Chapter 693: Natural Disaster

Chapter 693: Natural Disaster

In the chaos of the battlefield, just as Li Huowang was momentarily confused and unable to comprehend what the freed dragon vein intended to do, he saw it shouting excitedly at the surrounding terrain.

"Run! Run now!! This is a trap!! The Dao Sect wants to use the dragon vein as bait to catch you all!"

The words had barely left his lips when a thunderous roar echoed from somewhere unknown, shaking the earth violently.

The open space at the center of Yunze trembled even more intensely, as if the entire fortress—or perhaps the whole ground—had come alive.

It turned out that destroying the dragon vein had only been a ruse. The Dao Sect didn’t merely intend to destroy the dragon vein; they planned to use this as an excuse to wipe out everyone from the Astronomical Bureau!

At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened—it was a natural disaster.

When he felt the gaze of the heavens fixed upon him, a cold sweat slid down his cheek. Li Huowang knew trouble had arrived in full force.

He had always believed that no matter how many experts the Dao Sect might send, facing three members of the Astronomical Bureau and the top-tier talents within the Department of Celestial Observation, they were doomed to lose.

Even if they had set up ambushes, he and Miao Miao could still escape without issue. But who would have thought that Yu’er Shen himself had directly intervened!!

This wasn’t the Dao Sect’s plot—it was Yu’er Shen’s scheme! He was using every means necessary to clear obstacles on Earth.

Li Huowang knew that Yu’er Shen couldn’t yet descend, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t act otherwise. Since he had personally laid the trap, there would be even greater troubles ahead.

"Go! Miao Miao, retreat quickly!" Peng Longteng suddenly appeared beside Li Huowang, grabbing him by one hand and hurling him toward a distant marshland.

From far above, a chilling crane call sent shivers through the dry ground beneath them, causing it to shake even more violently.

Suddenly, stone-like fangs rose from the surrounding swamps, blocking Li Huowang mid-air. Before he could turn, countless spikes began rising around the fortress.

These great spears interlocked and, with violent trembling, slammed together to form a mouth as vast as a mountain peak, swallowing the entire fortress at the heart of Yunze.

As darkness enveloped everything, silence fell instantly.

When Xuan Pin dragged a sun across the area, the crowd burst apart. Both sides, now too preoccupied with survival, scattered in all directions.

Their panic was unmistakable. Clearly, the Dao Sect hadn't warned them about the trap.

Now, Li Huowang could only force calm upon himself. He walked over to Xuan Pin and asked, "What did Yu’er Shen use? Where are we now?"

Xuan Pin answered simply. “Earth dragon.”

“What? There really is an earth dragon?” Li Huowang’s pupils shrank to pinpoints. He had always taken the so-called “earth dragon turning over” to be just another name for earthquakes—but never imagined such a creature actually existed!

The dim surroundings began to tremble slowly. Clearly, the earth dragon had begun burrowing underground, growing deeper and deeper. If they didn’t find a way out soon, they’d never escape again!

Thinking this, Li Huowang immediately moved toward the edge, planning to break through the earth dragon's belly if necessary.

He reached the border and pressed against the wall, which felt as hard as iron. Under his control, it melted into a large gap.

Though extremely solid, the hole was easily tunneled. But before he could continue, something unexpected happened—he started feeling itchy all over. Reaching to touch the wound on his abdomen, he pulled out several writhing worms.

Looking at the green creatures, Li Huowang suddenly recalled the figures he once saw inside Yunze.

"Dad, there are so many worms in your belly, and they're multiplying. I’ll throw them all out."

Li Sui’s tentacles kept tossing the worms from Li Huowang’s stomach, but when he looked closely at the smooth skin underneath, he saw the same writhing creatures moving beneath.

His heart skipped a beat.

The earth dragon was digesting them—not just humans, but even Li Sui.

Even worse, the digestion wasn’t limited to the inside of the body—it extended outward too.

"Aaaah!!" Lü Xiucai screamed in agony. When Li Huowang turned around, he saw black smoke and various sinister spirits emerging from his shadow.

Inside the belly of the earth dragon, everyone’s shadow became an endless door, endlessly summoning evil spirits.

These spirits weren’t particularly strong—they were roughly on par with the wandering lord—but their numbers were infinite. No matter how many were killed, more would keep coming.

"Xuan Pin! Do something!" Li Huowang shouted to the great beam of the Astronomical Bureau.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help. Before the earth dragon opened its mouth, I already escaped. What’s beside you is only my illusion.” With those words, Xuan Pin’s body began to melt away.

“What did you say?!” Li Huowang stared at him in disbelief.

“Clever rabbits have three dens. Since I came to Ba Shu to save the dragon vein, I naturally prepared backup plans. Don’t tell me you didn’t prepare one too.”

Li Huowang reached into his belly and pulled out a palm-sized human skin, clenching his teeth tightly. Of course, he had a contingency plan.

While traveling, he secretly peeled off two layers of his own skin, crafting two magical artifacts—one for himself, one for Miao Miao. But in this situation, his backup was useless!

Li Huowang quickly scanned the surroundings. Except for Xuan Pin and the head of the Ba Shu Astronomical Bureau fleeing, many others had also run.

The only relief was that Qiqi’s chief astronomer, Qiao, hadn’t escaped. His face was pale as steel, staring around as if calculating something. His own backup hadn’t helped him escape either.

“It’s fine. Wait a little longer—I’ll definitely think of a way to get you out. Don’t doubt that I’ll abandon you. Two dragon veins are here too.”

“Wait?! Can you even wait now?!” Li Huowang slashed through the evil spirits charging at him with a sword, pointing at the chaos ahead and demanding answers.

In just a moment, the horde of evil spirits made the area increasingly crowded. Many weak practitioners had already died from attacks by internal worms and demons.

“This isn’t good,” said Xuan Pin. “I’m trying my best outside. Besides, you won’t die so easily.”

With those words, Xuan Pin’s body completely dissolved.

Just then, Li Sui’s voice echoed in Li Huowang’s mind—this time tinged with fear and terror.

"Dad, there are also lots of worms in my belly now. They’re eating my flesh. Dad, am I going to die?"

(End of Chapter)