Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 231: Third Fragment

Having shaken off that mad dog Zhao Wuji, Fang Hao traveled through the thick fog with even greater caution, moving like a spider walking on the edge of a web, feeling apprehensive with every step.

He pushed his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes and Divine Sense to their maximum output, not letting a single rustle or movement escape his notice.

He clutched the star evolution plate in his hand, injecting a trace of spiritual power from time to time to confirm his direction and avoid potentially dangerous areas.

That thing was now one of his most important talismans for survival.

After walking for half a day in such a cautious and stealthy manner, he didn’t run into any of the anticipated dangers, but instead managed to pluck a few Spiritual Plants of decent age and slaughtered two blind Low Grade Third-Rank Demon Beasts that had mistaken him for a snack.

The harvest wasn’t much, but even a mosquito is meat, no matter how small.

He was currently taking what he could get; who knew if he would have the chance to hunt for treasures later.

Just as he was passing through a wooded area covered in strange fluorescent moss, the fog ahead suddenly thinned, revealing a small clearing in the forest.

On the clearing lay several corpses scattered about. Judging by their attire, they appeared to be disciples from the same Sect or Family, all with cultivation levels in the Middle or Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. Their deaths were miserable; it looked as if they had been torn apart by some immense force. Severed limbs were scattered everywhere, and blood had stained the fluorescent moss on the ground red, making for a truly gruesome sight.

"Again?" Fang Hao frowned, his vigilance spiking once more.

He stopped at the edge of the clearing, not venturing forward rashly.

His Clear Spring Spirit Eyes swept over the scene; the corpses still retained a faint, violent Demonic Qi. It seemed they had encountered a powerful Demon Beast and had been wiped out.

But strangely, there were no traces of a Demon Beast’s activity in the surroundings, nor any obvious signs of a struggle. These people seemed to have been killed in an instant.

"To be able to instantly kill several Foundation Establishment Cultivators, it must be at least a High Grade Third-Rank, or perhaps even a Fourth-Rank Demonic Beast. But if this Demon Beast killed them, why didn’t it dispose of the bodies? Did it run away? Or..."

Fang Hao murmured to himself, feeling that something was amiss.

His gaze swept over the corpses, and suddenly, at the waist of one that was still relatively intact, he saw a familiar token—the tiger-head token of the Black Tiger Gang!

"People from the Black Tiger Gang?" Fang Hao’s eyes narrowed.

Were they accomplices of the three Black Tiger Gang members from before? How did they end up dead here too? Could it be that there was some terrifying entity in this area that specifically targeted Cultivators?

He heightened his vigilance to the extreme, pushed his Shadowless Evasion Technique to its limit, and suppressed his aura until it was nearly non-existent. He slowly approached the clearing, wanting to see if he could find any clues, or... scavenge for some loot.

He didn’t want to engage in murder and treasure-grabbing for the time being, but he had no psychological burden when it came to scavenging from the dead.

Just as he stepped onto the edge of the clearing, before his foot had even fully landed, a sudden change occurred!

The seemingly ordinary, blood-stained mossy ground beneath his feet suddenly split open without a sound, revealing a hideous, giant maw filled with sharp teeth and oozing slime, large enough to swallow a person in one gulp!

A terrifying suction force erupted, attempting to drag him into the ground!

"A ground-dwelling Demon Beast?! A trap?!" Alarm bells rang in Fang Hao’s heart, and the hair on his body stood on end!

He reacted extremely quickly. At the moment the giant maw appeared and the suction force struck, he unleashed both his Divine Spirit Steps and Shrinking the Ground to an Inch simultaneously, his body shooting backward like an arrow fired from a powerful bow!

At the same time, the yitian sword instantly unsheathed, and without looking, he fiercely slashed a condensed Sword Qi toward the giant maw!

Boom!

The Sword Qi struck the edge of the giant maw, bursting into a spray of blood and eliciting a roar of pain, causing the suction force to falter.

Seizing the opportunity, Fang Hao pulled away and landed on a large tree outside the clearing, looking at the ground with lingering fear.

He saw the cracked ground churning with soil as a massive creature slowly crawled out.

It was a giant, earthworm-like Demon Beast with a soil-yellow body covered in thick, horny scales, over a zhang in diameter, and of unknown length!

It had no eyes; its head possessed only a terrifying oral cavity filled with circular, sharp teeth. It was now facing Fang Hao’s direction, emitting a low and angry hiss.

Its aura had clearly reached the Peak of High Grade Third-Rank, and it was likely only one step away from the Fourth-Rank!

"Earth Dragon Centipede!" Fang Hao recognized the creature.

This was an Earth-attribute Demon Beast extremely adept at lurking underground and ambushing prey. It had thick skin, immense strength, and could spit petrifying poisonous breath; it was extremely troublesome.

