From the pulsating membrane overhead, a dazzling pillar of chaotic energy, about the size of a bowl, suddenly shone down, landing upon the Black Blood Worm resting in Ye Chen's palm.

The Black Blood Worm seemed to instantly lose all weight, gently floating upward, its body slowly rotating. Fine, sharp crystalline patterns, etched like arcane sigils, flashed momentarily across its black carapace.

The chaotic power poured into every inch of the Black Blood Worm's flesh, even infusing Xiao Hei hidden within. Its constitution improved at a startling rate.

This magnificent radiance instantly hushed the surrounding torrent of Black Blood Worms. Every single creature seemed to fix its gaze upon this one undergoing transformation.

This scene played out in Ye Chen’s eyes. He mused to himself; a creature like Xiao Hei was certainly no ordinary being. Though its intrinsic strength was minimal, the ability to substitute and deceive heaven and earth during another creature's advancement was an astonishing trait.

Moments later, the worm’s metamorphosis concluded, and it slowly settled back into his palm. The chaotic light enveloping it receded, drawing back into its shell, revealing its fully transformed appearance.

It now boasted an obsidian-gold carapace, powerful claws and legs, and a body three times its original size, radiating a dense flow of chaotic energy and exuding a cold, majestic authority.

Ye Chen communicated mentally: "What is your current strength?"

"After receiving the infusion of chaotic energy just now, my physique jumped directly across one tier, from the lower stage of the Divine Spirit realm to the higher stage. As for the power of this Black Blood Worm shell, it should be at the initial stage of the Divine Emperor realm," Xiao Hei replied honestly.

Ye Chen nodded. "Try to summon all the Black Blood Worms." As he spoke, his own body dissolved into a wisp of blue smoke and retreated into the Black Blood Worm's mouth.

Without Ye Chen’s palm supporting it, the Black Blood Worm did not fall; it remained suspended in mid-air. Following Ye Chen’s direction, Xiao Hei turned to face the surging tide of black insects before it and issued a declaration in the unique communication method of the Black Blood Worm species.

Relying on his body's acute sensitivity, Ye Chen could not understand the words, but he felt a delicate, thread-like fluctuation in the air. This ripple spread out like a spiderweb, enveloping the entire swarm.

The Black Blood Worm horde instantly became agitated. Sharp chirping sounds arose from the army, suggesting that some of the stronger worms were resisting, while the majority were confused, crawling about in disorganized panic.

Ye Chen remained unconcerned. He leaned back comfortably against a tooth inside the worm's mouth, calmly observing the unfolding situation.

Xiao Hei had been by Ye Chen’s side for a long time; proximity to him had instilled a certain brutal tenacity. It sensed that subjugating this low-intelligence swarm would not be as simple as imagined, as many worms at the higher Divine Spirit realm were actively fighting back.

"Hmph!" Xiao Hei snorted, directing its gaze toward the nearest resisting worms. It let out an enraged roar, and a violent wave of sound shot out from the vocal cords beneath its lower jaw, immediately drowning out the chirping clamor of the others.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Hei roared like a lion-tiger, opening its maw to inhale. Dense chaotic power surged forth, transforming into hundreds of slender threads that latched onto the protesting worms, dragging them violently close. It opened its maw wide and tore into them fiercely.

Ye Chen frowned slightly but said nothing. He erected a small energy shield around himself, enclosing his body, letting the mangled remains of the consumed worms be swallowed without affecting him in the slightest.

After devouring those few worms, Xiao Hei immediately noticed that the entire swarm had quieted considerably. Though some faint chirping remained, it was no longer disruptive.

"Hehe, Boss, done. Impressive, right?" Xiao Hei communicated mentally.

"Your methods are too crude," Ye Chen stated coolly. "And a waste of time. Alright, now have them disperse and organize into small squads for searching. There must be many treasures inside the body of this Earth Blood Beast, perhaps armor or weapons from other hunters it consumed."

Xiao Hei sighed softly, a hint of melancholy in its tone. "Fine."

It looked up and transmitted its message to all the Black Blood Worms. Except for a few holdouts, most obeyed the command. Seeing that the tide had turned and realizing they were no match for Xiao Hei’s strength, the remaining resistant worms could only submit with resignation.

Under Xiao Hei's direction, all the Black Blood Worms instantly scattered, forming tens of thousands of small streams of insects that surged toward both ends of the passageway, acting as ten thousand adventuring teams exploring the carcass of the Earth Blood Beast for Ye Chen.

Ye Chen’s body, shrouded within a wind barrier, leaned against a tooth in Xiao Hei’s mouth, his eyes narrowed. He mentally instructed Xiao Hei, "Tell them to transmit updates back to us once every hour."

