Chapter 1029: Hanxiang's Metamorphosis

"Shall we drink it together, or separately?" While Hong Xi asked her question, Zhang Hanxiang sniffed and downed the potion in one gulp.

Zhang Lie tugged on Hong Xi's hand and brought them both away from Zhang Hanxiang, who felt her blood boil as she swallowed the potion.

As the potent effects of the potion surged through her body, she felt as though she were exuding heat from every pore on her skin. Sweat dripped down her body, and the crystalline core that had formed upon her transformation into a disaster-grade lifeform glowed with light. Her face took on the color of a boiled prawn.

Her genetic energy frothed and roiled. Clouds of frost billowed around her, forming a layer of ice on the ground.

A blizzard formed where she stood. Zhang Lie and Hong Xi braved themselves and stood watching her from a distance.

Hong Xi turned to Zhang Lie. "Hanxiang's alright, isn't she?"

Zhang Lie shrugged. "As I've said, Potion #4 is very potent, and such manifestations are common. Don't worry. I won't joke around with my sister's life. She's my only living family member, my dear sister."

Despite his casual tone, Zhang Lie's eyes were focused on Zhang Hanxiang to prevent an incident from occurring.

Crystalline flecks of powder swirled through the air as the potent energy gathered around Zhang Hanxiang's heart. The fire-attuned genetic energy in her body flared.

Zhang Hanxiang felt as though she were submerged deep within a roaring flame, but her dominant ice-attuned genetic energy took over. Within moments, the blazing heat had turned into a bone-chilling cold, as though she were in the heart of a glacier. Zhang Hanxiang felt as though she were simultaneously burning and freezing.

She cried out in pain, "Brother, it hurts!"

As Potion #4 continued to react with Zhang Hanxiang's genetic energy, a frosty mist began to spread from her body.

She curled up into a ball in pain, hugging herself tightly. "It hurts!"

Zhang Lie shouted, "Quick, consume Zhou Ying's restorative now!"

As Zhang Hanxiang's cells underwent apoptosis, she heard Zhang Lie's cries. Perhaps consciously or subconsciously, she downed the potion, causing a huge wave of vitality to flood her body from the inside and regenerate her cells.

The inclusion of Zhou Ying's regenerative potion alleviated the worst of Zhang Hanxiang's symptoms. Even so, Zhou Ying's potion could only heal the injuries inflicted on Zhang Hanxiang's body, not resolve the fundamental issue itself.

Zhang Hanxiang's body continued to be engulfed in ice and fire. Frost propagated over the ground, covering all that lay beneath her in a dazzling layer of white snow.

As the potion's effect grew, the temperature of the air decreased dramatically. Snow began to fall—and Zhang Hanxiang couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Instantly nervous, Zhang Lie's fingers tightened into fists. He wanted to rush forward, but Zhang Hanxiang slowly opened her eyes, gritted her teeth at the pain, and called out, "There's no need to worry, Brother. I can handle it. Ah—"

Hong Xi patted Zhang Lie by his side. "Calm down, Master. You've seen how determined we are."

The fresh blood fell to the ground. With Zhang Hanxiang at its center, a brilliant flower of ice formed, crystalline and transparent, a pure, unblemished creation, as beautiful as Zhang Hanxiang herself. It looked like a cross between a lotus and a lily.

Amidst the chilly air of winter, Zhang Hanxiang slowly lost her sense of her extremities. The cold seeped deep into her body, and her beautiful face distorted in pain.

Zhang Lie, feeling wretched that he had to watch his sister suffer, wanted to rush up to her and prevent her from absorbing any more of the potion. He worked hard to repress this sensation. If he were to do so, it would waste all of Zhang Hanxiang's hard work and pain to date.

Rationally, he knew that everyone before her had successfully consumed the potion, that no member of Team Zenith had had a problem with it.

Zhang Hanxiang was in no way inferior to any of the members of Team Zenith, and there was thus no reason she should fail—but despite that logic, he couldn't seem to reconcile rational thinking with reality.

What if there were a problem? What if Potion #4 were to fail on his sister, even when it succeeded for everyone else? What if his sister's constitution was unique enough to cause an unexpected interaction with the potion?

What if, what if?

Zhang Lie couldn't help but keep thinking about these thoughts. He had just taken a step forward when Hong Xi pulled him back and shook her head.

She knew how worried Zhang Lie was, but this was a crucial period for Zhang Hanxiang's growth. Forcibly terminating the absorption would hurt her irrevocably.

The energy in Zhang Hanxiang's body grew denser and denser, representing success in the procedure, as the temperature grew ever colder. The energy released from Zhang Hanxiang's body turned into a blizzard that spawned around her.

As her body evolved and her reservoir of genetic energy grew, Zhang Hanxiang's face distorted further in pain.

Zhang Lie watched on in agony, as though he was hurting more watching his sister suffer than when he was in pain himself.

Hong Xi continued, "We've made up our minds, so let's give her a little more confidence. I certainly wouldn't want any interruption in the process."

Gold and silvery-white threads wrapped around Zhang Hanxiang.

The moment Zhang Lie saw those threads, he exhaled in relief. Their appearance meant that Zhang Hanxiang was entering the second stage of the absorption, and she was in no danger. Zhang Lie wiped at his forehead to find it beading with sweat.

The energy that was emanating from Zhang Hanxiang was condensing into threads that wrapped around her body like a cocoon, sealing the winter frost within.

Within the golden and silver cocoon was Zhang Hanxiang's prone body, like that of a baby.

The cocoon pulsed like a beating heart as the energy within it grew denser and denser, until the cocoon itself was unable to hold in the frosty air any longer. It began to crack, releasing a burst of frosty air that swelled into a tide and spread out all around the cocoon.

Zhang Lie stood before Hong Xi, protecting her from the sudden effect. As the cocoon cracked completely, a silvery-gold phoenix emerged, then transformed into a beautiful woman.

Silvery-white hair floated in the wind, as though she were the personification of a crystal lotus in the frozen world before them. Amidst a howling blizzard, the woman landed on the ice, pure and elegant in her austerity.

She seemed like the queen of this domain, her white-gold eyes sparkling, reflecting a whole world of frost and ice within...