A figure appeared, shrouded entirely in a wide black robe. Not only was his face concealed, but even his form couldn't be clearly discerned.
Yet, this voice was familiar, filling the three of them with immense joy.
Vivian's eyes even welled up with a layer of mist, on the verge of tears. Seeing his timely appearance and intervention at this critical moment gave her a sense of tranquility and peace.
None of them spoke it aloud; they simply understood in their hearts.
Hiss—
The three purple crimson sand scorpions hissed, their entire bodies gleaming with a violet luster, possessing a strangely beautiful quality. Yet, their attacks were swift, precise, and ruthless. So far, no fewer than twenty-three trial-takers had fallen victim in this place, with only five immediately crushing their spirit talismans to release the ghostly light for self-preservation.
As for the remaining eighteen, all had their brows pierced, utterly lifeless.
It could be said that the Trial Path, in the eyes of many trial-takers, was merely a path of trial, not one that involved life and death. Generally, at least, they wouldn't personally face such a situation.
But now, they could truly feel it firsthand, causing a shadow of gloom to settle in the hearts of many trial-takers.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
The three purple crimson sand scorpions vibrated their wings at a high frequency, transforming into three streaks of violet light as they launched another attack, all aimed at Ye Chen's brow.
For these crimson sand scorpions deeply understood that the brow was the true vital point of these trial-takers. But the three of them smiled, for they all knew Ye Chen's strength and believed in him.
Ye Chen did not strike. Instead, the three purple crimson sand scorpions suddenly seemed struck by lightning, each falling to the ground, panicking and prostrating themselves there, trembling, continuously emitting low hisses. It was as if commoners had encountered the lofty imperial nobility, terrified and not daring to move.
This scene left the group stunned. The purple crimson sand scorpions, ferocious and menacing just a moment ago, had now become so docile.
From within the wide black robe, a slender, supple creature emerged from the sleeve. It had antennae on its head, whiskers and hair on its back, and four limbs—clearly a demonic flood dragon possessing draconic features.
Though only about a meter in length, it caused the three Xiantian realm purple crimson sand scorpions to submit, landing on the ground, not daring to make any move.
The demonic flood dragon had appeared. As a king among demonic beasts, it carried a trace of draconic majesty, something these low-level demonic beasts like the crimson sand scorpions simply couldn't resist, leaving them in terror.
Even the Scaled Golden Lion remained motionless, appearing quite tame, emitting low growls.
Witnessing this, the Thirteenth Prince and the others sighed in admiration. Truly worthy of being a demonic flood dragon; even a wisp of its demonic aura was something no demonic beast could withstand.
The demonic flood dragon moved with a swish, transforming into a streak of black light that flashed instantly. The next moment, the three purple crimson sand scorpions were devoured, eliminating the three pests.
The Thirteenth Prince was quite envious. Ye Chen being monstrous was one thing, but even the demonic flood dragon he had subdued was so freakishly powerful. The purple crimson sand scorpions that gave everyone headaches were nothing in his eyes, solved in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, the Sixth Princess Yang Miaoxue, fighting alone in the distance, sensed something and looked towards the direction of the Thirteenth Prince and the others. Seeing that figure clad in a wide black robe, she trembled instantly. She realized that the youth who had stolen her first kiss had arrived.
Whoosh—
A streak of violet light flashed as a purple crimson sand scorpion shot towards her. The Sixth Princess let out a light shout, and a silver light flashed—it was a silver bell, which she summoned forth, actually forcibly suppressing and killing the purple crimson sand scorpion. It flowed with a mysterious power, a heavy artifact.
"Attack, devour all these purple crimson sand scorpions," Ye Chen spoke, ordering the demonic flood dragon to strike.
Swish—
A streak of black light flashed across the desert, even swifter and more thunderous than the purple crimson sand scorpions. It launched its assault like lightning, its movements so fast that no one could detect its trail. One crimson sand scorpion after another, as if encountering their natural nemesis, were rapidly devoured.
All the trial-takers felt that the most fearsome purple crimson sand scorpions were rapidly decreasing, as if they had abruptly vanished. One moment, a trial-taker would see a purple crimson sand scorpion charging towards them, about to panic and respond, but the next moment, it would abruptly disappear without a trace, so sudden.
All of this left the many trial-takers both shocked and delighted.
Some trial-takers even began to suspect that someone was secretly lending a hand.
However, the tide of crimson sand scorpions still swarmed forth, wave after wave, countless in number, desperately charging towards the oasis.
