Lin Taichu let out a breath and collapsed onto the ground, the pain in his shoulder making him frown.
He took out the herbs he carried with him, chewed them into a paste, and applied it to his shoulder. Then he took a few sips from his waterskin before feeling a little better.
"I didn't expect the magical beasts here to be this powerful." Lin Taichu looked at the Sand Centipede's corpse and thought to himself.
Compared to this Sand Centipede, the magical beasts he had encountered on the outskirts of Sand Country were hardly worth mentioning.
Lin Taichu rested for half an hour. Once the pain in his shoulder had eased considerably, he got up and packed his things. He glanced at the Sand Centipede's corpse, then at the enormous crack not far away.
The wind still howled from within the crack, but he felt that something else seemed to be hidden within it, as though something were writhing beneath the ground.
He did not dare approach the crack. His battle with the Sand Centipede had already taught him that the dangers deep in this desert far surpassed those on its outskirts. It would be safer to follow the direction of the demonic energy first.
He checked his bearings. The faint demonic energy from before now seemed clearer than it had been, as though guiding him deeper into the desert. He no longer hesitated and headed toward its source.
After walking for about an hour, the sun gradually climbed overhead. The temperature in the desert kept rising, and even the air seemed to warp from the heat. Lin Taichu took a sip from his waterskin. There was not much water left, so he had to conserve it.
After walking a while longer, he noticed that the sand around him