After being beaten until he spat blood again, the man simply lay still. But as the venomous insects on his body consumed his blood, they secreted a fluid that helped their host's wounds heal.
That was the main reason Shen Yangge's two lashes hadn't killed Ruthis.
With Ruthis motionless, Shen Yangge should have been able to turn his attention to the others. But after making such vicious threats earlier, the man was now lying there far too quietly. Something was clearly wrong.
While keeping an eye on Ruthis, Shen Yangge also watched Chu Xuanzhen's pale hand. The poison had already spread up his arm.
It was a horrifying sight. Shen Yangge wanted to try using his dragon saliva, but would Chu Xuanzhen agree?
Why wouldn't he?
Was Chu Xuanzhen afraid that I would be poisoned too if I licked his wound?
As that possibility took shape in his mind, Shen Yangge lashed his tail down again, intending to give Ruthis another blow and send him to the underworld. But on the third strike, he felt his tail hit something hard. It didn't feel like a human body.
Wait...
Shen Yangge was just about to descend and investigate when Chu Xuanzhen stopped him. "Don't go down!"
Chu Xuanzhen leaped onto Shen Yangge's dragon body and spoke rapidly. "He's about to explode. There's a lot of explosives on him."
The moment he heard that, Shen Yangge turned and fled. No wonder Ruthis had felt so rigid when his tail struck him. That had been wood and explosives!
How had Ruthis escaped right under my nose?
The more Shen Yangge thought about it, the more terrified he became. Mere seconds after he turned and flew away with Chu Xuanzhen, the explosives detonated. Then the blast set off more explosions in the surrounding ruins.