Judging by its size and aura, it was definitely a king among Earth Dragon Centipedes.

"Damn it, so this beast was waiting for a rabbit by the tree!" Fang Hao realized.

This Demon Beast had intentionally left the bodies behind to stage a scene, attracting other Cultivators to investigate and scavenge, only to launch a surprise attack from underground!

The unlucky fellows from the Black Tiger Gang earlier had likely fallen for this exact trick.

The Earth Dragon Centipede had been wounded by Fang Hao’s sword; although it wasn’t a fatal injury, it had been enraged.

Its massive body arched violently, fully emerging from the ground and kicking up clouds of soil. Its thick, impossibly flexible body, like a giant soil-yellow whip, whistled through the air as it lashed out fiercely toward the tree where Fang Hao was hiding!

At the same time, it opened its maw, and a cloud of grayish-white poisonous breath, carrying a pungent earthy stench and petrifying aura, spewed out like smoke, enveloping the large area where Fang Hao was located!

"Good beast!" Fang Hao dared not be careless. This Earth Dragon Centipede was not easy to deal with, and with such a commotion, it would easily attract Zhao Wuji or others.

He had to end the fight quickly!

He tapped his toes against the tree trunk, his figure soaring into the sky like a bird, dodging the sweeping giant tail and the poisonous mist.

While in mid-air, the yitian sword shone brilliantly. He channeled the Starfall Sword Art with all his might, gathering dots of starlight at the sword’s tip, which transformed into a dazzling Sword Rainbow carrying an aura of destruction. From a commanding height, he struck directly at the Earth Dragon Centipede’s open maw!

When dealing with such thick-skinned Demon Beasts, the oral cavity is often the relatively vulnerable spot!

The Earth Dragon Centipede seemed to sense the danger as well; it slammed its maw shut and twisted its body, using its back, covered in thick, horny scales, to withstand the sword strike head-on!

Clang—!

It was like striking refined iron, and sparks flew everywhere!

Fang Hao felt his arm go numb, and a massive recoil force traveled up the sword.

This beast’s scales were even tougher than he had imagined!

The Starfall Sword Qi only left a shallow white mark on it, not even breaking through the scales!

"What a hard shell!" Fang Hao cursed inwardly, using the momentum to flip away and land on another tree.

The Earth Dragon Centipede, feeling the pain, grew even more enraged. Its massive body writhed frantically, smashing nearby trees and rocks to smithereens, and it sprayed poisonous breath everywhere as if it were free, turning the entire clearing into a chaotic, smog-filled mess with extremely poor visibility.

Fang Hao darted and dodged through the pervading poisonous mist and flying debris, his movements swift as lightning.

He knew that if he went head-to-head with this beast in terms of Physical Body and defense, he would be the one at a disadvantage.

He had to find its weakness.

"Eyes... none. A’seven-inch’ vital spot? I don’t know if this thing has one. Anus? Seems to be under the tail; hard to attack..."

While dodging, Fang Hao used his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to carefully scan the Earth Dragon Centipede’s massive body.

Suddenly, he noticed that in the middle section of the Earth Dragon Centipede’s body, near the abdomen, there was a ring of segments that were slightly lighter in color and seemed to have finer scales.

There, a faint soil-yellow spiritual light was circulating; could that be the core where its Demonic Qi gathered?

"Try that spot!" A sharp glint flashed in Fang Hao’s eyes.

He no longer hesitated. Taking advantage of the moment the Earth Dragon Centipede raised its head to spit poisonous breath again, he activated Shrinking the Ground to an Inch. His figure appeared like a ghost beside and below the Earth Dragon Centipede’s body, sliding past, almost brushing against its rough scales!

At the same time, he joined the fingers of his left hand, and the Star Shattering Finger condensed its dark light to the extreme. Carrying an unstoppable piercing force, he struck fiercely at the lighter-colored segment!

His right hand, holding the yitian sword, was not idle either. The Starfall Sword Qi was internalized, transforming into a cold star that followed closely behind the finger strike, piercing the same spot!

Pfft! Sshhh—!

The piercing power of the Star Shattering Finger achieved success first, actually drilling a tiny hole into the hard scales!

Immediately afterward, the yitian sword, carrying the condensed Starfall Sword Art Qi, followed through this hole and pierced inside fiercely!

"Roar—!!!"

The Earth Dragon Centipede let out an earth-shattering roar of pain. Its massive body writhed and thrashed frantically, smashing deep pits into the ground!

This strike of Fang Hao’s had clearly hit its vital point!

The damage to its Demonic Qi core left it in agony!

Having succeeded with one strike, Fang Hao immediately withdrew his sword and retreated, not wanting to linger in the fight at all.

He knew that this kind of Demon Beast had tenacious vitality and wouldn’t die immediately, but it had been heavily wounded, and its attack power and threat level were greatly reduced.

