The deadlock persisted, moment by agonizing moment. Despite repeated near-disasters, it was undeniable that the Scorching Maw's health bar was steadily and resolutely declining. Another sharp series of three 'tat-tat-tat' shots rang out, the final bullet blossoming with an explosive effect.

A grotesque distortion immediately appeared at the joint of one of the massive, bloated worm's hind legs. Then, as its center of gravity shifted backward, the long leg exerted force and snapped backward with a clean crack in the opposite direction. Yellow-green ichor jetted out from the severed end. The subsequent bullet followed swiftly, slamming the thick, broken limb, sending it spinning several meters away before it landed with a dull thud.

Although the Scorching Maw, having lost a hind leg, didn't appear severely impacted in general, its turning speed was drastically reduced. This made dodging significantly easier for Fang Senyan. Even when he couldn't evade being trampled by its massive legs a few times, he could often trigger his 'Parry and Block' effect to mitigate damage.

If the Scorching Maw tried to target Mogensha, Mogensha's agility score was high enough that if he was determined to flee, the creature simply couldn't keep up. Fang Senyan seized the opportunity, raised his shotgun, aimed at the abdominal wound, and hammered away. Despite this weapon having only basic, white-grade attributes, a shotgun blast at point-blank range—within one meter—was a fearsome thing indeed.

As the abdominal wound widened and its movements grew sluggish, the creature suddenly unleashed another great torrent of yellow-green acid flame! This time, however, Fang Senyan and Mogensha were prepared and prevented it from succeeding. But to their astonishment, taking advantage of the moment the two were forced back, the colossal, bloated worm abruptly changed direction, wiggling its massive posterior, and limping rapidly fled back toward the sandy pit from which it had emerged—it was actually attempting to escape!

Fang Senyan’s pupils contracted instantly: "Damn it, after grilling me for barbecued takeout and trampling me for so long, now it suddenly gets cold feet and runs? Is there any such easy way out in this world?" He roared out immediately:

"Trying to escape? Dream on!"

At this point, Fang Senyan still had nearly one hundred and fifty health points remaining. Since the Scorching Maw had just expended its most powerful spit attack, he had ample margin for error even if something unexpected occurred! Therefore, Fang Senyan didn't hesitate, slapped his combat armor, and administered an adrenaline shot to himself!

Instantly, Fang Senyan felt a sharp pain in his chest—like a thin, scorching flame being injected directly into his system! That burning, spicy satisfaction then spread throughout his limbs and bones! What followed was a rush of mad euphoria surging through his brain, eliciting an involuntary, satisfied groan.

Fang Senyan's health points dropped sharply again by a quarter, but his running speed suddenly skyrocketed. He wasn't usually known for speed, but in that instant, the stimulant’s effect caused him to kick up trails of sand as he surged forward, overtaking the Scorching Maw. He leaped high, grasping the giant worm's damaged wing casing, intending to use the momentum to roll onto its back.

However, just then, the Scorching Maw likely sensed the immense threat. Legendary creatures were absolutely incomparable to ordinary monsters. It let out a dull, muffled cry and executed a sudden, sharp turn to the left—drifting like an off-road vehicle—kicking up a blinding cloud of sand. Caught off guard, Fang Senyan’s footing suddenly slipped, and his entire body floated through the air. If he hadn't clung desperately to one of the creature’s protruding, sharp spinal horns, he would have been thrown off entirely. But his hand unavoidably scraped against the sharp spike; his palm was not only rubbed raw, exposing deep flesh, but scarlet blood also began to flow!

The sharp da-da-da of gunfire sounded again! Mogensha’s mental energy was almost depleted; after firing these three shots, his vision went dark, and he collapsed onto the scorching sand, gasping heavily, his fingers twitching involuntarily.

The first bullet struck accurately just beside the Scorching Maw's left eye, spraying green fluid and eliciting an immensely painful, high-pitched screech. The second bullet’s trajectory was bizarrely skewed, flying directly toward a nearby rock, yet it managed to strike the stone with a strange thwack, sending a bowl-sized piece spinning sideways, which happened to wedge perfectly under Fang Senyan’s suspended foot! The third bullet, firing last but arriving first, struck the area beneath that bowl-sized rock!

