Interfering

The injured Silver Winged Centipede became ferocious, letting out a shrill cry. It opened its mouth and spat out a mouthful of scorching flames that surged forward, engulfing Luo Yuan and his sister, as well as Lu Xiaotian. The weeds on the ground were instantly reduced to ashes.

Lu Xiaotian, who had the Diamond Shield cast on him, could still feel an unbearable heat. After being caught in the flames a few times, the Diamond Shield showed signs of collapsing. Lu Xiaotian was alarmed. Without protection, he would likely be burned to ashes like the weeds. Lu Xiaotian quickly took out a Low-grade Spirit Stone from his Storage Bag and held it in his hand to replenish his depleted Origin Energy. At the same time, he cast another Water Spirit Shield on himself. As the water-blue light shield appeared, a wave of coolness significantly reduced the scorching heat.

"Ah!" Lu Xiaotian could still hold on, but Luo Qing, who was only at the early Qi Refining Stage, couldn't withstand the Fire Poison. Her protective shield was on the verge of collapse. Her usually fair face was flushed red, and sweat poured down like rain.

"Sister!" Luo Yuan quickly cast a Water Ball Technique to absorb the scorching Poison Fire, standing in front of Luo Qing.

The Silver Winged Centipede's strength was such that even cultivators at the late Qi Refining Stage, Great Perfection, would not dare to confront it head-on. Luo Qing was two whole stages lower, naturally making it difficult for her to withstand the Silver Winged Centipede's attack. Lu Xiaotian, being closer, stepped in diagonally and blocked Luo Qing, saying, "This beast is too powerful. You can attack with spells from behind, don't get too close."

"Thank you, Big Brother Lu!" Luo Qing's burden lightened, and she quickly retreated.

Whoosh, whoosh.

Fan Qing shot two more arrows in quick succession. The Silver Winged Centipede raised its head, and a thick Earth Wall appeared to block them.

The arrows pierced through the Earth Wall, but their speed was greatly reduced. They only flew a few feet before falling to the ground.

Seeing the attack miss, Lu Xiaotian sneered inwardly. The team's overall strength combined was still superior to the Silver Winged Centipede, but defeating it would come at a considerable cost. The Yao Core was something Fan Qing was determined to obtain, so he naturally had to bear the brunt of the attack. No one would easily risk their life.

Wang Yuan, Zhang Guang, Wang Ping, Luo Yuan, and the others, like him, kept a relative distance, attacking the Silver Winged Centipede with spells. Although this consumed a lot of Origin Energy, it posed no threat to their lives.

Lu Xiaotian had cast many spells, but with a sufficient supply of Low-grade Spirit Stones, he was relatively more relaxed than the others. After all, Luo Yuan and the others didn't have that many Spirit Stones to spare. If they consumed over ten Spirit Stones, even if they killed the Silver Winged Centipede, it would be almost a wasted effort for them. Luo Yuan and the others were naturally unwilling to do such a foolish thing.

Crack! After casting another Golden Spear Technique, the Low-grade Spirit Stone in his hand shattered, turning to powder after its Spiritual Power was depleted. Lu Xiaotian quickly took out another Spirit Stone. In such a dangerous place, he had to maintain his Origin Energy as much as possible. This was not the time to be stingy with Spirit Stones.

Fan Qing's expression changed slightly. He could now see that the Silver Winged Centipede was a dual-element Yao Beast, possessing both earth and fire attributes. Its attacks were formidable, and its defense was astonishing.

Relying solely on spells, they might exhaust their Origin Energy without even being able to wear down the giant centipede. If they consumed too many Spirit Stones, it wouldn't be worth it.

With this thought, Fan Qing quickly understood that unless he produced a sufficient trump card, the others would not risk their lives for him. Realizing this, Fan Qing immediately shouted, "At this rate, who knows how long this will take! Everyone, assist me in breaking through this beast's defensive spells. Once I severely injure it, we can trap and kill it!"

"Alright, I'll help you!" Zheng Shiqi leaped forward and appeared beside Fan Qing, launching several low-level spells directly at the Silver Winged Centipede.

Lu Xiaotian suddenly felt something wrong under his feet and immediately pushed off the ground, leaping about ten feet into the air. A spike of Earth Thorn suddenly emerged from where he had been standing. If he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been pierced through by now.

"This beast is truly ungrateful! Can't it see that Fan Qing is the biggest threat to it?" Lu Xiaotian grumbled inwardly, increasing the intensity of his attacks.

"Fire Arrow Technique!"

"Golden Spear Technique!"

Lu Xiaotian cast several low-level spells in succession, mixed with Zheng Shiqi's Earth Thorns and Wang Yuan's Ice Spears, breaking through the Silver Winged Centipede's multiple Earth Wall defenses.

"Good!" Fan Qing was overjoyed and couldn't help but glance at Lu Xiaotian. He hadn't expected this person's spells to be so powerful, with his attacks timed perfectly. After a slight pause, Fan Qing drew his bow and shot three more arrows. Each arrow struck the Silver Winged Centipede's head, piercing its hard shell and embedding itself three inches deep.

The Silver Winged Centipede cried out in pain and its massive body lunged furiously towards Fan Qing, the instigator.

Fan Qing remained unfazed. He waved his right hand at the Silver Winged Centipede, and a giant crimson net descended from the sky. Having run out of arrows, Fan Qing discarded his bow and took out a spiritual blade several feet long with a sharp gleam from his Storage Bag. Grabbing a corner of the crimson net, he roared, "This beast is at the end of its rope! If we get through this round, we can kill it. Everyone, fight together!"

Seeing that Fan Qing had unleashed his ultimate move, the others exchanged glances and bravely rushed forward, each grabbing a corner of the crimson net that was cast down. Various spells rained down again.

