Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

In the desolate village, fog tumbled and churned.

The malevolent energy was so dense that it almost solidified into material form, and the wild grass on the ground turned into black ash under the assault of the evil power.

Zuo Yongjun was enveloped in a crimson glow.

This was the protection of his Innate True Qi, defending against the invasion of the evil qi.

But the real threat was not the malevolent qi filling the surrounding space, it was a gigantic Skeleton Centipede!

Constructed entirely of white bones, its head and claws, its long body was covered with naked corpses. Its curved mandibles resembled sharp sickles, grinding against each other, issuing a sound that made one's teeth sour.

Since the latter half of the Skeleton Centipede was hidden in the thick fog, it was impossible to gauge its full length, but the gaping maw revealed between its jaws could easily swallow a person whole without any trouble.

Facing such a monster, Zuo Yongjun's expression became extremely grave.

He had been with the Imperial Guard Bureau for many years and had seen all sorts of Evil Wraiths.

Without a doubt, this Skeleton Centipede was one of the most terrifying evil creatures Zuo Yongjun had ever encountered!

Yet this could not make the Innate Martial Artist feel fear; his fighting spirit boiled and burned like the True Qi in his body.

Inside Zuo Yongjun's body, the five Evil Wheels—Corpse Dog, Obscure Tortoise, Sparrow Shadow, Swallowing Thief, and Non-Poison—were activated by the push of Innate True Qi, bestowing different powers to his entire body.

Confucian Cultivation Triple Souls, Military Cultivation Seven Spirits—Zuo Yongjun's cultivation technique was the most orthodox Military one. He had already condensed five out of the seven Evil Wheels, a strength that was unrivaled in Nan Shao.

Others might flee or hide, but he alone would not retreat a step in the face of the Evil Wraith!

Because Zuo Yongjun's parents, wife, and children had all been harmed by Evil Wraiths, he had sworn a martial oath to eradicate all the evil creatures in the world, his determination was already unshakably firm.

The Skeleton Centipede sensed Zuo Yongjun's soaring battle intent as well as the Blood Fiend Energy emanating from his body.

The eyes of the evil creature showed a wary look.

Suddenly, it recoiled backward and vanished into the mist, disappearing from sight.

But Zuo Yongjun did not relax his vigilance because of this; instead, he heightened his alertness.

The Skeleton Centipede's retreat was clearly not out of fear, but it did not wish to engage in a frontal confrontation.

This evil creature was very cunning!

At this moment, Zuo Yongjun could hear rustling noises coming from all around.

Corpses converged from every direction, among them numerous white skeletal figures, innumerable and densely packed!

And in the depths of the mist, the body of the Skeleton Centipede flickered in and out of view.

Suddenly, accompanied by a piercing scream, the previously slow-moving corpses abruptly lunged toward Zuo Yongjun with ferocity.

They clawed and gnashed their teeth, emitting a low growl, as pairs of gray eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty glow.

Facing this scene, Zuo Yongjun forcefully plunged his long sword into the ground.

He brought his palms together and suddenly crushed a talisman.

Whirr!

A pile of well-forged long swords appeared out of nowhere, landing in front of Zuo Yongjun.

He stretched out both hands at the same time, each seizing a long sword and flinging them to the left and right.

Thud! Thud!

The hilts of the two swords, along with part of the blade, plunged deeply into the earth, leaving only the sharp edges standing erect on the ground.

The Innate Martial Artist acted with lightning speed, throwing more than a dozen long swords in an instant.

He set up a ring of SwordQi around himself.

No sooner had the sword formation been completed than the corpses collided with it, their lower legs severed by the blades, and they tumbled to the ground.

The horde of corpses was thrown into chaos.

Some corpses stepped over their fallen companions to approach Zuo Yongjun.

And they were met with the gleaming edge of swords!

Sword Light suddenly appeared, Sword Qi crisscrossed, limbs and severed arms flew everywhere, and grisly, gray-green heads soared into the sky.

The sword formation around Zuo Yongjun considerably slowed the charging speed and momentum of the walking corpses, allowing this Innate Martial Artist to easily swing his twin swords, slicing through the encroaching enemies as easily as one would chop vegetables,

Zombie after zombie fell before him, hordes of skeletons shattered into bone and dust. Zuo Yongjun stood like a rock in the sea, unmovable in the face of the raging tide of undead.

Time silently passed, and the Innate Martial Artist fought with increasing ferocity, his aura of Blood Fiend Energy growing ever more intense.

However, the number of corpses around him kept increasing, piling up higher and higher.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Zuo Yongjun once again planted his twin swords in front of him, his palms striking alternately left and right.

His robust True Qi burst forth from his body, turning into a fierce tide of palm energy that sent the corpses on the ground flying beyond the reach of the sword formation.

Splat!

At that moment, a stream of poison, thick with the pungent smell of blood, suddenly pierced through the mist, shooting towards Zuo Yongjun like a sharp arrow.

The lurking Skeleton Centipede could no longer restrain itself!

But Zuo Yongjun was well-prepared. He joined his palms together and smacked the incoming stream of poison with full force.

The palm energy collided with the poison, causing it to explode in mid-air and turn into thousands of droplets that splattered onto the zombies and skeletons.

Grey smoke billowed up instantly. The Evil Wraiths convulsed as their bodies became riddled with gaping holes.

The extreme toxicity was alarmingly evident to any onlooker!

"Die!"

Zuo Yongjun growled, grabbing a long sword and holding it vertically in front of him.

He opened his mouth and sprayed a cloud of blood mist onto the blade.

The gleaming sword instantly became coated with a thick aura of Blood Fiend Energy.

The next moment, Zuo Yongjun hurled the long sword with all his might.

The sword shot out like a meteor, following the same path the poisonous stream had come from and disappearing into the mist in an instant.

"Hiss–"

A scream suddenly rose as the fog churned violently, vaguely revealing the struggling, twisting form of the Skeleton Centipede, evidently wounded by Zuo Yongjun's thrown sword.

But Zuo Yongjun showed no hint of joy. His expression changed suddenly, and he grabbed another long sword, thrusting it firmly into the ground with both hands.

Splat!

A gush of filthy blood sprayed up along the blade, and the ground trembled violently.

The repeatedly thwarted Skeleton Centipede, clearly enraged, ceased using zombies to exhaust Zuo Yongjun's strength and abandoned the idea of a stealthy assault, once again revealing its true form.

Its lengthy skeletal tail swept violently towards Zuo Yongjun!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The swords in front and the bodies on the ground shattered under the lash of the tail.

Even someone as strong as Zuo Yongjun dared not meet its edge and immediately took to the air with a soaring leap.

Then, the Skeleton Centipede surged upwards, opening its curved, sharp mandibles and lunging towards the airborne Zuo Yongjun with a speed that defied comprehension!

Zuo Yongjun, with nowhere to dodge mid-air, instinctively thrust his sword forward at the gaping maw of the Evil Monster.

He unleashed all his strength, recklessly determined to fight to the death.

At this life-and-death juncture, the Innate Martial Artist's face was a portrait of resolve.

Just as both parties seemed destined for mutual destruction, a blazing flame suddenly descended from the heavens, instantly piercing the large skull of the Skeleton Centipede and pinning it to the ground!

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First update delivered.