A colossal sand beast, five meters tall and resembling a wolf, lunged at the crowd. Luo Qi, a true disciple of Miyun Mountain, failed to withstand the onslaught and was forced back repeatedly by the sand beast.
Boom!
An elder from Miyun Mountain intervened. His unparalleled martial energy erupted like countless blades, slicing through the air. With a series of sharp explosions, the powerful five-meter-tall sand beast, comparable to a cultivator in the mid-stage of the Profound Gang Realm, was shredded into a cloud of sand.
"Good!"
The assembled powerhouses cheered.
Their morale surged.
However, their smiles soon vanished.
From the rear of the sand beast horde, a strange surge of sand rose upwards, and to everyone's horror, reformed into another sand beast!
Not only that, but the sand beasts they had just destroyed also quickly began to re-coalesce.
The number of sand beasts, rather than decreasing, was increasing with time.
"Damn it! How are we supposed to fight this? These monsters are immortal!"
A powerhouse cursed.
These sand beasts were unkillable; they would simply reform after being destroyed. How could they possibly win? At this rate, they would be worn down and killed.
"Sweetheart, were there these kinds of freaks when the ruins opened before?"
Chu Tiange grumbled angrily, simultaneously shattering a four-meter-long sand beast with impressive combat prowess.
Xiong Kuang replied with a wry smile, "Replying to Young Master Seven, there were indeed such monsters in the past, but they were nowhere near as powerful. At most, they were equivalent to the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, with a few powerful ones reaching the Profound Gang Realm! We don't know what happened, but these monsters have suddenly become so strong, and their numbers have increased more than tenfold."
"Holy crap! Do they think so highly of me, Young Master Seven, that I get this kind of treatment the moment I arrive?"
Chu Tiange's mind was a whirlwind of frustration. He had thought this would be a simple treasure hunt, but now they were in a desperate situation. He would have been better off enjoying himself at the Governor's mansion, flirting with women and crushing other families' geniuses. Why come here to suffer?
But this was no time for complaints. Seeing the sand beasts multiplying, their numbers exceeding a hundred, Elder Han spoke with grim determination, "Everyone, don't hold back! Let's break out together! After these sand beasts are destroyed, they need time to reform, and that is our sliver of hope. If we delay further, none of us will escape."
With that, Elder Han protected Chu Tiange and charged in one direction. The other powerhouses and geniuses, seeing this, dared not hesitate and unleashed their attacks. In an instant, dozens of terrifying forces erupted. Even these numerous, towering, and powerful sand beasts were repeatedly shattered by the combined might of the powerhouses.
Just as they were about to break through the encirclement, the surrounding desert suddenly collapsed! Countless sandstorms erupted, forming a sand wall tens of meters high around them, trapping the powerhouses within.
Seeing the sand wall that abruptly blocked their path, all the powerhouses couldn't help but curse!
"Shit!"
"Damn it!"
"This is unbelievable, they're giving us no escape!"
In that brief moment of delay, over a hundred powerful sand beasts had reformed. The powerhouses began to feel despair. This was a death trap with no chance of survival.
Liu Yubei and his daughter Liu Xiwei were also sweating profusely, their faces etched with anxiety. What could they do? Were they going to die here inexplicably?
Just as everyone's morale plummeted to rock bottom, the sand beasts launched another wave of attacks, mercilessly claiming the lives of several powerhouses and geniuses. The screams of those torn apart in their final moments sent a chill down everyone's spines, from their tailbones to the crowns of their heads.
On top of a sand dune, Liang Hugu wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Damn it. Fortunately, he hadn't followed these people; otherwise, they would have been trapped and died with them.
"Master, you are truly wise! I actually urged you earlier, which was a suicidal move. Fortunately, you didn't listen to me." Liang Hugu felt a surge of lingering fear, his reverence and admiration for Ling Fan flowing like an endless river. Indeed, as long as he blindly followed Ling Fan, there would be no mistakes!
"Ling, Brother Ling Fan, you... can you save my father and my sister?" Liu Xiran, seeing Liu Yubei and Liu Xiwei in danger, couldn't help but cry. She felt a little embarrassed. After all, during the martial competition, the Liu family had abandoned Ling Fan without hesitation when he was in trouble, even siding against him. The Liu family had been unjust to Ling Fan, and now she was asking him to risk his life to save Liu Yubei and Liu Xiwei, repaying unkindness with kindness. It was truly unreasonable. Anyone else would have refused.
As expected, before Ling Fan could speak, Liang Hugu said with some displeasure, "Second Miss Liu, it's a shame Master likes you so much, yet you ask him to risk his life to save your father and sister... You know how your father and sister treated our Master. Do they deserve it!"
"I... I..." Liu Xiran was speechless. Tears fell like pearls from her delicate, rosy cheeks. "I'm sorry, Brother Ling Fan. It was my fault for being unreasonable. Thank you for bringing me into the Star Sand Lake Ruins, Brother Ling Fan. I have no regrets." Liu Xiran bowed apologetically to Ling Fan and then ran down the sand dune, intending to save her father and sister.
Damn it! Is this little girl not afraid of death! Liang Hugu's single eye widened. He suddenly felt a pang of guilt. What he had said to Liu Xiran earlier seemed a bit excessive. Liu Yubei and Liu Xiwei were not good people, but Liu Xiran was different from them; she was a kind and sensible young lady.
"Let's go!"
At that moment, Ling Fan spoke calmly and began to walk downwards. If it weren't for Liu Xiran, he would have absolutely ignored the fate of Liu Yubei and Liu Xiwei.
"Damn it, I'll risk it! Master, I'll protect Second Miss Liu first." Ahead, a three-meter-long, lizard-like sand beast had spotted Liu Xiran and was attacking her with lightning speed. Liu Xiran let out a scream, her face paling in terror. Just as she was about to despair, a terrifying roar echoed from behind, and the sand beast was blown apart, falling as a shower of sand.
"Uncle Liang! Thank... thank you for saving me." Liu Xiran patted her heaving chest, her voice trembling with lingering fear. But her eyes were filled with even more guilt. After all, it was because of her that Brother Ling Fan and the others were implicated, and she felt deeply uneasy about it.
"Silly girl, since you call me brother, you don't need to be so polite." Ling Fan caught up from behind and smiled at Liu Xiran. Strangely, as Ling Fan and the others moved to charge in, the sand beasts seemed to deliberately let them through, leaving an opening. Ling Fan sneered and entered without hesitation. Liang Hugu gritted his teeth and followed, protecting Liu Xiran. To Liang Hugu's surprise, Ji Hong also followed them in without any hesitation. Liang Hugu felt ashamed of his earlier doubts about Ji Hong. This wild youth truly possessed a sincere heart, just as Ling Fan had said. Knowing the immense danger, he did not abandon them to flee alone but chose to fight alongside them.
"Ranran, why did you come in!" Inside the sand beast encirclement, Liu Yubei and Liu Xiwei were greatly alarmed to see Liu Xiran deliberately rush into the sand beasts. Then, they saw Ling Fan, Liang Hugu, and Ji Hong also enter. Liu Xiwei immediately glared at Ling Fan and shouted, "Ling, why are you taking care of my sister? Knowing how dangerous it is here, you still let my sister come in. Are you an idiot? Didn't you know to stop her!" The attention of the other powerhouses and geniuses was immediately drawn by Liu Xiwei's voice. When they also noticed the appearance of Ling Fan and the others, their expressions became truly fascinating.