Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions

"Mm!"

Yan Qingshan, who had been cultivating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked in one direction. His ears twitched as he detected some movement. With a spring of his feet, he leaped forward, crossing nearly a hundred meters in just a few strides as he rushed toward that direction at high speed.

At the edge of the forest, near the stretch of sand Yan Qingshan and Qingling had visited before, two Magical Beast races were confronting each other in battle.

Dressed in jade green, Qingling was protected amid a group of snake-type Magical Beasts. At the center was a giant snake nearly eight meters long and as thick as a water barrel, with tiny fleshy horns faintly visible where its eyes were on its forehead.

The snake beasts around Qingling were a group of Desert Rock Serpents that she and Yan Qingshan had discovered nearby over the past two months.

Desert Rock Serpents were a semi-gregarious type of First-order Magical Beast. Adults were around two meters long and usually remained active within a fixed territory. Every territorial group had a Second-order or Third-tier serpent king.

After Yan Qingshan discovered this group of Desert Rock Serpents, he had devised every possible ambush and surprise attack. Once he subdued the Rock Snakes one by one, he had Qingling use her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils to control them.

Originally, Qingling would not have fully awakened her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils until several years later, after subduing the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake.

But Yan Qingshan had now provided her with an excellent environment and favorable conditions. Qingling's Dou Qi progressed rapidly, and with several gentle methods of stimulation from Yan Qingshan, her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, though not yet fully awakened, had begun to show subtle changes.

At first, controlling even one Desert Rock Serpent had been exceedingly difficult for Qingling. Yet as the number of controlled snake-type Magical Beasts increased, it became easier for her instead. Still, in her current incompletely awakened state, half-controlling the Second-order Rock Serpent King was already her limit.

That was right—half-control. Yan Qingshan had not excessively stimulated her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Instead, he had used her innate snake-eye talent as a medium to establish a channel of communication with these snake-type Magical Beasts, slowly influencing the thoughts of these not particularly intelligent creatures and making them Qingling's guardians.

There were quite a few snake-type Magical Beasts on Qingling's side, including the Desert Rock Serpents—roughly twenty to thirty of them. Yet opposite her, an even greater number of Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions had completely surrounded her and the snakes.

Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions were a small Magical Beast unique to the desert. Most were only the size of a human head. They lay in wait beneath the sand, suddenly spraying venom to ambush passing people or animals and obtain food that way.

These small Magical Beasts did not even count as First-order Magical Beasts, but there were simply too many of them. A glance revealed a dense expanse like a sea of scorpions, numbering at least several hundred.

There were also quite a few First-order Demonic Scorpions mixed among them, along with a Second-order Demonic Scorpion King. The Demonic Scorpion King alone stood a full meter tall, and its body was far longer, nearly ten meters in length. It was stronger than the Desert Rock Serpent King at Qingling's side and was extremely close to becoming a Third-tier Magical Beast.

The moment Qingling saw Yan Qingshan arrive, she hurriedly said, "Young Master, that patch of desert is actually where the Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions gather. We had Little Yellow and the others burrow underground to investigate, which angered these scorpions. They came to warn us."

"Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions prefer dry, scorching sand. The sand here remains warm even on winter nights, so it is not strange for so many sand scorpions to gather here. But... I cannot give it up."

Yan Qingshan frowned in thought, but the Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions across from him were unwilling to wait any longer. Seeing that these foreign Magical Beasts had refused to retreat despite their warning, the Demonic Scorpion King let out a shrill cry. Countless Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions surged forward like a tide. The Scorpion Tide was a grand sight indeed.

"One Second-order Demonic Scorpion King, nearly twenty First-order Demonic Scorpions spread across six directions, around three to four clustered closely in each direction, and over three hundred Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions... Shuguang, activate combat analysis..."

Yan Qingshan swiftly completed his intelligence gathering. He easily calculated the precise data of the enemies before them and even began deducing their movement patterns and viable tactical plans.

"Young Master, what do we do!"

As the scorpion tide surged in, Qingling was still only a little girl. Instinctively, she had the Rock Snakes retreat toward Yan Qingshan. The two of them and more than twenty Rock Snakes were surrounded by hundreds of Demonic Scorpions and over twenty First-order Demonic Scorpions.

"Shuguang, determine a viable battle plan... Qingling, have all these Rock Snakes move together toward the Demonic Scorpion King!"

Yan Qingshan calculated the comparison of strength between both sides. His side had nearly thirty First-order Rock Snakes, while the other side had only a little over twenty Demonic Scorpions.

Both sides had Second-order Magical Beasts. The enemy had several hundred ordinary Demonic Scorpions more, making them seem to hold the advantage. But as long as they were not allowed to bring that numerical advantage into play, this hard battle could still be fought.

Yan Qingshan made his decision, and Qingling hurriedly communicated with the Rock Serpent King. Magical Beasts were more impulsive than humans; when faced with provocation, they generally responded directly. Upon receiving the signal, the Rock Snakes immediately sprang into action.

Desert Rock Serpents, as their name suggested, were somewhat related to the flat-bodied Rock Snakes found in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Both possessed the Stone Attribute, a mutation of the Earth Attribute. However, Desert Rock Serpents were not as flat as their distant relatives. At full strength, they could leap and glide through the air, though not over such great distances.

The Rock Snakes, their bodies like metal and stone, coordinated with one another, linking front to back. Some cleared the way while others covered the rear, forcibly carving a path through the Scorpion Tide as they charged straight for the Demonic Scorpion King.

