The power in Black Sand's body was in disarray. The arm holding the sword was weak and he had no choice but to switch to another hand. Just as he got up, the giant beetle was already in front of him. It raised its two front limbs and did not give Black Sand any time to breathe!
Hei Sha felt his scalp go numb from the pressure brought about by the large beetle. Every muscle in his body was trembling, and there was no time for him to dodge. He could only raise his arm and place his sword horizontally in front of him, blocking the attack that was already in front of him.
Bang!
Black Sand was almost completely smashed into the sand. He could not hold his sword steadily. If it was not for the fact that his body was much stronger, anyone else would have been smashed to death! Even so, Black Sand was barely holding on. He did not even have time to breathe.
Hei Sha smelled the scent of death. Previously, he thought that after breaking free from his shackles, he would no longer have such a feeling. But now, he felt it. Fear flashed through his scarlet eyes that were oozing blood.
He did not want to die. He still wanted to unify this scattered land of desert bandits. He even fantasized about one day taking over Rock Hill City's territory and controlling the entire desert.
But now, he could only helplessly endure the fierce and murderous smashes again and again.
Sapphire's attack was actually very simple. In the beginning, it did not know the strength of Black Sand's weapon and tested it a few times. But once it confirmed Black Sand and the sword's capabilities, its attack method was very clear. Especially now, when Black Sand was weak, Sapphire did not slack off and did not hold back.
There were no superfluous movements. It was simple and straightforward. It smashed again and again. After smashing into the sand, Sapphire would pull him up from the sand and smash him again! If one smash did not kill him, Sapphire would smash him a few more times. Just like when Sapphire was chasing after those sand lizards, Sapphire would fish you out first before hitting you again. Unless you were really nailed to death, Sapphire would not relax. This was because many times, when Sapphire thought that the prey did not have the strength to stand up and was about to turn it into a ball, it would realize that the prey had escaped.
In order to avoid such mistakes, Sapphire's two front limbs did not stop.
Rumbling sounds came from the sand. Sand flowers bloomed and fell. Potholes appeared and were flattened.
When Black Sand heard the sound of his bones breaking, his consciousness gradually blurred. He could no longer feel the pain in his body. He regretted his decision. He should not have forced the Blue Beetles into a corner. Otherwise, the Blue Beetles would not have summoned the giant beetle. Or perhaps, he should have fled the moment the giant beetle appeared. Even if he lost his territory and his subordinates, with his ability and the sword in his hand, he could quickly rebuild a new group of desert bandits in the desert …
Even before his death, Black Sand believed that the giant blue beetle was summoned by Yiken.
Sapphire finally stopped its attack. Its shovel-like head twitched as if it was thinking of what to do with this person. Its two paddle-shaped antennae moved. It wanted to wrap the prey into a ball, but the prey was too small. It would only be a small ball even if it was wrapped into a ball.
While Sapphire was hesitating, Shao Xuan gave it a command.
In the end, Sapphire did not manage to turn the black sand into a ball. It extended its forelimbs to scoop up the object that had been smashed into the sand and left.
After Sapphire left, a swarm of black beetles crawled out from the sand and swarmed towards the unrecognizable person.
Hei Sha had eaten many people before. Even his blood relatives were not spared when he was still on the run. Men, women, the elderly, and children, he had eaten them all. However, he had never thought that he would be eaten by a group of insects one day.
The Viper Man who was huddled in a low sand house saw the situation through the gap of the half-blocked vent. He shrunk into a corner of the house. He did not dare to go out. Even Black Sand had been eaten by the insects. He would not be able to escape their jaws.
At this moment, there were more than three hundred people surrounding Yiken. Those at the edge were too far away from Yiken and were bitten from time to time. However, they did not dare to attack the beetles. For one, they were afraid of being bitten harder. For another, they were worried that the Blue Beetles would kick them to the side to fend for themselves. The Blue Beetles had always swallowed their pride when they were bitten.
There were even some who were fighting for a spot closer to the center. Yiken never knew that he was so popular. Even his own subordinates used to be afraid of him due to his strength. Now, their fear was mixed with respect. He knew what these people were thinking but he really did not summon the giant beetle nor did he do anything else.
"It's retreating! The insect swarm is retreating!! "Someone shouted from the periphery.
"It's retreating, it's really retreating!" More people were ecstatic.
The Viper Man's first thought was their leader, Black Sand. Since the insect swarm had retreated, what happened to Black Sand? Did he win or lose the battle with the giant beetle?
The black beetles that were lingering nearby either burrowed into the sand or left immediately. Earlier, there was a sea of darkness but now, there was only sand left. There were also some collapsed sand houses nearby and some gnawed skeletons.
Some of the Viper Man took two tentative steps outside but did not encounter any more black beetles.
