Inside the tent, Jian Qiu cast a Sacred Word Barrier, her expression grave, while the elders from the Yun family, the Vermillion Bird Alliance, the Crimson Moon Villa, and the Flowing Cloud Villa all looked heavily burdened; among the younger generation present, there was no one besides me.
"The slaying of the Woma Cult Leader went relatively smoothly," Jian Li remarked, "It's just that I didn't expect Blood Tiger Luo Jiang's strength to be that formidable."
"Indeed," Bi Yan said gravely, "This means breaking through the layers of defense in the Illusion Realm isn't impossible, but once we reach the tenth floor and have to fight, we won't gain any advantage at all."
"The best approach would be to eliminate Luo Jiang while we are breaking through to the tenth floor," Jian Qiu said with a dark look.
"Mm," Gao Jing nodded slightly, "But this needs to be handled situationally; we mustn't reveal our intentions. I believe others share the same thoughts as us."
"That's right. I refuse to believe those old fogeys from the Nalan and Hong families can just sit still," Jian Fei said.
"Naturally," Lu Tong responded, "My concern is that if we start infighting too early, we might not even reach the tenth floor."
"In short, we must continue to act according to the situation; even if we must make a move, it should wait until after the tenth floor," Jian Li said, glancing at me as he spoke, "Xingchen, you must be wary of those old guys from the Demon Sealing Sect; I sense murderous intent in them towards you."
"Yes, I will be cautious," I quickly replied.
"Although we owe you greatly for defeating the Woma Cult Leader this time," Jian Qiu continued, "You were too reckless. You must never act rashly again in the future."
"Uncle Master, I stand corrected," I replied with a guilty conscience.
On the other side, in the Demon Sealing Brotherhood tent.
"What are everyone's thoughts?" Mo Yin asked.
"That kid, Binghe, absolutely cannot be allowed to live," Mo Ling's cold face held a chilling tremor that even Mo Yin and others familiar with her found unsettling.
"We always thought the Blue Lightning didn't fear magic attacks and that the rumors were exaggerated," the Third Elder, Mo Sha, stated grimly, "But today, I personally witnessed him being struck by two arcs of lightning from the Woma Cult Leader and suffering almost no damage at all."
"Terrifying. How did he manage that?" the Second Elder, Mo Zhang, murmured.
"We always assumed he possessed some special equipment that could weaken magic attacks," Mo Yin said, "But I've searched through all the ancient texts and couldn't find any such equipment." Mo Yin paused, then continued gravely, "If he isn't relying on equipment to achieve magic immunity, then there is only one possibility."
"Demonic Devourer Body!" Mo Ling gritted her teeth.
"So, Young Miss knows about the Demonic Devourer Body too," Mo Yin expressed some surprise.
"I wouldn't have thought of it either initially," Mo Yin explained, "But he is a disciple of the Dragon Shadow Villa, and the Dragon Shadow Villa was founded by the first Dragon Shadow over a thousand years ago, who nearly destroyed the Demon Sealing Empire. How could I not know?"
"Could it be that the one called Binghe truly possesses the Demonic Devourer Body?" Mo Zhang was horrified.
"It should be certain," Mo Yin concluded, "Not everyone can activate the Dragon Shadow. To wield the Dragon Shadow, one must possess the bloodline of the Jian Clan from the Dragon Shadow Villa, and the Dragon Shadow Sword Art has never been taught to outsiders. It is certain that this Binghe is a direct disciple of the Jian Clan. If that is the case, the Demonic Devourer bloodline inherited from the first Dragon Shadow might have awakened in him."
"Damn it, how could this be? Is Heaven truly determined to destroy my Demon Sealing Empire?" Mo Zhang became agitated.
"A person like that should not exist in this world," Mo Ling declared, "Otherwise, all the mages of the Demon Sealing Continent will have no hope of advancement."
"He must die, no matter what," Mo Yin's face was filled with killing intent, "To be a Demonic Devourer Body, possess Grandmaster cultivation, and even more frighteningly, to have reached this level at such a young age—if he were given a few more years, he might become the second first Dragon Shadow."
"He alone is enough to kill all of us," Mo Zhang exclaimed, "How can we eliminate him?"
"There will be an opportunity," Mo Ling continued, "But we cannot act rashly now. Jian Li and that group of old guys aren't fools, and that Binghe isn't a simpleton either."
"In any case, once a suitable opportunity arises, we'll take him out," Mo Yin asserted, "But the prerequisite is not to jeopardize this entire plan."
"Mm," Mo Ling and the others nodded unconsciously.
White Tiger Alliance Tent!
"How is A'Jiang's condition?" Luo Xiao asked gravely.
"He is mostly out of danger now," Luo Kai replied solemnly, "The Woma Cult Leader was indeed powerful; even A'Jiang was nearly electrocuted to death by it."
"A'Jiang was lucky this time," Luo Zhen sighed, "We intended to use A'Jiang as the final trump card, but we were forced to reveal him in the very first stage."
