A Being That Transcended Its Ecological Niche?

The chill spread outward at an astonishing speed.

When it reached the crowd, it was as if the cold had touched some kind of explosive catalyst. In an instant, everyone nearby was frozen solid.

Wisps of ghostly white chill curled up from the corpses, their skin turned pale. Under the sun's rays, the sight was utterly horrifying.

Afterward, the Ice Silkworm slumped, completely spent. It lay motionless, its plump white body rising and falling faintly—the only sign that it was still alive.

Its body had also lost its former crystalline sheen.

The sudden outburst had frozen everyone who rushed forward to death, leaving them as rows of pale corpses, their expressions preserved from the moment they died.

Perhaps they hadn't even known what had happened by the time they drew their last breath.

The few people left stood staring at one another, not daring to approach in case the Ice Silkworm claimed them too.

No one knew whether it could unleash another attack as terrifying as the last.

At that moment, in the tree above,

Bai Chuan watched the scene, clicking his tongue in amazement. That little bug was terrifyingly powerful. Dozens of people had been killed in an instant?

Could a living creature really do that? How had it even done it?

Or was the world he lived in some kind of high-martial world?

For a moment, he wished he could scan and analyze the Ice Silkworm's ability model right then and there.

Perhaps creatures like this had already transcended their ecological niche?

"Ha ha ha!"

As the few people hesitated, a hearty laugh rang out.

At the same time came a wet squelch—the sound of flesh being smashed apart.

Startled by the sudden turn of events, the group led by Snake Granny hurriedly looked over. A man with a gleaming bald head and a scar was pulling his hand back from the chest of one of the survivors.

The most striking thing about him was the enormous Golden Gauntlet on his left hand.

At that moment, his big hand clutched a bright-red heart that still went thump, thump. Before him stood a woman, feebly gripping his hand as if trying to say something.

"Madman Zhang!" Zhao Yu was the first to speak, his expression grave as he identified the newcomer.

"Ha! Madman Zhang? So that's what you call me?" The bald man chuckled, not bothered in the least.

"Kid Zhao." Snake Granny sounded puzzled. She rarely left home, keeping company with poisonous insects, and had only come this time after receiving a letter from Zhao Yu's father asking for her help. She asked in a low voice, "Who is this man?"

Zhao Yu turned back and quietly explained, "Madman Zhang's real name is Zhang Daring. He used to be Master Guangshan's eldest disciple, but a few years ago, for some reason, he killed Master Guangshan and his junior fellow disciple, then took the Master's Martial Stone."

At that, Snake Granny connected this to the widespread rumors about the Cold Silkworm and pieced the whole thing together at once. She was old and shrewd, after all.

"Madman Zhang, you were the one who spread the news that the Cold Silkworm was here, weren't you?"

Zhang Daring—Madman Zhang himself—paused, then readily admitted it. He had never intended to hide it.

Besides, even if no one asked, he would have left a survivor to spread the word after this was over. Tricking dozens of people all by himself was enough to make his name resound throughout the martial world, even if it was a notorious one.

So he slapped his chest with a carefree grin and answered, "That's right. It was yours truly."

Then he looked in a certain direction and called out, "Friend over there, you've been hiding long enough. Why not come out?"

Bai Chuan was caught off guard by the call. His snake head looked from side to side. Had he been spotted? Had his Invisibility been seen through?

No, that wasn't it!

Only then did he notice a human-shaped figure in his thermal vision, giving off an extremely faint trace of heat.

The heat was so faint that he had nearly overlooked it.

"Clap, clap."

A crisp round of applause rang out, and a handsome young man stepped forward. The most eye-catching thing about him was his right hand, so beautiful it seemed inhuman, long and smooth like white jade carved by an artisan.

He walked toward them with unhurried grace, praising Zhang Daring as he came:

"As expected of Madman Zhang, who managed to kill Master Guangshan and his junior fellow disciple. You even saw through my Turtle Breath Technique. Your reputation is well deserved."

Zhang Daring, however, ignored him. He turned back and looked around, then glanced at the Cold Silkworm, now faintly surrounded by the three of them. "There are only a few of us left. Why don't we capture the Cold Silkworm first, then decide who gets it by our own means? What do you say?"

"Oh? You look like a rough sort, big fellow, but you do have a point. Still, who should go first?"

Snake Granny let out a light laugh.

Now that the Cold Silkworm seemed to have lost its ability to fight back, deciding who should take it was the problem.

After all, none of them knew what tricks the others had up their sleeves. Anyone who made their living in the martial world had a few cards to play; those who didn't were lying on the ground now.

Better safe than sorry. What if someone had a way to seize the Cold Silkworm and run?

As for the Cold Silkworm fighting back, just look at how weak it was now. It had already unleashed one burst of power, after all. Anyone with even a little confidence in their own strength wouldn't be too worried.

Even if they failed to capture it, they could at least get away unharmed.

It was obvious that everyone present had forgotten about the other bystanders who had survived just moments ago.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Daring laughed when he heard that, as if he had planned it all along. "Since I was the one who suggested it, of course I'll be the last to try. Snake Granny, you're the eldest here, so elders should go first. Why don't you try? If you can't take it, then it'll be the young fellow's turn, and after him, mine."

He turned to the handsome young man and asked, "You don't have any objections, do you?"

The young man smiled faintly. "Since you've already decided, I'm fine with it."

Hearing that, Snake Granny grew a little suspicious. From what she'd heard, Zhang Daring didn't sound like a brainless fool. This proposal seemed strange.

But Snake Granny considered herself reasonably strong. People with power rarely doubted the strength in their own hands, and she didn't dwell on it. She accepted with calm composure.

"In that case, this old woman won't stand on ceremony."

As soon as she spoke, the Bamboo Green perched on her shoulder, barely visible, shot out like an arrow toward the Ice Silkworm on the ground.

But the Ice Silkworm, which had seemed utterly spent just moments ago, suddenly sprang into the air as if provoked, carrying a bone-deep chill as it slammed into Bamboo Green's head.

They had barely fought for a few moments before the lively green snake, Bamboo Green, went limp and collapsed onto the ground.

Snake Granny grunted too, seemingly injured.

She hurriedly swept out her left hand, sending a great cloud of green powder whirling through the air to block the Ice Silkworm, while her right hand quickly pulled back her pet.

Even so, her face flushed and paled by turns. Clearly, she had suffered a serious setback.

Seeing this, the Zhao Siblings hurried over to support the old woman.

One look told Bai Chuan what had happened. Snakes feared the cold; the lower the temperature, the slower their metabolism, and the stiffer their bodies became.

The old woman had no idea what had gotten into her, sending a snake to fight an Ice Silkworm surrounded by chill. It was like a centenarian swallowing poison—she was asking for death.

"Ha ha ha! Looks like Snake Granny's getting on in years. She can't even handle one little bug anymore."

Zhang Daring's grating laughter came from nearby.

"Your turn next, young fellow. What do you say?"