Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Huo Xiuxiu retracted the will-o'-the-wisp, walked over to the three heads, and squatted down to examine them carefully. Zhang Shi, Ge Dalong, and Zhao Feng also gathered around, nervously watching Huo Xiuxiu's movements.

"It looks like we've been partially successful," Huo Xiuxiu said. Her voice was a little tired, but also full of relief. "I've dispelled a small portion of this magical substance, but a lot remains in their brains. We can try harder and see if we can restore some of their consciousness."

As she spoke, Huo Xiuxiu pulled out a gem that shone with a pale blue light from her bosom and gently pressed it against the forehead of one of the heads. The moment the gem made contact with the head, a soft light emanated, which then gradually spread, enveloping the entire head.

Everyone held their breath and waited, only to see the eye on the head suddenly blink, followed by the second, and third. Three pairs of eyes opened simultaneously, each flickering with confusion.

Seeing this, Zhang Shi hurried forward to call Chen Beipan and the old woman, but they did not respond at all to Zhang Shi's call. After briefly regaining consciousness, they quickly became dull and still stared blankly ahead.

Zhang Shi tried to use the contract to call Chen Beipan, but it had no effect. The connection between the two was still weak. If Chen Beipan had not been in front of him, he would not even be able to sense him.

"Don't bother. This thing is much more difficult than you think."

Huo Xiuxiu retracted the gemstone and gazed at the three-headed monster, lost in thought. A moment later, Huo Xiuxiu teleported the three-headed monster into the air. Then, with a flick of her finger, an invisible stream of air instantly shattered the monster's body. Its filthy flesh floated in the air, and black granulations rapidly grew within it, attempting to reassemble, but Huo Xiuxiu stopped it.

Huo Xiuxiu swiped her finger again, and an invisible air wave blew up from the body of the three-headed monster. The air wave was as swift as a knife, but it was only effective in a small area. In an instant, all the flesh and blood on the three-headed monster's body was removed, leaving only three heads.

After completing that series of complex and precise movements, Huo Xiuxiu, as if withdrawing from a silent battle, slowly exhaled a long, heavy breath. Her expression was as solemn as a dark cloud, but her eyes held an incomparable sense of pride and determination.

"Try again."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shi instinctively rushed forward without hesitation. He gently held the old woman's head in his hands, as if holding a precious yet fragile piece of porcelain, and called out urgently.

If an outsider saw this scene, it would definitely be weird and terrifying.

The old woman didn't respond to the call. Zhang Shi stared at her head, remaining silent as well. Outside the cabin, time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the air was filled with an indescribable oppression. However, the old woman's face, marked by the traces of time, retained a heart-wrenching dullness. She ignored Zhang Shi's calls, as if her soul had wandered from this body, never to return.

Zhang Shi's heart sank, but he didn't give up. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with an unyielding light. He slowly lowered the old woman's head. Then, he suddenly turned and lifted Chen Beipan's head with such force that it seemed as if he was pouring all his resentment and anger into it.

At that moment, Zhang Shi clearly felt the subtle bond between him and Chen Beipan suddenly become incredibly strong, as if they were tightly connected by an invisible thread, and every subtle fluctuation was clearly perceptible. This sudden change sent an inexplicable throbbing through his heart, a mixture of surprise and joy.

"Perhaps this is the turning point!" Zhang Shi thought to himself. He no longer hesitated, took a deep breath, and then suddenly slapped Chen Beipan's slightly pale face. This slap injected all of Zhang Shi's strength.

"Snapped!"

Chen Beipan's head trembled slightly, and those dull eyes seemed to react slightly at this moment. Although weak, it was enough to shock everyone present. Zhang Shi's heartbeat accelerated involuntarily. He stared at Chen Beipan's face, hoping for a miracle to happen. The whole scene was shrouded in a tense and expectant atmosphere, and everyone couldn't help but hold their breath, wanting to witness this incredible scene with their own eyes.

However, Chen Beipan only twitched his brows slightly before continuing. Zhang Shi grinned, then increased his strength, slapping Chen Beipan's face fiercely. But Chen Beipan was like a dead man, his eyes dull, staring blankly ahead, without any reaction.

At the same time, in a corner that no one noticed, the strange third head shook slightly, a black light flashed in his eyes, and then he opened his mouth wide and sprayed violently at Zhang Shi who was squatting with his back to him.

"Oh shit!"

Zhang Shi only felt a powerful impact from behind, and he was knocked down by this force and fell flat on his face.

Huo Xiuxiu quickly took action and controlled the head from a distance.

"Hahaha, you all are so good, you all need to poop!"

The head had a ferocious look on its face and uttered some harsh words incoherently, then exploded without any warning.

The explosion was powerful, and Zhang Shi was knocked over by the shockwave just as he stood up. Fortunately, the Black Light Armor's quality was strong, shielding him from the impact, preventing him from sustaining significant damage. Fortunately, Zhang Shi's body pinned the old woman and Chen Beipan's heads, shielding them from the impact and allowing them to survive the blast.

Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong quickly went forward to check the situation, and were relieved to see that Zhang Shi was not seriously injured.

"Thanks to this armor, without it we would have died countless times."

Zhang Shi nodded, and suddenly remembered something was wrong.

Ever since entering the secret realm, he had been wearing armor all the time, even his face was covered with a visor. Zhao Feng, not to mention him, looked like a little golden man. And the last time Huo Xiuxiu and I met in Huo Village, their attire was very different from now. How did she recognize him?

"Could it be that her nose is even more sensitive than Pipi's, or that she has truly attained enlightenment and is able to discern so-called spiritual consciousness?"

Zhang Shi muttered to himself, and finally decided to put this question aside for the time being. The most important thing now was to find a way out.

After such an explosion, Huo Xiuxiu's magic was broken, and the filthy flesh and blood quickly reorganized, and the remaining two heads were "installed" again, turning into a two-headed monster. With a wave of its big hand, it threw away Zhang Shi in front of it, and then leaped and disappeared into the dark fog.

Huo Xiuxiu did not stop him, but just stood aside with her arms folded and watched.

"Why didn't you stop him?"

Zhao Feng was a little annoyed. He had finally captured the three monsters and had a chance to rescue the old woman, but he didn't expect the monster to escape right under everyone's noses.

Huo Xiuxiu ignored Zhao Feng's complaints and turned back to the wooden house.

Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong looked at each other, then brought Zhao Feng into the house.