"Leader! The insect swarm has retreated. Does that mean the giant beetle has left too? "A Blue Beetle asked Yiken.
Yiken pushed through the crowd in front of him and walked out.
The others followed closely behind Yiken. Although they did not see the beetles, they were still worried. It was safest to stay by Yiken's side.
Yiken paused and continued forward. He jumped onto the roof and peered into the distance.
"No, it's not. It's still here!"
Just as Yiken's words fell, the people who had walked far away retreated back. They refused to leave even after being threatened with knives by the Blue Beetles.
"The insect swarm hasn't retreated. It's just left and stopped nearby. It seems to be waiting for something." Yiken jumped off the roof and said.
The little beetles didn't leave. In other words, the giant blue beetle was still there.
The giant blue beetle had left after Black Sand. Now that the sounds of fighting could no longer be heard, did Black Sand run away or was he killed by the giant blue beetle?
No matter which of the two possibilities it was, it was good news for Yiken. He grew increasingly nervous. His Adam's apple bobbed and sweat mixed with sand slid down his back. His eyes were fixed on his surroundings while his ears listened carefully to the surrounding sounds.
Rustle rustle rustle —
Something seemed to be approaching.
It came from beneath his feet.
The surroundings were silent. Everyone's hearts were trembling.
The sound was getting closer. It seemed like the other party had no intention of hiding its tracks.
On the sand, a blue carapace peeked out.
Everyone held their breaths. Some wanted to run but after what happened earlier, they hesitated when they lifted their feet. After a moment of struggle, they retracted their feet. Their bodies began to tremble.
The giant blue beetle that appeared before Yiken had no other obvious wounds other than scratches on its carapace. It looked fine. However, the thing it was biting on attracted everyone's attention.
It was a sword, the one Black Sand used to hold.
If the sword was here, did that mean Black Sand was dead? Everyone had their own guesses but they had to admit that those who stayed here were relieved.
The Blue Beetles felt that Black Sand was no longer a threat. The Vipers, on the other hand, believed that Black Sand would be no match for Yiken without the sword. Hence, their betrayal didn't need to be wary of Black Sand.
Not knowing why the giant beetle appeared here again, Yiken didn't dare to move. He stood there stiffly. He wasn't the one who summoned the beetle. He wasn't sure if the giant beetle would attack him after killing Black Sand.
The giant blue beetle bit on the sword and moved towards Yiken.
The people gathered around Yiken quickly retreated. Some of the Blue Beetles stood in front of Yiken. Yiken patted them and gestured for them to move aside, leaving Yiken to face the approaching giant beetle alone.
Yiken felt the pressure of facing such a creature alone but he had no choice but to stand here. He watched the approaching giant beetle and thought of a possibility. His gaze was fixed on the sword in the giant beetle's mouth. His heartbeat quickened uncontrollably and his palms were sweating.
The giant beetle bit on the sword and approached Yiken. It leaned in as if trying to discern something. Its paddle-like antennae twitched, giving Yiken the illusion that he would be flattened in the next moment.
The others didn't dare to breathe too loudly.
After a while, the giant blue beetle loosened its grip and the sword fell to the sand beside Yiken's feet.
After dropping the sword, the giant blue beetle turned and left.
Yiken looked at the sword beside his feet. He squatted down and gripped the hilt with trembling hands. There were some scratches on the blade but they weren't deep. The blade wasn't damaged either.
Yiken's palm brushed across the blade, wiping away the sand on it. The blade was still shiny, carrying with it a sense of holiness. The sun was still blazing above his head but the blade was chilly. It was as warm as the sand underground.
Lifting his head to look at the blue beetle that was gradually disappearing into the distance, the sunlight reflected off its back was tinged with a faint blue hue. Yiken's hand on the sword hilt shifted from a grip to a support while his other hand rested on the sword.
Lifting the golden patterned sword with both hands, he knelt on the sand that was heated by the sun and bowed towards the departing blue figure.
Seeing this, the other Blue Beetles knelt down in unison, bowing towards the departing blue figure.
At this moment, they seemed to have realized something that they had heard of but never experienced before. It was something called faith.
Many of them had ancestors who were slaves. They only heard about the tribe from their ancestors when they were alone. Therefore, they didn't understand the tribesmen's feelings of totem worship. But now, they seemed to have touched it.
The patterns drawn on their arms, chests, backs and other places seemed to carry a scorching heat that was branded into their hearts. The patterns that used to be laughable had now become sacred, just like how they were now bowing towards the giant blue figure.
Perhaps, this bit of faith would be able to support them to survive in the desert.
While the Blue Beetles knelt down in unison, the Vipers exchanged glances.
Kneel or not?
Would they be eaten if they didn't?
