Chapter 2693

The Golden Centipede Mountain Range serves as an outpost for the Five Saints Sect. It is perpetually shrouded in miasma and home to numerous venomous insects and beasts. The Five Saints Sect maintains a large spirit herb garden in this location, cultivating a vast quantity of poisonous herbs and toxins. Ten Soul Transformation cultivators are stationed there, two of whom are Late Soul Transformation cultivators.

As the Five Saints Sect dispatched personnel to aid the Qian family, all their outposts received an alert. They were instructed to heighten vigilance and strictly guard against sneak attacks from the Wang family.

Zhang Yifei, originally a rogue cultivator, joined the Five Saints Sect through a fortunate turn of events. He is currently at the Mid Nascent Soul stage and is in charge of patrols.

Not long ago, he was notified that Wang family disciples might attack Golden Centipede Valley and was advised to be extra cautious during his patrols.

On this particular day, Zhang Yifei was leading his team on patrol, all of them wearing vigilant and solemn expressions.

A golden streak of light appeared on the distant horizon, rapidly flying towards their location.

“Someone’s coming! Be careful, notify Elder Chen,” Zhang Yifei said, his expression grave. The ongoing conflict between the Wang family and the Five Saints Sect had put them all on edge.

Soon after, the golden streak of light halted, revealing a pale-faced old man in a golden robe, his body covered in bloodstains and his left arm missing.

“Elder Jin! What happened to you?” Zhang Yifei asked, breathing a sigh of relief. The golden-robed old man was Jin Feng, a Late Soul Transformation cultivator who had grown up in the Five Saints Sect.

“We were ordered to assist the Qian family, but we were ambushed by Wang family cultivators on the way. Everyone else was killed, and a Wang family Soul Transformation cultivator is now pursuing me,” Jin Feng explained, his voice weak and his appearance indicating severe exhaustion.

Just as Zhang Yifei was about to speak, a deafening dragon roar echoed from the distance. A green flood dragon appeared on the distant horizon, rapidly flying towards their location.

“This is bad, they’ve caught up!” Jin Feng exclaimed, his face turning pale. He then transformed into a golden streak of light and sped towards the Golden Centipede Mountain Range.

Zhang Yifei and his team were also startled. Just as they were about to flee, a piercing whooshing sound rang out, and a silver spear, over a hundred *zhang* long, sliced through the sky, heading straight for them.

Zhang Yifei quickly summoned a golden shield and imbued it with a spell. The shield instantly expanded, blocking their path.

The silver spear struck the golden shield with a dull thud. The spear then suddenly disintegrated, transforming into hundreds of thousands of silver beetles. The queen beetle among them was a low-grade fifth-tier Silver Sheath Bug.

“Silver Sheath Bugs!” Zhang Yifei exclaimed, his face turning pale with shock. Silver Sheath Bugs are known for consuming various metals, being impervious to blades and spears, and producing rare metals within their bodies. They rank 208th on the Myriad Bug List.

Hundreds of thousands of Silver Sheath Bugs swarmed forward, engulfing Zhang Yifei and his team, followed by a chorus of screams. A blinding golden light flared, and the swarm exploded, countless Silver Sheath Bugs turning to ash. However, Zhang Yifei and his team were nowhere to be seen; only a dozen or so storage rings floated in mid-air.

At this moment, the green flood dragon also came to a stop. Over a hundred Wang family disciples stood on its back, including no fewer than ten Soul Transformation cultivators. Leading them was Wang Jingfeng, a tall, fair-skinned young man in a golden robe with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He wore a white jade belt and a golden spirit beast bracelet on his hand. Wang Jingfeng was a Mid Soul Transformation cultivator and a Beast Tamer.

Standing beside him was Zhang Yuyun, a graceful young woman in a pink dress. Her peachy eyes sparkled, and her aura was slightly stronger than Wang Jingfeng’s. She wore a red spirit beast bracelet on her left hand. Zhang Yuyun was Wang Jingfeng’s Dao companion and also a Beast Tamer.

