Strength in Unity

If a person abandoned their own soul, then they were dead. No one wanted to willingly seek death, but sometimes hatred mattered more than life.

The Snake-People leader had sacrificed his soul and unleashed the Magical Beast bound to him.

The Snake-People Tribe's secret art allowed Magical Beasts to merge with Snake-People, granting them the physical strength of Magical Beasts and humanity's talent for cultivation.

If it was done in reverse through sacrifice, the Magical Beast would successfully advance to the next level, while the soul of the bound Snake-Person would vanish forever.

Even if it was only a Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake that had just advanced to the Third Rank, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and the Su Clan had only one choice.

"Everyone, run! I'll cover the rear!"

In that split second, Xiao Li reached the same conclusion as the Su Clan guards.

He likewise chose to let everyone flee. Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Li charged toward the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake.

Lightning-attributed Dou Qi gave Xiao Li the greatest speed in the entire group. At this moment, only he could delay it for a little while, but that tiny amount of time was nowhere near enough!

"Uncle Wen, do you know this Magical Beast? Does it have any weaknesses, or what attribute is it?"

Carrying the exhausted and sleeping Qing Lin on his back, Su Heng hurried over to Su Wen and shouted.

Everything in the world had its laws and its flaws! As long as they understood the opponent's Dou Qi attribute, they could find a corresponding method to counter it.

The Desert Iron Mercenary Group was already at the end of its rope. Xiao Li alone could not hold back this Magical Beast. They had to make another effort if they wanted to improve their odds of survival.

Otherwise, once Xiao Li's Dou Qi was depleted, Su Heng and the entire mercenary group would have no choice but to leave their bones in the desert.

"This Magical Beast is called the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake. It is an earth-attributed Third-tier Magical Beast. It seems... to have no weaknesses."

Su Wen stepped forward to stand between the mercenary group and Xiao Li. He had already regarded himself as the second line of defense, his gaze resolute and fearless in the face of death.

When Su Heng first heard that it was an earth-attributed Magical Beast, he felt a little troubled. But when he heard the last sentence—no weaknesses—he could not hold it in and burst out laughing.

Uncle Wen, just how little have you seen of the world...

A Da Dou Shi-level Magical Beast, and you say it has no weaknesses.

How had the Su Clan survived all these years? This is just too miserable. Looking at his old uncle, Su Heng felt a little sorry for him.

Su Heng silently swore that if he ever had the chance, he would show the Su Clan what true powerful Magical Beasts of the Dou Qi Continent were like.

There was no time to lament the Su Clan's crude understanding. Su Heng immediately began issuing orders to the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

"Brothers with water-attributed Dou Qi, soak the sand in that area ahead and turn it into a swamp! Hurry! Second Brother Xiao can't hold on much longer!"

Su Heng pointed at an area along the only path ahead and shouted.

Water poured into marshes, marshes bred thriving wood; water generated wood, and wood restrained earth.

They would use the swamp to slow the Magical Beast's advance, then use vines created by wood-attributed Dou Qi to restrict its movements.

With the boost from attribute advantage, even ten Dou Zhes working together could forcibly restrain a Da Dou Shi for a short time.

The leader of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group was Xiao Ding, while Xiao Li was the deputy leader. Both of them possessed wood-attributed Dou Qi.

Thus, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group did not lack wood-attributed Dou Zhes. Following the Xiao brothers always brought some benefits, including Low-Yellow Tier and mid-tier wood-attributed cultivation methods.

Su Heng and Qing Lin had once risked their lives to save the mercenary group, and they also had experience ambushing the Snake-People leader. This time, the mercenaries obeyed Su Heng's commands without hesitation, coordinating even more smoothly.

Four water-attributed mercenaries quickly created a mud pit spanning dozens of square meters.

Su Heng felt quite gratified as he looked at the mud pit before him. If it had been daytime, these few men could have exhausted all their Dou Qi and still not achieved such an effect.

Desert nights were colder, making moisture easier to condense. Heaven, earth, and men were all on Su Heng's side now.

"Uncle Wen, Uncle Li, find a way to use sand and dust to block that Magical Beast's vision."

"Second Brother Xiao! Lure that Magical Beast over there! Uncle Wen and Uncle Li will coordinate with you!"

Following Su Heng's voice, Xiao Li looked back and saw that an enormous swamp had already formed. Hundreds of blue-green vines writhed wildly within it, their rampant vitality radiating a desire to devour everything.

