Endless sand dust swept across heaven and earth, engulfing all things.
Faint tornadoes, rare in the secret realm, flickered in and out of sight. At this moment, if one stood high in the sky, for example, Xueyi riding on the Sand Eagle Beast, in her view the sandstorm was encircling that oasis, while behind the sandstorm advanced the warriors of the Blood Scorpion Tribe step by step. They formed a siege, surrounding the oasis completely.
The Blood Scorpion Tribe numbered over twenty thousand, most of them fierce and brutal warriors. Unlike the Wind Chaser and Green Bay Tribes, the Blood Scorpion Tribe enforced cruel policies. The elderly and frail, or those gravely wounded and unable to fight, were sacrificed to the ferocious spirit god. They themselves aspired to be sacrificed to the ferocious spirit god, becoming part of it, viewing it as their ultimate honour.
Children learned killing techniques from the moment they could toddle, while women were treated as mere commodities to be bought and sold at will.
Though Ye Chui had used the mobile black mountains in the desert to eliminate several thousand Blood Scorpion Tribe warriors, the tribe had three more similar habitats, plus their main camp. With all warriors assembled, their numbers still exceeded ten thousand. This did not even include the sand people, who could transform into sand at will and were impossible to guard against. Some sand people were Blood Scorpion Tribe warriors converted by the evil will of the ferocious spirit god, but most came from captured enemies of other tribes.
Among the Blood Scorpion Tribe warriors, the most powerful were the spirit-summoning priests, followed by these sand people.
The sand people felt no pain, had little consciousness, and could turn their bodies to sand freely. They were pure combat machines forged entirely by the ferocious spirit god. Now, the sandstorm encircling the oasis was actually controlled by countless sand people.
Surrounded by innumerable Blood Scorpion warriors, the Tenth Prince rode a massive sand beast mount with a grim expression, his eyes filled with bone-chilling coldness. Though it had taken some time, he had finally found Ye Chui and the others. This time, he would not repeat his previous mistake. He would launch a full assault, utterly destroy Ye Chui and the Thirteenth Prince, and reclaim the Scythe of the Death Spirit from Ye Chui’s hands!
Having devoured the Water Spirit God, he was now the undisputed master of the secret realm!
With a wave of his hand, the sand dust that seemed poised to devour the heavens vanished into thin air. The sand in the sky coalesced, reforming into individual sand people. With another wave from the Tenth Prince, the army of sand people roared and charged first into the oasis forest.
The rest of the Blood Scorpion Tribe warriors followed closely behind.
The Tenth Prince slowly dismounted his ride. Seven spirit-summoning priests and the four bodyguards he had brought from outside the secret realm stood respectfully at his side. Terrifying, grotesque spirit bodies materialised around him, transforming him into a horrifying giant. Burning with overwhelming rage, he strode towards the oasis forest.
…
The sand dust slowly dissipated.
The Green Bay Tribe warriors encircled the elderly, children, and women in their midst. Though the sand had cleared, they knew an even greater peril was imminent. A dreadful battle was about to begin. Yet compared to the others, Ye Chui’s mood was remarkably calm. He even had the leisure to chat with the Sixth Prince, offering some breakup counselling.
“In truth, I always thought Xueyi was not right for you. Breaking up is for the best. In future, you can find someone you truly like, someone worth your affection.” He said this to the Sixth Prince.
The Sixth Prince, fully alert and scanning the surroundings, paused slightly at Ye Chui’s words. “Thank you for your concern. I am not too heartbroken. If anything, it feels like a release.”
“A release?” Debbie, who was summoning Jiji into battle mode, overheard and leaned in curiously.
“In fact, I have long known what kind of person Xueyi is. From the start of pursuing her, I knew she would hurt me deeply, and I did it on purpose… I wanted to devote myself entirely to the path of the swordsman. As a child, reading those tales of sword masters, I noticed that most legendary swordsmen had suffered emotional wounds, which spurred them to greater heights and forged their invincible swordsmanship.”
A note of excitement entered the Sixth Prince’s voice. “To ensure I would not be hindered by emotions in future, I deliberately set myself up for a love that would utterly devastate me. From now on, I will be immune to heartbreak and focus solely on the way of the sword!”
This drew even Green, Raisa, and Xilaisi over. Everyone turned to the Sixth Prince, inwardly exclaiming in unison: Are you mad!?
Whether the Sixth Prince truly meant this or was just comforting himself, he now seemed unaffected by Xueyi. He looked ready to channel sorrow into fury, primed for a bloodthirsty fight.
Over half an hour had passed since Xueyi left with the divine citizen. The sand had cleared, and the roars of the sand people echoed.
