The small Mother Worm sank into the depths of the quicksand.

But the twelve gigantic demigod worms showed no intention of retreating. Accompanied by a fierce wind, their sharp, spiral fangs began to rotate within their mouthparts.

The twelve demigod worms roared at Saga and the Mud Crab Queen, joined by countless Legendary giant worms, showing no fear of Saga’s overwhelming Dragon Might or the Mud Crab Queen’s demigod aura, ready to attack.

Saga remained calm.

He was indifferent to the provocative roars of these creatures, showing no visible reaction.

However, the Mud Crab Queen, accustomed to being domineering, could not remain calm in the face of these weak creatures’ provocations.

Crack, crack, crack.

Her body transformed, the sleek green armor replaced by a menacing black iron carapace with a metallic sheen. The Mud Crab Queen, now in her iron-armored form, launched herself like a meteor at the loudest roaring demigod worm.

Her massive body slammed the giant worm deep into the quicksand, scattering sand like a waterfall.

Despite being demigod creatures, the giant worms were powerless against the Mud Crab Queen’s violent assault. These demigod worms were relatively low-tier within the demigod level, relying on their sheer numbers.

Seeing their companion attacked, more demigod worms surrounded the Mud Crab Queen.

Amidst the flying yellow sand, the Mud Crab Queen displayed her might.

Her iron carapace resisted the corrosive acid spat by the giant worms, with only the demigod worms able to leave some dents. The attacks from worms below the demigod level were completely ineffective.

Simultaneously, her steel-like pincers clamped down on a demigod worm’s body.

The worm’s strong, thick body twisted continuously but couldn’t break free. With a powerful squeeze from the Mud Crab Queen, it was torn in half.

The two halves fell into the quicksand, writhing and transforming into two slightly smaller giant worms.

Before these two worms could attack, a wave of fire engulfed them.

The Mud Crab Queen switched between various forms, holding her own against the endless swarm of worms.

Saga hovered in the air, looking down at the chaotic battle below between the Mud Crab Queen and the giant worms, not in a hurry to intervene.

He was searching for the Mother Worm’s location.

Normally, with the presence of quicksand that could block biological perception, finding the Mother Worm amidst countless other worms would be a difficult task.

However, Saga’s Force Field perception ignored the quicksand’s interference.

Every grain of sand, every worm, their movements were clear in Saga’s perception.

But the Mother Worm was adept at hiding.

It had transformed into an ordinary form, blending in with the giant worm army, suppressing its aura below the Legendary level, making it hard to distinguish.

Saga closed his eyes, quietly sensing.

Meanwhile, the Mud Crab Queen continued her fierce battle with the seemingly endless giant worm army. No single worm could face her head-on, but their sheer numbers and coordinated attacks posed a challenge.

Despite repeatedly severely injuring some demigod worms, the Mud Crab Queen found it difficult to kill them.

Once heavily injured, the worms would retreat, replaced by others in better condition.

With their strong regenerative abilities, they would rejoin the battle after recovering, continuously besieging the Mud Crab Queen.

Numerous Legendary worms also kept up their attacks.

Though their impact was minimal, the cumulative effect couldn’t be ignored.

The number of these worms was vast. Despite the Mud Crab Queen crushing many, it was a tiny fraction of the entire swarm.

Almost all the worms in the quicksand area had been gathered here by the Mother Worm.

From above, one could see layer upon layer of countless giant worms densely packed, covering every inch of land, like an ocean of worms surging towards the Mud Crab Queen at the center.

It was foreseeable.

If both sides fought to the death, the Mud Crab Queen, surrounded by the giant worm army, would likely be worn down over time and fall into defeat.

After all, this was the worms’ home ground, the quicksand area, not the swamp.

And the Mud Crab Queen was fighting alone.

At this moment, as the battle between the Mud Crab Queen and the giant worm army raged on.

The Golden Dragon hovering in the sky slowly opened its eyes.

“The Mother Worm is hiding too well, relying entirely on its worm army to fight, cautious by nature, not showing itself at all.”

Watching the battlefield, Saga’s gaze grew dangerous.

“I originally thought these giant worms would serve me in the future, so I didn’t want to use extreme measures.”

“But now, it seems sometimes extreme measures are necessary.”

Whoosh!

With eyes gleaming, the Golden Dragon’s wings stretched to their limit, blocking the red light from the sky, casting a massive dragon’s shadow over the battlefield below.

Neutron Annihilation!

In an instant, an invisible flood of neutrons roared out from beneath the dragon’s wings, swiftly covering most of the battlefield.

The yellow sand continued to whirl in the air.

