Encounter

After some more time passed, the two of them realized they could not leave this sandstorm no matter what they did, and immediately stopped.

"What's going on? Is this sandstorm moving toward us?"

"It's possible." Tao Yan's voice carried a trace of gravity.

"What is this situation? Could it be that all those Earthshell Beasts are fleeing in the direction we're heading?"

Dong Lin looked behind him, but the rear was still filled with wind and sand, and he could sense nothing.

"This direction doesn't seem to be where that wasteland lies. Don't tell me we lost our bearings just now.

Now that heaven and earth are shrouded in darkness, we really can't distinguish the exact direction. We may have run straight into it.

Then let's change directions and walk a little farther. We shouldn't keep heading that way."

"We were heading west. How did we end up east? Forget it, let's give it a try. We can't keep this up forever.

If we blundered into that desert following the sandstorm, who knew how many Earthshell Beasts might be waiting there this time."

After discussing it, the two decided to do the opposite and head into the heart of the sandstorm. As long as they avoided the path they had come from, it would be fine.

Just as they were about to set off, Dong Lin noticed that the ground beneath his feet was unusually soft and curiously stamped on it twice.

Those two steps were like the last straw crushing the camel's back. The ground beneath them instantly collapsed.

The ground within a radius of dozens of meters sank at once, forming a massive hollow.

With nowhere to brace themselves, the two fell into the hollow along with the earth.

The collapse covered too wide an area, and neither Tao Yan nor Dong Lin could find anywhere to borrow force and leap back up.

They could only use their movement techniques to slow their descent, so they would not be injured when they hit the ground.

This hollow was quite deep. The two fell several hundred meters before they sensed the ground below.

Relying on his now-proficient Moon-Embracing Step, Dong Lin landed steadily on the ground.

Tao Yan likewise used continuously forming points of ice as footholds, stepping down one step at a time.

"This is..."

Dong Lin summoned the Thunder Fang Beastfire he had successfully refined, illuminating the space.

This underground world was immensely vast, and the two could not see its full extent.

Fortunately, it was not very high. They could climb back up along the earthen wall of the hollow.

"This place underground is rather creepy. We should get back up first." Tao Yan spoke.

"Underground is obviously no good place. Let's get up quickly."

The two each used their movement techniques, leaping onto the wall of the hollow and slowly climbing upward.

At that moment, the earth began to tremble. It was that Stone Statue Giant Monster!

The clods of earth the two had clung to with their hands immediately loosened as well, and great swathes of soil fell with the tremors.

Having lost their footholds, the two could only helplessly jump back down into the underground space.

Within only a few breaths, the half-crippled Stone Statue Giant Monster indeed appeared in this underground space.

Beside it were four Peak First Rank Earth-Element Armored Beasts.

The five strange beasts moved swiftly through the underground world. The Stone Statue Giant Monster was far too huge, so it could only walk forward with its waist half-bent and legs crouched.

The sight was exceedingly comical.

Yet Dong Lin and Tao Yan now faced a great enemy. The five strange beasts sensed the two ahead of them and stopped as well.

"Two humans." The Stone Statue Giant Monster stared at them and rumbled out the words.

"This strange beast can speak." Dong Lin looked at the beast before him in surprise.

"It is called a Stone Statue Giant Monster. After reaching Second Rank, it awakens its intelligence and can be considered a type of lesser demon."

Tao Yan frowned slightly. The five strange beasts before them were completely beyond what she and Dong Lin could handle.

Hearing the word demon, Dong Lin watched the enormous Stone Statue Giant Monster with some interest, carefully sizing it up from top to bottom.

The Stone Statue Giant Monster had stopped moving after encountering them, but the other four Earth-Element Armored Beasts, which seemed to be escorting it in its escape, sprang into action.

The four armored beasts circled the two, slowly surrounding them in a ring before pouncing from all four directions.

At the same time, Tao Yan acted decisively, directly crushing a spirit crystal reserved for saving her life and unleashing the ultimate immortal art of her immortal cultivation technique.

After overloading the spell, Tao Yan's spiritual energy was instantly drained. Fortunately, the abundant spirit crystal slowly replenished it.

That kept Tao Yan from collapsing after casting the spell.

This arcane immortal art, Nine Heavens Profound Ice, was an exceptionally powerful immortal killing move.

Normally, one could only cast it after comprehending the relevant True Intent.

But Tao Yan forcefully cast it now by relying on the advantages of her Profound Yin Dharma Body.

Ice spikes filling the sky instantly created sonic booms, tearing through the air as they scattered toward the four armored beasts.

The charging Earth-Element Armored Beasts hurriedly stopped, using the shells on their backs to block the attack of Nine Heavens Profound Ice.

The beasts' incomparably hard shells seemed as thin and brittle as paper at this moment. They were pierced through in an instant, and sprays of blood burst forth.

The four armored beasts immediately lost their ability to move, while Tao Yan could no longer hold herself up from the immense expenditure and dropped to one knee.

"Junior Brother, please hold off that great demon for a while. Let me rest for a moment."

Such a powerful trump card made Dong Lin see Tao Yan in a new light.

This Second Rank demonic beast before them was indeed somewhat threatening.

However, with a Second Rank lightning talisman as his safety net, Dong Lin was not too flustered.

At the very least, this was not a dead end.

Dong Lin watched the slow-moving, nearly exhausted Second Rank Stone Statue Giant Monster before him with considerable interest.

Seeing that the highly cultivated human was nearly unable to hold on,

Although the four helpers sent by the King were also at death's door,

There was only one human left, one clearly weaker than itself, and he should be easy to deal with.

After making a simple judgment of the situation, the Stone Statue Giant Monster stepped forward and slowly approached Dong Lin.

Every step made the ground quake.

"I wonder whether you really count as a demon?"

Dong Lin watched the colossal creature walk toward him without changing expression, forming a hand seal.

"Heavenly Stellar Earth-Thunder: Thunderclap Sword Fiend."

Based on his understanding of the Heavenly Stellar Earth-Thunder within Command the Five Thunders, combined with the Thunder Summoning Art,

Dong Lin had created this lightning arts killing move. It condensed Heavenly Stellar Earth-Thunder into a sharp sword of lightning essence.

It detonated at a fixed point with extreme speed, injuring and killing enemies.

When the powerful lightning arts killing move touched the Stone Statue Giant Monster in the blink of an eye,

Lightning burst across its stone armor. The Stone Statue Giant Monster's stone body was charred black, yet its defenses did not seem to have been breached.

"Has the power not increased at all?"

Dong Lin looked at the seemingly unscathed Stone Statue Giant Monster before him and shook his head in disappointment.

But at that moment, the Stone Statue Giant Monster stopped moving. It stood motionless, as though electricity had stunned it stupid.

"Hmm? What... did you do? My demon power... how could it..."

The Stone Statue Giant Monster, whose intelligence had only just awakened, struggled to force out a few words.

Under the unreasonable devastation of the Heavenly Stellar Earth-Thunder, the faint demon power controlled by the Stone Statue Giant Monster, which had only just broken through to Second Rank, directly collapsed like mountains and shattered like tiles.

As its demon power dispersed, the beast's stone armor seemed to rapidly age, turning into fine fragments that continually peeled away.

The thick layer of demonic stone armor it had condensed through demon power after advancing to Second Rank gradually drifted down.