A rustling sound drifted into everyone's ears, growing closer and closer as the yellow sand all around began to surge. "Boss, look—something's moving beneath the sand," Goldwing said.
"Everyone be careful! These could be demon beasts living in the sand—get ready to fight at any moment!" Evan Chu immediately warned.
Jenny Sima's purple barrier would last for another day or so, so Evan wasn't worried about her. But these suddenly appearing, unknown demon beasts forced him to stay on high alert.
The four of them clustered together, eyes fixed on the shifting sand ahead. Suddenly, dozens of three-meter-long serpents wreathed in flames emerged from the sand, flicking their tongues as they stared at the group.
"What kind of snakes are these? Why are they so strange—even their bodies are covered in flames!" Evan Chu exclaimed in shock.
"These are a powerful type of desert demon beast called Flame Serpents. Their direct attack isn't that strong, but their fire poison is extremely deadly. If you're wounded by their toxic flames, you can't get rid of it without something of extreme cold," the Violet Thunder Fox explained.
"Attack! Kill these things first, then we'll talk. We have to get out of here as soon as possible," Evan Chu ordered. He didn't care why the Flame Serpents had appeared—though he was curious what these creatures ate in a place of nothing but sand, now was not the time to think about it.
Evan immediately drew the Frostbane Sword from his storage ring. To deal with these Flame Serpents, he didn't need to use Heart Sword—just his Wind Over the World move would be enough.
Countless wind blades whipped up a storm of sand, slashing toward the Flame Serpents. The Violet Thunder Fox and Goldwing also launched their attacks at the same time.
But to Evan's shock, his wind blades turned out to be useless against these creatures—instead, they bounced back and came flying toward him.
"Damn! How are these things so tough? This is insane!" Evan Chu instantly activated Shifting Position, flashing to a spot with no Flame Serpents.
"Boss, these Flame Serpents are naturally tough. How else could they survive in a place like this? Hit them with your strongest attack, or you'll just attract even more. If that happens, we're really in trouble!" Violet Thunder Fox warned, spitting a bolt of violet lightning as she spoke.
"Evan, your defenses are incredible too. The flames on these serpents can't really threaten you, and their attack power is only about Earth Martial Realm Third or Fourth Layer. No need to get so tense, they're not a real threat to you," Luna, the Sword Spirit, said reassuringly.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? You scared the hell out of me! Didn't you hear Violet Thunder Fox say the fire poison is vicious? Without something extremely cold, you can't get rid of it," Evan grumbled, eyes still counting the number of Flame Serpents.
"Heh, even if you get bitten, it's fine. You have Ice Crystals—just use them and the fire poison is gone," Luna said, full of confidence.
With Luna's reassurance, Evan's fear vanished. It was time to show off again. He raised Frostbane Sword and charged straight into the densest pack of Flame Serpents.
Frostbane Sword was an ancient divine weapon. Even though it was sealed, its edge was still razor-sharp—truly a blade that could cut through iron like mud.
With no worries left, Evan swung Frostbane Sword in wild, reckless slashes, each strike infused with Chaos Qi. In moments, he'd already killed several Flame Serpents.
"Haha! This feels amazing! I haven't had this much fun in ages!" Evan laughed, exhilarated.
Jenny Sima and Violet Thunder Fox were both stunned by Evan's wild attack. They knew how dangerous Flame Serpents were, yet he fought like a madman, slashing without any plan. If this kept up, he'd definitely get hit—and then they'd all be in trouble.
"Evan, come back! It's too dangerous!" Jenny Sima cried out. The purple barrier around her kept her from attacking—she could only watch, powerless.
"Boss, watch out for the fire poison! Hurry back!" Violet Thunder Fox called out anxiously.
"Boss is boss! His speed and style killing snakes is just beautiful. At this rate, he'll wipe out these things in no time!" Goldwing laughed. He wasn't worried about Evan at all—in fact, he admired him even more.
"Goldfeathers, what nonsense are you spouting? Flame Serpent fire poison is deadly. Without something extremely cold, you'll be dead in less than an hour! Are you out of your mind?" Violet Thunder Fox snapped angrily.
"Foxy Macy, you really need to open your eyes. Look—the Flame Serpents can't even get close to Boss. He's wielding a divine weapon, and he's sharper than any of us. How long has it been? He's already killed half of them. You know how freakish Boss is—Glacial Coldflame couldn't hurt him, so you know his defenses are monstrous. You're just worried about him. Admit it, are you falling for Boss?" Goldwing teased, blasting a Flame Serpent with a punch as he spoke.
"Goldfeathers, do you want me to pluck every feather off your body? Next time you talk nonsense, I'll let you taste my violet lightning!" Violet Thunder Fox threatened, so angry she wished she could zap him right then and there.
But thinking it over, Macy realized Goldwing had a point. Evan was never reckless. If he acted like this, it meant he was completely confident the Flame Serpents couldn't hurt him.
Evan was in his element, slicing through Flame Serpents and feeling a rush of exhilaration. What puzzled him was that the serpents didn't bleed at all—only red flames gushed out, and after they died, the flames quickly faded.
"Could it be that the red flames in their bodies are like blood in humans? That's wild!" Evan muttered to himself, amazed.
By now, Evan had killed more than half the Flame Serpents. The rest began to flee. Evan returned to Jenny Sima and the others, just as an even louder rustling swept over the desert.
"No way, not again!" Evan exclaimed. As thrilling as the fight had been, he was exhausted—mostly from the brutal heat.
"Boss, this is bad—we're surrounded! Looks like we've landed right in a Flame Serpent nest. Our luck is just too good; the teleportation dropped us smack in the middle," Violet Thunder Fox said, her voice tense.
Evan saw hundreds of Flame Serpents closing in, some of them five meters long with flames burning even hotter and higher than before.
"Boss, look over there—the Flame Serpent King!" Goldwing shouted.
A massive serpent, at least ten meters long and as thick as a water barrel, appeared among the horde. Its flames soared over a meter high, and two one-foot-long hornlike ridges jutted from its head, giving it a bizarre, almost draconic look.
Evan couldn't help but yell, "Damn! The Flame Serpent King really showed up..."
Faced with the Flame Serpent King and the blazing desert, Evan could only curse his luck. After barely surviving Glacial Coldflame and Coldtide, now he had to battle the overlord of this nest—and still find the Iceflame Crystal before time ran out.