Chapter 256: The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede

Chapter 256: The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede

In a valley within the Ice Finger Mountains, four hiltless sword blades danced in the air, each a different color—blue, red, purple, and silver. They weaved and darted like agile dragons, their speed varying from fast to slow as they left afterimages in their wake, yet they moved in perfect unison, forming an offensive and defensive formation.

Amid the whistling sword lights, Ji Xinghuo stood at the center, his mind sharply focused.

However, after less than two minutes, his expression began to show strain, and he found it increasingly difficult to maintain his technique.

"I can't hold on any longer."

As Ji Xinghuo's mental concentration wavered, the four sword lights immediately returned to him like homing swallows. They shrunk in size as they descended, revealing their colorful blades that swiftly rearranged themselves into a bracelet on his palm.

He caught the Spirit Sword Bracelet and examined it in his hand.

This spiritual energy weapon was even more powerful and versatile than he had anticipated.

Its only drawback was its excessive consumption of spiritual energy.

And spiritual energy was derived from starlight; with his current level of over 3,200 points of starlight, if he activated all four blades simultaneously, he could sustain them for a maximum of two minutes. This was without taking into account any actual combat; if the battle grew intense and he had to trigger the special abilities of the swords, the duration would be even shorter.

Nevertheless, the Spirit Sword Bracelet was definitely worth it!

Ji Xinghuo had spent the entire day familiarizing himself with its usage, and he had now mastered it.

The material used to forge the bracelet was a super-alloy he didn't recognize—extremely hard and resilient, yet remarkably low in density. It also possessed the characteristics of a memory metal, exhibiting an incredibly high conductivity for spiritual energy, resulting in a performance boost when activated.

When shrunk, each of the four blades was only four centimeters long. Through spiritual energy loading, they could elongate to their true form, reaching up to half a meter in length.

The blades were as thin as cicada wings yet incredibly sharp.

And despite their delicate appearance, they were remarkably durable, which Ji Xinghuo found astonishing.

Each sword blade possessed two unique abilities.

Ji Xinghuo named them accordingly based on their characteristics: Ice Sword, Fire Sword, Electric Sword, and Light Sword.

The Ice Sword was imbued with "Ice Tide" and "Glacial Sword". It could generate low temperatures to freeze nearby targets and create between three to eight additional glacial swords, enhancing the Ice Sword's numbers.

The Fire Sword was paired with "Fire Blast" and "High-Temperature Rays". It unleashed a fiery shockwave and emitted laser-like rays from both ends, resulting in devastating damage.

The Electric Sword carried the abilities "Electric Arc" and "Thunderclap". It released arcs of lightning and produced a thunderous clap to assault the enemy's hearing, catching them off guard.

Lastly, the Light Sword possessed "Refraction" and "Flash Bomb". It could conceal the sword blade and suddenly explode with a blinding flash of light.

None of these abilities were particularly high in quality, and most were of superior exotic rank.

However, when combined and driven by spiritual energy, they unleashed a formidable display of power.

Ji Xinghuo was almost incredulous that this was merely a superpower of the three-star rank and not a Revelation Weapon.

But upon careful comparison, the differences became clear.

The Purple Electric Sword, a one-star Revelation rank weapon, was not only sharper and faster but also consumed electricity. It also boasted a fully automatic auxiliary control system.

In contrast, the Spirit Sword Bracelet required manual control, heavily taxing his mental and starlight energy, and its offensive range was limited by his spiritual energy.

The gap between the two was significant.

If he could overcome the issues of control and energy consumption, the Spirit Sword Bracelet might not pale in comparison to the Purple Electric Sword.

Yet, that was incredibly difficult!

In terms of control, Ji Xinghuo could activate his hyper-frequency thinking to simultaneously manipulate all four sword blades while also engaging in close-quarters combat. However, hyper-frequency thinking consumed a substantial amount of starlight energy, and when activated, his starlight energy depletion accelerated, allowing him to sustain it for only a minute at most.

Now he finally understood why the legendary Ice Master hadn't immediately resorted to using the Spirit Sword Bracelet.

The legendary Ice Master at the Legend rank likely had a similar level of starlight energy.

If they activated the Spirit Sword Bracelet at the start of every battle and failed to immediately defeat their opponent, they would find themselves in a highly disadvantageous position afterward.

"I can't use it recklessly either."

"I need to reach at least ten thousand points of starlight energy before I can barely manage to use all four spirit swords simultaneously."

"From now on, in battles, I'll just activate one sword blade depending on the situation."

With a flick of his thoughts, Ji Xinghuo separated the Spirit Sword Bracelet into four segments, which then reassembled on his left wrist, fitting snugly like a bracelet.

He walked into a cave behind him, its interior dry and warm, with a lit stove. Qinghong was curled up asleep next to the stove, having just feasted on a roasted prey animal. She was in a state of contentment, sleeping soundly. Despite undergoing genetic reorganization, Qinghong had retained some serpentine habits, including a tendency to hibernate in cold environments.

"It's up to you tomorrow," Ji Xinghuo said, to which Qinghong opened her eyes, looking a bit dazed.

