Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Earthquake Worm Larva and Mine Monsters
"The weak master, strong beast!"
Li Ye thought of how he couldn’t yet achieve Foundation Establishment, feeling conflicted.
Suddenly, "anger arose from his heart, with evil intentions born beside his courage."
He directly grabbed the smug beaver and squeezed it, the latter initially enjoying it, but soon pleaded with its paws, "chirping" for mercy.
To be honest, squeezing the thought of Foundation Establishment in his heart was truly satisfying; he quickly accepted this situation, merely observing the golden sheet crafted by the beaver.
Without a doubt, this was already a Magical Artifact.
Born from the purifying Buddha’s Light of the Vengeful Spirits ascending, it was considered an extremely superior power in the text of "Heart Lotus Suffering Relief Method."
If a mortal carried such an object, they might never encounter any demons or monsters in their lifetime—of course, only low-tier ones.
"You said you learned this from the Heart Lotus Suffering Relief Method?"
"Chirp chirp." The beaver nodded, then pointed with its paw at the Buddha’s Crown Gold, making a bonding gesture, indicating that this metal could carry Buddha’s Light.
"Quite impressive, well done."
"I’ll reward you with some lotus seeds to eat." He directly handed the icy sugar lotus seeds he was planning to eat to the beaver.
Five beavers immediately ran over, and grabbed the lotus seeds one by one to stash them in their fur.
Then, they ran over to the fish pond beside, sat neatly by the pool, holding the lotus seeds in their paws, eating—while the fish swam around yet dared not make a move.
This is the Third Tier Spirit Beast!
When they were both at the Second Tier, they could bully the beaver with their size, but now they’ve reached the Third Tier, naturally there’s no way to do that anymore.
"Sigh."
Li Ye withdrew his gaze. If he were to sell this, and someone asked which high monk consecrated it, how should he respond?
However...
He stood up and followed the Golden Horned Ants who were ready to return to the mine, planning to see what exactly had happened over there.
How did they manage to bring out Buddha’s Crown Gold? Was there some change inside the mine?
When he crossed the Space Mechanism Gate with the ant group, the inside scenery made him momentarily silent.
The walls, initially should have been filled with numerous low-tier ore, were now densely grown with clusters of golden "coral," emitting compassionate light under the mine’s illumination.
"Is this all Buddha’s Crown Gold?"
"...This isn’t right."
Li Ye didn’t act rashly; he first found the anthill placed at the entrance, directly pried open a small hole, and saw the plump Ant Queen inside.
"Is there anything here that you fear?" he inquired.
Though the Ant Queen was a Second Tier Spiritual Insect, it was nourished with his Vital Essence and Spiritual Power, and the transmitted message was intermittent.
But it was still understandable—a huge thing lies beneath.
Beneath?
"Where is it, have your Golden Horned Ants lead me over."
The plump Ant Queen gently nodded its head, immediately a squad of Golden Horned Ants emerged, starting to crawl away from Li Ye.
Since Senior Brother Shu had warned not to go deeper, Li Ye was always measuring the distance; if it exceeded a hundred meters, he wouldn’t explore further.
Fortunately, the distance did not exceed a hundred meters.
They had barely covered thirty meters, just taking a few extra turns, when the Golden Horned Ants stopped in front of a fissure where a Spirit Vein Willow branch extended.
The fissure was about the size of a fist.
Li Ye crouched and peered down the earth cave; through the cracks in the rock, he could barely see the scenery below.
That scenery made him inhale sharply.
"Hiss!"
In the cave below was a splendid coral grove, with a huge, like millennium-old wood, earth-colored worm residing there, continuously consuming Buddha’s Crown Gold and minerals.
Even the Spirit Vein Willow’s branches were pressed beneath it, but the Spirit Vein Willow seemed willing to give its Spiritual Power to it, without any hint of pain.
[Name]: Earthquake Worm
[Mood]: Painful, agitated
[State]: On the brink of splitting, facing death, birthing offspring.
By the time Li Ye had arrived, he’d already hung the pine cone Magical Artifact around his waist, concealing his presence, so this Earthquake Worm would not discover him.
He watched the immense worm and noticed its skin was being torn apart.
All the metallic minerals flowed inside it, occasionally forming sharp spikes that tore its skin.
Thin strands of slime slowly flowed down the Earthquake Worm’s body.
Inside were tiny Earthquake Worms!
Compared to their mother, these Earthquake Worms were pitifully small, probably no thicker than an infant’s arm.
Upon birth, they began digging the surrounding rock walls to escape.
Those unable to flee in time were crushed in the Earthquake Worm’s agonizing rolls, merging with the surrounding metal—and he wondered if it was an illusion, feeling like the metal seemed increased.
"..."
Li Ye took a deep breath.
The slightly cold air in the mine made him exceptionally calm.
"Help me."
"I want to capture an Earthquake Worm’s larva."
He gently touched the Spirit Vein Willow branches extending downward.
Even Senior Brother Shu had a serious expression when mentioning the Earthquake Worm, surely indicating it’s an extremely precious Spirit Beast, with the Spirit Vein Willow’s assistance, he could surely lure one through the Earth Surge Technique.
When it’s time to take risks, one must take risks.
Especially when timely advantages are present.
Otherwise, if those Earthquake Worm larvae all leave, it would be a sheer waste!
The Spirit Vein Willow’s branches gently shook, embracing his Divine Sense and infused Spiritual Power, the downward branches started influencing the rock walls around the Earthquake Worm.
Since the Spirit Vein Willow had stayed here long, it had already gained the Earthquake Worm’s trust, thus the latter showed no sign of resistance.
Moreover, with Li Ye’s exquisite control, an Earthquake Worm larva was quickly guided to wiggle its way over.
As the Earthquake Worm larva got closer, Li Ye felt somewhat restless and uneasy within.
The sachet at his chest began to slightly heat up, as the Love Life and Death Beans transformed into a Cyan Bird perched on his shoulder.
The cool bird beak touched Li Ye’s earlobe.
"Chirp chirp."
"I know." Li Ye stroked its feathers, "Do not worry."
Clearly, some changes were about to occur.
And certainly not good ones.
That feeling prompted him to speed up the infusion of Spiritual Power, and when the Earthquake Worm larva finally reached the cave, he reached out and grabbed it.
The slimy Earthquake Worm larva felt delightful in his hands, and without another word, he used the Wind-controlling Technique to carry the Golden Horned Ants and Spirit Vein Willow, fleeing immediately.
Years of consuming various Spiritual Materials fortified his body, combined with Mana support, allowed him to leave the Space Mechanism Gate with the ant nest and Spirit Vein Willow in mere moments.
At the moment of exiting the gate, he heard a piercing sound.
The sound was extremely sharp.
It slightly disturbed his Divine Sense, causing a prickling pain.
Even standing in the bright sunlight, he felt some unease.
"Enough."
He straightforwardly reached out to temporarily close the portal, but at the moment of closing, a hideous claw stretched out from inside.
"Crunch!"
The closing portal was like a sharp guillotine, directly chopping off the claw, which fell to the ground with a dull thud.
Li Ye’s expression remained calm.
He looked down at the claw and saw metallic stains on its surface, while the reddish-brown liquid that oozed out quickly solidified on the ground, releasing a scent of... rust.