These Yellow Storm Rats Are So Cautious! Sandstorm!

Lou Gao looked at Lin Xia's vigilant appearance, smiled helplessly, and briskly pulled out several low-tier Soul Beast corpses that had already been slaughtered and still carried a bloody smell from an inconspicuous leather pouch Storage Soul Tool at his waist—they looked like Sand Rabbits and Rock Lizards.

Lou Gao skillfully scattered these baits over several relatively flat patches of sand while explaining:

"This sort of thing called the Yellow Storm Rat is extremely cunning yet cowardly."

"They are naturally adept at wielding the power of wind and sand to conceal themselves, especially in a Quicksand Zone like this. Unless they are starving to death or certain they are completely safe, they won't show their heads easily at all."

"The entrance to their nest might be right in the sand beneath your feet, but if you want to fish them out with the naked eye or ordinary soul power perception, that takes a whole lot of effort, the efficiency is way too low, and it's too easy to startle the snake in the grass."

Lou Gao threw the last piece of bloody meat next to a large rock, patted the sand and dust off his hands, and quickly retreated a dozen meters with Larvitar and Lin Xia, hiding their figures behind a huge, wind-sheltered Weathered Rock.

Lou Gao lowered his voice, pointed at the area where the bait had been dropped, and a shrewd light like that of an Old Hunter flashed in his eyes.

"The best way to deal with them is to make them unable to help coming out on their own! Fresh bloody smell is an irresistible temptation to these fellows who have long foraged in barren sandy lands."

"Just wait. As long as there are any nearby, once they catch a whiff, it won't be long before they lose control. By then..."

Lou Gao made a fierce downward-chopping gesture, a trace of ruthlessness showing on his face.

Lin Xia nodded knowingly, held his breath, and completely hid his body in the shadow of the rock, revealing only a pair of sharp eyes tightly locking onto the patch of sand emitting the bloody smell.

Larvitar also seemed to sense the upcoming hunting atmosphere, stopped moving around, and squatted quietly beside Lin Xia.

Its small, crimson eyes likewise stared curiously forward, and its small nose twitched slightly, clearly also sniffing the bloody aura drifting in the wind that made it somewhat restless.

The scorching sun baked the boundless land of yellow sand, and dryness and deathly silence permeated the air.

Lin Xia crouched behind the huge Weathered Stone, his heart beating slightly faster from anticipation.

Time ticked by second by second, and the silence of the desert seemed capable of swallowing all sound.

About ten minutes later, Lin Xia's sharp sight caught a subtle movement on the surface of the sand—a few grains of sand sank downward strangely, forming an imperceptible little whirlpool.

"They're here!"

Spirit Lifted, Lin Xia's body tightened instinctively, soul power circulating quietly inside him, and he was just about to stand up and rush out.

However, a broad, callus-covered hand pressed firmly onto his shoulder. It was Lou Gao.

The Divine Craftsman turned his head slightly and shook it extremely slightly yet with unusual firmness toward Lin Xia, conveying a signal to remain calm and not be impatient in his eyes.

Lin Xia understood instantly, Sheer Force pushing down his inner impulse, and buried his body deeper into the shadow of the rock, slowing even his breathing to the extreme.

He trusted Teacher's experience and knew there had to be a reason for this.

Sure enough, on the sand at the edge of the bait area, a small head covered in earthy-yellow stiff hair cautiously poked out.

Those were a pair of vigilant yet crafty eyes, rolling rapidly as they swept across the surroundings while the nostrils twitched constantly, greedily sniffing the rich bloody smell in the air.

However, it didn't immediately pounce on the food close at hand. Instead, upon seeing the empty environment, it shrank back beneath the sand as if startled, leaving behind only a small pit quickly smoothed over by the quicksand.

Lin Xia was stunned in his heart.

These Yellow Storm Rats are so cautious!

But this was merely the beginning.

In less than a minute, that small head poked out again from another sand patch somewhat further away, repeating the same actions—cautiously observing, sniffing, confirming safety... and then disappearing again.

This repeated three or four times, and the location of each appearance was different, as if they were conducting an extremely meticulous reconnaissance.

Just when Lin Xia almost thought these rats were too timid to appear and felt a trace of impatience, a sudden change occurred!

"Wuwu—!"

Without any warning, a low and powerful wind-howling sound suddenly rang out.

Centered on one of the largest pieces of bait, the sand in a radius of tens of meters churned violently like boiling water!

Countless sand grains were swept into midair by an invisible force, instantly forming a violent, miniature sandstorm several meters high and more than ten meters in diameter!

Yellow sand filled the sky and blotted out the sun, stripping away sight instantly, leaving only a turbid and churning curtain of yellow.

The violent wind carrying gravel made a harsh shasha sound and a wuwu roar.

The moment this sandstorm formed, a dense and excited squeaking sound came from the center of the storm!

The sound was filled with greed and impatience. Clearly, more than one Yellow Storm Rat had been lured out, and they were using this self-created sandstorm as cover to prepare to enjoy a grand meal!

"Hmph, I've been waiting for right now!"

Sparkling Eyes flashed in Lou Gao's eyes, and the Corners of the Mouth hooked into a cold smile.

He had been waiting for this exact moment when the prey completely let down their guard and gathered around the bait!

The Yellow Storm Rats could create a sandstorm to conceal themselves, but that had also become their greatest flaw—when they gathered together thinking they were safe, it was the prime time to strike!

"Diamond Chisel!"

Lou Gao gave a low shout, and the soul power around his body erupted like an exploding volcano!

Dazzling yellow light shone as a huge chisel-shaped Martial Soul with a primitive design, entirely forged from dark golden fine steel and with tips flashing an indestructible cold light, instantly condensed in his hand.

Surging soul power pressure spread out like a solid substance, causing even the surrounding sandstorm to stall for an instant!

The next second, Lou Gao's tall figure rushed into the violent dust like a cannonball leaving the barrel!

Lou Gao's speed was too fast and his movement too fierce. Lin Xia only felt a blur before his Teacher's figure was completely swallowed by the rolling yellow sand.

The inside of the sandstorm instantly turned into a frying pan!

"Bang!"

"Squeak—!!!"

"Boom!"

Dull impact sounds, the roaring explosion of soul power, sharp and shrill murine screams... All kinds of sounds causing Heart Palpitation mixed into the whistling of the wind and sand, clearly reaching Lin Xia's ears.

Lin Xia could even feel the sandy ground beneath his feet vibrating slightly; that was the result of powerful forces colliding fiercely within the sandstorm.

The yellow sand was shaken apart again and again by the violent Energy Impact waves, only to be quickly swept back by the wind. Vision was intermittent, and he could only vaguely see yellow shadows flying inside while earthy-yellow soul power radiance surged tumultuously in the sandstorm like raging waves.

The entire process was actually very brief, lasting only a dozen breaths of time.

Yet that suffocating pressure and chaotic noise felt as though a long time had passed.

Finally—

"Scatter!"

A short and majestic low shout burst from the center of the sandstorm like a thunderclap.

An even more mighty and domineering soul power erupted abruptly, tearing open the curtain of the sandstorm like an invisible giant hand!

Whoosh—!

The fierce wind carried the final dust and sand to scatter in all directions, and vision suddenly cleared.