Chapter Sixty-Six: The Formidable Bodyguard

"Devourer Worms? Are they really that terrifying?" Leng Tian heard Judah's alarm and couldn't help but look at the countless golden beetles in the sky.

"Terrifying? That doesn't even begin to describe it! Just listen to their name—Devourer Worms! They consume all kinds of elemental energies in heaven and earth. So-called protective qi is nothing but decoration in their presence!"

"That powerful?" Leng Tian found it hard to believe, thinking Judah was exaggerating. No matter how formidable these beetles were, surely even protective qi could withstand their attacks.

"Boss, you better believe it! Devourer Worms are extremely dangerous creatures," Judah hurried to add, seeing Leng Tian's doubt.

Actually, these Devourer Worms wouldn't have appeared on their own—they were in a state of dormancy. Even the battles of Tyrannosaurus and his companions hadn't disturbed them. Their sudden emergence from the nest was entirely Leng Tian's doing!

Had he not intervened, killing a profound cultivator with a single kick and letting the scent of blood spread, the Devourer Worms would have remained asleep. It was the blood that awakened them, leading them to swarm out in force.

Devourer Worms are a dreadful species. In the vast world, aside from beasts and birds, all insects with intelligence are counted among the ranks of the demon race! In this Azure Sea and Jade Sky Domain, there are several nests of Devourer Worms. Individually, each worm is weak, and even a few together can be easily handled by a profound cultivator. But if you encounter a swarm, there's no choice but to flee!

This nest alone housed tens of thousands of Devourer Beetles. Looking at the piles of white bones spanning dozens of miles, one could imagine their horror!

Now, tens of thousands of Devourer Worms filled the sky, an overwhelming force that struck terror into the heart! The headless corpse on the ground bled profusely, the scent of blood thick—like a fuse, it drew the golden beetles down in a tidal wave!

The swarm's movement frightened the few people below, who immediately rode their protective qi to escape far away, truly afraid of being swallowed up and left as nothing but bones!

They managed to save themselves, but the corpse on the ground was not so lucky—it was utterly devoured, nothing left but dust! Leng Tian, carrying the weakened Tyrannosaurus, flew far away before turning to look.

A mass of golden light shimmered, so bright it blurred the vision! Tens of thousands of golden beetles piled on the corpse, baring their tiny fangs to gnaw at the flesh!

In the blink of an eye, the body of a profound cultivator was consumed completely, not even a drop of blood remained on the ground!

The distant observers frowned and their lips twitched, their hearts chilled to the core.

After devouring their meal, the Devourer Worms fluttered their golden wings and rose into the sky. Among the swarm was a larger beetle, its body a deep golden red, protected at the center by the others.

This crimson-gold beetle differed in size and color from the rest, and had two inch-long antennae on its head, waving constantly in all directions!

Leng Tian could even hear a hissing cry from the mouth of the large beetle. He fed Tyrannosaurus a few drops of spiritual milk to restore his cultivation as quickly as possible. If the swarm attacked, saving him would have been for nothing!

With Judah's help, Leng Tian could easily escape, but he couldn't carry Tyrannosaurus with him. Leng Tian didn't want his secrets exposed to outsiders. Though he had saved him, it didn't mean he could be trusted. Aside from Fire Dance and a few others, no one else was within his circle of trust.

With the help of spiritual milk, Tyrannosaurus quickly regained most of his strength. He stood and clasped his fists in gratitude to Leng Tian: "Brother, thank you. I am Tyrannosaurus from Barbarian City. If you ever need me, just say the word!"

Leng Tian saw Tyrannosaurus had recovered, and smiled: "No need for formalities, old brother. It was nothing. If your true energy is restored, prepare to escape!"

The first half of Leng Tian's words didn't trouble Exploding Bear, but the latter half left him puzzled. He asked, "What do you mean by that? Why must we flee?"

"Truly big and brainless! The danger is right before your eyes and you can't see it!" Judah sat cross-legged atop a blood-red rune, his tone full of disdain.

"Enough..." Leng Tian cut Judah off, glanced at the sky—where the swarm of beetles blotted out the sun—and smiled at Tyrannosaurus, "I still don't know your name, old brother. I am Leng Tian. I hope we can look out for each other in the future."

Tyrannosaurus replied in a booming voice, "Just call me Tyrannosaurus, brother. As for looking out for each other, I hardly dare accept. I saw your moves clearly—you are far stronger than I."

"Heh..." Leng Tian replied warmly, "Old brother, these golden beetles are truly terrifying. Before they attack, fleeing is the wisest choice!"

