Countless white worms seemed to surge into the burial passage from all directions, tumbling and tangling together, their bodies overlapping in a dense mass—impossible to see clearly or count. All the worms rolled along the passage, heading outward.
They formed a huge pyramid, with more worms climbing up the sides. Worms constantly tumbled from the tip of the "tower," instantly swallowed by the sea of writhing bodies below, while new ones kept charging upward. In just moments, the "worm tower" rolled closer and closer to Shawn Young and Jade Swann.
The two of them noticed these creatures looked completely different from the Ghost Lacewing insects they'd encountered before—and they were much bigger. Each was as long as a chopstick but as thick as a rolling pin, their pale, plump bodies writhing back and forth on the ground.
Shawn Young saw a few of the white worms accidentally flip over, revealing countless black, thin legs on their bellies, wriggling nonstop—enough to make anyone's skin crawl.
Even more hair-raising, their mouths sported a pair of black pincers about five centimeters long. Shawn Young picked up a hard stone from the ground and tossed it over; the stone landed next to one of the worms.
The worm was vicious—it twisted around and bit down hard. "Crack!" The stone split cleanly in two. Shawn Young was startled, and when he looked closer, he saw the break was as smooth as if it had been sliced by a knife, proving just how sharp those pincers were!
"Holy crap! These things are intense..." Jade Swann cried out in shock. Shawn Young frowned inwardly—he could already tell these white worms were even more dangerous than the Ghost Lacewing, and worst of all, there seemed to be way more of them. The whole cavern was crawling with a blinding mass of pale, writhing bodies.
Soon, the pyramid of countless white worms rolled to a stop not far from Shawn Young and Jade Swann, then broke apart, their bodies writhing as they started to surround them. It was as if the two had become delicious appetizers.
"Ugh... These worms are disgusting. I'm gonna blow them up!" Jade Swann, feeling nauseated, quickly summoned her Celestial Dragon Vitality and struck out with a palm full of thunder.
"Boom! Boom!" The dozen or so white worms at the front were blasted backward by the thunder strike, their bodies bursting into burning, charred chunks of meat.
"Huh! Turns out these things aren't so scary after all!" Seeing Jade Swann's attack work, Shawn Young realized these white worms were even less resistant than the Ghost Lacewing. Thunder magic seemed especially effective, so the two of them relaxed a bit.
But their relief didn't last long—a headache-inducing scene unfolded. The white worms stopped attacking directly and instead scattered around, each spraying out a glowing red thread from its mouth.
More and more worms started spitting out threads, the red silk intertwining and twisting together into thick cords, forming a bizarre web—at least two or three meters across. Before the two could figure out what was happening, another terrifying scene unfolded.
"Screee... screee..." came a strange noise as the black web lifted off the floor, flying straight at the two of them, clearly trying to wrap them up.
"Damn... they're trying to catch us!" Shawn Young finally understood—the white worms were trying to trap them with this giant web. He quickly grabbed Jade Swann and dodged to the side, letting the black web fall harmlessly to the ground.
Before they could catch their breath, several more black webs came whistling down at them from all sides. So many worms spinning silk at once meant they could weave a ton of red webs in no time.
"Whoa—there's so many of them!" Jade Swann cried out. She and Shawn Young dodged left and right, realizing they'd celebrated too soon—the real trouble was just beginning...
Dodging left and right, the two managed to avoid more than a dozen black webs. The worms slowed their silk-spinning, then suddenly switched tactics—"whoosh"—they spread out in an orderly fashion, forming two separate teams. The front team surged toward the pair like a tidal wave.
Don't be fooled by their chubby, ugly looks—these white worms could crawl fast, and they were vicious and cunning. They raised their black pincers and charged straight at Shawn Young and Jade Swann, looking deadly.
The second team of white worms followed close behind, spinning black silk and weaving new webs, tossing them at the pair again and again.
The two hurriedly retreated, but soon found themselves pressed against the wall with nowhere left to run. Shawn Young grew anxious, his mind racing for a way out.
