The Sky Dream Iceworm's massive size made it impossible for it to pass through the tunnel Li Xun had used. Fortunately, Li Xun's current strength had improved, allowing his vines to extend further.
Li Xun braced his hands against the sides of the tunnel, channeling streams of Soul Power outward.
Branches and vines rapidly grew, intertwining to form a drill-like shape that surged toward the ground. Meanwhile, plants on both sides of the tunnel extended upward, bringing with them large amounts of soil and rocks.
The location was close to the fierce beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest, so Li Xun dared not proceed too quickly, instead advancing slowly downward.
This cautious approach left the Sky Dream Iceworm as anxious as an ant in a frying pan. Suddenly, it seemed to remember something and quickly dispersed its immense spiritual power to conceal the unusual activity in the area.
The Sky Dream Iceworm had no qualms about using its spiritual power freely. After all, the Soul Beasts here knew it was essentially useless, save for its slightly stronger spiritual power.
Half a day passed quickly, and with a series of faint cracking sounds, hundreds of vines slowly emerged from the rock walls.
Skydream, barely containing its excitement, hurriedly moved closer to the rock wall. As soon as the opening was large enough to accommodate its soft body, it immediately squeezed in.
"Don't move yet," Li Xun stopped Skydream, which was about to slowly wriggle out of the tunnel. He manipulated the vines to wrap around it, then used the vines left outside the tunnel to create a makeshift rope, quickly pulling it out.
After a moment's thought, Li Xun used the vines to restore and then destroy the entrance. For added security, he reinforced it with a simple earth technique.
He knew this wouldn't fool anyone for long, but even a slight delay would suffice.
Sword Douluo had been waiting outside the tunnel for two days, growing increasingly anxious. Fortunately, the constant movement of the vines inside the tunnel kept him from venturing in to search.
It was nighttime, and just as he was about to close his eyes and rest while waiting for Li Xun to emerge, he heard strange noises coming from the deep tunnel.
Soon, large amounts of rocks and soil were being pushed upward.
Sword Douluo's eyes snapped open, fixed on the vines pouring out of the tunnel entrance. In no time, the narrow passage had widened into a broad tunnel.
Thud—
Not long after, the vines, along with a large, lumpy object, suddenly leaped out of the tunnel and landed in front of Sword Douluo. Then, a white, gold-patterned, fleshy worm broke free from the vine's embrace and appeared before him.
The Seven Kill Sword instantly materialized beside Sword Douluo, its aura locking onto Skydream.
"Wait! Don't attack, don't attack!"
Fear flashed in Skydream's eyes. Although it had previously sensed this person's state with its spiritual power, standing face-to-face with him now, it could truly feel the immense power hidden within his body.
It had no doubt that killing it would be as easy as squashing an ordinary bug for him.
When Li Xun emerged from the tunnel, he saw the man and the beast staring each other down. "Sword Grandpa, I came here twice just for it. Let's go quickly; this isn't a safe place to linger."
With that, Li Xun used the vines to bind the Sky Dream Iceworm once more. Then, under Skydream's fearful gaze, he handed the prepared vines to Sword Douluo.
Sword Douluo immediately understood. He enlarged the Seven Kill Sword, suspended it horizontally in mid-air, and wrapped the vines around its hilt before stepping onto it.
Li Xun, not wasting any time, quickly leaped onto the flying sword. "Sword Grandpa, head to the Sunset Forest."
With that, the man, the beast, and the sword transformed into a streak of light, speeding away from the Star Dou Great Forest.
The early morning in the Star Dou Great Forest was exceptionally tranquil, with the sunlight casting a uniquely beautiful scene.
However, this poetic scenery was soon shattered by a deafening beast's roar, followed by a second, then a third, accompanied by continuous howls.
The Star Dou Great Forest was in chaos!
Bear Monarch stood at the entrance of the tunnel where Li Xun had previously been, his eyes bloodshot.
The tunnel was originally too narrow to accommodate his massive frame, let alone the damage Li Xun had caused.
