Though Ye Tian was frightened by the giant centipede before him, the battle lust in his heart was blazing. The feeling was stronger than it had ever been before!
Tightening his grip on the Black Glaze Sword, Ye Tian began to rapidly circulate the Dragon Spiritual Power within his body, channeling it into the blade.
The Dragon-shaped Mark on his palm began to glow. Ye Tian could clearly feel the Black Glaze Sword in his hand seeming to fuse with his arm, becoming an extension of his own body that he could wield at will.
Meanwhile, the giant centipedeāthe Snake Centipedeādid not attack. Perhaps it was intrigued by the Black Glaze Sword in Ye Tian's hand, or maybe it felt a sliver of fear, for it hesitated to make a move.
Ye Tian then discovered that the Black Glaze Sword had begun to absorb his Dragon Spiritual Power of its own accord. In the span of a few breaths, it had consumed more than half of the vast reserves within him. The shock of it jolted him; if this continued, his power would be completely drained.
Of course, the Dragon Pearl inside him was also emitting Energy, but the amount it released was far less than what the Black Glaze Sword was consuming. The demand far outstripped the supply.
Thankfully, after absorbing about half, the Black Glaze Sword gradually stopped. Ye Tian felt as if the sword was no longer under his control and was trying to break free from his grasp.
One moment it felt fused with him, and the next it was trying to tear away. He only vaguely understood the strange nature of the Black Glaze Sword. With a single thought, he quickly executed the Fourth Form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.
A powerful Sword Qi attack materialized instantly, accompanied by a tremendous Dragon's Roar. The sound startled both Ye Tian and Ye Feifei; it was the first time they had ever witnessed a Martial Skill produce the roar of a dragon.
This was especially true for Ye Feifei. She had also mastered the Fourth Form of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique to the Perfect Realm, yet it had never produced a Dragon's Roar. She had no idea what it meant for Ye Tian's to do so now.
The surrounding space trembled. Ye Tian could clearly see that his Sword Qi attack was glinting with specks of starlight, giving it an exceptionally eerie appearance as it shot toward the giant centipede.
Seeing the immense power of Ye Tian's attack, the centipede's two massive antennae began to whip about. A moment later, two bolts of lightning, each as thick as a bowl, shot forth from their tips.
They collided with Ye Tian's Sword Qi. "BOOM!" A tremendous crash echoed through the mountains. The collision of powerful Energy instantly spread outward, creating a massive gale.
In an instant, the ground within a radius of dozens of meters was scoured bare. The earth cracked, countless weeds were pulverized, and dust was blasted into the air.
The force of the blast sent Ye Tian flying back dozens of meters before he could steady himself. His chest ached, and his clothes were torn in several places, but he wasn't seriously injured.
The giant centipede, however, was only knocked back a few steps. This single exchange completely deflated Ye Tian. 'That was probably my most powerful attack, yet it couldn't even injure it. Just how strong is this thing?'
Ye Tian was astonished, but Ye Feifei was even more so. The power he had just displayed surpassed her understanding of a One Vein Martial Artist. That attack had the force of at least a Second Vein, yet it still couldn't harm the centipede. 'Perhaps,' she thought grimly, 'we really are doomed.'
"Brother Tian, are you all right? How is this thing so strong?" Ye Feifei asked worriedly, rushing to his side.
"I'm fine. This thing is as tough as it looks. My strongest attack couldn't even wound it, so killing it will be difficult," Ye Tian said urgently. "Feifei, get out of here. I'll hold it off for a while. You know how fast I am. I doubt this thing can catch me." At a time like this, he couldn't let Ye Feifei stay and risk her life.
"You want me to abandon you and run? I can't do that! If anything happened to you, how could I ever face myself? Brother Tian, don't be so selfish! I can't lose you!" Ye Feifei cried, her face filled with anger.
Just then, the giant centipede began to stir. It seemed Ye Tian's last attack had indeed caused it some pain, and a grating, rustling sound once again issued from its mouth.
"Elder Qing! Get out here, now!" Ye Tian had no other choice. He had to call the Cyan Snake for help. Though he didn't want to expose too many of his secrets in front of Ye Feifei, in this critical moment, he had no other option.
The giant centipede suddenly reared up the front half of its body, looking like a massive cobra. Its eyes glared furiously at Ye Tian and his companion, its antennae crackling with arcs of lightning.
At the same time, it opened its tightly shut mouth. Ye Tian could clearly see the terrifying fangs within. Each one was several inches long and glinted with a chilling, eerie light.
Suddenly, a cloud of black gas erupted from the giant centipede's mouth. The moment it appeared, it rapidly dispersed, and in an instant, a black fog descended, blurring their vision.
Ye Tian's first reaction upon seeing the black fog was that it had to be poisonous! "Feifei, get back!" he shouted, dodging away himself.
But Ye Tian was feeling incredibly frustrated. 'I called for Elder Qing, so why hasn't he shown up yet? Is he waiting until I'm on the brink of death just to prove his own importance?'
Just as Ye Tian was grumbling about Elder Qing, a figure in white descended from the sky and landed in front of him.
"Cyan Snake pays his respects to the Young Master!" the man in white said deferentially to Ye Tian.
"This isn't the time for pleasantries! This thing is ridiculously strong. If you had shown up any later, Feifei and I would've been goners!" Ye Tian said immediately. Seeing the Cyan Snake arrive on time, he finally felt a sense of relief.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the giant centipede; the gap in their power was simply too vast. Fighting it head-on was like throwing an egg against a stoneāa most unwise choice.
"Young Master, this is a Tier Three Mid Stage Demon Beast. Its strength is equivalent to a Martial Artist at the Mid- or even Late-Three Veins Realm. It's a miracle you were able to withstand one of its attacks. Anyone else would have likely been turned to ash by its Thunder Attack," the Cyan Snake said respectfully.
"It's that strong?" Ye Tian said, horrified. "I guess I was just lucky! But why didn't you come down and help me sooner? Did you have to wait for me to call you?" He then turned to look at the Cyan Snake beside him.
"This subordinate knew the Young Master's strike would be enough to protect himself. The Black Glaze Sword is an Ancient Top-Level Divine Artifact. After absorbing your Dragon Spiritual Power, it naturally had a chance of blocking one of the creature's attacks. Withstanding a second, however, would have been perilous.
Even if you hadn't called, I would have come down. My apologies for allowing the Young Master to be frightened," the Cyan Snake added, still speaking respectfully.
Ye Tian waved his hand, a gesture of forgiveness. "Just hurry up and kill this thing for me. How dare it frighten us!"
Meanwhile, a short distance away, Ye Feifei stared at the two of them, her face a mask of astonishment. The sudden appearance of the Cyan Snake was baffling enough, but she was even more bewildered to hear this middle-aged man address Ye Tian as 'Young Master'...