"No problem," Xiao Hei replied, its fighting spirit soaring.

Its excitement was natural. The sheer number of this Black Blood Worm army easily reached tens of millions, each possessing the strength of a Divine Spirit. This was akin to commanding an army of millions of gods—an incredibly potent force capable of dominating the Ancient Continent if deployed outside.

One hour later.

A small cluster of ant-like Black Blood Worms immediately emerged from the fleshy tunnel, having been delegated from the various large swarms to carry intelligence.

These messenger worms crawled swiftly before Xiao Hei and prostrated themselves on the ground, forming a neat black square, seemingly delivering their report.

A moment later, Xiao Hei relayed the information to Ye Chen: "Boss, among the nineteen thousand teams dispatched, two worms from each team have returned with the intelligence. Approximately 3,800 teams did not send back messengers. Most likely, they strayed into a dangerous area within the Earth Blood Beast's corpse and were annihilated, hence their absence."

Ye Chen’s expression was steady and indifferent. "Did the returning worms bring any crucial leads?"

Xiao Hei chuckled slyly. "Several thousand teams encountered other Black Blood Worm armies in the fleshy tunnel. However, those armies each had their own Black Blood Worm Kings, and they are all at the Divine Emperor realm. Boss, perhaps we should incorporate them too?"

"What about the other news?" Ye Chen countered, not answering the suggestion.

Xiao Hei immediately deflated, its tone dejected. "The rest are still exploring, encountering nothing on their way. Others ran into a few powerful monsters in different side tunnels, but those monsters didn't harm the worms; they seemed unwilling to provoke them. Additionally, one tunnel revealed a human with golden hair."

"Hmm?" Ye Chen’s eyes snapped open.

Having learned to read Ye Chen’s cues, Xiao Hei’s eyes brightened. It quickly added, "That golden-haired human is very strong. He is in a very remote, side passage far from here. Based on the intelligence reported by all teams, we can essentially map out a huge area. Geographically speaking, this human should be located in the extreme southern region."

A sharp gleam flashed in Ye Chen’s eyes. "Dispatch ten Black Blood Worm teams to track the golden-haired human's movements, maintaining distance. Only one team should appear behind him at a time; the others must remain undetected, or he will likely clear them out."

Xiao Hei understood the implication immediately and nodded. "Understood." Then, it seemed to hesitate, wanting to speak but stopping itself. "Boss, there is one other team that discovered a very strange location inside the Earth Blood Beast's carcass. It contains many powerful monsters of all types, including other Black Blood Worms. However, the worms there are all at the Black Blood Worm King level. When this team entered, the area immediately ahead of them was instantly vaporized by a mysterious energy, and the rest retreated."

Ye Chen paused, his brow furrowing. After a moment of thought, his gaze sharpened. "Let the remaining teams continue their exploration. You lead me there."

Xiao Hei jumped, making a distressed face. "I knew you'd want to go! I shouldn't have mentioned it. Boss, that place looks incredibly dangerous; perhaps we shouldn't go..."

"Do you think that's possible?"

"...Impossible." Xiao Hei fell silent for a moment, then sighed mournfully. "If that’s the case, let’s call more Black Blood Worms to accompany us—we’ll need backup."

Ye Chen poured cold water on the idea. "There are so many Black Blood Worm Kings there; can you guarantee they won't revolt?"

Xiao Hei was silenced.

Finally, led by Xiao Hei, Ye Chen materialized from the worm’s mouth and they sped toward that tunnel. If Ye Chen’s speculation was correct, that area was likely the core of the Earth Blood Beast, otherwise, why would it deploy so many Black Blood Worm Kings to guard it?

Xiao Hei wore a look of utter misery. "Boss, if a fight breaks out later, can you please absorb me into your internal world first?"

Ye Chen rolled a massive, exasperated eye. "I'll store you away when we get there. Otherwise, why would I have bothered nurturing you?"

Xiao Hei was on the verge of tears.

Not long after, following Xiao Hei’s guidance, Ye Chen arrived at the location. After traversing a long tunnel, the fleshy walls ahead began to constrict, becoming narrower and narrower, radiating an intense energy fluctuation.

Ye Chen’s gaze flickered. He recalled Xiao Hei into his internal universe, then surged his own energy. Black flames erupted, enveloping his body like armor.

Ye Chen raised his palm and flung a ray of icy white light toward the fleshy passage ahead.

This ray, emanating intense cold, seemed poised to freeze the surrounding flesh walls. As it entered the tunnel, it struck an invisible ripple of air around a corner and vanished without a trace.