Chapter 475
**Tap—**
A withered finger, about three fingers thick and nearly a meter long, emerged from within.
The finger was covered in dry, gray scales, and the mere act of touching the ground caused countless specks of grayish-white powder to shake loose from its surface.
With each movement, the finger emitted a brittle crack, as if the joints of some ancient creature were adjusting to the gravity of this world.
Gray mist seeped from the gaps in the scales, instantly vaporizing upon contact with the air into a fine, fluffy substance that twisted the surrounding light into a sickly dark green.
As the second deformed finger broke through the vortex, a phantom shriek seemed to echo in everyone's ears. The two fingers clawed at the ground at an unnatural angle, and beneath the scales, numerous writhing tumors suddenly bulged forth, each one splitting open to reveal a vertical seam.
Inside those seams were chaotic eyeballs, each the size of a grain of rice, composed of hundreds of scarlet pupils that spun wildly. Within their depths, countless overlapping, decaying illusions of another realm reflected, enough to drive any ordinary person who dared to gaze into them to madness.
When the palm finally emerged completely from the vortex, the shrieking sounds diminished slightly.
This left hand was grotesquely disproportionate, with a palm nearly half a meter wide. Its five fingers resembled gnarled twigs, varying in thickness, and the nails at the tips were a translucent amber, through which one could see numerous chaotic pupils rolling about.
It stood there on the table, towering over everyone below. From the perspective of the others, it was hard to miss the dark purple, corrosive liquid that dripped from the fissures in its palm, resembling saliva.
Is this... Xiao Zuo?
Its size had completely transformed from that of an adult male head to this monstrous form... it looked like the left hand of a giant.
Even without any otherworldly factors, this left hand could incite panic in those with a fear of large objects.
The pupils nestled within the tumors on its knuckles all turned toward Xia Er, and its fissures opened and closed slightly. A sharp sound echoed in Xia Er's mind.
“Xia Er... my lord...”
It... spoke...
The tone and speed of its speech were unmistakably mimicking Tara's, and Xia Er recognized it immediately—Tara often addressed him this way.
It could mimic speech now... and it understood that “my lord Xia Er” referred to him.
Knowing this was enough...
Xia Er turned to glance at the excited Tara and the sweating Lucy, then back at Xiao Zuo before him.
At this point, Xia Er couldn't tell if he had used blood to evolve Xiao Zuo or if more blood had summoned a more complete form of Xiao Zuo... but once Xiao Zuo returned to the other realm and its intelligence improved, the outcome would become clearer.
“Let’s go back.”
Xia Er reached out, wanting to stroke Xiao Zuo, but his hand hesitated slightly over the tumors and scales.
In the end, he overcame his innate aversion to the indescribable and gently brushed his fingers over the scales.
“Xia Er... my lord...”
Xiao Zuo repeated the phrase like a child showing off newly learned words, maintaining the same tone and speed, though its hoarse voice sent chills down one’s spine.
Xiao Zuo slowly retreated, seemingly deliberately slowing its movements to steal a few more glances at Xia Er before reluctantly withdrawing completely back into the blood-red vortex.
But at the last moment, a blue feather quill was flung out from the vortex, landing on the table.
The vortex slowly closed, leaving behind the withered fingers and the eerie blood array scattered across the table, along with the thrown blue-black feather quill.
In Xia Er's mind, a red light symbolizing Xiao Zuo's new form flickered to life, and a distant, ethereal voice echoed deep within his consciousness.
“Xia Er... my lord...”
Just returned to the other realm, Xiao Zuo immediately prayed to Xia Er using the pendant.
“Mm.”
Xia Er responded.
Fortunately, not many beings knew this method of prayer; otherwise, he couldn't imagine how chaotic his mind would become...
It was better to keep this method under wraps; if it spread, he would be constantly disturbed by whispers... this must be the side effect of the **All-Knowing**.
“Lucy.” Xia Er spoke directly, turning to look at Lucy, who was secretly wiping sweat from her brow.
“Yes... yes! My lord Xia Er!” Lucy, suddenly called out, straightened her back, her hands pressed tightly to her sides, standing at attention.
“Just call me Miss Xia Er...” Xia Er shook his head, puzzled by Lucy's sudden change in address. “Can you take care of the table and these things?”
“Yes, no problem! Leave it to me... right away!”
Lucy didn’t hesitate for a moment, bolting off as if to find tools for disposal.
Finally, Xia Er turned his gaze to Tara, watching her excitement, and slowly said, “Sorry for taking your thing... you’ve used that pendant for a long time, right? I’ll get you a replacement.”
“Please don’t say that, my lord Xia Er,” Tara quickly shook her head upon hearing the apology, suddenly bowing her head and saying, “A servant’s life is yours; what are these material possessions worth?”
Tara then slowly raised her head to look at Xia Er and said, “Congratulations, my lord Xia Er... you’ve once again claimed a follower, granting it a greater life!”
Tara... does she see this scene as a divine bestowal of special power to an individual?
It’s just two system skills... **Spiritual Summoning** and **All-Knowing**.
But it seems there’s a hint of truth in what Tara said, though Xia Er knew the reality was different.
However, this was the first time Xia Er had attempted such an in-depth interaction with an otherworldly being, and he felt he had found some insights.
Of course, the effectiveness of **Charm** in attracting otherworldly beings was likely the decisive factor... if Xia Er were to choose the next skill to upgrade to Level 5, it would probably be **Charm**.
Before Xia Er could say anything further, Lucy returned with a bucket of kerosene. She poured it over the antique-looking wooden table, cautioning Xia Er to step back before striking a match to ignite it.
The wooden table blazed fiercely, the flames ready to turn the centuries-old wood into charcoal, cleansing all traces of what had once existed on its surface.
Xia Er had nothing left to experiment with, so after handing the cleanup to Lucy, he and Tara climbed into the carriage for their return journey, with Tara driving.
By the time Xia Er returned to Ansu City, the sky had fully brightened. At ten o'clock, Ansu was alive with its usual vigor, with carriages and crowds bustling along the streets.
Not long after arriving home, Xia Er received good news.
Thanks to Tara’s urgent message, Pei Erxi had arrived in Ansu City a day early and was now at Xia Er’s doorstep.
She hadn’t taken the train but had used her abilities to reach a nearby town and then taken a carriage to Ansu City.
“Teacher.” Pei Erxi looked at Xia Er, who had come out to greet her, and Tara, dressed in a maid outfit, feeling a bit puzzled but still bowed respectfully toward Tara.
“I’ve told you many times, Lady Pei Erxi, you don’t need to call me teacher; your knowledge and experience far exceed mine...”
Xia Er listened to this conversation, which had already played out in simulations, his gaze lingering on Pei Erxi as he took a gentle breath.
The final piece of the puzzle had arrived.
It was time to begin piecing together the destined death of the strong sound.
An inescapable, fated demise.
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**PS:**
198.25 (overdue) - 1 (extra) = 197.25 (overdue)
Finally resolved the transitional plot that had been holding me back!
Now! I can proudly declare!
Tomorrow, 8K! Or else, I’ll be in trouble!
Let’s go, tomorrow’s me!!!!!!
Good night!
**Chapter 251: All is Ready, Only the Wind is Missing (8000 words)**
“This is...”
Pei Erxi was invited into Xia Er’s study. At that moment, she sat in the room, looking at Xia Er across from her and Tara standing behind him, feeling a bit uneasy.
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