Yang Kai also furrowed his brow and asked, "Do you have any way to get them out?"
"That's not the Soul Control Worm I planted!" Zi Mo shook her head slowly, her delicate brows knitting together. "Actually, leaving it inside isn't a big deal. It just absorbs a tiny amount of Yuan Qi to survive. Without anyone commanding it, it won't harm you anymore. Once each of you cultivates to the Shenyou Realm, you'll naturally be able to use your spiritual soul to drag it out. Or you can return to the sect and have your elders deal with it."
This was only the lowest-grade Soul Control Worm. Aside from its fear of heat, Divine Sense was also an effective weapon against it.
That was what she said, but everyone still wore glum expressions.
None of them really trusted Zi Mo.
And even if everything she said was true, nobody would feel comfortable having a worm living in the critical area of their dantian. What if it stirred during a life-or-death battle? There was no telling what kind of devastating consequences that might bring.
Zi Mo noticed the look on everyone's faces and let out a contemptuous laugh. "But if you insist on getting the worm out right now, I do have a method. I just don't know if you'd be willing to let me try!"
Their faces bitter, everyone turned to look at Yang Kai.
They still didn't trust Zi Mo. What if this celestial girl pulled some trick and put them under her control again? Then...
But if they refused, they'd remain anxious knowing there was a worm in their dantian. The very thought was deeply unsettling.
Zi Mo let out a derisive snort from where she stood, having satisfied her mischievous urges, before finally speaking: "My master can help you."
"Your master..." Chen Xueshu couldn't help but give a light cough.
Yang Kai's expression also turned awkward, and he shot Zi Mo an irritated glare.
"Brother Yang, did you really... take her as a maidservant?" Chen Xueshu asked with undisguised envy. Shu Xiaoyu reached over and pinched him hard, twisting his features in pain, though he didn't dare make a sound.
"She's talking nonsense! She'd love nothing more than to see me dead!" Yang Kai denied flatly, sniffling before frowning. "But I might actually have a way. I just haven't tried it on a person before."
The Soul Control Worm feared heat, and his own True Yang Energy was its natural bane. Now that Yao He and Yao Xi's control was gone, he only needed to channel his True Yang Energy to force the Soul Control Worms out of their bodies.
It was precisely this method Yang Kai had used before to extract a Soul Control Worm from the skull of a fifth-rank demon beast, the Yaksha Golden Shadow Leopard, which had led him to discover the secret behind these worms.
But if the target was a person, Yang Kai couldn't make any guarantees. These people were elites from their respective sects, and the Soul Control Worms were lodged in the dantian—a delicate and sensitive critical point. Even a tiny mistake could lead to catastrophic consequences.
Seeing Yang Kai hesitate, everyone felt a twinge of unease.
"Try it on me!" Li Xinyuan of the Wenxin Palace suddenly spoke up in a weak voice, a pained smile on his face. "My cultivation has already been crippled anyway. If it lets Brother Yang practice and get familiar with the process, that would count as me doing my part for everyone."
Zuo Fang immediately said, "Senior Brother, don't say that! A crippled dantian can still be repaired if you find the right medicine. If anyone's going to be tested, it should be me first!"
"Junior Brother," Li Xinyuan shook his head with a bitter smile. "There's nothing for me to worry about. Even if Brother Yang makes a mistake, what's the worst—just one life? Living like this is worse than death..."
"Stop arguing! I'm not even confident myself," Yang Kai frowned. Then he reached out and beckoned Zi Mo over.
"What?" Zi Mo looked displeased, but she still obediently walked over.
Her compliance only deepened everyone's suspicion. Could it really be that her relationship with Yang Kai was that of a maidservant and her master?
That was just too bizarre.
"Tell me exactly what needs to be done," Yang Kai asked with a furrowed brow.
Zi Mo described the method in detail. It was essentially the same one Yang Kai had used on the Yaksha Golden Shadow Leopard—only it required far more delicate execution. Either use a decisive lightning-fast approach to incinerate the worm before it could react, or use a gentle method to gradually drive it out. Under no circumstances could you let it feel alarmed, because if it was pushed to desperation, it might actually bore through the dantian.
After understanding this, Yang Kai fell into thought. He looked at the crowd and asked, "Are you all sure you want me to do this?"
They all nodded.
"All right. I can only promise I'll do my utmost to help you get rid of them, but... you bear the consequences yourselves!"
He had no intention of getting dragged into trouble over something like this.
Han Xiaoqi smiled and said, "Naturally. We trust you can do it."
The others offered no objection, silently agreeing to his terms.
Yang Kai nodded. After considerable deliberation, he decided to go with the second method. The first would be faster, but its drawbacks were significant—if he lost control, he would only end up hurting people.
He glanced at Li Xinyuan and said, "I'll start with you!"
Li Xinyuan smiled and nodded. Zuo Fang opened his mouth to say something, but Li Xinyuan silenced him with a single look.
Li Xinyuan lifted his shirt, exposing his abdomen. The four young women from Wanhua Palace couldn't help but blush, yet they didn't dare turn away—they stared with flushed faces, unwilling to miss a thing.
Yang Kai placed his hand over Li Xinyuan's dantian, took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and carefully controlled his True Yang Energy, allowing it to seep into Li Xinyuan's body bit by bit.
Before long, Yang Kai sensed the location of the Soul Control Worm. His mind focused, growing ever more careful. His True Yang Energy transformed into thousands of tiny threads that closed in on the worm, wrapping around it completely before it had any chance to react.
Li Xinyuan's face suddenly flushed crimson. He was a crippled man now, and the scorching energy flooding in was difficult to withstand. But this man's willpower was formidable—even with his abdomen burning as if set aflame, he clenched his jaw and didn't make a single sound. Only the veins on his forehead pulsed and sweat poured down his face.
Yang Kai glanced at him and said, "Hang in there."
With those words, he manipulated his True Yang Energy, forcing the enveloped Soul Control Worm outward little by little. The worm clearly struggled fiercely, which only intensified Li Xinyuan's agony. As his junior brother, Zuo Fang stood watching nearby, unable to bear the sight. His heart was practically in his throat.