CHAPTER 58: SHOWDOWN WITH THE THOUSAND-LEGGED CENTIPEDE

One level, two levels, three levels... In the blink of an eye, the Thousand-Legged Centipede's cultivation surged all the way to perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm. A faint golden glow flickered beneath its armored shell, and with each breath, its aura continued to rise, showing signs of further growth.

Metal-attribute's core energy radiated from its body and covered its exoskeleton, forming a golden shell that continuously strengthened its defenses.

Ten minutes later, the transformation finally ceased, its cultivation having reached the perfect mastery level of the Qi Regulation Realm. After that, it didn't show further signs of advancement.

Metal General looked somewhat guilty as the process came to an end. "Perfect mastery of the Qi Regulation Realm? Heh... I can still control it. This doesn't count as breaking the rules. I just want to see the true strength of the new Beast King."

He glanced around the trial grounds, making sure no other chieftains had entered.

Satisfied that he was alone, he formed a hand seal. A violent metallic energy burst forth, linking with the portion of core energy he had split off. With that, he took full control of the Thousand-Legged Centipede.

The Thousand-Legged Centipede slowly crawled toward Lu Chen, while Metal General shouted excitedly, his voice brimming with madness. "Come on, boy! Show me your real power! Hahaha!

***

A burst of metallic energy flooded the centipede's mind, sending it into an uncontrollable frenzy.

The five-zhang-long creature slithered through the underground tunnel, closing in on Lu Chen under Metal General's command.

Feeling the tremors from the centipede's movement, Lu Chen stabbed the Hunyuan Greatsword into the ground before him. One hand gripped the hilt, while the other held Nantian Wan'er close, steadying their stance.

Just then, the ground beneath his feet began to crack, and web-like fissures spread rapidly.

Sensing the presence of a beast below, Lu Chen let out a cold snort and unleashed the full power of his cultivation.

With his arm wrapped around Wan'er, he leapt into the air and stomped down on the Hunyuan Greatsword.

The force of that stomp drove the greatsword deep into the ground, its blade piercing directly into the Thousand-Legged Centipede's body.

Lu Chen quickly turned around, channeled his spirit qi, and leapt with Nantian Wan'er to the outer edge of the cracked terrain.

With a deafening roar of pain, the centipede shattered the ground, its massive body erupting from below. It thrashed wildly and flung the Hunyuan Greatsword aside.

Lu Chen shouted, "Sword! Come forth!"

The Hunyuan Greatsword flew back into his hand. As he turned around, Lu Chen fixed his eyes on the beast and circulated his spirit qi once more, unleashing the aura of the Fire Phoenix in an attempt to subdue it in one go.

However, the Thousand-Legged Centipede was already under Metal General's control. On top of that, the gap between its cultivation and Lu Chen's was far too great, rendering the Fire Phoenix's aura completely ineffective.

It locked onto Lu Chen with its beady eyes. After circling him briefly, it lunged straight at him.

Lu Chen quickly used his movement art to dodge mid-air, while keeping a close watch on the Thousand-Legged Centipede. "Huh? This beast isn't like the others... Why doesn't the Fire Phoenix's aura work on it?"

Nantian Wan'er sensed something off about the beast and warned, "Lu-gege, I think this one is at the perfect mastery level of Qi Regulation Realm... and it looks like it's being controlled."

"Hmm? Controlled?" Lu Chen steadied himself, eyes fixed on the centipede. "Looks like I'll have to put up a proper fight. I knew Metal General wouldn't let me pass the trial so easily... So this is what he was waiting for."

He gripped the Hunyuan Greatsword tightly, spirit qi coursing through his body to keep himself suspended in mid-air.

He summoned the vines of the Green Sovereign Divine Tree with his left hand and gently lowered Nantian Wan'er to the ground. "Wan'er, stay back and watch from a safe distance. I'll take care of this beast."

Once she was safely out of harm's way, Lu Chen soared higher into the sky and landed squarely on the centipede's back. Letting out a fierce yell, he swung the Hunyuan Greatsword down.

The Thousand-Legged Centipede's shell had already been reinforced with a trace of Metal General's core energy, making it incredibly tough. Despite Lu Chen unleashing a flurry of slashes with the Hunyuan Greatsword, all he managed to leave behind were faint white scratches.

Nantian Wan'er watched anxiously from a distance, unease tightening in her chest. This trial has been far too easy... something doesn't feel right.

"Lu-gege, be careful!"

"I got it, Wan'er."

Refusing to back down, Lu Chen infused his spirit qi into the Hunyuan Greatsword. Its power surged instantly. With a heavy slash, he finally broke through the centipede's defenses.

But that was only the beginning. Defeating it would take much more.

The Thousand-Legged Centipede was enraged. It thrashed violently, trying to dislodge Lu Chen.

Lu Chen responded by summoning the Green Sovereign Divine Tree once more, wrapping its vines tightly around himself and the beast to anchor himself.

At the same time, he used multiple techniques—Silver Serpent Emerges From Its Lair, Flood Dragon's Dive, Blazing Sun Cleaves the Heaven—to keep the beast's attention locked on him.

He struck again and again with the Hunyuan Greatsword, aiming to wear down the creature's strength and life force, slowly grinding it toward exhaustion and death.

For a moment, the Thousand-Legged Centipede was put at a disadvantage.

Metal General hovered high in the sky as he watched Lu Chen swing the massive sword with unrelenting force. He nodded in appreciation. "Not bad, not bad. That's a fine sword. To think a mere kid in the early Qi Regulation Realm could break through my defenses with it... quite impressive."

