novelraw Chapter 63 : Sand Worms
Chapter 63 : Sand Worms
Chapter 63: Sand Worms
Within the River of Fortune.
Jiang Zhaoming rowed his small boat across the river’s surface. Golden light flickered in his eyes as he continuously scanned the flowing current below.
Before long, he finally found what he sought.
【Divine Artifact · Sand Worm Nest】: A wondrous nest from the Gu Spirit Plane, containing twelve precious sand worms, of which four were at the Divine Power Realm. The sand worms could travel hundreds of li beneath the sands in an instant, swiftly build underground tunnels, and detect sounds from a thousand li away.
Upon seeing the Sand Worm Nest, Jiang Zhaoming’s eyes lit up.
This nest, compared to the previous one he had found, not only contained two more sand worms but also an additional one at the Divine Power Realm.
That alone made Jiang Zhaoming greatly pleased.
Within the River of Fortune, Jiang Zhaoming often encountered the same types of fortune, though they were never completely identical.
This was because the fortunes within the river were in constant motion, and the deeper they were, the faster they moved.
That was why, above the shallower areas of the river, most fortunes belonged to the planes of Great Mong, Saint Tang, Gu Spirit, or Wild Wolf—showing in white, green, and blue hues.
Yet Jiang Zhaoming, delving deep within, could encounter the purple fortune of Wu Ming.
Exerting one portion of purple fortune, Jiang Zhaoming fished the Sand Worm Nest out from the current.
As for whether he should continue searching for a better one, he no longer had such intentions.
After all, he had already spent several days seeking a Sand Worm Nest, and even if he found another, there was no guarantee it would be superior.
Placing the nest around the Anxi Army’s main camp, Jiang Zhaoming slowly opened his eyes.
Then, he summoned Wan Donglai.
“General Wan, in this king’s hands lies a peculiar creature. It was by relying on it that I could easily cross the Sea of Death.”
Wan Donglai, upon hearing this, looked visibly puzzled.
Jiang Zhaoming led him out of the courtyard.
Before long, the two arrived atop the city wall at the edge of the military encampment.
Many of the stationed soldiers nearby cast curious glances toward Jiang Zhaoming and his companion.
After a few moments, one of the soldiers exclaimed, “Your Majesty, General—look! Isn’t the desert over there… trembling?”
Jiang Zhaoming made no reply, but Wan Donglai narrowed his eyes.
As the trembling grew stronger, the soldiers on the wall instinctively gripped their weapons tighter.
The next moment—
The vast, endless sea of sand suddenly swelled like boiling ink, heaving and roiling upward!
The Guard Captain shouted loudly, “On alert!”
The soldiers, readying themselves, drew their weapons in unison.
The dune continued to expand wildly, growing taller and taller until its shadow swallowed the sunlight.
And when the suffocating tension reached its peak—
“Boom!”
A deep rumble, as if torn from the depths of the Nine Netherworlds, split the air.
The summit of the rising dune suddenly burst open!
Amid a storm of golden sand raining down from the sky, an unimaginably colossal creature slowly lifted its head.
It was a worm!
Its head was like a mountain, and the shadow it cast devoured the entire wall in an instant!
Its massive body, covered in layers of ancient rocky armor, rose section by section—each segment like a moving mountain, crushing the earth beneath.
When the fourth segment—symbolizing the Divine Power Realm—fully emerged, its body length surpassed a hundred zhang.
Wan Donglai’s eyes sharpened. “Your Majesty, this is—?”
“This is a strange creature raised by this king. It is called a Sand Worm. It can burrow swiftly through soil and sand, and its sharp mouthparts can devour gold and iron alike.”
Wan Donglai gazed upon the giant worm before him and couldn’t help but sigh. “What a wondrous beast! Its strength must be at the late stage of the Divine Power Realm, yes?”
Jiang Zhaoming nodded. “This one is the strongest. But I possess eleven more sand worms, three of which are also at the Divine Power Realm.”
“Your Majesty, you called me here to see this sand worm because…”
Jiang Zhaoming replied, “Among these twelve, I can entrust four of the Divine Power Realm sand worms to your command.”