"That was unavoidable," Luo Xiao conceded, "After all, we are facing one of the Ten Great Fiends. Any attempt to hoard power or hold back is self-destruction; we had no choice."
"Keep a close watch on A'Jiang's condition," Luo Xiao commanded, "Now that A'Jiang's strength is exposed, we must be careful. I expect the Azure Dragon Gang, the Black Tortoise Alliance, and those old guys from the Yun family and Jian Li are surely scheming against us."
"Don't worry," Luo Kai assured him, "With our alliance with the Demon Sealing mages, we might not need to fear them."
"You are too naive," Luo Xiao retorted, "Those people from the Demon Sealing Sect are already shaken by Binghe. He alone is capable of wiping out all the Demon Sealing mages. I know them too well; they prey on the weak and fear the strong."
"Ah!" Luo Zhen exclaimed, "What are we to do? We initially thought that with A'Jiang and the alliance of the Demon Sealing Brotherhood, victory would be assured, but who knew that Binghe could actually completely ignore magic attacks? He alone is enough to hold off the Demon Sealing Brotherhood, and if Jian Li, the Azure Dragon Gang, and the Black Tortoise Alliance elders join forces, A'Jiang might not be a match for them."
"We can only adapt as things develop," Luo Xiao said grimly, "I never expected that after a thousand years, the Dragon Shadow Villa would produce another Demonic Devourer Body. Truly, man proposes, but heaven disposes."
After a night of rest, the large contingent lined up again and set off towards the fourth layer of the Illusion Realm. The passage was located on the hexagonal circular formation right in the center of the altar. No one knew what kind of mechanism it was; the strange diagram actually split into six segments and separated towards the surroundings, revealing a passage leading underground. It was about ten meters wide. For safety, the vanguard—that is, us, possessing the strongest combat strength—entered first. The rest of the main force followed behind.
...............................................................................................
The narrow passage was pitch black, forcing us to take out the Phoenix Pearl for illumination. We walked for a full hour before finishing the tunnel.
Our eyes suddenly brightened, and the space opened up before us. Countless dark, greenish creatures rushed out from ahead. Upon closer inspection, they were clearly Black Maggots, along with Jumping Bees, Worms, Pincer Bugs, and Centipedes—creatures only seen in the Centipede Cave.
Looking at the surrounding terrain, it was identical to the Centipede Cave, and the feature that remained most deeply etched in my memory was the Death Coffin. Back then, I was forced toward the Death Coffin by the Mad Dragon Gang. The crossroads ahead and those dark brown mountain rocks were almost exactly the same as before.
If I hadn't consciously realized I was in the Illusion Realm at this moment, I truly would have thought this was the Centipede Cave in Mengzhong.
Swish, swish, swish! Just as I was lost in thought, countless Black Maggots rushed towards us rapidly. However, these minor minions were no match for us now; before they could get within fifty meters, they were blasted into fragments by the mage army commanded by Mo Ling.
Compared to the Woma Legion, these mutated creatures in the Centipede Cave were relatively weak. Only the gigantic Evil Pincer Bugs could withstand a few blows.
"I didn't expect the fourth layer of the Illusion World to be the Death Coffin from the Centipede Cave," Nalan Qiushui's expression turned solemn.
"Although these mutated creatures are nothing special," Hong Tian said, "If this place truly replicates the Death Coffin from the Centipede Cave, then the guardian here might be one of the Ten Great Fiends: the Evil Centipede."
"Evil Centipede." Everyone's expression changed drastically.
The terror of the Evil Centipede was in no way inferior to the Woma Cult Leader, perhaps even more terrifying than the two combined, second only to the Zuma Cult Leader. Once encountered, it was undoubtedly a dead end. I recall that Yan Luo's Moon God Palace and the Great Alliance were nearly wiped out after falling for the Mad Dragon Gang's scheme of borrowing a knife to kill, and only a few lucky individuals managed to escape. This illustrates just how terrifying the Evil Centipede is.
"Be cautious and stand ready; the Evil Centipede is always elusive," Nalan Qiushui stated gravely, "If it suddenly ambushes us, we won't even know how we died."
"........." Everyone swallowed hard. Many people started to waver. Setting aside its frightening size and terrifying ranged attack—its corrosive magic alone was enough to make people recoil—the Evil Centipede had far more killing moves than these.
For thousands of years, the terrifying legends surrounding the Evil Centipede could not be fully recounted even in three days and three nights.
"Everyone has seen it," Nalan Qiushui looked around, "Next, we are very likely to face an attack from the Evil Centipede, and we might all be annihilated. If anyone wishes to withdraw now, there is still time."
"............" Everyone exchanged glances, but no one was willing to step forward to lead the retreat.
"Facing such a terrifying fiend as the Evil Centipede, there is no shame even in withdrawing," Nalan Qiushui subconsciously looked towards the White Tiger Alliance, the Azure Dragon Gang, and us.
