A terrifying tide of crimson sand scorpions surged forth rapidly, turbulent and overwhelming, crimson sand billowing to the heavens, agitating this vast desert.
All trialists paled at the sight. Millions of crimson sand scorpions—though each was merely a small Houtian second or third-tier demonic beast—could overwhelm an elephant through sheer numbers. With millions of them, even a Martial God would likely flee at the mere sight.
"How could so many crimson sand scorpions appear without any warning?" one trialist questioned in confusion. Such a massive horde couldn't possibly emerge suddenly; there should have been signs.
Yet there were none. It was all too abrupt.
At that moment, the demonic flood dragon crawled out, raising its draconic head high as it let out a low roar towards the portal of the mysterious realm.
Ye Chen's expression shifted slightly, for he sensed faint, peculiar fluctuations emanating from the portal of the mysterious realm—fluctuations of divine sense. A realization dawned on him.
"Esteemed ones, how should we deal with this?"
Many trialists looked towards the princes and princesses. Among those present, their strength was among the greatest, and they wielded powerful artifacts, making them the de facto core of the group.
"Our options now are either to flee this oasis or to fight," mused the Third Prince of the Jiuhua Empire, Li Hua. However, many trialists' expressions changed at the suggestion of fleeing.
This desert wasn't merely a few dozen li in radius; it stretched continuously for thousands of li, vast and boundless.
This oasis was located in the center of the desert. Even if they wanted to flee, they might not succeed. Moreover, the spiritual energy in the desert was too sparse, and the True Yuan consumed was significant. While nights were manageable, during the day, they would need to constantly circulate True Yuan to resist the scorching heat. Within half an hour, their True Yuan would be depleted, leaving them exhausted.
The crimson sand scorpions were accustomed to the desert climate and possessed considerable endurance, capable of running nonstop for an entire day. Even if the trialists were faster, it would be futile.
As for the second option—fighting—it was even less viable. How could they contend with millions of crimson sand scorpions?
But before they could consider further, the entire oasis suddenly trembled violently, for the crimson sand scorpion tide was already close.
"Report! Seven li remaining!" a trialist serving as a scout urgently transmitted.
"Seven li—not far. Everyone, prepare for battle, or we'll all perish in this desert!" the Thirteenth Prince shouted loudly.
All trialists had no choice but to ready their weapons. However, when they saw the distant, dense, black mass of crimson sand scorpions surging forward endlessly, their faces paled instantly.
Even the princes and princesses from the major superpowers lost color. This endless horde of crimson sand scorpions charging forward was something no one could withstand.
Moreover, these crimson sand scorpions were advancing from all directions, encircling them, leaving no chance for escape.
"Five li..."
"Four li..."
"Three li..."
Urgent messages came one after another. All trialists grew tense, involuntarily tightening their grips on their weapons.
The crimson sand scorpion tide was rapidly approaching. The entire desert trembled, sand and dust rolling like waves as countless crimson sand scorpions swarmed into view.
"Two li..."
"One li..."
"They're here!" Hiss—
Almost instantaneously, the sand dunes surrounding the oasis were covered with dense, black masses of crimson sand scorpions. Each was only about palm-sized, its body a vivid red, not much different from ordinary scorpions, but its hooked tail stinger shimmered with an eerie crimson glow that made one's heart tremble.
At this moment, as far as the eye could see, there were only these crimson sand scorpions, like a vivid sea of blood surging forward, their hissing sounds unceasing.
There were too many, like an endless sea, madly emerging, enough to make everyone's hearts race with fear.
"Kill!"
A prince from the Tenglong Empire roared, his eyes wide with fury. He was the first to strike, drawing a broad saber and attacking when the crimson sand scorpion tide was still ten zhang away from the oasis.
Waves of saber light swept out, instantly causing blood to spurt, sand to fly, and wind to howl. He annihilated a large swath of crimson sand scorpions—no fewer than a hundred—all reduced to pulp under the saber light.
Under normal circumstances, this would be difficult, but the density of the crimson sand scorpion tide was too high, packed tightly without any gaps.
Once one person acted, the other trialists followed suit. Streaks of True Yuan power wantonly blasted out—though these were the most basic True Yuan attacks, they were also the most effective. Landing amidst the dense, black tide, each strike killed at least several dozen crimson sand scorpions, an astonishing efficiency.
After just one round of True Yuan attacks, the frontline crimson sand scorpions were turned into pulp—thousands upon thousands of them. The destructive power was unprecedented, dyeing the sand before them a vivid, dripping crimson.
This ignited the confidence in everyone's hearts. They continued to attack, bombarding with True Yuan power. Multicolored lights illuminated the night sky, sand and stones flew, as the most intense battle ensued.
Even a prince from the Tenglong Empire executed a Xiantian martial technique, conjuring a line of fire that encircled the entire oasis for defense.
The Hundred Strong Trialists were the strongest among the trialists, each possessing at least Xiantian fifth-tier cultivation. The princes and princesses of the Jiuhua and Tenglong Empires were astonishingly powerful, their True Yuan reserves and attack power far surpassing the other trialists. Faced with such a terrifying crimson sand scorpion tide, they remained composed.
