Chapter 151: The Gathering of the Fallen

Chapter 151: The Gathering of the Fallen

The interior of the cave proved surprisingly spacious, with an eerily smooth floor.

Embedded in the walls were crystal stones emitting an emerald green glow, providing faint but sufficient illumination.

A strange aroma hung in the air - a chimera of herbal fragrances and decaying flesh that was both calming and slightly nauseating.

"Look who's finally arrived", a raspy voice echoed from deeper within the cave. "Another poor wretch discarded by the School?"

Aolifu advanced cautiously, finally getting a clear view of the speaker - a twisted figure seated on a stone platform.

The form was vaguely humanoid but covered entirely in deep purple scales. Its head had completely transformed into some reptilian monstrosity, with an elongated maw bristling with sharp fangs.

"Welcome to the land of the free, Aolifu West", the creature hissed with amusement.

"It seems your Awakening didn't go quite as planned? Half your face mutated into that grotesque mess must have been agonizing."

As it spoke, more figures began to emerge from the shadows of the cave. Some resembled ordinary humans, while others had mutated beyond recognition. But they all shared one common trait - their eyes burned with an eerie red light, like searing brands.

"Where is Xin Xi Ya?" Aolifu demanded directly, attempting to ignore the taunts.

The reptilian figure let out a shrill laugh. "In a hurry to find your old lover? She's no innocent girl anymore - she went around seducing our brothers, creating chaos among us all."

"I asked where she is!" Aolifu's voice grew sharper with anger, black liquid surging violently across his body.

"Look at this little hothead trying to give orders the moment he arrives?" another voice chimed in - this time from a young woman who appeared almost normal, except for her eyes, which were transformed into insect-like compound eyes, shimmering eerily in the dim light.

"You grotesque mutations", Aolifu sneered, "what gives you the right to mock me? I've only just begun my Awakening and will soon learn to control this state, unlike you wretches who've all become slaves to desire and instinct!"

The cave fell into brief silence before erupting in ear-splitting laughter. "Listen to this newbie talk!" the reptilian creature nearly rolled on the ground laughing. "He actually believes he can 'control' the Awakening! Hahahaha! Where did this pitiful wretch crawl out from?"

"A poor fool who hasn't realized he's already doomed", the compound-eyed woman mocked. "We've all been there."

"The Awakening doesn't obey you, fool", the reptilian creature wiped tears from its eyes, "it controls you. Compared to the full Awakening, your pathetic self-control is as fragile as paper."

Aolifu surveyed his surroundings, seeing at least a dozen mutated Awakenings laughing at him. Anger burned like flame in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm.

"It seems you all need a lesson." His gaze locked onto the reptilian creature that had mocked him most. In the next instant, Aolifu's form blurred like a ghost, instantly appearing before his target.

Before the creature could react, Aolifu's tendril-like eye pierced its forehead.

"You dare..." the creature shrieked in pain, its body convulsing violently as its scales rapidly lost color.

All laughter ceased abruptly as the other Awakenings in the cave recoiled in shock and fear. Aolifu could feel the creature's power flowing into him, a new type of mana filling his body with intoxicating pleasure.

When he withdrew his tendril, the reptilian figure had become a desiccated corpse. All life force had been drained, its purple scales turned a lifeless gray.

"Why don't you laugh anymore?" Aolifu's voice was cold as he surveyed the room, his eyes glowing even more fiercely from the energy he had absorbed.

No one responded. All the Awakenings remained on high alert, afraid to make any sudden moves.

"Clap clap clap."

Slow applause echoed from the depths of the cave, followed by a familiar female voice. "What a wonderful performance, Aolifu."

At the sound of her voice, a completely naked female figure emerged from the shadows.

It was Xin Xi Ya, but her appearance had completely transformed. Her skin gleamed unnaturally, with multiple tentacle-like appendages extending from various parts of her body, some twisting and writhing in the air as if possessing their own consciousness.

Most disturbing was her lower body.

It had completely transformed into a mollusk-like form, with dripping mucus-covered tentacles replacing her legs, leaving a wet trail on the ground.

"My little Aolifu still has that boldness", Xin Xi Ya's voice was sickeningly sweet, filled with a pathological desire. "Killing one of our brothers the moment you arrive - positively sexy."

"Xin Xi Ya..." Aolifu stared at the completely mutated woman before him, emotions churning inside.

They had once been allies, exploring forbidden powers together, but now she was utterly unrecognizable.

"Scared of my new look?" Xin Xi Ya giggled, her surrounding tentacles writhing suggestively.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it soon. In fact, this form has so many advantages over the old one..."

