Volume Four: Buddha Saves No One, but I, the Demon, Will - A First Test of Skill (Part Two)

The earth began to tremble. Grains of sand and scraps of grass bounced about. Old Seventeen cried out, "This is bad..." The ground beneath everyone's feet suddenly gave way, revealing a pit dozens of yards deep. Scarlet, viscous liquid sloshed inside it, and fist-sized worms swam through the slime. Tian Shun'er tucked the worm's head into his Storage Space and shouted, "What's going on? Hadn't they already retreated?"

Everyone was baffled. If these worms wanted to attack them, last night, when the group was underground, had surely been the best chance. Why wait until morning?

While everyone was still guessing, the worms in the slime slowly scattered. Seven arrow-straight wakes cut across the lake, each with a shadow beneath it. Hua Shiwei frowned. "Everyone, be careful."

After some thought, Luo Qian brought out the Torch Dragon Boat. At a moment like this, only by sharing a boat could they weather the danger together. They should not be suspecting one another now. He called everyone aboard, and orange lamplight spread ten meters across, enfolding the little boat at its heart.

The seven wakes shot toward them and struck the lamplight. Soft but resilient, it met them with a powerful resistance and forced them back. The seven dark shapes circled the Torch Dragon Boat a few times. Then the water stirred, and seven enormous heads emerged. Everyone stared in shock: seven Head Worms!

"How... how could one colony have so many Head Worms?" the Yin-Yang Daoist asked in astonishment. Old Seventeen's face grew grave. "There's only one possibility. None of these is the Head Worm yet." The Yin-Yang Daoist's expression changed. "You mean there's an even stronger one?" Old Seventeen shook his head. "We killed the Head Worm last night. These seven must have emerged after they devoured one another overnight. But