Chapter 150: The Cleansing Mantra Fails?

The low growling could still be heard just a moment ago, but now there was not the slightest sound.

Both of them could sense that danger was closing in on them.

The dense jungle, with its crisscrossing branches and leaves, blocked a large portion of their line of sight.

Neither of them spoke further as they pushed forward in silence.

Suddenly, the foliage ahead rustled and shook.

Master San-Tong leapt forward swiftly, flashing across to investigate.

The moment he drew near, a plume of purple smoke spewed out from the swaying brush.

One look at its color revealed it to be highly toxic!

Agile as Master San-Tong was, he already sensed something was amiss before even landing. With an extreme twisting turn of his body, he vaulted back out.

Although he escaped in time, his face had already been grazed by the poisonous mist, turning entirely purple in an instant.

"Well, well, are you trying out face-changing arts?" Xiang Nan joked, casually tossing a Rejuvenation Herb to Master San-Tong. "Quick, eat this. It will help you detoxify."

"You be careful too; this is a formidable venomous beast." Master San-Tong quickly swallowed the Rejuvenation Herb. Since Xiang Nan's very first ancestral resonance had been the benevolent medical martial saint Wong Fei-hung, Master San-Tong naturally trusted the miraculous medicine he provided.

Xiang Nan nodded slightly, wings of light flickering behind him as he soared straight toward the toxic smoke.

Being entirely immune to all poisons, he felt not the slightest apprehension toward the poisonous mist. Yet, as he looked around, there was nothing at all in the vicinity of the smoke.

The demonic beast had concealed itself!

Xiang Nan did not dare to lower his guard. Scanning his surroundings, his ears suddenly twitched as he caught a strange sound coming from directly behind him.

The demonic beast was attempting a sneak attack. Unflustered, Xiang Nan executed a clever leap, dodging the assault and rising high into the air.

Looking down at his feet, he saw a gigantic, black-and-red pincer emerging from the damp soil, as thick as a water barrel.

The next second, the earth churned as a ten-meter-long centipede-scorpion hybrid burst forth, thrashing and shaking its body. Its two massive pincers were opened wide as it aggressively challenged Xiang Nan with a ferocious demeanor.

The upper body of this centipede-scorpion protruded in a manner resembling a human head and face, reminding Xiang Nan of the Scorpion King.

The demonic beasts on Spirit-Binding Island were indeed extraordinary. This centipede-scorpion looked somewhat anthropomorphic, and by visual estimation, its cultivation was at the fifth tier or above—it was truly on the verge of attaining full sentience.

Judging by its sheer size, its physical attacks were bound to be formidable.

However, Xiang Nan had no desire to fight it head-on; he decided to try the Heart-Cleansing Incantation first.

Calming his mind and focusing his breath, he silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Incantation directed at the centipede-scorpion.

For a split second, the centipede-scorpion's expression froze, a look of bewilderment flashing through its eyes.

Xiang Nan initially thought his attempt would succeed once more. But in the next instant, the centipede-scorpion reared straight up on its hind end.

Though incapable of flight, the sudden upright posture allowed the beast to reach a height of over a dozen meters, nearly grazing Xiang Nan with its colossal pincers.

A fierce gust of wind swept past, breaking Xiang Nan out in a cold sweat.

What the hell! The Heart-Cleansing Incantation actually had no effect on this centipede-scorpion? Why?

Before he had time to ponder further, the centipede-scorpion attacked again, this time shooting out a stream of virulent poison.

While Xiang Nan could not be killed by poison, the stench of that toxic mist was unbearable! Even if it couldn't kill him, it would nearly asphyxiate him half to death.

Suppressing his nausea, Xiang Nan silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Incantation once more.

There was no reason for this technique not to work!

Yet, as expected, it still didn't work!

This time, the centipede-scorpion lashed out with its tail whip, nearly swatting Xiang Nan right out of midair.

Fortunately, Xiang Nan reacted with extreme speed, barely managing to dodge. Even so, his arm was grazed by the scorpion's tail whip, immediately drawing a significant amount of blood.

