Chapter 318: Traces of the Worm Mother
Before them writhed a swarm of ferocious, terrifying insects.
The sight would have been enough to scare an ordinary person to death.
But the people present were either Spirit Farm Lords, an Earth Vein Abyss Lord, or an Earth Vein Manager. As for Jiang Chen and Zhao Feng, though it was their first time seeing the creatures, they were both cultivators of the Foundation Establishment realm.
Therefore, every single one of them was rock-steady, showing not a flicker of panic.
Logically, a single casual strike from either Zhu Fuxian or Shi Yuan could have annihilated every last one of these adult Meridian-Reversing Worms, leaving not even dust behind.
Yet, the two titans showed absolutely no intention of making a move.
Just as Yang Zhenyue was internally debating whether he should be the one to act, Zhu Fuxian spoke.
“Wood Spirit Root cultivators have few opportunities for combat,” he said, his voice echoing lightly in the tunnel. “Little Jiang and Zhao Feng, why don’t you use these adult Meridian-Reversing Worms for some training.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Chen’s composure finally cracked. “Me?” he asked, his voice laced with disbelief.
Zhu Fuxian arched an eyebrow. “What, is there another man here with the surname Jiang?”Jiang Chen forced an awkward smile. “This disciple rarely fights. My experience is… lacking. I fear I will only bring you embarrassment.”
Zhu Fuxian waved a dismissive hand. “I said it was training. Besides, with us here to watch over you, what is there to fear?”
The matter was settled. Jiang Chen knew any further refusal would be unwise. He met Zhao Feng’s gaze, and after a brief, silent exchange, they both stepped forward.
Sensing their approach, the adult Meridian-Reversing Worms instantly converged. The buzzing of their wings intensified, the frequency becoming a frantic, high-pitched thrum. They moved as one, a single, chitinous entity.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen feigned alarm, taking a deliberate step back. “These things… they feel…”
From behind him, Zhu Fuxian’s voice supplied the answer. “Adult Meridian-Reversing Worms form swarms of thirty to fifty. Their combined offensive power is comparable to an early-stage Qi Condensation cultivator. The larger the swarm, the greater their power.”
Hearing this, Zhao Feng remained completely unfazed. As the young master of the Spirit Farm’s most prominent family, he possessed a wealth of life-saving treasures, especially Spirit Weapons.
He circulated the wood spiritual energy in his Qi Sea, and in a flash of light, a shield, a flying needle, a spirit talisman, and a bracelet materialized around him.
Jiang Chen’s eyes went wide. “A Five-Pattern Green Vine Spirit-Locking Shield, a Four-Pattern Rice Ear Flying Needle, a Three-Pattern Spirit Insect Puppet Talisman, and a Five-Pattern Myriad Forms Spirit Rhinoceros Bracelet?”
Any single one of those Spirit Weapons was worth over two thousand Mid-grade Spirit Stones. The two Five-Pattern items alone were worth more than fifteen thousand combined.
Zhao Feng shot him a wide grin. “Can’t be helped. Some of us are just loaded!”
The corner of Jiang Chen’s mouth twitched. “Must be nice to be rich,” he muttered under his breath.
Zhao Feng eyed him with curiosity. “Where’s your gear?”
Jiang Chen blinked, then channeled his own spiritual energy. He activated the two lowest-grade Spirit Weapons he owned: the Green Wood Needle and the Wood Spirit Returning Nest Ring.
Though he was now armed, the contrast with the brilliantly glowing Zhao Feng was stark. They were both Wood Spirit Root cultivators, yet Jiang Chen looked utterly pitiful.
Abyss Lord Shi Yuan seized the opportunity, his voice dripping with mockery. “Is this the best your Spirit Farm’s Cultivation Envoy can muster, Zhu Fuxian?”
Zhu Fuxian’s expression tightened for a fraction of a second before smoothing over. “The boy has only been in the core of the Spirit Farm for five years,” he stated calmly.
At his side, Yang Zhenyue gasped.
Even Abyss Lord Shi Yuan looked genuinely surprised, his gaze lingering on Jiang Chen for a moment longer.