Sure enough, the Earth Dragon Centipede struggled and rolled for quite a while before barely stopping. Its aura had withered significantly. Those non-existent "eyes" seemed to be staring fixedly in Fang Hao’s direction, filled with resentment, but it no longer dared to attack actively. Its massive body began to slowly shrink back into the ground; it was actually trying to escape!

"Want to run?" Fang Hao sneered.

If you strike a snake and don’t kill it, you will suffer the consequences later.

This beast held a grudge; if it were to recover later or bring others of its kind, it would be troublesome.

He took a deep breath and raised the yitian sword high. Spiritual power from within his body flooded into it frantically. Above the sword blade, the starlight was unprecedentedly brilliant, and a sharp Sword Intent that seemed capable of cutting down stars soared into the sky!

"Starfall—Falling from the Nine Heavens!"

This was the strongest strike of the Starfall Sword Art he had mastered so far!

The sword light transformed into a dazzling galaxy that pierced through the heavens and earth, carrying the destructive aura of a falling meteorite, and slashed fiercely at the Earth Dragon Centipede as it was shrinking into the ground!

The Earth Dragon Centipede sensed the fatal threat and let out a desperate hiss, trying its best to burrow into the ground, but severely wounded, its speed was greatly reduced.

Rumble—!

The sword light slashed down, and the earth shook violently!

Dust mixed with poisonous breath shot up into the sky, forming a massive mushroom cloud.

When the dust dispersed slightly, a terrifying sword mark, dozens of zhang long and bottomless, appeared on the ground!

And that Earth Dragon Centipede, its massive body almost split in two from head to tail, lay beside the sword mark. It twitched twice, then went completely still, its foul-smelling blood and internal organs spilled all over the ground.

Fang Hao landed on the ground, panting slightly.

This strike consumed quite a bit, but he was satisfied with its power.

He walked to the Earth Dragon Centipede’s corpse and skillfully dug out the Yao core (a soil-yellow, fist-sized Yao core containing pure Earth-attribute Demonic Qi), then removed the poison sac and some other valuable Materials.

This Earth Dragon Centipede’s scales had astonishing defensive power, but unfortunately, they had been nearly cleaved apart by his sword, significantly reducing their value.

After packing up the spoils, he was just about to leave this place of trouble when the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of something at the edge of the giant hole the Earth Dragon Centipede had emerged from, reflecting a faint metallic luster in the soil.

"Hmm?" He walked over and brushed away the soil.

Buried underneath was half of a rusty, yet still recognizable for its originally heavy design... metal bracer?

The bracer was large, not something a human could wear, and it was still stained with dried, blackened blood and some soil.

And beside the bracer, something else seemed to be half-buried in the soil.

Fang Hao’s heart stirred, and he continued digging.

Soon, he dug out another palm-sized, irregularly edged, black metal fragment covered in strange patterns from the soil!

The fragment felt cold and heavy in his hand, and that familiar, savage, and ancient aura instantly made his heart race!

The third "battle heaven axe" fragment! It was actually found next to this Earth Dragon Centipede’s lair!

Moreover, by the looks of it, this bracer and this fragment seemed to be the relics of some Cultivator (or native?) who had entered the Secret Realm in the past, who, after being killed by the Earth Dragon Centipede, had been dragged into the hole along with their corpse?

Fang Hao picked up the fragment and looked at the huge bracer again.

The style of the bracer was extremely ancient and rugged, with some blurred patterns similar to those on the fragment.

He tried to move this newly obtained fragment close to the one he had obtained before (from the black pool ruins).

As soon as the two fragments approached each other, they actually began to vibrate slightly at the same time, producing a weak attraction between them. The patterns on their surfaces also seemed to light up with an extremely dim glow, but soon faded back into silence.

"There really is a connection!" Fang Hao was ecstatic.

This confirmed his guess that these fragments could sense each other!

And this bracer... could it be the equipment of a "War Heaven Clan" warrior?

Was this fragment embedded in the bracer after the battle heaven axe shattered, or was it taken away by the warrior together?

More and more clues pointed to that lost ancient race—the "War Heaven Clan".

The secrets of this Secret Realm were likely far greater than he had imagined!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and put away the third fragment and the half of the huge bracer (although broken, its material was special, and it might be useful).

This place was not suitable for a long stay; the commotion from the fight just now was too great, and he had to leave immediately.

He took one last look at the Earth Dragon Centipede’s corpse on the ground and the remains of the Black Tiger Gang Cultivators, then his figure flickered and vanished into the thick fog, continuing toward the depths of the Secret Realm, in the direction indicated by the "star evolution plate" where the fragment’s resonance was stronger.

He felt that he was gradually lifting the mysterious veil of this Savage Secret Realm and that ancient "War Heaven Clan" step by step.

And danger would surely follow.