Their parents arranged their marriage shortly after both were confirmed to possess spiritual roots. Zhang Yuyun married into the Wang family during her Foundation Establishment stage. As both were Beast Tamers, they shared common interests.

Wang Jingfeng performed a hand seal, and hundreds of thousands of Silver Sheath Bugs flew towards him. He collected the dozen or so storage rings and recalled the Silver Sheath Bugs into his spirit beast bracelet.

This particular swarm of Silver Sheath Bugs had been passed down for five generations, reaching Wang Jingfeng’s hands with the queen beetle already at the fifth tier. Following the principle that one generation plants the trees for the next to enjoy the shade, Wang family members who have no hope of further breakthrough will pass their spirit insects or beasts to their descendants. This practice ensures that even those with lower cultivation can possess a high-tier spirit insect or beast.

The green flood dragon flew deeper into the Golden Centipede Mountain Range at an exceptionally fast speed.

A quarter of an hour later, the green flood dragon stopped. A massive golden light barrier appeared before them, adorned with a centipede pattern. Chen Yifan had already received the news and activated all defensive restrictions, preparing for battle. Jin Feng stood to the side, his expression solemn.

“Kill!” Wang Jingfeng commanded, his expression turning cold.

He summoned a golden, shimmering metal sphere, imbued it with a spell, and with a dull thud, the sphere transformed into a giant ape puppet beast over a hundred *zhang* tall, its body constantly flashing with golden light. The Wang family cultivators each summoned a puppet beast, most of which were humanoid.

The humanoid puppets opened their mouths, and points of spiritual light emerged from within. With a flash, they each unleashed beams of various colors, striking the golden light barrier. Avian puppets hovered high above, casting spells to attack the golden light barrier.

Five giant ape puppet beasts strode towards the golden light barrier. Their bodies gleamed golden, and with every step, the ground subtly trembled.

Chen Yifan quickly took out a golden, shimmering formation plate and cast several spells into it. The golden light barrier flared brightly, and the ground began to shake violently as ten yellow giants, over a hundred *zhang* tall, burst forth from the earth to confront the five giant ape puppet beasts.

A barrage of light beams struck the golden light barrier, producing a dull thudding sound.

“This isn't working. I should return to the main sect for reinforcements! The Wang family’s puppet beasts are formidable; we’ve suffered greatly from them,” Jin Feng said with a frown.

“Junior Brother Jin, please return to the main sect for reinforcements and report the situation to Master-Uncle Sect Master,” Chen Yifan agreed after a moment of thought.

Jin Feng was injured and could not be of much help, so it was better for him to return to the Five Saints Sect’s main headquarters to report the situation. Chen Yifan had already questioned Jin Feng and confirmed that there were no problems.

“Alright, stay within the formation. Don’t go out and confront the Wang family cultivators head-on,” Jin Feng cautioned, then quickly departed.

Chen Yifan activated the formation, resisting the attacks from Wang Jingfeng and his group.

A moment later, a deafening explosion rang out. The golden light barrier flickered wildly a few times before suddenly collapsing, and the ten yellow giants also disintegrated into scattered sand and dust.

“Junior Brother Jin has betrayed us!” Chen Yifan exclaimed, his face changing drastically as he realized a terrible truth.

With the formation broken, a barrage of attacks rained down from above.

Wang Jingfeng released hundreds of thousands of Silver Sheath Bugs. With a hand seal, the swarm spun in mid-air, coalescing into a silver spear that shot directly towards Chen Yifan and his group!

Zhang Yuyun and the other nine Soul Transformation cultivators each controlled two fifth-tier puppet beasts, attacking Chen Yifan and his group. Simultaneously, Jin Feng also moved to assist Wang Jingfeng and his allies.

Outnumbered, Chen Yifan and his group faced overwhelming odds. The fifth-tier puppet beasts proved extremely difficult to deal with, and they struggled to destroy them. It wasn't long before they were defeated.

Chen Yifan took out a golden, shimmering talisman, slapped it on himself, and his body flared with golden light, transforming into thousands of golden streaks that flew in different directions. The other Soul Transformation cultivators, lacking sixth-tier escape talismans, were killed one by one.