Chapter 42: Intervening

The wounded Silver-Winged Centipede went into a frenzy, letting out a series of shrill screeches. It opened its mouth and unleashed a burst of incredibly scorching flames that swept violently toward the Luo siblings and Lu Xiaotian. The weeds on the ground were instantly incinerated into ash.

Despite having the Vajra Shield active, Lu Xiaotian could still feel an unbearable, stifling heat. After being lashed by several waves of fire, the Vajra Shield showed signs of imminent collapse. Lu Xiaotian was startled; without protection, he feared he would be reduced to ashes just like the weeds. He hurriedly retrieved a low-grade spirit stone from within his barrier and squeezed it in his hand to replenish his depleted essence. Simultaneously, he cast a Water Spirit Shield upon himself. As the water-blue light appeared, a wave of coolness helped mitigate much of the intense heat.

"Ah!" While Lu Xiaotian could still hold his ground, Luo Qing, who was only at the early stage of Qi Refinement, could not withstand the toxic fire. Her protective shield was on the verge of breaking, her once fair face was flushed crimson, and she was drenched in sweat.

"Sister!" Luo Yuan hurriedly cast a Water Ball spell to absorb the scorching toxic fire, positioning himself in front of Luo Qing.

The Silver-Winged Centipede possessed the strength of the late stage of Qi Refinement; even cultivators at the Great Perfection stage would not dare to face it lightly. Luo Qing was two full realms weaker, making it naturally difficult for her to withstand the centipede's onslaught. Being closer to the fray, Lu Xiaotian took two diagonal steps to intercept the attack, standing before Luo Qing. "This beast is too powerful. Stay behind and use your spells to attack from a distance; do not get too close."

"Thank you, Big Brother! Thank you, Brother Lu!" Feeling the burden lift, Luo Qing hurriedly retreated.

*Swish! Swish!*

Fan Qing fired two more arrows in rapid succession. The Silver-Winged Centipede raised its head, and a thick earthen wall rose up to block the path.

The arrows pierced through the earthen wall, but their momentum was greatly diminished. They flew only a few feet before falling to the ground.

Seeing the attack miss, Lu Xiaotian sneered inwardly. While the combined strength of the team exceeded that of the Silver-Winged Centipede, taking it down would come at a significant cost. Since Fan Qing was determined to claim the demon core, he naturally had to shoulder the brunt of the combat. No one was willing to risk their life lightly.

Wang Yuan, Zhang Guang, Wang Ping, Luo Yuan, and the others were like him, staying relatively far away and attacking the centipede with spells. Although this consumed a considerable amount of essence, it did not pose an immediate threat to their lives.

Lu Xiaotian had cast many spells, but with a sufficient supply of low-grade spirit stones, he was relatively more relaxed than the others. After all, Luo Yuan and his companions did not have as many spirit stones to use. If they consumed more than a dozen spirit stones, even if they killed the centipede, it would be almost as if they had worked for nothing. Naturally, Luo Yuan and the others were unwilling to be that foolish.

*Crack!* After casting another Golden Spear spell, the low-grade spirit stone in his hand shattered, turning into powder once its spiritual energy was exhausted. Lu Xiaotian quickly took out another stone. In such a perilous place, one had to maintain an abundant supply of essence; this was no time to be stingy with spirit stones.

Fan Qing's expression shifted slightly. He had realized that the Silver-Winged Centipede was a dual-element Earth and Fire beast, possessing formidable offensive power and incredible defense.

Relying solely on spell attacks, they might exhaust their essence without even managing to kill the massive centipede. Furthermore, if they consumed too many spirit stones, the endeavor would not be cost-effective.

Thinking this through, Fan Qing quickly understood that unless he produced enough "killer moves," the others would not be willing to "fish for grain in a fire" for him. Realizing this, Fan Qing let out a sharp command, "If we keep fighting like this, it will never end! Everyone, assist me in breaking through its defensive spells! Once I have heavily wounded it, we can trap and kill it!"

"Alright, I'll help you!" Zheng Shiqi's body blurred as he moved to Fan Qing's side, launching several low-level spells directly at the Silver-Winged Centipede.

Lu Xiaotian suddenly felt something wrong beneath his feet. He immediately kicked off the ground, leaping over ten feet into the air. An earthen spike suddenly erupted from the spot where he had just been standing; had he not dodged in time, he would likely have been impaled through.

"This beast is truly ungrateful. Can it not see that Fan Qing is its greatest threat?" Lu Xiaotian felt a surge of annoyance, and he increased the intensity of his attacks.

"Fire Arrow Spell!" "Golden Spear Spell!"

Lu Xiaotian unleashed several low-level spells in rapid succession. Mixed with the earthen spikes and ice spears of Zheng Shiqi and Wang Yuan, they repeatedly shattered the various earthen wall defenses deployed by the Silver-Winged Centipede.

"Good!" Fan Qing was overjoyed. He couldn't help but glance at Lu Xiaotian, surprised that this man's spellcasting was so proficient, with his timing for each attack being nearly perfect. After a brief moment of surprise, Fan Qing drew his bow again and fired three consecutive shots. The sharp arrows struck the centipede's head, piercing through the hard carapace and sinking three inches into the flesh.

In pain, the Silver-Winged Centipede let out a shrill scream. Its massive limbs lunged madly toward Fan Qing, the instigator.

Remaining calm, Fan Qing made a gesture with his right hand toward the centipede. A massive crimson net descended from the air. Having exhausted the spiritual arrows in his quiver, Fan Qing abandoned his bow and drew a sharp, several-foot-long spiritual saber from his storage bag. Grabbing a corner of the crimson net, he roared, "This beast is at the end of its rope! Once we survive this round, we can slay it! Everyone, charge together!"

