When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 216: Not To Be Tamed

Chapter 216: Not To Be Tamed

Jin Jiuchi clenched his fists, his nails digging into the flower-cushioned floor, crushing a bunch of spider lilies between his fingers. The crimson juices spurted out akin to blood— the blood that trickled down his lips. When an itch climbed up his throat, he coughed again, bringing forth another mouthful of blood.

With each passing moment, he felt his vitality draining in a suffocating speed. Drawing out the warmth in his body bit by bit, leaving him icy cold.

Why am I so weak?

Amidst the chaos, he could hear the mob of furious merfolk surrounding the ship. The amount of reverence and respect they held for Shen Nianzu previously, was how much they hated and loathed him now that they witnessed his current condition. Disbelief morphed to sorrow, sorrow transformed into fury, and fury bred unbridled hatred. They were too blinded by their emotions, having lost their rulers twice in a row, and all of their pent-up negativity found an outlet in Shen Nianzu. They encircled the ship, their animosity boiling over as they picked up weapons and struck the hull!

"Give our Goddess back to us!"

"Liar, you’re not our Goddess at all!"

"Die, just go die!"

Gu Luoxin had never experienced anything like this in his nineteen years of life. The furious accusations echoed all around them like a curse, condemning them to their death. And even though the ship acted as their solid layer of defense, he felt utterly exposed as if those sharp weapons would pierce into his flesh the very next second.

"X–Xiao Shen, what should we do...?" Trembling, he instinctively turned to his reliable leader, forgetting that the man’s condition was at its worst right now. Sure enough, Shen Nianzu did not respond to him. Not only that, he did not seem to be aware of his surroundings at all, for his entire attention was fixed on... Ariel?

Alarm bells rang in Gu Luoxin’s mind like a piercing siren. "Xiao Shen!"

He tried to drag Shen Nianzu away— from Ariel, from the angry crowd, fron the dire situation they were trapped in. But Shen Nianzu abruptly shoved him away. It was so sudden that Gu Luoxin couldn’t react in time, causing him to fall on his backside. He stared up at Shen Nianzu blankly, and saw a familiar glint of mindless greed in his leader’s eyes.

It was the exact same look as the cursed ones they had encountered before.

Tears welled up in Gu Luoxin’s eyes as he whispered, "Help... please help him... anyone..."

His desperate plea drifted into Jin Jiuchi’s ears, eliciting a gasp out of his lips. He bit down on the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. Even then, his vision continued to blur and all he could see was crimson.

Lily exerted more strength into her leg, trampling on the once proud and insolent man. Nothing refreshed her more than to see him kneeling like this, weak and helpless, slowly succumbing into the mire of despair she had meticulously prepared for him. Intense delight washed over her, and she couldn’t help giggling as she stomped on him a few more times.

"Beg ah! Why don’t you beg?!" The sight of Jin Jiuchi’s ramrod straight back irked her, and she reached out to pinch his chin, lifting his head. "Hey, cat got your tongue? How come you’re suddenly so silent? Weren’t you so loud just now? Should I cut off your tongue so you can never speak again? Huh?!" Her nail dug into his chin, hard enough to imprint a white crescent mark.

Jin Jiuchi felt like his consciousness had been torn into two. One half was fixated on the ship, taking in the chaos, the pandemonium, and Ariel’s terrified and despairing cries as she woke up to the sight of Shen Nianzu’s infected features.

Meanwhile, the other half of his mind was sinking, deeper and deeper into his subconsciousness— a place that held the real him, a place that had long lain dormant, only roused by his current state of severe weakness.

Brother, why are we so weak?

Frustration surged in his chest, mingled with anger, unwillingness and grievance. It felt like he had gone back to the time when he was starved, locked up, punished, beaten, all for the sake of enforcing obedience within him. However...

Had they ever succeeded?

No, his other half whispered to him. They didn’t, no one ever did. Not those people, and not the woman before you either.

Because the beast within us is not made to be tamed.

"Oh?" Lily raised a brow as she saw him open his eyes. She had expected to see a look of utter despair and regret, as her previous victims had shown. However, she was taken aback by the blazing fire in his heterochromatic eyes as he glared at her. Not only could she find no despair, but it also spurred him to fight harder? A mixture of surprise and intrigue crossed her features as she remarked, "You’re truly the most exquisite man I have ever— ah!"

She suddenly gasped, her lashes fluttered shut, and her body trembled as if electrified when a massive surge of life force coursed through her veins. She couldn’t help but gaze in astonishment at the man before her. Normal people would have succumbed to her powers right now, with their appearance withered akin to dried corpse, so where did this tremendous vitality come from?

However, she couldn’t deny that it was delicious... so warm and sweet, unlike anything she had ever tasted before. Her cheeks flushed with pleasure, and her gaze towards Jin Jiuchi became more amorous. "You are also the most exquisite meal I have ever tasted. I’ve changed my mind. I won’t kill you now. Let’s stop for now and—"

Once again, she was stumped because... she could not stop.

The man’s life force continued to pour into her in waves, nearly overwhelming her. "W–What was going on?!"

Panic finally etched on her features as she realized the perilous situation she was in. The life force, initially meant to sustain her and even bring her back from the brink of death, had become an unending torrent that brought her excruciating agony. It was like giving a starved man food again and again. At first, they would still be gratified for the rich and savory taste, but what about later when they were already full? Yet they were forced to eat beyond capacity, unable to stop until the point of bursting. And that was precisely what was going on with Lily right now.

Staggering backward, she stared at Jin Jiuchi in horror. Her once smooth and ruddy complexion turned an unnatural shade of crimson, as if her blood veins were expanding to the verge of explosion. Soon, her slender body also swelled grotesquely. She grabbed her bloated face with a horrified expression, screeching, "Stop... Stop it! JUST STOP!!!"

But the life force showed no mercy, growing stronger and more relentless, violently occupying the space it shouldn’t. Lily’s anguished screams echoed as her body ballooned to a shocking size. "MERCY...! I WON’T DEVOUR YOU ANYMORE... I WON’T... SO PLEASE STOP—!!"

Through her blurred vision, she witnessed a horrifying transformation overtaking the man’s countenance. His features took on an animalistic form— sharp canines jutted from his mouth, his golden pupils gleamed like precious gems. His body elongated, and his face morphed into a snout-like shape. With a primal instinct, he threw his head back and released a long haunting howl that seemed to make the ocean churn and tremble!

Lily stared at him in utter disbelief. "How... how can you..."

She could not even finish her sentence because her body could no longer endure the strain. In a grotesque and horrific climax, she exploded like a burst balloon, sending chunks of red meat, bloody organs, and shattered bones flying in all directions. The spider lilies beneath her dissipated like smoke, like a fading dream that ended in a tragic nightmare, leaving nothing but a wisp of crimson that was soon swallowed by the darkness.

Until the end, she could not figure out how Jin Jiuchi managed to break free from the influence of the locking skill card.

Jin Jiuchi allowed his animalistic instinct to take control of his body as he shifted into his beast form, pure energy crackling through him like condensed lightning. Right now, only a single thought occupied his entire mind— Nian’er... I have to take Nian’er away from here!

.

.

A/N: Question! Is JJ’s shape-shifting ability comes from the skill card or... *evil giggle*