Seeing the sudden yellow cloud appear overhead, Evan Chu knew the sandstorm was truly upon them. If they didn’t take cover now, they’d be in real danger. But the massive Great Flame Scorpion was still watching them like a predator, and if they lay flat on the ground, it would definitely attack.
Just looking at those massive pincers was enough to imagine them snapping a person in half. No one dared risk it. While Evan was hesitating, the Great Flame Scorpion suddenly did something none of them expected.
They watched as it quickly climbed up a sand dune, looking almost excited by the sudden sandstorm. Its huge pincers waved nonstop, throwing off sparks every few seconds.
"Huh? Did that thing go crazy? It actually dares to stand at the very top right now—doesn’t it fear the Blazeglass Flame inside the sandstorm?" Evan said in shock.
"That thing’s a fire-attribute beast—it’s not afraid at all. For all we know, it’s standing up there just to absorb the Blazeglass Flame from the sandstorm. We’d better get down—this sandstorm could kill us," said the Violet Thunder Fox.
Everyone dropped to the ground just as the sandstorm hit for real. Endless yellow sand was swept into the air, making it impossible to keep their eyes open. Even lying flat, Evan felt he could be blown away at any moment, so he had to anchor himself to the sand with Chaos Qi.
That’s how Evan felt, and the other three were the same. A wave of scorching heat rolled overhead, making it feel like they were in a sea of fire—thanks to the Blazeglass Flame inside the sandstorm.
The sandstorm moved incredibly fast; in just a few breaths it swept over Evan and the others, leaving a sky full of yellow sand pouring down, almost burying all four of them in an instant.
But everyone was prepared, so they weren’t buried too deep. They quickly dug themselves out, shook off the sand, and Evan saw that the dune from earlier was now completely flattened—all the sand had been swept away by the tornado-like sandstorm, and even the massive Great Flame Scorpion that had stood on top was gone.
"Didn’t expect that sandstorm to be so fierce—it even flattened that huge dune and helped us out by taking care of a big problem. Should we thank it?" Evan said with a grin.
"Good thing we were ready. If we’d been swept up, the Blazeglass Flame inside would have roasted us alive. But why did the Great Flame Scorpion climb to the top of the dune? Was my guess wrong?" the Violet Thunder Fox said, puzzled.
"You’re all mistaken. That thing wasn’t swept away at all—it’s crawling toward us right now. Looks like we’re in for another tough fight," said Goldwing.
"Old Goldwing, I have to hand it to your eyesight. There’s nothing around here—how did you even spot it?" Evan asked, confused.
"I’m a flying beast—my eyes are naturally better than you humans’. At its speed, it’ll be here in less than ten minutes. Are we leaving, or are we staying to fight?"
"What do you all think?" Evan said with a smile.
"We should leave. That thing’s bound to be trouble—don’t forget it’s made up of thousands of smaller Fire Scorpions, and with all that fire poison, it’ll be a nightmare to deal with," said the Violet Thunder Fox.
Jenny Sima nodded too, not wanting everyone to take the risk. Evan was about to agree and suggest they all leave, when Luna, the Sword Spirit, spoke up: "Evan, you have to kill this Great Flame Scorpion. It’s an extremely rare composite beast—its energy fusion will be a huge help for Shadow."
"Composite beast? Are you sure about that? Beasts can actually fuse together—and it’s an energy fusion? Luna, you’re saying Shadow needs that energy?" Evan was stunned.
Beasts are supposed to be flesh and blood—the Flame Serpent was weird enough, but this Great Flame Scorpion is even harder to accept. But for Shadow’s sake, Evan could only grit his teeth and go for it.
"Strange, isn’t it? In this place, you can’t judge things by normal logic. It’s a pretty independent domain, and getting here is a rare opportunity for you. Make the most of it—but remember, opportunity always comes with danger," Luna reminded him.
"Got it. As long as you’re here, I’m not afraid of anything!"
Then Evan turned serious and said to the others, "You all go ahead and leave—I need to stay and kill this thing. Its corpse is important to me, and I have to get it."
"Boss, if you’re not leaving, neither am I. No way I’m letting you take all the risk alone. That thing’s defense looks tough, but my talons aren’t just for show. I couldn’t handle the burning Flame Serpents, but this scorpion doesn’t scare me," Goldwing said.
"Big Brother, if Goldwing’s staying, I’m staying too! My power’s way down in this place, but my violet lightning is still pretty strong. I might not be able to kill it, but I can at least paralyze it for you," the Violet Thunder Fox declared, not to be outdone.
"Evan, you really don’t have to worry about me. This barrier should hold for another two hours—I bet that’s more than enough time for you to finish things!" Jenny Sima said, looking at Evan. In reality, her barrier would only last half an hour, but she lied to keep him from worrying.
As they spoke, the Great Flame Scorpion was already within a hundred meters. Goldwing and the Violet Thunder Fox both returned to their true forms, and Evan dashed forward, leaving a blur behind him as he raised the Frostbane Sword and struck with all his might.
Evan used eighty percent of his strength in that strike, aiming to test whether the Great Flame Scorpion’s defenses were tougher than the Flame Serpent’s.
The Frostbane Sword slammed into the scorpion, throwing off a dazzling shower of sparks. The recoil nearly made Evan lose his grip, as if he’d struck a steel plate—he was almost stunned.
"That defense is insane! My Frostbane Sword can slice through iron like mud, but it barely left a scratch on this thing. How am I supposed to kill it?" Evan muttered to himself.
Goldwing was already airborne, and the Violet Thunder Fox came up beside Evan. "Big Brother, how tough is that thing’s defense?"
Evan flexed his arm and said, "Even tougher than the Flame Serpent King. We’ve met a real opponent this time."
"Let me try!" said the Violet Thunder Fox. A bolt of violet lightning struck the Great Flame Scorpion, making its shell smoke and drawing a piercing roar of pain.
"It’s working! I didn’t expect your lightning to actually make it scream," Evan said with a grin.
"I used sixty percent of my lightning power, just to see if it could hurt it. Looks like it worked! Heh, leave the rest to me," the Violet Thunder Fox said with a smile.
"Let me have a go too!" called Goldwing from above. His massive talons flashed with golden light as he dove straight at the Great Flame Scorpion...
(Author’s Note: Took a nap and my headache’s much better, so I got up and finished this chapter. Sorry for the slow updates lately—hope everyone will keep voting!)