CHAPTER 137: BY THE SKIN OF HIS TEETH!

"Will Sir Tao really be alright?"

A few kilometers away, Jehanne muttered with worry.

Despite the distance, the giant centipede boss monster could still be seen clearly. Xu Tao’s figure, however, was hidden beneath the carpet of red flames covering the creature. They couldn’t tell if he was safe or not just by looking.

"As expected, I should go and help—!" she muttered, turning around, about to rush back.

"Believe in my Emperor," Zetian’s calm voice stopped her in her tracks. "Do you not believe in the strength of the one you adore? Little girl, you lack faith."

"Faith? That’s the one thing I won’t lose to anyone!" Jehanne growled back, irritated.

Zetian, seeing her flare up like a provoked puppy, couldn’t help but chuckle. "Then why do you need to rush to his aid if you truly have faith in him?"

"..."

Jehanne was shut down completely. Zetian’s logic was too sharp to dismiss as nonsense. If she insisted on helping Xu Tao, wouldn’t that mean she lacked faith in his strength?

"Enough quarreling."

Thankfully, Arthur stepped in to mediate.

"Sir Tao asked us to retreat, so he must have a plan. Going back might just disrupt his meticulous calculations."

"He’s right, ladies," even Achilles chimed in, shrugging exaggeratedly.

"Rather than worrying about that man, how about talking with me? Like your name, your hobbies... or whether you’d like the opportunity to embrace me in bed."

"..."

No... he was just shooting his shot, completely disregarding Xu Tao’s life, Jehanne’s worry, or Zetian’s mood. The two women gave him a flat, withering look that practically screamed, "What the hell is this guy saying?"

"Anyway," Arthur interjected again, trying to erase the awkwardness. "We should hurry. The ring that Sir Tao gave me is already glowing, but its light is gradually fading."

As they approached the towering structure in the distance, the "Ring of ??????" emitted the same green light from earlier. However, instead of getting brighter with proximity, it was dimming slowly.

Arthur could tell—this meant they didn’t have much time left. They needed to reach the tower before the glow disappeared completely.

"..."

But that wasn’t the only thing he felt.

As he stared at the ring, an urge to wear it began to rise. It was subtle but persuasive—almost like the ring was trying to coerce him into putting it on.

Jehanne glanced around at everyone—Zetian beside her, the silent soldiers, and then toward Xu Tao, still locked in battle against the centipede in the distance. After a moment, she sighed.

"Let’s hurry."

Her words served as the signal. The group resumed their sprint toward the tower with renewed urgency.

"Sir Tao... I still have a lot to say to, and do with you..." Despite turning her back on him, Jehanne couldn’t stop worrying.

All she could do was pray.

"So please be safe..."

🔷🔷🔷

Xu Tao’s condition was deteriorating.

He was losing focus, his body racked with pain from being slammed against the sand repeatedly. The agony from his internal organs, meridians, and Dantian was enough to shatter the will of any mortal.

Even his mind felt like it was splitting in two, just from maintaining the Yin Element barrier for so long.

And yet, he made sure of one thing.

No matter what happened, he never let go of the Heaven-Defying Sword.

The loading bar above it was almost full—just a few more blips, and it would be over. But Xu Tao could feel his Qi dwindling dangerously low. He couldn’t even estimate how much longer he could hold out.

"Ugh..."

In desperation, he thinned the barrier to conserve Qi, which led to his body getting scraped by the sharp sand and crushed beneath the beast’s tremendous weight.

The pain was vivid and excruciating—but the wounds healed almost instantly, thanks to the lingering effects of the Recovery Pills he had taken earlier.

Still, mental fatigue gnawed at his concentration. His vision darkened, even within the inferno surrounding him. He was nearing his limit...

SCR...EEE...

But he wasn’t the only one suffering.

The Nine-Segment Crimson Yang Centipede was also growing weaker. The reason was simple: the Heaven-Defying Sword.

As the sword performed its system-ordered analysis, it sent waves of pain into the monster’s brain. For nearly five minutes now, it had been enduring relentless torment. Its movements were clearly slowing.

"I..."

Xu Tao’s consciousness flickered like a candle in a raging storm—

TING!

But that familiar sound snapped him back, curling his lips into a faint, triumphant smile.

"...I won the bet."

SCREEEECH!

The centipede let out a chilling screech as it flailed on the ground. The flames that once adorned it now began burning through its carapace, injuring it for the first time!

Although the monster stopped emitting flames a moment later, the raging inferno already ignited across its body continued to devour it. The Yang-Soul Devouring Flames were insatiable—unstoppable.

"Ugh! Ack!"

Xu Tao, still bound to its back, suffered with every roll. His Qi was almost gone; his protective layer would collapse any moment...

’I need to finish this—now!’ he thought.

With the flames eating away at the thick carapace, Xu Tao finally had a direct line to the monster’s vulnerable head. He was, after all, riding right behind it.

As the molten armor flowed off like black liquid, he swung his sword, stabbing forward. The thrust looked simple, almost casual—but it held the sharpest sword intent he had ever released.

STAB!

The tip of the blade pierced the monster’s skull. Frigid Yin Qi followed the nerves, racing through the entire nervous system. All nine of the centipede’s segmented "mini-brains" froze instantly, ensuring swift and total death.

The monster’s body stopped moving—completely. Not even a twitch remained. Its life force faded, and in the next second, it crumbled into motes of light, replaced by a massive loot box.

"Agh..." Xu Tao groaned, collapsing onto the sand.

The boss was dead.

[Detecting a Boss Monster Kill.]

[Reward: 1 Large Loot Box, 20,000 System Points]

[Opening Large Loot Box... You received Condensed True Qi Pill (10 bottles).]

[Calculating Level Difference... 50 levels. Granting Experience Points.]

[You have leveled up!]

[You are now level 955!]

[You have gained 15 free status points to distribute!]

[

Debug Quest Complete!

Rewards Gained: Mysterious Key to an Unknown Vault ×1

]

[Heaven-Defying Sword (Error 404) has regained a part of its essence...]

[You have received: Essence Fragment #01: "Truth"]

"...That’s a lot to digest," he muttered, closing the notifications all at once.

"Let me rest first..."

After a literal life-and-death struggle, he couldn’t even raise a hand. He just laid there, staring at the sunset sky in dazed awe.

"Haaah... Right..."

But his rest was short-lived.

"I barely survived... But I still got places to go."

Forcing himself up, Xu Tao turned toward the massive tower in the distance and took a single step forward. In the next instant, his figure vanished—like a wisp of smoke in the wind.

All that remained was the trampled sand.

The only witness to the near-death battle that took place there.