Chapter 534: Assimilation

The moment their hands touched, Qian Wu felt an extreme cold, as if he were holding a corpse.

Although he had seen Xuanwu many times before, this was the first time Qian Wu had touched her, and the feeling was even stranger than he had imagined.

Xuanwu was like a person without any body heat; her fingers were as cold as those of a dead person, yet as soft as those of someone alive.

Xuanwu asked:

"Grip my hand... can you kill me with that?"

Qian Wu replied:

"I'm not sure, but I'll do my best."

He continued:

"No matter what, I'll risk my life to kill you."

Xuanwu nodded blankly:

"You have to do your best."

She added:

"Even if you try several times, that's fine, but you have to give it your all."

Behind Xuanwu, Tianma and Tianhu watched the scene and slowly stepped back. Now that Xuanwu had appeared, the two of them had no right to speak.

Qian Wu slowly turned his head and signaled to the two people behind him. Luo Shiyi and Qiu Ershi nodded, picked up daggers from the ground, and slowly approached Qian Wu.

Luo Shiyi placed a hand on Qian Wu's shoulder:

"Ge, don't worry... it won't hurt..."

Qian Wu nodded:

"It's okay. Go ahead."

Luo Shiyi glanced at Xuanwu. She and Qian Wu were standing there hand in hand, as intimate as lovers, but a chilling aura constantly emanated from her, making one shudder.

Luo Shiyi took a deep breath:

"Ge, I'm sorry."

He thrust the dagger straight into Qian Wu's chest.

From a distance, the Qi Xia group held their breath, as the plan seemed to be going unexpectedly smoothly.

Qian Wu felt no pain, only a cold object piercing his chest cavity.

He gritted his teeth:

"No... not Wangyou..."

He added:

"The pain can speed up my death..."

After hearing this, Luo Shiyi nodded heavily:

"I understand."

He closed his eyes and muttered a few words to himself, but when he opened them, Qian Wu showed no reaction.

Qian Wu said:

"Remove the Wangyou."

Luo Shiyi replied, feeling uneasy:

"I... Ge, there's no Wangyou anymore..."

Qian Wu was slightly stunned:

"What...? No Wangyou...?"

He felt no pain at all and no sign of death.

At that moment, Xuanwu extended her other hand and brushed aside the hair on her chest. The three of them saw a fresh wound on her chest, identical to the one on Qian Wu's.

Xuanwu asked with a hint of disappointment:

"Is that it...? Is that what you call trying to kill me...?"

Qian Wu felt something was off and looked toward Qiu Ershi.

Understanding immediately, Qiu Ershi grabbed his dagger and without a word plunged it into Qian Wu's neck artery.

There was a dull sound as the blade entered flesh, and at the same moment, a hole appeared in Xuanwu's neck.

Qian Wu was the first to sense something was wrong. His body had no Wangyou, yet he felt no pain from the fatal wounds on his chest or neck.

Seeing this, Qi Xia's eyes turned ashen. He stepped away from the prison gate and retreated a few steps, calling to Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin:

"Qian Wu has lost. Get ready—Tianma Shike is about to activate."

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin were stunned:

"Lost...? Aren't they still trying to kill Xuanwu right now?"

Qi Xia said:

"It's impossible now."

He added:

"Not only Xuanwu, but probably even Qian Wu can't die anymore."

Zhou Liu looked toward Qian Wu in disbelief.

Qian Wu pushed Luo Shiyi away, pulled the dagger from his chest, and looked down to see a dark hole there, with not a drop of blood flowing out.

He murmured:

"How could this be... Is this Bumei...?"

He had intended to assimilate Xuanwu's body, but for some reason, his own body had been assimilated into Bumei instead.

Not giving up, Qian Wu reached for the dagger in his neck and pulled it sideways, opening a large gash across his throat.

The dark color appeared simultaneously on both Qian Wu's and Xuanwu's necks, making their heads look as if they were sewn onto their bodies—it was utterly unreal.

Yet neither of them died.

Qian Wu lowered his head and muttered in despair:

"So that's how it is... I was really too naive before... I thought of so many possible outcomes, but never this one..."

Xuanwu called out coldly:

"Hey."

She continued:

"What's the difference between this strange trick of yours and just slashing me with a knife?"

Qian Wu shook his head in frustration:

"It seems... there's no difference at all."

Xuanwu's eyes showed instant disappointment:

"Ah...? What are you saying...? So you can't kill me after all?"

At this point, Qian Wu fully realized the power of Bumei. His neck had a wound that should have been fatal, but he felt nothing unusual.

Even if his head were cut off now, he wouldn't die, but why couldn't he assimilate her body?

Qian Wu whispered:

"Run... Shiyi, Ershi, find a way to run..."

Luo Shiyi asked:

"Ge, what about you...?"

Qian Wu said with a face full of despair:

"As soon as I let go, I'll die. This time, I've lost..."

He turned to Xuanwu and asked, furrowing his brow:

"You just want my life, right? I was the mastermind behind killing Tianma."

Xuanwu shook her head:

"No."

She explained:

"All three of you have a strong intent to kill Tianma, so none of you can escape."

Qian Wu knew he had no leverage to negotiate with Xuanwu.

If even Shuangsheng Hua couldn't deal with her... was there any other way to get rid of her?

Luo Shiyi laughed:

"There's no need to beg her, Ge."

He said:

"I never planned to run anyway. Might as well stay here today."

He took the dagger from Qian Wu's hand and lunged at Xuanwu, slashing wildly at her body, just like Qi Xia had done earlier.

But Xuanwu showed no reaction at all.

She said with lifeless eyes:

"It's always like this... Every one of you who wants to kill me... None of you put in any real effort..."

As she spoke, a fresh red object appeared in Xuanwu's hand—it was a beating heart.

Luo Shiyi was stunned, and before he could say anything, Xuanwu reached out and crushed the heart cleanly.

It burst like a soaked sponge, spraying blood everywhere, and Luo Shiyi collapsed in shock.

Luo Shiyi!

Qian Wu knew that, despite holding onto Xuanwu, his situation was far more dangerous than hers. As soon as he let go, he would be done for.