Volume I: The Soul-Guiding Gourd and the Soul-Burning Lamp Chapter 120: Death Devour

In the heart of the desert, the air was thick with the scent of impending carnage.

A massive, overwhelming wave of yellow sand roared toward them like a tsunami. A fierce gale whipped up, instantly leaving Gu Mo and Yu Kongcheng covered in dust and looking utterly disheveled.

And then—that creature, that thing, that monstrosity.

Yes, that bloodthirsty, giant Death Worm soared into the air, its colossal body twisting in a mid-air turn. As it did, it opened its abyssal maw to its widest extent. It was large enough to swallow an entire basketball court, its edges lined with rows of sharp, yellowish-brown fangs. The mere thought of it was enough to make one’s teeth chatter in terror. A deafening, heart-rending roar followed, and a terrifying, oppressive aura instantly blanketed the sky.

Beneath that gaping abyss, Gu Mo and Yu Kongcheng stood back-to-back, staring up at the mouth that loomed over them. It was clear the worm intended to swallow them whole. They say that when you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back—a horror I hope none of you ever have to experience.

In an instant, Gu Mo and Yu Kongcheng were paralyzed with fright, their eardrums suffering under the agonizing, thunderous roar. In the distance, Xiao Youlou, Li Hetang, and Min Wenhua watched in terror, cold sweat drenching their clothes. It seemed their previous assault had truly pushed the Death Worm to its limit.

Suddenly, the trio in the distance launched a fierce counter-attack, desperately attempting to intercept the worm’s lethal strike. It was a critical moment; the three of them went all out, with gunfire and explosions lighting up the scene like fireflies in a chaotic dance. But the Death Worm was set on its kill, willing to die rather than retreat. How could they possibly stop such a devastating blow?

As the worm descended rapidly, Gu Mo’s mind flashed with the reality of what awaited them. A few seconds in those potent stomach acids would melt them until not a single hair remained.

"Damn it!"

With a simultaneous cry, Gu Mo and Yu Kongcheng turned and grabbed each other. Gu Mo clutched the soft fur of the wolf, while Yu Kongcheng grabbed the fabric of Gu Mo’s psychiatric ward gown. In this final, desperate moment, Gu Mo, clutching his Heaven-Measuring Ruler, made a grim decision. Yu Kongcheng, holding onto him tightly, seemed to share the same resolve.

"Better one of us dies than all of us!"

With a roar, Gu Mo braced himself, gritting his teeth as he channeled his spectral energy to its absolute limit. A bone-chilling cold erupted, and in the absolute darkness, eerie green ghostly flames flared into existence. In a split second, Gu Mo summoned every ounce of his strength, hoisted the bloodthirsty lone wolf Yu Kongcheng into the air, and flung him far away.

"Survive... you mutt!"

The scene froze. Yu Kongcheng’s blood-red, murderous wolf eyes were locked onto Gu Mo’s heroic silhouette. About to be swallowed, Gu Mo, dressed in his hospital gown, gripped his ghost-ridden ruler, cast a bitter smile at his companions, and accepted his tragic fate.

In mid-air, Yu Kongcheng gritted his teeth in regret, wishing it were he who was about to be consumed. *If Mr. Gu dies, what will happen to the rest of the mission?*

*Thud!*

The lone wolf crashed heavily into the sand. The momentum sent him rolling backward, looking thoroughly pathetic. Then came the earth-shattering impact. A massive cloud of sand and smoke erupted as the Death Worm’s razor-sharp fangs slammed into the ground, narrowly missing Yu Kongcheng’s legs. Had Gu Mo not thrown him with such force, Yu Kongcheng would have been crippled for life. (Though, considering Yu Kongcheng’s incredible healing abilities, you needn't worry about his long-term recovery.)

The blast of air from the impact sent the wolf tumbling another ten meters away.

*Boom!*

In the blink of an eye, a gaping, collapsing abyss was left in the desert, and Gu Mo was completely swallowed by the descending worm. The sight was truly tragic.

"Mr. Gu!"

With a roar, the blood-pumping Yu Kongcheng performed a kip-up, preparing for a desperate counter-attack. But before he could take two steps, a hand pressed firmly onto his shoulder.

A thunderous roar echoed through the sky, and a massive fountain of highly concentrated, green corrosive liquid shot upward. In a flash, Xiao Youlou raised his hand and roared, "Fire of Zhurong, obey the Three Pure Ones!"