It was better to kneel. Since they had chosen to join the Blue Beetles and their leader had knelt, how could they still stand? If they didn't show their loyalty now, when would they?
Hence, after the Blue Beetles, the Vipers who had chosen to side with them knelt down as well.
Under the worship of hundreds of people, the giant blue beetle left and disappeared under the sand.
The little beetles that lingered nearby also left, burrowing into the sand. Soon, they were nowhere to be seen. This time, the Insect Tide had really retreated. It had completely retreated.
When there was not a single beetle to be seen, Yiken stood up with his sword in hand. He stared ahead with a deep gaze, feeling as if he had been reborn. He was beginning to understand what the elders had said.
After ordering his subordinates to count those who had chosen to side with them, Yiken walked into the sandstone house. This morning, it was still Black Sand's' mansion '. Now, it had a new owner. However, Yiken didn't think much of this place.
He walked towards a stone table. On it was a piece of animal skin that Black Sand had written earlier. On it was written the terms of cooperation. It was a cooperation but all the terms listed on it treated the Blue Beetles as slaves. This was also why Yiken didn't agree to it.
Before the giant blue beetle appeared, under Black Sand's coercion, the others looked at him and waited for him to make a decision. Perhaps some of them wanted to agree at the last minute and think of a solution after this hurdle. However, Yiken knew that as long as he agreed now, Black Sand would hand over the agreement he had written long ago and return them to their status as slaves. Even if the giant blue beetle hadn't appeared, Yiken wouldn't have agreed. He was even prepared to fight to the death but he didn't expect …
A slight pain came from his palm. Frowning, Yiken wiped the blood on his palm onto the animal skin. Then, he swung his sword and chopped the animal skin into pieces.
Walking out of the sandstone house, Yiken lifted his head and looked in a direction. That was where the Sky Waters desert robbers' underground palace was located. They had experienced despair and all sorts of hardships. In the future, they would experience even more glorious things.
The desert robbers' location was going to be a huge storm.
Shao Xuan didn't plan to ask about the desert robbers' plans. The presence of desert robbers would definitely pose a threat to Rock Hill City. Even if the current leader of the desert robbers wasn't experienced enough and their strength hadn't really improved, they would pose a threat to other forces in the desert in the future. It would be best if they could restrain Rock Hill City.
As for Sapphire, the sacred relic that Yiken and the others worshipped, it was here because Shao Xuan asked it to.
Of course, Shao Xuan wasn't just here for the two desert robber groups. He had Sapphire fight with Black Sand because he wanted Black Sand to be Sapphire's whetstone.
After unlocking Sapphire's fourth lock, Shao Xuan didn't know how capable it would be. He needed to test it out in real combat. Besides, Sapphire lived in the desert. The enhancement and physical changes brought about by the fourth lock were all to adapt to the desert environment. It was suitable for survival here and there were more beetles around it. It couldn't follow Shao Xuan to Yanjiao's headquarters.
If Shao Xuan brought Sapphire out of the desert to other places, Sapphire wouldn't be able to unleash its full potential. Therefore, Shao Xuan didn't plan to bring it out of the desert. This was the most suitable place for it.
However, there were still people from Rock Hill City in the desert, as well as many scattered bands of desert bandits. Perhaps the bandits had yet to develop and their leaders hadn't had enough time to improve, but humans were complex and cunning. In order to survive in the desert, Sapphire needed to understand more. Sapphire could learn all of these through its battle with Black Sand.
Although Black Sand had broken through his shackles, which meant he had truly taken over the power his former slave master had given him. However, the power in his body wasn't stable enough. He hadn't developed enough as a whole. Just like a tribesman who had just merged with a fire seed, he hadn't fully absorbed the fire seed's power. Currently, Black Sand didn't have the upper hand against Sapphire. This was why Shao Xuan didn't worry about Sapphire testing the waters.
However, Black Sand's sword could cause some damage to Sapphire. Although it wasn't as good as Heng's sword, it was still a sword made by the Gongjia family. It could be used as a personal signature sword. It wasn't easy to leave a scratch on Sapphire's back.
Shao Xuan wanted Sapphire to know that creatures that looked weaker than it could still fight back. They could even use tricks. Sapphire needed to come up with a countermeasure too. When one's power wasn't absolute, one needed to be smarter. The insect swarm was eye-catching enough. Shao Xuan hoped Sapphire could learn more from this experience. This was his first slave. Shao Xuan didn't want it to become cannon fodder in the desert.
Fortunately, Sapphire was smart. When it first created the sand waterfall, it looked like it was defending and attacking but in reality, it was testing Black Sand and the sword.
The sand in the sand waterfall rubbed against the sword, allowing Sapphire to understand the sword's general condition. It could confirm whether it could withstand the attack with its back armour. Once it confirmed that the sword couldn't really hurt it, it seized the opportunity and Black Sand could forget about escaping.
