Chapter 617: Saliva

The demon whispered in the centipede's ear, and its body trembled violently, freezing rigid in place, daring not to move.

Chen Ling, however, sniffed carefully. The aroma didn't seem to come from the Shadow Centipede. Although this "meat chicken" was also fragrant, the scent he detected was dozens of times more potent, the kind that deeply stirred his senses.

Remembering he still had to ride this "meat chicken," Chen Ling could only temporarily suppress his craving, looking up at the thick rock layer above.

"This smell... could it be coming from above?"

Chen Ling swallowed.

On the surface.

Wang Jincheng struggled to sit up from the pool of blood, the intense pain making his face pale.

At this moment, several members of the Floating Life group had also charged towards the two cardinals, but their strength was extremely limited without the ability to use their Divine Paths. Unlike Wang Jincheng, who possessed the Divine Path of Strength and maintained significant physical prowess even without activating it—strong enough to withstand a direct charge from a Calamity Rhino without dying—these practitioners of the Azure Divine Path excelled in exaggerated skills but possessed frail, ordinary physical strength, incomparable to those of the Divine Path of Arms or Strength.

The cardinal, alone, used astonishing speed to flash before the Floating Life members, casually striking their throats. Their Adam's apples instantly shattered, sending them flying back dozens of feet like sandbags. After struggling briefly, several low-ranking Floating Life members instantly lost their lives.

"Supreme Crimson Heaven, Savior and Exalted One... Supreme Crimson Heaven, Savior and Exalted One... Supreme Crimson Heaven, Savior and Exalted One..." The chanting of the Crimson Heaven cultists echoed all around, a hint of eeriness mixed with their devotion. As their voices grew louder, the sighing winds became bitingly cold.

It wasn't that Wang Jincheng didn't want to stop them; he was too severely wounded. If his Divine Path of Strength hadn't fortified his physique enough, he would likely be a corpse like the others now. He stood weakly amidst the kneeling red tide, unable to move even half a step.

As the disruptive minor threats were gradually cleared away, the second cardinal, standing in the center of the tide, likewise pulled out a short knife and slit the wrists of both his hands. Scarlet blood gushed like a fountain from his hairy arms, intertwining with the surging sea of blood beneath his feet! The next moment, the red mist steadily rising around him solidified even further! The concentration of Red Star essence within a cardinal's body was incomparable to that of ordinary cultists; one cardinal's essence was equivalent to the combined aura of over a dozen people. As he actively released his blood, this "bait bonfire" aimed at the "World Destroyer" blazed fiercely!

A gaze, as if drawn by the aura here, pierced through the hazy Grey Realm and landed upon the surging waves of blood.

A sigh—

A hurricane swirled around everyone's ears, and the faint, almost imperceptible sighing sound seemed to be drawing closer.

"Oh no..." Yang Muquan felt the extremely oppressive gaze, his heart sinking. Entangled with several high-tier Calamities, he abruptly looked up at the sky. Beneath the lead-grey clouds, a massive convergence point was silently and slowly opening. This Grey Realm convergence point was larger than all existing convergence points within the Mortal Realm and was still expanding. If a convergence point capable of allowing sixth- or even seventh-tier Calamities to pass through was roughly the size of a sports field, then this one at present was as massive as an entire bird's nest, imprinted upon the sky!

"They actually managed to attract the attention of the 'World Destroyer'?" Wang Jincheng's face was utterly devoid of color.

At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Crimson Heaven cultists led the World Destroyer here. If it truly descended, unless Lord Mortal Realm awakened, no one in this domain could stop it.

Wang Jincheng took a deep breath, his hands clenching tightly in the pool of blood. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up, stumbling forward, his eyes filled with the resolute determination of one who had burned his bridges.

Seeing that Wang Jincheng was still alive, the other cardinal's eyes flashed with murderous intent, and he immediately stepped forward towards him.

Amidst the sighing winds, the two figures slowly approached each other...

Scarlet figures, like a rash, knelt on either side of them, their loud chanting sounding like war drums in the wind.

"Supreme Crimson Heaven, Savior and Exalted One..."

"Supreme Crimson Heaven, Savior and Exalted One... Supreme Crimson Heaven, Savior and Exalted One..."

"Scarlet Overlord of the Ghost Mockery Abyss... Faceless King Who Toys with Fate—"

Suddenly, a strange, hoarse voice mixed with the chanting of the Crimson Heaven cultists, rising from between the two figures. They both paused in surprise. The blood-soaked soil between them suddenly began to subtly writhe. The next moment, a Shadow Centipede larva burrowed out from underground, revealing half of a chillingly bizarre head, staring fixedly at the cardinal. The Shadow Centipede's mouthparts opened, and incredibly, like a human, it repeated a phrase:

"Scarlet Overlord of the Ghost Mockery Abyss;"

"Faceless King Who Toys with Fate—"

"?" The cardinal's eyes were filled with bewilderment.

Boom—!!!

The next moment, the ground beneath their feet exploded. A colossal black shadow, like a building, burst forth from deep within the earth, its segments surging rapidly skyward, extending so far that its end was nowhere in sight! This sudden turn of events stunned everyone present.

"This is... a Calamity from the 'Ghost Mockery Abyss'? How did it appear here?" Wang Jincheng's brows unconsciously furrowed.

The Shadow Centipede, which had shot straight into the clouds, coiled and turned in mid-air. Its massive head then lowered towards the crimson tide... Only then did the onlookers clearly see two figures atop the Shadow Centipede's head.

One figure stood at the front, clad in a blood-stained crimson opera robe, a section of his head caved in. He wore a jet-black mask on his face, his scarlet eyes curved in a mocking smile, and his exaggeratedly upturned lips stretched directly to his ears. A mere glance at him sent shivers down one's spine. Behind him stood a quiet young woman in a black gown, holding a half-severed head in her hands. Her misty black hair fluttered in the wind, like a respectful and mysterious attendant.

The appearance of these two figures caused everyone present, except for Red Heart 9 and Plum Blossom, to momentarily freeze... Humans standing on the head of a Calamity??

Calamities and humans had never been able to coexist. Furthermore, they could sense that this Shadow Centipede was of no low tier; how could it possibly permit humans to stand on its head, let alone willingly lower itself to allow them to step onto the ground?

The cardinal, Wang Jincheng, Yang Muquan, and the other Floating Life members who had just arrived, all simultaneously fixed their gaze on the crimson opera robe atop the Shadow Centipede's head...

He tilted his head slightly, sniffed the air, and his Adam's apple bobbed with a gurgling sound, a trickle of glistening saliva dripped from beneath his mask...