In the darkness, that white body radiating a black glow slowly moved along the black silk bridge, heading out of the burial corridor. When Shawn Young and Jade Swann finally saw what it was, they were both shocked, their scalps tingling with dread.
It turned out to be a gigantic and terrifying Deathworm Overlord! Unlike the other Shadow Deathworms, which were small and white, this one was hundreds of times larger, its milky white body wrapped in a shimmering black glow. Strangest of all, its sides and back were marked with eerie crimson patterns! The overlord's jaws were like two massive scissors, opening and closing with a menacing snap.
The entire Deathworm Overlord looked more like a monstrous python—at least seven or eight meters long, with a diameter as thick as a grown man's body. Its appearance was downright disgusting and menacing.
Screech... Screech... The Deathworm Overlord had reached the entrance of the corridor. Its emerald eyes stared at Shawn and Jade, shining with a sinister light, and it let out a strange cry, as if summoning something...
Crack! Crack! Crack! A series of explosive pops rang out. The smaller Deathworms on both sides of the corridor trembled at the overlord's call, then burst open, turning into streams of greenish smoke. Instantly, the corridor was filled with a thick yellow mist.
Whoosh... Whoosh... The overlord's huge body shuddered, its mouth opened wide, and all the yellowish smoke in the corridor was quickly sucked in. Its massive body began to tremble violently.
Bang! Bang! Bang! After several bizarre sounds, two terrifying black tentacles sprouted from the sides of the overlord's body, writhing like venomous snakes. Black light swirled around its body, and as all eight tentacles flailed madly, a stench filled the air, making it look even more monstrous and terrifying!
Ah... I didn't expect this Deathworm Overlord to have reached the Evolved State! Shawn exclaimed in shock.
Uh... What's the Evolved State?! Jade felt her scalp tingle. She nervously swallowed and asked.
The Evolved State usually refers to non-human races that can cultivate on their own. When they reach a high level, they develop powers and techniques far stronger than their kind, and their bodies change dramatically. Judging by this Deathworm Overlord's evolution, it looks like it's about to reach the Transcendence Realm... Shawn said worriedly.
Transcendence Realm... Just how powerful is that? Jade asked eagerly.
Before Shawn could answer, the evolved Deathworm Overlord sprang into action. Its two massive black tentacles whipped through the corridor, smashing the stone walls apart. Several huge slabs of bluestone were flung into the air, swiftly wrapped by its tentacles, then hurled directly at Shawn and Jade's position.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...
The giant slabs, carried by a fierce wind, hurtled straight toward them with unstoppable force.
Shawn was startled. He twisted his body, quickly gathered his true energy, and unleashed several Palm Thunder bolts from his hands, blasting the incoming stones head-on.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The stones shattered, sending dust swirling all around them.
Before they could catch their breath, a massive shadow descended from above—it was the Deathworm Overlord itself! It pounced at Shawn with incredible speed, while its two terrifying black tentacles swept toward Jade, trying to wrap her up!
Shawn was shocked. He hadn't expected the Deathworm Overlord to move so fast and be so cunning—attacking him and Jade at the same time! Without hesitation, he summoned his true energy, raised both hands, and shouted, 'Thunder from all directions, radiance from eight poles, light upon my body, open the mystical barrier of heaven and earth!'
Bang! A flash of red light—an intensely hot defensive barrier appeared around them, enveloping both Shawn and Jade. The Deathworm Overlord's black tentacles struck the barrier, instantly recoiling from the heat, barely kept at bay outside the shield.
Shawn's hastily cast 'Mystical Light Protection Spell' worked wonders against the brute force attacks of spirit beasts.
Screech... The Deathworm Overlord was furious. It suddenly opened its mouth wide, spitting a blast of black light at the barrier, carrying a wave of foul stench and deadly, fierce energy.
Zap! The black light struck the barrier, sparking a dazzling burst of red flames like a welding torch. The shield was instantly shattered.
Shawn knew its toxic mist was highly corrosive, so he'd expected this. As the barrier broke, he grabbed Jade, and the two of them leapt aside, dodging the overlord's furious attack. Instead of retreating, Shawn seized the moment, lunged forward, and kicked hard at its massive body.
Bang! Shawn unleashed his 'Lightning Strike', a fierce and domineering move. The force sent the Deathworm Overlord rolling across the floor, screeching wildly and writhing as it tried to right itself.
Whoosh... Before it could recover, a flash of cold light swept down—a blade aura slashed through the air and severed one of its black tentacles. Dark green blood spurted from the stump, and the severed tentacle thrashed on the floor like a giant worm.
It turned out Jade had seized the chance and drawn the divine weapon 'Raikiri', striking decisively and landing a solid blow.
Screech... Screech... The Deathworm Overlord howled in pain, twisting its body. It raised its giant pincers and remaining tentacle, sweeping them furiously at Shawn and Jade with incredible speed.
Smack! Jade hurriedly blocked with Raikiri, but the immense force sent her stumbling back several steps, and the divine weapon clattered to the floor.
Shawn didn't dodge. He ducked under the attack, dashed forward, grabbed Raikiri from the floor, and with a roar, channeled his true energy into both hands, launching a powerful strike.
Whoosh... A blinding flash of cold light swept down. With unmatched blade aura, Raikiri slashed directly at the Deathworm Overlord's giant pincers guarding its head.
Crack! With a sharp snap, the blade struck—the Deathworm Overlord's tough pincers and massive body were sliced clean in half by Raikiri's terrifying blade aura! The weapon shot through its huge form and lodged into the stone wall behind.
A flood of foul, dark green liquid gushed from the split body of the Deathworm Overlord, splattering across the bluestone floor and releasing clouds of black smoke. Its blood was insanely toxic and corrosive!
Shawn's savage, unmatched strike wasn't a spell—it was pure true energy focused to a single point, and it worked wonders. He didn't stop, but grabbed Jade and dashed forward, dodging the deadly, corrosive spray from the dying overlord.
The Deathworm Overlord's long body, split in two by Raikiri, crashed to the floor, but kept thrashing and twitching. Its remaining black tentacle swept wildly, filling the corridor with choking smoke and splattered, stinking dark green blood.
Worried it might not be dead, Jade circled around, pulled Raikiri from the wall, chanted a spell, and unleashed blade aura, hacking at it several more times. She chopped the thrashing tentacle into pieces and sliced the long body into a dozen segments.
Under Raikiri's blade aura, the Deathworm Overlord's mangled corpse released a faint yellow gas, which floated up and slowly dispersed. The terrifying overlord of toxic bugs was finally, completely dead...
Whew... At last, that monster's done for. I have no idea what it ate to get so huge and agile! With the Deathworm Overlord finally dealt with, Jade let out a sigh of relief. Thinking back on the close call, she still felt a chill.
Poof! With a strange sound, the Deathworm Overlord's broken remains caught fire, sending up thick, dark green smoke and quickly turning to ashes.
Huh? What's going on? Jade couldn't help but ask curiously.
That's perfectly normal. This Deathworm Overlord had cultivated for years, storing its essence in its inner core. Now that it's destroyed, this is what happens... Shawn explained.
Boom... As the Deathworm Overlord turned to ash, a strange sound echoed from deep within the corridor. Shawn quickly looked up and saw a green light flickering, as if something had cracked open.
Just as Shawn was wondering, a woman's scream suddenly rang out from inside the corridor. 'Ah—!'
Hmm... That's Nangong Fangfei's voice... Shawn recognized the scream instantly—it was Nangong Fangfei. He immediately dashed into the corridor, with Jade close behind.
(Irrelevant passage skipped)