155: Chapter 155 The Mosquito in My Memories
"Roar—!"
A terrifying roar, even more violent and filled with a chaotic aura than the previous Rotting Bone Hyena's howl, exploded like a thunderclap within the deathly silent cave, jolting Lin Qingzhi awake from her bone-chilling nightmare!
She snapped her eyes open, not pausing to wipe the tear stains from the corners of her eyes. In less than 0.01 seconds, those cold phoenix eyes were filled with extreme vigilance and icy killing intent!
Outside the cave, amidst that greyish world, a giant rhinoceros stood five meters tall, its body covered in a thick, rough shell like black rock. A one-meter-long, sinister horn shimmering with a cold light grew from the center of its head... Its blood-red eyes, full of greed and tyranny, were fixed intently on the blood cocoon in her arms!
[Black Rock Demonic Rhinoceros], Quasi-Demon King Level!
Yet another top predator attracted by the blood cocoon's life aura, which shone like a beacon in the dark night!
Moreover, unlike the previous pack of hyenas, this Black Rock Demonic Rhinoceros was several times more powerful in terms of strength, defense, and the "Desolate Ruins" origin energy contained within its body!
"Vile beast! You seek death!"
A flash of icy killing intent flickered in Lin Qingzhi's eyes.
She forcibly suppressed her injuries, which surged like twisting knives, and the power of the curse that continued to erode her soul. She tightly gripped the arid ruins core she had seized from the "Magician"—the item that had saved her life—and began to frantically absorb the mixed energy within, filled with both deathly stillness and the breath of new life, like a whale gulping down water!
She was going to risk everything!
"Boom!"
The Black Rock Demonic Rhinoceros clearly lacked patience.
It let out a deafening roar, and its four massive hooves, like pillars supporting the heavens, slammed onto the ground!
"Rumble!"
The entire cave, formed from the skeletons of giant beasts, shook and groaned violently under its terrifying, immense strength!
It actually intended to... collapse the cave by brute force!
"Don't even think about it!"
Lin Qingzhi gave a sharp cry. Ignoring the consequences, she poured the sliver of Ice Phoenix True Essence she had just recovered into the bone walls beneath her!
"Ice Phoenix: Profound Ice Fortification!"
A visible layer of ice-blue frost rapidly spread from her towards the walls of the entire cave, forcibly reinforcing and freezing the bone walls that were already covered in cracks!
However, this was ultimately just a drop in the bucket.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Like the most persistent and tireless battering ram, the Black Rock Demonic Rhinoceros repeatedly slammed its indestructible horn into the cave entrance!
Under its terrifying impact, the newly frozen bone walls once again revealed sinister cracks!
Lin Qingzhi's face grew increasingly pale, and golden divine blood once again seeped from the corner of her mouth.
She knew that if this continued, the cave would be completely breached in less than half an incense stick's time at most.
At that time, in her current state, facing this monster of terrifying strength would mean... certain death!
Just as she felt a sliver of icy despair once more and prepared to burn the last of her soul origin to settle things with this monster, another image uncontrollably surfaced in her mind.
It was in Jiang City, in her former "bedroom."
Back then, she had just recently been reborn. Her soul was weak, and she was being pushed into a corner by those ants of the Wang Family.
She was anxious, yet helpless.
And just then, a tiny, inconspicuous, and even somewhat repulsive black Mosquito flew in from the window.
In its mouth, it carried a small Memory Card stained with its saliva.
She still remembered.
She remembered that when she saw that Memory Card and the key information inside regarding all the evidence of the Wang Family's crimes—enough to turn the tide—her Emperor's heart, which had been frozen for two lifetimes, felt an emotion called "pleasant surprise" for the first time.
And when she saw that Little Mosquito, after handing over the Memory Card, land in front of her with a look of "claiming credit," constantly rubbing its two tiny front legs, its compound eyes shimmering with an eerie purple light and filled with human-like "expectation" and "fawning"... a ridiculous smile, which even she hadn't noticed, uncontrollably appeared on her face that had always been as cold as frost.
She, the dignified Ice Phoenix Empress, had actually been... made to laugh by a tiny Mosquito?
From that moment on, her perception of him was no longer just that of a "tool."
It was a more complex emotion that even she couldn't explain.
There was curiosity, appreciation, and even a sliver of... reliance that she hadn't even noticed herself.
She began to grow accustomed to having this "little thing" by her side—someone who, though weak, could always bring her surprises at the most critical moments.
She would even feel a sense of... helpless indulgence because of his occasional "mischievousness."
For example, when he would secretly sneak in to "peek" while she was bathing.
Or when he would sneak over while she was cultivating to suck her incredibly precious... Ice Phoenix Divine Blood.
Every time, she wanted to slap this "evil creature" who didn't know the height of the heavens to death.
But every time she saw his compound eyes shimmering with eerie purple light, full of "innocence" and "fawning," her cold Emperor's heart would uncontrollably... soften.
Forget it.
It was just a drop of blood anyway.
Just consider it... feeding a pet.
She always comforted herself this way.
Little did she know that this unique "indulgence" had already taken root and sprouted in her heart, growing into a towering tree that even she could not easily uproot.