Soul Devouring Gworm
Lordi Payne and Ruru Rosa, still trapped inside, froze as a powerful suction force erupted from the altar's depths, yanking them backward with relentless strength, dragging them toward the now-gaping curtain.
The gates, mere steps away, groaned trembling under an unseen weight, its creaking wood inching shut, threatening to seal their fate within the shrine's horrors.
The AllFullOS system's notification rang in Lordi Payne's ears once again.
~ Ding! *System Notification Chime*
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> Detected external data.
> Analyzing...
> Pattern identified: [Unknown Cosmic Path Establishment Technique]
> Technique Recording initiated...
> Progress: 10%...
Lordi Payne ignored the chaos, his focus razor-sharp. He dissolved into a crimson blur, the Blood Spectre Footwork Art propelling him toward the narrowing gate as it groaned shut under glowing Dao Fulu seals.
Ruru Rosa thrashed against the altar's relentless unseen hunger, her body sliding involuntarily toward the twitching pearl-bead curtain like a beautiful moth ensnared in the shrine's web, her whip useless against the invisible force, her high heels screeching against the floor.
Without hesitation, Lordi's arm shot out, clamping around her waist. In a flash, he yanked her forward, their bodies slamming together as they shot through the gate's dwindling gap.
They tumbled into the courtyard beyond, the warm noon air hitting them as a thunderous BANG echoed behind. The main hall's gates slammed shut, sealing the Hanz Clan Ancestral Shrine with a final, deafening crash.
At the same time, the AllFullOS system chimed again.
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> Data Error. (Error: 1909)
- External Data disappeared. [Unknown Cosmic Path Establishment Technique]
> Technique Recording status: TERMINATED
> Thank you for using the All-Smart Full-Host Cultivation System™ (AllFullOS v1.0.0)
> One-click-cultivation, worry-free-ascension!
> Feedback request:
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Lordi Payne didn't even wait for the system to finish narrating—he immediately slammed it with a one-star negative review.
[AllFullOS: Version 1.0.0]
> [★☆☆☆☆]
> Submitted. Thanks for your feedback.
Lordi Payne scanned the open space, his heart sinking. Carl Murphy, Drake Rourke, and Rena Newman were gone. No hesitation. No farewells. Their forms vanished into the night.
His face darkened as his grip on Ruru Rosa's waist loosened, urgency sharpening his voice. "Senior Sister, we can't linger. Split up and flee!"
Before Ruru could protest, Lordi chose a direction, his body dissolving into a crimson shadow blur, the Blood Spectre Footwork Art carrying him out of sight in a heartbeat.
"Hey!" Ruru's hand froze mid-reach, her voice tinged with frustration. "Hmph… fine." A sharp exhale.
She gritted her teeth, flicked her sleeves, and darted in the opposite direction, her figure swiftly fading into the mountain depth beyond the cursed ancestral shrine.
——
In the main hall of the Hanz Stronghold, chaos had gutted the once-grand chamber. Overturned tables and shattered chairs lay strewn amid splintered furniture and scattered treasures, the opulent decor now a ravaged ruin.
Several Thirst Bull Squad cultivators slumped on the floor, their faces pale, wounds seeping. They fumbled for recovery pills, swallowing them hastily to mend their injuries.
Among them, a woman in white sect cloak lay motionless, her face ashen, her once-vibrant dress now dull, her chest still. Dead.
"Soul-Devouring Gworms…" Clenched his fists, Jorge Blue's voice was heavy, his expression grim as Thirst Bull's captain. "I never imagined the Hanz Clan hid these in a Spirit-Breaking Sand. A trap within a trap."
Spirit Breaking Sand, a common defensive material in the cultivation world, resembled ordinary yellow sand but harbored a sinister ability to siphon spirit energy and soul power. When deployed in large quantities within a trap, it ensnared careless cultivators, draining their spiritual reserves upon contact. Within moments, even seasoned cultivator seniors would weaken, stripped of their cultivation strength and left as defenseless as mortals.
Soul Devouring Gworms, native to scorching environments, appeared as damp sand grains but were toxic insects that fed on living souls. Their fragile bodies could be easily crushed by even a Third Layer Qi Refinement cultivator if detected, posing little threat alone.
Well, Soul-Devouring Gworms were notoriously hard to cultivate, demanding rare materials as food and a complex refining process to control. Individually, a few gworms had negligible spirit energy-draining effects. But when amassed in large numbers within a confined area, their collective power could threaten even late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators, forcing most to steer clear.
Jorge Blue hadn't anticipated the Hanz Clan's cunning: they raised numerous Soul-Devouring Gworms within a quicksand trap full of Spirit-Breaking Sand, a mysterious fusion that blindsided Thirst Bull Squad. The trap's devastating synergy left the squad reeling, with heavy losses.
Only Jorge Blue and Rodney Luther fled unscathed. The rest of Thirst Bull suffered severe injuries, their spirit energy and souls sapped by the trap. One female cultivator paid the ultimate price, her life claimed by the gworms' soul-devouring assault.
Rodney Luther's face was cold, his voice sharper than a blade. "We were too arrogant. The Hanz Clan once boasted a peak Foundation Establishment master. Even in decline, this estate's defenses carry their legacy." He shook his head. "Enough—since the Treasury House isn't here, where next? The martial arts arena in the Twin Peak valley or the Ancient Stone Well in the northwest rear mountain?"
Jorge Blue paused, then said, "Donovan Valdez is wasting time hunting Garrick Blackthorn and his Thorn Squad, so the Clan Chief's Royal Study Library likely yielded nothing. Let's hit the martial arts arena first."