The Demonic Scorpion King clearly had not expected its opponents to be so bold. It shrieked sharply as it summoned its subordinates, and the First-order Demonic Scorpions rapidly gathered around it.

"You think you have a chance!"

Yan Qingshan and Qingling stood atop the Rock Serpent King's back, protected in the middle of the snake pack. Whenever First-order Demonic Scorpions appeared ahead and tried to block their path, he struck without hesitation.

"Assistance activated. Wind speed, distance, scorpion movement speed, and movement trajectories locked..."

As Yan Qingshan leaped, a pair of purple wings unfurled from his back. He sped ahead even faster than the Rock Snakes, and two beast-roar Qi blasts glowing with green light struck the vulnerable gaps in the scorpions' armor. The two First-order Demonic Scorpions ahead immediately overturned and shattered, scarlet blood splashing across the ground.

Why were high-grade cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques so sought after? Because after cultivating high-grade Dou Qi, not only was cultivation faster and the quality of one's Dou Qi higher, but one's combat power was also far greater than that of others at the same level.

Yan Qingshan was currently cultivating a Profound-tier High-grade Cultivation Technique. In terms of Dou Qi quality, it likely did not lose out even to mid-tier Magical Beasts above the Third-tier. Against First-order Magical Beasts that had evolved from an insignificant race such as the Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions, he could practically crush them.

**Bang~~~

The formation of nearly thirty Rock Snakes shot like an arrow straight into the center of the scorpion swarm. The Rock Serpent King, which had initially been in the rear, rushed forward and became the vanguard as it collided with the Demonic Scorpion King.

The clash between two Second-order Magical Beasts was exceptionally brutal. More than ten Rock Snakes formed a ring with their heads and tails, encircling the central battlefield, then began rapidly circling to cut off the center from both sides.

The swiftly moving Rock Snakes possessed astonishing impact force. Ordinary Demonic Scorpions were directly ground into pieces the moment they approached. The many Demonic Scorpions were blocked outside and could only watch helplessly as their king was besieged by one human and one snake.

The Demonic Scorpion King faced the Rock Serpent King's challenge, while Yan Qingshan, his Purple Cloud Wings spread above, harassed it from time to time. Every Demonic Scorpion nearby was besieged and killed by the other Rock Snakes.

Unfortunately, when it had ordered the attack earlier, it had positioned itself too far to the rear, standing atop a rocky slope. Now that the slope was surrounded, it was difficult for the surging scorpions to turn around. Reinforcements could not arrive anytime soon.

The Second-order Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpion King was still very powerful. It suppressed the Rock Serpent King head-on, its tail stinger flashing with cold light. If the Rock Snake's defense had not been so formidable, another Magical Beast would have been finished long ago.

A Second-order Magical Beast was not something a First-order Magical Beast could contend with, and this Demonic Scorpion King was close to the Third-tier. Yan Qingshan had Qingling lead the First-order Rock Snakes in defense outside, preventing them from getting too close to the central area.

The other First-order Demonic Scorpions were killed under siege, leaving only the central battlefield without a result for a long while. Meanwhile, the encirclement outside repeatedly tightened as the Demonic Scorpions surged forward again. This time, they pressed in from all directions as if risking everything, and casualties began to appear among the Rock Snakes.

Roar~~~

The Demonic Scorpion King was ultimately stronger. With a sharp shriek, it moved its two pincers and fiercely clamped the Rock Serpent King between them. Its tail hook rose slightly before rapidly lashing toward the Rock Serpent King's eyes.

This time, it had become smarter. Knowing it could not penetrate other areas, it began targeting vital weak points such as the eyes and nose.

As for Yan Qingshan behind it, his several harassing attacks had merely chipped its shell slightly. They could not break through its defense in one blow and inflict serious injuries. It had relaxed its guard against that nimble "little bird," believing that even if it were hit, the damage would not be too severe.

"Assistance activated. Calculate scorpion tail trajectory, wind speed, distance... Roaring Lion's Roar!!!"

Unfortunately, this Demonic Scorpion King did not know that humans possessed things called Dou Techniques. After probing and determining the strength of its defense, Yan Qingshan accumulated Dou Qi in midair. At the instant the Demonic Scorpion King attacked and lowered its guard, he rapidly descended and unleashed Roaring Lion's Roar.

The hastily charged Roaring Lion's Roar naturally had not reached its peak power, but it was enough to break through the Demonic Scorpion King's defense. A streak of purple light flashed past, instantly severing the Demonic Scorpion King's tail. Blood poured from the wound like a fountain. The intense pain and loss of balance caused its strength to falter, giving the Rock Serpent King the perfect opportunity.

The Rock Serpent King twisted through the air and broke free of its restraints. Opening its jaws wide, it bit down directly on the scorpion's head at close range. Venom and Magic Core energy attacks rapidly entered the Demonic Scorpion King's wounds through its fangs.

Roar~~~

The Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpion King released a miserable shriek, its body struggling frantically. But Yan Qingshan, who had landed, delivered the final blow.

Yan Qingshan folded his wings and dropped to the ground. From a height of more than ten meters, he smashed down upon the Demonic Scorpion King's head and body in the posture of a Thousand Jin Drop. Profound Green Dou Qi struck like a battering ram, shattering its armor. The Demonic Scorpion King's shell cracked as blood burst forth and sprayed in every direction.

This Second-order Magical Beast ultimately could not withstand the immense force of that final blow. Its limbs slipped, and its massive body crashed heavily to the ground. After the successive attacks, shattered armor flew everywhere and blood flowed freely. At last, trembling, it let out one final mournful cry and died.