Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Regeneration

Retracing the steps she had just used to enter, she quickly backed up. By all rights, she should have reached the cave entrance by now.

But Xu Qingsui never felt an opening. Instead, her body bumped into a solid wall.

A bad feeling surged through her once more. Her eyes fixed on the spot where the fake spirit body had been incinerated, she spared a quick glance behind her.

The cave entrance was gone. A solid wall now blocked her path of retreat.

A thought struck her. She quickly looked around, only to see that the cave was now enclosed by solid rock on all sides. The entrance she had come through had vanished without a trace.

Her suspicion confirmed, Xu Qingsui’s expression darkened.

’It seems this Mutant is one that uses spiritual power. It actually managed to trap me, and I didn’t even realize it until the trap was sprung.’

Now a beast trapped in a cage, she was completely surrounded by danger.

Xu Qingsui didn’t dare to let her guard down. Pressing her back firmly against the wall, she summoned all her focus and scanned her surroundings.

In the center of the cave, there was still a small pile of ash. Other than that, the cavern was empty. She couldn’t see any other tangible objects, nor could she sense any intangible presence.

But this very emptiness only made her heart pound with greater unease.

She was exposed, while her enemy was hidden. The harder it was to see the enemy, the harder it would be to defend against it.

She almost wished for total darkness, which would hide her from the enemy’s sight and make it harder for it to strike.

But reality was rarely so kind. She was completely exposed in the light, and somewhere beyond her sight, danger had already locked onto her.

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second, but to Xu Qingsui, it felt like an eternity. She scanned her surroundings relentlessly, hoping to spot the danger the instant it appeared.

Yet, even as her legs grew sore and her vision began to blur from staring, the hidden attack never came.

The constant tension was exhausting. Xu Qingsui couldn’t take it anymore. She finally relaxed, letting her full weight lean against the wall.

’If this keeps up, the spirit body won’t have to do a thing. I’ll just exhaust myself to death.’

’I can’t just sit here and wait to die. I have to do something. If I can force the spirit body to counter-attack, I might find an opening.’

After a moment’s rest, Xu Qingsui made up her mind.

She immediately straightened up and walked toward the pile of ash.

It was the only tangible thing in this space. If she was going to make a move, she had to start with it.

Stepping closer, Xu Qingsui initially wanted to reach out and touch it. But whether the snake had been real or not, she had still watched it burn to cinders.

Considering that there was another name for such a thing—cremated remains—she couldn’t bring herself to touch it.

Instead, Xu Qingsui stood tall and hovered a foot over the pile of ash.

"There’s an old saying about grinding bones to dust and scattering the ashes, which is all about utterly destroying a corpse. Even if this isn’t the real spirit body, it’s a close relative, wouldn’t you say?"

Xu Qingsui guessed the real spirit body was hiding somewhere in the dark, watching her every move.

To provoke the spirit body, she didn’t care whether it could understand her or not and went straight for the threat.

But she had clearly miscalculated. ’How can I apply human logic to these beasts!’

When no response came after a long moment, Xu Qingsui kicked the pile of ash aside in a fit of pique.

Just as she was trying to think of another plan, Xu Qingsui suddenly noticed some kind of pattern on the floor beneath the scattered ash.

Wondering if it was a clue, Xu Qingsui quickly crouched down to study it carefully.

As the pattern entered her vision, it was as if it had some kind of Magic Power. It captivated her, drawing all of her attention.

And just as she was about to be completely absorbed, a figure dropped down from the ceiling of the cave.

Had Xu Qingsui been able to see it, she would have realized this figure looked identical to the Mutant she had just burned to ash.

This was the real spirit body!

Unlike the Mutant’s extreme speed, this spirit body approached Xu Qingsui with deliberate slowness.

It hung silently in the air, making no sound at all.

While Xu Qingsui was preoccupied with the patterns on the ground, it finally positioned itself directly above her.

Staring down at the top of Xu Qingsui’s head, the spirit body’s form went rigid. Instantly, it became as stiff as a rod and plummeted downward, aiming for the crown of her head.

The attack came in a flash. In a single instant, it could have pierced the crown of her head, snuffing out her life.

But just as it was about to connect, Xu Qingsui suddenly leaped a meter to the side. In the same motion, the Crimson Chain appeared in her hand.

She swept the whip horizontally toward the spirit body’s position, snapping it in two.

Seeing the two halves of the spirit body fall to the ground, Xu Qingsui heaved a sigh of relief.

’That was too close!’

Just a moment ago, she had been completely captivated by the patterns on the ground. Her mind had been filled with them, leaving her oblivious to the approaching danger.

If she had been on her own, she would be dead right now.

But she had the system!

As she was lost in the patterns, the Golden Octopus sensed the danger and suddenly began to clamor in her mind.

The Golden Octopus’s voice snapped her out of her trance, and she immediately sensed the impending danger.

She realized she had fallen for the spirit body’s trap—the patterns were a diversion, meant to hold her attention and create an opening for an attack.

Xu Qingsui decided to turn the tables, using this opportunity to counter-attack the spirit body.

She had held her breath, waiting for the spirit body to strike, and at the perfect moment, she launched her counter-attack.

She had succeeded!

She had split the spirit body in two.

Relishing the joy of her success, Xu Qingsui looked triumphantly at the spirit body on the ground.

But her smile quickly froze on her face.

The two halves of the spirit body didn’t lose their vitality. Instead, they continued to squirm on the ground.

Figuring that many soft-bodied creatures had this trait, Xu Qingsui didn’t pay it much mind at first.

But she soon noticed that the two halves were actually starting to move toward each other.

When the distance between them closed to a certain point, thin white threads began to emerge from the severed cross-sections of each half.

The threads seemed to have a life of their own, reaching out for their counterparts. As soon as the threads from the two halves touched, they instantly fused together.

With the help of these threads, the two parts of the spirit body rapidly pulled together.

When they had just rejoined, the line of the break was still visible. But in the space of a single breath, the mark faded before her very eyes.

Just as Xu Qingsui’s heart leaped into her throat, the spirit body showed signs of being completely restored.

’My God! What is this thing? This is insane!’

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