened the lining, revealing an oval-shaped object the size of a palm on his abdomen, wrapped in cloth strips and tied around his waist. He said, “This is the ancient jade. I can’t show it to you now, it’s not the right time, and besides, you wouldn’t see anything special. In someone else’s hands, it’s just an ordinary jade.”
“But in your hands, it can provide you with information and help you resist the temptation of the Puppet Jade at critical moments.” Zhuang Yao’s eyes shone brightly like the stars in the sky.
“You’re right.”
Zhuang Yao suddenly burst into laughter. “Ancient jade, Puppet Jade, I finally know the secret that no one else knows. Let’s see who is closer to the truth. Let’s see who is closer to the truth!”
Cheng Tianbi coldly said, “If you dare to reveal a single word…”
Zhuang Yao’s eyes became fanatical, and he seemed somewhat abnormal. “Reveal? Even if you kill me, I won’t reveal a single word, especially to him… I will be closer to the truth than him…”
Cong Xia looked at him with concern.
Zhuang Yao jumped up from the ground, looking spirited. “Quickly heal everyone, and we’ll break out of here!”
It was then that Cong Xia remembered their situation. He grabbed Cheng Tianbi’s hand and generously transferred energy into his body. The energy he absorbed from the Puppet Jade was extremely abundant, filling his energy core for the first time. However, at the moment his energy core was filled, he was flung away by the ancient jade. Perhaps this was some kind of warning, considering his energy core was currently only a first-stage storage core with limited capacity. He couldn’t imagine the consequences of absorbing energy beyond its limits. This was the second time the ancient jade saved him.
At the moment, he had temporarily reached the second stage of fusion energy core. The feeling of rebirth was incredibly real, as if his heart had expanded several times over. His perception of energy had become much more sensitive, and even the speed and efficiency of transferring energy had improved. With a thought, while supplying energy to Cheng Tianbi, he also transmitted energy to Zhuang Yao, who was standing beside him.
He had tried many times before to simultaneously replenish energy or heal multiple people, but had never succeeded. Now, it was accomplished effortlessly!
Cheng Tianbi and Zhuang Yao both felt the energy being replenished, and both looked somewhat surprised. Cong Xia was overjoyed. The Puppet Jade was truly a massive treasure. With the Puppet Jade, energy would be inexhaustible and limitless in the future!
After replenishing energy and healing Cheng Tianbi and Zhuang Yao, only one-third of his energy was depleted, and the energy core was no longer in a fully charged state. He dropped back from the second stage to the first stage. However, his energy remained abundant.
He quickly went to heal Tang Yanqiu, Liu Fengyu, and Abu, transferring energy into their bodies and restoring the four of them to their optimal state. He still had one-fifth of the energy remaining in his body, indicating just how much energy he had absorbed this time.
Everyone was amazed by Cong Xia’s condition, especially when they learned about the Puppet Jade inside Cheng Tianbi’s body. It was truly unbelievable.
Although Zhuang Yao was overly excited, he didn’t forget the more important matter at hand. “With our current state, we are more than enough to wipe them all out. Let’s break out!”
Cheng Tianbi put the Puppet Jade into a pouch in his close-fitting undergarment, gripping the handle of his knife tightly. He said coldly, “Leave none of them alive.”
The group leaped onto Abu, and their burning hatred transformed into a decisive killing force.
Zhuang Yao shouted loudly, “Abu, charge out!”
Abu let out a loud cry and dashed out, lowering its body as it ran. In the moment of leaving the cave, it leaped into the air, with bullets whizzing beneath its feet.
The entrance of the cave was covered with nameless wild grass, which ignited from both sides, as if trying to smoke them out.
Shouts of surprise continued to ring out.
“What’s going on? Weren’t they injured?”
“It’s impossible, they have no more energy!”
Zhang Qian and the Indian Wolf looked at the reborn group in disbelief, their eyes filled with fear.
The flock of birds in the sky, under Cheng Tianbi’s wind attacks, had once again suffered heavy casualties. Liu Fengyu moved through the group of wild beasts, the energy beings touched by the corrosive liquid emitting miserable screams.
Tang Yanqiu leaped into the air, with only three arrows remaining on him. He wanted these three arrows to be worth it!
The moment Cheng Tianbi jumped down from Abu, he said to Tang Yanqiu, “Zhang Qian is yours.” After speaking, he flew down and ran towards the towering Indian wolf.
Zhuang Yao yelled, “Abu, crush them!”
Zhuang Yao and Cong Xia tightly held onto Abu’s fur. Abu, already provoked, went madly running and trampling through the group of wild beasts. Its claws swung rapidly, constantly sending beasts flying into the air.
Cong Xia continuously absorbed the surrounding energy, never stopping even for a moment, as he followed Abu’s movements. After absorbing the energy from the Puppet Jade, despite dropping back to the first stage from the second stage, his body seemed to have been strengthened by the attribute-less energy within the jade. Even the range and speed of his energy absorption had noticeably increased.
The Indian Wolf saw Cheng Tianbi running into the jungle and knew he couldn’t confront him head-on. Although the Indian Wolf was injured and had a slower speed, he was cunning. He ran through the jungle, using trees as cover to evade Cheng Tianbi’s attacks.
Cheng Tianbi, with the assistance of the wind, was already running at a speed close to that of an evolved speed person. Although he couldn’t catch up to the Indian Wolf, he didn’t need to. He just needed the Indian Wolf to enter his attack range.
The Indian Wolf was extremely cunning, running through the jungle in a zigzag pattern, utilizing trees as cover to evade Cheng Tianbi’s attacks time and time again.
