As soon as the thing burst apart, the boy's body dropped to the ground like a puppet without strings, all movement leaving him in an instant. Along with it, Han Leu collapsed as well, coughing out a mouthful of blood while his hair slowly turned black again, his aura fading as exhaustion overtook him completely.
Before anyone could steady themselves, the thin thing that had shot out earlier suddenly darted toward the entrance they had come from, moving with terrifying speed. Just as it was about to escape, an arrow struck it mid-flight and knocked it back, but ignoring the impact, the thing twisted and tried to flee again.
Xiao Shan stepped in without hesitation and slammed it back down with brute force, stopping its escape for a brief moment and forcing it into view.
Only then did everyone clearly see its true form, a thin, needle-like reddish bug with faint black markings running along its body, its surface twitching slightly as if alive with something unnatural.