The next day dawned bright and clear.

Ji Xinghuo emerged from the cave, greeted by a sunny day. Although it was still cold, the sky was a dazzling blue.

"A perfect day for the hunt," he remarked as he gathered his belongings. He took to the air but didn't fly too high, hugging the mountainous terrain as he made his way toward the ice lake where the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede resided.

It didn't take long to arrive, and the hole he had punched into the ice yesterday had already frozen over. Aside from some dark red stains on the ice surface, there was no sign of the previous day's battle.

He had encountered and slain a couple of these elite-level creatures in the Ice Finger Mountains a few days ago. Even from their exotic abilities, he could discern that they possessed extremely sensitive senses of touch and hearing.

This particular Thousand-Legged Ice Centipede was of the Heaven Disaster level, and any slight disturbance on the ice would rouse it from its slumber.

"I need to draw it out."

Ji Xinghuo's Spirit Sword Bracelet separated into segments, and with his spiritual energy, one piece elongated into a scorching red sword, radiating intense heat.

The sword tip extended, piercing a straight ray into the ice.

With careful precision, he manipulated the sword.

A sizzling sound filled the air as the ice quickly melted, creating a small hole that went straight down into the water.

"Go!"

Ji Xinghuo reached into his pocket and pulled out Qinghong.

Despite her dislike for the cold, she nimbly jumped into the hole and crawled through the narrow passage, guided by the visual and auditory input from the Sight and Sound Spirit Chain. She located the tunnel entrance and began her descent, swimming deeper into the icy waters.

Soon, a passageway over a dozen meters wide appeared before her. Cautiously, she crawled inside, slowing her pace and hugging the icy wall as she moved forward.

She crept along, making sure to keep absolutely silent.

After a moment...

At the end of the tunnel, a spacious cave over a hundred meters in diameter came into view. The rugged floor and walls were covered in thick layers of ice, with icicles hanging from above. White mist-like cold air drifted through the cave, partially obscuring a massive form within.

It was the Thousand-Legged Ice Centipede!

Its body was curled up in a circle, with hundreds of slender legs splayed out. Its eyes were closed, and with each breath, a gust of frigid air escaped from its mouth.

Upon seeing the creature, Qinghong hesitated for a moment.

She knew that she was no match for this formidable beast.

"Don't be afraid," Ji Xinghuo reassured her through their mental link. "Sneak up on it and blow up its lair!"

Without hesitation, Qinghong followed Ji Xinghuo's instructions. She made her way into the lair, using the rocks and ice blocks on the ground as cover. She climbed up one of the icicles, keeping herself hidden behind it.

Even in her miniaturized state of only two to three centimeters long, she still had to move with utmost care to avoid making any sound.

Suddenly, one of the centipede's many legs twitched.

Qinghong froze.

"It's awake," Ji Xinghuo warned, sensing the violent fluctuations in the creature's magnetic field. He knew that it had awakened but had not yet detected Qinghong. With its heightened senses, even her tiny form could not escape its notice for long.

"Do it now!" Ji Xinghuo ordered without hesitation.

Qinghong sprang into action, not bothering to enlarge herself. She opened her mouth and spat out a ball of light directly from the icicle.

It was a spherical lightning attack!

Ji Xinghuo had spent the previous day experimenting with the technique, using his spiritual energy to condense electricity into a spherical lightning bolt. At the moment of explosion, Qinghong swallowed it into her Dimensional Stomach, and now she released it. This attack contained approximately 600 points of starlight energy, which was currently the upper limit of his control.

In a real battle, this spherical lightning would be too slow to form and thus impractical.

However, combined with the Dimensional Stomach, it became a deadly move!

Qinghong spat out the spherical lightning, illuminating the dark cave. The violent lightning and energy waves startled the Thousand-Legged Ice Centipede, rousing it fully from its slumber.

Its eyes widened, blinded by the brilliant flash of light.

But Qinghong's target was not the centipede itself.

BOOM!

The spherical lightning struck the frozen ceiling of the cave, instantly exploding and releasing countless electric currents that generated intense heat and shockwaves. In the confined space of the lair, the chaos was absolute. The entire cave shook violently, and rocks and dirt rained down from above as if the ceiling were about to collapse.

The icicle that Qinghong had been hiding on shattered, and as she fell, she unleashed a second spherical lightning attack.

This time, her target was the Thousand-Legged Ice Centipede.

She didn't stick around to witness the outcome. Instead, she blended in with the flying debris and scrambled into the tunnel, fleeing at top speed.

BOOM!

The frozen lair was thrown into disarray, with electric currents surging through the passageway, causing it to shake violently.

As Qinghong fled, she heard a sharp hiss from behind, followed by a rush of cold air. The Thousand-Legged Ice Centipede had given chase, having locked onto the source of its distress. It opened its massive jaws and unleashed a blast of "Arctic Breath," a torrent of frigid air that engulfed the entire tunnel, freezing everything in its path.

Qinghong had nowhere to hide and was instantly frozen solid.

The centipede roared in pursuit, its speed astonishing. Its countless legs scurried and climbed with agility, and at the front end, a pair of giant ice pincers slashed at Qinghong.