Eight scorching fireballs flew toward the descending acid. *Boom!* Amidst the roar of explosions and flames, the corrosive liquid instantly vaporized into thick white smoke.

"Go!"

Without a moment to process what had happened, Yu Kongcheng was dragged away by Xiao Youlou. *Sizzle, sizzle...* Behind them, the air in the desert was thick with the scent of lingering acid.

Minutes later, the dust settled, and the desert fell into an eerie, suffocating silence. The four survivors looked at one another, their hearts heavy as lead. Li Hetang, eyes wide with fury, grabbed Xiao Youlou by his robes and shouted, "Daoist Xiao, didn't you say Mr. Gu would achieve immortality? How could he be swallowed by that thing!"

Xiao Youlou, his face ashen, could not utter a word, a lump of grief stuck in his throat. Min Wenhua, shouldering his heavy sniper rifle, placed a hand on Li Hetang’s wrist. "Don't be rash, brother. What's done is done..."

Li Hetang sighed heavily and collapsed onto the sand, looking as if his soul had left his body. Meanwhile, Yu Kongcheng pressed his wolf ears against the sand, using his heightened senses to track the worm. But the creature’s movements were too erratic. If the damned thing stayed buried deep underground, Gu Mo’s chances of survival were zero. Furthermore, surviving inside the stomach of a Death Worm was the stuff of legends.

Though they had only known Gu Mo for a short time, the bonds forged through life and death were not easily described. His sacrifice had been truly heroic. The four survivors lay on the cold sand, drained of all will, not knowing what to do next.

(Let us take a moment of silence for Gu Mo!)

...

The scene shifts to a space of absolute, pitch-black darkness.

*Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!*

Gu Mo, drifting in and out of consciousness, felt a wet licking sensation on his face. He slowly opened his eyes. *Buzz, buzz...* His head rang, and his nose was plugged with the stench of rot.

"Damn it... I'm not dead!"

Gu Mo sat up, covering his nose and mouth. He dug into his ears, clearing out a significant amount of fine sand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarette case.

*Click!*

The lighter flickered with an orange flame. Before his eyes, a fleshless, blood-stained skull stared back at him from deep, hollow sockets.

Gu Mo jumped in terror, his body trembling as beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. "Holy hell!"

With a cry, he swung his hand and slapped the skull. *Smack!* *Crack!* The skull detached from its spine and flew away like a ball. "Damn you, can't you even rest in peace when you're dead?"

*Gurgle, gurgle...* The skull rolled into the pool of green stomach acid, where it instantly hissed and dissolved into white smoke. Seeing this, Gu Mo felt his blood run cold. "Damn it, how am I supposed to get out of here?"

After a moment of cursing, he used the lighter to look around. The stomach of the Death Worm was surprisingly vast. A mountain of corpses sat atop a lake of blood, with severed limbs scattered everywhere. Streams of blood trickled down the pile, creating ripples in the green acid. The stench was unbearable; Gu Mo covered his face, afraid to even breathe.

"Damn it, how do I get out?" As he cursed, a bizarre thought crossed his mind. "Don't tell me I have to wait for this worm to take a dump and crawl out of its—"

The image of a mountain of feces flashed in his mind. The thought was too horrific to contemplate. If his companions saw him crawling out of that, he would never be able to show his face again. The creature was over sixty meters long; the scale of its bowel movements would be catastrophic.

His stomach churned with nausea. A few seconds later, he spotted his Heaven-Measuring Ruler buried in the pile of corpses. He pulled it out with a frown.

*Gurgle, gurgle!* The little black fur-ball, the Gluttonous Ghost, jumped onto his shoulder. Gu Mo felt a wave of guilt. "Sorry, Fur-ball... the situation was too critical, I didn't think of you."

The creature grinned, revealing four rows of terrifying teeth, as if it were smiling at him. It was as carefree as ever, though the smile wasn't particularly pleasant.

Gu Mo sighed, holding his ruler. "Well... it is what it is. What else can I do?"

The stomach was massive, and the pile of corpses was just a tiny island in a sea of acid, nowhere near the stomach walls. Digging his way out seemed impossible. Besides, if the pile of corpses melted, he would die a worse death than any ghost. Even if he could pierce the wall, who knew how deep the worm was buried? If it were a hundred meters down, he’d just be burying himself alive.

Gu Mo took a deep breath, composed himself, and began to carefully pick his way across the corpses, searching for a way out.