Chapter 289: Chapter 284 Stone Forest
The scorching sun mercilessly poured down upon the vast, endless desert as heat waves rolled like surging tides, distorting the distant horizon and making everything seem illusory and desperate.
When the group heard Chen Pingchuan’s call, the three giant mounds of sand in the distance were drawing closer and closer. Though utterly exhausted, they gritted their teeth and forced their weary bodies onward, mustering what little spirit they had left to sprint toward the sandworm at Chen Pingchuan’s feet.
"Don’t worry about hurting it! Just nail yourselves down and don’t get thrown off!"
At Chen Pingchuan’s command, Liu Yaowu’s expression hardened. He clenched his jaw and, leveraging the powerful assistance of his exoskeleton armor, launched himself off his powerful legs. Like an arrow shot from a bow, he was the first to land on the sandworm’s broad, slick back. He quickly turned, extended a mechanical arm, and precisely punched a small hole in the sandworm’s shell, using the appendage to anchor himself securely.
Compared to Liu Yaowu’s effort, Lilia and Wei Hao had a much easier time. One simply soared through the air and landed on the sandworm’s back, while the other walked upon the shifting sand as if it were solid ground, ascending step-by-step in a rather impressive fashion. Lu Jiaojiao was also swift; with a light push of her feet, she performed a series of leveraged bounds and landed gracefully on the sandworm. However, her face was a mask of disgust as she hesitated to touch the mucus-covered shell.
Great Fierce Bear and Porcupine were the most comical of the lot. Their immense size made their movements clumsy. To get onto the sandworm, they had to climb up bit by bit. Not only did they become soaked in mucus, but their climbing speed was also agonizingly slow.
"There’s no time! Porcupine, Bear, hold on tight! Lilia, can you still hold on?"
Lilia bit her lower lip. Her face was as pale as a sheet, and large beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks, but she nodded firmly. "I can manage!"
Chen Pingchuan took a deep breath and spurred the sandworm into a sharp turn, sending it into a frantic sprint away from the three pursuers. The sand beneath them was churned into the air by the creature’s hefty limbs, creating a thick, yellow fog.
Behind them, the three sandworms pursued them like demons. Their massive bodies thundered across the desert, causing the ground to collapse in their wake and kicking up enough dust to blot out the sun. One of them suddenly accelerated, leaped high into the air, and opened its gaping maw to snap at the tail of the sandworm they were riding.
"Watch out!" Chen Pingchuan yelled, manipulating the sandworm to twist its body violently in an attempt to dodge the deadly strike.
Liu Yaowu gripped the mechanical arm lodged in the shell and shouted, "Everyone, hold on! Don’t get thrown off!"
Lu Jiaojiao clung to the sandworm’s back, a flash of fear in her eyes. She suppressed her disgust and struggled to find a handhold. Great Fierce Bear and Porcupine clutched the sandworm’s legs for dear life. Even as their bodies slammed repeatedly against the hard shell from the violent shaking, they refused to let go.
Great Fierce Bear gritted his teeth and cursed, "This damn worm is a persistent bastard!"
Porcupine chimed in, "Yeah. I wonder if worm meat tastes any good. I’ve never tried it."
In contrast to the pair’s feigned casualness, Lilia’s eyes were shut tight, the veins on her forehead bulging. She strained, exerting her telekinesis with all her might. She was simultaneously helping the two men hold on and trying to interfere with the pursuing sandworms. Waves of invisible force slammed into the leaping sandworm, slowing its advance just enough for its precisely aimed bite to miss, tearing off only a large chunk of their mount’s hide.
Wei Hao propped himself up with his hands, gasping for breath. He focused his mind and manipulated the gravitational field, trying to increase the resistance against the pursuing sandworms. But the prolonged battle had exhausted him, and the effect was negligible, slowing the creatures only slightly.
Chen Pingchuan watched the relentless pursuit and his heart raced with anxiety. He knew that if this continued, they would eventually be caught. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted a stone forest not far ahead, its jagged pillars thrusting into the sky like sharp swords.
"Everyone, hold on! We’re heading for the stone forest! We can use the pillars to block them!" Chen Pingchuan shouted. Hearing this, everyone tightened their grip, bracing for the violent maneuvers to come.
Under Chen Pingchuan’s control, the sandworm charged toward the stone forest like a maddened beast. Soon, they plunged into it. The dense, labyrinthine pillars made it difficult for the sandworm to move, forcing it to dodge left and right, which slowed its pace.
The three pursuing sandworms, however, were not so agile. Their massive bodies simply smashed through the stone forest, constantly toppling pillars. For a moment, shards of rock flew everywhere, and dust filled the air. One of the sandworms accidentally crashed headlong into a sturdy stone pillar, and the immense impact left it dazed and staggering. Yet, the other two continued their pursuit, seemingly enraged. They roared even more furiously and charged at the group with reckless abandon.
It was then that Porcupine noticed one of the sandworms expose a weakness as it turned. His eyes lit up, and he yelled to Great Fierce Bear, "Brother Xiong, look! Let’s get it!"
Great Fierce Bear looked where Porcupine was pointing and nodded.
Neither of them was a fool. They could feel that they had become a burden to the group in this desert. Although Chen Pingchuan had said nothing, they felt the telekinetic assistance propping them up weaken and knew Lilia must be reaching her limit.
They exchanged a look, then gathered their strength, scrambled from the sandworm’s legs to its back, and launched themselves toward the attacking creature. Porcupine raised his heavy fist and slammed it fiercely toward the sandworm’s eye, while Great Fierce Bear swung his own massive fist at its head.
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, the sandworm howled in agony, twisting its body frantically. Porcupine and Great Fierce Bear clung to it, refusing to let go as they continued their assault. The creature quickly recovered, however, and with a violent shake of its head, it flung both of them away.
The two men landed heavily on the sand. Porcupine struggled to stand, only to find his arm was broken and bleeding profusely. Great Fierce Bear, also seriously injured, managed to climb to his feet, help Porcupine up, and begin retreating toward the group.
The stone forest was now thick with dust, and visibility was extremely poor.
Chen Pingchuan shouted, "Is everyone accounted for?"
"Boss, I’m here!"
...
"Boss, we’re here too!" Porcupine yelled, enduring the excruciating pain.
In reality, he and Great Fierce Bear were still on the head of the pursuing sandworm.