However, the number of crimson sand scorpions was simply too staggering. They emerged like a covering sky and earth, filling every corner of the desert as far as the eye could see. Even though hundreds of trialists were gathered here, desperately unleashing True Yuan power and wantonly slaughtering, leaving the ground littered with charred corpses, they still couldn't kill them all.
Soon, that line of fire couldn't hold for long before being extinguished by countless crimson sand scorpions sacrificing their lives.
Moreover, quickly, some of these reckless crimson sand scorpions dodged the attacks and rushed forward, biting at the trialists. The clanging sounds were incessant.
If not for the fact that all trialists who came here were at least Xiantian realm cultivators, their bodies enveloped in True Yuan power, they would certainly have been bitten.
These crimson sand scorpions contained venom. Though it couldn't truly harm the trialists, the venom could temporarily paralyze them for a moment—a moment that could be fatal.
In the darkness, streaks of True Yuan power streaked across the sky, illuminating the desert under the night. Swaths of crimson sand scorpions were blasted apart, corpses littering the ground, yet they remained endless.
And all the crimson sand scorpions charged forward recklessly. Among them were even some large Houtian seventh or eighth-tier crimson sand scorpions, whose attacks were even more terrifying.
The Thirteenth Prince and others also fought, but with the Scaled Golden Lion present, its fearsome Xiantian demonic beast aura caused many crimson sand scorpions to dare not approach too closely. Many Houtian-tier crimson sand scorpions even detoured, oppressed by the Xiantian demonic beast aura, not daring to attack.
This scene made many marvel—this was the greatest use of a Xiantian demonic beast.
Ye Chen also joined the battle, but he didn't reveal his true strength. A long spear appeared in his hand—not the Heavenly God Spear, but one condensed from his true body's blood yuan—easily killing any crimson sand scorpion that approached.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a purple ghostly light streaked past, incredibly fast, impossible to dodge. Before a trialist could react, he fell backward, a bloody hole appearing between his eyebrows, blood and brain matter flowing out. This caused many to pale in horror.
This was a Xiantian-tier scorpion among the crimson sand scorpions. Its body shimmered with a purple luster, still palm-sized, but it had evolved to grow wings. Its speed was astonishingly fast, like lightning, and its attack power was quite terrifying. The protective barriers formed by True Yuan power could hardly block its attacks.
These purple crimson sand scorpions quickly breached the defense line, targeting trialists for attack. In just a short while, seven or eight trialists had their brows pierced one after another, not even having the chance to crush a spirit talisman for self-preservation.
Some Hundred Strong Trialists also encountered these purple crimson sand scorpions and similarly paled. However, their strength far surpassed ordinary trialists, so no Hundred Strong Trialist had fallen yet.
Clang—
A purple light flashed, shooting like lightning towards Ye Chen's brow, astonishingly fast. However, this crimson sand scorpion could advance no further, for it was caught between Ye Chen's two fingers, as if forged from steel. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free, hissing as its pincers and tail stinger stabbed at Ye Chen like lightning, shimmering with venomous light.
But with a clang, the tail stinger and pincers that could pierce Xiantian weapons struck Ye Chen's fingers and palm to no effect. Instead, they met with a fierce recoil, even cracking the scorpion's hard exoskeleton.
Ye Chen pinched with his fingers, and with a *pfft* sound, he cleanly severed the purple crimson sand scorpion's body in half. A black shadow flashed past—it was the shrunken demonic flood dragon. With speed faster than lightning, it swallowed this Xiantian-tier crimson sand scorpion whole into its belly before the scorpion could even react, ending its life in the beast's stomach.
For the demonic flood dragon, this Xiantian-tier crimson sand scorpion was a great tonic, rich in vitality. It even spat out the thumb-sized Xiantian demonic core, which Ye Chen collected.
Meanwhile, the Thirteenth Prince also encountered such a Xiantian crimson sand scorpion. His three-foot green blade drew streaks of sword light, easily killing swaths of crimson sand scorpions. But when it struck this purple one, it clanged loudly, sparks flying. He didn't kill it instantly, merely knocking it away.
This made his expression grave. "Miss Vivian, Sister Hong Rong, be careful. These purple crimson sand scorpions are quite terrifying. Don't be careless."
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Before he could finish speaking, three purple lights flashed rapidly. Surprisingly, they showed no regard for the Scaled Golden Lion's aura and charged straight forward, causing the Thirteenth Prince's face to pale. They were too fast. He could block in time, but Princess Hong Rong and Vivian might not.
Princess Hong Rong and Vivian quickly moved to block, but their True Yuan power was shattered. Two purple crimson sand scorpions attacked like lightning towards the brows of the two women.
The two women paled. Even the Thirteenth Prince was caught off guard. Even if he ordered the Scaled Golden Lion to take flight, it would be too late. But at that moment—*thump, thump*—the two purple crimson sand scorpions came fast and left even faster, sent flying backward. This left the three of them stunned.
A figure arrived before the three of them. From beneath the wide black robe came a gentle, familiar voice: "Don't worry. I'm here."