BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 69 The Centipede

The man whose face had been ripped off did not die immediately. Flailing wildly, he grabbed a scar-faced companion who had frozen in terror. Instantly, the black shadow leapt onto the scarred man’s face.

Just as the gruesome scene was about to repeat itself, the bearded Aiden suddenly rushed over. He grabbed the black object and forcibly tore it away from the scar-faced man’s face. Unfortunately, he was a moment too late. The man’s large nose had been neatly sliced off, leaving only a bloody hole in the middle of his face.

Nobody paid attention to the injured man anymore. More than a dozen flashlights converged on Aiden’s hand, and only then did everyone see that he was holding a curled-up centipede.

The centipede was over a foot long, glossy black, and under the flashlight beams it emitted a sinister sheen. Its countless legs were as thin and sharp as knife blades. It was obvious that the first victim’s face and skull had been shaved away by those razor-like limbs.

Aiden wore metal mesh gloves. Although the centipede writhed violently and sparks flew as its blade-like legs scraped against the metal, it could not injure him. But killing it wasn’t easy either. Despite using all his strength, Aiden couldn’t crush it. Since Huang Ran had not given any instructions, he did not dare experiment with methods such as burning it.

Only after seeing Aiden firmly controlling the creature did the other foreigners dare to approach.

“This is one of the Five Poisons personally refined by the sect masters of the Hehuan Sect. They were buried together with them after death. Aiden, be careful not to let it bite you. This earth dragon possesses venom glands.”

Only then did Huang Ran step forward with Meng Qiqi. After carefully examining the centipede, he moved to the opened coffin.

Looking at the spirit tablet in front of it, he continued:

“So this is Sect Master Lu Yuzhou, the third leader of the Hehuan Sect. The Five Poisons he created are extraordinary. They can hibernate for hundreds of years without dying and still retain such strength upon awakening. If it hadn’t slept for centuries, subduing it would have taken much greater effort.”

From a distance, Sun Desheng called out:

“Old Huang, if there are any more burial companions like this, give us a warning beforehand. I’m just saying, are there more things like this inside? What about the other coffins? We can’t handle every coffin popping out a giant centipede.”

Huang Ran explained:

“I didn’t know there would be such creatures inside. I had heard legends that the Hehuan Sect raised the Five Poisons and buried them together with their masters, but I thought it was only folklore. Apparently it was true. Be careful. There may be similar poisonous creatures in the other coffins.”

As he spoke, he cautiously peered into the opened coffin.

After confirming that there were no more centipedes, he continued:

“These poisonous creatures are extremely difficult to cultivate. Often several generations of sect masters worked together to raise one. We were simply unlucky that the very first coffin contained one.”

He glanced at the two injured men.

The one whose face had been peeled off had already died. The scar-faced man who had lost his nose had survived, but reattaching it was impossible. He had also lost a great deal of blood, and without immediate treatment, he would likely die as well.

Yet, having already seen the mountain of gold, he stubbornly refused to leave. He feared that while he was being treated, the others would haul away the hundreds of thousands of taels of gold. So he leaned weakly against the Golden Platform and waited for Huang Ran to find the sacred relic.

Meanwhile, the other foreigners crowded around the coffin.

Inside lay a lifelike middle-aged Taoist priest.

He appeared to be only around forty years old, with rosy cheeks. Rather than a corpse that had been dead for centuries, he looked like a sleeping man who might awaken if someone simply called his name.

Using a dagger as a tool, Huang Ran searched the corpse thoroughly.

After a long time, he removed various burial objects—swords, magical implements, and the like. Seeing that there were no priceless treasures inside, the foreigners quickly lost interest.

“The relic isn’t in this coffin. Open the next one.”

After speaking, Huang Ran withdrew with Meng Qiqi to the center of the Golden Platform, waiting for the others to pry open another coffin.

At that moment, Aiden called out:

“Boss, what about this Five Poison? If you want to keep it, we need a suitable container.”

“I almost forgot.”

Huang Ran smiled strangely and took out a test tube filled with yellow powder.

Tossing it to Aiden, he said:

“That’s yellow gunpowder. It’s the only thing capable of restraining the Five Poisons of the Hehuan Sect. Pour it on the ground in a circle and place the creature inside. It won’t dare cross the powder.”

Most people would never dare release the centipede.

But Aiden trusted Huang Ran absolutely.

He poured the powder into a ring and carefully dropped the struggling centipede inside.

Strangely enough, the moment it touched the ground, the creature immediately curled into a tight ball and remained motionless, not daring to touch the yellow powder barrier.

These foreigners were professionals. Despite the recent tragedy, they quickly regained their composure and prepared tools to open the next coffin.

No one dared open several at once. From then on, they proceeded one by one, all moving with extreme caution, afraid that another monster like the centipede might emerge.

Fortunately, the second coffin was uneventful. No creature jumped out, and after Huang Ran inspected it, there was still no sign of the sacred relic.

So the group moved on to the third coffin.

As a black man inserted a crowbar into the lid and prepared to pry it open, a sudden sound came from inside:

Flutter… flutter…

Already tense to the limit, the man was so frightened that he fell backward onto the ground and scrambled away.

Seeing that nobody dared approach the coffin, Aiden exchanged glances with Huang Ran.

After receiving a slight nod from his boss, he walked over and personally began prying the lid open.

Slowly applying force, he managed to create a narrow gap.

He shone his flashlight through it and caught sight of a dark shadow flashing past.

Though he couldn’t tell what it was, it was clearly much larger than the centipede.

Even Aiden hesitated.

Just then, the black man who had fled earlier suddenly screamed.

Everyone turned and saw him pointing at the faceless corpse in horror, shouting repeatedly.

Had Che Qianzi understood English, he would have heard:

“God… George moved! I saw it with my own eyes! His finger moved!”

The man whose face and skull had been shaved away was named George.

Half his brain had been removed together with his face. By all logic, he couldn’t possibly be more dead.

Yet…

Just as everyone assumed the black man had imagined it, the faceless corpse suddenly rose upright from the floor.

The foreigners screamed in terror and tried to flee.

Only then did they discover—without anyone noticing, the giant stone gate had silently closed.