Cold. Not the sharp edge of the desert night wind, but the chill of a metal blade pressed against her throat, piercing her bones. The sharp, sharp line of the blade pierced the delicate skin of Xu Shuangyao's neck. Every weak pulse beat felt like a collision with death. The dark red fungal blood lingering on the blade, mixed with a sweet, fishy smell of rust, wafted into her nostrils, bearing the hallmark of the Fungus Master's decaying domain.
Xu Shuangyao leaned against the cold, rough fossil roots of the World Tree, her body paralyzed by injuries and exhaustion. Every attempt to breathe evoked a piercing pain from the hideous wound on the side of her neck. Warm fluid seeped from beneath the bandages, soaking the collar of her cloak. Her vision was blurred by the sweat and blood streaming down her forehead, but she still strained her eyes wide, staring intently at the face so close to her through the hazy light.
Pei Du's face.
His once sharp, angular face, defined by cold, resolute lines, was now covered in a translucent, dark-red bacterial membrane, like a living, breathing, foul moss. Beneath his skin, twisted, thorn-like veins of dark-red fungus pulsed and flowed slowly, like a living being, emitting a faint yet ominous, heart-wrenching light. His lips were pursed, bloodless, and set into a cold, unforgiving line.
The most heartbreaking thing was those eyes. Deep within their pupils burned two clusters of icy, dark-gold flames devoid of human emotion, like frozen stars in the abyss' depths. At the core of the flames, a single crimson mycelium vein twisted and writhed eerily like the most vicious parasite, reflecting the master's absolute will, looking down on ants. Between his eyebrows, a corporeal crown of thorns, composed of solidified dark-red data crystals and wriggling mycelium, emanated a tremendous pressure, pressing the thin air around him into a thick, sticky heaviness.
He was no longer Pei Du. He was the vessel through which the Fungus Lord's will walked the earth, the sharpest claw extending from the throne of decay.
The long knife in his hand - a weapon with a cold metallic texture that had accompanied him in chopping off countless eradicators - was now also wrapped in sticky dark red mycelium. The tip of the knife was precisely against Xu Shuangyao's carotid artery. If it moved forward half an inch, it would easily cut her lifeline.
Time seemed to freeze. The raging battlefield at the edge of the World Tree's wreckage seemed to have been muted. The distant roars of the resistance fighters, the shrieking blasts of the Reaper's ion blades, the roar of energy explosions… all sounds became distant and indistinct. Only the cold touch of the blade against my throat remained, the burning sensation of Pei Du's (the Fungus Master's) heavy, sweet, decayed breath against my face, and… the frantic thumping of my own heart against my chest, threatened by death.
Xu Shuangyao could feel the "seed" left by the green vein deep within the laceration on her neck, pulsing weakly and rapidly under the close-range pressure of the fungus master. It emitted a turquoise ripple of fear and stubborn resistance. This ripple, like a firefly struggling in the darkness, was clearly reflected in Pei Du's (the fungus master's) pupils, which burned with dark gold flames.
"Key..." A cold, sticky, echoing voice emanated from Pei Du's throat, like rusty gears grinding against bones. The voice was no longer solely Pei Du's; it was mingled with the corrupted and greedy will of the Fungus Master. "The final... obstacle... cleared..."
The tip of the knife against the throat began to exert pressure extremely slowly and with a cruelty like a cat playing with a mouse!
The cold metal blade bit by bit into the soft, fragile skin of Xu Shuangyao's neck! A subtle yet distinct stinging sensation spread! Then, a warm, life-giving liquid oozed out—her skin had been cut! Tiny droplets of blood slid down the cold blade, leaving a winding, glaring red mark on the mycelium-covered blade!
The shadow of death had never loomed so clearly and coldly as it did at that moment! Xu Shuangyao's pupils suddenly contracted! The instinct for survival made her muscles instantly tense! But her severely injured body seemed to have been drained of all strength, unable to even lift a finger! She could only watch helplessly as those eyes burned with inhuman flames, feeling the blade slowly cut through the barrier of her life!
At the moment when his consciousness was about to be completely seized by death! At the critical moment when the cold blade was about to completely cut open his artery!
Something strange happened suddenly!
The wound on Xu Shuangyao's neck, cut by the blade! The emerald green "seed" light, which had been pulsating rapidly due to fear and resistance, suddenly exploded as if it had been thrown into boiling oil when it came into contact with the warm blood flowing out of her body, which contained the essence of Omega pheromones!
Buzz——!!!
An indescribable, strange scent, a blend of cool, herbal fragrance and a subtle, remnant of Pei Du's original thorny Alpha pheromone, erupted like a lit fuse, emanating from the wound on Xu Shuangyao's neck. This scent was rich and alluring, yet tinged with a sense of despair and sorrow, akin to a complete destruction. It was no longer simply an Omega pheromone, but a fusion of Xu Shuangyao's life essence, the will of Qingluo's "seed," and... the final mark left deep within the wound, the mark of Pei Du's loss of control!
The moment this mixed pheromone storm erupts!
The blade that was pressed against Xu Shuangyao's throat suddenly stopped!
Pei Du's pupils, ablaze with dark golden flames, flickered and contracted like a lightbulb with faulty contacts! The muscles on his cheeks, covered in a dark red bacterial membrane, twitched uncontrollably! A surge of primal instincts and chaotic emotions, emanating from the depths of his soul, contaminated by his "obedient sclerotia" and forcibly suppressed by the master's will, erupted like a dormant volcano, instantly ignited by this mingled pheromone storm!
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