The Sixth Prince gripped his longsword tightly. “My path as a swordsman leads to the stars and seas. Dying on the battlefield is my ultimate fate. They are coming!”
In their line of sight, the sand people were now visible, far more numerous than those Ye Chui had first encountered. They surged forward like a blanket covering the sky, some bounding on all fours like wild beasts, others climbing the surrounding trees and leaping between branches. Not just from ahead, the sand people attacked from all directions, their numbers seemingly endless. Some even leapt from the treetops.
Kala shouted commands, readying the Green Bay Tribe warriors for battle.
Debbie, Raisa, Jacob, and Danni hurried to Ye Chui’s side. They had planned this: during the fight, Green and Xilaisi would hold the front line, while the rest protected Ye Chui. Posli stood by Ye Chui as well.
However…
Ye Chui glanced at his companions with a slight smile. “The timing is perfect, right on cue.”
“What do you mean?” Debbie looked at Ye Chui in confusion. Then the girl’s eyes widened. Amid a flash of white light, Ye Chui’s magic guide book materialised beside him. Not the junk one limited to fire spells, but something more like the one he used in previous battles, only broader and more compact.
Ye Chui’s companions had more or less realised he possessed two magic guide books: one rubbish, one god-tier.
Though its features were obscured in the hazy glow, she could sense this new book’s uniqueness.
“The magic guide book has successfully upgraded to iPad Air: slim and lightweight design, smooth lines, vastly increased magic power storage, new abilities unlocked, power boosted several times over. Not bad at all.” The sounds of slaughter reached their ears, yet Ye Chui was fondly examining his magic guide book, his face full of affection. With the upgrade complete, he had now formally entered the realm of advanced archmage.
In this fantasy world, mage levels were not all that crucial. Back in Stan Town, Ye Chui had already faced many advanced archmages and cut them down like watermelons. Still, a level was a level. Becoming an advanced archmage meant his magic guide book’s storage would surge dramatically, and his own magic power would undergo a qualitative transformation.
Moreover, like other advanced archmages, he could now create entirely new spells himself.
The Sixth Prince had moved to the forefront of the line. He took a deep breath, gripped his longsword firmly, and looked up at the sky. A faint black speck was visible; he knew it was the Sand Eagle Beast, with Xueyi and the divine citizen watching from above. She might still be mocking him, cursing him, but the Sixth Prince did not care. His blood surged, his sword aura stronger than ever felt.
Battle. He would fight. Even if he died on this field, he would have no regrets!
The swarming sand people were now mere steps away. A cruel smile tugged at the Sixth Prince’s lips, sword aura enveloping his body. The bloodbath was about to begin.
Then…
“Roar!”
Terrifying dragon flame plunged from the sky like a thousand-foot waterfall, crashing squarely before him. The scorching heat washed over him, forcing him back several steps instinctively. He rallied his sword aura to resist the blaze and looked up in shock. He saw a dragon head. What a massive head it was, hovering just metres above, yet so immense he could not take in the dragon’s full form at once.
The dragon was Long Bao. He had seen Ye Chui summon this black-gold flame dragon several times, yet never imagined it could grow this huge. Now, just its head was as large as its entire former body.
Black-gold dragon flame erupted from its maw, rolling flames sweeping all directions. It enveloped the Green Bay Tribe members protectively and consumed every sand person. Though the sand people were strong and fearless of fire, Long Bao’s flames were no ordinary fire, not even normal dragon flame. Under his black-gold dragon flame, sand, stone, and trees turned to ash, even vaporising. Even the shape-shifting sand people were no exception.
Thousands of sand people reduced to ashes!
As the black-gold flames faded, the ground had become a sheet of black crystal.
The dragon unfurled its wings, as if blotting out the sky, soaring above the group. “Roar!” Some Blood Scorpion Tribe sand dwellers had ridden sand sculptures, attempting aerial assaults, but at Long Bao’s roar, those flying beasts shuddered and plummeted uncontrollably. Even the Sand Eagle Beast higher up felt a massive shock, fleeing in panic to the distance.
The Sixth Prince, sword in arms and ready to let his blood stain the field, stood frozen in place.
“After devouring the dragon soul, Long Bao’s power has increased several times over.” Ye Chui watched Long Bao frolic freely in the sky with satisfaction. When they entered the secret realm, Long Bao had been in deep slumber, unsummonable. But as the magic guide book began upgrading, its sleep neared its end. Now, with the upgrade done, it could be summoned.
Yet the battle was not over.
Ye Chui examined his magic guide book, eyeing the new abilities from the upgrade. A pleased, cold smile curved his lips.
