Chapter 418

Centipedes, also called hundred-foot worms, multi-footed worms. There is a folk saying: a hundred-foot worm, even when dead does not stiffen, which shows the centipede's tenacious vitality. In legend, the centipede is the only creature among insects that can be compared to a true dragon. It is said that its poison is so fierce that even a dragon can be felled by it.

But after all, a worm is still a worm, not yet transformed into a dragon; in short, it's just a long worm with many extra legs.

Of course, this is just me learning Ah Q's spirit, self-consciously despising it to make myself stronger. To be honest, I dare not relax my heart at all, because this thing's poison is no joke.

"Pangzi, what should we do?" Seeing that he was about to finish eating the host's true body, I hurriedly shoved Pangzi.

Pangzi waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "It's fine; anyway, they don't look down on you."

I…

I don't know whether this worm king that has appeared is like the previous python—seeing me, it turns and flees, even losing its appetite. But right now I really want to strangle Pangzi to death, to choke him to death. Even at this life‑or‑death moment, he hasn't forgotten to embarrass me.

"Quick… find a way to entangle him and buy me some time; I need to prepare the Five Thunder Righteous Method." Seeing the centipede about to finish swallowing the black‑robed kid, Pangzi's face finally showed a hint of solemnity.

Although I despise him for only now realizing he should be nervous, I know the situation won't allow us to fool around. While Pangzi went to prepare the Five Thunder Righteous Method, I summoned Little Fat to come out and guard me, then I planted the command flag in the ground and, pinching the Five Ghost Finger Technique, began to marshal the troops.

"I invite the Great General of the Five Paths Slaughter Gods to manifest as a slaughter god before the altar, and summon the sprites and monsters of the four directions, …"

This is a higher‑level technique of the Yin Mountain Method; one must first refine the Yin Mountain flag into a slaughter god flag before it can be used. Its function is, by invoking the name of the slaughter god general, to summon and dispatch the six‑path living souls wandering in Yangjian, as well as mountain spirits and monsters.

This technique is the first time I've used it, and the command flag in my hand is merely a Yin Mountain flag, not yet refined into a slaughter god flag; so besides worrying that the Yin Mountain flag might malfunction, I am also eager to see what I will summon.

I closed my eyes, began to mobilize my magical power, and chanted the incantation. When the Slaughter God Method was ready, my spiritual sense seemed to feel the undulations of souls appearing around me, and only then did I open my eyes full of anticipation.

But when I saw clearly the soldiers and generals that had appeared in the courtyard, I instantly felt a surge of blood rush to my chest, turning anticipation into a suffocating urge to vomit blood. I wanted to beat my chest and flee to the earth, cursing heaven and blaming my mother.

What the heck, what are all these creatures lined up in the big courtyard? There are chickens, ducks, cattle, and dogs too. And what kind of dog is this……?

Covered in soft fur, sticking out a cute little tongue and wagging its tail, it came running over, rolling and frolicking on the ground before me, sometimes sticking out its tongue, acting cute and begging for affection.

... Even if you summoned a dog's soul, you wouldn't toy with me like this—do I really need to call forth a Lion Dog? Are you here to help me soothe ghosts or subdue them?

Although I know that all six domestic animals possess living souls, and although I've heard that the slaughter god flag might summon the souls of the six domestic beasts and ferocious creatures, I never imagined that my very first casting would summon this whole chaotic mess of livestock.

... Well then, also summon some refined animal souls for me!

Looking at the courtyard that had turned into a zoo, I wanted to cry but had no tears, feeling I would never love again—this Yin Mountain Slaughter God Method is just a trick for summoning the souls of small animals to amuse children!

Meanwhile, Little Fat had already taken the Lion Dog's soul aside to play in the mud—let alone fighting side by side with me, he probably forgot whose master he even was.

This scene of the person and dog mutually affectionate is very innocent and extremely cute, merely out of place with the tense atmosphere.

"Ah…!" I sighed wearily, pulled out the few remaining talismans from my person, and prepared to use them to stall the centipede.

But this centipede is so badass—can a stack of talismans you can count on ten fingers really hold it off?

I began to doubt myself; if Pangzi weren't behind me, I would definitely turn and run.

