Chapter 287 - 278: Drawing Lightning, Thrilling

Chapter 287: Chapter 278: Drawing Lightning, Thrilling

"It’s... it’s coming! That thing is coming!!"

At that moment, nearly everyone was focused on the Centipede Spirit’s movements. When they saw the terrifying, flaming silhouette of the centipede charge straight for the operations building, the color drained from every face in the command center.

"Com... Commander."

Everyone’s gazes converged on Fu Juemin. If he, the commander, hadn’t been present, some of them would have probably already fled.

"What’s there to panic about?"

Fu Juemin’s tone was level, his gaze calm as he watched the approaching centipede silhouette.

"C-Commander..."

"I see it."

Fu Juemin turned, activating [Great Medicine] as he walked to the side. With one hand, he slowly lifted the iron pillar that had been placed on the floor.

Everyone’s attention was fixed on the rapidly approaching Centipede Spirit. No one was even surprised at how Commander Luo, who had always lived a pampered life, could possess such strength.

WHOOSH—CRACK!!—

The window frames, their glass long shattered, rattled in the storm. A wave of heat, carrying a terrifying screech, swept inside.

At this distance, the people in the command center could almost clearly see the densely packed legs and eyes on the rapidly approaching Centipede Spirit outside the window!

"Commander!!"

Finally, someone couldn’t hold it in any longer and screamed, on the verge of collapse.

This time, however, they received no reassuring response from Fu Juemin.

Fu Juemin now stood by the window, gripping the iron rod in one hand. He watched the Centipede Spirit as it was about to charge right up to them. His back was to the officers in the command center, who were trembling, unable to suppress their overwhelming panic and fear. He spoke softly:

"If I were really your Commander Luo.

Every last one of you would be promoted three ranks!"

He paused.

"Too bad... I’m not."

As his voice fell, under countless disbelieving stares, the figure by the window began to change in shape and appearance. His whole body rapidly grew taller and swelled, and the commander’s uniform on him ripped apart inch by inch....

The next instant—

"ROAR—!"

A terrifying, hundred-meter-long, flaming centipede silhouette viciously slammed its head into the brightly lit operations building.

The command center at the very top exploded, swallowed by a surging inferno.

BOOM!—

Explosions rang out one after another!

At almost the same time, a tall, nimble figure leaped out from the erupting flames at the top of the operations building!

BANG!

Activating [Demon Body] and transforming into his "Three Souls in One Body" form, Fu Juemin landed steadily, his feet stomping a radiating crater into the ground!

Fu Juemin didn’t pause for a moment after landing. He hefted the long, thick iron rod—several times his height—and charged straight ahead.

He had already deactivated [Great Medicine], but the Demon Qi naturally released after his transformation still caused the rampaging Centipede Spirit to lock onto him immediately.

The Centipede Spirit, which had just blown up half the operations building, instantly turned and lunged at him with a roar!

And this... was exactly the result Fu Juemin wanted!

The torrential rain poured down, the fierce wind howled, and the lightning flashing across the night-dark sky seemed to grow even more violent.

On the battlefield, flickering between light and shadow, a figure over two, nearly three meters tall was sprinting through the downpour. His speed was incredible, leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.

Behind him, a glaring line of fire gave relentless chase.

The scene was like someone racing against a rapidly burning gunpowder fuse!

The "burning fuse" was simply too fast. Even though the figure had pushed his speed to the absolute limit, the distance between them was still rapidly shrinking.

Just as the figure was about to be caught by the Centipede Spirit, he suddenly dashed toward a tall watchtower nearby. He scrambled up the concrete outer wall in a few steps, seemingly intending to climb to the top.

Seeing this, the pursuing Centipede Spirit actually propped up the burning upper half of its torso. Its venomous jaws opened wide. With a ferocious posture, it spat out a cryptic line of dark Purple fire that shot through the air.

BOOM!!

The line of fire struck the watchtower. Under the strange, dark purple flames, the concrete structure melted as quickly as wax.

Finally, with a massive explosion, the entire watchtower collapsed as if it had been violently shoved sideways, crashing down in half...

At the same time, a figure shot out from the exploding flames. Using the blast’s recoil, he leaped high into the air like a huge, agile hawk, swooping down from above to pounce on the Centipede Spirit, which was now right below him!

"Four Souls!!"

CRACK-CRACK-CRACK—

In mid-air, Fu Juemin completed his transformation from Three Souls to Four Souls. The last of the Innate Primordial Liquid in his dantian was completely drained.