Five years. In that time, most were fortunate just to reach Foundation Establishment. This boy had not only done that but had also become a Cultivation Envoy. It was a testament to his staggering talent in cultivation arts. Otherwise, there was no reason that old bastard Zhu Fuxian would value him so highly, even taking him under his personal tutelage.
Just then, the swarm of over thirty Meridian-Reversing Worms surged forward. They moved with blinding speed, their forms little more than blurs in the dim light of the tunnel. Fortunately, the passage was narrow, leaving them no room to flank.
As the deafening buzz grew closer, Zhao Feng reacted.
With a mere thought, his Four-Pattern Rice Ear Flying Needle shot out, weaving through the insectoid swarm like a deadly thread. A series of wet *thuds* and *splats* echoed through the passage.
But he wasn’t finished. As the worms reeled from their injuries, he flicked his wrist, sending the Three-Pattern Spirit Insect Puppet Talisman flying.
Instantly, a cyan halo pulsed outwards, bathing the dark tunnel in an ethereal, dreamlike light.
Every worm caught in the light, especially the wounded ones, froze. Their multifaceted eyes glazed over. Then, with renewed frenzy, they turned on each other, tearing into their own kind in a chaotic melee.
Within moments, more than half the swarm lay dead or dying.
Only then did Jiang Chen finally act. He retrieved a handful of grass seeds from his Wood Character Spirit Seal—seeds he had stored for who knows how long—and tossed them to the ground. They instantly sprouted, erupting into a thicket of Black Iron Vines that lashed out at the worms embroiled in their civil war, the air cracking with the sound of whips.
Between the two of them—or more accurately, with Zhao Feng doing all the heavy lifting and Jiang Chen contributing the bare minimum—the swarm was quickly exterminated.
Jiang Chen let out a long, theatrical sigh. “Finally, that’s dealt with.”
Zhao Feng shot him a look of utter exasperation. “Could you *be* any more useless?”
Jiang Chen immediately adopted an expression of pure innocence. “I’ve never fought before. I didn’t even participate in the official disciple competitions.”
Zhao Feng’s eyes widened. “You never participated in the competitions?”
Jiang Chen spread his hands helplessly. “Have you ever seen me on the arenas at Fire Peak?”
If that was true, then his performance was actually commendable. At the very least, he hadn’t been a liability or made any critical errors. He had just… failed to inflict much damage.
The two turned back to face their seniors.
Zhu Fuxian spoke up, his words clearly directed at Jiang Chen. “The wings and scales of the Meridian-Reversing Worms can be used as materials for forging or alchemy. Though not particularly valuable, in large quantities, they can still fetch a decent price.”
With Zhao Feng’s family fortune, such trifles were beneath his notice. A single meal for him could cost hundreds of Mid-grade Spirit Stones.
Jiang Chen made a show of preparing to harvest the corpses. But just as he was about to squat, he froze. “Disciple will return to clean these up after we have dealt with the Meridian-Reversing Worm Mother,” he said hastily.
*Nice try,* he thought. *I almost fell for it.*
First, he makes me fight. Now, he wants me to dissect the bodies. It felt like Zhu Fuxian was testing him, probing for something. While he likely meant no harm, it was always best to keep a card or two up his sleeve.
Hearing his response, Zhu Fuxian gave a slight nod. “Very well. Let us proceed deeper.”
The group of five continued their exploration, dispatching the few remaining Meridian-Reversing Worms that blocked their path. Before long, they arrived at the site Abyss Lord Shi Yuan and Manager Yang Zhenyue had described.
The sight before them was horrifying.
A crushed trail, nearly a dozen feet wide, was gouged into the cavern floor. The hard stone was fractured with a web of fine cracks. The surface soil had been churned with a secreted, dark-red mucus, forming a slick, viscous clay layer half a foot thick.
This grotesque mortar was pockmarked with fist-sized pits, each one punched nearly two feet deep into the ground. The walls of these pits were flecked with jagged fragments of blackish-red scales. On the rock walls flanking the trail, shallow grooves scarred the stone, scraped by the passage of some colossal body. A fine, dark-red powder was embedded within these grooves, emitting the acrid, metallic stench of powerful corrosion.