At this moment, much of the oasis's vegetation had been gnawed away by these crimson sand scorpions. The oasis, like a bright pearl, was vanishing at an alarming rate. Even the lake ahead was beginning to disappear.
The great battle continued.
"This won't do. There are too many; it's impossible to annihilate them all." Even the imperial princes and princesses now paled, for the number of crimson sand scorpions was truly unimaginable. Even though the number of purple crimson sand scorpions had drastically decreased, even vanishing later on, the ordinary crimson sand scorpions were utterly weak. But they triumphed in sheer numbers, wave after wave, impossible to kill completely, breeding a sense of despair.
At the forefront, many trial-takers were swarmed by large numbers of crimson sand scorpions. The protective barriers formed by their True Yuan power couldn't fully resist, being quickly gnawed away and dissipated.
Subsequently, many trial-takers were forced to choose to crush their spirit talismans for self-preservation. In the blink of an eye, over thirty people were eliminated, and this number continued to grow as time passed.
"There's no other way. We can only use the heavy artifacts ahead of time."
The Third Prince of the Jiuhua Empire had a gloomy expression. The number of crimson sand scorpions was simply absurd. Even though over four hundred trial-takers were gathered here, and each was a Xiantian realm cultivator, ants could kill an elephant when there were enough of them. The crimson sand scorpions were too numerous; kill one batch, and another would come. Their corpses piled up like mountains, littering this oasis land, yet countless crimson sand scorpions still swarmed forth, charging forward without regard for their lives.
All the trial-takers suspected that perhaps all the crimson sand scorpions of the entire desert had been mobilized; otherwise, how could there be so many?
The other princes and princesses could only nod. At this moment, seven balls of light appeared, suspended in the air. Strands of radiant light cascaded down, erupting with an unprecedented terrifying fluctuation. Many trial-takers trembled in their hearts—those were Martial God Dao Weapons.
These heavy artifacts held by the princes and princesses were all taken out, for they felt that continuing to fight like this offered little hope. Moreover, while these trial-takers might be competitors within the mysterious realm, exploring the mysterious realm required their efforts; they couldn't afford to lose too many.
Boom—
Vast True Yuan power surged forth continuously, each stream merging into the five Martial God Dao Weapons. At this moment, they all erupted with an unprecedented, powerful terrifying fluctuation, shaking this desert.
Many trial-takers also took action, channeling streams of True Yuan into the heavy artifacts, reviving them further, making their fluctuations even more intense.
"Kill!"
At this moment, a full seven Martial God Dao Weapons were unleashed. The power of heaven and earth surged forth. Seven beams of light completely illuminated the pitch-black night sky, striking into the tide of crimson sand scorpions.
Boom—
Explosions shot towards the sky, sand and stones flew, flames erupted. Swathes of crimson sand scorpions were blasted into dust. The desert in this area was completely rocked by the explosions. Countless crimson sand scorpions were annihilated into pulp, flesh and mud flying everywhere. The might was simply overwhelmingly powerful, incredibly astonishing.
This was the true, peerless might of a genuine Martial God Dao Weapon, powerful beyond belief. An entire swath of crimson sand scorpions was swept away, at least tens of thousands. A large area before their eyes was instantly cleared, a sight that left many people aghast.
Too terrifying, utterly impossible to resist.
The seven Martial God Dao Weapons bombarded several times in succession, almost blasting the entire tide of crimson sand scorpions into ashes. It also severely depleted their True Yuan. Without reaching the Martial God level, it was ultimately difficult to fully revive such heavy artifacts.
However, the effect was equally astonishing. Several bombardments annihilated over half of the crimson sand scorpions, achieving extraordinary results.
Finally, during the darkest hour before dawn, a shrill, piercing shriek resounded across the desert, ear-piercing and mind-shaking. Many trial-takers panicked, actually feeling a terrifying oppressive force rushing towards them.
Everyone's expressions changed. The princes, princesses, and the Thirteenth Prince were all horrified, for this was clearly the shriek of an extremely terrifying crimson sand scorpion king, possibly a Martial God realm great demonic beast.
The demonic flood dragon let out a low roar, its eyes flashing with an eerie glow.
At this moment, Ye Chen's gaze shot out two beams of solidified light, peering into the portal of the mysterious realm. He saw a golden crimson sand scorpion, as large as a house, crawl out, letting out a long shriek, and also gazing towards the oasis from afar.