By burning the Royal Insect Crystal, thereby igniting his own soul, to ultimately gain a temporary power boost – this was an explosive method uniquely created by Li Jiayu in his later years. However, it placed an extremely terrifying burden on the body and soul. One misstep, and one could lose their entire life, their soul scattering!
In his past life, during the battle against the world's heroes, Li Jiayu had used it once. But back then, what he burned was the Dragon Crystal of a "Sakura Rathian." It was terrifyingly powerful, triggering celestial phenomena, ultimately summoning the "Corpse Dragon King," shaking heaven and earth, and killing all the evil masters of Yong City in one fell swoop, making all enemies tremble in fear!
However, the aftereffects of that time were also incredibly severe. Li Jiayu consumed half his soul; the pain endured was unimaginable. Afterwards, Li Jiayu remained unconscious for two full months. If the Light Priestess Xiao Wanqing hadn't secretly come to heal him, he might have truly suffered soul collapse and completely perished.
Even after waking up two months later, Li Jiayu recuperated for a full six months. During this half-year, Li Jiayu couldn't even manage his daily life, relying entirely on a summoned "Ogre" to take care of him. But the "Ogre" was barbaric and crude, with no regard for hygiene... Ugh, every time Li Jiayu recalled the scenes of the "Ogre" taking care of his daily life and meals, he wanted to cry.
Li Jiayu absolutely did not want to use this soul-burning self-mutilation method a second time!
But now, he had no choice!
His chest was caved in from the blow, his sternum likely mostly broken. Li Jiayu's eyes were vacant. Besides memories, many other thoughts rushed in, colliding chaotically in his mind. But what ultimately surfaced was intense anger, pain, resentment, indignation, unwillingness!
(Can't win...)
(The Female Parasitic Vine is strong, damn strong! At my current stage, I'm no match for it at all!)
(I'm doomed, doomed! There's no way I can win!)
(Am I trembling? My whole body is trembling...? Why does the rain hitting my face feel so cold...)
(Run... Run! Escape from here! I'll recover properly. With my aptitude and the advantage of rebirth, I'll definitely become a super powerhouse! Even if I can't protect Elder Sister, I can still protect Father and Younger Sister!)
(No, that's not it!)
(What's the use of being strong! I've had enough of this deathly loneliness!)
(How can I, how can I lose the people I cherish once again?)
(If even my most beloved Elder Sister dies in front of me, what's the point of my rebirth?)
(Not even one!)
(I absolutely will not let anyone I cherish leave my side! I want them all to stay with me, full of laughter and joy!)
(Damn it! Damn it! Even if you're a Female Parasitic Vine, even if you're a hundred times stronger than me, I won't let you succeed!)
(I'm not a weakling! I'm not a cursed lone star! I'm not a coward! I am the Dark Grand Summoner crawled back from hell for revenge! I will grind all enemies who violate my taboos into dust!)
(Must not lose! How can I lose to a trashy mid-Tier 2 demonic creature? Even if we perish together, I will crush it under my feet! I'll risk this life!)
"Power! I want to exchange for power! Royal Insect Crystal, give me EXPLOSION! EXPLODE! EXPLODE!"
Along with a heart-wrenching roar, Li Jiayu used the last shred of his strength to guide his mental power into the Royal Insect Crystal, instantly igniting it!
"Sizzle!"
A brilliant, blood-red flame erupted, like a blood-feathered phoenix tearing through the nine layers of heaven, gracefully descending upon the mortal world. Carrying a light and heat that made it impossible to look at directly, it danced gracefully in the dim night, refracting mesmerizing halos!
Even drenched by the fine rain, even battered by the cold wind, this flame burned quietly on Li Jiayu's palm, beautiful beyond words!
This dazzling, brilliant flame instantly attracted the attention of all the teachers and students in the school! The supermarket transport team, the three hundred rescued girls from the dormitories, the survivors in the laboratory building and male dormitories all looked towards the battle site simultaneously...
Thirteenth Floor—
"Hey, over there, towards the gymnasium, in the far corner!"
"What kind of light could possibly refract such incredible rays!"
"Telescopes! Didn't we move dozens of telescopes from the military enthusiast club? Quickly, see what's happening over there!"
"I see it! It looks like... Li Jiayu!"
"Oh God! He's lying on the ground, spitting blood!"
"He's not going to be okay, is he?"
"Jiayu will definitely be okay! He promised he'd train me to be a mage!"
"The other few axe-wielding warriors are also down, with several bloody holes in their bodies, heavily injured, life or death unknown!"
"Look! So many vines... and a giant eyeball!"
"Damn it! Principal Xiao Wanqing and President Ran Hongxia... got swept into the dance floor by the vines!"
The survivors on the thirteenth floor instantly erupted in chaos, worried sick, anxious, noisy. If even Li Jiayu couldn't withstand that monster, then everyone in the school was in extreme danger. Li Jiayu's safety was equated with everyone else's!
However, just then, the students observing the battlefield through telescopes saw Li Jiayu move!
Slowly and strenuously, he pressed that ball of flame into the center of his own forehead!
The next moment, the Insect Crystal's flame, as if made of water, actually penetrated the skin and flowed into Li Jiayu's glabella!
