Supreme Sword Exalt

A fiercely powerful aura rose up from behind.

This is bad!

The moment Gu Han swept his divine sense, his heart sank.

Although the Red-Gold Centipede was far inferior to before, it was still a hundred zhang in length. Its shell was black and dark. Dozens of pairs of thin legs grew on either side of it, densely packed. Its maw was filled with fearsome fangs that held a cold gleam. An unknown liquid constantly dripped from the corners of its mouth.

Clearly, it had been hungry for too many years. Although its vital qi had already been depleted to nearly nothing, the aura it carried could still match a top-tier Transcendent realm.

Unsettling hissing sounds that made one’s scalp tingle continuously rang out. It was getting closer and closer.

Without making a sound, Gu Han fled with all his might. He felt somewhat aggrieved. Since arriving inside the Dragon Seal, he had encountered either Transcendent realm barbarians or vicious beasts and evil fiends. Apart from the cheap Illusory Demon, there wasn’t a single one he could defeat.

In contrast, the demoness wasn't nervous in the slightest. Taking advantage of Gu Han's distraction, she gently embraced him and buried her head in his arms. “Little Brother, there’s no need to run. It can’t beat you.”

Gu Han’s face darkened again. He somewhat suspected that the demoness’ injuries were too severe, muddling her mind. Not only was she taking advantage of him, but she also couldn’t read the situation.

How can I possibly beat it?!

A flicker of pain passed through her eyes again, yet her tone was unexpectedly gentle. “Have you forgotten? I have a strand of profound yin qi, which was coveted by that thief, Ling Ya. I can easily help you break into the Ascension realm. You would be practically invincible then. Even Yun Ao would be no match for you. You could also go find Ah Sha faster...”

Ling Ya was the name of her master.

Before Gu Han could answer, the Red-Gold Centipede had already caught up. With a hiss, it opened its massive mouth. Its fangs flashed with a dark light as it lunged to bite down on Gu Han.

He had no time to dodge. Gritting his teeth, he compressed the sword qi to within a chi and a half around him. His flesh and blood split open cun by cun. What he gained in exchange was a ferociously powerful offensive.

A metallic ringing sound echoed as the sword and the fang collided.

Gu Han immediately spat blood and flew backward. The fang was nearly severed. Shoving a few pills into his mouth, he used the force to once again flee into the distance.

The centipede’s eyes faintly glowed red with hunger and pain. Its ferocity became even greater than before, and it gave chase once more.

The demoness held Gu Han even tighter. “If you don’t take the profound yin qi, you will really die...”

Gu Han sneered. “If I take it, you will die too, won’t you? Isn’t the very foundation of your physique?”

The demoness’ gaze dimmed. Even if you don’t take it, how much longer can I live?

Just then, the centipede caught up again. With a loud crash, Gu Han flew back once more, crashing straight into the ground. He landed right next to a skeleton half-buried in the earth.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Gu Han felt that the skeleton’s head had tilted slightly to the side, as if it found him somewhat distasteful.

The centipede seemed unwilling to let Gu Han escape again. With a hiss, it lunged down to bite at the ground again.

The demoness seemed anxious. “Quickly! Or it will be too late—”

Just then, the skeleton sprang up, opening its mouth at Gu Han as if speaking. In the next moment, it threw a punch at the creature. The fist momentum was vast and mighty, almost capable of splitting the heavens.

In an instant, the fist collided with the centipede. A faint yet incredibly domineering wave of qi flashed by, smashing the centipede’s fangs, gouging a deep pit into its head.

With a mournful hiss, the creature flew far away.

Gu Han stared in shock. Is this skeleton still alive? How is it this strong?

The skeleton looked at Gu Han again, making strange, guttural sounds.

Gu Han was completely baffled. “What is it saying?”

The demoness was also uncertain. “It sounds like it’s insulting you?”

He was speechless.

The Red-Gold Centipede went completely berserk. Ignoring the gray-brown liquid oozing from its head, it twisted its remaining fang and lunged at them again.

