"Oh my Heavenly Lord!" Lin Qian was so surprised she almost pulled out her spirit energy.
"Doctor!" Xuan Tian reminded her. But when he saw what startled her, he understood.
"General! You see it?"
"Yes, doctor. I do," Xuan Tian said grimly.
"Is that what I really think it is?"
"I'm afraid it is, doctor."
"But, this is impossible! It can't be here! It had been eradicated a long time ago!"
"I find it hard to believe as well. But, it's here."
"General, if this is really Black Worm like the one we once encountered, it changes everything."
Xuan Tian didn't have any response to that. Not because he didn't agree, but because he didn't know what to say. The presence of Black Worm inside Bai Xunli's Heart Core didn't make any sense.
When a cultivator experiences qi deviation, their spirit energy begins to corrupt them. And when a cultivator was fully corrupted, he became erratic and uncontrolled.
If a Celestial was fully corrupted, he'd become a Dark Celestial. If he was a human, he'd be called a Black Immortal. And if he was a demon, he'd be one of the Children of the Night. They were all essentially the same—corrupted or Fallen. And their qi would turn black.
Black Worm wasn't an actual worm, but a man-made form of dark qi. Its origin was unknown—no one knew who created it first. But it was made from the spirit energy of a fully corrupted cultivator. It was alive, like a worm. It could be bred and farmed, just like worms.
What made it truly terrifying was that it could corrupt any cultivator instantly. There would be no warning, no window for rescue or reversal. The moment it entered, the cultivator was lost.
No one had ever survived a Black Worm infection. But legends spoke of a cultivator long ago—one who defied corruption. He retained his mind, even after his spirit had turned dark. Using his unnaturally powerful Mind Core, he began to experiment.
From his research, the Black Worms were born—living fragments of corrupted spirit energy that could be controlled.
Worse, cultivators infected by these Worms did not simply lose themselves. They gained new allegiance. Their hearts, minds, and wills bent toward the creator of the Worm. Absolute obedience. Unbreakable loyalty.
Tens of thousands of years ago, the Celestial Realm was infested with Black Worms. At the time, Xuan Tian held the rank of a regular Commander in the Celestial Army and participated in the eradication campaign. He was among the few who came back unscathed, earning the title God of War. It was after this battle that he was appointed as the Great General of the Celestial Army.
And now, Black Worm had resurfaced—in the Human Realm. That was the worst fact. Xuan Tian had never heard of Black Worms appearing in the Human Realm—not even in his most classified intelligence reports. When he eradicated them long ago, he had ensured they remained confined to the Celestial Realm.
Xuan Tian drew a deep breath. This was undeniable evidence that at least one Celestial was involved in the Human Realm's problems.
Doctor Lin Qian is right. It changes everything.
"General." Lin Qian brought him back from his deep thought.
"I don't understand. Why put a Black Worm inside the Heart Core and then seal the core like this?"
Before Xuan Tian could answer, Lin Qian murmured, "No, I have to re-examine it."
Then she spoke louder, "General, it would be best if we stop here. I'll re-examine everything. Then I'll—"
Suddenly, the threads tightened again, crushing the Heart Core. Bai Xunli groaned and writhed in pain. This time louder.
"Oh no! She's waking. We need to pull out!"
Both Lin Qian and Xuan Tian moved instantly, trying to pull out their spirit energies carefully but fast.
Lin Qian, having infused less spirit energy than Xuan Tian, managed to pull out first, and she immediately tended to Bai Xunli, trying to stop her from moving too much.
Before Xuan Tian could safely pull out, he saw the Black Worm move. But unlike before, where it was lying dormant, it was moving actively as if it had just woken up.
Xuan Tian saw in horror that the Black Worm began to pulsate slowly, oozing black energy, starting to corrupt the Heart Core.
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Jian Wushuan was in his room, wearing only his inner robe, sitting cross-legged. His eyes closed. His mouth was moving, mumbling something inaudible.
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The Black Worm kept pulsating slowly, more and more black energy oozing out.
"Doctor!" he called out urgently.
"The Black Worm is awake! It's starting to pulsate!"
"No! If this continues, Captain Bai will become a Fallen! Can you kill it?"
"I can't. It's buried too deep. These threads are obstructing me!"
Lin Qian held down Bai Xunli, who was convulsing violently. She had no choice but to use her spirit energy to render her unconscious.
She then entered Bai Xunli's meridians again, going straight to the Heart Core.
"General! We need to move fast! I'll cut those threads and try to create an opening for you. You need to kill it the moment you can!"
"Understood, doctor!" Xuan Tian circulated his spirit energy and poured more into Bai Xunli, readying to strike.
Lin Qian was sweating heavily. She moved quickly. Search. Trace. Cut. Again. And again. No time to think.
Within a few breaths, a small opening appeared.
"General!"
"I see it! Stand back!"
Xuan Tian circulated his spirit energy to form Zhongyi, purifying it to the highest degree before he slashed.
A blinding light shone. Both Xuan Tian and Lin Qian had to close their eyes.
The light disappeared as fast as it had appeared.
Lin Qian blinked rapidly to adjust her vision, and Xuan Tian did the same.
She squinted her eyes. "Is it dead?"
She was looking at the Heart Core, trying to find the Black Worm. She couldn't see it.
"Did you get it, General? I can't see it anymore…" She stared harder. "The Heart Core looks clean."
Xuan Tian was standing there, in front of the Heart Core, looking at Lin Qian.
"I think… I got it."
Lin Qian smiled, "I think so too, General."
"Let us rest for few moments, outside, before we continue unravelling the seals. We need a real rest."
Xuan Tian nodded, "Agreed, doctor."
They both pulled out their spirit energies slowly and carefully.
Once successful, Xuan Tian exhaled. "Phew, that was tense."
Lin Qian smiled, "Tell me about it. Let us return in one incense time?"
Xuan Tian nodded.
They both stepped outside the room.
Luo Heng was still outside the room, waiting. He lit up the moment he saw them.
"Is Captain Bai safe?"
Lin Qian smiled gently, "Not yet. But she will be."
Luo Heng let out a long breath, relief flooding his face. He then saluted both of them, "Thank you, doctor. Thank you, Shengzun."
Xuan Tian was going to reply when suddenly he felt an excruciating pain inside his chest. He clutched his chest. His face paled immediately and sweats were forming on his forehead.
"General?" Lin Qian looked worried. Luo Heng also looked worried.
"What—" Lin Qian began, but couldn't finish. What she saw next didn't make any sense.
She saw Xuan Tian was dragged outside by some invisible force. He was dragged through the wall and was thrown into the lake.
"General!"
"Shengzun!"
Both Lin Qian and Luo Heng shouted.