Cheng Tianbi sensed the remaining energy inside him, weighed the situation on the battlefield, and decided to use one-third of his energy to kill the Indian Wolf in one strike.
Lao Liu (indian wolf) was not familiar with his own abilities, which made him particularly fearful. At this moment, he was already panicked, with most of his subordinates either dead or injured. While the enemy had recovered to their best state from the brink of defeat, Lao Liu realized he had no chance of winning and all he wanted now was to save his own life.
Cheng Tianbi clenched his fist tightly and suddenly released a large amount of energy. A wall of spikes, invisible and unexpected like the mouth of a devil, emerged in front of Lao Liu as he desperately fled. He collided with it head-on and was instantly pierced by countless sharp blades. He didn’t even have time to scream before his life was completely extinguished.
Cheng Tianbi returned to Abu’s side and immediately noticed Tang Yanqiu chasing after Zhang Qian, flying across the sky.
They cooperated with Liu Fengyu and Abu to sweep away the wild beasts on the ground, but they were helpless against the birds in the sky. They couldn’t effectively exterminate them.
Without the countless layers of bird protection, Zhang Qian could only rely on his superior flying ability, several times better than Tang Yanqiu, to evade the arrows. He spread his wings and glided through the forest. He had transformed into the form of a hawk, with a smaller body than Tang Yanqiu but a wingspan half a meter longer. He flew extremely fast, making it difficult to aim at him. Moreover, due to his inherent avian abilities, he could sense obstacles along his path using his instincts rather than relying solely on his eyes.
Tang Yanqiu’s first arrow pierced Zhang Qian’s wing but missed the vital point. Tang Yanqiu was heavily burdened, not only slower in flight speed compared to Zhang Qian but also inferior in endurance. He knew that if the pursuit continued like this, he would be the first to tire out.
Tang Yanqiu exerted all his strength and dashed forward, hoping to end this battle with a single strike.
He pursued for another hundred meters when suddenly he discovered that Zhang Qian had flown into a forest of withered trees. The trees in this forest still appeared vibrant even in winter. Perhaps it was related to their evolution. Even the grass covered by heavy snow could push through the snowdrifts and continue to grow. Therefore, it was not common to see trees withered and yellow during winter.
Tang Yanqiu saw his opportunity. He drew an arrow and forcefully slid it against the flint on his armguard. The oil-soaked arrowhead instantly ignited, and Tang Yanqiu released the arrow, setting fire to the trees surrounding Zhang Qian.
Zhang Qian was startled, his movements visibly faltering, as he instinctively flew away from the inferno.
Now is the time!
Tang Yanqiu’s bow reached its full draw, and the sharp arrow pierced through the air, ruthlessly penetrating Zhang Qian’s chest. The tremendous force pulled Zhang Qian off his flight path, and he was firmly pinned to a burning tree by the arrow.
The blaze immediately engulfed his feathers, and Zhang Qian let out a piercing cry of agony. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t free himself from the arrow.
Tang Yanqiu lowered his hand holding the bow, and his arm trembled slightly from exertion. He hovered in mid-air, coldly observing Zhang Qian.
Abu and a few others arrived, running from a distance and stopping beside Tang Yanqiu. They watched as Zhang Qian, a man burdened with great sins, was consumed by the raging flames, ultimately dying in agony.
Tang Yanqiu landed on Abu’s shoulder and sighed, “Seems like we didn’t have enough arrows.”
Cong Xia said, “Let’s return the way we came. First, we’ll retrieve Road Bully, and second, we’ll gather any usable arrows for you.”
Everyone was feeling weary. They had experienced a life-and-death battle, and although they emerged victorious in the end, no one felt joyous about it. After all, they had lived as ordinary people in peacetime for more than twenty years, not as ruthless warriors who took lives without hesitation. But the harsh reality forced them to resolve their safety issues through a kill-or-be-killed approach.
Even though some people didn’t deserve sympathy, even though evildoers should face retribution, those who had sufficient reasons to kill could never return to the past.
The group walked back in silence, following the same route they had escaped from. Cong Xia swept the area for any remaining energy, while the others helped Tang Yanqiu collect the arrows.
Cong Xia wasn’t afraid of corpses. During his university days, out of curiosity, he audited classes at the medical school for a semester. But these corpses still made him uncomfortable. Seeing these bodies couldn’t help but make him think of themselves.
Would they also meet their end at the hands of powerful mutant creatures one day? How many dangers still lay ahead on this journey? How many mysterious and terrifying unsolved mysteries?
Cong Xia felt deeply exhausted.
After walking for half an hour, they finally returned to the abandoned vehicle. Road Protector was still parked in the middle of the road, completely intact. They had thought they wouldn’t have a chance to come back and retrieve it.
Liu Fengyu collapsed on the ground, tiredly shouting, “Xiao Xia, cook, cook! I’m starving.” Liu Fengyu’s hunger wasn’t real due to his mutated abilities; he no longer felt hunger. But he needed food from the civilized era to find solace and tranquility, if only for a moment.
Cong Xia forced a smile and said, “Okay, let’s make something delicious. Let’s have a good meal to celebrate… that we’re still alive.”
Liu Fengyu bitterly smiled and said, “Celebrate that we’re still alive.”
Author’s Note: One more update~ After the big battle, we can rest for a few chapters (seems like I’m talking about myself).
After reading over 200 comments from the previous chapter, the author couldn’t help but sigh, “Ah, look at how frustrated these kids are…”
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