A battle-hardened veteran like Xiao Li naturally understood what Su Heng intended. After the mercenary group had all gone around the swamp and their safety was assured, Xiao Li decisively attacked.

"Thunder Arc Three-Stage Dance!"

With a furious shout, the spear in Xiao Li's hand transformed into three silver arcs of lightning. A dazzling silver gleam flashed through the pitch-black night as the three arcs stabbed fiercely toward the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's forehead.

At the same time, two Su Clan guards suddenly burst from the sand. Brown Dou Qi wrapped around two clusters of fine sand as they shot toward the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's eyes.

"Bang! Bang!"

The two clusters of sand exploded in front of the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's eyes. The fine grains entered its eyes without causing any damage, but they were enough to blind it.

The Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake was instantly blinded, its body twisting wildly. The three lightning arcs arrived a moment later, striking the weakest scales on its forehead precisely half a second after it lost its sight.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal striking metal rang out in all directions. Xiao Li was sent reeling back dozens of steps by the enormous recoil. Even his full-force strike had failed to pierce the Magical Beast's scales.

"Damn, this beast is tough!"

Xiao Li cursed viciously. He had been confident that his previous strike could pierce even a steel plate or iron block, yet against this Third-tier Magical Beast, it had accomplished nothing.

"Second Brother Xiao, retreat!"

Su Heng rushed forward and supported the two old uncles, who were unsteady from excessive exertion. At the same time, he shouted to Xiao Li. The Desert Iron Mercenary Group had already fled far away, so it was time for them to leave as well.

They ran around the swamp at full speed. Though the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake was temporarily blinded and unable to see, it still followed their scent in pursuit.

However, ahead of that scent lay the trap Su Heng had arranged long ago.

The moment the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's boulder-like scales touched the swamp, the violent plants within surged over its body like starving predators, then dragged it into the deep mire.

Hundreds of frenzied vines tightly bound, coiled around, and strangled the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake. No matter how it struggled, all that awaited it was deeper mud and tighter vines.

The swamp trap created by a Yellow Tier Dou Technique could only last one or two minutes. Though brief, it was enough for Su Heng and the others.

"Sisters with wind-attributed Dou Qi, work with my two uncles! Blow away our scent and footprints! Once the scent is gone, even if that Magical Beast escapes, it won't be able to find us!"

The gale mixed with sand and dust, scattering the mercenary group's scent trails in every direction. For a time, human scents filled all sides, and the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake immediately lost its target.

The warmth of its enemies gradually faded, while the few tiny black dots in its vision grew farther and farther away.

Trapped deep in the swamp, the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake let out an enraged and unwilling roar.

A voice kept echoing in its mind, filling it with hatred and killing intent toward these humans.

"Rattle-rattle-rattle!!!"

The Magical Beast shook its rattle wildly. The already eerie and terrifying sound of sand rattling became a sharp, piercing wail like ghosts crying. The demonic sound swept across three li, spreading outward in ripples.

Su Heng and the Desert Iron Mercenary Group ran without stopping. They had already completely left the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's line of sight, and the chaotic scents behind them should have been enough to make it lose its target.

The Desert Iron Mercenary Group, fleeing in joy at having escaped death, had not even had time to cheer when the ear-piercing demonic sound rushed in from afar. Several mercenaries swayed, cried out in agony, and collapsed one after another.

"This is... the sound of a rattlesnake's tail? How could it..."

Su Heng felt searing pain in both ears, as though someone had struck his chest with a heavy hammer. His breathing stopped instantly, and his body went limp as he fell to the ground. Qing Lin, asleep on his back from exhaustion, was flung away by Su Heng and landed on a sand dune ahead.

"Damn it, we had already succeeded!"

Grief, fury, and unwillingness filled Su Heng's heart. Victory had been so close, yet now it seemed as distant and unreachable as the horizon.

The Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's tail could release a strange sound wave that instantly reversed the blood flow throughout a person's body, causing full-body paralysis in mild cases and vomiting blood and unconsciousness in severe ones.

In theory, this strange sound wave was indeed powerful, a hard crowd-control move. However, the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's sound wave only worked on humans weaker than itself. Against opponents at the same level, it was little more than something to listen to for amusement.

Unfortunately, every member of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group and the Su Clan was weaker than this Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake. In its despair and rage, it frantically released sound waves, striking every mercenary who had not managed to escape far enough and knocking them to the ground.

After battle after battle, even Xiao Li, the strongest Four-Star Dou Master, was completely paralyzed and unable to move.