Damn it! If it cannot be subdued, then I'll just exterminate it outright. Wouldn't it be wonderful to dig out its spirit pearl for cultivation?

Hesitating no longer, Xiang Nan soared into the air and brought his sword down in a ferocious slash.

Instantly, sword Qi surged overwhelmingly. Given the centipede-scorpion's massive size and its confinement within the jungle, it seemed impossible for the creature to escape.

Yet, as the sword Qi cleaved downward, churning up the earth and gouging a deep trench into the ground, the centipede-scorpion had vanished completely.

"It actually possesses such a powerful earth-escape technique!"

Gritting his teeth, Xiang Nan scanned his surroundings, ready to unleash another fatal strike the moment the centipede-scorpion showed itself.

At that moment, the ground began to shake violently. Rocks and earth flew in all directions, and ancient trees were uprooted and crashed down with a deafening roar.

Master San-Tong, who had been recovering nearby from his poisoning, was forced to deploy his Vajra Umbrella, spinning it above himself to deflect the debris and avoid being buried by the churning earth.

Moments later, the ground grew still once more, as if nothing had happened.

Only devastation remained; this patch of the forest was now completely unrecognizable.

"This scorpion is no ordinary creature; it actually has the power to shake the earth!" Master San-Tong's complexion had returned to normal as he sighed in admiration.

"No matter how formidable, it's still just a demonic beast that can only play tricks underground. If I lay eyes on it again, I'll definitely dig out its spirit pearl!" Xiang Nan said with considerable resentment.

What displeased him most, of course, was that the centipede-scorpion had been completely unfazed by his Heart-Cleansing Incantation!

Could the demonic beasts here already have masters?

He had once read in an unorthodox manual that once demonic beasts reach the Transcendent tier, they develop spiritual intelligence and, under fortuitous circumstances, may pledge allegiance to a master.

Naturally, that master had to be superior to them in strength for them to be subjugated.

Once a demonic beast acknowledged a master, it would not change allegiance unless the master's restriction was lifted.

This was also why legendary, powerful demon gods supposedly possessed mounts that had been thoroughly subjugated by them.

If this theory held true, then Spirit-Binding Island might genuinely harbor a Demon King.

Demon Kings were beings of legend; in the current world, no one had ever truly heard of anyone encountering a Demon King.

Of course, they might exist within the subterranean chasms, but the brave adventurers who ventured into those depths rarely returned alive. As for those who triumphed like the Mad King, they kept the realities of the chasms strictly to themselves.

At this thought, Xiang Nan's expression inevitably grew somewhat grave.

After searching left and right without finding the slightest trace of the centipede-scorpion's escape route, the two men had no choice but to let the matter drop.

Having just survived an ordeal, Master San-Tong felt a rising wave of anxiety. "Xiang Nan, this place is far too perilous. We should locate the Spirit-Suppressing Stone as quickly as possible. I must say, with an island this vast, finding a single rock is truly no easy task." Moreover, running into a demonic beast of this caliber at every turn meant that staying even a single day longer added an extra layer of danger.

Although Master San-Tong had come bearing a mission, he had no desire to throw his life away here.

Had it not been for that person's request, he would still be roaming free among the famous mountains, enjoying an unrestrained life.

Considering the possibility that a Demon King-tier beast might actually exist, Xiang Nan harbored a few more reservations. However, he wasn't particularly worried about the danger itself; since the Heart-Cleansing Incantation had failed, he still had the Taiji Diagram.

Still, destroying everything was not his objective; finding the Spirit-Suppressing Stone was currently the most prudent course of action.

"Since that's the case, let's search separately. I'll take responsibility for the eastern area, and you take the western area."

With that, Xiang Nan handed Master San-Tong a signal flare. "Fire the flare once you find the Spirit-Suppressing Stone, and I'll come rendezvous with you."

Having agreed on the plan, the two parted ways and headed off in different directions.