Immediately following, Li Jiayu's eyes seemed to ignite, bursting forth with two ghastly rays of light!
"Female Parasitic Vine! I want you dead!"
Li Jiayu's handsome face became savage and distorted. His damp white hair was instantly evaporated by the soul fire. Each strand of hair danced and swayed in the cold wind and soul fire, messy yet extremely chilling!
Killing intent surged!
Li Jiayu pressed one hand on the ground, struggling but determinedly climbing up. Finally, he stood up shakily. Even though his calf was fractured, even though his mouth was full of blood, he had to stand up!
Following that, an absolutely evil, icy, yet incredibly oppressive aura spread out like a tide in all directions, covering the entire gymnasium.
All the students observing Li Jiayu through telescopes felt a chill run down their spines, as if their hearts were being squeezed by a demon, utterly terrified!
At this moment, no matter how slow the Female Parasitic Vine was, no matter how eager it was to inspect Xiao Wanqing and Ran Hongxia, it couldn't help but be shocked by Li Jiayu's dark aura. Its pale eyeball rotated, fixing deadly onto Li Jiayu!
The blood vessels on the giant eyeball twitched slightly. The Female Parasitic Vine reassessed its defeated opponent.
It was still the same white-haired young man, yes, but his entire body was now suffused with a faint black aura. There seemed to be a hidden flame burning on his body surface. His face was grim, his icy blue eyes, lacking visible pupils, shone dazzlingly in the darkness. He was like a completely different person from before, resembling a crazed, ferocious beast intent on devouring someone, constantly erupting with incomparably sharp killing intent! The Female Parasitic Vine couldn't understand!
How did that dying person suddenly become like this?
Just from the aura alone, the Female Parasitic Vine felt an invisible, heavy pressure!
"Undead creatures from distant space-time, I am the apprentice summoner Li Jiayu. Please allow me to disturb your slumber. Please forgive my impudence. I urgently need your power..."
As Li Jiayu's incantation began, more and more black mist surged from his body. Contrasting sharply with the light bursting from his soul fire and blue eyes, it created a stark contrast of light and dark, bizarre yet hauntingly beautiful.
Faintly, ghosts seemed to roam around Li Jiayu, whispering softly, wailing like wolves, their voices seeming to cry yet not cry, seeming to laugh yet not laugh, echoing dismally and mournfully, overflowing with an ominous aura.
The Female Parasitic Vine knew it couldn't let Li Jiayu continue chanting!
Otherwise, it might very well face a counterattack from Li Jiayu, because he brought it an indescribable sense of unease!
"Wheeee—"
The Female Parasitic Vine let out an even higher-pitched screech. This was a terrifying psychic storm, powerful enough to even alter the trajectory of the drizzling rain! The axe-wielding warriors lying on the ground groaned painfully in their unconsciousness. Several with weaker mental strength actually had their heads explode with a "Pop!", splattering brain matter all over the ground in the rain!
But this was useless!
Li Jiayu's mental power had increased significantly in a short time, comparable to the Female Parasitic Vine's. He was completely unaffected!
The Female Parasitic Vine panicked. Giving up the psychic attack, it directly resorted to physical combat, dispatching over a dozen thick demonic vines towards Li Jiayu with immense force, apparently intending to strangle him completely, dismember him, twist him into pulp!
"Heed my summons, descend upon this world—Hateful Mummy!"
Just as the demonic vines were about to strike Li Jiayu!
Li Jiayu's incantation finally finished! His soul fire instantly brightened, and his icy blue eyes shot out beams of hatred and violence!
"Thump thump thump!"
A series of teeth-grinding dull thuds suddenly sounded!
The boys with telescopes on the thirteenth floor jumped in fright!
Because they saw the marble floor around Li Jiayu crack without warning, and then six ancient stone coffins suddenly rose up, forming a horn formation, protecting Li Jiayu in the center!
Yes! They weren't mistaken, six stone coffins! Six yellow stone coffins carved with patterns of the Grim Reaper, emanating an aura of death from their seams!
The demonic vines struck the stone coffins but couldn't move them an inch!
The Female Parasitic Vine's pale eyeball pupils contracted sharply, blood vessels crawling all over the whites. It knew big trouble had arrived!
The next moment, the lids of the stone coffins shakily pushed open, falling to the ground with a "Clang!" Six black figures slowly walked out from the coffins, carrying misfortune, carrying death, carrying doom, carrying the aura of hell!
They were six terrifying-looking mummies!
Wrapped in long-rotted corpse bandages. Due to age and the seepage from decaying flesh during gasification, the originally white bandages had long been stained a filthy yellowish-brown, emitting waves of stench mixed with preservatives. Just looking at them made the boys feel a nauseating sense of suffocation!
Hateful Mummies, evil and brutal dark creatures!
Their internal organs and brains had long been hollowed out, tongues cut off, eyeballs removed, noses and ears sliced off, all six senses sealed. Even though their souls remained in those dilapidated bodies, over centuries of vicissitudes, they developed violent and crazed instincts of hatred – hatred for all creatures with intact bodies!
Hateful Mummies! Low-Tier 2 dark summoned creatures!
"Kill it for me! Kill the Female Parasitic Vine, and I will grant you eternal slumber!"
Li Jiayu smiled coldly, spitting out these words like an owl in the dark night.