Neither were easy opponents.
The Golden Rat King had hoped to take advantage of the Mole Worm being occupied with his rat offspring, relying on its speed to launch a sneak attack and land a fatal blow. But the Burrowing Worm wasn't to be underestimated either. Once it realized it couldn't catch the Rat King with speed alone, it pretended to turn its attention to the surrounding rats, all the while lying in wait for the Rat King to take the bait.
That's why it reacted instantly.
The Rat King hadn't expected such a swift counter, and the Burrowing Worm didn't anticipate the Rat King's innate divine ability, Rodent's Gleam (鼠目寸光). Both were cunning, and the moment they clashed, they threw each other into mutual danger.
Squeak squeak squeak!!
Hiss!!
A beam of golden light pierced straight into the Burrowing Worm's skull, boring in from the front and blasting out the back, tearing two grotesque holes. Its brain matter turned to mush.
But the Burrowing Worm's final burst of acid spray wasn't just for show. Its corrosiveness far surpassed any normal acid. Even the Golden Rat King let out a blood-curdling screech as the acid hit it, its golden fur rapidly corroding, skin and flesh dissolving, bones and organs exposed—an absolutely horrifying sight.
Even as it frantically clawed off the corroded parts, it was futile. The flesh directly struck by the acid was completely destroyed. Worse still, the blood inside its body began to evaporate mysteriously, vanishing into nothing. A terrifying heat threatened to ignite its entire body.
That acid… was simply too overbearing.
The Rat King rolled on the ground, shrieking in agony.
The Burrowing Worm wasn't completely dead either—its vitality terrifyingly strong. Even when severed, it could survive on half a body. Now, even with its head blown off, it wasn't entirely finished. It thrashed violently, crushing many rats in its wake.
But without intervention, it clearly wouldn't last long.
The sounds of battle at the valley entrance gradually subsided.
As the rats saw their mighty Golden Rat King lying there barely alive, its body mangled by corrosion, fear overtook them. The massive rat horde scattered in panic. The swarm utterly collapsed.
"Milord, three of our brothers have fallen, and several more are injured," reported Wang Dahu, bloodstained from battle, with a somber expression.
"Bring me the bodies," Yi Tianxing nodded calmly. Death was inevitable. Without his intervention, all 300 of them would have been devoured by the rats—none would've survived.
The three corpses were quickly brought forward. Though some parts were missing—gnawed off by rats—the bodies were mostly intact. Each had fought to the very end. From the postures they died in, it was clear they'd never retreated.
"Farewell, warriors. You died for battle. Though the body falls, your spirits will live on."
Yi Tianxing waved his hand, and a strange red light flashed. The three bodies vanished within it.
The surrounding soldiers' eyes burned with fanatical reverence.
They'd seen this once before the night prior. They knew that those who died in battle were taken into a mysterious place. As their Lord had said: even if the body perished, the spirit would endure under his protection.
"Send the wounded back to the village. Have the two doctors tend to them."
Yi Tianxing wasted no time, turning toward where the Rat King and Burrowing Worm lay, his gaze icy.
The Golden Rat King was barely breathing, flesh melted to the bone—ghastly to behold. Death was certain.
"Your luck ran out—encountering a Burrowing Worm and dragging each other to mutual ruin. Had we fought one-on-one, I might not have been so confident of victory. Might've even died. But there are no 'what ifs' in this world. So… just die quietly."
Yi Tianxing sneered at the twitching body.
Covered in blood, he radiated a fearsome aura.
Clink!
A black-and-white Yin-Yang Chain appeared in his hand and lashed out, coiling around the Rat King's broken body. The chain sank into the body like a phantom. You could hear the metallic clinking of chains.
Then the chain reemerged—dragging out a golden rat-shaped soul.
Even as it was bound by the Yin-Yang Chain, the Rat King's soul thrashed, screeching grotesquely.
But it could do nothing. It was forcefully dragged into Yi Tianxing's Yin-Yang Eye.
Using the same method, the Mole Worm's soul was also extracted and absorbed into the Yin-Yang Eye. Both were instantly suppressed and refined by the Innate Yin-Yang Divine Diagram.
After this battle, the number of Yin-Yang Chains had increased to nine. Not because there weren't enough rat souls, but because nine seemed to be the limit. Any further souls were absorbed directly by the Divine Diagram, which now seemed to be nurturing something, though it lacked one final push.
According to Yi Tianxing's estimate, the Yin-Yang Eye was on the verge of a breakthrough, about to evolve to a new stage. It was currently accumulating the necessary power for this transformation.
He needed to harvest many more souls.
"Milord, it seems our Xuanhuang Village truly is blessed with fortune. That troublesome Burrowing Worm and the Golden Rat King fought each other to the death, resolving two major threats without us lifting a finger. Had they both attacked us, the village would have been in grave danger," said Huang Chengyan, stroking his beard with satisfaction.
Deep down, he thought: Such coincidences don't happen for no reason. Our village clearly carries great fortune, and Milord even more so. As the saying goes, when fate aligns, even Heaven and Earth lend their strength.
For him, this was confirmation of Yi Tianxing's destiny.
In a chaotic world, only those blessed by fate could survive—and thrive—to build a lasting legacy.
"Fortune alone isn't enough. We need unity too," Yi Tianxing replied with a smile. "Elder Huang, we must build wooden walls and fences around the village. They may not stop powerful monsters, but they'll act as early warnings. They'll keep out lesser beasts and give the villagers a sense of security."
Building walls was urgent. If they'd had those defenses today, the rat horde could have been held off, and perhaps those three men wouldn't have died.
"I've already given the orders," said Huang Chengyan. "There's a forest nearby. We can fell trees and build both homes and walls. But given the danger, construction won't be easy."
They were constantly under threat. The monsters weren't going to wait for them to finish fortifying before launching their next assault.
"Creation never comes easy—especially in chaotic times like these. It must be forged with blood and fire. I'm ready for that. Just build the village. Leave the rest to me—and this army behind me."
Yi Tianxing laughed boldly.
Behind him, the 300 soldiers all revealed unwavering expressions. Seeing him standing tall before them gave them strength—a pillar they could rely on, an unshakable belief.
Meanwhile, the villagers collected the rat corpses. Some skinned them, others stripped the bones. The meat was cured into jerky. They'd grown accustomed to this grim work. The organs were tossed into the river, drawing swarms of piranhas. Today they fed the fish meat—tomorrow they'd catch the fish for their own meals.
A group of villagers headed to the forest to cut trees. Large trunks were hauled back and shaped by carpenters into posts and planks. They began constructing a wooden palisade around the village.
There was no reprieve.
The valley wasn't safe. At regular intervals, beasts and monsters attacked.
Goblins surged in from unknown directions.
Wolf packs emerged from the depths of the valley.
Vultures swooped from the skies.
One siege after another. One bloody battle after another. Soldiers and villagers alike fell, their numbers dwindling day by day.
Half a month passed in a flash.
A wooden wall now stood, encircling the entire village. Crude but functional, it stood three meters tall and could support defenders on top. The wall enclosed an area four to five li in diameter. Construction went on day and night, with barely any rest. Some people collapsed from exhaustion, only to rise again and resume their labor.
And in this span of time, the villagers underwent a remarkable transformation.
Gone were the fear and panic in their eyes. In their place was a hardened determination. A resolve forged through fire. Each gaze now burned with a steadfast belief.