While I was chanting a curse, the system said I was Xiao Yan?

Chapter 173 Evolution Failure

Soul power surged from his body, condensing into two invisible hands that simultaneously grasped the ball of pink fire and the sea flame. Under the pressure of the soul power, the flame emitted a faint hum, and its surface began to tremble violently, as if two mutually repelling magnetic poles were being forcibly pushed together.

Pink flames and sea flames converged in the void in front of him. First, their edges touched, and a cluster of dazzling sparks emerged from the contact surface. Then, the output of his soul power increased to a higher level in that instant, and two invisible hands simultaneously contracted inward!

The two flames began to permeate and merge with each other!

The pink flames spread out like petals, forming a flowing light film on the outer layer of the Haisen Flame. The blue-green core of the Haisen Flame slowly rotated under the pink light film, like an emerald wrapped in cherry blossoms.

The two colors intertwined and swirled, forming a spiraling pattern of light that extended outwards from the center of the flower, and a lotus platform gradually took shape in his palm!

Deep blue petals solidified and took shape at the edge of the Haisen Flame, while pink flames continued to rotate inside, forming a more compact petal structure. Fine magical patterns flowed along the edge of each petal, like ice cracks on the surface of porcelain.

"Buddha's Wrathful Lotus!"

Tianyan thrust his hands forward with a sudden movement, and the two-colored lotus flower detached from his palms, drawing a dazzling trail of pink and blue in the night sky, like a ignited comet, flying straight towards the expanding cursed fetus in the sky!

The cursed fetus seemed to sense the threat; the vein-like patterns on its surface lit up at the same moment, and the dark purple light illuminated the entire sphere like a purple sun about to explode.

Its size expanded again in that instant, and fine cracks began to appear on its grayish-white outer shell, the cracks shimmering with unstable light spots in the dark purple light.

The lotus flower collided with the cursed fetus, and in that instant, time seemed to slow down!

The two-colored lotus flower contracted sharply just before touching the surface of the cursed embryo, compressing from half a meter in diameter to the size of a fist, and then...

"boom!"

A crimson and white light burst forth from the center of the explosion, first as a thin line of white light, then like a flood bursting its banks, pouring out in all directions and illuminating the entire night sky as if it were daytime!

The pinkish-blue energy spread outward from the center of the explosion, like a lotus flower magnified a thousand times blooming in the night sky, with two colors of fire burning at the edges of the petals, dyeing the clouds into a strange pinkish-blue curtain!

The shockwave followed closely behind, radiating outwards in a spherical pattern from the explosion's center. Wherever it passed, roof tiles of surrounding buildings were blown off, as if swept by an invisible giant hand!

The rubble spun and flew like pieces of paper in the shockwave, crashing against walls and the ground further away with a series of loud thuds.

The glass windows, which had been shattered by the previous battle, were completely destroyed by the aftershocks of the shockwave. Broken glass poured down from the building's surface like a torrential rain, reflecting the blinding light from the epicenter of the explosion onto the street!

The air itself was also trembling. The remnants of cursed power that were floating around the center of the explosion and converging towards the cursed embryo were crushed in the shock wave like grains of wheat being thrown into a millstone. Along with the cursed power mist that was being absorbed by the cursed embryo, it was also torn apart!

Tianyan's body was propelled backward dozens of meters by the shockwave, leaving two charred marks on the asphalt road with the soles of his shoes.

The flash of light from the explosion lasted for about five seconds before it began to fade.

Tianyan lowered his arm that had been blocking his way, his gaze fixed on the center of the explosion. The pinkish-blue embers were still slowly drifting in the air, like a snow made of light, gently falling to the ground. The embers burned for a few seconds after touching the ground before gradually extinguishing.

But the cursed fetus is still there!

Tianyan's pupils contracted slightly.

The cursed embryo, which was originally three meters in diameter, did not shatter after being directly impacted by the Buddha's Wrathful Lotus. Instead, it grew even larger, now reaching at least five meters in diameter. Countless hideous cracks were indeed left on its grayish-white outer shell.

Like porcelain about to shatter, dark purple liquid slowly seeped from the cracks, flowing down the surface of the cursed body, and then turning back into black cursed power that began to dissipate in all directions.

This gives the cursed embryo both the contradictory characteristics of absorbing cursed power inwards and spitting out cursed power outwards, but the absorption speed is obviously faster!

