CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 274: THIS IS A HIGH-STAKES GAMBLE!

"Haha... you really leave no room for survival... huh..."

The head that Wu Liang had chopped off with the kitchen knife suddenly opened its eyes, the jaw moving mechanically as it intermittently spat out a sentence.

As the [Pioneer] uttered such words, tens of slender blood-flesh tendrils suddenly extended from the heart in Wu Liang’s other hand.

Snap—

The next second, these tendrils pierced deeply into Wu Liang’s palm like sharp needles.

The entire blood-red heart, still beating, at this moment looked like a peculiar golden beetle, tightly clinging to whatever it could catch.

"It’s a pity... your ruthlessness... was expected by me all along..."

The [Pioneer’s] voice continued to intermittently emerge from the mouth of that head, and as it sounded, blood-flesh tendrils spread from the neck, clutching Wu Liang’s hand tightly.

For a moment, both of his hands were occupied by this eerie entity.

Instantly, ghostly supernatural information flashed in Wu Liang’s eyes from the [Ghost Compendium] —

[Blood and Flesh Sacred Beetle]

[This Sacred Beetle will burrow into a person’s body, replacing the brain and heart. To maintain sanity while the beetle is inside, one must consume a certain amount of fresh human flesh daily.]

[Note: The flesh must be obtained by the possessed person’s own hands.]

[Failure to meet the condition for 24 hours will result in complete replacement by the beetle, triggering indiscriminate slaughter until death.]

[The method to break it: As the beetle initially enters the body, sever the infected limb to trap it within and let it starve, for once it reaches the brain, it cannot be removed.]

Upon realizing what these eerie blood tendrils truly were, Wu Liang immediately sensed the full malice from [Pioneer].

This thing was akin to the seal he had placed on Yao Qingxue in the Tianshan Mountain Range.

It’s a virtually unsolvable supernatural artifact in some sense.

Once parasitized by this [Blood and Flesh Sacred Beetle], maintaining sanity would require daily human slaughter.

Perhaps initially, he could hunt down [Promised Land] members to fulfill the condition, or in desperation punish death row inmates in prison.

But eventually, the number of those guilty of heinous crimes would run out; what would he do then?

If ever he couldn’t resist acting against someone he shouldn’t have, [Pioneer] would certainly find a way to link his actions with official agencies, regardless of his identity at the time.

In that case, the authorities would face a dilemma, and any explanation or handling would inevitably lead to a loss of public trust.

"Hehe... you could also choose... to sever both arms..."

Though [Pioneer’s] head had transformed into a Blood and Flesh Sacred Beetle, he somehow continued to intermittently express his ideas.

This might be related to his original Fierce Ghost ability on a conscious level.

His words were as enticing as the temptation of Demon Satan, making the decision unbearably difficult.

After all, upon learning that Wu Liang’s physical capabilities had surpassed ordinary City-Destroying Level Fierce Ghosts, [Pioneer] still released the [Blood and Flesh Sacred Beetle], successfully piercing Wu Liang’s palm with it.

This clearly demonstrated the strength of this thing.

Thus now, Wu Liang seemingly had only one way to avoid it entering his body — as [Pioneer] suggested — sever his arms.

However, the stronger something is, the harder it is to recover once destroyed.

Given Wu Liang’s physical strength, if he were to sever his arms, it was genuinely difficult to fathom any method of regeneration at this stage.

"Hehe, mutually assured destruction, is it? Your ruthlessness is not inferior to mine at all," Wu Liang said with a smile.

He truly hadn’t expected the opponent to opt for such a mutual destruction strategy.

Given [Pioneer’s] means and numerous supernatural artifacts, he surely could find a way to survive even after his heart and head were severed, and then use feigned death to continue scheming against him.

But the opponent chose not to do that.

Instead, he directly abandoned this extremely crucial avatar, using it as bait to inflict severe harm!

[Pioneer] would find it impossible to stir up trouble before the second Supernatural Calamity due to the loss of his avatar.

And Wu Liang, having lost his arms, would see his combat power significantly reduced, possibly not surviving the second Supernatural Calamity.

This was truly a high-stakes gamble!

This guy was betting on who could recover faster or survive the second Supernatural Calamity in the state of both being heavily damaged!

"Both sides... both sides... We’ll meet after a great massacre then... hahaha!"

[Pioneer’s] voice grew increasingly faint, but his tone became more arrogant and reckless, ultimately letting out a satisfied laugh as the expression within the eyes of the head completely disappeared.

He knew he finally gained an upper hand over Wu Liang.

Thus, [Pioneer’s] avatar completely became a shell controlled by the [Blood and Flesh Sacred Beetle].

Wu Liang’s primary task could be considered complete.

The opponent’s mental consciousness, as it disappeared, became noticeably as weak as a flickering candle in the wind.

The adjacent Fierce Ghost Battlefield was about to conclude completely, and now only a few Red Robes and two City-Destroying Levels remained struggling bitterly among the Artificial Ghosts.

The major issue now again lay in Wu Liang’s hands, in every sense — literally.

"Modify reality? No, this thing was created by Pioneer and directly affects me. Our collective influence on the world is too profound, and the cost would be immeasurable."

"Merge with Nightmare to become a Spiritual Body? No, Pioneer’s not that foolish; he knows I can become a Spiritual Body. If this beetle could directly bite the Spiritual Body, it would be a more serious issue than physical severance."

"Shelter with the Oil Paper Umbrella? No, this isn’t a negative status but a direct type of damage that can’t be immunized."

"Directly yank it out? Ow..."

Wu Liang frowned, eyes unblinking as he stared intensely at the heart and head in his hands.

He was currently in a merged state with the Kitchen Knife Ghost, giving him a physical prowess far exceeding his usual state.

But even so, the [Blood and Flesh Sacred Beetle] could still slowly insert its tendrils into his body, now reaching about the wrist.

Attempting to pull this thing out would likely be a challenge akin to using an excavator to dig through the Earth.

Moreover, both hands were immobilized, and no one else possessed City-Destroying Level physical prowess to help extract it!

And as the merging time elapsed, the decline in physical prowess would likely accelerate the rate of penetration.

He must find a solution before it wholly drilled into his torso!

"Damn, this bastard is truly hateful! How does he have so many troublesome supernatural artifacts!" Wu Liang cursed.

But as he spoke, he suddenly paused.

Wait, supernatural artifacts...

This thing is essentially still a supernatural artifact, not something at the Fierce Ghost level. It seems I do have a method specifically for dealing with supernatural artifacts...