Huo Xiuxiu put away the will-o'-the-wisp, walked to the three heads, and squatted down to examine them carefully. Zhang Shi, Ge Dalong, and Zhao Feng also gathered around, watching Huo Xiuxiu's actions nervously.
"It seems we've succeeded partly," Huo Xiuxiu said, her voice tinged with weariness but mostly with relief. "I've dispelled a small portion of these magical substances, but many remain in their brains. However, we can try our best to see if we can restore some of their consciousness."
As she spoke, Huo Xiuxiu took out a gem that shimmered with a pale blue light from her bosom and gently pressed it onto the forehead of one of the heads. The moment the gem touched the head, it emitted a soft light, which then gradually spread, enveloping the entire head.
Everyone held their breath, and then they saw the eye on the head suddenly blink once, followed by a second, then a third. All three pairs of eyes opened at the same time, their eyes filled with confusion.
Seeing this, Zhang Shi hurriedly stepped forward and called out to Chen Beipan and the old woman, but they did not respond to Zhang Shi's calls at all. After a brief moment of regaining their senses, they quickly became dazed again, still staring blankly ahead.
Zhang Shi tried to use the contract to call Chen Beipan, but to no avail. The connection between the two remained weak. If Chen Beipan hadn't been right in front of him, he wouldn't have been able to sense him at all.
"Don't bother, this thing is much more troublesome than you think."
Huo Xiuxiu retrieved the gem and stared at the three-headed monster's body in deep thought. After a moment, Huo Xiuxiu lifted the three-headed monster from a distance, then pointed her finger, and an invisible stream of air instantly shredded the monster's body. Its filthy flesh floated in the air, and black buds rapidly grew from the flesh, attempting to reassemble, but Huo Xiuxiu stopped them.
With another flick of her finger, Huo Xiuxiu unleashed an invisible wave of energy from the three-headed monster. The wave was as swift as a knife, but it only worked within a small area. In an instant, it stripped away all the flesh from the three-headed monster, leaving only its three heads intact.
After completing that series of complex and precise movements, Huo Xiuxiu seemed to have withdrawn from a silent battle, slowly exhaling a long and heavy breath. Her expression was as solemn as a dark cloud overhead, but in her eyes, there was an incomparable sense of triumph and determination.
"Try again."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi almost instinctively rushed forward without hesitation. He gently cradled the old woman's head in his hands, as if holding a precious and fragile piece of porcelain, and called out to her urgently.
If outsiders were to see this scene, it would be absolutely bizarre and terrifying.
The old woman didn't respond to his calls. Zhang Shi stared intently at her head, remaining silent as well. Outside the wooden house, time seemed to freeze, an indescribable oppressive atmosphere filling the air. Yet, the old woman's face, etched with the marks of time, remained frozen in a chilling blankness, ignoring Zhang Shi's calls, as if her soul had left her body and would never return.
Zhang Shi's heart sank, but he did not give up; his bloodshot eyes gleamed with an indomitable light. He slowly lowered the old woman's head. Then, he whirled around and grabbed Chen Beipan's head with such force that it seemed he was pouring all his resentment and anger into it.
At that very moment, Zhang Shi clearly felt that the subtle bond between himself and Chen Beipan suddenly became exceptionally strong, as if they were tightly connected by invisible threads, and every minute fluctuation could be clearly perceived. This sudden change stirred a strange tremor in his heart, both surprising and delightful.
"Perhaps this is the turning point!" Zhang Shi thought to himself. Without further hesitation, he took a deep breath and then slapped Chen Beipan's slightly pale face hard. This slap was infused with all of Zhang Shi's strength.
"Smack!"
Chen Beipan's head trembled slightly, and his dull eyes seemed to show a faint reaction, enough to send a shiver down the spines of everyone present. Zhang Shi's heart raced uncontrollably as he stared intently at Chen Beipan's face, hoping for a miracle. The entire scene was enveloped in a tense yet expectant atmosphere, making everyone hold their breath, eager to witness this incredible moment.
However, Chen Beipan only twitched his brow slightly before falling silent. Zhang Shi grinned, then increased the force of his blows, slapping Chen Beipan's face repeatedly. But Chen Beipan seemed like a dead man, his eyes lifeless, staring blankly ahead, showing no further reaction.
Meanwhile, in a corner unnoticed by everyone, the unfamiliar third head swayed slightly, a dark light flashed in its eyes, and then it opened its mouth wide and suddenly spat at Zhang Shi, who was squatting with his back to it.
"Holy crap!"
Zhang Shi felt a powerful impact from behind, and he was knocked down by the force, falling face-first into the dirt.
Huo Xiuxiu quickly took action and remotely controlled the head.
"Hahaha, you people are all going to die!"
The head had a ferocious expression and uttered a harsh word indistinctly before exploding without warning.
The explosion was quite powerful. Zhang Shi had just gotten up when the shockwave knocked him over again. Fortunately, his black light armor was of high quality and shielded him from the impact, preventing him from suffering serious injury. Luckily, the old woman and Chen Beipan's heads were pinned beneath Zhang Shi, who blocked all the impact, allowing them to survive in the center of the blast.
Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong quickly went forward to check on Zhang Shi and were relieved to find that he was alright.
"Thanks to this armor, we would have died countless times without it."
Zhang Shi nodded, then suddenly remembered something that seemed off.
Since entering the secret realm, he had been constantly clad in armor, even his face was covered by a mask. Zhao Feng, needless to say, looked like a little golden statue. And the last time he met Huo Xiuxiu in Huo Family Village, their attire was completely different from now. How did she recognize him then?
"Could it be that her nose is even more sensitive than Pipi's, or perhaps she has truly attained immortality and is able to distinguish so-called divine sense?"
Zhang Shi muttered to himself, but ultimately decided to put the question aside for the time being and find a way out first.
After the explosion, Huo Xiuxiu's magic was broken, and the filthy flesh quickly reassembled, "reinstalling" the remaining two heads, turning her into a two-headed monster. With a wave of her hand, she threw Zhang Shi aside, and then her body leaped and disappeared into the thick black fog.
Huo Xiuxiu did not stop them, but simply stood aside with her arms crossed and watched.
Why didn't you stop him?
Zhao Feng was somewhat annoyed. He had finally managed to capture the three-headed monster and had a chance to rescue the old woman, but unexpectedly, she escaped right under everyone's noses.
Huo Xiuxiu ignored Zhao Feng's complaints and turned back to the wooden house.
Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong exchanged a glance, then Zhang Shi led Zhao Feng into the house.
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