Within moments, most of the thousands of hungry ghosts were dead or wounded, and those reduced to dust and mud were beyond counting.
“My, that hairpin is quite the treasure.”
Liu Ruhe let out a soft exclamation, unable to help but marvel at the hairpin's power. A flash of greed crossed her eyes as her gaze fixed intently on Nan Zhi.
...
On the other side, seeing the hungry ghosts so easily annihilated, the Flying Golden-Winged Centipede was naturally enraged. It let out a piercing hiss, its long black carapace twisting as it ignored the Locust God's majesty and lunged toward Nan Zhi like a collapsing mountain!
Nan Zhi tapped her foot lightly, riding the wind with incredible agility as she dodged the centipede's slamming antennae. Seeing her move so fluidly and remain completely unharmed, the creature grew frantic with rage, letting out burst after burst of hissing.
“Ssss! Ssss! Roar!”
The golden-winged centipede thrashed its head, and four thick water dragons suddenly erupted from its mouth. Eight pillars of water rose out of thin air, slamming heavily into the stone columns supporting the secret realm.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Massive boulders plummeted from the ceiling, each over thirty meters wide. As the Sun-Burning Stones crashed into the ground, the resulting clouds of dust and ash obscured the area, blurring all figures within.
“Ssss! Ssss!”
The centipede's entire body shook as if it were laughing like a human. But its joy did not last long; through the dust and smoke, it suddenly saw three figures rushing straight toward it!
A glamour?!
The dust and smoke blocked the Flying Golden-Winged Centipede's vision. Unable to discern which was the real person, it could only rely on the vague silhouettes.
Two of the shadows launched a pincer attack—one went for the centipede's leg joints, while the other aimed for its vent. Enraged, the creature reared up half its body, sending fragments of stone crashing to the ground!
Rip—!
With a sharp sound, the Flying Golden-Winged Centipede spat out what was in its mouth. It wasn't a living person, but a paper figure with red cheeks, black eyes, and paper-white skin!
Though the paper figure looked fragile, it was extremely agile. Perched on the centipede's back, it was like an ant on an elephant.
The creature struggled, its tail slamming at the paper figure that had slipped onto its carapace. Meanwhile, another shadow searched every inch of its body. The Flying Golden-Winged Centipede tore it apart, only to find it was another paper figure!
Another paper figure!
Where on earth was that damnable human?!
The Flying Golden-Winged Centipede's compound eyes suddenly swiveled, spotting yet another figure in the dust. This one was flying upward along the forty-five-degree incline of the centipede's back, as if scaling a mountain.
It was heading straight for the death point below its head!
The monster let out another long cry, but the figure was too fast for it to stop. It could only watch as the shadow vanished from its line of sight, and then—
The figure landed lightly twelve inches below the Flying Golden-Winged Centipede's head. Reaching for the scales, it drove a golden needle downward with all its might!
But the expected scene of the giant insect collapsing did not occur. Instead, the scales at that spot suddenly split open, revealing a round, pitch-black insect eye.
Puff—!
A cloud of deep purple poison mist surged out, drenching the figure from head to toe.
That was indeed the Flying Golden-Winged Centipede's death point; Ma San had not lied about that.
However, he had omitted one detail.
This was another eye the creature had cultivated after three hundred years of practice. The poison mist it emitted was incredibly potent; even a Nascent Soul cultivator would suffer greatly if they inhaled it unexpectedly.
Seeing the figure completely enveloped by the purple mist, Liu Ruhe trembled with excitement, seemingly unable to contain herself. But in the next second, her expression shifted drastically.
As the mist cleared, only a flat piece of white paper remained.
The true female cultivator in azure robes was flying far above, her gaze steady and her raven-black hair fluttering. A mocking smile touched her eyes.
Another damnable paper figure!
Just how many paper figures was this person carrying?!
To fall short at the final step!
She truly is cautious!
No matter, there is still a chance.
Liu Ruhe's eyes turned sinister as she silently hid her schemes.
...
“This Flying Golden-Winged Centipede is indeed a bit difficult to handle.”
Nan Zhi flew in mid-air, looking down at the frenzied giant insect with total composure.
She knew that fellow Ma San couldn't be trusted.
