There was no way to describe the reason, but this white pagoda felt somewhat eerie.
Building such a tall pagoda here would require significant manpower and building materials.
Even by today's standards, constructing such a tower would take considerable effort.
Setting aside how many years this pagoda had existed, even in the last century, it would have been considered a major engineering project.
The most significant point was that the pagoda had no entrance, which was rather thought-provoking.
If a pagoda was built without an entrance, what was its purpose?
Could it be solely for sacrificial rites?
"Greek mythology, how did it get connected to Taohuai Country?" Fatty asked.
His question actually reminded me.
Greek mythology belonged to the Western mythological system; how did it spread here?
Innumerable questions flooded my mind, yet none found an answer.
"What do we do next? Should we go in and take a look?" Fatty asked, seeing everyone staring at the white pagoda in silence.
I glanced at the others. They all looked hesitant, their eyes flicking towards Fu Kui.
"Old Qu, go take a look," Fu Kui instructed.
Old Man Qu nodded upon hearing this and walked over.
Approaching the pagoda, he first reached out to touch the tower wall, then began to examine it carefully.
Just as I was about to go over and look as well, Fatty's expression changed, and he grabbed my arm.
Before I could ask him why, he pointed towards the top of the pagoda.
Looking up, I saw something moving within the small holes at the top of the tower.
Due to the distance, I couldn't see clearly. I took out my binoculars and took a look.
It was then that I was completely startled!
What emerged from those densely packed holes were none other than the death worms we had encountered before!
These death worms were even larger than the ones we had seen, and their sheer numbers were enough to make one's scalp crawl!
The worms wriggled in and out of the holes on the top level. Before long, many more worms emerged from the layer below, and then the next layer down.
In just a short while, the entire white pagoda was filled with these worms!
"What is that?" Fu Honglang asked, bewildered.
I took a deep breath and looked at Jin Qiaoyue beside me. Her expression was also extremely grim.
"Old Qu! Come back quickly!" I shouted.
Hearing my shout, Old Man Qu showed no intention of returning, clearly not realizing the danger that was approaching.
Suddenly, a piercing sound echoed. It was like the sound of tearing paper.
With a "swish," a dark shadow appeared at the top of the pagoda.
Within a few breaths, the shadow descended the white pagoda.
Upon closer inspection, when I clearly saw what it was, I felt my pores stand on end!
It was a giant death worm, its body at least as thick as my waist, and its length was impossible to estimate!
It had no eyes, only a gaping maw filled with countless sharp teeth, forming an "O" shape.
Within the mouth, there was a cylindrical tube, which moved in and out like a tongue, hovering near the edge of the terrifying mouth.
In mere moments, the giant worm reached the second level of the white pagoda, only a step away from Old Qu.
Old Qu, meanwhile, was looking at us with a confused expression. Seeing our gazes fixed above him, he also raised his head.
The moment he looked up, a stream of liquid was ejected from the tube in the worm's mouth, instantly melting Old Qu!
Yes!
It was indeed melting!
Old Qu began to transform into bloody water from head to toe, and then his entire body gradually diminished, without even a scream!
Everything happened so fast that I was still trying to process it.
"My god!"
Fatty's exclamation jolted me awake. Without thinking, I turned and ran!
Driven by instinctual fear, I completely disregarded the others. I ran with all my might, at an incredible speed.
As I ran, the scene I had just witnessed flashed through my mind.
The image of Old Qu melting made my stomach churn.
After running for a short while, my breathing became labored, my heart rate accelerated, and I began to lose strength.
I calmed down and looked back, realizing I was the fastest. The others were tens of meters behind me.
"Young Master Xiang!" Fatty gasped as he caught up.
I slowed my pace, waiting for him.
But then, the sound of tearing paper rang out again.
I shone my flashlight backward and saw that the giant worm was chasing us!
"Ah Yuan! I can't run anymore! Find a way to deal with it!"
Fu Kui's voice echoed from the darkness.
"Understood, Third Master!"
I was taken aback. While Ah Yuan was highly capable, could he really handle that giant worm now?
Before I could ponder further, less than a minute later, an explosion sounded from behind!
"Boom!"
A considerable shockwave pushed me and Fatty forward, almost causing us to fall face-first.
Regaining my balance, I turned to see that the worm chasing us had vanished.
The others also slowed their pace, and Fu Kui decided to stop running altogether, opting to walk instead.
"No need to run anymore," Fu Kui said, panting.
Hearing him, the rest of us finally stopped.
When Ah Yuan reappeared, his face was covered in blood, and smoke was rising from his body.
He looked as if he had just crawled out of hell.
The blood on his face was the corrosive liquid sprayed by the worm when it exploded during the blast. He had accidentally gotten some on him.
His clothes were also corroded by the liquid.
He seemed completely unfazed by his injuries, instead taking out a bottle of alcohol, closing his eyes, and pouring it directly onto his forehead.
The blood on his face was quickly washed away by the alcohol...
"Wow... this guy is really something," Fatty whispered in my ear.
Could someone who could face the wolf king alone not be fierce?
I finally understood why Fu Kui was willing to spend money to buy a spot on an expedition team just to bring Ah Yuan along.
This person was not only loyal but, more importantly, he was a true powerhouse!
"Was that worm blown to death?" Fu Honglang asked.
Ah Yuan nodded, answering in two brief words: "Dead."
Upon hearing this news, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"What exactly was that thing?" Fu Kui asked.
"A death worm, also known as the Mongolian death worm, a mysterious creature found in the plateau region," I replied.