"We can't dig..." Duan Feng'er looked up at the rolling yellow sand approaching in the distance, the Sand Scorpions, "Then, it's a fight."

Fen Tu Kuang Ge looked at the hordes of Sand Scorpions, nodding slightly with a grave expression. Having just returned to the Demon Slayer Warrior form, facing even slightly stronger Sand Scorpions, he feared he wouldn't have much ability to save his own life, yet they absolutely could not leave! Hiding now would be easy; retreating into a cave might allow them to escape.

But what about Qian Jin? Sand Scorpions possessed acute olfactory systems, able to smell blood from far away. Their arrival was likely due to the scent of blood emanating from Qian Jin.

Leaving Qian Jin behind meant certain death for him! Chek Frit looked at the weapon by his feet, then up at the sand boiling like water above Qian Jin's head. Did Qian Jin somehow sense the danger? Before burying himself, he had left behind the Zhanmadao (Horse-Slaying Blade) and the bow and arrows.

Chek Frit handed the strong bow and sharp arrows over. Fen Tu Kuang Ge didn't refuse; being the weakest in the squad, ranged combat would certainly be much safer than engaging up close.

Duan Feng'er slung his long spear across his shoulders, his arms wrapping around the shaft from behind. Gazing at the rapidly approaching Sand Scorpions in the distance, he took a step forward, instantly igniting his Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Battle Form. His eyes, black as stone and betraying no emotion, glanced back at the boiling sand above Qian Jin’s head: "Comrade, if none of us die this time, you absolutely must take the time to forge a complete suit of armor for each of us. Taking blows with bare flesh, no one can endure that."

Pfft... The golden sand suddenly surged up, leaping a full half-foot high, as if Qian Jin were answering Duan Feng’er's words.

Hold on... Just hold on a little longer! I’ll unlock this damned lock soon!

Qian Jin, submerged in the sand, clenched his fists without anyone knowing when. A massive current of heat continuously poured into his body, and the surrounding sand seemed to gently pulse: Just hold on a bit longer! Don't let anyone die; hold out until I emerge! This damn Dou Qi Chain Net... Break for me! Break!

The Sand Scorpions rapidly closed in, within a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. The screeching cries of the Sand Scorpions, mixed with the friction sound of their rapid advance, were exceptionally jarring.

"They're here!"

Duan Feng’er's long spear leaped from his shoulder. Holding the Er-Bu Spear, the Dou Qi along its shaft surged in successive bursts, eliciting a string of spear-whistles.

A sound akin to a swift whistle suddenly ripped through the sky. The taut arrow from the Moon-Shooting Bow sliced through the scorching air and endless wind-blown sand, striking the head of the leading Sand Scorpion fiercely.

The arrowhead, forged from refined iron, merged with the Great True Gold Dou Qi, piercing through the Sand Scorpion's head as easily as a long spear driving through fragile tofu. Yellowish ichor immediately erupted high into the air from the creature’s skull.

With a shriek, the Sand Scorpion’s body thrashed violently, yellow ichor spewing continuously, yet it did not die immediately. The arrow was incredibly sharp, but it had missed the vital spot; the single shot only wounded the Sand Scorpion.

A wounded beast becomes fiercer; a wounded magical beast is the same—it becomes more ferocious than usual! Fen Tu Kuang Ge twisted his wrist, pulling a new arrow from his quiver and firing it at the largest Sand Scorpion King.

Shoot the horse first to stop the rider; kill the general first to defeat the army!

This was basic common sense known to every warrior, and Fen Tu Kuang Ge understood it clearly. The strong arrow whistled a second time in the air, heading straight for the Sand Scorpion King.

A sound similar to a whistle was roared from the Sand Scorpion King’s mouth. The massive, seemingly cumbersome pincers rapidly gathered golden-poisonous sand, as if coating the claws with a layer of specially hardened armor.

Magical Beast Innate Skill: Sand Armor Technique! Comparable to actual metal armor in human society!

The King immediately raised the armored pincer above its head and swept it through the air ahead, heavily intercepting the arrow. The fragile shaft could not withstand the impact from the Sand Scorpion King and shattered into several pieces.

"Kuang Ge, kill the smaller ones first," Duan Feng’er warned tensely, holding his battle blade and gazing at the Sand Scorpion King, "I refuse to believe it! Something this formidable, only capable of becoming a mid-level magical beast eventually, we three still can't handle it if only it remains."

Chek Frit managed a weak smile... A mid-level magical beast was, after all, a mid-level magical beast; it wasn't an ordinary low-level creature. The only question was whether this mid-level beast was Tier Four? Tier Five? Or Tier Six? Qian Jin! You need to hurry up! That will buy us more time to escape.

Three successive whistles sounded from the air. Three Sand Scorpions simultaneously let out miserable screeches. The Sand Scorpion King could block the attacks, but the others could not. Lacking a magic core, they could not utilize innate magic, possessing only the inherent destructive power and lethality of magical beasts.

"My turn!" Duan Feng’er flicked his spear, suddenly exerting force beneath his feet, kicking sand several zhang high into the air: "Qian Jin! Remember, you owe me a suit of Dou Armor! I want a shield!"

Under the sunlight and the explosion of Dou Qi, the silver long spear instantly transformed into a silver dragon, with countless grains of golden sand swirling around its body, resembling a Dragon King making a royal procession.

