The Frail Guide Who Devoured an Entire Pollution Zone

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Mutated Mermaid

By then, even if Xu Qingsui dealt with the Mutated Mermaid, Lu Jingyu would be beyond saving.

Xu Qingsui’s eyes grew red, but trapped within the Mutated Mermaid’s Sea of Consciousness, she was entirely helpless. Watching the tragedy about to unfold, she instinctively cried out. She hadn’t held out any hope, treating it as nothing more than a futile struggle. But the unexpected happened—her voice actually pierced through the Mutated Mermaid’s body and entered Lu Jingyu’s mind. It truly awakened him, saving his life at the very last second.

Seeing Lu Jingyu regain consciousness, Xu Qingsui’s previously tense body instantly relaxed. She curled up and collapsed right onto the ground. The scene before her eyes vanished. Only then did she realize what had happened, and no longer caring about the situation outside, she just wanted to know what exactly had transpired.

”System, what just happened? Did my voice really reach Lu Jingyu’s ears?” Currently, only the Golden Octopus could give her answers, and she couldn’t help but ask.

”Theoretically, since the host is currently in the Mutant’s Sea of Consciousness, your voice’s spiritual power cannot penetrate the Mutant and enter another person’s body,” the Golden Octopus replied.

Xu Qingsui frowned, figuring that if it was theoretically impossible, there had to be some sort of loophole.

”However, because the Mutated Mermaid is inherently a Spiritual Mutation, it transmits Spiritual Power through sound,” the system continued. ”Since the host happens to be inside its Sea of Consciousness right now, your voice can attach to its spiritual power and be broadcasted outward. Because the Mutated Mermaid was coincidentally attacking Lu Jingyu at that exact moment, it relayed your voice to him, saving his life.”

Hearing the Golden Octopus’s explanation, Xu Qingsui’s doubts were finally laid to rest. She had just breathed a sigh of relief when the entity spoke up again.

”The Mutated Mermaid has yet to discover the existence of the host’s spirit body. Please use this advantage immediately to devour the source of pollution and eliminate the Mutant.”

Having delivered this warning, the Golden Octopus vanished.

Only then did Xu Qingsui remember that she had faked her weakness to make the Mutated Mermaid lower its guard so she could invade its Sea of Consciousness. With Lu Jingyu outside drawing the creature’s attention, it was indeed the perfect opportunity to devour the source of the pollution. Pushing aside all other thoughts, she quickly scanned her surroundings and began searching for it.

The Mutated Mermaid’s Sea of Consciousness was boundless; the only thing she could perceive was that endless, ceaseless singing. Since the key to the creature’s attacks lay in its song, Xu Qingsui vaguely felt that the source of the pollution was hidden within it. She immediately closed her eyes, immersing herself in the melody echoing from every direction. Her spiritual power spread out, colliding with the song.

After a few clashes, she snapped her eyes open. The once formless and ethereal song had suddenly condensed into tangible shapes. The entire space filled with faintly glowing musical notes. Her eyes lit up. Once she confirmed that these notes were the source of the pollution, she immediately unleashed her spiritual power and began devouring them.

Just as she made her move, Lu Jingyu launched another attack on the outside. Although he was worried about hurting Xu Qingsui, keeping up this stalemate was just a waste of time. After mulling it over, he put away Tan Lang, preparing to take the Mutated Mermaid head-on. Engaging in direct, close-quarters combat might give him a chance to snatch Xu Qingsui back.

In a flash, Lu Jingyu dashed right up to the Mutated Mermaid. Despite its clumsy appearance, the creature was incredibly agile. The moment his fist swung toward its face, its figure vanished from sight. Realizing this, he didn’t care if the punch landed; he reached out with his other hand, trying to grab Xu Qingsui. But before he could even brush the hem of her clothes, the Mutated Mermaid completely disappeared with her in tow.

While he was still marveling at its astonishing speed, a fierce gust of wind suddenly struck the back of his head. Lu Jingyu dodged instinctively, but the moment he moved, a gaping, foul-smelling maw appeared right beside him. He could only tilt his head, barely evading the bite, but he took a heavy blow to the chest and was sent flying.

Lu Jingyu tumbled through the air like a kite with a snapped string. Just as he was about to crash into the ground, a pair of large hands caught him. He was set down steadily. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Lu Jingyu realized it was actually Shen Yan who had saved him.

The words of gratitude he had been about to say were immediately swallowed back down. He even felt a bit annoyed, thinking that he would have rather hit the ground than owe Shen Yan a favor.

Noticing his reaction, Shen Yan read him like an open book. Knowing Lu Jingyu couldn’t bring himself to say it and refused to admit it, Shen Yan simply acted as if he had already heard the thanks. ”Don’t mention it,” he said bluntly.

Lu Jingyu rolled his eyes at him. Ignoring his injuries, he charged at the Mutated Mermaid once more. Having witnessed its impressive speed firsthand, he didn’t dare rely solely on his base abilities anymore and directly channeled his Frenzy Power.

As the Frenzy Power surged through his body, his speed instantly jumped to a whole new level. This time, it was his turn to appear right in front of the creature in the blink of an eye. The Mutated Mermaid tried to repeat its old trick, but just as it moved to dodge, Lu Jingyu clamped a hand around its throat. Simultaneously, he grabbed hold of Xu Qingsui with his other hand. Caught by surprise, the Mutated Mermaid could do nothing as he snatched her away.

The Mutated Mermaid had been drawn here by Xu Qingsui’s immense Spiritual Power in the first place. Seeing its nourishing meal stolen away like this made it incredibly furious. Realizing it couldn’t evade anyway, it took Lu Jingyu’s attack head-on, firmly gripping Xu Qingsui’s body so she couldn’t be taken away.

Feeling the sheer force of the creature’s grip, Lu Jingyu’s expression shifted, and he had no choice but to let go. He didn’t want to injure her in a ruthless tug-of-war. He immediately changed his strategy, deciding to eliminate the Mutated Mermaid first before rescuing her.

Releasing her hand, he exerted his strength once more and aimed straight for the Mutated Mermaid’s chest. Facing this renewed assault, the creature opened its gaping maw, and a melodious song poured out. However, upon launching another Spiritual Attack, a trace of surprise flickered in the creature’s dead eyes. For some unknown reason, the Spiritual Attack it unleashed this time was noticeably weaker.

Having already fallen for it once, Lu Jingyu was fully on guard and swiftly dodged the attack. He then circled around, plunging his hand toward the center of the Mutated Mermaid’s back.

Feeling a sudden chill behind it, the creature ignored the weakening of its Spiritual Attack and hastily scrambled to evade. But no sooner had it dodged Lu Jingyu’s strike than another figure appeared right behind it.