C3 Giant Centipede

"You, you, what kind of monster are you?!" Zhao Qianli's final question erupted as his abdomen squirmed, signaling that something was about to emerge from within him.

Shortly thereafter, two round, grayish-black orbs emerged from the mouths of Zhang Xiangtian and Zhao Qianli, landing in the hands of Chen Fann.

"Dantian!" Chen Fann was in disbelief, having actually extracted their dantians.

Deprived of their dantians—the last vestige of their power—Zhang Xiangtian and Zhao Qianli's life force was extinguished. They collapsed to the ground, their bodies as hollow as skeletons, emitting a crisp clatter upon impact.

Holding the two dantians, Chen Fann felt the persistent suction in his palm. The orbs rapidly shrank until they vanished completely, absorbed into his own body.

The entire absorption took nearly half an hour. Observing the emaciated corpses before him, Chen Fann was overcome with a sense of invigoration. His cultivation had not only advanced, but his physical form had also been enhanced. Standing there, he felt a surge of power coursing through him.

More astonishingly, Chen Fann's dantian had transformed from its once ordinary state. It had shifted from white to a pale gray, and its capacity to absorb spiritual energy had doubled.

Whereas Chen Fann's dantian once absorbed spiritual energy like a sporadic stream, it now drew it in like a steady, flowing river.

"This Taotie is truly miraculous!" Chen Fann marveled at the profound transformation of his body.

As dawn broke, he knew it was time to depart. "I must leave before the Ye Family discovers this." Chen Fann cast a steely gaze in their direction, his fists clenched with resolve. "Ye Family, mark my words. Within three months, I, Chen Fann, will return to settle the score!"

With that, Chen Fann turned and strode into the Unmarked Common Graves, undaunted by the tales of demons and ghosts said to dwell within.

After all, what fear could grip a man who had already faced death?

...

As morning light filtered through the trees, the cawing of crows filled the air. It had taken Chen Fann a full four hours to traverse the vastness of the Unmarked Common Graves from night into day.

The gravesite, with its black soil—a testament to the many interred there—and trees of grotesque shapes, was chilling to the core, whether by night or day.

"Dad!"

A sudden, agonizing cry pierced the silence. Chen Fann paused, puzzled by the presence of another soul in the Unmarked Common Graves.

He approached to investigate and soon came upon a little girl kneeling on the ground, her father beside her, lying weak and ashen-faced.

"Get away, get away!" The girl frantically swung a stick of deadwood at something near the fallen man.

Chen Fann's eyes followed her desperate defense and caught sight of a centipede, resembling an earthworm, clamped onto the man, greedily draining his blood.

Despite the girl's frantic efforts with the stick, the centipede clung on, unyielding.

Chen Fann, ready to intervene, suddenly tensed as his gaze shifted. Behind the girl, a horde of centipedes, each the size of an earthworm, was advancing towards her in a writhing mass.

As the situation grew dire, Chen Fann acted without hesitation. He strode forward, scooping up the girl in his arms, then swiftly slapped the centipede off the middle-aged man's body and dragged him to safety.

Once they were a good ten meters away, Chen Fann set the man down. The girl immediately clung to her father, crying out, "Dad, dad, please wake up!"

The man coughed twice and his eyes fluttered open, revealing the blackened color of his eyes and lips—a clear sign of poisoning.

"Xiao Qin, daddy's okay. Daddy's... cough, cough," he tried to reassure his daughter, but his coughing fit intensified.

The centipedes, having lost their target, were retreating into the distance. Chen Fann turned to the middle-aged man with a questioning gaze. "What brought you to the Unmarked Common Graves?"

"Eh? Who are you?" the man asked, as if suddenly recalling something important. He quickly stood up and rummaged through his pocket, extracting a flower as black as ink, its appearance almost surreal.

"Thank goodness, the Resurrection Lily is safe. As long as the flower is unharmed, all is well," he sighed with relief. Chen Fann, however, looked at the flower with a grave expression.

"The Resurrection Lily is a deadly plant that thrives on human bones. Why would you harvest such a thing? It's no surprise the centipedes were after you. Didn't you know that these flowers are often protected by centipedes or other venomous creatures?"

Chen Fann's astonishment was understandable. The Resurrection Lily was toxic and offered no benefit to humans, yet it was a potent nourishment for inherently venomous beings like centipedes.

And the guardians of the Resurrection Lily were certainly no ordinary centipedes. It was highly likely that even more formidable ones were tracking the scent of the flower.

The middle-aged man hesitated under Chen Fann's stern gaze, then explained with a look of despair, "My son suffered grievous injuries. The local healer told us the Resurrection Lily could mend his wounds completely, which is why I brought my daughter to find it."

Hearing this, Chen Fann's brow furrowed. To seek a deadly flower in hopes of healing his son seemed like a death wish. And to involve a young girl in such peril?

"Roar! Crack! Crack!"

Chen Fann was skeptical, but before he could probe further, an enraged roar echoed from the depths of the Unmarked Common Graves, followed by the ominous sound of many approaching footsteps.

They wanted to flee, but it was too late. Soon, a centipede as large as a python, with pincer-like jaws and thorn-sharp legs, its body gleaming metallically, emerged before Chen Fann.

"Giant centipede!" The middle-aged man and his daughter were huddled on the ground, paralyzed with fear. Chen Fann faced the colossal creature, his expression one of utmost seriousness.

The centipede's exoskeleton was surely tougher than steel, a natural suit of armor.

But what truly concerned Chen Fann was the creature's venom. Without its poison, Chen Fann, currently at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation, would confidently take on the beast.

However, the centipede's venom was a fearsome adversary. Chen Fann's only option was to abandon the woman and child and make his escape; otherwise, he too would become a meal for the giant centipede.

Desperation was etched into the middle-aged man's gaze. Noticing Chen Fann's attention on him, he quickly rose and fell to his knees with a thud before Chen Fann. "Please," he pleaded, his voice laced with urgency, "I can face death, but save my daughter. Get her out of this. I'm begging you."