The edges of those cracks are growing at a visible rate, the wounds are healing automatically, and the new tissue is a darker color than the surrounding old shell, with a moist sheen.

Tianyan frowned deeply because he could clearly sense the path of that energy flow. The enormous curse power released from the explosion of the Buddha's Wrath Lotus was not consumed like a normal attack after it came into contact with the surface of the curse embryo. Instead, it was captured and absorbed by the blood vessel-like patterns on its surface!

It is using Tianyan's attacks to strengthen itself!

The pulsation frequency of the cursed fetus was faster than before. The heartbeat-like rhythm accelerated from once per second to twice per second. Each pulsation was accompanied by a flash of light on the surface, like an engine running at full speed, emitting a deep and continuous hum!

Tianyan took a deep breath and steadied himself. The continuous high-intensity battle, coupled with the full-force Buddha's Fury Lotus he had just unleashed, had depleted his spell power to a critical point.

Although the rotation speed of the crystal remained stable, the energy tendrils extending from the edge of the crystal were much dimmer than in its prime.

He took out a Qi-restoring pill from his storage ring once again, put it in his mouth, and the pill melted instantly. The warm power surged from his dantian, pushing the battle crystal to a higher speed again.

The expansion rate of the cursed embryo has accelerated again. Its diameter has expanded by another circle in the short span of ten seconds, reaching nearly six meters. Most of the cracks on its surface have healed, and the color of the new tissue is rapidly approaching the grayish-white of the old shell.

But just as it was about to complete the repair, conspicuous incantations suddenly appeared on the barrier in the sky, the pulse of the cursed fetus suddenly became disordered, and the cursed power at the wound suddenly began to dissipate rapidly!

It even tore through the surface blood vessels and rushed out, flying directly into the barrier spell's gaping maw in the sky!

The Cursed Embryo's absorption capacity was no match for the giant mouth in the sky. Its regular pulsation began to become intermittent, like a heart twitching!

The surface light began to flicker, one moment a stable and continuous halo, the next a shimmering starlight, like a light bulb filament teetering on the edge of breaking.

Tianyan sensed that the concentration of curse energy in the air was decreasing at an extremely rapid rate, and all the curse energy mist that had gathered from all directions was being completely absorbed by the incantations in the sky.

The cursed embryo wanted to continue growing, but it had run out of new fuel!

The vascular patterns on its surface began to spasm abnormally, like vines that had been drained of moisture, first thinning, then drying out, and then breaking off from the roots.

The first line broke, making a sound like a snapping string. Then came the second, the third, and the fifth line. The lines that had once maintained its energy cycle were breaking off one after another.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, a gap exploded on the surface of the cursed fetus!

Dark purple liquid gushed from the gap, tracing an arc in the night sky before cascading down like a waterfall, crashing onto the street with a series of muffled thuds as heavy objects fell to the ground.

The liquid fell to the ground, corroding the asphalt into charred pits, with tiny white wisps of smoke rising from its surface.

Then came the second, third, and fourth sounds. More cracks began to appear on the surface of the cursed fetus, like an overinflated balloon bursting from the inside. Each sound was a dull thud, as if something was being crushed inside!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The last sound was more muffled and louder than all the previous sounds. It was as if the entire cursed embryo had been detonated from the inside. The outer shell exploded, and countless fragments flew out in all directions. Dark purple liquid and bits of flesh poured down from the sky like a rainstorm!

Some crashed onto rooftops, denting the tiles; others landed on the streets, bouncing a few times on the asphalt before coming to rest; still others hung on utility poles and streetlights, glowing faintly in the remaining embers.

Their appearance began to change, gradually shriveling from their original twisted and irregular fleshy shape. The curse power was being drawn out from the inside, and most of them gradually became smaller and lighter in the air, eventually turning into pieces of dry, grayish-black residue, which turned into powder and were blown away by the wind before they hit the ground.

And something else was falling down along with the pieces of flesh.

Tianyan's gaze locked onto the small, thin figure falling from the sky. It was Nurarihyon, which had been wrapped in the core of the Cursed Embryo. The protective layer around it was stripped away in the explosion, and it fell along with the fragments.

Nurarihyon has degenerated into its original form. Its body is so thin that it is just skin and bones. Its body, which was originally covered with scales, is now only a layer of dry skin clinging to the bones. The grayish-brown skin is covered with cracks, like land that has been exposed to the sun for many years.

