Lin Fan let out a cold laugh as he looked down at Chrysanthemum Douluo, who lay helplessly on the ground. Without hesitation, he swung his blade once more.
Slash!
The sharp weapon tore mercilessly through Chrysanthemum Douluo's remaining arm.
"AAAHHH!!"
He screamed in agony, tears and snot streaking down his face as he writhed on the ground.
Now bereft of both arms, Chrysanthemum Douluo had completely lost the will to fight. His heart overflowed with pain and a deep, bone-chilling fear.
Blood gushed endlessly from his wounds, dyeing the ground a deep crimson.
Yet what terrified him even more was the sight of countless fleshy tendrils erupting from the ground, hungrily lapping up the spilled blood.
Some of the tendrils slowly slithered their way toward his severed arms.
"AAAHHH!!"
"No! No! Please don't kill me!!"
His agonized screams echoed across the skies.
Inside the biological prison, "Tang San" watched the scene unfold, his whole body trembling with dread.
The Broodlord, of course, remained unfazed by such a spectacle. He had witnessed far bloodier and more brutal battlefields than this across countless worlds. This was nothing.
But Tang San, whose consciousness still lingered inside the body the Broodlord had hijacked, had never witnessed such visceral horror.
His primary consciousness began to struggle for control, fighting to retake his body from the Broodlord. But his body continued to shake uncontrollably.
"Fool. Stop resisting. Hand me control—for now."
The Broodlord's bloodthirsty voice roared from the depths of Tang San's mind.
"Unless you want to end up like that, give me full control. I can get us out of here alive."
Hearing those words, Tang San stopped struggling. His body fell still.
A deep crimson glow once again engulfed his eyes as he locked his gaze on Lin Fan and the mutilated Chrysanthemum Douluo.
Lin Fan seemed to sense something. He glanced in Tang San's direction and smiled slightly.
He crouched beside Chrysanthemum Douluo and lightly tapped his face.
"Sigh... Don't blame me for this, old friend. You should know—this world has room for only one master."
Chrysanthemum Douluo struggled to open his eyes and look at Lin Fan's face.
A strange, resigned smile slowly crept across his face, though pain still lingered in his expression.
That smile was... unsettling.
"Hahahahaha!"
He completely relaxed, lying flat on his back and gazing up at the sky.
"Go ahead and kill me. I understand—this is what it means to win or lose."
"If I were stronger than you... I wouldn't hesitate to kill you either."
Lin Fan looked down at him, and for a moment, admiration stirred in his heart.
Regardless of what Chrysanthemum Douluo truly thought, in this moment, he could be called a hero in his own right.
But such was the way of this world. Had Lin Fan not transmigrated here, Chrysanthemum Douluo might have taken a different path. Even if he had crossed over as well, fate—or other variables—would have blocked his rise.
Such is destiny.
Expressionless, Lin Fan waved his hand. A wave of Creep—the Zerg's living bio-matter—rose from the ground and wrapped around Chrysanthemum Douluo's entire body, slowly pulling him beneath the earth until he vanished without a trace.
Chrysanthemum Douluo cast one last longing glance at the clear blue sky before the Creep fully engulfed him.
Darkness consumed his consciousness.
Lin Fan slowly rose and turned his gaze toward the imprisoned Tang San.
A faint, amused smile played on his lips.
"Broodlord… Who will you possess next this time?"
Tang San's eyes were cold and sinister as he replied in a low voice, "You're just a lucky fool. You have no idea… what rules even mean."
"Rules?" Lin Fan sneered. "And here I thought you'd lived long enough to know better."
"Rules are written by the victors."
"And among the Zerg… there can be only one Overmind."
"Heh…"
Tang San's gaze darkened, a black glimmer flickering in his pupils.
"You know nothing of the cosmic laws. The universe isn't as simple as you imagine."
His cryptic words triggered a faint sense of unease in Lin Fan's heart.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Then tell me, what are the laws of the universe?"
Tang San abruptly lifted his head. A deep, blood-red glow burst from his eyes.
"Only one can be eternal. I am… IMMORTAL! Hahahahahaha!!"
Lin Fan locked eyes with Tang San—and in that instant, his consciousness wavered.
Not good!
He quickly directed a surge of neural energy through his Zerg synaptic web, stabilizing his mind.
But in just a fraction of a second, Tang San had vanished from within the cage.
The spot where he had stood was now empty—completely blank.
Xiao Wu also snapped back to awareness, her expression turning dark.
"Master…"
"It's fine."
Lin Fan's expression remained composed, as if the Broodlord's escape with Tang San didn't concern him at all.
But in truth, his mind was spinning, analyzing the final words the Broodlord had spoken.
Immortal.
What was an immortal being in this vast universe?
Why was the Broodlord so certain that he couldn't die?
Lin Fan didn't doubt the truth of those words.
After all, according to the original story, Douluo Planet eventually left its solar system and ventured into space.
After becoming a God King, Tang San even traveled through chaotic time-space rifts and encountered Chosen Ones from other worlds, entering entirely new dimensions.
Clearly, this universe was far more complex than it seemed.
Lin Fan lowered his head, feeling the torrent of boundless energy coursing through his Zerg-infused body.
Maybe… this is why I came to this world.
The universe...
With a thoughtful wave, Lin Fan signaled the retreat.
All nearby Zerg units scattered, retreating into their respective tunnels and lairs.
Xiao Wu wrapped her arms around Lin Fan. Her bone wings unfurled, and the two soared into the sky, leaving the area behind.
Rustle—
Nothing remained in the wilderness now except for a broken, overturned carriage.
No trace of the fierce battle lingered.
Time passed.
Caw! Caw!
A black crow landed on a brittle branch, tilting its head as it observed the barren plain.
Then it flapped its wings and flew off again.
Rrrrip—
A ripple stirred the silent air, like something phasing into existence.
"Ugh!"
Tang San's body suddenly reappeared, crashing to the ground as he gasped for air.
The Broodlord's voice echoed in his mind, slightly fatigued.
"Go. Now. Leave immediately—he'll notice soon."
Tang San clenched his teeth against the pain and forced himself to his feet, fleeing in the opposite direction with all his strength.
At the same time, he activated his lightfoot techniques to move even faster.
"Broodlord, what was that technique just now?"
"Just basic camouflage tech. It's encoded into Zerg genetic memory. I simply used psychic energy to project a biological cloaking field around you."
Tang San nodded slowly, barely understanding.
But deep inside, a new sense of caution took root in his heart.
****
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