A tentacle wrapped suggestively around Aolifu's arm, causing an involuntary shudder. The appendage secreted a sticky mucus that produced a faint numbing sensation and strange sensory stimulation when it touched his skin.

"Have you fully Awakened?" Aolifu asked directly, trying to focus his attention away from the peculiar sensation.

"Of course", Xin Xi Ya purred. "Completely. No longer do I need to collect emotions from slaves to maintain my power. Now I can draw nourishment directly from pleasure itself."

Her tentacles tightened and began crawling toward Aolifu's upper arm. "And you? You seem... unfinished."

"I need more precise control." Aolifu broke free from the tentacle grip, stepping back. "Xin Xi Ya, we agreed - the Cursed Black Crystal was only the first step. True Awakening requires the proper location and conditions."

"Oh?" Xin Xi Ya arched an eyebrow. "Still clinging to that foolish plan? Waiting for the Bloodline Altar to open?"

"This is our best course", Aolifu said firmly. "The spatial rift of the Bloodline Altar will amplify the Awakening effect, granting us purer power rather than becoming slaves to desire like this."

Xin Xi Ya didn't become angry, but instead laughed even more wantonly. "Look at you, still so serious, still chasing perfection like back at the School, always trying to control everything."

Her tentacles suddenly accelerated, wrapping Aolifu completely and pulling him close. "But you know what? After full Awakening, desire is no longer a shackle but liberation. When you're no longer bound by those so-called morals and reason, you'll discover an unprecedented freedom."

Aolifu struggled, but Xin Xi Ya's strength exceeded his expectations. While his mutated form was powerful, against a fully Awakened Xin Xi Ya, he appeared vulnerable - after all, before Awakening, they had been equals as High Apprentices.

"Let me go..."

He resisted through clenched teeth, but his body instinctively reacted to the tentacles' touch.

"Stop resisting."

Xin Xi Ya's voice grew even more seductive as a tentacle caressed his twisted cheek. "Let me show you what true pleasure feels like."

As the tentacles coiled tighter, her body began secreting a viscous liquid. The substance emitted a strange aroma - a chimera of musk, rotting fruit, and some exotic flowers.

The scent clouded Aolifu's mind, awakening an unprecedented desire within him.

"Cursed... No, I can't..."

Aolifu felt his willpower rapidly crumbling as black mana surged uncontrollably through his body, responding to Xin Xi Ya's seductive aura.

"This is right", Xin Xi Ya watched Aolifu's struggle with satisfaction. "Once you've tasted this, you'll never want to return to your former constraints."

The other Awakenings in the cave gathered in a circle, greedily watching the scene unfold. Some even began entwining with each other, as if compelled by some invisible force. Their twisted forms intermingled in the shadows, producing all manner of indescribable sounds.

"Now, let's begin the party", Xin Xi Ya whispered in Aolifu's ear, each syllable like a hypnotic spell. "Forget those complicated plans, forget the Bloodline Altar, forget everything..."

Under the dual influence of drugs and pheromones, Aolifu's consciousness gradually succumbed. The memory of that perfect, always calm and composed self shattered, replaced by primitive, raw desire.

He stopped resisting, allowing Xin Xi Ya's tentacles to roam his body, experiencing an unprecedented sense of pleasure. Each touch felt like electricity surging through him, making him tremble.

The voice of reason grew weaker and weaker, eventually drowned out completely in the revelry of instinct.

Even in this frenzied state, Aolifu still clung to a final shred of rationality, recalling his lifelong pursuit - true power, power surpassing even the Full Mages.

"The Bloodline Altar..." Even as his mind clouded, Aolifu struggled to maintain a final thread of clarity. "I will complete my true Awakening there."

"Believe whatever you like, my little Aolifu", Xin Xi Ya chuckled, pressing her body fully against his as various shaped and functional tentacles began writhing. "Right now, just enjoy the moment."

The cave remained dimly lit as the Awakenings' moans and strange laughter intertwined, forming a chaotic chorus of corruption and decadence.

Meanwhile, in the central area of the School, a vast open space blazed with firelight.

Ma Kusi's mutated form writhed within the roaring flames, still struggling forward. Most of his body had carbonized, yet his head and chest retained a terrifying vitality. Black veins were clearly visible beneath his skin, like ghostly inscriptions on charcoal, squirming as he fought.

"Luo En..." His mouth moved, forming indistinct words as black viscous liquid dripped from his lips, leaving a pungent scorched trail on the ground.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end