Chapter 1627: Three-Legged Corpse-Eating Worm
Previously, Zhang Ruochen had always believed that three-legged corpse-eating worms existed only in legends. How could he have imagined that such terrifying ancient insects actually existed?
Even more frightening was the fact that there were cultivators who could raise them and command them.
The body of a Great Saint, known as the "Immortal Saint Body," was impervious to blades and fire, immortal and indestructible, and would not decay even if buried underground for tens of thousands of years.
However, the thing a Great Saint's body feared most was the three-legged corpse-eating worm.
If a Great Saint's imperial tomb were discovered by three-legged corpse-eating worms, the Great Saint's body would most likely be devoured.
It was precisely because they could gnaw on the Immortal Saint Body of a Great Saint and continuously evolve and transform that three-legged corpse-eating worms had earned their fearsome reputation as one of the most terrifying insect species in legend.
The three-legged corpse-eating worms that had devoured Yin Peng numbered only a few dozen, but those flying toward Zhang Ruochen numbered two to three hundred.
"Whoosh!"
Zhang Ruochen activated the Hundred Saint Blood Armor at the fastest speed, enveloping his entire body, and then released Purifying Divine Flame, forming a fireball three zhang in diameter that wrapped around his body at the center.
Having reached the Saint King realm, the Purifying Divine Flame had become even more powerful, the flames turning into a deep azure-green color, with a power more than double what it had been before.
"Bang, bang."
The dense swarm of three-legged corpse-eating worms struck the surface of the fireball one after another.
To everyone's surprise, after coming into contact with the Purifying Divine Flame, the three-legged corpse-eating worms were not burned to death. Instead, their black bodies turned a scorching red. They retreated to the side, rested for a moment, turned black again, and then continued to charge the fireball formed by the Purifying Divine Flame.
"They're actually devouring the Purifying Divine Flame."
Watching the color of the fireball grow increasingly faint, Zhang Ruochen's expression darkened as he desperately tried to think of a way to break the deadlock.
Since three-legged corpse-eating worms could even gnaw on the Immortal Saint Body of a Great Saint, Zhang Ruochen dared not take the risk of storing them inside the Water Star Gourd. What if the Water Star Gourd was also gnawed through?
"To have cultivated the Purifying Divine Flame, his identity must be quite extraordinary."
The gaunt man stared at the fireball in the corner of the VIP room, a contemplative look on his face. He added, "Unfortunately, it's only at the level of top-tier common flame, not yet reaching the level of minister flame. It can't burn my three-legged corpse-eating worms to death. But by absorbing your Purifying Divine Flame, perhaps the three-legged corpse-eating worms will become even stronger."
The gaunt man did not bother to kill Zhang Ruochen; instead, he treated him as fuel for his divine flame, using him to feed his swarm of insects.
On the other side, Prince Luonan was like a treasure-rich youth, producing one sacred artifact after another and donning one sacred garment after another, managing to temporarily hold off several dozen three-legged corpse-eating worms.
Just as Prince Luonan was flustered, two assassin puppets attacked him from left and right.
"Pfft."
After holding out for only three breaths, one of the assassin puppets plunged a blade into Prince Luonan's abdomen. Sacred blood gushed out wildly.
The strong scent of blood drove all the three-legged corpse-eating worms into a frenzy, accelerating their attacks.
"Bang, bang."
The sacred artifacts blocking Prince Luonan's front exploded repeatedly, shattered into pieces one after another by the three-legged corpse-eating worms.
"Spare me! I have plenty of sacred stones, I'll give them all to you... ah... please..."
Several dozen three-legged corpse-eating worms pounced onto Prince Luonan's body, devouring him frantically, and soon consumed him completely.
"Do you take me for a fool? I don't want to be hunted down by the Tianluo Imperial City."
The gaunt man flicked his sleeve, and from the spot where Prince Luonan had fallen, a storage ring flew up into his hand.
Fondling the ring in his hand, the gaunt man gave a sinister smile: "After I kill you, your sacred stones will be mine anyway."
With that, the gaunt man used his spiritual power to recall the two waves of three-legged corpse-eating worms, his cold eyes fixed on Danling Wang, who had retreated to the corner.
Despair filled Danling Wang's eyes, fear spreading through her heart.
"Your head is worth a lot; I can't use it to feed the worms."
Having said this, the gaunt man prepared to strike and kill the real target of the day. But behind him came a thunderous crash.
What had gone wrong now?
A flicker of anger crossed the gaunt man's face as he turned to look.
The Purifying Divine Flame and the three-legged corpse-eating worms had vanished, leaving only a large azure cauldron overturned on the ground. The dragon-clan man stood beside the cauldron, using sacred qi to hold it firmly in place.
"What kind of cauldron is that, able to trap my three-legged corpse-eating worms?"
Sensing that the azure cauldron was extraordinary, the gaunt man released his spiritual power to probe it. But when his spiritual energy entered the cauldron, it vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.
Never having encountered such a strange phenomenon, the gaunt man quickly withdrew his spiritual power, a cautious expression on his face. At the same time, he recalled the two assassin puppets to guard his side.
"Just tiny insects, yet they possess such immense power."
Zhang Ruochen pressed his palm firmly onto the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron, but the cauldron still shook violently, as if the three-legged corpse-eating worms were about to break free.
Danling Wang, as if grasping at a lifeline, transformed into a streak of light and flew to Zhang Ruochen's side, joining him.
"Let me help you."