The face that once belonged to the old man was now even more withered, with sunken eye sockets, prominent cheekbones, drooping corners of the mouth, and curled-up limbs, like a mummy that had been drained of all its moisture.

It crashed into the middle of the street with a dull thud.

Gravel splattered around its body, dust rose, and it lay in the shallow pit, its body twitching slightly before becoming still.

Tianyan walked up to it and stopped. He looked down at the body curled up in the rubble. Its eyes were half open, the pupils were cloudy and unfocused, but there was still a faint ray of light moving inside. Its mouth opened and closed slightly.

"I... I hate it so much..."

Its voice was hoarse and weak, like the last breath squeezed from the depths of its throat: "It...didn't evolve successfully..."

"6

"My spell power... isn't enough..."

'

"Not enough people have died..."

'

Its body edges had begun to turn into black mist, starting from its toes and slowly spreading upwards. The black mist dissipated the moment it came into contact with the air, like ashes blown away by the wind.

Tianyan stood still, looking down at it without saying a word. He could see it clearly from below. The Nurarihyon's evolution should not have failed, but it was ambushed by the Punisher at the critical moment of success!

So it wasn't Tianyan that harmed it, but rather the mastermind behind it all!

The corners of Nurarihyon's mouth curved slightly, the smile twisted and venomous. It finally raised its head, and the last glimmer of light in its turbid eyes focused on Tianyan.

"You... will die..."

"6

"My death... will not be the end..."

""

Its voice grew softer and softer, until the last word was left unsaid. The curve of its lips froze in place, and its body completely transformed into black mist, drifting away in the night wind, shrinking inward from the edges, and finally disappearing completely like ashes blown away by the wind, leaving nothing behind.

Tianyan stood still, his gaze fixed on the spot where it had disappeared. Only a few charred cracks and pits corroded by dark purple liquid on the ground proved that something had indeed happened here.

He exhaled, turned around, and was about to move to the other side of the street when he suddenly stopped.

He turned his head and his gaze fell on the roof of a high-rise apartment building a few streets away. In the darkness, he could vaguely see a figure standing on the edge of the roof.

The distance was too far to see the face clearly, but the faint light revealed that the figure was tall and thin, and the night wind was blowing his half-long hair wildly.

Tianyan frowned slightly. Previously, due to the cursed power filling the air, he had not noticed anyone in that direction. Now that the cursed power in the air had disappeared, the cursed power in the distance became obvious.

The figure standing on the rooftop seemed to notice Tianyan looking at him. He turned slightly to the side, as if he was about to turn away, but then paused.

Then the figure raised a hand, just a simple gesture, as if greeting Tianyan whom it hadn't seen in a long time.

He then took a step back and disappeared into the shadows on the rooftop.

Tianyan's gaze lingered on the empty rooftop for a few seconds before he looked away without following.

The luster of the Dou Crystal within Tianyan's body had noticeably dimmed, the surrounding liquid curse power was almost completely exhausted, and the outer layer of gaseous curse power was also nearly gone.

As the saying goes, one becomes three times stronger when corrupted. No one knows just how strong Xia Youjie is now, and even if he catches up, he probably can't do much. It's better to leave Xia Youjie with Gojo Satoru and let the two star-crossed lovers elbow each other later. As for Tianyan himself, let him recover first.

He glanced at the empty rooftop, then turned and walked towards a relatively intact alleyway on the inner side of the commercial street.

On the street in the distance, Xia Youjie walked out of the side door of an apartment building, his steps unhurried.

Instead of taking the main road, he walked through the gaps between the shops shattered by the explosion, as if he had predicted the path in advance, precisely avoiding the collapsed floors and scattered piles of rubble with each step.

He walked to the spot where he had seen a fragment of the exploded cursed embryo fall earlier and stopped.

Dark purple liquid traces remained on the ground, glistening damply in the dim light. The liquid was slowly seeping into the cracks in the gravel, but a small area still retained its original shape.

Xia Youjie squatted down, lifted a piece of gravel, and his gaze fell on a fist-sized piece of flesh that had not dissipated but was still brightly colored.

The shape of that piece of flesh had begun to change. It was no longer the mangled remains it had been after the battle, but was slowly shrinking, deforming, and reshaping.

Those dark purple fleshy buds grew out of the surface of the minced meat, intertwining and entwining to form a thin, translucent outer membrane, through which one could vaguely see a pulsating dark outline.