The bear growled as the cloaked figure moved closer.
Wu Zhe's eyes narrowed. Before the man could even touch the beast, he moved in.
Faster than the eye could follow, Wu Zhe leapt to the three, landing behind the man holding the insect. His sword flashed, cutting the man's throat in an instant before he could react.
The insect fell to the ground, wriggling around.
The other two cloaked figures froze, their eyes widening in shock. "W-What… who are you?!"
The bear, still bound by the chains, let out a low growl, sensing Wu Zhe's presence but too restrained to strike.
The two cloaked figures were unable to do anything, as their Qi continuously poured into the chains that restrained the beast. They couldn't move until the talismans were destroyed or forcibly removed. All they could do was stare helplessly at Wu Zhe.
Noticing their condition, Wu Zhe shook his head. "Who made such a sloppy talisman?" he said, glancing at the crude inscriptions. "It can't even stop the user from continuously pouring Qi into it… what trash."
"Who… who are you?!" the woman shouted, her eyes wide with fear as she stared at the decapitated head of her senior brother.
"Silence." Wu Zhe said, paying them no attention. He knew they couldn't do anything while their Qi was continuously pouring into the keeping the bear chained.
Bending down, Wu Zhe picked up the wriggling insect, staring at it intently. A faint feeling of Qi came to him from the creature, immediately he understood what it was.
A controlling-type insect…
In Yunluo, such creatures were used by demonic cultivators to control others. The insect would be implanted into a cultivator, and the controller would infuse it with their Qi before forcing it into the victim's body. Once inside, it would take root, linking the victim's life to the controller's will and forcing them to carry out their commands, effectively turning them into a completely obedient puppet.
The only way to remove it was to be in a higher realm than the Qi inside it or, for those few who knew, to completely replace the Qi inside the worm with your own, seizing control of it.
Wu Zhe had a sudden realization at the thought.
He began infusing the worm with his Qi, but nothing happened, the Qi inside it seemed to resist.
Gritting his teeth, his Qi turned a pure red as he injected it into the insect, a tiny trickle of blood escaping his mouth.
The creature squirmed, letting out a faint shrieking sound which sounded freakish and unnatural, as his Qi poured into it. Slowly, the worm calmed, its body turning a bright red, the same color as Wu Zhe Qi.
"Impossible! How?!" the man muttered, watching in disbelief as Wu Zhe took control of the insect.
The two cloaked man and the woman froze, eyes wide, powerless to intervene as Wu Zhe tamed the worm.
Now, Wu Zhe held the insect, and eyed the bear.
As he eyed the bear and the insect, he didn't really want the bear, in his mind this insect could be far better used for something else.
Wu Zhe began clapping, still his face remained blank. "Thank you for this gift. Your existence is no longer required."
"Wait! Please… have mercy, sir! Our master—" one man pleaded, but before he could finish, Wu Zhe's sword slashed across his throat, silencing him instantly.
The talismans in their hands suddenly shattered.
The woman staggered back, and the bear was freed, it stood still for a brief moment.
"Sir… please! I'll do anything!" she cried.
"Anything?" Wu Zhe tilted his head, his voice calm but sounding ominous.
Yes! Anything…" Misunderstanding him completely, she pulled back her hood, revealing her long black hair, and began loosening her clothes, exposing a bit of skin as if to seduce him.
"Then take your own life."
"What?!"
Wu Zhe pointed at the sword at her waist.
"Like this," he muttered, then raised his own sword to his throat and slowly dragged it across his, deliberately demonstrating his meaning.
Her eyes widened in horror as realization dawned upon her.
Amidst all this, the bear's patience had snapped. Letting out a low growl, it suddenly charged at Wu Zhe.
At that exact moment, seeing Wu Zhe's attention shift, the woman's legs bursted with Qi as she turned and fled.
Wu Zhe glanced at the fleeing cloaked woman, paying the charging bear no mind.
The bear lunged, its jaws opening wide, close enough to tear him apart.
The instant it reached him, Wu Zhe dropped his sword. His arms enveloping with Qi as he caught the bear's jaws with both hands.
Using his entire strength he tore them apart with overwhelming strength.
A faint crack could be heard as the bear's jaw began to split under the pressure.
In mere seconds, its entire jaw tore apart, ripping cleanly into two.
Without another glance, Wu Zhe picked up his sword and immediately pursued the cloaked woman, his legs enveloped in Qi.
As she ran, panic was evident on her face.
She didn't get far before Wu Zhe was upon her, yanking her back to him by her hair.
"No! No!" she shouted in horror, terror in her eyes.
Wu Zhe tightened his grip on her hair, and with his sword enveloped with Qi, he slid it across her throat, slicing it partially open.
Her eyes, once filled with terror, went blank as she perished, leaving only silence behind.
Wu Zhe returned to the bear, dragging the cloaked woman's corpse by her hair, her partially slit throat leaving a trail of blood.
He eyed all corpses scattered around him, reveling in the brutality of what he had just committed.
After finishing admiring his work, he sat down and meditated. Aside from the corpses he had just killed, were the corpses of a pack of seven wolves.
As he used his devouring arts, a vast amount of life force swirled around him, converging all into his body. Their memories flooding his mind all at once.
His dantian began to fill. He could feel himself able to break through, but he restrained himself. Advancing in such a dangerous environment was very unwise.
As most of the corpses decayed, Wu Zhe noticed a tiny brown orb inside the bear, similar to the one he had taken from the snake.
Wu Zhe stood up, surveying the decayed corpses. The only thing that hadn't decayed was the bear's head, which he had deliberately left untouched, as he needed proof of the kill.
Wu Zhe lifted the bear's head with one hand, carrying it as he retraced his steps back to the edge of the forest.