"The next wave of insects should attack in one incense stick to two hours. Seeker Alliance will guard Alpha Post, spread out according to your numbers. The rest will also spread out by numbers. Northern Drifters guard Beta Post, Golden Blade Guild guards Gamma Post..."
As Maya Mu issued her orders one by one, Joe Di watched groups of cultivators spread out across the designated positions. He saw that the Seeker Alliance had about a hundred members, and they immediately spaced themselves about fifty zhang apart. The Northern Drifters, with around seventy members, spread out to a distance of roughly thirty-five zhang...
Joe Di quickly understood that this arrangement meant two people were responsible for guarding each zhang of width. No wonder there were always about a thousand cultivators present each time.
The thousand or so people were soon assigned their posts. Joe Di and Zane Wu were the last, but there were still about three zhang of width left to guard. According to this distribution, it should require six people.
Joe Di and Zane Wu remained silent, both curious to see how Maya Mu would assign responsibility for the remaining three zhang.
Maya Mu looked at Joe Di and Zane Wu and said, "Since this is your first time at the Wormhole, you may need to join a team. If you have nowhere else to go, you can join my Seeker Alliance."
"But we don't intend to join any team right now," Joe Di replied with a frown. He had already made his stance clear—did he need to repeat himself again?
Maya Mu nodded. "I understand. Since there are three zhang left, if you can convince another team to help guard two zhang, then only one zhang will remain, and that won't be a problem."
Joe Di understood, "Alliance Leader Mu, you mean that if I join the Seeker Alliance, the Alliance will take on the extra three zhang of defense?"
"That's exactly right," Maya Mu replied. She was actually being considerate. Joe Di and Zane Wu were lucky to have her leading the team. If someone else were in charge, they wouldn't bother explaining to Joe Di and Zane Wu. Newcomers should be prepared for extra duties—if you don't want to join a faction, those extra three zhang are yours, and you'd better not disagree.
Of course, she also wanted Joe Di and Zane Wu to join a faction. Otherwise, as the team leader, she could have assigned the remaining two zhang (about 3.3 meters each) elsewhere. In a place like this, not joining a faction meant certain death sooner or later.
Joe Di spoke up again, "Alliance Leader Mu, we don't mind guarding an extra two zhang, but does that mean we'll earn more merit points for guarding more?"
Mu Jie confirmed, "That's right. For every additional zhang you defend each day during the guard period, you earn two extra merit points."
"Alright, then we'll guard the three zhang," Joe Di said without hesitation.
"Ah..." Mu Jie looked at Joe Di in surprise. Not only her—every other cultivator was left speechless.
Fortunately, Mu Jie quickly realized that Joe Di and Zane Wu, being first-timers at the Wormhole Gate, didn't understand how hard it was to guard it. She sighed and said, "Fellow Daoist Zi Mo, guarding the wormhole isn't easy, and it's not just for one day—it's for eleven days straight, without distinction between day and night... If you truly don't want to join another group, then..."
Joe Di waved his hand. "Thank you for your concern, Alliance Leader Mu. We'll take care of the three zhang—it's manageable for us."
Seeing Joe Di's determination to guard three zhang, Mu Jie could only say, "Alright, but keep in mind: if even one worm escapes from your area, you'll lose one merit point. If ten get through, you'll be banned from the merit ranking for a thousand years. If a hundred escape, you'll lose eligibility for the Leap Dao Gate forever."
"Thank you, we understand," Joe Di replied, not the least bit concerned. In this short time, he had already filled the surrounding space with his array banners.
Seeing Joe Di's stubbornness, Mu Jie didn't say more. She addressed everyone in a solemn voice, "Everyone, we'll be standing guard here for eleven days. No matter how many worms come, we must slay them all."
Zane Wu asked, puzzled, "Alliance Leader Mu, didn't Captain Shen say that if the worm tide was too fierce, others would return to support us?"
Mu Jie replied calmly, "By the time support arrives, we'll have already been overwhelmed by the worm tide. The protective array behind us isn't just to keep the worms out of the Dao Domain—it also means that during our guard shift, we can't go back. Only when the next group comes to relieve us will the array open again."
Joe Di also asked, "Has there ever been a case where a sudden worm tide broke out, too few cultivators were guarding, and everyone was wiped out?"
Mu Jie gave a wry smile. "That happens once or twice every year."
After hearing this, even those cultivators who had been mocking Joe Di and Zane Wu fell silent.
Because if such a disaster struck, not a single one of them would survive.
Seeing everyone grow quiet, Mu Jie spoke again, "Don't be too pessimistic. This only happens occasionally, maybe once a year. When fighting the worms, protect your backs and coordinate your attacks—teamwork is the most effective method."
After speaking, Mu Jie glanced at Joe Di and Zane Wu again. Frankly, if they didn't heed her advice, their deaths were inevitable. Against a swarm of worms, working together was best. Take her own Seeker Alliance: over a hundred people guarded more than fifty zhang (about 3.3 meters each), but when the worms attacked, not every spot was hit at once, so everyone could focus their strength.
The worms preferred to attack the corners, and Joe Di and Zane Wu were assigned the last three zhang—the edge of the wormhole. She had no choice; the rule was that newcomers had to guard the corners.
The worms hadn't arrived yet, but some cultivators skilled in arrays were already scattering array banners in preparation.
They didn't have to wait long. As soon as an incense stick burned down—a traditional time unit, roughly half an hour—a piercing screech echoed. Instantly, nearly everyone summoned their treasures, no reminder from Mu Jie needed.
Wherever Joe Di looked, he saw a vast swarm of densely packed worms.
This is a worm tide? He glanced at Mu Jie and the others, but seeing their calm expressions, Joe Di realized that such density didn't even count as a true worm tide.
Boom! As the frontmost worms crashed into the defenders' line, the battle erupted in full.
As the bodies of the worms were torn apart, a terrible stench and a faint poisonous mist swept through. According to each person's assigned area, Joe Di and Zane Wu had the widest range to defend. Nearly as soon as the worms hit the defensive line, dozens of them surged toward their section.
Joe Di's divine sense saw everything clearly. The density here was several times greater than anywhere else. It seemed worms truly preferred to break through at the edges.
Zane Wu had already summoned his treasure—a Qiankun Pagoda. As soon as it appeared, endless killing intent swept out, growing stronger toward the top...
Mu Jie had wanted to help Joe Di and Zane Wu, but this time there were clearly more worms than usual. She could barely hold the Seeker Alliance's territory, let alone assist them.
Joe Di drew his Tian Sa Blade and, with a single slash, unleashed a curtain of blades. At the same time, his array banners activated, forming both a detoxification array and a slaughter array. Only Joe Di could construct such grand formations with array banners.
Joe Di's slaughter array was different from the others—it left a safe zone.
In that moment, hundreds of worms were herded into the safe zone by Joe Di's array. Then, a blinding flash of blade light swept through—the Tian Sa Blade...
Slash! Multicolored sprays of blood burst forth as Joe Di killed hundreds of worms with a single blow.
Zane Wu had just finished slaying one worm, but all the worms in the area had vanished, and no new ones had filled the gap. He stared at Joe Di in astonishment. He knew Joe Di was strong, but this level of power was beyond anything he'd imagined.