Consciousness Transposition

The entrance hall had become a slaughterhouse of flesh and blood.

The pale swarm of butterflies tirelessly sliced and devoured, turning the surging tide of snakes into an endless supply of cold energy that fed Hua Yin.

His breathing carried an unnatural heat. The Pale Core in his chest throbbed with unprecedented force, each beat pumping out more power—and releasing a deeper hunger.

The pale flames deep in his pupils nearly overflowed, tinting even Hua Yin's vision with a blood-red filter.

Ordinary Nether-Ring Snakes could no longer satisfy him.

Like a predator locking onto its prey, his gaze fixed firmly on the snake undergoing a mutation not far away.

It was nearly twice as thick as the others of its kind. Its scales were no longer emerald green, but close to jet-black, its white rings resembling cold flames burning across its body.

Clearly, it had just devoured another E-rank peak specimen. Its body writhed and expanded violently, its bones cracking with teeth-grating pops as its aura steadily rose before suddenly breaking through a critical threshold.

D-rank!

A cold, viscous spiritual pressure filled with blatant malice spread outward, making several weaker snakes nearby retreat in fear.

It raised its head, its newly grown crimson tongue flicking as its slit pupils fixed on Hua Yin and the pale butterfly swarm beside him—the presence it instinctively loathed, yet faintly feared.

Hiss—!

The D-rank snake demon attacked first!

Rather than lunging straight ahead like its weaker kin, it coiled and sprang forward, moving like black lightning. A faint cloud of dark green venom mist actually sprayed from its open jaws!

Hua Yin moved.

Almost the instant the snake demon sprang, he swept his left hand. The pale butterfly swarm beside him surged forward as though commanded, crashing head-on into the venom mist!

With a hissing sound, the venom mist came into contact with the pale butterfly wings and was swiftly sliced apart and dispersed by their sharp, icy spiritual radiance!

However, the swarm dimmed noticeably, and its numbers dwindled as well.

At the same time, Hua Yin slid sideways, narrowly evading the snake demon's bite following the venom mist. Borrowing the force of his turn, he swept his Tang saber upward in a vicious arc!

Clang—!

A piercing clash of metal rang out!

The blade struck the scales on the side of the snake demon's neck with precision, throwing up a trail of sparks!

The defenses of a D-rank demon beast were no longer something ordinary weapons could easily breach. Hua Yin's strike had only left a deep gouge in its scales.

The snake demon recoiled in pain and violently swung its body. Its thick tail swept across like a steel whip!

Hua Yin raised his saber to block. The tremendous force numbed his arm and sent him sliding several steps backward, his soles plowing tracks through the blood and filth on the floor.

Rather than bringing him to his senses, the pain and backlash were like sparks falling into a pool of oil!

Roar—!

A low growl completely inhuman erupted from Hua Yin's throat!

The last trace of human hesitation vanished from his eyes, replaced by the pure, cold hunting gleam of a beast.

Sensing its master's fury and killing intent, the pale butterfly swarm instantly went mad!

They no longer attacked separately, instead frantically converging upon Hua Yin's saber-wielding right arm and Tang saber!

Countless butterfly shadows layered over one another, seeming to cover his right arm and long blade with a pale, savage armguard and sheath composed of innumerable wing-blades!

Roar!

Hua Yin stepped forward and charged, his speed increasing once more!

His right arm swung, and the Tang saber wrapped in the pale butterfly swarm cut through the air with a shrill, high-frequency hum. Wherever the blade passed, the air itself seemed to be sliced apart!

The D-rank snake demon's ferocity also erupted. It continuously spewed dark green venom mist, twisting its body with agility as it used its fangs and tail in tandem against Hua Yin!

The venom mist was repeatedly dispersed and cut apart by the butterfly swarm. Scales collided with the blade covered in butterfly wings, producing dense showers of sparks and grating screeches!

With every exchange, shattered pale butterfly shadows and flying snake scales scattered through the air.

