Chapter 479

Chapter 479: Ten-Thousand Gu Insect Nest

The scorpion was clearly dead, yet its aura remained extraordinary—sharp as needles, pricking the skin painfully. This was undoubtedly a powerful metal-element demon beast.

The crowd erupted in gasps. "Heavens! This must be the Ninth-Rank Low-Level Beast—Metal Scorpion King! Ordinary Metal Scorpions only reach third-rank, yet this one grew to ninth-rank! A true emperor among kings!"

"Rumor says these emperor beasts surpass ordinary ones of the same rank. They rise from millions of their kind, possessing talents and Fate strong enough to defy the heavens."

"Every part of this creature is treasure! Even a fragment counts as ninth-rank material. Most remarkably, it remains perfectly intact—must’ve died from exhausted Lifespan! This is prime material for crafting demon beast puppets!"

"Exactly! At minimum, it could forge a puppet rivaling a Thunder Tribulation Immortal! Even as mere materials, its value matches Eighth-Rank High-Grade treasures!"

"Why would anyone gamble such treasure? Is he insane?"

"Pah! Don’t you know? The Ten-Thousand Gu Sect’s revival divine skills are both weak and scarce—only their first core disciple qualifies. This third core scoundrel lacks revival qualifications. He was forced into this life-and-death battle by his sect. Since death means losing everything anyway, he’s simply staking it all! Victory brings wealth—he’s gambling with sect treasures against Fang Lie!"

"Hah! Spending others’ resources! No wonder his elders look furious!"

"What can they do? His belongings remain his until death. The sect can’t interfere!"

As chatter filled the air, Fang Lie completed his inspection. The golden scorpion’s corpse showed no flaws—even the Demon Pills remained intact. Clearly preserved for puppet-crafting purposes, not a single hair was missing.

Fang Lie nodded in satisfaction. "Deal. Win this match, and I’ll give you an Eighth-Rank High-Grade treasure!"

"HA! Splendid!" The armored man guffawed, charging onto the Arena. "Remember Fang Lie—your killer is VIP Sir Wan Nianqing!" He casually left the Metal Scorpion King unattended—none would dare steal it under public scrutiny.

Fang Lie scoffed. "Spare me your name. I don’t memorize dead men’s titles."

"Arrogant pup!" Wan Nianqing growled. "You underestimate the world’s heroes! Think a few spells make you invincible? Witness my supreme divine skill—Ten-Thousand Gu Insect Nest!"

Bellowing, Wan Nianqing flexed his iron-like muscles, shredding his shirt to reveal bronzed flesh. Bulges swelled across his body, bursting open to release swarms of gu insects—spiders, centipedes, locusts, earthworms—over sixty varieties in total.

The insects ballooned hundreds-fold in size upon exposure to air. Spiders became house-sized, centipedes stretched over thirty meters, all forming nightmarish silhouettes. Within moments, sixty-four colossal gu insects surrounded Fang Lie completely.

"BEHOLD!" Wan Nianqing crowed. "The Ten-Thousand Gu Sect’s true power lies not just in swarms, but in body-gu fusion! My Ten-Thousand Gu Insect Nest merges flesh and soul with these treasures! Each matches my Wind Tribulation Immortal-level strength! Without using treasures, how will you oppose sixty-four foes?!"

Gasps rippled through the crowd. Truly, Wan Nianqing deserved his reputation—no ordinary challenger.

Unlike typical Ten-Thousand Gu Sect members who summoned black clouds of poison Gu insects, he practiced their rarest technique. The Ten-Thousand Gu Insect Nest required fusing elite gu insects into one’s body through agonizing cultivation—each fusion meant enduring bites akin to Thousand Cuts while meticulously Cycling Energy.

Each successful fusion boosted his body’s strength, enhanced his soul, and granted the gu insect’s innate divine skill. More fusions meant more personal divine skills and combat power.

Yet perfection carried a price—the process’ torment deterred most cultivators. One misstep during Cycling Energy could enrage the gu insects, ensuring gruesome death.

If the poison Gu insects inside one’s body went berserk, they could devour the host entirely.

Among ten cultivators practicing this divine skill, over half failed at this stage and got eaten by their own poison Gu insects.

Reaching such mastery with this treacherous skill proved Wan Nianqing had endured unimaginable hardships, marking him as extraordinarily persistent!

Even Fang Lie recognized the infamous Ten-Thousand Gu Insect Nest, granting Wan Nianqing some grudging admiration.

Yet Fang Lie felt no fear. He knew these grotesque poison Gu insects, though possessing strength comparable to average Wind Tribulation Immortals, held minimal combat effectiveness.

Refinement processes had dulled their intelligence and stripped away all personal divine skills except the single one chosen by their master. Their true combat strength barely reached ten percent of their original power.

Still, controlling dozens of such insects multiplied Wan Nianqing’s threat exponentially. Combined with his formidable body and access to multiple poison Gu abilities, he became a nightmarish opponent!

Unfazed, Fang Lie grinned at Wan Nianqing. "They look intimidating enough. Let’s see how they fare in battle."

"You’ll learn soon enough!" Wan Nianqing roared. "Treasures, shred him to pieces!"

Dozens of poison Gu insects screeched and surged forward upon command.

Though dim-witted, they moved with tactical coordination under Wan Nianqing’s guidance. Nearby insects attacked with claws and fangs in close combat while distant ones unleashed personal divine skills – spraying toxic liquid or firing bizarre energy beams. Any three hits from these attacks could destroy Fang Lie’s fragile physique.

Yet all strikes missed. Utilizing teleportation, Fang Lie vanished from the encirclement and materialized behind a giant butterfly still stupidly flapping its wings to spray poisonous light. Without hesitation, Fang Lie drove a flaming spear through its skull, dropping the creature lifelessly.

Teleporting elsewhere, Fang Lie mocked, "Such trash! Even hundreds wouldn’t trouble me!" He reappeared behind a centipede, arm raised for another kill.

Disaster struck mid-taunt. Having studied Fang Lie’s tactics, Wan Nianqing anticipated the teleportation. The moment Fang Lie materialized, Wan Nianqing and a giant toad unleashed deafening bellows infused with drowsiness-inducing power. Though a single roar could dizzy Wind Tribulation Immortals, their combined voices briefly stunned even Fang Lie.

That fractional hesitation proved fatal. A nearby green lizard shot its spear-like tongue through Fang Lie’s chest, paralyzing toxins spreading instantly. Surrounding Gu insects converged with claws and fangs, reducing Fang Lie to bloody scraps within seconds.

"HA!" Wan Nianqing threw back his head in triumphant laughter. "Fool! You thought I couldn’t counter teleportation? I was toying with you! Now you’ve learned how death’s written!"

Turning to spectating Thunder Tribulation Immortals, he bellowed: "Victory’s mine! Honored elders, deliver my winnings!"