Hearing the sound, Evan Chu immediately halted his steps, his expression turning serious as he looked toward the source. With the poisonous mist blocking his view, he could see no farther than a hundred meters ahead.
"Rhea, did you hear that?"
"It sounds like some kind of crawling insect. Why would there be bugs here? Could they be poisonous?" Rhea said in shock.
Soon, a huge swath of black shadows appeared in their line of sight, surging forward like a tide. Everywhere they passed was swallowed up by the black flood.
When Rhea saw the true form of those shadows, her face changed dramatically. The ground was covered with centipedes over a foot long, and in the air, countless winged centipedes were flying toward them at high speed.
"They're Hellwing Centipedes!" Rhea exclaimed. She knew far more about poisons than Evan, and recognized them at a glance.
"Evan Chu, run! These things are horrifying. Their attack isn't that strong, but their venom is vicious. This is even worse than that giant serpent!" Without a moment's hesitation, she bolted for safety at top speed.
Evan was startled by Rhea's words—worse than the giant serpent? That's basically a death sentence! He unleashed Wave-Skimming Steps to their fullest, instantly leaving Rhea far behind.
Hellwing Centipedes are notorious across the Dragonreach Continent. They're a bizarre species, not true magical beasts, and a single one isn't much threat.
But these centipedes always swarm in huge numbers—thousands at a time. Even Heaven Martial Realm experts can only run when they encounter Hellwing Centipedes. If you're surrounded, it's certain death.
Hellwing Centipedes carry extremely potent toxins and are immune to almost all known poisons—only a handful of rare toxins can threaten them.
Their shells are so thick they're almost like steel, making them nearly impossible to kill for anyone lacking real power. But their most terrifying trait is that adult Hellwing Centipedes grow wings and can fly—at incredible speeds.
Rhea had read about Hellwing Centipedes in her clan's books. Every record agreed: the best way to handle them is to escape—run as far away as possible.
Hellwing Centipede venom has a powerful anesthetic effect. One bite and the toxin spreads instantly, leaving you weak and unable to run. In the end, you'll be gnawed to nothing—no bones, no corpse, nothing left. Survival odds are almost zero, unless a miracle happens.
Rhea pushed her speed to the limit, fleeing alongside Evan Chu. He had stopped to wait for her, and she had no intention of being eaten by these disgusting things.
She was shocked yet again: "Evan Chu's secrets are endless. How is he so fast? What kind of movement art is this?"
The Hellwing Centipedes chased relentlessly. The juveniles crawling on the ground made a constant, chilling 'shaa shaa shaa' sound that sent shivers down their spines.
In the sky, adult Hellwing Centipedes flapped their paper-thin wings, overtaking their crawling kin and closing in on Evan and Rhea. Their flight speed was nearly equal to Evan's.
Evan glanced at the gasping Lily Tang, darted over, and said, "Give me your hand!"
Rhea stretched out her jade-like hand, and Evan grabbed it. Wave-Skimming Steps were too slow now—only Shifting Position could shake off these terrifying poisonous insects.
Rhea felt something strange—this was the first time a man had ever held her hand. Yet the warmth made her reluctant to let go.
Evan pushed his speed to the absolute limit, the wind howling past his ears as he raced along the rugged mountain path.
His spiritual power drained rapidly—dragging someone at full speed doubled his energy consumption. Before long, his pace slowed, and the airborne Hellwing Centipedes quickly caught up.
Letting go of Rhea's hand, Evan whipped Frostbane through the air, unleashing a flurry of sword flowers. With each flash of his blade, dozens of Hellwing Centipedes were cleaved in two and fell to the ground. Only Frostbane's "cuts iron like mud" property made this possible—an ordinary sword wouldn't stand a chance.
A chorus of 'ding ding ding' rang out as the centipedes crashed from the sky, their bodies split in half and leaking black fluid.
But that brief delay let even more Hellwing Centipedes surround them. A horde of winged centipedes surged forward, driven by a suicidal frenzy.
Back-to-back, Evan and Rhea swung their swords in a seamless, airtight rhythm, weaving a dense net of steel to block the centipedes' advance. Their teamwork was flawless.
Even so, some Hellwing Centipedes broke through the sword net, latching onto their bodies and biting down hard. Agonizing pain shot through them as the centipedes' sharp mandibles pierced their flesh.
Both Evan and Rhea had taken anti-toxin pills, so the centipede venom couldn't take effect just yet. Seeing more and more centipedes closing in, Evan shouted urgently, "Rhea, run ahead! I'll hold them off. Don't worry about me—I have a way out!"
Rhea trusted Evan completely. If he said he had a way, he definitely did. Without hesitation, she sprinted forward while Evan stayed behind, slashing at the pursuing centipedes.
Against these poisonous insects, Evan had powerful options—Tempest Shroud and Wind Dominion could wipe them out.
But there were just too many Hellwing Centipedes. Evan had to unleash dozens of attacks before he could catch a breather. Rhea finally vanished from sight, but Evan started feeling dizzy—a sign the centipede venom was taking effect after all his exertions.
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If he stayed even a moment longer, he'd be devoured. With a powerful sword slash, Evan carved out a two-meter ring of emptiness, seized the chance, and triggered Shifting Position—instantly blinking twenty meters away.
A few rapid teleports brought him to Rhea, but now he saw her frantically running back, panic in her voice: "Evan, there are tons of monster beasts behind us!" Before he could react, she was already at his side.
Bad news just kept piling up—centipedes chasing in front, beasts closing in behind. What now? Evan scanned the terrain and spotted a huge tree nearby, its leaves so dense that anyone standing on the trunk would be hidden from view.
Evan grabbed Rhea's hand again and dashed toward the tree. Once there, he said, "Let's climb up. Maybe this tree can help us survive this mess."
Rhea agreed. With a powerful leap, she landed on the trunk, and Evan followed right behind.
They found a spot hidden among thick branches. Evan's dizziness worsened—he could barely stand. "Rhea, hold me up. I can't stay upright. I never thought Hellwing Centipede venom would be this fierce. Even after taking your anti-toxin pill, I still can't resist it."
Evan's face was pale, his lips turning bluish-black—classic signs of poisoning. Rhea took out a white pill from her storage ring and said:
"Take this pill—it'll ease your pain, but it can't cure you. Hellwing Centipede venom is brutal. Let's survive this crisis first, then find a real cure."
Evan swallowed the pill. At that moment, the pursuing beasts and Hellwing Centipedes collided. There were over a dozen monster beasts, all huge—at least fifth rank or higher.
The monster beasts turned and fled at the sight of the centipedes. Even these ferocious creatures were terrified. Evan and Rhea, watching from the tree, couldn't believe their eyes.
The Hellwing Centipedes were far faster. In just a few breaths, several beasts were covered in centipedes. Those weighing over three hundred jin were stripped to nothing in less than ten minutes—not even blood was left.
The centipedes didn't stop, surging onward. Evan and Rhea were drenched in cold sweat. They'd never imagined such terrifying insects existed. Once the swarm moved on, they climbed down from the tree, ready to leave this cursed place.
Chapter 108