Gu Han leveled his sword while radiating sword qi. “Come on!”

He was confident he could defeat the centipede with the skeleton.

What he didn't expect was for the skeleton to flee the next moment.

Gu Han was dumbfounded again.

The skeleton mouthed something at Gu Han while running.

The demoness was taken aback. “He is calling you stupid and telling you to run quickly.”

Gu Han’s face darkened as he grabbed the demoness and fled straight ahead. He had actually understood that part.

The Red-Gold Centipede pursued relentlessly, but it was far slower than before. Driven by ferocity, it kept giving chase, but it had no hope of catching up any time soon.

Though the skeleton appeared as if it would fall apart at any moment, it didn’t slow down in the slightest. With just its bare legs, it could almost keep up with Gu Han’s Sword Evasion technique.

Upon seeing Gu Han shove pills into his mouth, it shouted again. Its voice seemed to carry some longing.

Gu Han roughly understood its meaning: “Give me pills! I’ll help you kill it!”

After hesitating for a moment, he tossed out a bottle of body-tempering pills. This skeleton is a barbarian.

Moreover, it seemed to be a barbarian that could be reasoned with. Otherwise that punch earlier would have hit him instead. Compared to the centipede, dealing with a barbarian clansman that could communicate was much easier.

After receiving the pills, the barbarian stopped, carefully and reverently swallowing all the pills. Gu Han strongly suspected that if it had a tongue, it would probably lick the pill bottle clean as well.

Sure enough, the pills from the Profound Pill Camp were extraordinary. The skeleton grew a layer of flesh and blood as if inflated. An aura shot up into the sky, seemingly capable of shaking the heavens.

The barbarian stomped his foot heavily, crushing the hard ground into a deep pit. Then, he smashed at the centipede. Just one punch, and the creature’s head was smashed into a pulp.

Following that, he grabbed the centipede’s corpse, flashing a wave of qi over it. The barbarian absorbed the flesh and blood essence from within the creature.

By this time, Gu Han had already run out of sight. From the moment this barbarian made his move, Gu Han felt he was absurdly strong. The aura he carried was even heavier than those Saint realm War God Hall elders.

At some point, the demoness was tightly holding onto Gu Han again. “There’s no need to run. He means no harm to us.”

“How do you know?”

The demoness sighed softly. “Did you forget? I’m a Heavenly Demon. Heavenly Demons are the best at seeing into people’s hearts. Otherwise, I would have warned you when you gave him the pills.”

Gu Han felt somewhat awkward. “Matters of the heart... We’ll talk about that later. You... let go first.”

“No!”

“Let go!”

“No!”

As the two argued, a figure suddenly descended from the opposite side. He was gaunt and much taller than ordinary barbarians.

Although the barbarian now had some flesh and blood, it clung tightly to his frame. He seemed even more terrifying than when he was still a skeleton.

Gu Han immediately stopped and went on high alert. He hadn’t expected this barbarian to catch up so quickly.

The barbarian stared fixedly at him with deeply sunken eye sockets.

His expression was unfriendly, his voice hoarse and unpleasant. “Just now, was it you who lured it here? You look like a muddled fool! Do you know how many years I spent saving up that bit of qi? All wasted!”

Gu Han glanced at the demoness. This is what you call mean no harm?

He took a deep breath. “Well... What do you want?”

Gu Han’s cultivation began to rise.

The barbarian looked at him as if he were an idiot. “Compensation! Another bottle of that pill from earlier—no, two bottles! Otherwise, you’re not going anywhere today!”

Gu Han suddenly felt the demoness was quite accurate at judging people.

“May I ask who you are—”

The barbarian sneered. “Chi Yao! You just came in from outside, right? Have you ever heard of the War God Hall? I am the War God Hall Master—cough!”

He extended his large hand, carrying an inexplicable aura about him. “Hey! Stop trying to build rapport! I only acknowledge pills! Two bottles. Hand them over!”