The wounded Silver-winged Centipede, driven berserk, shrieked sharply. Opening its maw, it spat out a billowing wave of scorching flames that surged violently towards Leo and the Sasha siblings. The weeds on the ground were reduced to ash.

  Despite the Diamond Shield he had cast upon himself, Leo still felt an unbearable, searing heat. After being licked by the flames a few times, the Diamond Shield showed signs of collapsing. Startled, Leo realized that without protection, he would likely be incinerated like the weeds. Hurriedly, he took a low-grade spirit stone from the boundary space, crushed it in his hand to replenish his consumed energy, and simultaneously cast a Water Spirit Shield upon himself. The azure-blue light shield brought a wave of coolness, alleviating much of the intense heat.

  "Ah!" While Leo was still holding on, Morana, still only at the early stage of Qi Refining, was the first unable to withstand the fire poison. Her protective shield was on the verge of collapse. Her originally fair face was now flushed crimson, and sweat poured down like rain.

  "Sister!" Sasha quickly cast a Water Ball Technique to absorb the scorching poisonous flames, shielding Morana.

  This Silver-winged Centipede's strength was such that even late-stage or Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivators dared not challenge it lightly. Morana, a full two tiers below, naturally couldn't endure its attack. Leo, being closer, sidestepped twice to block in front of Morana. "This beast is too ferocious. Cast your spells from the rear. Don't get too close."

  "Thank you, Brother Leo!" Morana's burden lightened, and she hastily retreated.

  Swoosh! Swoosh!

  Kai fired two more arrows in quick succession. The Silver-winged Centipede raised its head, and a thick earthen wall materialized just in time to block them.

  The arrows pierced through the earthen wall, but their momentum was greatly reduced. They flew only a few meters before falling to the ground.

  Seeing the attack miss, Leo sneered inwardly. The combined strength of the team exceeded that of the Silver-winged Centipede, but subduing it would come at no small cost. The demon core was what Kai was set on obtaining, so naturally, he had to bear the brunt. No one else was willing to risk their life lightly.

  Iris, Soren, Skyler, Sasha, and the others, like him, kept a relatively safe distance, attacking the centipede with spells. Although this consumed considerable energy, at least it wasn't life-threatening.

  Among the team, Leo had cast quite a few spells, but thanks to his ample supply of low-grade spirit stones, he fared relatively better than the others. People like Sasha didn't have many spirit stones to spare. If they used up over a dozen spirit stones just to kill the centipede, for them, it would practically be all for nothing. Naturally, Sasha and the others weren't willing to engage in such folly.

  Crack! After another Golden Spear Technique, the low-grade spirit stone in his hand shattered, turning into powder after its spiritual energy was depleted. Leo quickly took out another spirit stone. In such a perilous environment, he had to maintain sufficient energy within his elixir field as much as possible. This was no time to be sparing with spirit stones.

  Kai's expression shifted slightly. He now realized that this Silver-winged Centipede was actually an earth-fire dual-element demon beast, formidable in attack and astonishing in defense.

  Relying solely on spell attacks, they would likely exhaust their energy before managing to wear down this massive centipede. If they consumed too many spirit stones, it wouldn't be cost-effective either.

  Realizing this, Kai understood that unless he produced sufficient decisive killing moves, the others wouldn't risk themselves for his benefit. Having reached this conclusion, Kai shouted sharply, "At this rate, who knows how long this will drag on. Assist me in breaking through this beast's defensive spells. Once I severely wound it, we can trap and kill it!"

  "Alright, I'll help you!" Pax lunged forward, positioning himself beside Kai, and unleashed several low-grade spells directly at the centipede.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Leo suddenly felt something amiss beneath his feet. He immediately pushed off the ground, leaping over three meters into the air. An earthen spike jutted up from where he had just been standing. Had he not dodged in time, he would have been impaled.

  "This ungrateful beast! Can it not see that Kai is the greatest threat?" Leo muttered in annoyance, intensifying his offensive.

  "Fire Arrow Technique!"

  "Golden Spear Technique!"

  Leo cast several low-grade spells in succession. Intermingled with the Earthen Spikes and Ice Spears from Pax and Iris, they broke through several Earthen Wall spells conjured by the centipede.

  "Excellent!" Kai was overjoyed and couldn't help but glance at Leo. This man's spellcasting was remarkably proficient, and his timing with several attacks was impeccable. After a brief moment of surprise, Kai nocked his bow again and fired three consecutive shots. Each arrow struck the centipede's head, piercing its hard carapace and embedding three inches into its flesh.

  The centipede shrieked in agony. Enraged, its massive body charged madly towards Kai, the instigator.

  Unfazed, Kai waved his right hand toward the centipede. A crimson net descended from the air, covering it. His quiver now empty, Kai discarded his bow, took a sharp spirit blade several feet long from his storage pouch, and grabbed one corner of the red net, shouting, "This beast is on its last legs! Get through this round, and we can slay it! Everyone, attack together!"