His body suddenly shot up to over three meters tall as he landed precisely on the Centipede Spirit’s reared-up head.

The terrifying flames swept over him almost instantly.

With no time to find his footing, Fu Juemin had waited for this chance to leap onto the Centipede Spirit’s head. He immediately took the iron rod he’d been holding this whole time and, with all his might, plunged it downward!

CRACK!—

With a crisp crack, the seven-to-eight-meter-long, thigh-thick iron rod violently pierced the Centipede Spirit’s head. A gush of magma-hot blood immediately sprayed out, splattering onto Fu Juemin and sizzling as it landed, bringing with it an intense feeling of corrosion and burning!

"ROAR—"

Suffering such a grievous wound, the Centipede Spirit thrashed about like a mad beast. Its mouth became like an oversized flamethrower, WHOOSHING as it continuously spat out pillars of fire and streams of lava several meters long...

Fu Juemin gripped the iron rod tightly with both hands. He could hear his Demon Body sizzling as it was roasted by the flames and high heat, but he refused to let go.

The iron rod gradually began to glow red-hot, but Fu Juemin merely stared intently at the thunder-filled sky, roaring in his heart—

’Come on! Come on! Strike down already!’

According to Gu Shouyu’s theory, a Flood Dragon Level Centipede Spirit was a super negative magnetic field that gathered countless bits of Demon Fiend filth and evil qi. Once exposed, it was highly likely to trigger a backlash from the world’s purest positive energy.

The strange celestial phenomena and the brewing thunderstorm served as proof of Gu Shouyu’s theory.

But the Centipede Spirit had been rampaging through the command post for so long, and while the thunderclouds roiled and brewed, the lightning was stubbornly refusing to strike.

Fu Juemin had figured it out—it wasn’t enough!

The Centipede Spirit’s power was just a little short. The strength of its magnetic field could only stir up the heavens; it wasn’t enough to draw down the punishing lightning.

So he had come up with a bold and insane idea. ’If one Centipede Spirit isn’t enough, then... what if I add myself to the equation?!’

He was a Demon Fiend too!

’Two great magnetic fields, stacked together, plus the iron rod to conduct it... It’s impossible! There’s no way it’s still not enough!!’

The rain grew even more torrential, but it was evaporated by the waves of heat before it could even land, bringing not a hint of coolness.

Fu Juemin clung to the top of the Centipede Spirit’s skull, bathed in roaring flames. His face was savage, blood seeping from his clenched jaw, but he still held onto the iron rod with a death grip.

The thunderclouds overhead, which had completely formed into a vortex, churned and roiled. Finally, a searing flash—

CRACK—!

An incomparably thick bolt of lightning descended from the dark clouds, striking the Centipede Spirit’s head dead-on!

At that moment, time seemed to freeze.

Amid the heavy rain, all sound seemed to be forcibly stripped away.

From every corner of the base’s battlefield, countless faces, countless pairs of eyes, all stared fixedly at this scene that would be etched into their memories forever.

—

The searing white lightning pierced the hundred-meter-long giant centipede. Atop its head, a tall, savage, and wild figure was thrown back, roaring at the sky!

BOOM!!

The instant Fu Juemin sensed the lightning was about to fall, he immediately activated [Gui Cang].

But the violent, destructive power of the heavenly punishment that followed still sent him flying.

As he sailed through the air, before he had even fully landed, he saw a second, and then a third, searing white bolt descend one after another....

SPLAT—

Fu Juemin fell heavily to the ground. The cold, filthy mud submerged his body, yet it brought with it a cool, refreshing sensation.

The residual Thunderbolt Force in his body left him stiff and paralyzed, unable to move a muscle. He thought he could smell the faint, acrid stench of his own burnt flesh.

But soon, an unprecedentedly vast energy was poured into his body from across the distance.

On his character panel, the Energy Slot for Skill Points flashed wildly with golden light.

Once, twice, three times...

Fu Juemin had already lost count of how many times it had been filled, because a giant, illusory hundred-legged Demon Centipede was already roaring as it pounced at his face.

It brutally charged into his body, bringing a torrent of chaotic, fragmented, and bloody memories flooding through his mind, while also causing a collective upheaval and unease among all his Demon Soul Seeds...

Fu Juemin lay on the ground, his eyes watching the dim, murky, lightning-ravaged sky.

The cold rain beat down on his face.

He licked his dry, cracked lips and sighed in his heart:

’That was a real thrill...’

’Next time I get the chance—’

’I’m doing it again.’