Soon, the long centipede had crawled toward me, and I, with nowhere to retreat, could only grit my teeth and go forward.

"Brother Zheng, keep an eye on Pangzi; I'll deal with this worm." Gritting my teeth, I advanced, and from afar I was ready to issue the talismans.

Just as the battle was about to erupt, a sudden chorus of rooster crowing rang out in the courtyard!

"Ooh ooh ooh…" I turned my head and saw that it was a cat's soul desperately chasing a chicken, almost plucking out its feathers; this rooster crow came from the pursued rooster.

But this loud rooster crow made the mighty centipede shudder violently.

There's hope, absolutely! My eyes lit up, I lowered the hand that was about to issue the talisman, and quietly analyzed the centipede's reaction.

Each time the rooster crowed, the centipede instinctively shrank; this huge centipede was actually frightened into repeated retreats by such a tiny rooster.

After thinking it over, I suddenly realized the centipede wasn't afraid of the rooster before it; the fear was merely instinctive. Although the centipede can poison a dragon, its natural nemesis is the rooster. The rooster has always been the centipede's bane.

However, although the centipede fears the rooster, after hearing the crow many times with no formidable opponent appearing, it soon became immune to the crow, lifted its head proudly, spat out a mouthful of foul breath, and slowly crawled toward me.

I gave a wry smile; this time I really pinched the Seal Finger and rushed forward. I fully carried on Old Man Mao's spirit, adopting a rear‑detour guerrilla tactic—striking from behind, never running ahead of the enemy, able to hide in the dark and never come out to duel. Because this thing's poison is no joke; even a drop of blood on you will make you grin as you descend to the Nine Springs… dead beyond death.

However, guerrilla tactics also depend on your weapon; if you wield a big cleaver while the enemy has a machine gun, no amount of sneaking will save you—you'll eventually be killed. This disparity in strength is simply not something tactics can compensate for.

For example, me now, although I'm using guerrilla tactics, as soon as I get close and throw a talisman I immediately jump back. But the talisman's power is too weak; it might work on ordinary wandering souls and wild ghosts, but when it hits the centipede, at most it just scrapes out a tiny spark.

Soon, the talisman in my hand was used up, leaving nothing, while this centipede, mighty and unstoppable, crawled toward me. Moreover, this time its crawling speed was faster than before……many, many times faster.

Looking at that wicked worm, its uneven body slowly lunged at me; my heart shuddered, and instinctively I prepared to turn and run.

"By the order of the Nine Heavens Thunder Ancestor..." a thunder-like angry roar bellowed from Pangzi's body; I was startled, immediately came to my senses, Pangzi's thunder technique was almost ready.

Thus, I quickly swept with the command flag, promptly sending the animal souls in the courtyard back. The souls of livestock are also souls; would blasting them to death also be a sin? Of course I don't want Pangzi to commit sin.

And just as I was sending the animal souls away, the sky suddenly filled with dancing purple snakes, roaring continuously, shaking my ears until I felt dazed, unable to tell direction.

Based on feeling, I instinctively leapt with my whole body, just like in a movie where a bomb blows up a building, the protagonist leaps out the window brushing past flames, I brushed past the thunder snake.

However, I was still a step slow; in a daze, blue light flashed, as if a bowl-sized thunder snake fell from the sky; even though I jumped up in time, I was inevitably hit by a current, falling to the ground, while this current surged through my body, shocking me into trembling all over, convulsing for a long time before I could recover.

When the current gradually dissipated from my body, I turned and saw that where the centipede had been appeared a pitch-black large hole; the center of the hole was wounded, that was the centipede's body. However, the centipede's body had turned from crimson to black, with blue snakes occasionally flashing across it, accompanied by a puffing flash sound, emitting a burnt smell.

At the moment the thunder snake appeared, Chen Zheng embraced Dong Yumin and promptly ran onto the mansion's corridor, unaffected by the thunder snake. Only I and Pangzi were left: one had overexerted his qi circulation, his face pallid; the other was struck by Yu** and was in a sorry state.

