"A sandstorm? Goldwing, did you just say it's a sandstorm?" Now it was Macy Mei, the Violet Thunder Fox, who was shocked.
"I've never actually seen one myself, but my instincts are screaming that's what it is—yellow sand swirling up to blot out the sky, rolling straight toward us." Goldwing said with absolute certainty.
"We need to get down, now! We have to find cover or we're dead—if the Blazeglass Flame inside that storm hits us, nobody's surviving!" Macy's stunning face was now filled with desperate anxiety.
"There's nothing but sand everywhere, where are we supposed to hide?" Goldwing grumbled, slowly descending.
After landing on the burning sand, Evan Chu glanced around and said, "Everyone, don't panic. It's just a sandstorm, right? If it gets close, we'll find the highest dune, hide behind it, then hit the ground and use our clothes to cover up. Simple as that."
"Boss, how do you even know all this?" Goldwing asked in disbelief after reverting to his human form. He really couldn't believe Evan Chu knew this stuff.
The four of them found the highest sand dune nearby, then sat down on the side shielded from the wind, using it as cover from the approaching sandstorm.
"Jenny, your purple barrier should hold for now, but once the sandstorm passes it'll probably be gone. I'm worried you won't be able to stand this heat afterward," Evan said.
"As long as you're here, I'm not afraid. You have Ice Crystals, right? Just use one if it gets too bad." Jenny Sima didn't seem worried at all.
"Boss, it's nothing but sand for miles—how are we supposed to get out of here? We've been flying forever and there's still no sign of a teleportation gate," Macy Mei said.
"Ow!" Goldwing suddenly yelped, then jumped up from the sand in a way that looked downright ridiculous.
"Old Gold, what's with the screaming? Don't tell me you burned your butt on the hot sand!" Evan Chu joked.
"Boss, there's something under the sand. It bit me, and it hurts like hell," Goldwing said, suddenly serious.
Everyone knew Goldwing was an Eighth-Rank beast—normal attacks shouldn't bother him. If he said it hurt, it had to be something serious. The group immediately jumped to their feet.
A rustling sound swept over them as the sand around them started churning, just like when the Flame Serpents appeared—it was more desert monsters.
"Heads up, everyone! Is it more Flame Serpents?" Evan Chu shouted. They'd just killed a Flame Serpent King, and now this? Damn it, do I have a sign on my back that says 'easy target'?
Suddenly, red scorpions—each about a foot long—erupted from the sand, thousands of them, packed so tightly around the group there was no escape.
"Scorpions? Seriously?! Old Gold, you pick a random spot and we get a swarm of scorpions—are we lucky or what?" Evan Chu complained, exasperated.
"Boss, how would I know? These scorpions look tough—no flames on their bodies, but their tails must have fire poison. My butt feels like it's roasting," Goldwing said.
"Boss, what do we do? Of all times, we run into these scorpions—if I'm right, they're Fire Scorpions. They're small, but way harder to deal with than Flame Serpents. Too many, too tough. We might need to plan for a retreat," Macy Mei said.
"Old Gold, shift back to your true form! Let's fly out of here—these things are way out of our league." Evan Chu said, but before he finished, dozens of Fire Scorpions were already closing in, pincers raised to attack.
"Boss, I feel like I'm burning alive—I can't fly at all! You'd better use your Ice Crystal to get rid of this fire poison," Goldwing groaned, his face flushed deep red from pain.
Mentioning the Ice Crystal suddenly gave Evan Chu an idea. He really was getting dumber—how could he forget something so crucial?
He immediately pulled out an Ice Crystal and waved it at the nearest Fire Scorpions. It worked instantly—the ones closest to him quickly retreated.
But they only backed off about a meter and then stopped—not like the Flame Serpents, who'd bolt at the sight of the cold. Clearly, these guys weren't quite as scared of Ice Crystals.
Old Gold, get over here so I can treat your fire poison. Seriously, you and Shadow are both Eighth-Rank beasts, but here you can't even handle a bunch of scorpions? You're a flying beast—aren't bugs supposed to be your specialty?
"Boss, I don't get it either. Ever since we got here, I feel weaker, like something's suppressing me. And these things are pure fire—I only eat stuff with blood and flesh. What do you expect me to do? If we were in Beastfall Forest, they'd run for their lives at the sight of me. Here, they actually dare attack. It's insane," Goldwing said, totally exasperated.
Jenny Sima was protected by her barrier, so Evan Chu wasn't worried. Macy Mei cloaked herself in violet lightning, keeping the Fire Scorpions at bay. The only targets left were Evan and the half-crippled Goldwing.
Evan Chu pressed the Ice Crystal to Goldwing's scorched backside, and the burning pain dropped sharply. "That's better, Boss—still not totally cured, but way better. Now let's deal with these pests first."
Suddenly, something strange happened—the Fire Scorpions started backing away, retreating more than ten meters before stopping. Thousands of them clustered together, looking absolutely terrifying.
The most shocking part was that they began to climb, crawling over each other, and then a flash of red light—just like that, the Fire Scorpions vanished, replaced by a single massive creature standing before Evan Chu and his companions.
It was a colossal monster, several meters tall, shaped exactly like a Fire Scorpion—two giant pincers raised high and a hooked tail arching over its back.
"Did those things just fuse into a Great Flame Scorpion? No way—is that even possible? What kind of place is this? It's way too dangerous!" Evan Chu yelled, certain that a monster made from a thousand Fire Scorpions had to be even tougher than the Flame Serpent King.
Just then, a yellow cloud appeared overhead. "The sandstorm's here—everyone, hide!" Macy Mei shouted.
Fronted by a colossal Great Flame Scorpion and backed by a sandstorm—the danger was closing in from all sides...