The crimson net, made from some unknown Spiritual Material, was incredibly tough. The Silver Winged Centipede's massive body was trapped within it. No matter how it struggled, although it tore one or two holes, it was far from escaping.

Hiss.

Black poisonous mist spewed from the centipede's mouth, engulfing the surroundings. Weeds and trees withered rapidly. However, Lu Xiaotian and the other eight were pulling on the crimson net, continuously shrinking the encirclement.

"Hah!" Wang Ping seized the opportunity, swinging his Mysterious Iron Staff in an arc and smashing it onto two of the centipede's legs. Crack! The centipede's legs snapped off.

Lu Xiaotian pulled the net with his left hand and swung his Spirit Sword with his right, severing three of the centipede's flailing legs. The immense pulling force from the crimson net startled him. Even with the combined strength of the nine of them, they could only barely contend with the Silver Winged Centipede. If they hadn't each possessed sharp Spiritual Artifacts, they would have been unable to do anything to this creature.

The Silver Winged Centipede had its legs chopped off by the nine of them, enduring no less than a hundred low-level spell attacks. Its desperate struggles were in vain. A fierce glint flashed in Fan Qing's eyes. He leaped up and landed on the Silver Winged Centipede's head. Holding the blade with both hands, he channeled his Method Power to its limit. The Spiritual Blade glowed with a chilling Blade Light. He suddenly thrust it into the gap between the centipede's head and its first carapace. With a chi sound, the Spiritual Blade penetrated its body.

A large amount of the Silver Winged Centipede's green bodily fluids gushed out from the wound.

The centipede let out another pained shriek and thrashed again. Lu Xiaotian felt a sharp pain in his hand as the crimson net slipped from his grasp, unable to withstand the force.

However, the Silver Winged Centipede's head had suffered a fatal blow and was now in its death throes. For a moment, the Spiritual Blade, Spirit Sword, and Mysterious Iron Staff were wielded in turns, interspersed with low-level spells.

Whoosh! A round, plump, egg-sized sphere, colored red and earth-toned, was spat out from the Silver Winged Centipede's mouth. It suddenly struck Fan Qing's Spiritual Blade.

With a boom, Fan Qing was sent flying backward, crashing into a thick tree trunk. However, Fan Qing ignored his pain and instead burst into laughter, "Yao Core!"

The Yao Core, after repelling Fan Qing, then struck towards He Tuozi, who was closer. He Tuozi was startled. He didn't dare to directly take the Silver Winged Centipede's final counterattack. He cast an Earth Evasion spell and disappeared underground.

"This damned He Tuozi."

Lu Xiaotian cursed inwardly as he saw the Yao Core, having lost He Tuozi as a target, heading towards him. The Yao Core was too close, and it was too late to use Earth Evasion. He would likely be hit on the head before he could fully burrow underground, which would be asking for trouble.

Lu Xiaotian gritted his teeth, holding his Spirit Sword, and slashed forcefully at the Yao Core. A powerful force rebounded, nearly making the Spirit Sword fly out of his hand. Lu Xiaotian uncontrollably slid back several yards. He glanced at the short sword in his hand and saw a small notch. Lu Xiaotian felt a pang of heartache. This was a mid-grade Spiritual Artifact he had bought for dozens of Spirit Stones, and he hadn't even used it a few times. Even as an Alchemist, he couldn't afford such expenditures.

However, after several consecutive impacts, the Yao Core's luster had dimmed somewhat.

With a thump, the Silver Winged Centipede's limbs lost their support and fell to the ground. Luo Yuan, taking advantage of the Silver Winged Centipede's attack on Lu Xiaotian, had completely severed its head with a sword.

Fan Qing, ignoring his pain, flashed over and seized the significantly dulled Yao Core in his hand, his face unable to hide his excitement. The Savage Beast Sect's mission only required the Yao Core, and there were no strict requirements regarding minor damage.

"This battle was exhausting, but dividing this Silver Winged Centipede is worth it. It's a shame its wings are damaged; otherwise, if the artifact refining shops could turn them into Winged Spiritual Artifacts, we would have made a fortune," Wang Yuan said, putting away her Spirit Sword with a hint of regret.

Among various Spiritual Artifacts, Winged Spiritual Artifacts were extremely rare. Since Qi Refining Stage cultivators couldn't fly, the price of Winged Spiritual Artifacts had always been high, and they were practically non-existent in the market.

"It's already good that we took down this beast without any casualties. Let's quickly divide this centipede."

Wang Ping, Zhang Guang, Zheng Shiqi, Luo Yuan and his sister, and the others were also happily rubbing their hands together. On average, each person would receive materials worth over twenty Spirit Stones.

"Haha, such a good thing, naturally everyone who sees it gets a share. How can we be left out?"

Just as Wang Ping and the others were rejoicing, a familiar laugh echoed from a small hill not far away. Lu Xiaotian looked over and saw the Big Forehead Monster, who had ambushed them once before using Green Bamboo Bees, appearing on the hilltop. Following closely behind him were seven other cultivators, all looking greedily at the Silver Winged Centipede on the ground, their intentions obvious.

Luo Yuan and the others' expressions changed drastically. Lu Xiaotian's heart also sank. While he wasn't insistent on the materials from the Silver Winged Centipede, he didn't like the feeling of being watched by another adventuring party. Especially since their team had just gone through a fierce battle, losing several Spiritual Artifacts and depleting a significant amount of Origin Energy. They were likely left with no more than half their combat strength.

However, the Big Forehead Monster's team had not expended any effort. In Moon Gazing City, there were city guards on duty, but this was in the mountains. Let alone a few of them, even if hundreds or thousands of cultivators died here, it wouldn't cause a ripple.