Previously, when Shirley Yang had cut open a human-skin figurine with her paratrooper knife, what spilled out were shriveled, lifeless insect eggs.
But now—
From the bursting corpses—
What poured out were plump, living eggs.
The moment they entered the water, the eggs began to swell rapidly.
Growing larger and larger—
Until they reached roughly the size of chicken eggs.
Then—
From within each egg, a creature emerged.
They resembled the worms Xu Lang had seen earlier on the mountain road—
But smaller.
After wriggling briefly in the water, they grew fin-like appendages resembling wings.
Even from above, Xu Lang could clearly see—
A thin black thread running through the center of each worm.
These creatures were filled with the resentment of the slaves who had been fed Shong catalysts and devoured alive from within.
The Golden Silkworm Gu had already grown impatient.
Xu Lang gently flicked his finger.
With permission granted—
The Golden Silkworm Gu shot forward like an arrow, diving toward the newly hatched worms.
Almost instantly—
A flood of system notifications erupted in Xu Lang's mind.
[System Notification]
[Golden Silkworm Gu absorbed Shong worm]
[Energy +1]
[System Notification]
[Golden Silkworm Gu absorbed Shong worm]
[Energy +1]
…
The barrage of notifications was so dense that Xu Lang felt his head buzz.
There were simply too many worms.
He quickly adjusted the system settings in his mind—
Switching notifications so that identical energy gains would only be reported once.
Only then did the noise subside.
Meanwhile—
Hu Ba Yi, Wang Pangzi, and Shirley Yang had all clearly seen what was happening underwater.
"Water Zhi Bees!"
Hu Ba Yi shouted.
Wang Pangzi and Shirley Yang were both unfamiliar with the term, momentarily stunned.
Hu Ba Yi quickly explained their danger—
Then reassured them:
Although Water Zhi Bees were venomous and would attack, they could not leave the water.
Xu Lang, however, frowned slightly.
Something wasn't right.
The Golden Silkworm Gu was rapidly hunting the Shong worms—these so-called Water Zhi Bees.
But their numbers—
Were overwhelming.
From a single human-skin figurine, hundreds—sometimes thousands—of Water Zhi Bees could hatch.
And from the hundreds of figurines that had fallen into the water—
There were at least hundreds of thousands of them now.
No matter how fast the Golden Silkworm Gu absorbed—
It couldn't keep up.
The river beneath them was now filled with countless Water Zhi Bees.
The underside of the raft was already densely covered with them.
Hu Ba Yi, Wang Pangzi, and Shirley Yang hadn't yet realized the danger.
But Xu Lang could clearly feel—
The raft had already sunk several centimeters.
If this continued—
The raft would dip below the waterline.
It wouldn't fully sink—
But the Water Zhi Bees would then be able to attack those on board.
"We can't let them keep clinging to the raft," Xu Lang warned immediately.
Hu Ba Yi and Shirley Yang reacted at once, grabbing their entrenching tools and bamboo poles, desperately knocking the creatures off the raft.
Wang Pangzi, though a step slower, quickly joined in.
But even with all their effort—
They could only reduce the numbers slightly.
As the raft continued to sink bit by bit—
Xu Lang knew he had to act.
Golden Silkworm Gu… faster!
Underwater, the Gu had already become a blur.
Each pass killed dozens—hundreds—of Water Zhi Bees.
Energy surged continuously.
Finally—
A system notification rang out clearly in Xu Lang's mind.
[System Notification]
[Golden Silkworm Gu has accumulated 1000 Energy]
[Upgrade Condition Met]
[System Notification]
[Golden Silkworm Gu has advanced to Level 3]
A powerful force flooded Xu Lang's mind.
When he opened his eyes again—
Everything before him appeared sharper.
His thoughts were clearer, faster.
But beyond these changes—
The greatest surprise was the new ability granted by the upgrade.
Gu Poison.
The poison of the Golden Silkworm Gu was among the most violent in all Gu arts.
Not only was it tyrannical—
It was sinister, vicious—
Like a parasite attached to the bones, impossible to shake off.
Those afflicted could only struggle in endless torment.
With the Gu Poison skill—
The countless Water Zhi Bees before him were no longer terrifying monsters—
But resources.
Materials for growth.
Xu Lang glanced ahead.
Even in the dim light, he could sense—
They were nearing the end of this stretch of waterway.
Time was running short.
Greater dangers lay ahead.
Xu Lang closed his eyes.
He began to activate his Insect Control skill.
Water Zhi Bees—
Were still insects.
Though tainted with malevolent energy, they could still be influenced.
The recent upgrade had greatly enhanced Xu Lang's mental strength.
Now—
He would attempt to control tens of thousands of them.
He began with those clinging to the raft.
Thousands of Water Zhi Bees suddenly released their grip—
Dropping back into the water.
The raft instantly became lighter.
Success.
Xu Lang pressed forward—
Driving all the surrounding Water Zhi Bees away from the raft and toward the rear.
The Golden Silkworm Gu assisted—
Like a shepherd dog herding a flock.
Soon—
A massive swarm was gathered five to six meters behind the raft.
The water churned violently—
Like boiling porridge filled with writhing white creatures.
Xu Lang opened his eyes.
Now—
It was time to harvest.
With a single thought—
He commanded the Golden Silkworm Gu to charge forward.
At the same time, he pointed toward the densest cluster of Water Zhi Bees—
And activated—
Gu Poison.