Searching for food in the desert was never easy. Beasts would cherish every opportunity. Hence, Black Sand couldn't escape even if he wanted to.
As for why the beetles didn't attack Yiken, it was because Sapphire told them not to get close to Yiken.
With the beetles' abilities, they couldn't differentiate between too many people and execute overly complicated orders. Hence, it was impossible for Shao Xuan to have them all avoid the Blue Beetles. Hence, he settled for the next best thing, which was to avoid Yiken.
Shao Xuan was interested in the Blue Beetles but Sapphire no longer remembered them. Shao Xuan couldn't understand the truth. If Shao Xuan wasn't here, the insect swarm would've attacked indiscriminately. In fact, Yiken would've followed in Black Sand's footsteps.
After this incident, Shao Xuan told Sapphire to remember Yiken's scent. If it encountered his men in the future, as long as they didn't attack Sapphire, it wouldn't lead the insect swarm to attack Yiken's men. After all, their totem was the blue dung ball-pushing beetle.
Since the Blue Beetles regarded Sapphire as their religion, it was best to let this misunderstanding continue.
Outside Viper's small town, skeletons could be seen occasionally. They belonged to people who failed to escape when the insect swarm appeared.
Shao Xuan returned to where Yanjiao's men were waiting.
"Are you okay?"
Ta and the others hurried over to ask.
They heard the commotion in the small town and saw the insect swarm. Ta said that he wouldn't make a move until Shao Xuan gave the signal. As expected, the insect swarm appeared not long after. They didn't dare to step into the area where the insect swarm occurred. They weren't Shao Xuan, they wouldn't be attacked by the insect swarm.
Many of the Snake tribesmen ran out in all directions. Some ran in this direction, and the Flaming Horn tribesmen killed them on the spot. Otherwise, they would be exposed.
Shao Xuan had the beetles deal with the corpses on the ground. Once they were buried in the sand, there was no trace of them.
They couldn't stay here for long. Perhaps the Blue Beetles would arrive soon to take over the remaining Viper forces. Not many people knew about Shao Xuan's relationship with the insect swarm. At least, the desert robbers didn't know. Perhaps they would find out in the future but for now, it was best not to tell them.
Viper's small town wasn't a good place to rest. It made the five captured men nervous. They would rather sleep on the sand than go to the small town.
Coincidentally, the Yanjiao people didn't want to be with the desert robbers either. They left and headed out of the desert. Gongjia Ren and the other five were on Sapphire's back. After receiving food and water and applying medicine to their wounds, they felt much better after some rest.
"Uh … Elder Shao Xuan …" Gongjia Kan, the oldest of the five, spoke carefully.
"What is it?" Shao Xuan looked at Gongjia Kan.
"That traitor …" Gongjia Kan was referring to the traitor of the Gongjia family.
"He's been eaten," said Shao Xuan. He watched as the man was swallowed by the insect swarm.
Hearing that the traitor had been eaten by the insects, the six Gongjia members heaved a sigh of relief. At least the traitor had been punished. However, they soon sighed. They were all implicated and forced to come out. Who would have thought that the traitor would betray them and even lead the desert bandits to capture them, only to end up like this?
"Why? Do you feel bad?" Said Lei. "If a Yanjiao member betrayed his own family, he would be hunted down. Even if he escaped far away, we would do everything we could to kill him. Like that person, the one who betrayed his own family and sought refuge with the slave master? "
"Dao Yu," said Tuo.
"Yes, yes, that's him. Dao Yu. Even though he sought refuge with the slave master and lived well in the desert, didn't he get killed by Xuan in the end?"
When Lei mentioned Dao Yu, Shao Xuan thought of what happened back then. If it was as he guessed, Dao Yu was considered dead but had not disappeared. He was just 'alive' in another state.
Somewhere in the desert, a team of two hundred people walked on the sand.
Unlike the desert robbers, this team's formation was more unique. The most eye-catching was, of course, the giant golden beast walking in the middle.
The giant beast was oval-shaped, but not as flat as Sapphire. It was longer and when it walked, one could see rings of expansion and contraction marks on its back, as if it was made up of several sections. The seemingly heavy back armor armed most of its body, with long legs protruding from its body. There were many legs, supporting the entire body's movements.
On the back of this giant beast, there was a metal frame covered with some cloth curtains, blocking Yang Guang. It looked like a small house with a person lying on a wide chair.
"Have you found the person?" A lazy voice came from inside.
A short and fat figure quickly approached the giant beast, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He said respectfully, "Third Young Master, not yet."
Above, the cloth curtains were lifted and a hard, fist-sized fruit core was thrown out, mercilessly smashing towards the man's head. A cold voice followed, "Then hurry up and find him!"
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