Lin Taichu said, "But I have to go. Otherwise, this thing will find the town sooner or later, and even more people will die."
Daoist Master Wang looked at Lin Taichu, then at the Sand Lizard still snarling beyond the wall of fire. He gritted his teeth. "I'll go with you. You're right—now that we've come across it, we can't ignore it."
Several Cultivators nodded as well. "We're going too. More people means more strength."
In the end, including Lin Taichu and Daoist Master Wang, eight people were willing to go.
Lin Taichu told the remaining seven Cultivators to find somewhere hidden near the entrance and stay concealed. If his group failed, they were to hurry back to town and report it, so General Li could lead everyone in an evacuation.
Once the arrangements were made, Lin Taichu led the eight men around the other side of the wall of fire and quietly made their way toward the stone cave.
When the Sand Lizard had charged out earlier, it had left a clear trail of footprints in the sand, making it easy to follow.
The closer they got to the stone cave, the lower the temperature became. They could even see droplets of water condensed on the surrounding rock walls. Lin Taichu was somewhat surprised. The yellow sands had always been dry, yet this place actually held moisture.
He signaled for everyone to slow down, then leaned forward to peer into the stone cave first.
The stone cave was larger than it looked from outside, like a naturally formed karst cavern. It was pitch-black within, and they could only vaguely make out numerous Giant Scorpion skeletons on the ground, clearly leftovers from the Sand Lizard's meals.
The Sand Lizard was not inside. No one knew where it had gone.
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