Gu God Centipede

Prince Jian's gruesome death sent a powerful shockwave through everyone present at the estate.

To witness a royal prince, a son of the emperor, devoured by a demon he himself had raised, proved that even the most noble bloodline couldn't escape the clutches of Yama's reaper when their time came.

The sight sent many with wicked intentions, those who schemed and crawled through life, scrambling to their feet, legs trembling.

"The Gu God! That's the Five Gods Cult's Gu God!" someone in the crowd immediately recognized the dragon-like, colossal centipede.

"Prince Jian actually fed this evil creature with people! How will the world view Great Zhou when this gets out?" These officials, to varying degrees, knew the background of the Five Gods Cult, but they were unaware that the Five Gods were nourished by the life force of living humans. This was, after all, a secret technique and the most taboo secret of the Five Gods Cult.

"So, the Immortal Pills we ate, the ones bestowed by the Five Gods, actually came from this thing." Some officials, particularly close to Prince Jian, turned ashen. A sudden realization struck them, and they retched repeatedly.

Prince Jian, much like the Current Emperor, revered Taoism and Buddhism and was fond of alchemy. Prince Jian had claimed that the Five Gods Cult possessed Immortal Pills, personally bestowed by the gods, which could prolong life, strengthen the body, and ward off illness.

However, those who had partaken discovered that while the Immortal Pills had endless wondrous effects, once consumed, they could never escape Prince Jian's control.

Despite this, their potent effects still led many elderly, frail, or sickly individuals to beg Prince Jian for them. Some even actively sought him out, requesting the Immortal Pills to explore the path of cultivation together. Most of Prince Jian's confidantes and high-ranking officials in Jiangzhou had consumed these pills.

As the Gu God Centipede crawled upwards, its foul stench and chilling wind transformed into thick black smoke that billowed upwards. The sight was so terrifying that many nearby retreated, desperate to escape.

Those trapped in the cages had seen this monstrous creature before. Each previous appearance had resulted in a dozen people being thrown into the cage to be devoured by the beast.

Seeing it crawl up now, they were too terrified to even form coherent words, cowering in their cages and wailing, seemingly having forgotten how to speak like humans.

The Gu God Centipede's first target was the white-clothed youth standing at the very top of the cave entrance, gazing down at it.

Having just devoured Prince Jian, the Gu God Centipede felt as if a great burden had been lifted.

It was impatient to break free from the underground, to gorge itself to its heart's content and devour every person on the surface.

With a mighty leap, it soared a hundred meters, emerging from the depths of the cave like a flying centipede.

Its sharp mandibles lunged towards the white-clothed youth. In its memory, such small beings were fragile, mere offerings for its consumption.

"Hiss—" The dragon-like giant centipede burst forth, emitting a terrifying shriek.

"Thud—" A sword light sliced through the night sky, and with a thud, the giant centipede, which had arrived so quickly, was sent plummeting even faster.

The divine sword pinned it firmly to the cave wall, its azure light continuously seeping out, resembling a seal.

The entire cave, from top to bottom, cracked open with fissures, and a torrent of falling rocks cascaded into the abyss below.

The white-clothed figure, standing high above the chasm, hadn't even changed its gaze throughout the ordeal.

A foul wind brushed against his robes, but Kongchenzi didn't even move. With a mere gesture, he resealed the creature within the cave.

Only then did the Gu God Centipede realize that this opponent was entirely different from any it had faced before.

It thrashed violently, causing the entire Yuande Square to tremble as if an earthquake had struck.

The Gu God Centipede gazed longingly towards the outside of the cave, desperate to escape the depths.

It felt as though breaking free from this abyss would be a leap into a boundless world, where it could roam freely.

But its chance was gone. This sunless cave was its insurmountable boundary, its final resting place.

"Hiss!"

Beside the Great Immortal Kongchenzi, Donkey Guardian General knew it was time for his entrance. He extended a hoof to peer over the edge of the chasm, snorting flames from his nostrils.

"Stop struggling. I've already refined your three brothers. Now, General Donkey will send you down to join them."

"Witness the might of General Donkey! Four Gods Fire Refinement!"

General Donkey opened his massive maw, and fiery dragons coiled in the air, descending one after another, turning the entire cavern into a blazing furnace.

Now, the centipede was like a fish thrown into a hot oil pan.

Pinned by the divine sword at its waist, its upper and lower halves thrashed like whips against the surrounding cave walls.

The afterimages it created testified to its despair, its pain, and its final struggle.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..."

Throughout the Prince Jian's Estate, all the guests and high officials listened to the earth-shattering sounds of pounding from beneath the ground, feeling the despairing roars of the being that millions in Jiangzhou had once considered a god.

Their gazes were fixed on the fiery inferno that shot into the sky, the blazing flames illuminating the figures of the man and the donkey. Their elongated shadows stretched from one end of the cave to the other, reaching across the estate.

It was as if they were casting a shadow over the entire world.

Finally, the Gu God's roars grew weaker, the rhythm of its thrashing against the cave walls faltered, and then, all sound ceased.

With the death of the Gu God Centipede, a large number of people within the estate collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

Then, from their mouths, they spat out terrifying, scarlet centipede gu worms.

These gu worms struggled for a few moments after being expelled before dying. With the death of the Gu God, these worms, which depended on it for existence, naturally lost all purpose.

When the Great Immortal Kongchenzi turned around, all the high officials and nobles in the hall were prostrate at his feet. All the servants and maids of the estate knelt behind them, forming a sea of subservient figures.

"We beg the Immortal for forgiveness! We were all misled by Prince Jian. We knew nothing of the Five Gods Cult, nor did we know that such a demonic den existed beneath this estate."

"It controlled us with gu worms; we had no choice but to serve him!"

"We were merely following Prince Jian's orders. We never knew of, nor participated in, such inhumane and wicked atrocities."

Finally, everyone left Prince Jian's Estate drenched in sweat. Everything that had happened tonight would be remembered for a lifetime, unforgettable for farmers, merchants, high officials, and nobles alike.

Those who had been trapped in cages were helped out by the estate's servants. On the street, they embraced and wept with loved ones who had also escaped.

Outside Prince Jian's Estate, layers upon layers of people had gathered. Such a huge commotion naturally drew many from Yuande Square, as well as Jiangzhou's constables and soldiers who rushed to the scene.

News that there was a demon's den beneath the estate, along with scenes of Prince Jian and the Five Gods Cult feeding monsters with people, spread among the crowd.

When those who escaped the cages came forward to tell their stories, the news spread even faster.

As everyone was pointing at the estate, some even cursing and spitting towards it, a loud bang came from within.

"BOOM!"

The entire Prince Jian's Estate erupted into flames.

This fire not only burned the monsters of the Five Gods Cult to death but also incinerated all the sins and wicked desires, above and below ground, within the estate.

Finally, the entire estate collapsed into the ground.

The whole of Jiangting felt like an earthquake. Many people nearby were shaken and fell to the ground. When they got up again, half of Yuande Square had become a massive sinkhole.

The vast cavern originally dug out by the Mountain God, the underground palace of the Five Gods Cult, was now completely buried.