Danling Wang mobilized powerful sacred power to press down on the Kaiyuan Deer Cauldron.
Finally, the cauldron grew still.
The gaunt man now regarded Zhang Ruochen as a major threat, his gaze locked onto him. "That azure cauldron of yours is quite remarkable. Could it be a Supreme Sacred Artifact?"
Zhang Ruochen remained silent.
"It doesn't matter if you don't answer. I still have nearly a hundred three-legged corpse-eating worms here. Let's see how you block them."
The gaunt man's lips moved, and the remaining nearly hundred three-legged corpse-eating worms formed a rain of insects, descending upon Zhang Ruochen and Danling Wang.
The two assassin puppets followed behind the insect rain, their twin blades forming two powerful nets of slashes as they attacked as well.
Danling Wang's expression changed. From her sleeve, she produced a white long silk ribbon and was about to swing it when she heard a roar beside her: "Break!"
She saw the tall dragon-clan man beside her grab hold of the void with both hands and pull in opposite directions, as if tearing at space itself.
Space indeed emitted a series of cracking sounds, splitting open a black fissure as large as a door.
The shattered space created a powerful suction force, drawing in all the nearly hundred three-legged corpse-eating worms that had been flying toward them.
However, maintaining such a large spatial rift did not seem easy for the dragon-clan man, and soon the space closed again.
A look of joy appeared on Danling Wang's exquisite face.
With the three-legged corpse-eating worms dealt with, the remaining two assassin puppets posed little threat.
"Hiss, hiss."
The long silk ribbon in Danling Wang's hand emitted a scorching red flame, turning into two fiery dragons that coiled around the two assassin puppets layer by layer, binding them in place.
"A space cultivator."
Seeing nearly a hundred three-legged corpse-eating worms destroyed, the gaunt man felt a pang of heartache, and anger finally appeared on his face. The black long spear in his hand crackled with dense lightning.
Lightning filled the entire VIP room, carrying terrifying destructive power.
If any other One-Step Saint King had been in the room, the lightning surging from the spear alone would have severely injured them. But Zhang Ruochen was different. He stood still, letting hundreds of bolts of lightning strike his body.
Yet the lightning could not harm him at all.
At that moment, he quietly retrieved the Yihuang Bone Staff hidden in his sleeve.
"Die."
The gaunt man on the opposite side grabbed his spear and thrust it toward Zhang Ruochen with lightning speed.
Before the spear arrived, the sacred dao force surged like a tidal wave, crashing into Zhang Ruochen.
Suddenly, in front of the gaunt man, amidst the dense lightning, a massive black shadow emerged, like a giant skeleton. Ghost fire burned in the skeleton's eye sockets.
"Boom."
The puppet threw a punch, colliding with the black long spear.
The gaunt man's entire body shook violently, his clothes exploding, his long hair flying backward, and his body was thrown backward like a scarecrow.
Zhang Ruochen, standing on the shoulder of the black skeleton, seized the opportunity to create a one-foot-long spatial rift.
It was worth noting that, having reached the Saint King realm, Zhang Ruochen could now unleash spatial rifts instantly, without needing time to gather power. However, creating a spatial rift consumed a considerable amount of sacred qi.
Creating a one-foot-long spatial rift consumed as much sacred qi as unleashing a sacred art.
The gaunt man twisted his body, dodging the vital point.
"Pfft."
The spatial rift, originally aimed at his neck, struck his left shoulder instead.
The flesh and bone struck by the rift vanished, leaving only a large gap in the flesh, from which a torrent of sacred blood gushed.
The gaunt man seemed oblivious to the pain. He kicked off the wall and charged forward again, attacking Zhang Ruochen with venomous intent: "Today, even if I don't kill Danling Wang, I will kill you first."
The black skeleton kept throwing punches, its powerful force causing the Wusheng Blood Prison to tremble slightly. It was clear that if a punch landed, even an iron man would be flattened.
The gaunt man's speed was astonishing, his movements bizarre. He dodged the black skeleton's fists, leaped above it, and used his spear like a staff, striking down at Zhang Ruochen's head.
Zhang Ruochen unleashed three spatial rifts in succession, but the gaunt man evaded them all with his strange movements. Forced to act, Zhang Ruochen grabbed the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword and swung it upward.
"Bang."
Zhang Ruochen felt as if ten mountains had crushed down on him. He fell from the black skeleton's shoulder, crashing heavily to the ground. Using a half-crouch, he transferred all the force throughout his body, fully neutralizing the power of the gaunt man's strike.
"So strong. I can't clash head-on. It's a pity I haven't cultivated Sword Dao Xuan Gang; otherwise, dealing with this would be much easier."
Zhang Ruochen felt his arms aching and numb. He quickly activated his cultivation technique to restore sensation.
The gaunt man prepared to strike again, his long spear transforming into a black furious dragon, thrusting downward with all his power concentrated at a single point. Lightning had already burst forth from the spear's tip.
Standing below, Zhang Ruochen once again mobilized the power of space.
"Space Distortion."
The gaunt man, suspended above, suddenly felt a dizzying disorientation. His body's position shifted, and he found himself in front of the black skeleton.
Just then, the black skeleton threw a punch, striking him squarely in the chest.
"Bang."
The gaunt man's body caved in, cracks appearing all over. The bones inside him emitted sounds like popping beans. His body flew backward like a cannonball, slamming violently into the blood-red wall.
His long spear clattered to the ground.