Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Disparity in Power

Apocalypse leaped in front of Xu Qingsui and dove directly into the sea of red sand.

Xu Qingsui’s heart skipped a beat. Just as she was worrying that Apocalypse might meet a grim fate, she suddenly noticed the force pulling at her legs had loosened. Freed from that dragging grip, she immediately regained control of her body and scrambled out of the sea of sand.

At this moment, Apocalypse also burrowed out. Xu Qingsui noticed it had something clamped in its jaws. After looking closely for a moment, she realized it seemed to be a type of red bug. She casually glanced down at her legs, only to find them completely covered in these same bugs.

Only then did she realize that this wasn’t a sea of red sand at all. Instead, it was a massive swarm of red bugs hidden among the grains of sand. Because their numbers were so immense, they created the illusion of a vast red desert. Dragging them into the sand must have been the handiwork of these red bugs.

[These are sand worms. The red aura they emit is polluted tissue. Host, please devour it as soon as possible to save your Contract partner.]

When the sudden crisis occurred just now, Apocalypse had jumped right out and saved Xu Qingsui. But it had only managed to save her. In that brief moment, Lu Shiyin had already been completely swallowed by the sand worms.

At first, Xu Qingsui hadn’t noticed. Following the system’s reminder, she hurriedly took action, devouring the polluted tissue in the air and converting it into her own Spiritual Power. Having seen Apocalypse’s prior actions, she found it much easier to make her move. In no time at all, the sea of red sand before her gradually receded, restoring the area to its original appearance.

Xu Qingsui hastily located the buried Lu Shiyin and dug him out of the sand with her bare hands. Fortunately, the soil was relatively soft, making the task fairly easy. However, having been buried among the sand worms for so long, Lu Shiyin’s body had been burned by the pollutants they released. He was burning up with a severe fever and had fallen into a coma.

Seeing this, Xu Qingsui couldn’t help but frown.

[Host, you can try your Heart Ability!]

"New ability?" Xu Qingsui was stunned for a moment.

"The situation earlier was too critical, so you might not have noticed the changes within yourself. By devouring the pollution source just now, you gained the Devouring Healing Ability. You can give it a try," the Golden Octopus explained.

Hearing this, Xu Qingsui finally paid attention to the changes in her body, and sure enough, she found that she had awakened a new ability. Wasting no time, she hurriedly mobilized her power, enveloping Lu Shiyin’s entire body. Under the effects of the healing ability, he soon opened his eyes.

Seeing Xu Qingsui and recalling what had just happened, Lu Shiyin said in a hoarse voice, "You saved me..."

Xu Qingsui’s brows furrowed tightly. "What’s going on? Why hasn’t his fever gone down?" Filled with worry, she couldn’t even be bothered to speak to him directly. "System, what is going on here?"

[The fever caused by the sand worms is quite unique. Even with an innate healing ability, it cannot bring the fever down directly.]

"Then what should I do? If he keeps burning up like this, how can his body take it?"

Her worry was clearly written on her face. Even though Lu Shiyin was in a daze, he could still feel her concern.

[In a situation like this, you must...] The Golden Octopus’s voice suddenly grew excited before it could even finish speaking. [A solution is here!]

Xu Qingsui was confused, only feeling the surrounding temperature suddenly spike. She herself was somewhat fine, but the temperature of Lu Shiyin in her arms skyrocketed. His condition was worsening by the second, and he looked as though he was about to pass out again.

[The Temperature Monster has appeared! Given his current state, you must use the Temperature Monster’s ability to manipulate body heat to bring his fever down. Didn’t you already control the whale before? You just need to do exactly what you did last time.]

Now that there was a method, Xu Qingsui had no choice but to set Lu Shiyin down to deal with the Temperature Monster first. "Apocalypse, take care of him for me. I’ll be right back."

Apocalypse obediently walked over to his side as Xu Qingsui surveyed her surroundings with a cold expression. Since the Temperature Monster was also hiding in the yellow sand, she simply closed her eyes to directly sense the fluctuations in temperature around her.

"Found you!"

Suddenly, Xu Qingsui snapped her eyes open. A silhouette wearing what looked like a cape made of yellow sand appeared before her. Already on guard, Xu Qingsui released her Spiritual Power immediately. Seizing the advantage of surprise, she effortlessly located the Temperature Monster’s spirit body.

Wasn’t it just manipulating temperature? She knew how to do that, too.

Immediately, she used her Ice Attribute to freeze the Temperature Monster’s spirit body. Everything went exceptionally smoothly, and she promptly devoured it.

[Congratulations, Host! You have taken your first step in experiencing the massive advantage of a superior ability! Please enjoy all the upcoming challenges to your heart’s content.]

Xu Qingsui paused, wondering if this was the overwhelming sense of disparity brought by a difference in power levels. Putting it that way, she actually felt a little excited. But she hadn’t forgotten the matter at hand. While the Temperature Monster’s spirit hadn’t completely dissipated yet, she immediately began controlling it to treat Lu Shiyin.

When Xu Qingsui initially handed Lu Shiyin over to Apocalypse, it maintained a high level of vigilance, keeping a close eye on the suddenly manifested Temperature Monster. But upon sensing a shift in the aura emanating from the Temperature Monster’s hands, Apocalypse’s behavior changed as well. As the monster approached, Apocalypse voluntarily stepped aside.

Under Xu Qingsui’s control, the severe fever plaguing Lu Shiyin finally subsided. After his fever broke, he quickly regained consciousness. Looking at Xu Qingsui, who had been guarding his side all along, he gradually remembered everything that had transpired.

[Congratulations, Host! You have gained 70% favorability and 70% dependency from the SSS level sentinel, Lu Shiyin.]

The Golden Octopus’s notification chimed in her mind once again, followed closely by Lu Shiyin’s voice.

"Thank you. It seems that today, I wasn’t the one helping you. You were the one helping me!"

Even though he was severely injured, Lu Shiyin had remained completely aware of what was going on. He now started to feel fortunate to have met Xu Qingsui. Guessing the source of his favorability, she merely nodded.

"Rest for a little while longer, then we’ll continue our journey!" she said.

Lu Shiyin struggled to climb to his feet. "I’m already fine. Many people are waiting for us! For every second we save, one more person might be rescued."

Seeing his persistence, Xu Qingsui said nothing more. The two then continued heading deeper into the wasteland.

Fortunately, before dark, they encountered a group of residents trapped in the desert. Perhaps having been through a lot, they didn’t appear overly panicked. Instead, the group huddled together, waiting for rescue. Upon seeing Lu Shiyin, cheers erupted from the crowd, and they immediately swarmed around the two of them.

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