Fang Senyan’s left foot found purchase, and instinctively, he kicked downward. The rock smashed down, while the force of the third bullet provided him the necessary leverage. With the support gained, Fang Senyan finally managed to clamber onto the creature's back.

But just as human foreheads are the hardest and thickest part of the skull, the Scorching Maw's head carapace was the thickest part of its entire body! Even though its health was now only around four hundred points, and Fang Senyan was terrifyingly close to its vital points, he felt a pang of helpless sorrow.

The giant worm was now galloping forward frantically. A distance of several tens of meters took it only a few seconds. Once it burrowed into the sand pit, if Fang Senyan dared to follow, he might very well be killed alive in return! Therefore, to slay this terrifying creature and retreat safely, he had to make use of these few fleeting seconds. Once it submerged, countless variables would surely arise!

Fang Senyan suddenly raised his fist high! At that instant, a faint phosphorescent glow appeared above his fist, which was encased in steel spikes. That light gradually dispersed in the air, clinging like will-o'-the-wisps to the knuckle-duster on his right hand.

The menacing, iron-spiked knuckle-duster gradually turned translucent, appearing exactly like a ghostly form!

The Ghost Honing Stone!

It was that powerful artifact Fang Senyan had snatched from the Crowbar in the previous world! Upon activation, his next three attacks would completely ignore all of the enemy's defensive capabilities!

"Hah!"

The next second, Fang Senyan’s fist slammed down heavily. A residual image trailing ethereal phosphorus lingered in the air where his fist passed! Where the blow landed, a sound immediately erupted: “Kacha-huacha,” like the sound of thin ice cracking. On the Scorching Maw’s incredibly thick head carapace, starting from the point of impact, seven or eight conspicuous cracks spread in all directions!

Second punch! The thirty-centimeter-thick carapace shattered like the bottom of a thick bowl, scattering outwards. A distinct wound appeared on the Scorching Maw’s head, like the spiderweb pattern left when a bullet penetrates car window glass; a sticky, milky-white paste oozed out from the rupture!

Third punch, amidst the creature's muffled and shrill cry, Fang Senyan drove his fist deep into the side of its head! The force of this blow buried his entire shoulder deep inside the giant worm’s body. The milky-white paste was violently squeezed out by his arm, shooting out seven or eight meters, looking like a massive, milky-white geyser erupting from the Scorching Maw’s head! Yet, the creature did not surrender, continuing its desperate, frantic sprint forward, its seven long legs clawing frantically at the ground, kicking up huge clouds of dust behind it, on the verge of plunging headfirst into the sand pit.

Fang Senyan’s gaze turned cold. The 'Ambition,' which had been hidden within the Nightmare Imprint's storage space, suddenly flashed with a dazzling light, and then vanished!

"Huh?" Mogensha, who had been lying on the dune gasping for air, suddenly shook his head! "Impossible? It must be auditory hallucination. In this damn dry place, how could the sound of surging tides suddenly appear?"

He looked down abruptly at the hair standing up on the back of his hand and arm, muttering to himself:

"Such intense killing intent..."

Deep inside the Scorching Maw, a profoundly muffled thump suddenly sounded, like the sound of a balloon popping inside a covered quilt, amplified a hundredfold. It was also like muffled thunder roaring amidst dark clouds. The creature’s body, already halfway submerged in the sand pit, convulsed violently after the sound. Its few remaining legs thrashed and clawed, and its massive body surged forward, plowing the sand like an excavator, carving a deep trench nearly thirty meters long and five meters wide, before finally being stopped by an outcropping of rock.

This situation arose because the connection between the insect's main brain ganglion and its limb ganglia had been forcibly severed, resulting in brain death, while the peripheral nerves, still alive, faithfully executed the brain's last command.

The giant insect, even after crashing into the rock face, continued to churn blindly for a moment before stopping. Its thick legs began to spasm violently, then weakened, and finally stiffened.

It was only then that both men received the notifications simultaneously:

"You have killed the Initial Legendary Creature: Scorching Maw." "Your Reputation among all human factions has increased by 1000 points!"

Only then did Fang Senyan struggle out of the sand pit. He was completely coated in the Scorching Maw’s milky-white viscous fluid. After rolling around in the pit, he immediately transformed into a bizarrely bloated sand figure, with only his two eyes visible, looking utterly comical. At that moment, he couldn't even speak, because the moment he opened his mouth, he would inevitably swallow a mouthful of sand.