  Seeing Kai unleash his ultimate trump card, the others exchanged glances. Each then surged forward, grabbing a corner of the red net hovering in the air, trapping the Silver-winged Centipede within. Spells rained down once more, denser than before.

  The red net, forged from unknown spiritual materials, was exceptionally tough. The centipede's massive body struggled violently within, tearing a few small rips, but it was far from breaking free.

  Hiss...

  Black poisonous mist spewed from the centipede's mouth, enveloping the surroundings. Weeds and trees withered rapidly. However, Leo and the other eight held the net, steadily shrinking the encirclement.

  "Ha!" Seizing the opportunity, Skyler swung his black iron rod in a wide arc, smashing it against two of the centipede's legs. Crack! The legs snapped cleanly.

  Leo, holding the net with his left hand and wielding his spirit sword with his right, sliced off three flailing centipede legs. The tremendous force transmitted through the red net shocked him. Even with the combined strength of nine people, they could barely contend with the centipede. If not for their sharp spirit artifacts, they'd have no way to subdue it.

  After having over twenty of its legs severed and enduring more than a hundred low-grade spell attacks, the Silver-winged Centipede struggled desperately but fruitlessly. A ruthless glint flashed in Kai's eyes. He leaped onto the centipede's head, gripping his spirit blade with both hands, pushing his spiritual power to the limit. The blade gleamed with a chilling, icy edge. He thrust it fiercely into the gap between the centipede's head and its first carapace segment. Shiiick! The blade sank deep.

  Copious amounts of green, viscous fluid gushed from the wound.

  The centipede convulsed and thrashed with a final, agonized shriek. A sharp pain shot through Leo's hand as the red net was torn from his grasp.

  But with the centipede's head fatally wounded, this was merely its death throes. Spirit blades, spirit swords, and the black iron rod struck in turns, interspersed with volleys of low-grade spells.

  Whoosh! A perfectly round, goose-egg-sized orb, shimmering with earthy red and brown hues, shot out from the centipede's mouth and violently struck Kai's spirit blade.

  Boom! Kai was sent flying, crashing heavily against a thick tree trunk. Yet, disregarding the pain, he burst out laughing, "The demon core!"

  The demon core, having repelled Kai, turned towards Zen, who was closer. Startled, Zen dared not meet the dying centipede's desperate counterattack head-on. He executed an Earth Escape Technique and vanished underground.

  "That damned Zen!" Leo cursed inwardly as the demon core, losing its target, shot straight towards him. The core was too close; there was no time for an Earth Escape Technique now. If he tried burrowing and the core struck him from above, that would be even worse.

  Gritting his teeth, Leo gripped his spirit sword and slashed at the demon core with all his might. A tremendous force rebounded, almost wrenching the sword from his hand. Leo slid uncontrollably several meters backward. Looking at his short sword, he spotted a fresh nick. He winced inwardly. This mid-grade spirit artifact had cost him dozens of spirit stones and hadn't been used many times. Even as an alchemist, he couldn't afford such losses.

  However, the demon core's luster had noticeably dimmed after these successive collisions.

  Thud! The Silver-winged Centipede's limbs gave out, and its body crashed to the ground. Sasha, seizing the moment when the centipede had attacked Leo, had severed its head completely with a single sword stroke.

  Ignoring his own pain, Kai rushed over and snatched the now significantly dimmed demon core, clutching it tightly. His face was alight with barely contained excitement. The Savage Beast Sect's sect task only required a demon core; minor damage was not a strict condition.

  "This fight really drained us, but dividing this Silver-winged Centipede makes it worthwhile. Such a pity about the damaged wings. If we could have had a weapon shop refine them into winged spirit artifacts, we'd be sitting on a fortune." Iris sheathed her spirit sword, her tone tinged with regret.

  Among various spirit artifacts, winged ones were extremely rare. Since Qi Refining cultivators couldn't fly, the price of winged spirit artifacts remained consistently high, often unavailable even with money.

  "It's already a success to have taken down this beast without casualties. Let's quickly divide the centipede's parts."

  Skyler, Soren, Pax, Sasha, Morana, and the others rubbed their hands eagerly. On average, each could get materials worth over twenty spirit stones.

  "Haha! Such a fortunate event should naturally be shared by all present. How could it exclude us?"

  Just as Skyler and the others were celebrating, a familiar laugh echoed from a nearby hilltop. Leo followed the sound and saw the man with the protruding forehead, the same one who had once ambushed them with Azure Bamboo Bees, standing on the hill. Behind him were seven other cultivators, all gazing greedily at the Silver-winged Centipede on the ground, their intentions unmistakable.

  Sasha and the others' expressions shifted drastically. Leo's heart sank. Although he didn't particularly need the centipede's materials, having another adventuring team lurking and coveting their spoils was an unsettling feeling. Their team had just endured a fierce battle, lost several spirit artifacts, and their energy was significantly depleted. Barely half their combat strength remained.

  But Big Forehead Freak's team hadn't expended any energy at all. In Moonwatch Immortal City, guards patrolled, but here in the mountains, whether a few cultivators died, or even hundreds or thousands, it wouldn't stir a ripple.