But in a moment of silence, countless giant worms, once full of life, stiffened and simultaneously lost their vitality.

The surging sea of worms turned into a graveyard.

Everywhere lay the rigid corpses of worms.

Even high-ranking Legendary worms were not spared.

Except for the worms at the battlefield’s edge spared by Saga, only twelve demigod worms and one seemingly ordinary Legendary worm survived the neutron annihilation.

The Legendary worm, half-buried in the quicksand, stood like a statue, disoriented by the wind.

Perhaps out of nervousness, the Mother Worm’s aura leaked out.

“Got you.”

With a terrifying sense of oppression, the dragon’s shadow descended from the sky.

A Gravity Dimensional Anchor suppressed the space, and a massive dragon claw grabbed the worm, lifting it up.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The worm’s head tilted, its body went limp.

The worm in the dragon’s claw died silently, killed by the overwhelming Dragon Might.

“Not the Mother Worm?”

Saga’s dragon brow furrowed.

His Dragon Might was powerful, but directly killing a demigod-level Mother Worm was unrealistic.

Upon closer inspection, the worm’s Mother Worm aura had completely disappeared, looking like an ordinary giant worm.

Saga’s mind worked quickly, deducing that the Mother Worm could possess ordinary worms, constantly transferring its essence.

“…I don’t like playing hide and seek.”

Looking at the countless worms, Saga’s expression turned solemn. With a flap of his wings, he soared into the sky.

Worms reproduce rapidly; killing these ordinary worms was no issue. Let’s see where the Mother Worm could hide next.

The Golden Dragon let out a low dragon chant.

The neutron flood reappeared.

This time, Saga held nothing back. The neutron flood swept across the entire battlefield.

Except for the twelve demigod worms, no other worms could resist the neutron annihilation, dying en masse, leaving a scene of countless dead worm corpses, turning the place into a worm purgatory.

Simultaneously.

The Mother Worm’s aura reappeared, on one of the demigod worms, fluctuating violently, seemingly terrified.

In an instant.

The super-giant black-and-white dragon spread its wings, lightning flickering behind it, arriving in a flash, its claw locking onto the worm’s throat.

“Surrender to me.”

Using telepathy, Saga conveyed his will.

“…No.”

A panicked response came, the demigod worm struggling fiercely.

Most of the demigod worms abandoned their attack on the Mud Crab Queen, turning to attack Saga instead.

Boom!

A dragon breath descended, annihilating the giant worm before him.

Saga turned, his claw piercing a worm attacking from behind, entering its open mouth.

The terrifying fangs within the mouth, rotating and cutting, shattered against the dragon’s claw.

Blinding white light burst forth, thousands of arcs of electricity extending into the worm’s body, causing it to stiffen. Cracks appeared rapidly on its skin, glowing white from within, then the entire body shattered from the inside out.

If it couldn’t be tamed.

Saga, decisive in killing, would not hesitate to slay the Mother Worm.

Though it would make extracting sand essence stones more difficult for the abyssal prisoners, Saga didn’t mind. Sand essence stones were a luxury, not a necessity.

Saga began a massacre.

His efficiency in dealing with enemies was always high. These demigod worms, numerous but individually weak, were no match for him. Saga maneuvered through the swarm, each giant worm perishing under his attacks.

Coordinated efforts?

They died in one strike, without a chance to retreat. No matter how unified their thoughts, they couldn’t restrain Saga.

Shortly after.

The Mud Crab Queen, back in her green crab form, blinked her eyes, admiring the powerful Golden Dragon.

At this moment, the last demigod worm lay under Saga’s foot, its fate in his hands.

The Mother Worm’s aura was on this worm.

Just as Saga prepared to kill it.

The worm’s body trembled, glowing with a faint white light.

A small, crystal-clear Mother Worm emerged, revealing itself as a spiritual entity rather than a physical one.

“No wonder it was hard to find, and the ordinary worms’ minds were blank.”

“All the worms are extensions of the Mother Worm’s will, essentially a hive mind.”

The dragon’s heritage mentioned such creatures, though rare, with a small chance of appearing in mutated swarms, often growing to high levels if not eradicated early.

“The Casserly Abyss is truly full of talents, all kinds of creatures.”

Saga mused.

Meanwhile.

The Mother Worm, timidly looking at the terrifying dragon, its gem-like black eyes filled with fear, bowed its head, responding telepathically:

“Please, don’t kill Unity. I am willing to submit.”

To tame the Mud Crab Queen required an honorable duel or a courtship ritual.

But to tame this Mother Worm, it was necessary to kill its controlled swarm, leaving it no retreat.

