Btth: The Rise of Qingshan

"Hmph!!!"

Mo Cheng, with a gloomy gaze, watched Yan Qingshan depart. Although Dou Spirit could rapidly traverse the sky, it wasn't true flight after all.

The vigilant Yan Qingshan didn't give him a chance to get close. As the other flew away, he couldn't catch up. "A mere Dou Zhe dares to warn this old man. What do you think you are?"

Mo Cheng's anger flared, his eyes turning red. He glanced at the few people who had fled halfway earlier but stopped when Mo Cheng gained the upper hand.

A murderous intent flashed in his eyes. With a gust of wind, his figure blurred, reappearing amidst screams and the stench of blood.

"Anyone who flees will suffer the same fate. Everyone, continue forward. That brat is just a Dou Zhe; he can't possibly maintain his flying technique for long. I will capture him and that Snake-people girl, and show them the old man's methods..."

Mo Cheng leaped back onto his camel-beast, discarding the severed head and wiping off the blood. His cold voice revealed boundless anger as he issued orders for everyone to continue the pursuit.

Luo Bu and the others knew that the powder and smoke the person had thrown were no ordinary matter.

Although they hadn't experienced any poisoning, they didn't dare to be careless. They didn't want to chase, but seeing Mo Cheng's seething murderous intent, no one dared to provoke him.

They nervously urged their camel-beasts, and the group moved forward again.

Luo Bu was filled with bitterness and regret. Although he didn't know the other party's background, he accurately spoke the nickname 'Executioner Mo,' indicating he knew Mo Cheng's strength. Yet, he dared to provoke him, suggesting they had a backup plan.

Although he didn't understand what 'flying technique' meant, Mo Cheng's attitude showed it was no simple matter. The other might be a descendant of some powerful force.

Mo Cheng, as a Dou Spirit expert with a Misty Cloud Sect background, wasn't afraid, but his small Sand Mercenary Group might be doomed.

Luo Bu regretted it, but Mo Cheng was urging them to hurry, leaving him no room to refuse. He knew that refusing to pursue would mean his own demise.

A series of whistles and gathering calls echoed as all the Sand Mercenary Group members were summoned. Led by their leader, Luo Bu, they charged into the golden sand sea.

"Everyone, be careful. Report any situation immediately!"

Luo Bu didn't dare to be careless, shouting to his men to be vigilant. He himself was on high alert, ready for any sudden situation.

Boom, boom, boom…

Sure enough, they were attacked shortly after entering the sandy area. The camel-beasts leading the way cried out in alarm and pain as human-sized figures burst from the sand, attacking them.

"Yellow Sand magic Scorpions! How can there be so many?"

As veteran mercenaries of the desert, the Sand Mercenary Group quickly recognized the unique magical beasts of the Tager Desert.

Although these Yellow Sand Magic Scorpions were all below first-rank, their sheer numbers, exceeding a hundred, and the movements from the distance made it a significant threat.

The last time, Yan Qingshan, with the help of the Rock Snake swarm, had killed the first-rank scorpions and the second-rank Scorpion King, but many remained.

Later, using the Scorpion King's venom, he developed a new poison, similar to insect pheromones, which could attract Yellow Sand Magic Scorpions within a certain range. The powder he used earlier contained this special venom.

"What's the panic? You're scared by a bunch of sub-first-rank beasts? How can you be mercenaries?"

Luo Bu was exasperated, his anger rising at the sight of his frightened men. Even though he didn't want to continue, he was furious at their disgrace.

A group of elite mercenaries, all at least Dou Zhe, were scared by two or three hundred sub-first-rank scorpions, making him lose all face.

"Sha Luo, Mo Xing, take men and clear these beasts!"

Luo Bu called his two strongest subordinates, Sha Luo and Mo Xing, both Dou Master level experts, powerful figures in Rock Desert City.

Sha Luo and Mo Xing led the mercenaries into action. Their Dou Qi cloaks protected them from the scorpion venom.

Dou Qi projectiles shot out, yellow light and sand swirling, and the Yellow Sand Magic Scorpions were slaughtered, almost all meeting a gruesome end. The sandy area turned into a bloodbath.

A breeze carried the heavy stench of blood. The mercenaries, having tasted blood, seemed to regain their ferocity, chasing down the remaining scorpions, no longer timid.

