Chapter 2377: The Reappearance of the Six Wings

“Boom!” A deafening roar echoed.

Ten zhang ahead of the young man, a massive crystalline wall shimmering with seven-colored light abruptly materialized out of thin air.

The thunderous sun-like orbs crashed into it with a howl, instantly sending countless green arcs scattering and twisting in all directions. Over a dozen orbs exploded, unleashing a tremendous force that surged skyward, as if intent on tearing and devouring everything in its path.

Despite such terrifying power, the seven-colored crystalline wall merely flickered slightly before effortlessly absorbing the impact, leaving the black-robed youth behind completely unscathed.

Instead, at that very moment, the entire sky suddenly darkened as a nearly transparent, colossal crystalline hand tore through the void and emerged.

This sky-reaching hand was smooth and translucent, its surface swirling with countless golden runes. As its five fingers spread and descended, the entire sky trembled beneath an indescribable force.

“Bang!”

At a spot several thousand zhang away, space rippled, and the burly man’s Nascent Soul staggered out of the void.

Having fled so far, the Nascent Soul had been forcibly ejected from its teleportation by an abrupt surge of overwhelming power.

The moment it reappeared, the Nascent Soul’s face twisted with shock and fury. Before it could react, the massive hand blurred in mid-air and instantly reappeared above it. A single finger, like a towering pillar, lightly tapped downward.

“Pfft!”

The Nascent Soul exploded without even a sound, utterly incapable of withstanding even a fraction of that finger’s power.

The giant hand absorbed the scattered spiritual light before dissipating into the wind.

The black-robed youth waved a hand, and the crystalline wall before him shattered into nothingness. Yet, strangely, he did not immediately depart on the blood river beneath him. Instead, he turned and glanced in another direction before speaking coolly, “Having watched this spectacle for so long, shouldn’t the two of you come out now?”

But the direction he faced remained silent, showing no signs of disturbance.

“Hmph, refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit!”

The black-robed youth’s brows furrowed sharply, and he casually flicked a finger.

A crimson arc of lightning split the sky where he pointed, causing the surrounding void to ripple violently.

“You knew we were here all along!” A startled voice rang out from the seemingly empty space.

Then, a flash of crystalline light revealed a man and a woman stepping forward one after the other.

Both wore white robes, but the man had gold and silver spirit patterns etched along his cheeks, his features bearing an uncanny resemblance to Han Li. The woman was stunningly beautiful yet cold, her skin as white and translucent as ice, exuding an aura of bone-chilling frost.

These two were none other than the white-robed man transformed from the Six-Winged Frost Centipede and the Ice Phoenix he had coerced into accompanying him.

Originally, they should have been far away on the Thunder Continent, yet somehow they had also arrived in the Blood Sky.

“Thinking such paltry concealment could fool me? You underestimate me too much. However, the two of you are quite interesting—both possess mutated ice-attribute True Spirit bloodlines. Even in the Immortal Realm, such beings are rare. Fine, I’m in a good mood today and will spare your lives. From now on, you shall serve as my spirit slaves. I happen to be short of attendants during my descent to this lower realm,” the black-robed youth remarked, his eyes flickering with faint surprise before he issued his command indifferently.

“The Immortal Realm? Spirit slaves? You’re an upper realm True Immortal? Impossible! Since ancient times, all interfaces have lost contact with the True Immortal Realm. How could a True Immortal descend here?” The Six-Winged Frost Centipede, despite his usually composed nature, couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

The Ice Phoenix’s expression also shifted dramatically, filled with disbelief.

“Hmph, all interfaces? It’s only your tiny cluster of realms that lost contact. As for the True Immortal Realm, it’s not impossible to reconnect with your world—it’s just that the cost is too great, and those old fools refuse to waste resources on such a futile endeavor,” the black-robed youth scoffed dismissively.

Hearing this, the Six-Winged Frost Centipede felt a chill in his heart. Combined with witnessing the youth effortlessly slay three Mahayana cultivators earlier, he was now mostly convinced of the other’s True Immortal identity.

However, the idea of becoming another’s “spirit pet,” akin to a tamed beast, was utterly unacceptable, no matter how formidable the opponent.

“I’ll give you ten breaths to consider. If you refuse… hehe…” Seeing the Six-Winged Frost Centipede’s conflicted expression, the black-robed youth chuckled darkly.

“No need for ten breaths. I can answer you now. Become your spirit slave? Don’t delude yourself! Even if you knelt and kowtowed to me three times, there wouldn’t be the slightest chance!” The Six-Winged Frost Centipede sneered after a brief pause, his voice dripping with scorn.