Saga, who had planned to annihilate the worms, inadvertently found the correct way to tame the Mother Worm.

Unity?

Saga pondered.

Naming itself indicated that the Mother Worm, though still somewhat naive, was evolving towards sapience, or perhaps already a sapient being, lacking sufficient awareness.

Extending a hooked claw, Saga’s sharp tip touched the trembling Mother Worm’s head.

Saga’s will invaded, leaving his mark on the Mother Worm’s mind.

“A grown hive mind can control countless species, not limited to one group, making the world operate under its will, like a deity.”

“This Mother Worm is weak now, controlling only worms, lacking adaptability against true threats, but it has great potential, worth nurturing.”

Retracting his claw, Saga thought silently.

Nurturing subordinates wasn’t about having them keep up with him; he was clear that few could.

Of course, it was better if they grew stronger and continued to serve him, but mainly.

It was to find some amusement in his otherwise dull dragon life, like playing a pet-raising game.

Saga wasn’t alone in this.

Some deities, who enjoyed bestowing blessings and nurturing their chosen ones, had similar thoughts.

After formally taming the Mother Worm Unity.

The entire sphere was under Saga’s wings.

With a demigod worm and many intact worm corpses, and Saga’s support, the nearly extinct swarm quickly revived and flourished.

With the worms and mud crabs cooperating.

The extraction of sand essence stones and black swamp stones became highly efficient.

In the Sooty Mountains, in the Emperor Dragon Palace, in the ore storage room.

Saga gazed at the mountains of black swamp stones and sand essence stones, his thoughts moved, and immense gravity crushed the stones into powder.

A vast amount of life energy was released, absorbed by Saga.

His aura grew more robust, muscles bulging under his scales, his body looking exceptionally strong.

But over time, Saga’s aura stabilized.

Life energy flowed out of him, merging with the omnipresent red light.

Picking up a few stones, he crushed them effortlessly.

“I’ve reached the limit of Legendary rank nine.”

Watching the powder fall through his fingers, Saga thought silently.

His body was like a full water tank; without breaking through to demigod, he couldn’t retain more life energy, which would dissipate.

Sand essence stones and black swamp stones could boost minor ranks, quickly bringing Saga to Legendary rank nine.

But for the major leap from Legendary to demigod, they were ineffective.

A demigod was the pinnacle of material realm beings, a formidable presence in the outer planes.

Becoming a demigod meant a further elevation and transformation of life, becoming a higher being, transcending the mundane.

This wasn’t achievable by merely absorbing energy.

“I need more time, experience, and mental preparation, then naturally step into the demigod realm.”

Saga wasn’t in a hurry.

He was confident of becoming a demigod, sooner or later.

Rather than forcing a breakthrough, risking losing dominance at the same level, Saga preferred to let it happen naturally, entering the demigod realm when fully prepared.

His dragon claw touched his chest.

Feeling the spark within, Saga looked at the stones, his eyes gleaming.

“These stones will still be useful after I become a demigod.”

“And now, they can help me ignite the spark.”

Saga had tried before; igniting the spark was a one-time process, consuming much energy.

Igniting the spark and being teleported to a dangerous place in a weakened state was a concern.

But with these stones, he could ignite the spark while replenishing himself, solving the problem.

After conquering this sphere, Saga considered igniting the spark to escape the Casserly Abyss.

But first, he wanted to find Yekaterina.

Meanwhile.

The Sol Stone Monster’s voice suddenly echoed in Saga’s mind.

“Your Majesty, five high-ranking Legendary prisoners have infiltrated the Sooty Mountains from the neighboring sphere. I discovered and captured them upon arrival.”

“They claim to be under the Abyssal Empress, here to gather information about our sphere.”

Pausing, the Sol Stone Monster added, “I know a bit about the neighboring sphere, but I’ve never heard of an Abyssal Empress, perhaps a recent newcomer.”

Neighboring sphere?

Saga’s eyes flickered.

A spatial vortex in the Sooty Mountains connected to the neighboring sphere, previously under the Titan God of Wrath’s rule.

Before securing his position in the Casserly Abyss and gaining enough strength, Saga had no intention of exploring other spheres.

But now, a thought occurred to him.

Perhaps the Titan God of Wrath’s banishment range wasn’t large, and Yekaterina was in the neighboring sphere, as the Titan God of Wrath ruled both spheres.

As for the new Abyssal Empress, it might be Yekaterina.

Saga asked:

“What kind of creature is this Abyssal Empress?”

“Before I could inquire further, the prisoners self-destructed.”