But in his rage, he was nearly losing his mind. The lingering scent of the Sky Dream Iceworm and humans was enough to drive him mad, clawing his way up the tunnel.
The Three-headed Red Demon Mastiff sniffed the air: "There is indeed the lingering scent of humans, and it's from two people."
"Damn humans!" Bear Monarch roared in anger, slashing out with his claws. Dozens of towering trees were instantly severed, and deep gouges appeared on the ground.
"Red King, can you still sense the presence of the big worm?" A clear voice echoed from the tunnel as Bi Ji slowly emerged.
The Three-headed Red Demon Mastiff sniffed the ground carefully, then quickly ascended into the air, heading straight for the direction where Li Xun and his companions had fled.
After a moment, the Three-headed Red Demon Mastiff returned: "Too much time has passed, and the lingering scent in the air has dissipated. I can sense that these two humans were flying very fast and are likely no longer in the Star Dou Great Forest."
Bi Ji sighed upon hearing this: "I never expected the Golden-striped Ice Silkworm would rather entrust itself to humans than benefit us Soul Beasts."
"I had long suggested to the Beast God that we should just devour that big worm. If we had followed my suggestion, this wouldn't have happened," the aged voice of the Ten Thousand Demon King chimed in.
"Stop with the sarcasm. Who could withstand nearly a million years of energy? I think you just hate worms," Zi Ji's voice, filled with dissatisfaction, descended from above: "From today, we will seal off the Star Dou Great Forest, no humans allowed. The rest will be left to Di Tian to decide."
"Is the Beast God awakening!?" The hearts of the fierce beasts leaped with joy.
"The eighty-thousand-year tribulation is terrifying, but it couldn't keep Di Tian dormant forever. He is already showing signs of awakening. Although it's brief, as long as the worm isn't too far away, we should be able to find it."
"Hmph! What can it do even if it escapes? With nearly a million years of Soul Power, we couldn't do anything to it. What can humans do by rescuing it?"
"By the way, who will go and bring back that long worm that's been guarding the lake? It might know something."
In the Sunset Forest, at the Yin Yang Well, the Sky Dream Iceworm was curiously examining its surroundings.
Since its birth, apart from the ice marrow cave, this was the first time it had seen such a miraculous place.
As a Soul Beast, although it didn't recognize some of the plants here, its innate intuition told it which were poisonous and which were highly nourishing.
Sword Douluo observed the Sky Dream Iceworm from a distance, his tone uncertain: "Xiao Xun, are you sure you want to use this big worm to attach the first Spirit Ring to your second Martial Soul?"
It was no wonder he had this doubt. Although the energy within this Golden-striped Ice Silkworm was vast, he had an intuition that he could easily kill it.
This feeling was strange and left him somewhat puzzled.
Logically speaking, a Soul Beast with such immense power should be incredibly strong. Moreover, Sword Douluo could sense that even ten Titan Giant Apes might not match the energy of this worm, as every advancement of a Soul Beast involves a refinement of its internal energy, not just a simple addition or subtraction.
"Who are you calling a little worm? Do you know how long I've cultivated?" Skydream seemed to overhear someone speaking ill of him and immediately became alert, rushing over.
"Oh? How many years have you cultivated?" Sword Douluo narrowed his eyes, looking at Skydream with a faint smile.
He noticed that this worm had a somewhat familiar personality. How long had it been, and yet it was no longer afraid of him?
Skydream Iceworm proudly raised his head: "Nine hundred and eighty thousand years! How about that? Impressed, aren't you?"
Sword Douluo was indeed shocked, but his concern was that Li Xun might explode from absorbing such energy. After all, there had been signs of him nearly bursting when he absorbed the Blue Silver King earlier.
If it were this worm, wouldn't he turn into a mist of blood in an instant?
"Xiao Xun, don't be impulsive. Such vast energy is not something you can absorb right now, unless he is willing to sacrifice everything for you like Xiao Wu did."
"Don't worry, Sword Grandpa. Although this isn't a Sacrifice, we've already studied it together."
(End of Chapter)