And she was right.
“Ssss! Ssss! Ssss...”
The Flying Golden-Winged Centipede finally realized something was wrong. It vibrated its green wings, intending to fight the female cultivator to the death in the sky. But after ascending only dozens of meters, it felt its movements grow sluggish, its entire carapace becoming as rigid as stone.
Most importantly, the spiritual energy within its demon core was rapidly draining!
It was those paper figures!
What had they sprinkled on its body?!
The Flying Golden-Winged Centipede crashed heavily to the earth, crushing the remains of the hungry ghosts beneath it.
Its size was so immense that the entire small secret realm seemed to tremble as it fell.
“Ssss... (Surrender)... Ssss... (Acknowledge master)...”
The monster finally felt the threat of death. It let out series of pleading hisses to curry favor, its massive compound eyes blinking repeatedly.
“Ssss... (Master)... Ssss... (Spare me)...”
“It is Mutated Spirit Swallowing Grass powder. You got off easy,” Nan Zhi said.
She waited a bit longer until the Spirit Swallowing Grass had taken full effect. Then, she flew down and landed on the giant centipede's head, pressing her hand against it as she whispered:
“Don't be in such a hurry. In a moment, I will send your master along to join you.”
It was unclear if the centipede understood. With its spiritual energy dissipated, it could only let out low, unwilling growls.
“Lightning illuminates the world; demons turn to dust!”
The power of a Foundation Establishment stage Five Thunder Curse was naturally incomparable to that of the Qi Refinement stage. A bolt of lightning as thick as a barrel gathered and surged from the air.
White light flashed everywhere, and the loose hair behind Nan Zhi's head fluttered from the faint static in the air.
Azure robes, dark hair, and a massive bolt of lightning gathered in her hand.
This was the beauty of ultimate power, the ultimate beauty of holding the power over life and death!
Boom! Rumble!
A massive, muffled thunderclap rang out, echoing throughout the secret realm.
Liu Ruhe's face filled with terror; the spider-like demon beasts fled in panic; the human-faced rabbits were paralyzed with fright, nearly dying from sheer terror; giant fish hid at the bottom of the water; and bats and giant mosquitoes went into hiding or fled.
Deep beneath the water, a giant turtle poked half its head out.
As the lightning struck the Flying Golden-Winged Centipede's head, the creature's half-reared body collapsed. The two antennae on its forehead were snapped in half, emitting a charred fragrance.
The Flying Golden-Winged Centipede's body grew increasingly rigid. Its tens of thousands of legs twitched erratically before finally falling still.
Though this monster was nearly invulnerable with its hard armor, it had weaknesses at the joints.
Once the ground-up Mutated Spirit Swallowing Grass powder was sprinkled on it, it began to crumble from the inside.
Furthermore, lightning was the bane of all things demonic. The creature wasn't agile enough to dodge, so it took a direct hit to its death point. How could it not die?
Nan Zhi felt quite pleased. After confirming that one of the only two red dots on the map had disappeared, she finally descended. She scanned with her divine sense and found a glowing spot beneath the Flying Golden-Winged Centipede's head.
The centipede was dead, but it had not yet turned rigid.
She used her jade hairpin to make a slicing motion through the air. The centipede's carapace was now as soft as tofu. Without much effort, a yellow demon core the size of a chicken egg appeared before Nan Zhi.
A Foundation Establishment level 2 demon core.
It looked a bit like an egg but felt as smooth and warm as a rounded piece of jade.
Nan Zhi grasped the demon core and flew back to the altar. The giant centipede's corpse began to petrify inch by inch, turning a dull, charred gray.
Eventually, it transformed into a massive stone statue, devoid of all life.
Nan Zhi put away the demon core, only to see Liu Ruhe suddenly approach, offering her congratulations over and over:
“Fine skill, fine skill! Truly worthy of someone from the Demon Suppression Division. I was worried for you just now, but I didn't expect...”
“Right now, the spiritual energy in your body must be depleted. You should focus your mind and maintain oneness to recover. I shall protect you—”
Before she could finish, a divine sense pressure suddenly locked onto Nan Zhi, rendering her unable to move.
Rate on N.U.