A Sand Scorpion let out a high-pitched, excited cry, raising its two massive pincers high and opening them. Kacha, kacha, they clamped down on the shaft of the Er-Bu Spear. The Er-Bu Spear, hidden beneath the golden sand, revealed its ferocious true form, accompanied by a wild, disdainful roar: "A trash like you wants to block my spear! Cloud Burst!"

The Er-Bu Spear spun at high speed. It did not cease movement despite being caught in the pincers; instead, it shattered every saw-tooth edge on the great pincers. Sticky, nauseating yellow fluid erupted, along with the Sand Scorpion’s shrieks of extreme pain.

It couldn't be stopped! The Sand Scorpion finally understood that its pincers, which had never met an equal opponent, could not withstand the magnificent silver light before it.

Puff! The spear pierced the head! Duan Feng’er rapidly rotated his hands, instantly churning the scorpion’s pathetic little brain into mush. As he killed that Sand Scorpion with one strike, three nearby Scorpions slammed their pincers and tails forward. The sky, which had moments ago been brightly lit, instantly became covered in countless shadows cast by these giant silhouettes.

Slaying an enemy with one spear thrust, Duan Feng’er drew and swung his spear. The shaft snapped rapidly in the air, immediately erupting into dozens of silver beams of light, intertwining and separating like hundreds of silver snakes attacking and counterattacking all surrounding threats simultaneously.

Thousand Snakes! Absolute confidence shone in Duan Feng’er’s pupils. This was a spear technique uniquely developed by synthesizing numerous spear arts, one of his strongest moves. He had originally intended to find time to spar one-on-one with Qian Jin at equal strength to properly test whose technique was superior, but unexpectedly, he had to deploy his trump card first today.

Pa pa pa...

The top-grade Dou Soldier material—thrusting, whipping, and stabbing—struck the Sand Scorpions’ bodies, instantly splashing up sheets of yellow, sticky fluid. The scorpions’ tails and pincers shattered one after another. The fatally wounded scorpions opened their mouths and spewed globes of foul-smelling saliva.

Duan Feng’er dared not withstand the assault with his body. Although he possessed the Battle Form, and the Nine-Headed Serpent Bloodline Warriors naturally had much better inherent poison resistance than most other bloodline warriors, who knew if he could withstand the scorpions’ saliva?

The Sand Scorpions’ saliva is non-poisonous? That’s what the books say! Duan Feng’er dared not test it with his body to verify. This was the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea! One of the most mysterious places on the continent. Who could guarantee that the Sand Scorpions in the Ancient Desolate Sand Sea had non-poisonous saliva?

Dodging this, a thick Sand Scorpion tail suddenly burst from beneath the sand, stabbing toward Duan Feng’er’s back!

Ambush! Concealment! One of the Sand Scorpions’ special abilities: they could quickly sink into the sand and move through it at speeds not much slower than on the surface.

Lou!

A flash of bright blade light shimmered behind Duan Feng’er. That thick Sand Scorpion tail was instantly severed again! Chek Frit silently pressed his back against Duan Feng’er’s, retracting the massive black wings of the Fallen Angel close to his back.

"I owe you a life."

Duan Feng’er didn't turn his head. He swung his long spear again, blocking a pincer attack from a Sand Scorpion. The Zhanmadao sliced through the air, casting a streak of bright light, and immediately a giant Sand Scorpion pincer smashed heavily onto the golden sand, scattering countless grains.

Back to back! With a strong bow raining down lethal attacks from above, though surrounded by numerous Sand Scorpions, very few could actually reach the two of them. For a time, they couldn't manage to launch any truly damaging assaults.

The Sand Scorpion King, paused outside the combat ring, slammed its two huge pincers into the sand, splashing massive amounts of sand high into the air. It threw its head back and roared with rage. Facing only two small opponents, it had already lost so many subordinates without being able to break through.

The attacking Scorpions collectively trembled and rapidly retreated to the sides, forming a vast encirclement. The Sand Scorpion King moved its massive body, swaying as it walked into the center of the fray, looking down upon the two "insects" that should have been easily crushed and devoured.

"Tier Five..." Chek Frit stared grimly at the Sand Scorpion King. Judging by the aura the magical beast emitted, it was likely a Tier Five mid-level magical beast, not one that had just entered Tier Four.

If it were a Tier Four beast, they might have stood a chance. A Tier Five mid-level magical beast... and one like the Sand Scorpion King, known for its thick hide and hard shell.

Zzzt! A stream of black, ink-like venom suddenly shot out from the highly curved tail stinger. Even before it reached them, a foul, fishy odor permeated the air.

Dodge!

Almost simultaneously, both men rapidly dodged to the sides. The Sand Scorpion King’s large pincers rose high and instantly appeared above Duan Feng’er’s head. The patch of sand that had been baking hot under the sun was suddenly covered by a massive black shadow, which rapidly descended like a collapsing mountain.

Want to kill me? Duan Feng’er landed on both feet, his long spear spinning at high speed, delivering a Cloud Burst strike against the pincer. It generated a string of sparks, completely piercing the thick layer of sand-body protective shell, reaching the Sand Scorpion King’s true body underneath, leaving a gash half an inch deep on the shell, but failing to truly pierce the thick pincer armor.

PS: Also, the eleventh update!