Pangzi sat dazed on the ground, face pallid, gasping heavily. Obviously, Pangzi, who had overexerted his cultivation, felt terrible; the Five Thunder Orthodoxy is a technique that requires long preparation before it can be cast. Whether it's writing the petition or performing the Yu step, there is a cumbersome procedure. The art of summoning thunder is said to be the most cumbersome among all techniques, and this time, to succeed in casting, Pangzi could be said to have again expended a large amount of his essence blood; now he doesn't even have the strength to stand up.

My situation is also not optimistic; although the thunder snake's target wasn't me, I still inevitably got caught in the aftershock, hit by a small trace of residual wave, now my hair and eyebrows are scorched by electricity. I estimate that after this, I'll have to shave off my eyebrows and hair.

"Fortunately you promptly sent away those living souls, otherwise I would have cut off many living souls' livelihoods, creating a massacre." Pangzi said weakly, laughing.

I also unconsciously wiped a drop of cold sweat; fortunately I reacted in time, otherwise this would truly be a sin. Although these animals' souls leave me speechless, I also don't want to harm them, nor do I want to inadvertently create a massacre; after all, every drink and peck is predetermined, cause and effect, if one creates a massacre, the Daoist himself will suffer retribution.

By the way, Little Fat? At this moment, my heart skipped, I remembered that Little Fat was still playing with that dog spirit.

Will that thunder technique just now also affect him……

I anxiously searched everywhere in the courtyard for Little Fat, but besides the hole and the centipede's corpse, there was no trace of him.

"Little Fat, Little Fat, where are you? Don't scare me, come out quickly!" I shouted anxiously, so anxious that tears streamed down.

"Gang gang......" Suddenly I heard that familiar voice. Immediately a flash before my eyes, a black shadow rushed swiftly toward Pangzi.

"Holy shit, you dead fatty, what are you doing! Stop" Pangzi waved his hands frantically at the black shadow lunging at him.

It was Little Fat, he now puffed out his face, veins bulging on his forehead, very angry looking at Pangzi; upon reaching Pangzi, he immediately clenched his fists and gave Pangzi a fierce beating.

Little Fat's appearance was also sorry; the belly band tied around his waist was blown away a large piece by lightning, his whole body turned pitch-black, as if he had run out of a coal pit.

"You dead fatty, you just didn't run, what's it to me" Pangzi seemed to understand Little Fat's anger, waving one hand while cursing fiercely with the other, and in the midst of cursing also explained himself.

"Gang...... gang" Little Fat is single-minded; when beating someone he never explains.

I already said, it's not my fault…… Holy shit, how does your hand have electricity?

Argue…… argue

Little Fat clenched his fists ferociously, pounding Pangzi with all his might; no matter how Pangzi begged for mercy, he refused to stop. This time, Little Fat finally gained the upper hand completely, and within a few minutes he had beaten Pangzi until his head was covered in bumps.

I found the scene hilarious, yet I also wondered secretly. How could such overbearing thunder magic have no effect on Little Fat? Could it be because Little Fat isn't at the formation's core, so the lightning serpent isn't targeting him?

No, that's not it!

I shook my head and quickly dismissed the thought. Looking at Little Fat's chubby little fists, still wrapped in a bit of lightning, an ordinary wandering soul would be scattered to nothing if even slightly touched by such thunder magic; there's no way Little Fat could still have this much strength after being struck.

There must be something unusual about this.

"Pa-pa…" As I stood with arms crossed, watching the two fat ones clown around and laughing loudly, a sudden round of pa-pa applause came from within the courtyard.

Everyone stopped, seeking the source of the applause; Chen Zheng furrowed his brow, rose to his feet, and slowly walked out from the hallway.

"Good, very good…… you two juniors, really very good!"

At some point, a strange figure in a black robe appeared on the roof. His appearance was the same as the black-robed kid from earlier: a single black robe covering his whole body, making his features completely indiscernible. Even the pattern on the robe matched that of the black robe worn by the disfigured kid earlier. Except this was definitely an old man; his voice was hoarse and very aged.

"You finally came!"

Chen Zheng slowly stepped forward, his face as cold as ice, killing intent radiating; standing beside him, I and Pangzi couldn't help but shiver all over at that trace of killing intent.