CRASH!

Qinghong's body expanded, breaking free from the ice that encased her and growing to a length of 20 meters.

The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede screeched, and the air in front of it instantly condensed into layers of ice, forming over a dozen ice walls that completely blocked the passage and deflected the spherical lightning.

BOOM!

With the force of the massive explosion, Qinghong shrank by over six meters in length and, taking advantage of the shockwave, leaped forward, bursting out from the underwater tunnel and frantically swimming upwards towards the ice surface.

Undercurrents churned at the bottom of the lake, and after just a few seconds, the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede also burst out from the tunnel entrance.

Its hundreds of slender legs moved together, swimming faster than Qinghong in the water. At the same time, a torrent of frigid air erupted from its body, quickly freezing the lake water and encasing everything in its path with ice. Qinghong, being above it, found her movements becoming slower as ice frost formed on her body, and the cold invaded her insides.

The distance between the two rapidly closed.

Fortunately, before Qinghong was completely frozen, she reached the ice surface first, and with a slash of her Rift Claw, she tore open a hole and leaped out.

Above the ice, Ji Xinghuo had already activated his Stealth Ring, hovering dozens of meters in the air and looking down at the scene below.

A loud rumble echoed as Qinghong broke through the ice and leaped out, followed closely by the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede.

Its body was covered in wounds, its torso blasted with a two to three-meter-wide hole from the spherical lightning, and dozens of its slender legs had been severed. However, these injuries did not hinder its movements. The wounds had already frozen over, stopping the bleeding, and a new layer of icy armor had formed. The broken legs were also rapidly regrowing.

"Regenerate Limbs!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he witnessed this display.

Regenerate Limbs was a superpower with limited applications and of no use to him, but it was incredibly valuable.

The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede's slender legs were like thick ice spears, extremely agile.

Each leg seemed to have an independent mind, with ice condensed at their tips. Some were responsible for high-speed movement, while others attacked Qinghong, appearing chaotic yet highly coordinated.

Hard, agile, and sharp!

At the same time, its body continuously released cold air, causing the temperature within a 200-meter radius to drop drastically. Even Ji Xinghuo, hovering in mid-air, felt the cold seeping into his body, and an intense numbness spread throughout his limbs.

"What a powerful cold aura," he thought in surprise. "This should be the superpower 'Ice Seal Prison'. That team I saw yesterday was after this exotic species for this very ability."

On the ice, Qinghong was also frozen stiff by the intense cold.

The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede quickly caught up, its myriad legs furiously stabbing at Qinghong's body. Even her sturdy Saint Scale Armor was pierced, blood flowing from the punctures. More cold air invaded Qinghong's wounds, causing her reactions and speed to slow, and she could only turn and retaliate.

The two massive beasts grappled with each other.

Despite its larger size, the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede was faster and more agile.

Each of its slender legs functioned like a hand, capable of movement, attack, and defense, supporting its body as it performed dazzling and unpredictable maneuvers.

In close-quarters combat, Qinghong was no match for the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede.

In just a few seconds, Qinghong was covered in wounds. If not for her extremely tough Saint Scale Armor, she might have been seriously injured already.

However, Qinghong was feigning weakness.

Just as it seemed Qinghong was about to be completely frozen and immobilized, an invisible force field suddenly expanded, increasing gravity by 20 times.

The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede was immediately crushed by its own enormous weight, cracking the ice surface beneath it. Its agility and speed were greatly diminished.

Sensing the danger, it tried to escape, but Ji Xinghuo was already in motion.

In mid-air, Ji Xinghuo had activated his Spirit Sword Bracelet before Qinghong even reached the ice surface. A segment of silver sword light detached itself and hovered before him, quietly waiting for the right moment. As soon as Qinghong unleashed her gravity field, the silver sword light entered refraction and shot out, hidden from sight.

With his hyper-frequency thinking and spiritual energy fully engaged, the invisible sword light reached the ice surface in an instant, slashing horizontally and cutting a swath dozens of meters long. Ice shards flew as the sword light severed all the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede's legs on that side.

If not for the gravity field, the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede could have easily dodged this attack.

But at this moment, it was too late to react.

POW!

The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede's body slammed into the ice, its eyes filled with terror as it struggled to get up, not knowing where its enemy was. Having lost half of its legs, its body was unbalanced, and the gravity field made it even harder to escape.

The invisible sword light turned and slashed towards the remaining legs.

This time, the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede was prepared. It unleashed a burst of frigid air, freezing the sword light and revealing it in the air.

However, this was merely a distraction.

A massive boulder appeared in mid-air, like a meteor, and crashed down. By the time the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede sensed the danger, it was too late. A loud crash sounded as the boulder slammed into the center of its torso, nearly splitting it in two. The ice shattered, and the boulder sank into the lake.

The Thousand-legged Ice Centipede let out a pained hiss, its two severed halves writhing on the ice.

Qinghong seized the opportunity and pounced, her claws shooting out ten blades of air. Mustering all her strength, she swung her claws in a cross-cut, beheading the Thousand-legged Ice Centipede!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end