All preparations complete, the Vanguard Hall finally set foot on the fork leading to the far southeast terminus. Since the mission was merely to lure the Evil Centipede out, a smaller contingent was naturally preferable.
Jian Li led the party, accompanied by one Grandmaster-level mage expert each from the Azure Dragon Gang, White Tiger Alliance, and Black Tortoise Alliance. With Uncle Jian Qiu and myself, we numbered only six in total. Everyone else had established an ambush at the fork, waiting for us to draw the Evil Centipede into range before launching the attack.
Looking southeast from the fork, the path led into a long, narrow valley resembling a tunnel. The ceiling was obscured by shifting masses of dark, cloud-like mist, ever-changing and unpredictable. As we moved, a sense of oppressive weight settled over us, accompanied by the chilling feeling that the sheer walls on either side might crush us into paste at any moment.
The middle of the passage was clogged with a dense swarm of mutated creatures: black maggots, jumping bees, and wriggling worms. They charged at us with frenzied intent, but given our current cultivation levels, sheer numbers meant nothing. They couldn't even get close before being atomized by the three mages’ Ice Roar spells.
With the mages leading the way, we proceeded deeper into the diverging path.
After walking for a full hour, Master Jian Li, who was scouting ahead, halted, his expression heavy as he stared into the distance ahead.
I glanced at my master with hesitation, and the other three mages shared my confusion; we couldn't fathom why Jian Li had stopped.
However, it wasn't long before I sensed that something was deeply amiss with our surroundings. The entire valley seemed to tremble faintly, like the barely perceptible pulse of some unseen giant.
A faint, almost non-existent aura of killing intent rapidly intensified, growing potent and strong. It felt as though we were being watched by a primeval beast, sending shivers of bone-deep dread and alarm through my entire body.
“Ah!”
“Such intense killing intent,” Nalan Qiuyun murmured.
“Everyone, be cautious. The Evil Centipede is near,” Jian Li stated gravely.
“…” I instinctively gripped Dragon Shadow tighter, my mind involuntarily recalling the train-like colossal silhouette I had witnessed in the tunnels beneath the Coffin of Death.
As we pressed further inward, the mutated creatures—the pincer worms, jumping bees, and wriggling worms—vanished from sight. The silence around us was terrifyingly absolute. The few of us continued to probe forward with extreme caution.
Finally, utilizing the Eye of Death’s Desire state, I detected the powerful presence more than two hundred meters ahead. It lay dormant beneath the earth, like a volcano coiled and ready to erupt at any second, stationed over two hundred meters away.
Perhaps, at this moment, we were simply too insignificant compared to the Evil Centipede. Even at this proximity, it seemed completely unaware of our presence, or perhaps it knew and simply didn't care, remaining utterly motionless.
The six of us stopped, gazing tensely at an unremarkable patch of flat ground over two hundred meters away. Only by reaching the Grandmaster level could one possibly detect the terrifying behemoth lurking beneath that spot. This was the difference between masters and ordinary folk—the astonishing perception of aura and killing intent.
“When I give the signal, we strike that flat area simultaneously,” Jian Li said, his face grim. “That should certainly alert the Evil Centipede.”
“En!” The three mages nodded instinctively, clutching their Bone Jade Scepters tightly. These mages were specifically tasked with this preliminary provocation.
“Strike!” Jian Li roared.
“Ice Roar!” the three mages shouted in unison, sending three massive circular discs whistling toward the flat patch of ground.
CRASH! A resounding impact echoed as the three Ice Roars struck the earth almost simultaneously, causing the solid ground to shake slightly.
“ROAR!” A heaven-shaking, furious bellow erupted instantly, causing the entire valley to convulse violently, as if on the verge of collapse. The ground two hundred meters away exploded outward!
A colossal silhouette shot forth like lightning.
“Ah!”
“It’s out!”
“It’s the Toucher God!” I gasped involuntarily.
In that instant, I finally saw the true appearance of this legendary, immense demonic creature. Though the glance was fleeting, it was enough for me to see it clearly.
My heavens! How—how immensely large!
What breached the surface was a massive section of a brownish-yellow body, as thick as a railway carriage. I couldn't tell its full length, but the most prominent feature was the head, adorned with long, tentacle-like horns. Its two enormous eyes were like basketball-sized emeralds, radiating piercing, soul-chilling light. It stared down at us with grim intensity.
And along both sides of its massive body were rows of thick, powerful legs. It was a super-giant centipede magnified countless times. Its countless lateral appendages were moving with startling speed, like the massive iron wheels of a speeding train.
The rest of its body was rapidly emerging from the earth. The section visible was already over thirty meters long, and clearly, a huge portion remained buried underground. It looked like a train just bursting from a tunnel—one could never know how long its body stretched within that hidden passage.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! The entire valley shook even more violently, and stones the size of millstones began crashing down from the cliff faces.
Ah! It was an avalanche! A genuine mountain collapse!
God! I couldn't fathom that such a terrifying monster existed in this world. I was nearly paralyzed on the spot.
“Retreat!” Jian Li bellowed, his form flashing like electricity as he sped back the way we came. We dared not delay, following swiftly.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! Behind us, the deafening roar continued, punctuated by the enraged bellows of the Evil Centipede.
Apparently furious that such small creatures dared to challenge its authority, the Evil Centipede gave chase at an incredible speed. Even from a hundred meters back, we felt the overwhelming, destructive killing intent radiating from it. Had our spiritual cultivation not already reached the Grandmaster level, this aura alone would have frozen us in place, incapable of movement.
