The entire room sealed itself off.
Vast amounts of energy churned around the room, forcibly distorting time inside and speeding it up.
Since this was a survival mission, the system’s timer was based on this world’s time. That meant Fang Chang had more time.
Lu Nongxi pried Fang Chang’s mouth open, but Fang Chang was lying face-down, so the potion wouldn’t go in. After racking her brain, Lu Nongxi remembered a trusted mentor from her memories—the TV dramas she’d watched.
She downed the potion in one gulp, held it in her mouth, then kissed Fang Chang.
Her tongue pried Fang Chang’s lips apart, and the potion, carrying her scent, flowed into Fang Chang’s mouth. It was a strange, novel experience—one that drew them both in.
Fang Chang savored every moment as best she could, and Lu Nongxi found the sensation wonderful too. Even after the potion had all been passed into Fang Chang’s mouth, the two still didn’t part.
Who knew how much time had passed? Both their bodies began to grow hot, and a refreshing fragrance filled the air. Above Fang Chang’s head, the intricate pattern of a flower quietly appeared, then transformed into a pure white blossom.
The flower bloomed.
An irresistible allure radiated from it. Its fragrance stirred the hormones of all kinds of creatures, while its color awakened their urge to reproduce. The power of shadow spread along with it, carrying its own heart-capturing allure.
This was instinctive enchantment—and an ability bestowed by a god.
Even Lu Nongxi, the Zombie Queen, couldn’t resist being drawn in.
She broke away from Fang Chang’s lips, stood up, lowered her head, and kissed the stamen of the Corpse-Breeding Flower.
Fang Chang felt a current run through her body, leaving her completely limp. An unconscious sound escaped her lips, and even that sound held an enchanting magic of its own.
Lu Nongxi raised her hand. A cut opened by itself at her wrist, and blood poured out in a seemingly endless stream, dripping onto the Corpse-Breeding Flower.
In an instant, the Corpse-Breeding Flower turned bloodred.
But not a single drop of blood fell to the ground. The flower absorbed it all. Once it had taken in enough, the Corpse-Breeding Flower began to close. Lu Nongxi’s hand trembled, and the wound healed on its own.
Her face was pale now, and her whole body was weak. She’d lost more than half her strength. At last, she slowly sat on the edge of the bed, curled into a ball, and fell asleep.
As for Fang Chang, her consciousness no longer lingered on the surface.
She focused completely inward. She could feel the flesh and blood inside her body shifting, gathering toward her back. The Corpse-Breeding Flower above her head began to move too. It sank straight into Fang Chang’s forehead, and then the clothes on her back dissolved away on their own as the flower emerged, several times larger.
It kept growing, drawing energy from Fang Chang’s body to strengthen itself. Even with the nutrient solution helping, Fang Chang’s body continued to shrink.
Time passed, drop by drop.
The difference in time made it hard for Li Zirong to observe exactly what was happening inside the room. But she could monitor the energy levels within. When she saw a third energy entity come into being, she quickly adjusted the parameters and redirected resources into the room.
“Activate the data field. Replay scenes from before the apocalypse alongside scenes from the present, and guide the formation of its consciousness in the future.”
In a daze, Fang Chang saw two vastly different worlds flickering back and forth in her consciousness.
Meanwhile, Li Zirong stood at the control panel, her eyes bloodshot.
“Adjust the energy-attraction field. Accelerate its maturation!”
“Pump in the ‘Whispers’ to stimulate its evolution.”
“This is the only way I can do it. To fulfill that promise, we need the perfect virus. It absolutely cannot fail!”
At last, the bud on Fang Chang’s back gave a slight tremble, as if it were about to bloom!
As its parents, Lu Nongxi had fallen asleep from losing too much strength, while Fang Chang’s once mature, curvy figure had been forcibly shrunk down to a little girl’s body.
She was only 147 centimeters tall now!
The energy feed stopped. The distortion of time inside the room faded, gradually returning to normal.
Fang Chang weakly opened her eyes.
Right now, she really wanted to beat Li Zirong to death. She’d been tricked so badly. Giving birth really hadn’t hurt, but she’d lost almost all her strength. Her limbs were weak, and even if Li Zirong released the restraining field, she still wouldn’t be able to crawl.
The only upside was that her chest didn’t feel so stifled anymore.
Just then, a sudden pain shot through her back.
It felt as if something were bursting out of her body.
Fang Chang desperately wanted to struggle, at least to turn around and see what was happening on her back. But the restraining field was too strong. Forget turning around—even moving was almost impossible.
She wanted to beat Li Zirong to death even more!
At that moment, she thought of the legendary child of the phoenix, the great peacock demon. It had been so greedy that it swallowed the Tathagata. Worried the Tathagata would emerge through its rear and defile his golden body, he burst out through its back instead. That must have been what it felt like.
This agony…
It ran through her entire body, then converged at one point: the base of the Corpse-Breeding Flower on her back.
Pfft—
The Corpse-Breeding Flower tore free, roots and all!
Fang Chang stared in shock at the enormous flower that blotted out the sky. The moment it left her body, it lost its source of energy and withered away. Its massive petals crumbled into flakes, drifting down like snow, scattering like willow fluff in the wind.
At the center of the falling flakes, a radiant orb slowly descended.
Fang Chang could feel an inexplicable connection between herself and the orb. The sensation struck her as strange.
Unsure what kind of connection she had with it, Fang Chang blurted out, “Did I… give birth to a ball?”
Fang Chang lowered her gaze to Lu Nongxi, curled up in a ball. “But she’s not even called Li Jing!”
Rumble—
The door rose open, and Li Zirong hurried inside, reaching out urgently. The orb drifted down into her arms. Then its light faded, revealing what it really was.
It was a pale blue, semi-solid sphere half a meter in diameter. It wobbled slightly in Li Zirong’s hands, making a sound like flowing water.
Fang Chang opened her mouth, dumbfounded. “It really is a ball!”
