Zhang Tian desperately searched his memory for Shirley Yang's family, but found he had never heard of them.
Seeing the confusion on Zhang Tian and the others' faces, Shirley Yang, riding her camel with a spirited air, spoke softly.
"My family generally keeps out of the public eye, so it's normal that you haven't heard of us."
As Shirley Yang spoke, Zhang Tian understood the mindset of wealthy families. For top tycoons, they preferred to operate behind the scenes in economics, rather than being solely in the public spotlight.
"I get it! Old Hu, it's like our village elder said, there's a mysterious old man living deep in the mountains, whose identity nobody knows. Then one day, he reveals a landlord's identity card, shocking all the villagers."
"Sticking a finger in an elephant's trunk – completely redundant."
Fatty appeared to understand, while Shirley Yang rolled her big eyes at him. She no longer felt like saying anything.
Hu Bayi, seeing this, was about to say something to Fatty, but realizing Fatty's mouth had reached its peak of absurdity, he promptly kicked him.
"Miss Yang's family is described as being discreet and profound, but you've made them sound like foolish landlords with your words."
As Hu Bayi spoke, Fatty cried out in pain, clutching his rear.
Zhang Tian looked at Shirley Yang. His own group was still in its early stages. If a large amount of foreign capital flowed in, it would undoubtedly be a good thing. However, Zhang Tian considered it and decided he didn't want large families to get involved. After all, if he took on too much financing, he might not even own his own group in the end.
"Then thank you, Miss Yang."
Zhang Tian said gratefully. The matter of investment could be discussed later. If he wanted her to invest, she could, and if not, he could decline.
"It is my honor to build the group alongside Brother Zhang."
Shirley Yang replied politely.
"Boss, seriously, these desert camels are almost dead. How much further is it? This black desert is so vast..."
Fatty, slumped on his camel, looked up at the scorching sun. The heat was making him uncomfortable.
"According to Qu Wenxing's guidance, we should be nearing the middle zone."
Hearing Fatty's complaints, Hu Bayi, sitting on his camel, said calmly.
"Damn it, we're finally almost there. Fatty's almost wilted."
Fatty muttered, looking into the distance.
"Old man, please don't talk anymore. How could there be any danger in a place like this, right, Old Hu?"
Fatty said to An Liman. As soon as he finished speaking, the sand beneath their feet began to churn.
"Roar..."
The next moment, the camels that had been walking calmly on the desert floor instantly disappeared into the sand. The only sounds that could be heard were the screams of the camels.
"Heaven above, my camels!"
Seeing his camels swallowed by the sand, An Liman jumped off his own without hesitation.
"Old man, don't go down!"
Seeing An Liman jump, Hu Bayi shouted. Zhang Tian also quickly got up to stop him. But it was no use; the distance between Zhang Tian and An Liman was too great, and even Zhang Qilin couldn't reach him instantly. An Liman had already set one foot on the sand.
The next moment, another wave of yellow sand surged up from beneath the ground. Zhang Tian threw down a talisman, but as soon as the talisman landed on the sand, An Liman had already vanished.
"Heaven will surely protect me."
With these words, An Liman disappeared into the desert.
Everyone was speechless.
"Boss, that's truly something. He still believes in heaven at a time like this? This damn heaven, it doesn't seem to be of much use."
Fatty watched An Liman disappear and had no good feelings towards the heavens.
"Fatty, cut it out. It's not just you; your big mouth needs to be sewn shut!"
Hu Bayi glared at Fatty. An Liman was gone, and now they had no desert guide. Although the guy wasn't very useful, they had been using An Liman's camels. Now, with An Liman gone, the camels remained.
"Under this sand, I suspect, are the legendary scorpions. Let's move the camels to a safe location first and ensure their safety."
Zhang Tian shouted. They had brought eight camels for the trip, and now one was dead, leaving seven. They had to ensure their safety, otherwise, when they left the desert, they would have to walk.
"Let's go and drive the camels away."
Shirley Yang called out. She glanced at Hu Bayi, and seeing him nod, Shirley Yang, Hu Bayi, and Fatty quickly rode their camels towards the rear. Zhang Tian and Zhang Qilin had already dismounted, and their camels quickly followed the main group.
"Lin."
"Storm Talisman."
Zhang Tian drew his peach wood sword and a true energy talisman appeared. The talisman emitted a faint glow on the scorching earth. Simultaneously, a strong wind began to blow around them. The strong wind blew away the surrounding sand, forming mini sandstorms. As the mini sandstorms formed, the things hidden beneath the sand gradually revealed themselves.
"My god, Fatty will never boast again. Turns out, the Boss can even whip up a sandstorm."
Fatty and the others had placed the camels in a safe spot. Fatty, seeing the strong winds swirling around Zhang Tian, pursed his lips.
"Let's go help."
Shirley Yang said. Hu Bayi nodded. Although the three of them weren't particularly powerful, Fatty had the Broken Sword, Hu Bayi had his leg techniques and Qinggong, and Shirley Yang had explosives, so they could still be of assistance. Afterward, the three of them secured the camels, and Fatty was the first to rush over.
"The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, where sheep and cattle graze in the desert."
Fatty chuckled as he reached Zhang Tian's side.
"Why did you come back?"
Zhang Tian looked at Fatty and the other two, surprised.
"Boss, we're good brothers who share fortunes and misfortunes!"
Fatty chuckled. As the fierce winds subsided, the creatures in the desert gradually emerged. Seeing what was in the sand, everyone furrowed their brows slightly.
"What huge scorpions, and why do their bodies look like skeletons?"
"These should be Desert Skeleton Scorpions. It's a shame An Liman is dead; perhaps he would have known."
Zhang Tian spoke directly, without looking at Shirley Yang. Before them lay two giant scorpions, one large and one small, the latter likely the offspring of the former. The larger scorpion was about five meters long and nearly a meter high, a true behemoth. Its body was black, adorned with patterns resembling skulls, and on its head, there seemed to be something like a human head, making it appear quite strange. If this scorpion were to stand upright, judging by its patterns, it would look like a human.
"These are demons."
Zhang Qilin said from the side, his sword-like eyebrows carrying a heavy expression. Two great demons. If they wanted to pass, they would have to defeat them, and they wouldn't be easily defeated. If they were easy, they wouldn't have guarded this place for thousands of years.
"They are likely the guardian beasts of two ancient cities. Everyone, fall back. Let's observe their abilities first."
Zhang Tian was very cautious. These two scorpions had appeared too suddenly, and he hadn't even prepared a formation. Without the aid of a formation, the overall difficulty would be significantly higher.
Meanwhile, in the distance, Shirley Yang stood quietly, holding a trench shovel and doing something unknown.