Translator: AnubisTL
"This centipede is truly adept at hiding, burrowing so deep underground."
Li Qing frowned as he surveyed the numerous holes dotting the earth's surface, inwardly abandoning his pursuit of the centipede.
He had just extended his divine sense through these holes, but to his surprise, they led to a labyrinthine network of interconnected tunnels, stretching far deeper than he had anticipated, seemingly without end.
It was clear that engaging the centipede in such confined and treacherous terrain would put him at a significant disadvantage.
"Master, should we continue waiting for the centipede to emerge?" Lin Jing asked, propping her chin in her hands, her boredom palpable.
Li Qing's frown gradually relaxed. He shook his head. "Enough. We've already hunted a One-Eyed Giant Deer and a yin serpent. That should suffice."
"Let's search for the big-mouthed worm one last time. If we find nothing, we'll call it a day."
There was no point in waiting here idly. He now possessed two third-tier crimson crystals—one to deliver to Wang Chan and another to save for Fan Tong's future use. That was enough.
As for a third crimson crystal, obtaining it would be ideal, but if fate denied him, there was no need to force the issue.
Most importantly, several consecutive battles had significantly depleted his mana.
Although he had reached the core formation realm, this didn't grant him an inexhaustible supply of mana. The longer he remained in this era, the more he would be affected by the End of Dao Era's decline in spiritual energy.
Moreover, he had other matters to attend to. There was no need to exhaust all his mana just to obtain a third-tier crimson crystal.
These other matters naturally referred to the secret realm map he had obtained from the Blood Lotus Sect's book pavilion.
That secret realm contained a heavenly spirit fire. Li Qing, who cultivated the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art, couldn't possibly resist such a temptation.
He absolutely had to explore it!
"Let's go! We'll make one last search for that big-mouthed worm. If we can't find it, we'll give up."
With that, Li Qing reactivated the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat, carrying Lin Jing as they soared across the Black Wind Domain.
Several more days passed in the blink of an eye.
They had reached the southwestern edge of the Black Wind Domain, a desolate black desert where icy winds swept across the land, carrying frigid sand that flowed across the dunes like a surreal painting.
Li Qing's powerful divine sense swept outward, rapidly expanding across the terrain as he searched for traces of the big-mouthed worm.
The Serpent-Head Spirit Boat transformed into a streak of spiritual light, patrolling the area.
Soon, Li Qing's keen divine sense detected a peculiar worm buried entirely within the sand of a raised dune.
The worm's anatomy was bizarre. One end of its body split into nine tentacles, each tipped with a tooth-filled maw.
Chirp... chirp...
The sound of sand grains rubbing together emanated from the dune, clearly produced by the big-mouthed worm.
Hearing this, Li Qing narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Interesting. Is it luring prey?"
As his words faded, Li Qing summoned the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer into the air.
"Go!"
The gray, misty hammer suddenly expanded, radiating an overwhelming aura as it crashed down upon the dune.
Boom!
But in the next instant, the dune exploded, sending sand flying in all directions.
A tentacle erupted from the sand, its massive, grotesque maw snapping open to meet the full force of the hammer's strike.
Sensing the resistance through his divine sense, Li Qing frowned, dissatisfied with the outcome.
Although the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer had only been refined recently and hadn't been nourished long enough by his true essence, he hadn't expected it to be so easily countered.
As a natal magic treasure refined from pure Primordial Chaos Stone, this was one of Li Qing's most reliable weapons.
But there was no time for hesitation. The big-mouthed worm in the sand had already detected his presence and immediately launched a fierce attack.
One after another, tentacles erupted from the sand, their maws snapping open and aiming directly at Li Qing.
Eight streams of black quicksand erupted from the worm's maw, hissing through the air with incredible speed as they shot toward Li Qing.
"Perfect timing!"
Li Qing tapped his storage pouch, and a dark, ancient forge appeared in his hand.
With a forceful shove, he hurled the Black Furnace forward to intercept the eight streams of quicksand.
A dense, crisp clattering filled the air as countless sand grains slammed into the Black Furnace, causing its body to tremble slightly.
Li Qing remained unconcerned. The Black Furnace was exceptionally sturdy, capable of withstanding even void turbulence. Mere sand grains posed no threat to its integrity.
Sheltered behind the Black Furnace, Li Qing rapidly formed hand seals. A crimson shattered origin great fire seal materialized in his palm.
Meanwhile, from his other hand, a torrent of searing white cold flame surged forth, merging into the crimson fire seal.
"Go!"
This shattered origin great fire seal, forged from Li Qing's pill fire and the Netherworld Cold Fire, hadn't been nurtured for long, yet it still possessed formidable power.
The fire seal streaked downward toward the big-mouthed worm buried in the sand, instantly erupting into a terrifying wave of flames.
Sizzle!
The sound of burning flesh filled the air as the big-mouthed worm finally revealed its entire body from beneath the sand.
Hiss!
It let out a piercing shriek that could almost rupture eardrums. On the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat, Lin Jing immediately covered her cat ears, her face contorted in pain.
Just as Li Qing braced for a counterattack, the bizarre worm did something that shocked him.
Whoosh!
It kicked up a cloud of sand, then displayed a speed and agility utterly disproportionate to its massive size.
It was running away. Running away!
"Huh? Master, you scared the worm away!" Lin Jing slowly lowered her hands from her ears, her voice filled with astonishment.
Li Qing opened his mouth, momentarily speechless.
In the World of Eternal Night, strange beasts were typically ferocious and mindless, driven solely by instinct.
They would never cease fighting until one side was dead, as demonstrated by the yin serpent and One-Eyed Giant Deer that Li Qing had previously slain.
The very notion of a strange beast fleeing was utterly unheard of!
"Something's wrong. Pursue!"
With these words, Li Qing retrieved the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer and Black Furnace, then steered the Serpent-Head Spirit Boat into a rapid chase.
He wanted to understand this worm's behavior. Not only did it lure prey with its calls, but it also recognized its disadvantage and chose to flee.
If someone had told Li Qing this big-mouthed worm possessed spiritual intelligence, he would have believed it.
Sand and dust billowed across the sky, kicked up by the fleeing worm.
Li Qing's speed was extraordinary, but the worm proved surprisingly swift, making it difficult to close the gap quickly.
Thus began a relentless pursuit.
The worm fled at breakneck speed, while Li Qing's Serpent-Head Spirit Boat relentlessly pursued.
Before they realized it, they had once again crossed into the Autumn Mountain Domain.
(End of the Chapter)
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