He let out a sigh. "It's a pity he can't even bring out one ten-thousandth of its true power. Such a waste of a good weapon. If I could absorb the metal essence within that sword, I could push myself to the next realm."

His eyes stayed fixed on the greatsword in Lu Chen's hand. As he stared, the gears in his mind spun rapidly, trying to figure out how to trick the boy into handing it over.

***

Atop the central mountain of the Fire Region, Nantian Xiu's gaze remained fixed on the battlefield.

The Thousand-Legged Centipede, which Lu Chen had just suppressed, suddenly thrashed about violently. A trace of unease crept into Nantian Xiu's expression.

"Senior, that young boy has only just entered the Qi Regulation Realm. The gap in cultivation is too wide. Don't you think this is going a bit too far?"

Blindman Lu chuckled. "You're underestimating Little Lu's strength. I think I should add a little more pressure to give you a real look at what he can do."

Blindman Lu gathered a stream of spirit qi in his palms, then condensed it into a long needle and fired it directly at the centipede's forehead.

The moment the needle struck, the Thousand-Legged Centipede roared, and its qi surged violently, instantly shattering the barrier of the Qi Regulation Realm.

Its body swelled segment by segment. Sharp barbs jutted out from its legs, and two hardened pincers formed on its face.

Tribulation clouds began to form overhead, but Blindman Lu casually flicked a strand of spirit qi, scattering them before they could fully take shape.

With the threat of heavenly tribulation removed, the blessings of heaven and earth began pouring down, flooding the beast's body with nourishing energy.

Its broken, cracked shell slowly peeled away, and from within the old body, a Ten-Thousand-Legged Centipede emerged.

Light shimmered across its new form. The remaining spirit qi within its body condensed at the center of its forehead, forming a divine ability that pulsed with arcs of lightning.

Nantian Xiu stared at the centipede, now ten times larger than before, and was visibly anxious. "That's the Qi Condensation Realm. Senior... this... what if something goes wrong—"

Blindman Lu cut him off. "No need to worry. I understand Little Lu's strength well. If he gives it everything he's got, he can handle this beast."

Nantian Xiu knew Blindman Lu wouldn't harm Lu Chen, but he still couldn't help but worry. "But shouldn't you at least give the boy a hint? He's going up against a beast an entire realm above his own."

Blindman Lu waved the thought away. "No need. When you were cultivating, did anyone feed you tips? Let him figure it out himself. Just keep watching."

Interest gleamed in his eyes as he returned his focus to the battlefield. He pulled out a small bowl of peanuts from his spatial pouch, popping a few into his mouth as he watched.

Noticing Nantian Xiu pacing anxiously nearby, he offered him some of the peanuts.

But Nantian Xiu was too worried to eat. "You go ahead, Senior. I really can't eat right now."

***

In the red trial grounds, chaos reigned.

After receiving that burst of spirit qi from Blindman Lu, the Thousand-Legged Centipede's injuries were instantly healed. It had evolved into the Ten-Thousand-Legged Centipede, with a divine ability now shimmering in the center of its forehead.

Bolts of lightning shot out from its forehead, blasting toward Lu Chen.

The boost from Metal General's core power, along with the surge of spirit qi from Blindman Lu, pushed the centipede's strength to a level on par with a mid-level Qi Condensation Realm cultivator.

Lu Chen was forced to run across the plains, dodging while the Ten-Thousand-Legged Centipede chased him relentlessly.

Dust rose in swirls across the grassland. The creatures Lu Chen had previously subdued scattered in every direction.

Lu Chen cursed as he ran. "Damn it! How did it suddenly advance? And it even skipped its tribulation? Is this damn spear trying to get me killed?"

Up above, Metal General watched the scene unfold and began to panic.

He muttered curses under his breath, frantically trying to command the centipede to stop, but nothing worked.

"What the hell's going on? I can feel the connection, but it's completely ignoring me. Please don't let this thing kill him..."

He grew flustered, trying repeatedly to reestablish control. Just as he was about to fly down and kill the beast himself, the space beside him twisted.

Flame Demon appeared in front of him. "Enough playing around. Just watch. The Lord of Rituals is controlling the centipede."

Metal General was stunned. "What? The Lord of Rituals?"

Realization hit Metal General like a thunderclap. "So that flash of spirit qi earlier... it was him..."

Lu Chen roared toward the sky as he ran, "Metal General, I know you're up there! Remove this damn seal already! How am I supposed to fight when it's so strong?"

Metal General flushed at the scolding and muttered under his breath, "Ugh... I should've just let him pass earlier. None of this would've happened if I hadn't been so nosy."

He cleared his throat awkwardly and turned to Flame Demon. "Ahem... Boss, what now? Should we lift the restrictions? If not, that boy really might die."

Flame Demon shook his head and let out a sigh, "This mess is your doing. You broke the rules."

He formed a hand seal and removed the Spirit-Sealing Talisman from Lu Chen.

Metal General visibly relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Haha, I'll be more careful next time."

Flame Demon glanced at him and said slowly, "You've said that at least ten million times."

Metal General laughed, then raised his hand as though he was making a vow. "I swear! This is the last time!"

At the same time, he also transmitted a message to Lu Chen, informing him that the seal had been lifted.

Flame Demon sighed. "And that's the twenty-millionth time I've heard that,"

He ignored him and turned his eyes back to the battle below.

The fight on the ground had already turned the wild plains into a shattered wasteland.