Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Then the Sandstorm Worm King, whose enormous body was covered in thick sand-crystal armor now riddled with cracks and scorched black burns, suddenly seemed to be detonated from within by an invisible force!
Pfft—!
A dull sound, so faint it was almost impossible to hear, like countless grains of sand collapsing at once rang out.
The gigantic worm body instantly collapsed.
It was not an explosion.
It was disintegration.
Like a sand tower being pushed over, or a sand sculpture scattered by a violent wind, the Sandstorm Worm King's incredibly tough flesh and armor instantly transformed into hundreds of millions of tiny grains of sand, each uniform and faintly gleaming with an earthy brown luster.
These countless grains of sand did not scatter randomly.
Instead, as if they possessed life, they instantly gathered and reorganized, forming worms about the thickness of an arm and roughly one meter long. Their shapes were extremely similar to the Sandstorm Worm, except their entire bodies were composed purely of sand.
Thousands upon thousands of them.
Densely packed.
Like a flood of sand erupting from underground.
The moment these sand-formed miniature worms took shape, they did not hesitate in the slightest. Like a colony of ants startled from their nest or loaches thrown into boiling water, they began fleeing wildly in every direction with astonishing speed.
They burrowed into the loose sand as easily as droplets merging into the sea.
They slid along the surfaces of dunes as fast as a gale. Some even leapt into the air, briefly gliding with the help of the desert's rising thermal currents.
Their goal was only one. Escape this place of death. Scatter! The farther they fled, the better!
"…What… what is this?!"
Lin Xia was completely dumbfounded.
The excitement on his face instantly froze, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief.
Before deciding to hunt the Sandstorm Worm King, he had done extensive research. He had gone through the treasured Soul Beast encyclopedias and records kept by Teacher Lou Gao at the Blacksmith Association, and had also consulted experienced Soul Masters.
Every record stated that the Sandstorm Worm was a Soul Beast that relied on its massive body, sand-crystal armor, quicksand traps, and crushing jaws for hunting and defense.
Although rare, there had never been any record of it splitting into thousands of smaller individuals to escape when on the verge of death.
"Damn it! I miscalculated! Was the intelligence wrong or has it mutated?"
Thoughts raced through Lin Xia's mind.
A powerful sense of crisis and the frustration of losing a golden opportunity, surged in his heart.
This bizarre escape method was simply unheard of.
"Larvitar! Larvitar!"
Larvitar was also stunned.
Its crimson eyes widened into perfect circles as it stared at the swarm of sand worms that had exploded outward like fireworks before scattering in every direction. For a moment, it didn't even know which direction to attack.
However, Lin Xia's shock lasted only an instant.
His strong combat instincts and his burning desire to increase his strength, instantly overwhelmed every distracting thought.
After going through countless hardships to reach this place, he was just about to obtain the second Soul Ring he had dreamed of.
How could he possibly watch it slip away through such an absurd method?
"Trying to run? Dream on!"
A cold glint burst from Lin Xia's eyes as a ruthless and decisive aura exploded from his body.
In that instant, he made the most correct and most daring, decision!
"Larvitar! With me! First Soul Skill, Sand Attack! Maximum range! At the same time—release all the Fire-element energy inside your body and merge it into the sandstorm!"
Lin Xia's roar echoed across the empty dunes, carrying an unquestionable command.
"Larvitar——!!!"
Larvitar had instinctive trust in Lin Xia's orders and executed them without hesitation.
Its small body suddenly erupted with a powerful earth-yellow glow!
Buzz!
The first Soul Ring beneath its feet suddenly lit up as dense Earth-element energy surged wildly.
Its small claws, covered in lava-like armor, violently stabbed into the sand beneath its feet!
Sand Attack!
Rumble!
Centered on Larvitar, an unprecedented, massive sandstorm was instantly stirred up!
