Void Evolution System

Damien and Ruyue hunted for an entire day, but no matter how many worms they killed or tunnels they explored, they never found a single deposit of Fallen Heart Jade.

It remained a question: just where did the worms gather their jade?

Damien naturally devoured several of the worms they killed, and from their memories, he learned that the implantation of the first Fallen Heart Jade was a sort of ritual for their species.

In those memories, he was able to see massive caves filled with Fallen Heart Jade in monstrous amounts, but no amount of searching led to these natural areas, nor did the memories provide any clues to their location.

But, maybe that was a good thing.

Fallen Heart Jade was such a mystical resource; was it possible to keep it hidden in the subterranean world?

Not many beings dared to venture into the depths in fear of the unknown ecosystem present there, but there was a specific species that held no such fear.

They were, of course, the Messenger Birds.

The Cloud Emperor's authority spread through every inch of the Severed World whether it be in the skies or deep below the ground. Regardless of where they went, Messenger Birds were almost guaranteed safety.

They didn't have any interest in the jade themselves, since it wouldn't matter if they died in one hit despite its presence with their weak bodies, but they had their own reasons for collecting it.

The subterranean world was not safe during the night.

Most of the Messenger Birds would target Aegis Trees, but a portion of them would always attack the underground as well.

The second the sun was replaced by the moon in the sky, they made their move.

Their incessant screeching filled the air, the Frenzy Rain began to fall, and all hell broke loose in the third layer once again.

At this moment, Damien and Ruyue were rushing through the tunnel system they'd created, headed back to the hole they came through.

From all around, they could hear thudding and thumping, sounds like a horde of rats approaching.

However, there were no rats, nor were they approaching.

That was just how loud the Messenger Birds were, charging haphazardly through the enclosed tunnels!

They didn't care about the worms. Anything they could provide was just scraps, so every worm that got in their way was instantly demolished by the force of the swarm.

Their goal was the jade deposits hidden by complex natural formations and guarded by several tens of worms.

If Damien and Ruyue got caught up in the collision between the two forces, they were sure to have a torturous night!

Luckily for them, the conflict was far away and didn't seem to be approaching them.

They traveled through the tunnels and eventually made their way back to the original space they came through, walking past the first worm corpse Damien dissected.

"It doesn't look like Rose and Elena are coming back tonight. Let's hope we can be safe inside the cave again, but if it looks bad, prepare to run," Damien said solemnly as they approached the circular spot of moonlight signifying the exit.

An environment where everything was a danger.

It definitely wasn't fun to be a part of!

That thought was definitely a jinx.

Because right as the duo reached the exit…

BOOOOOOOM!

The earth exploded to their right, forcing them to jump back and dodge.

KIIIIIIIIIIIK!

The screech of a Jade Heart Worm, as Damien named them; a sound both he and Ruyue were extremely accustomed to at this point.

However, this creature was far bigger than anything they'd encountered before!

Its massive body was already twice the width of the tunnel, and when it tore through, it directly punched a hole in the dense earth with its bodily strength alone!

The duo watched warily as the worm's massive body slithered by them.

BOOOOOOM!

Once again, the tunnel wall tore open and that creature's gargantuan mouth surfaced before Damien and Ruyue. Its teeth rotated like a circular saw, giving it the ideal physique to mutilate its enemies in the cruelest way possible.

'It just passed by and it's already back?! Is it able to make such sharp turns with its body shape?' Damien wondered as he moved to dodge.

'I wanted to just run, but if it can target us without any delay in its attacks, it won't be possible. The current limit on teleportation means I have to concentrate if I want to do any complex movement, so it's still possible we'll phase into the earth if I act carelessly.'

Damien's eyes narrowed as he watched the creature's body slither, now in two different directions, and clearly on its way to becoming more.

'Why is it targeting us specifically? Isn't this time for it to go help it's comrades?'

There had to be a reason.

The most probable would be that—

'—it's a clan leader, and we just massacred its family.'

In the end, it wasn't a strange event at all.

If one killed enough subordinates, one was bound to eventually face their leader!

'I didn't know worms could be vengeful, but anything is possible in this world. I guess I should consider this a final gift from the subterranean world, but we still have to finish it fast.'

The massive Jade Heart Worm had an equally huge chunk of jade supporting it, which would be a great treasure for Damien and the girls' personal use.

"We have to rip its jade out first. It'll take too long to wear down a piece that big," Damien said quickly, watching for the worm's return.

"No need to say more. Just move, I'll follow." Ruyue responded.

Damien nodded gratefully and did exactly that.

He jumped forward, grabbing Mirage and grappling the worm's body.

BOOOOOOM!

Its head slammed back into the tunnel soon after, repeating its same motion in an attempt to swallow Ruyue whole.

Damien gritted his teeth as his body was flung around, but kept his hold as best as possible.

He was dragged along with the worm's body as it moved through the curved tunnel it carved with its movements. His body crashed into the earth and forcefully tunneled through it, a move that tore his skin apart and formed countless gashes on his exposed muscles.

But this was still in the plan!

He hardened his will and forced himself to act through the pain, sending his mana into the tunnel's ceiling and setting a plethora of delayed space mines just as he'd done with the Messenger Birds previously.

Meanwhile, Ruyue occupied the worm's head. She attacked it with countless projectiles and formed spikes of ice lined with death mana that jutted out of the ground and impaled the worm from underneath.

Her moves weren't necessarily meant to harm it, but to keep it moving forward, following her back the way she and Damien came from.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

KIIIIIK!

The tunnel was expanded and exploded by the worm's movements. It moved roughly, trying to gain a vantage point from which it could directly swallow its prey.

Damien was eventually freed from his torment when his section of the worm's body made it back to the main tunnel, and as he pushed Transcendent Regeneration to numb his pain, the time came to act!

BOOOM!

BOOOOM!

BOOOOOM!

The furthest back portion of the worm's body entered the tunnel Damien just exited, and his traps instantly set off.

Minor pockets of spatial mana imploded one by one, collapsing the surrounding rock and cracking the worm's hard carapace.

KIIIIIIIIIK!

It didn't do much damage, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt!

The worm screeched in pain.

Ruyue saw her chance and pounced, reaching into its mouth to grab its jade, but…

KHHHHHH!

A guttural sound came from deeper in the worm's body and something fizzled up its throat.

'Poison!'

Ruyue instantly realized the problem and flipped her body, kicking her foot into the ceiling above and collapsing it so she could sit on the worm's head.

Pssssshhhh!

The poison spilled out of the worm's mouth, burning a deep ditch in the tunnel.

Ruyue's eyes hardened.

She pressed her hands into the worm's head and spread her icy mana to slow its movements and hopefully freeze it.

Damien also made it back to her position at this time, coordinating with her to utterly halt the worm's movements and steal its jade!

Their goal was to distract the worm long enough to do what they needed to, but the poison it displayed made the task far more difficult.

'Worst case scenario, I burn my hands off a little bit…' Damien thought to himself.

He sent a quick glance backward, his ears picking up the sounds in the surroundings with total precision.

His "worst case" idea might've been the only option.

Because right now—

"—those damn sky rats are coming."