Volume One: The Soul-Guiding Gourd and the Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 116: Death Worm (Part I)

With a howl, Yu Kongcheng was struck by a bizarre beam of light before he could even make a move, incinerating half of his body. The ghastly side of his torso appeared to have melted, emitting an eerie green glow.

In an instant, a deluge of thick, dark blood stained the yellow sand. Where the green beam had swept across the dunes, it left behind deep, shocking trenches over half a meter wide, while the fine sand itself was fused into crystal-clear glass shards.

What was happening? Even the sand had melted! Had an existence as powerful as Yu Kongcheng truly been finished before he could even strike? And to make matters worse... the manner of his death was far too gruesome.

Seeing this, Gu Mo felt a chill run down his spine, his fighting spirit vanishing as the orange liquid in his lower abdomen began to churn violently once more. How was one supposed to fight this thing? The husky had been taken out before he could even raise a paw! Gu Mo’s thoughts immediately turned to retreat.

Beside him, however, Li Hetang let out a sharp metallic click as he pulled tactical gear from his bag and began assembling a firearm. Xiao Yulou, with his ethereal, sage-like demeanor, flicked his robe sleeves and drew a jade hairpin to secure his topknot. Most impressively, the iron-blooded Min Wenhua pulled a vial of lethal poison—harvested from poison dart frogs—from behind his back.

Gu Mo’s eyes widened to the size of ox eggs. He rubbed them in disbelief. "Hey, what are you three planning? Are we going to war?"

*Clack-clack!*

Li Hetang pulled the bolt of his weapon, casting a grim look at Gu Mo. "What’s the matter, Brother Gu? Scared?"

Gu Mo’s face flushed red at the words. The Death Worm was clearly a terrifyingly powerful entity; was there any point in fighting? One only has one life! This wasn't a video game where one could respawn at a fountain after dying.

Li Hetang then tossed a heavy sniper rifle to the silent Min Wenhua, who caught it with one hand like a child receiving a favorite toy, stroking the pitch-black barrel. Gu Mo’s worldview shattered; he began to question his very existence. "You're all mad! You've all lost your minds!"

Xiao Yulou smiled faintly, meeting Gu Mo’s eyes. "Brother Gu, this Death Worm must have been drawn here by the scent of blood. I suspect it has been corrupted by an Underworld artifact, which is why it has taken this form. Don't you want to collect all eight Underworld artifacts?"

Gu Mo’s features twisted into a scowl. "Pah! Why would I want those? I don't want immortality! I just want to be a simple owner of an incense and candle shop. Is that stuff even worth anything?" He glared coldly at the three men. "Even if you want immortality, you have to play it safe! If you’re dead, what’s the point of anything? My Yama-wife is still waiting for me at home!"

Xiao Yulou sighed deeply, beginning to prepare his gear. In his view, Gu Mo was simply too timid, always overthinking every move. Hesitation and fear were not the traits of a great man. Besides, didn't Yu Kongcheng deserve a proper burial?

Suddenly, Min Wenhua coated his foot-long sniper rounds in the lethal toxin. Li Hetang pulled down the orange visor of his polar combat suit, activating its stealth mode. Xiao Yulou drew a strange, skeletal sword from his sleeves. Now, only Gu Mo remained without any desire to fight.

A cold wind whipped up the sand as the three men stood atop a dune, staring coldly at the Death Worm, which was busy devouring its meal in the distance. Before moving, Xiao Yulou flicked his sleeve, looking like an immortal who had attained the Way, and spoke without turning back. "Brother Gu, do not worry. I have calculated that you are destined to live to the age of three thousand! If one does not weather the storms, how could the road ahead be anything but rugged?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Yulou strode forward, holding a yellow talisman with his skeletal sword, and began to shout and howl with gibberish. "Charge! Kill them all! Doo-doo-doo... doo... doo-doo-doo!"

Who would have thought that the wretched Xiao Yulou would use his mouth to mimic a bugle call? Was he a complete fool?

With a *whoosh*, Li Hetang vanished, leaving only a trail of hurried footprints in the sand. Min Wenhua, looking grim, hoisted his heavy cannon-like rifle and sprinted toward the right flank.

As for Gu Mo—Mr. Gu, the shopkeeper—he merely watched the three of them fly toward the fray, his brow furrowed in disdain. "Hmph! Whoever wants to go to hell can go! I'm not touching this mess!"