Hua Yin completely abandoned defense, attacking without restraint!

His movements grew faster and wilder. His saber techniques had long since lost all form, leaving only instinctive chops, slashes, thrusts, and upward cuts. Coordinating with the butterfly swarm's tearing and slicing, he was like a crazed pale beast locked in the most primitive and bloody struggle with the jet-black snake demon!

More wounds appeared across his body, the snake demon's venomous fangs and whipping tail leaving their marks. But the Pale Core spun madly, swiftly converting the devoured energy into healing and combat power, making him seem oblivious to pain and fatigue!

Just as the bloody battle reached its fiercest point, with both sides consumed by killing intent—

In the center of the field, deep within the lantern-like green slit pupils of the Nether-Ring Viper Queen, who was bitterly entangled with Captain Wang's Ghostwood Vine, flashed an extraordinarily human coldness and cunning.

Its enormous body suddenly shuddered, seeming to let out an enraged hiss at Captain Wang's latest all-out binding attempt, drawing all of Captain Wang's attention.

Yet beneath the cover of that hiss, an invisible, formless mental ripple, cold enough to pierce the bone, silently shot from the center of the Nether-Ring Viper Queen's head like the most secretive venomous arrow.

Ignoring the distance, it crossed a hundred meters in an instant and struck the D-rank snake demon fighting Hua Yin to the death inside the teaching building's entrance hall with perfect accuracy!

Talent Skill—Thought Sharing Transposition activated!!

The D-rank snake demon's massive body suddenly froze. In an instant, the color drained from its crimson slit pupils, only to be replaced by two even more ancient, colder green lights filled with endless savagery and cunning!

Though the spiritual pressure it emitted had not fundamentally increased, the quality and oppressive force of its aura abruptly became incomparably terrifying and profound!

And at almost the same instant, the green slit pupils of the hundred-meter giant snake in the center of the field dimmed slightly. A momentary confusion flashed through them, and it quietly became relatively weaker than before.

Their consciousnesses had switched!

Using the body of its D-rank offspring, the Nether-Ring Viper Queen's consciousness had personally descended onto the front line!

Meanwhile, its original C-rank peak body, containing terrifying power, was temporarily left for that D-rank offspring to control!

Inside the entrance hall.

The "D-rank snake demon" facing Hua Yin slowly straightened its head, its movements possessing a composure utterly unlike before—almost elegant.

Its tongue flicked as its green slit pupils looked at Hua Yin. They no longer held merely the ferocity of a demon beast.

There was now a cold scrutiny from on high, as if it were looking upon an interesting insect, as well as a trace of... intense interest belonging to a predator, stirred by that pale aura.

A low, hoarse thought, like countless snakes hissing over one another, directly crashed into Hua Yin's mind, which was filled with beastly instinct:

"Devour... interesting little insect... your power... is very special..."

Meanwhile, in the center of the field, the C-rank peak giant snake's body, temporarily controlled by the D-rank consciousness, let out a somewhat "immature" roar filled with terrifying power and violently strained!

Captain Wang's Ghostwood Vine, already near its limit, shattered across large sections beneath that eruption of pure brute force!

Captain Wang spat out a mouthful of blood and was blasted away by the backlash, his eyes filled with shock and horror. "No! This feeling... isn't right!"

On Hua Yin's side, his beastly instincts instantly detected the terrifying fundamental change in the "enemy"!

It was no longer a D-rank demon beast, but the descended will of some unimaginable, higher existence!

An extreme warning of danger, like icy water poured over his head, temporarily suppressed even his hunger to devour. The scarlet beastly light in his eyes flickered violently as a trace of clarity returned.

He gripped the Tang saber covered in pale butterfly blades tightly, every muscle in his body tense. Facing the "D-rank snake demon" radiating endless coldness and pressure, he slowly assumed a combat stance.

In that bizarre moment of consciousness transposition, the roles of hunter and prey seemed to blur—yet also become clearer than ever.