He realized that even though the white worms feared thunder and fire, there were simply too many of them to handle at once. If they got caught by the webs or overwhelmed, both he and Jade Swann would be doomed. With so many vicious worms, one mistake and they'd be torn apart!
"Hmph, these damn worms dare bully me? Time for this lady to go berserk!" Jade Swann shouted furiously, channeling her Celestial Dragon Vitality into both palms. With a shake of her body, she yelled, "Thunderburst Annihilation!"
"Whoosh... whoosh..." A burst of red-tinged lightning exploded from Jade Swann, a massive fireball streaking out with the thunderbolt and detonating above the charging white worms.
"Boom... boom... boom..."
A series of deafening blasts erupted, the thunder and fireball transforming into a dazzling rain of flames. Waves of scorching heat swept across the air, showering down onto the ugly bodies of the white worms.
"Screee... screee..."
The group of white worms struck by the thunder and fire burst into flames, their fat bodies billowing black smoke. After a brief, desperate struggle, they quickly turned into a pile of scorched worm corpses.
"Wow, Jade, that thunder spell really packs a punch!" Shawn Young exclaimed in amazement.
"Heh heh... Of course! Thunderburst Annihilation is our Order of the Five Thunders' secret technique—it's super powerful!" Jade Swann said proudly.
Maybe it was the shock of seeing their kind wiped out, but the next swarm of Deathworms went berserk, screeching wildly. Countless more white worms appeared from deep within the passage, surging toward the pair like a tidal wave.
"Damn! You wanna play swarm tactics? I'll blow you all to bits..." Jade Swann was secretly nervous at the sight of the mass of Deathworms, but the crisis unleashed her full potential.
"Thunderburst Annihilation!" Jade Swann moved like the wind, raising both palms and unleashing a barrage of blazing thunderballs that exploded in midair. The fierce, electrified flames poured out, instantly turning the area into a sea of fire.
Jade Swann didn't hesitate—she kept channeling her Celestial Dragon Vitality and driving her soul arts. The Deathworms were swept away by the fierce thunder and flames, burning corpses piling up everywhere. The air filled with a faint yellow gas from their death, making the scene look like a hellish sea of fire—both magnificent and brutal.
Maybe the casualties were too high, because after Jade Swann's relentless Thunderburst Annihilation left a field of charred worm corpses, the Deathworms finally stopped their frenzied assault and began retreating back into the depths of the passage.
"Whew... I thought you Deathworms were fearless. Heh..." Jade Swann let out a relieved breath, excited. After unleashing so many Thunderburst Annihilation spells, her Celestial Dragon Vitality was running low and her arms were trembling. Seeing the Deathworms retreat, she finally caught her breath.
"Let's not celebrate just yet—the Deathworm Overlord should be showing up soon..." Shawn Young suddenly said.
"Uh... What's a Deathworm Overlord?" Jade Swann asked, confused.
"These white worms are Deathworms, raised on corpse energy by the Nine Chrysanthemums Society. The Deathworm Overlord is their ancestor!" Shawn Young explained.
"So they're called Deathworms, and their boss hasn't even shown up yet? Why didn't you say so earlier? I wasted so much Celestial Dragon Vitality!" Jade Swann grumbled.
"I just remembered too... I've seen this kind of nasty creature before, but it took me a minute to recall..." Shawn Young said sheepishly.
He'd only just recalled the records in the Codex of Ascension, which explained the origin and traits of these white worms.
"Uh... I think it's showing up..." Jade Swann didn't have time to discuss—the sound of worms crawling echoed from deep within the passage. Soon, a pale body glowing with eerie black light appeared...
Shawn Young looked closely and saw the retreating Deathworm swarm lining the sides of the passage. But instead of hiding, they all raised their heads in a strange half-upright pose, spinning countless black threads to quickly form a bridge of silk.
From the shadows, the pale, glowing body slowly advanced along the silk bridge. When Shawn Young and Jade Swann saw its true form, they were shocked—their scalps tingled.
It was a gigantic Deathworm Overlord! Unlike the smaller Deathworms, which were white, this one was hundreds of times bigger—and its body glowed with a sinister black light.
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