"Elder Nalan, we, the White Tiger Alliance, will not retreat," Luo Xiao said solemnly.
"Haha," Hong Tian laughed, "Since we managed to kill the Woma Cult Leader, I don't believe we can't handle the Evil Centipede. Most of us are old; we haven't seen what the Evil Centipede looks like. Let this be a chance to broaden our horizons this time. If we die, it can only be attributed to bad luck."
A group of mad old men, I cursed inwardly, while simultaneously marveling at the astonishing allure of the Crimson Blood Demon Sword. Even facing the danger of death ten times over, these people still couldn't bear to give up.
"Since we have come this far, we naturally never intended to give up," Jian Li's attitude was quite firm, and his stance naturally represented the Crimson Moon Villa, Flowing Cloud Villa, and the Vermillion Bird Alliance.
"Our Six Great Families will naturally accompany you to the end," the Lei family elder declared.
"I refuse to believe that the magic bombardment from our Demon Sealing Brotherhood can't kill the Evil Centipede," Mo Ling stated solemnly.
"It seems no one intends to withdraw," Nalan Qiushui showed a trace of calm relief.
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The Evil Centipede is elusive, skilled at burrowing and surprise attacks. For safety, a small number of Grandmaster experts were stationed around the perimeter of the formation, relying on their acute sensitivity to killing intent to detect the surrounding conditions. The remaining rangers maintained their formation in the shape of a 'pin' character, advancing cautiously.
In fact, as soon as we entered the fourth layer, Jian Li had already informed me that the Illusion Realm's Evil Centipede always guarded the southeastern end, where the only barrier entrance to the fifth layer was located. These people didn't need to be so tense now, and Jian Li and the others already had a plan for breaking through this layer; they simply weren't ready to disclose it yet.
Of course, only we knew this, and we had no intention of telling Nalan Qiushui and the others. Along the way, the mages' spells continued to clear the path. Although the mutated creatures in the Death Coffin were frighteningly numerous, they posed no real obstacle to us.
The team advanced steadily toward the southeast. Although no one knew exactly where the Evil Centipede would appear, everyone knew that the southeastern part of the Death Coffin was where the Evil Centipede appeared most frequently, which is why they chose that direction.
Furthermore, the Death Coffin is a long, narrow underground palace, and the far end could only be the southeast. Therefore, even if they hadn't been to the fourth layer of the Illusion Realm before, Nalan Qiushui and the others, relying on experience, set the southeast as their objective. And indeed, they guessed correctly.
Three days later, they finally reached the fork at the southeastern end. The large contingent began to set up camp and await the next orders from Nalan Qiushui and the others.
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Inside the tent, everyone looked grave, gazing at Nalan Qiushui.
"We haven't encountered the Evil Centipede along the way!" Nalan Qiushui announced, "It's certain that the Evil Centipede must be inside the fork ahead."
"That must be right!" Hong Tian asserted, "But how do we deal with it? You know, the Evil Centipede is always unpredictable and skilled at burrowing. Facing such an opponent, I simply can't think of a good method."
"Even more frightening is its massive size and swift movement. We cannot continuously keep it within the mages' attack range without letting it strike the mages, like we did with the Woma Cult Leader," Luo Xiao explained, "Such size and speed cannot be blocked by human strength. Once it gets within a hundred meters, everyone is doomed to die."
Luo Xiao's words were not an exaggeration. No one here understood the size and terror of the Evil Centipede better than I did, because I had personally witnessed the Evil Centipede in the Death Coffin. Although I didn't see it unleash its full fury, I could imagine how terrifying it was through the descriptions given by Jin Bo and the others.
"Our Brotherhood's magic attacks can reach up to one hundred and fifty meters, but the power is significantly reduced. At that distance, I am not confident we can blast the Evil Centipede to death," Mo Ling said.
"Even if we could kill it, it wouldn't obediently stay put to be beaten. Don't forget it can burrow away, or even emerge right under our feet suddenly," the Lei family elder said sternly.
"It can resist, attack, run, and hide, and it also has ranged attacks—it’s truly a troublesome opponent," the Feng family elder muttered to himself.
"Therefore, before we devise a truly feasible plan, we should not act rashly," Nalan Qiushui said seriously, "Now, everyone think carefully about how to overcome this hurdle of the Evil Centipede."
"..........."
The tent fell silent. Jian Li and the others were also deep in thought. If I hadn't already known their hidden agenda, they might have fooled me completely.
Their plan was actually simple: lure the Evil Centipede away from the cave entrance it was guarding. To use a phrase from the Thirty-Six Stratagems, it was 'Luring the Tiger from the Mountain.'
But how to lure it involved a great deal of skill, something refined through the collective exploration of several generations of the Dragon Shadow Villa. No one present understood how to apply this ultimate technique better than Jian Li and his group. After all, they relied on this very maneuver to explore their way to the sixth layer of the Illusion World.