Seeing that Fan Qing had deployed his trump card, the others exchanged glances and rushed forward bravely. They each grabbed a corner of the descending crimson net, trapping the Silver-Winged Centipede within. A dense barrage of various spells commenced once more.

The crimson net was made of some unknown spiritual material and was exceptionally tough. The massive body of the Silver-Winged Centipede was caught within; no matter how it struggled, though it managed to tear one or two small holes, it was far from escaping.

*Hiss...*

A black toxic mist sprayed from the centipede's mouth, enveloping the surroundings. Weeds and trees withered instantly, but Lu Xiaotian and the other eight members continued to pull the crimson net, steadily shrinking the perimeter.

"Ha!" Seizing the moment, Wang Ping swung his black iron staff in an arc, smashing it against two of the centipede's legs. *Crack!* The legs snapped off.

With his left hand pulling the net and his right hand wielding a spiritual sword, Lu Xiaotian also severed three of the thrashing legs. The immense tension from the net sent a shock through him; even with the combined strength of nine people, they could only barely contend with the Silver-Winged Centipede. If they hadn't been wielding sharp spiritual tools, they likely wouldn't have been able to do anything to the creature.

The Silver-Winged Centipede had lost twenty to thirty legs and had endured no less than a hundred low-level spell attacks. As its desperate struggles proved futile, a fierce light flashed in Fan Qing's eyes. He leaped up, landing on the centipede's head. Holding the saber with both hands and pushing his mana to its limit, a cold, sharp blade-light shimmered on the weapon. He thrust it violently into the gap between the centipede's head and its first segment of armor. With a *shlick* sound, the spiritual saber pierced through.

A large amount of green bodily fluid sprayed out from the wound.

The centipede let out a miserable shriek and thrashed again. Lu Xiaotian felt a sharp pain in his hand as the crimson net was violently ripped from his grasp.

However, with its head fatally wounded, the centipede was merely in its death throes. For a time, spiritual sabers, spiritual swords, and black iron staffs took turns attacking, interspersed with waves of low-level spells.

*Whoosh!* A round, plump, egg-sized sphere, mottled with earth-red colors, was spat from the centipede's mouth, suddenly slamming into Fan Qing's spiritual saber.

With a loud *boom*, Fan Qing was sent flying backward, crashing into a thick tree trunk. Ignoring the pain in his body, Fan Qing instead burst into laughter, "The demon core!"

The demon core had repelled Fan Qing and was now hurtling toward He Tuo, who was nearby. Startled, He Tuo dared not take the dying centipede's final counterattack head-on. He performed an Earth Escape spell and vanished into the ground.

"That damn He Tuo."

Seeing that the demon core had lost He Tuo as its target and was now heading toward him, Lu Xiaotian cursed inwardly. The core was too close; it was too late to use an Earth Escape spell. If he didn't move, the core would strike him before he could even fully submerge, which would be asking for trouble.

Gritting his teeth, Lu Xiaotian gripped his spiritual sword and struck the demon core with all his might. A powerful recoil surged back, nearly wrenching the sword from his hand and forcing his body to slide back several yards. Looking down at his short sword, he saw a small notch had appeared in the blade. Lu Xiaotian felt a pang of heartache; this was a mid-grade spiritual tool he had spent dozens of spirit stones on, and he had barely used it. Even as an alchemist, he couldn't afford such frequent damage.

However, after the continuous collisions, the luster of the demon core had dimmed significantly.

With a heavy thud, the Silver-Winged Centipede's limbs gave way, and it collapsed to the ground. Taking advantage of the centipede's attack on Lu Xiaotian, Luo Yuan had used his sword to completely sever the centipede's head.

Ignoring his injuries, Fan Qing rushed over and snatched the now-dimmed demon core into his hand, his face unable to hide his excitement. The mission from the Savage Beast Sect only required the demon core; they had no strict requirements regarding its condition.

"That fight was truly exhausting, but it was worth it to get this Silver-Winged Centipede. It's a pity the wings are damaged; otherwise, if we had them refined into wing-type spiritual tools by a blacksmith, we would have made a fortune," Wang Yuan said, putting away her spiritual sword with a hint of regret.

Among various spiritual tools, wing-type tools were extremely rare. Since Qi Refinement cultivators could not fly, the price of wing-type tools remained high and they were often impossible to find even if one had the money.

"Taking down this beast without any casualties is already quite good. Let's divide the centipede quickly."

Wang Ping, Zhang Guang, Zheng Shiqi, the Luo siblings, and the others were also rubbing their hands in joy. On average, each person would receive materials worth over twenty spirit stones.

"Haha, such a good thing should naturally be shared by all who see it. How could we be left out?"

Just as Wang Ping and the others were celebrating, a familiar laugh drifted down from a nearby small hill. Lu Xiaotian looked toward the sound and saw that the person appearing on the hill was the large-headed freak who had previously ambushed them using Green Bamboo Bees. Following closely behind were seven other cultivators, all staring greedily at the Silver-Winged Centipede on the ground, their intentions crystal clear.

The expressions of Luo Yuan and the others changed drastically, and Lu Xiaotian's heart sank. Although he didn't specifically need the materials from the centipede, the feeling of being watched by another adventuring party was unpleasant—especially since his team had just endured a fierce battle, lost several spiritual tools, and heavily depleted their essence. They likely had no more than half of their combat strength remaining.

However, the large-headed freak's team had not expended a single drop of energy. In Moon-Viewing City, there were soldiers on duty, but here in the mountains, even if hundreds or thousands of cultivators died, it wouldn't cause a ripple.