Yellow sand seemed to be ripped from the earth and violently churned by an invisible giant hand, instantly forming a raging sand tornado connecting heaven and earth, with a diameter exceeding two hundred meters!
This sandstorm, empowered by Larvitar's Soul Ancestor–level physique and the power of the earth, carried a terrifying pulling force, wildly sweeping the sand and gravel within several thousand meters into its vortex! Its range expanded rapidly!
But this was only the beginning!
At the very moment the sandstorm took shape, the crimson-gold Phoenix Divine Patterns across Larvitar's chest, abdomen, and the gaps in its back armor flared like red-hot brands, erupting with blinding light!
A pure, blazing flame energy—containing the aura of the Sun Essence and the divinity of Nirvana, burst forth from its body like a volcano suppressed for ages!
Fire Element Release!
Whoosh—!
The crimson-gold flames did not shoot outward like a jet. Instead, they flowed like blood, merging directly into the massive sandstorm it had raised!
Every grain of sand caught within the storm, the instant it came into contact with this divine fire power originating from the Phoenix mark and refined by Larvitar, seemed to ignite!
The earth-yellow sand tornado was dyed golden-red within mere seconds!
Scorching light shone from deep within it!
It looked like a gigantic flaming serpent formed from molten sand crystals and divine fire, writhing violently through the desert!
Heat!
Deadly heat, hot enough to melt metal and stone, spread instantly!
The air twisted violently under the terrifying heatwaves, letting out crackling wails!
Wherever the sandstorm passed, the sand beneath quickly softened and began to glow, even showing signs of vitrification!
"Still not enough! Make it bigger!"
Lin Xia growled in a low voice. He knew the flaming sandstorm created by Larvitar was immensely powerful, but its coverage was still insufficient to completely seal off the tens of thousands of tiny sandworms scattering in every direction.
He suddenly stepped forward and also activated his soul power!
"First Soul Skill, Sand Attack!"
Unlike Larvitar, who invoked the sands of heaven and earth through a soul ring technique, Lin Xia had already refined Sand Attack into something almost instinctive!
Wherever his thoughts reached, the sand within a hundred meters responded like the most loyal soldiers! Another sandstorm of considerable size rose from beneath his feet!
Most crucially, with a slight movement of his mind, the crimson-gold Phoenix mark on the inner side of his right forearm suddenly lit up!
Though far less majestic than Larvitar's, the blood within his body had also been tempered by the Sun Essence, and he likewise carried the mark bestowed by the Phoenix God!
A stream of crimson-gold flame power—smaller but extremely pure, sharing the same origin, burst from his palm and poured without hesitation into the sandstorm he had created!
"Merge!"
Lin Xia endured the dizziness brought by the rapid consumption of soul power and mental strength, focusing all his will as he guided his flaming sandstorm to violently crash into the heaven-piercing inferno sandstorm created by Larvitar!
BOOM—!!!
The two flame sandstorms of the same origin and nature (sand and fire), yet slightly different due to their different casters, did not repel or cancel each other out under Lin Xia's precise soul power guidance and the natural affinity of Phoenix divine power.
Instead, they fused instantly like two rivers of flame yearning to merge!
Like two burning stars colliding and becoming one!
A colossal flaming sandstorm of unprecedented scale was born!
Its diameter expanded in an instant to a terrifying over one thousand meters! Its height shot straight into the clouds, as if intending to dye the very sky golden-red!
This was a moving wall of death—burning, roaring, composed of billions of tons of superheated sand grains!
A domain of absolute destruction covering a radius of several thousand meters!
Terrifying heatwaves surged outward like a tangible tsunami. Wherever they passed, the air exploded and the surfaces of the sand dunes crystallized instantly!
Those tiny sandstorm worms that were frantically fleeing, trying to burrow underground or fly into the distance, no matter which direction they escaped toward, all slammed straight into the edges of this wall of death!
Sizzle—Sizzle—Sizzle—!!!
The outcome held no suspense.
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