“What did you say? You dare speak to me like that?” The black-robed youth’s face darkened instantly, his body erupting with a murderous aura that surged heavenward, sweeping outward in all directions.

The surrounding void twisted and distorted under this oppressive force, white cracks appearing as if space itself were on the verge of tearing apart.

Without hesitation, the Six-Winged Frost Centipede struck his own chest with a fist, expelling a mouthful of blue essence blood along with a crystalline orb.

The orb transformed into a pair of translucent wings the moment it appeared, attaching themselves to his back in a flash.

Simultaneously, he grabbed the Ice Phoenix beside him with a flick of his sleeve, rolling into his true form—a snow-white centipede.

But now, in addition to his original three pairs of wings, a fourth pair, formed from the orb, shimmered on his back.

With a flick of his eight wings, the centipede shot forward like a white streak, vanishing into the void in an instant, leaving only the faint sound of tearing wind in the distance.

Such astonishing speed made even the black-robed youth’s pupils contract briefly before he calmly remarked,

“Still foolish. Do you really think such speed can save you from me?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the blood river beneath his feet surged upward, engulfing his body entirely within moments.

Instantly, an aura several times more powerful than before erupted from within him.

The black-robed youth flicked his sleeve, preparing to unleash a secret technique to pursue them.

But then—

“Pfft!”

Countless violet-gold runes materialized around him, swirling before coalescing into a golden chain that lunged at him.

The youth’s expression darkened, yet for some reason, he remained rooted in place, making no attempt to evade.

A thunderclap boomed across the clear sky!

Violet-gold light wreathed his body, and as he shuddered, his terrifying aura abruptly dissipated.

His face paled further as he spat out a mouthful of faint silver essence blood, the violet-gold light around him flickering before vanishing entirely.

Only then did he lift his head, gazing deeply in the direction the Six-Winged Frost Centipede had fled before murmuring coldly to himself,

“Though it’s just a minor realm, the suppression of an entire world’s power is still beyond my resistance. But even with only twenty to thirty percent of my strength and a fraction of my abilities, two mere lower realm creatures won’t escape me so easily. Since the next blood sacrifice is months away, I might as well enjoy this little chase. Let’s hope these playthings can entertain me for a while longer.”

His voice grew icy toward the end. With a flick of his sleeve, a seven-colored auspicious cloud materialized beneath his feet, carrying him swiftly after them.

His speed, however, seemed deliberately unhurried, as if he were in no rush.

Two days later, inside a crude cave hastily carved into an unnamed mountain, a man and a woman sat cross-legged, facing each other in meditation.

They were the Six-Winged Frost Centipede in his white-robed guise and the Ice Phoenix.

After a long while, the Six-Winged Frost Centipede opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of frosty mist.

Sensing this, the Ice Phoenix also stirred, opening her beautiful eyes to regard him with a complicated expression.

“Have you recovered the expended true essence? That earlier escape technique isn’t something even an ordinary Mahayana cultivator could perform casually. It’s fortunate you obtained that strange treasure to manifest a fourth pair of wings, or we’d never have escaped that man’s grasp,” she remarked coolly.

“Hmph, my years in the wild weren’t wasted. I’ve had my share of fortuitous encounters. Becoming another’s spirit slave? Not even a True Immortal could force me. As for my true essence, don’t worry. The Lunar Yin Star Qi I absorbed earlier will replenish it soon enough. If only I’d found the Lunar Yin Clan’s hiding place sooner and mastered their star-communing techniques to achieve a True Spirit body—even a True Immortal wouldn’t be unbeatable,” the Six-Winged Frost Centipede retorted, his eyes glinting coldly.

“Blame your luck. Who would’ve thought the Lunar Yin Clan, settled on the Thunder Continent since ancient times, would suddenly uproot their entire clan to the Blood Sky? If not for your relentless pursuit, you’d still be empty-handed. But relying on this to oppose a True Immortal? That’s pure delusion,” the Ice Phoenix replied after a moment of hesitation, her voice frosty.

“Against a True Immortal at full strength? Of course, there’d be no hope. But descending in his true form, suppressed by the realm’s power, he can wield at most thirty to forty percent of his strength—no more formidable than a powerful True Spirit. Why couldn’t I contend? Given a few more centuries, I could— Damn it! He’s catching up again!”

The Six-Winged Frost Centipede had barely spoken calmly when his expression twisted in alarm.