Lu Xiaotian's face paled in shock. Though the azure centipede that had burst from the bead seemed greatly weakened, its aura was undeniably that of the seventh rank, equivalent to a Golden Core Early Stage cultivator. Lu Xiaotian had seen Golden Core cultivators before, even a seventh-rank fire wyrm. He could never mistake such an aura.
Sha Ba let out a shrill, eerie cackle. Opening his huge mouth, he swallowed the azure centipede soul whole.
Gulp! The Mahā Blood Toad that had previously fused with Sha Ba was squeezed out in a miserable state. It tumbled head over heels onto the ground, staring in panic at its former master, Sha Ba.
After separating from the Mahā Blood Toad, Sha Ba's formerly bloated, toad-like body deflated and shrank. With a ripping sound, his already tattered clothes seemed to be torn apart by something beneath them. Only when it fully emerged did Lu Xiaotian see two rows of centipede legs growing from beneath his ribs. The muscles and bones in Sha Ba's face crackled like popping beans. In the blink of an eye, the burly man with thick brows and a broad face had twisted beyond recognition, becoming no different from a humanoid centipede.
What he saw completely overturned Lu Xiaotian's understanding. A cultivator fusing with his own spirit beast had already opened Lu Xiaotian's eyes, yet he had never imagined that one could also fuse with a beast soul, borrowing its power to send one's combat strength soaring wildly.
It was not that Lu Xiaotian did not want to flee. Rather, he discovered that he seemed to have been locked onto by the other party's terrifying aura. He could not escape even if he wanted to. The slightest movement might draw down a thunderous strike from his opponent.
"You actually forced