Chapter 345: Fusion

Kong Yueqing immediately sensed something was wrong. Her first instinct was to wake Kong Yueling beside her, but in the next second, she discovered to her horror that she could not make a single sound.

Aside from her voice, what was even more terrifying was that her entire body felt as if it had been nailed to the bed; she couldn't even move a finger.

Hatred was instantly replaced by fear, sweeping through her entire body.

Before she could figure out the cause, a mass of black, malevolent energy slowly gathered above her.

Even though it was the middle of a pitch-black night where one could not see their hand in front of their face, she could see that malevolent energy clearly.

The energy slowly coalesced into a human shape, looking down at her from a height.

Kong Yueqing was drenched in cold sweat. This was the Zhou family's residence; how could evil spirits be appearing here?!

Was she going to die?

"Jie jie, don't be afraid. I am here to help you."

The evil spirit could actually hear her thoughts and even responded to her.

Kong Yueqing's scalp tingled with discomfort. As an exorcist, she had seen many evil spirits, but the situation occurring now was completely beyond her understanding.

"What are you? The area is surrounded by exorcists. If you don't want to die, let me go immediately, otherwise, our Kong family will never let you off!"

She screamed in her mind, her hands struggling desperately, hoping to make even the slightest sound to wake Kong Yueling.

However, when the evil spirit spoke the next sentence, she instantly gave up her struggle.

"Believe me, even if you die, the Kong family won't shed a single tear for you. To gain the respect of others, one needs incomparably powerful strength. But do you have it?"

A mocking sneer.

At this moment, Kong Yueqing could be completely certain: it could indeed hear her thoughts.

"You were clearly fighting today for the honor of the Kong family, but how did they treat you? Have you forgotten?" The eerie low murmur carried a deathly chill from hell.

"If you were Kong Nian, would they have treated you like that? Don't you hate them? I am here to help you!"

One sentence after another, giving Kong Yueqing no chance to think.

"You will only harm me!"

Kong Yueqing's thoughts were completely ensnared by the entity; she used all her strength to roar this sentence in her heart.

"You don't believe me? I can tell you one more thing. Do you truly believe that entering that place this time is your opportunity? Wrong. It is your grave, because you are the one destined to be sacrificed!"

As the evil spirit spoke its final words, its entire shadow began to distort violently.

It seemed both excited and ferocious.

Kong Yueqing's pupils contracted violently, and her brain let out a loud buzz; nothing else remained.

"No, impossible..."

A wisp of sinister black energy suddenly surged into the center of her brow, followed by a familiar conversation echoing in her ears.

And those voices were none other than Kong Nian and Kong Xiang.

A moment later, the last line of defense in her heart collapsed, and a surging tide of hatred rose up.

The evil spirit's reaction was even more intense than hers; clearly, this was exactly what it wanted.

Kong Yueqing howled, "I want to kill them! Kill them!"

So she was just a pawn—a pawn to be used and discarded. Everyone wanted her dead. Why?!!

"Be good. I will help you kill them. I will help you."

The evil spirit began to swirl around Kong Yueqing, repeating this sentence in her ear over and over again.

"As long as you are willing to merge with me, you can obtain infinite power and become the master of this world. As long as you are willing..."

If it had been the calm Kong Yueqing, she might have still felt a trace of worry and hesitation, but the current her was completely dominated by hatred and rage.

"I am willing!"

Willingly, without regret, even in death!

After a joyful laugh, wisps of malevolent energy drilled into her body through her mouth and nose.

Kong Yueqing instantly suffered painful convulsions; even the pores all over her body seemed to be occupied by the yin energy exploding from the inside out.

At this moment, Kong Yueling, who was sleeping nearby, suddenly woke up. Before she could even investigate the strange sensation she had in her sleep, she noticed something was wrong with Kong Yueqing.

"Senior Sister, what's wrong?"

She called out directly, but Kong Yueqing still did not open her eyes.

Looking at Kong Yueqing's tightly closed eyes and distorted face, Kong Yueling showed a look of fear.

She wanted to shake her awake, but as soon as her hands touched Kong Yueqing's arm, she was repelled by a bone-chilling cold.

Kong Yueling was truly terrified. She scrambled out of bed in a panic, her only thought being to call for help immediately.

She had already run to the door when Kong Yueqing's eerie voice suddenly came from behind her.

"What is it?"

Kong Yueling's movement to open the door froze instantly. The room was pitch black, and she couldn't see Kong Yueqing's state at all.

But hearing her speak, she assumed she had naturally woken from a nightmare.

"Senior Sister, are you alright?"

She asked with a trembling voice, the sensation of that cold, stinging chill still lingering on her hands.

"Me? I'm fine." Kong Yueqing's voice was somewhat light, and even her tone was something Kong Yueling had never heard before.

Kong Yueling fumbled her way to the candle stand and lit the candle.

When she turned around, she nearly screamed in terror.

Kong Yueqing, who should have been lying in bed, was standing behind her at some unknown point, without making a single sound.

Perhaps because of the candlelight, Kong Yueqing's entire face had a waxy, yellowish tint.

"Sen... Senior Sister, are... are you okay?"

It wasn't that she wanted to shiver, but she simply couldn't control it.

Kong Yueqing actually broke into a grin.

That smile was exaggerated—so exaggerated that it made Kong Yueling's scalp tingle.

"I just said I'm fine. Didn't you hear me?"

Kong Yueling swallowed hard. Was she being too sensitive? To think that the current Kong Yueqing was so terrifying.

"I... I heard you."

Fortunately, Kong Yueqing did not do anything strange to her; instead, she turned around and lay back down on the bed.

"I'm going to sleep. Don't disturb me."

Kong Yueling breathed heavily, her palms covered in sweat.

Looking at the lying Kong Yueqing, she kept telling herself in her heart not to overthink it.

***

The next day.

As the sky began to brighten, everyone in the various rooms had woken up, except for Kong Xiang.

After a simple breakfast, everyone gathered in the main hall.

Zhou Li had changed into a light and warm outfit. Looking high-spirited, he gave everyone instructions once more before departing.

"I must remind all the senior brothers and sisters: those over the age of 25 must not travel with us. Just stay here and wait."

Everyone was clearly aware of the age limit for entering the Zhou family ancestral grounds and naturally would not take unnecessary risks.

After confirming everything was in order, Zhou Li announced their departure.

Su Yan followed the Ma family's group, and the Kong family happened to be on their other side.

The gaze beneath the black cloth first swept across the area, then landed on Ruan Tao.