Chapter 040: Lifespan Increased by 204 Years!

In the pitch-black tunnel, Tang Mubai channeled all his strength into his legs, stepping cautiously on the slippery ground, his body bent as he angled downward. From time to time, he reached out to touch the walls, navigating several bends along the way. There was no helping it—his sixth sense could warn him of approaching danger, but it was no substitute for actual sight. The darkness of the cave meant the passage was not a straight descent; it twisted unexpectedly.

Fortunately, after walking for a short while, Tang Mubai realized the entire passage spiraled deeper underground, much like a mountain road winding around the "Monkey Mountain," starting from halfway up and leading all the way to the base. It made sense; the mountain itself was not large, only about a hundred meters in height. If giant insects had appeared here before, they would have been discovered long ago. This passage, he surmised, must have been excavated by the giant insects within the past few months.

With this understanding, Tang Mubai quickly mapped out the tunnel’s general route in his mind. From then on, he could navigate the bends without touching the walls, steadily making his way downward. After a few minutes, he felt a change in the hardness beneath his feet, and sensed that the tunnel ceiling above had vanished. Instinctively, he straightened up.

"Is this the end?"

Standing upright at last, Tang Mubai opened his eyes and was instantly astonished. He was no longer within the spiral passage; behind him lay the dark tunnel, and before him stretched a wide, open underground chamber. The space was over a hundred meters long, roughly sixty meters wide, and eight or nine meters high. In the vast chamber, the floor was crowded with pale blue cocoons of varying sizes, while the corners of the walls were lined with giant insects—each two meters long, their heads making up a quarter of their bodies, their necks swollen and flanked by six tentacles, their waists as thick as barrels, their entire exoskeleton shimmering blue and radiating a soft glow.

Yes, Tang Mubai could see everything in this underground space thanks to the light emitted by these giant insects.

"Blue-scaled adhesive worms?"

He recognized the creatures at a glance and was surprised. Most types of giant insects had been cataloged by the governments of the New World, described with matching images and text and compiled for public reference. Some special insect species were even taught in schools, complete with examinations. The blue-scaled adhesive worm was not particularly rare, but it was distinctive—it loved to feed on clay. Its exoskeleton resembled scales, hence the name.

"Loves to eat clay…"

Tang Mubai scrutinized the surrounding walls and noticed the soil was indeed unusual. However, finding Xiaoxi was his priority, so he did not linger. As he advanced, he unleashed a master-level aura, enveloping the blue-scaled adhesive worms.

The master-level aura covered a radius of ten meters. The sudden, invisible pressure sent the worms clinging to the walls into a panic. Within the aura’s reach, these intelligent giants trembled; those outside the range did not flee, but instead hissed and spat blue mucus at Tang Mubai.

"Trying to stick me?"

Tang Mubai chuckled lightly, dodging swiftly. The mucus was as sticky as spider silk and very difficult to remove once attached. Drawing on his agility, Tang Mubai avoided retaliation, instead searching quickly until he found a small figure in a corner, wrapped in sticky threads. He dashed over, scooping her into his arms, and then released a grandmaster-level aura.

The grandmaster-level aura covered a hundred meters. The terrifying pressure descended like a mountain or a surging sea, instantly falling upon all the blue-scaled adhesive worms. The two-meter-long insects exploded under the force.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound echoed through the underground chamber like firecrackers. One after another, the massive worms were crushed into pieces.

[Detected loss of life force. Would you like to recover it?]

"Yes!"

[Life force +55]
[Life force +46]
[Life force +51]
[Life force +48]
…

In a brief moment, Tang Mubai recovered hundreds of units of life force. All thirty-odd blue-scaled adhesive worms were destroyed, each yielding about fifty life force on average. The cocoons in the center were also crushed, each providing about ten life force. In less than half a minute, Tang Mubai had amassed over two thousand life force, which, when converted, increased his lifespan by 204 years.

This trip had been immensely profitable!

"Little one, it seems you’re my lucky star."

Tang Mubai patted the unconscious Xiaoxi’s head, grinning to himself. Though the blue-scaled adhesive worms had been wiped out, as long as there was clay underground, others would inevitably return. When that happened, Tang Mubai could harvest another round of life force—all thanks to the little one in his arms, who had led him to discover this hidden chamber. Surely, she was his lucky star.

Of course, Tang Mubai speculated that the clay surrounding the underground chamber was not abundant. If it were, it would have been mined long ago, and the blue-scaled adhesive worms would never have appeared here. With limited clay, the number and frequency of worms would likewise be restricted. Tang Mubai estimated that before the Monkey Mountain was redeveloped and the tunnel entrance halfway up uncovered, the clay here would be exhausted.

…

With all the blue-scaled adhesive worms dead, darkness returned to the underground space. But it made no difference to Tang Mubai. Relying on memory, he carried Xiaoxi back along the spiral passage.

As he emerged from the tunnel entrance, Yang Kai, his face anxious, was waiting outside.

"How is it? Is Xiaoxi alright?" Yang Kai rushed over, nervously eyeing the girl in Tang Mubai’s arms.

"She should be fine," Tang Mubai replied. "She was taken by the blue-scaled adhesive worms less than ten minutes ago. Apart from the sticky residue, there’s nothing else—no eggs implanted."

"That’s good, that’s good." Yang Kai exhaled in relief, then suddenly startled, exclaiming, "Blue-scaled adhesive worms? There were blue-scaled adhesive worms down there?"

"Yes, over thirty—all dead now," Tang Mubai said as he walked. "There’s a small clay mine beneath Monkey Mountain. The worms had eaten most of the clay already; not much remains. Hmm, I’ll need what’s left."

"Alright." Yang Kai nodded, asking no further questions. He was now a member of the Miracle Mercenary Corps, and Tang Mubai had risked his life to save Xiaoxi. He would never foolishly oppose Tang Mubai now.