A green haze spread through the water.
The tightly clustered Water Zhi Bees suddenly went berserk.
Some of them even shot out of the water—leaping a foot or two into the air.
On the raft, Hu Ba Yi, Wang Pangzi, and Shirley Yang were all stunned.
"What's going on?"
"Why are these Water Zhi Bees leaving the raft?"
"What are they doing? Something feels wrong…"
Of course it was wrong.
Xu Lang felt a surge of satisfaction.
At this moment, the Golden Silkworm Gu was harvesting the swarm like a reaper.
From its first two upgrades, Xu Lang had already realized how difficult leveling would become.
The first upgrade required only 100 energy.
The second demanded 1,000.
Then the third—
Wouldn't that be 10,000?
Each upgrade brought massive improvements and new abilities.
But the cost kept rising.
Still—
Looking at the countless Water Zhi Bees behind the raft, all overturned by Gu Poison—
Xu Lang knew—
The third upgrade was within reach.
And the sooner, the better.
Because he knew—
Within this underground river lurked something even more terrifying than the Water Zhi Bees.
Only by growing stronger beforehand could he face it with confidence.
Underwater, the Golden Silkworm Gu moved faster and faster.
Clearly, after upgrading, its strength had increased significantly.
On the raft, Hu Ba Yi, Shirley Yang, and Wang Pangzi stood ready—
Gripping bamboo poles and entrenching tools—
Their eyes locked on the churning water behind them, not daring to relax for even a moment.
The raft drifted forward slowly.
Finally—
After more than ten minutes—
The turbulent water behind them gradually calmed.
Floating on the surface—
Were countless corpses of Water Zhi Bees.
Beneath the surface, even more filled the depths.
These once ferocious creatures—
Had all died in a short span of time.
Hu Ba Yi, Shirley Yang, and Wang Pangzi stared in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Xu Lang, however, felt a hint of regret.
Still no upgrade?
Judging by the numbers, the Golden Silkworm Gu had definitely killed over ten thousand Water Zhi Bees.
There was only one explanation—
Each kill now granted less than one full point of energy.
Xu Lang checked the system.
Sure enough—
After reaching Level 3, each Water Zhi Bee only provided 0.1 energy.
Xu Lang couldn't help but curse the system under his breath.
Then he checked the current energy total.
Level 3 Golden Silkworm Gu—
After that massive harvest—
Had accumulated over 9,000 energy.
Just one thousand more to go.
So close.
Xu Lang stored the Golden Silkworm Gu and turned his gaze forward.
The raft had drifted quite a distance.
Ahead—
The narrow, straight waterway finally opened up.
The surface widened.
The raft soon entered this broader stretch of water—
Along with thousands upon thousands of pale Water Zhi Bee corpses drifting alongside it.
Hu Ba Yi signaled Wang Pangzi to slow down.
The raft's speed decreased.
"Strange… when Kongque and the innkeeper talked about the underground river, they never mentioned this section," Hu Ba Yi said, finally calming down.
Sharp as ever, Old Hu had sensed something was off.
Shirley Yang nodded.
"That's true. I think it might be due to the recent heavy rains. The rising water level could have connected previously separate channels, and we unknowingly drifted into a branch."
Wang Pangzi frowned. "So what now? Do we go back?"
Xu Lang shook his head.
"No need."
Shirley Yang and Wang Pangzi both looked at him.
"Why?"
Xu Lang grinned.
"Even if we took a wrong branch, the flow of this underground river still leads toward Worm Valley."
"As long as our general direction is correct, we'll eventually pass through Zhelong Mountain. Different paths, same destination."
"If you don't believe me, have my cousin check the compass."
As soon as Xu Lang finished speaking, both Shirley Yang and Wang Pangzi turned to Hu Ba Yi.
With his military background, Hu Ba Yi always carried tools like a compass.
He quickly pulled one out.
"Xu Lang's right. We're still heading southwest—that's the direction of Worm Valley."
Hearing this, Shirley Yang gave Xu Lang a meaningful look.
"Xu Lang… are you really just an agricultural university student?"
Xu Lang smiled.
"Shirley Yang, don't underestimate domestic education. Agricultural students are just that capable."
Shirley Yang pressed her forehead, conceding defeat without further questions.
Just then—
The Golden Silkworm Gu tattoo on Xu Lang's arm twitched suddenly.
A faint prickling sensation followed.
A warning?
Xu Lang immediately stood up and shone his wolf-eye flashlight ahead.
At that exact moment—
A sudden splash echoed across the water.
As if something massive was moving beneath the surface.
Xu Lang's beam cut through the darkness.
Beneath the water—
A colossal shadow appeared.
At least ten meters long—
As thick as a water barrel—
Gliding silently through the pitch-black depths.
Hu Ba Yi and Wang Pangzi nearly jumped out of their skins.
"What… is that?"
"A dragon?!"