After speaking, Leng Tian was taken aback. Tyrannosaurus, Barbarian City, and yet Exploding Bear had said they were unrelated! He glanced curiously at Tyrannosaurus but didn't ask, remembering he'd once beaten Exploding Bear. If Tyrannosaurus was related, that would be rather awkward!

A buzzing sound filled the air.

The sky vibrated as the swarm beat their wings, splitting into groups and descending upon the people below. "Old brother, hurry!" Leng Tian saw the swarm begin its attack and urged Tyrannosaurus to flee.

Tyrannosaurus realized Leng Tian wasn't joking. Seeing the gravity in Leng Tian's demeanor, he knew the situation was dire, wasted no time, and clasped his fists sincerely, "Brother, may our paths cross again. I won't thank you with words—farewell!"

With that, Tyrannosaurus rode his protective qi and flew away.

Leng Tian watched him leave, then gazed at the advancing swarm and said leisurely, "Don't you like to eat? This is your chance to shine!"

"Boss, don't trick me! I'd rather starve than eat them!" Judah replied with a disgusted look.

Leng Tian was surprised—he never imagined there existed creatures even Judah disdained! "You really won't eat them?"

"Absolutely not!" Judah shook his head like a rattle, his expression utterly genuine.

"If you won't eat, then let's escape!"

Judah, as if receiving amnesty, used his void concealment to hide Leng Tian. Leng Tian didn't leave in haste, but watched to see how the Devourer Worms would react when their target vanished.

Thousands of golden beetles instantly covered where Leng Tian had stood. Though their target was gone, they didn't leave, but hovered, wings fluttering, unwilling to depart!

"They can sense our presence!" Leng Tian was shocked. Even Judah's void concealment couldn't escape their perception!

"This isn't surprising. My void concealment is powerful, but not beyond their sensing! Moreover, when it comes to devouring souls, if their numbers are great enough, even we Shadow Demons are forced to surrender!"

Judah, for the first time, showed helplessness, annoyance, and fear.

"You mean these insects can devour souls, like you Shadow Demons?" Leng Tian could hardly believe it—these tiny creatures could scare off even Shadow Demons, themselves terrifying beings!

Judah did not answer, sulking at being told to devour by his master—it was a blow to his pride.

Seeing Judah's aggrieved expression, Leng Tian stopped asking and watched the golden beetles swirling around him, sighing inwardly at the wonders of the world.

Through the layers of golden light, he looked at the others and saw that the remaining five had also realized the beetles' power. They all rode their protective qi to flee into the distance. The swarms, split into groups, did not abandon the chase despite the prey's escape. Their speed matched the fleeing cultivators, sticking close behind!

With only himself left, Leng Tian strolled unhurriedly, leisurely enjoying the grassland scenery, surrounded by thousands of golden beetles acting as his escorts.

Leng Tian was invisible; outsiders couldn't detect his presence and only saw thousands of beetles circling slowly across the plain.

"Boss, I reckon you're the only person alive who can use Devourer Worms as guards!" Judah's previously gloomy, sly face brightened with a flattering smile.

Leng Tian couldn't help but imagine, if he released thousands of Devourer Worms during a battle, wouldn't that scare his opponents to death?

But on second thought, the idea was impractical. Such terrifying creatures, if brought to the Scarlet Peak Continent, would surely provoke universal wrath. The great sects would never tolerate it.

"Boss, it's best not to think about taming these worms. It's impossible!"

"Forget it—I don't want to spend all day with insects!" Leng Tian didn't press Judah. Honestly, he disliked insects himself, no matter how powerful, and didn't want to tame them.

"Master, how could you tame these worms? If you did, I'd become utterly redundant!" Judah was relieved when he saw Leng Tian had no intention of taming the swarm; a weight lifted from his heart.

Strolling across the grassland with thousands of golden beetles truly swept away all obstacles. Any demon beast encountered along the way was besieged by the swarm, regardless of size, and left as nothing but bones!

Strangely, no matter how many demon beasts they devoured, the Devourer Worms continued to follow Leng Tian, refusing to leave!

Puzzled, he asked Judah why the worms were so fixated on him.

Judah responded: the worms were commanded by their king, and would not turn back until their target was consumed.

Leng Tian laughed happily. This suited him perfectly—since they wouldn't turn back until their target was gone, let them follow! He could always store them in the Inferno Realm and release them when needed, providing him with another invisible advantage.

Judah was displeased at Leng Tian's smile; whenever they encountered demon beasts, Judah wanted to devour them, but this swarm of guards was too formidable—he dared not compete!

Martial Way Extreme Edge 66—Chapter Sixty-Six: Formidable Guards, complete!