At that moment, the pitch-black, fur-ball gluttonous ghost opened its galaxy-like eyes, rolled out some cola and potato chips with its long tongue, and settled atop Gu Mo’s head to feast. *Damn it.* It was truly said that a pet reflects its master—this pair was completely oblivious to the dire situation: the front line was in crisis, yet the rear was busy feasting!

Gu Mo rolled over, lay comfortably in the sand, and began to hum a little tune. The fur-ball watched the battle with great excitement. "One wrong step leads to another... dancing in the sea just to survive... a dancer is human too, but who can she tell of her sorrows? *Deng-ge-li-ge-deng-ge-deng*..."

The scene shifted. The sage-like Xiao Yulou suddenly crouched, his voice booming like thunder. "Fire of Zhurong, obey the Three Pure Ones!" With a deafening roar, he swung his skeletal sword, and nine massive, surging fireballs ignited around him. The pitch-black night was instantly illuminated, the scorching heat waves dispelling the cold.

Xiao Yulou’s presence was unrivaled. With a flick of his hand, he sent the eight burning fireballs screaming toward the Death Worm as it fed. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* The fireballs struck the creature’s massive, terrifying body, sending sparks flying like fireflies—a beautiful yet deadly sight.

*ROAR!* The giant Death Worm let out a deafening screech. The sheer volume tortured everyone's eardrums, and the very dunes began to tremble.

Meanwhile, the invisible Li Hetang had reached Yu Kongcheng. He looked down at the injuries and nudged Yu’s thigh with his toe. "Hey! Stop playing dead! Get up!"

The camera zoomed in on Yu Kongcheng. The half of his body that had been incinerated had already regenerated new flesh. Even his sleek wolf fur stood upright, completely undamaged. What was this? Accelerated regeneration? This strange boy was a total bug in the system! Regenerating half a body? Was he even human? What had the 749 Sub-Food Company created? A god? It was infuriating!

Li Hetang seemed to have known it all along. Suddenly, Yu Kongcheng opened his blood-red eyes, baring his sharp wolf fangs at the invisible Li Hetang. "Brother Tom, I knew you cared about me. I knew you wouldn't let me die!"

Li Hetang snorted and sprinted away.

In the shadows of a dune, Min Wenhua found his position and pulled the trigger. *BOOM!* The sand beneath him erupted as the massive recoil shook the earth. "My goodness, this thing is incredible!"

With a thunderous crash, a chunk of flesh the size of a well-mouth was blasted off the Death Worm. A foul, putrid stench filled the air. The creature shrieked in agony, shaking its massive body and whipping up violent gales of wind. Enraged, it turned its neck and unleashed a terrifying death ray toward Xiao Yulou.

*Zzzzt!* Xiao Yulou cried out in alarm, instantly drawing a Taiji pattern in the sand with his feet. Utilizing the speed of the Taoist arts, he darted across the dunes. The death ray was not only lethal but incredibly fast, yet Xiao Yulou was faster. The beam carved deep, half-meter trenches into the desert floor.

In the shadows, Min Wenhua fired relentlessly. The desert was filled with the deafening, non-stop cacophony of battle.

*Beep-beep-beep-beep!* A crisp, melodic sound echoed through the desert, becoming increasingly urgent. Suddenly, a dull thud sounded, and a violent explosion erupted beneath the Death Worm. Fire, blood, and sand flew everywhere as the creature was swallowed by thick, black smoke.

As the dust settled, Xiao Yulou, Min Wenhua, and Li Hetang stopped to observe. But as the smoke cleared, there was no sign of the Death Worm. Li Hetang took a deep breath and rushed to the spot. A moment later, he found a massive crater—a pit that looked like the gaping maw of a beast, large enough to swallow a basketball court whole.

Deeply suspicious, Li Hetang lay prone on the sand, pressing his ear to the ground. *Rumble...* The sound of rapid movement made the battle-hardened veteran break into a cold sweat.

That direction was...

Suddenly, Yu Kongcheng sniffed the air and shouted toward Gu Mo’s position. "Mr. Gu! The Death Worm is heading for you!"

Gu Mo, who had been lounging in the shadows of a dune with his arms behind his head and his legs crossed, humming a tune, felt his soul leave his body in terror. "Oh, damn your ancestors!"

As he cursed, the ground beneath him began to cave in. The Death Worm, which seemed to be trying to challenge the heavens themselves, erupted from the sand right in front of his face. Sand sprayed everywhere, and Gu Mo was scared out of his wits...