“Your servant thanks Your Majesty!”
Wan Donglai’s eyes brightened as he swiftly knelt on one knee.
Jiang Zhaoming helped him up and said, “These sand worms move through sand as fish through water. General Wan, make good use of them to reduce our soldiers’ casualties.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. With the sand worms’ aid, we can surely preserve more soldiers’ lives—and accumulate even more Body-Forging Demon Crystals.”
Several days later, the Sea of Death presented Jiang Zhaoming with a chance to test the sand worms’ might.
Jiang Zhaoming stood in midair alongside Wan Donglai, Xu Guangqi, and others, their robes whipping in the scorching wind.
Beneath them, the vast sea of sand spun eerily, forming a pitch-black vortex over a hundred zhang wide.
From that bottomless tunnel, an endless stream of foul, stinking Corrosive Slime Men surged forth.
Leading them was a Corrosive Slime General, its enormous pig-like head dripping thick, murky saliva from its tusks.
When it noticed the figures in the sky, its muddy eyes gleamed with ferocity.
After its troops assembled, it let out a hoarse, beastly roar—and then charged upward.
Jiang Zhaoming noted that though these Corrosive Slime troops hadn’t formed a battle formation, their vital energy and blood were gathered around their leader, enhancing his strength.
A nearby Anxi Army general brandished his large saber and rushed to intercept.
The Corrosive Slime General, gripping a strange bone blade, erupted with tremendous energy and forced the Anxi general back in a single strike.
“Your Majesty, this creature’s power nears the peak of the Divine Power Realm—it must not be underestimated.”
Xu Guangqi, observing beside him, quietly warned Jiang Zhaoming.
Soon, several more Anxi Army generals stepped forward to engage the Corrosive Slime Commander.
As the battle raged fiercely, faint tremors rippled through the sands.
The Corrosive Slime soldiers on the ground suddenly realized in terror that their feet were being swallowed by flowing sand.
The more they struggled, the faster they sank.
It was the work of the sand worms under Jiang Zhaoming’s command, forming a whirlpool of quicksand to engulf the enemy.
The Corrosive Slime General roared in fury, seemingly shouting in his nation’s tongue.
The soldiers below struggled desperately upon hearing him—but the more they fought, the deeper they sank.
As the yellow sands devoured them one after another, suffocation claimed their lives.
The Corrosive Slime Commander’s aura swiftly plummeted—from late Divine Power Realm to early stage.
When all his soldiers had perished, he was finally decapitated by an Anxi general’s strike.
As the massive pig’s head rolled across the sand, the sand worms dragged the corpses from beneath the surface—as if presenting trophies.
“The power of the sand worms is truly equal to that of thousands of soldiers,” Wan Donglai applauded.
Indeed, even with several Anxi generals working together, they could not have annihilated an entire enemy force so swiftly.
After a short while, the spoils of battle were collected.
The fight yielded three Body-Forging Demon Crystals, along with scattered minor loot.
While tallying the gains, Jiang Zhaoming frowned. “An army of ten thousand… and only three Body-Forging Demon Crystals?”
Wan Donglai smiled bitterly. “Yes, Your Majesty. For a smaller force, it’s common to gain only one or two crystals. This time, we were rather fortunate.”
Gazing out at the calm sands once more, Jiang Zhaoming’s expression grew solemn.
If even a small detachment of the Corrosive Slime Kingdom was of such scale—then should their main army appear…
It would be catastrophic.
Jiang Zhaoming looked at Wan Donglai, finally understanding why this veteran general could scarcely leave the Sea of Death even for a moment.
Still, with the sand worms’ addition, much of the Anxi Army’s burden would surely be eased.
Once the situation stabilized, Jiang Zhaoming might even recall the Yili County forces first.
“Then, General, I must trouble you to continue guarding this passage.”
Wan Donglai bowed deeply. “It is this general’s duty!”
After settling the Anxi Army’s affairs, Jiang Zhaoming did not depart immediately.
For tomorrow was the year’s end—and he would return to the Imperial Capital.
Whether an opening could be made at the Burial Dragon Mountain Range, and whether the common folk could safely pass through, would all depend on tomorrow’s banquet.