WHOOSH! ROAR! Heavy, rasping breaths rapidly closed the distance! It was coming closer!
We lacked the courage to glance back even once; all we could do was run for our lives. I swear, in my entire life, I had never run as fast as I did that day.
My master, Jian Qiu, and the other three mages were also moving with astonishing speed.
Six figures darted rapidly through the valley strewn with rolling boulders. Closely pursuing them was the massive bulk of the Evil Centipede.
In the distance, we finally saw the exit at the end of the fork.
Almost there; if we could just burst through that exit, we would be safe.
ROAR!
We pushed our speed to the absolute limit once more, surging toward the opening.
At the fork, in the wide-open clearing, all the mages and Taoists were arrayed in a massive formation, staring tensely at the tunnel entrance. Five minutes prior, they had heard the roar that shook the subterranean realm, and even from that distance, they felt the very earth tremble violently.
Everyone sensed an overwhelming, surging wave of killing intent—an astonishing pressure none present had ever experienced. The Woma Cult Leader, by comparison, wasn't even in the same league; the difference was too vast.
................................................................................................
SWOOSH!
Six figures streaked out of the fork like lightning—Jian Li and the others.
“Attack!” The six shouted simultaneously.
“Attack!” Although they hadn't seen the Evil Centipede emerge, Nalan Qiushui knew that if Jian Li and the others called for an attack, they must have their reasons.
“Ice Roar!”
“Poison Spell!”
The mages and Taoists immediately unleashed a fierce bombardment upon the designated empty ground in the center of the fork. Countless massive ice discs and swirling mists of red and green lashed down like a tempest onto that area.
At the very same moment, the Sacred Word Divine Beasts and Skeletons, which had been positioned at the fork beforehand, charged forward under the Taoists' command, forming a dense, low wall of crimson and white.
All of this was accomplished in a mere instant.
BAM! Almost simultaneously as the Ice Roars, the red and green poisons, and the charge of the Sacred Word Divine Beasts and Undead Skeletons reached the fork—
BOOM! ROAR! —they collided head-on with a shape flashing out like lightning.
Ah! Everyone was stunned!
Because what they struck was undeniably a section of a colossal, brownish-yellow object. Amidst the swirling ice-discs and poisonous dust, no one could discern what the massive shape was.
But everyone knew that it was the Evil Centipede, the embodiment of terror and death. Even from a hundred meters away, they could feel the destructive power contained within that gigantic frame.
How close! If Jian Li and the others hadn't commanded the group to attack the moment they burst out, waiting until they actually saw the Evil Centipede before striking, the result would have been catastrophic.
Who could have imagined that the Evil Centipede, with such a massive body, could possess such terrifying speed? While perhaps not as notorious as the Woma Cult Leader, its velocity was still monstrous.
Apparently unprepared for any resistance from creatures foolish enough to attack it at the junction, the Evil Centipede let out a fierce roar.
The rough, bellowing sound seemed intent on tearing space itself apart, causing waves of churning energy to buffet everyone.
Those of us running at full speed nearby were nearly shaken into spitting blood.
Amidst the earth-shattering roar, the Sacred Word Divine Beasts and Undead Skeletons that had just reached it were enveloped in plumes of grey vapor. Then, the Sacred Word Divine Beast let out a pained shriek, vanishing instantly as if an air balloon had exploded.
That was the Evil Centipede’s corrosive magic. Even a formidable creature like the Sacred Word Divine Beast could not withstand a single volley.
What was surprising, however, was that the four thousand-plus skeletons, when hit by the corrosive magic, did not fall. Instead, they continued their charge toward the Evil Centipede. Only then did I realize that Undead-type skeletons were immune to corrosion; they possessed no flesh or skin, being mere skeletons—how could they be corroded?
CRASH! ROAR!
Even so, upon colliding with the Evil Centipede, these few thousand skeletons waving small axes were less than playthings compared to its colossal bulk. In the blink of an eye, they were sent flying backward by the impact of its massive body, while even more were simply crushed into fragments beneath the Evil Centipede—the scene was horrifying, like a massive truck plowing into a dense crowd.
The only silver lining was that these Undead Skeletons knew no fear of death, as they could be summoned again, which somewhat eased my anxiety.
The defensive line formed by the Undead Skeletons could not withstand the sheer kinetic force generated by the Evil Centipede's enormous mass; it was instantly torn apart.
All this transpired in a flash of lightning.
The Evil Centipede’s huge body only paused for a second before accelerating again, surging toward the dense ranks of fighters.
But that brief second was just enough time for countless Ice Roars and poison clouds to accurately impact the Evil Centipede’s massive head. Our six also seized the rare opportunity to sprint back into the main body of the allied forces.
Only then did we allow ourselves a momentary sigh of relief. We had, after all, successfully completed the crucial mission of luring the Evil Centipede to the fork. The rest depended on whether the combined assault of the mages and Taoists would prove effective.
Over twenty thousand mages were arrayed in two formations, one large and one small, forming a mutual flank. The left side was composed of over two thousand mages from the Demon Sealing Brotherhood, commanded solely by Mo Ling. They were the ones who launched the initial attack that successfully intercepted the Evil Centipede.
The other large formation was a mixed legion composed of mages and Taoists from other guilds, numbering twenty thousand, interspersed with elite mages from the Wind Demon Brotherhood, whose expertise formed the core strength to maximize the power of the mage corps. Command of this large mage legion belonged to Elder Mo Yin and others from the Wind Demon Brotherhood.
The true decisive battle was only just beginning now.