Mo Cheng and his dozen Dou Master and Dou Grandmaster from the Mo family followed behind the mercenaries, occasionally telling Luo Bu to lead the search in a general direction.

The large group of riders ventured deep into the sandy area. Although they encountered sporadic scorpion attacks, they were no match for the aggressive mercenaries.

Even the complete Yellow Sand Magic Scorpion group from before would have been wiped out by these elite warriors.

"Elder Mo Cheng, beyond this sand dune is a flat sandy area. If they're nearby, they won't be able to hide for long."

Luo Bu approached Mo Cheng, saying that as a veteran mercenary of Rock Desert City, he knew this area well. It was mostly flat sand with a few dunes, offering no place to hide.

Mo Cheng coldly said, "Then speed up. I must capture that brat and the Snake-people girl!"

Under Mo Cheng's command, everyone gathered and crossed the sand dune. But as they reached the top, an accident occurred.

The entire sand dune collapsed, a chain reaction affecting even Mo Cheng and his rear guard. All the camel-beasts fell into the pit, and screams echoed.

"Ah, ah, damn it! Black Sand Fire Ants! Save me, save me!"

"Everyone, run! The Black Sand Storm is coming!"

"Help! Don't leave me!"

Amidst the screams, black tides appeared in the collapsed pit, spreading like a black sandstorm. The mercenaries covered by the ants screamed and quickly fell silent.

Black Sand Fire Ants, sub-first-rank fire-attribute magical beasts, with black bodies and red tails, each ant the size of a finger joint, and the queen as large as a lamb.

They were social magical beasts of the desert, with only the queen being a first-rank beast, but most mercenaries avoided them.

Ordinary Black Sand Fire Ants had slightly more fire-attribute than wild beasts, releasing fire venom that could burn flesh.

Even strong wild beasts and humans could easily eliminate these sub-first-rank beasts, but their danger lay in their numbers.

Black Sand Fire Ants moved in swarms, thousands at a time, like a black cloud, known as the Black Sand Storm of the desert.

Everything in their path was reduced to bones. Not even ordinary first or second-rank beasts dared to provoke them, let alone mercenaries.

The Black Sand Fire Ants and the sudden collapse were Yan Qingshan's doing. The ant colony wasn't originally there but near the forest where Yan Qingshan had rested and cultivated.

These creatures, being numerous, needed to forage and were usually found near water sources.

When Yan Qingshan discovered them, he used some means to drive them away, keeping them from his dwelling.

As a physician who studied and practiced the Seven Colored Poison Manual, he had collected and researched the toxins of nearby demonic beasts and plants, including the Black Sand Fire Ants and Yellow Sand magic Scorpions, gaining some insights.

Although the Black Sand Fire Ants were formidable, their bite wasn't exceptional and couldn't penetrate a Dou Master's Dou Qi cloak, let alone the rock-like Rock Snakes.

To prepare this trap, Yan Qingshan had the Rock Snakes move the ant nest and used pheromone-like toxins to temporarily trap the ants. Then, he had the Rock Snakes weaken the underground structure, causing it to collapse when enough people gathered.

The group was vigilant, but they didn't expect Yan Qingshan's second trap to be triggered by such conditions. Everyone, including Mo Cheng, fell into the pit, swarmed by countless Black Sand Fire Ants.

"Damn it! When I catch that bastard, I'll make him wish he were dead!"

Mo Cheng was furious. With a wave of his hand, Dou Qi pillars cleared a space, and he rescued the Mo family members, easily killing the queen ant. But his actions further enraged the ant swarm, and more ants attacked the mercenaries.

"Mo Cheng, how do you like my double trap? Don't worry, I'll try all thirty-six stratagems, and the fun is just beginning!"

A figure suddenly appeared in the sky above the pit. With a shout from Yan Qingshan, countless long snakes burst out, attacking the Dou Qi-clad pursuers.

"How are there so many snakes here?"

"Yellow Sand Horned Vipers, Desert Rock Snakes, Black-Bellied Rattlesnakes, Horned Abyssal Snakes..."

"My god, so many snake magical beasts, including second and third-rank ones. Have we stumbled into a snake den?"

The pursuers were terrified. After encountering so many demonic beast ambushes, even the least sensitive person would realize something was wrong, especially now that they were in imminent danger.

The sand pit prepared by Yan Qingshan was about ten meters deep, filled with tens of thousands of seemingly endless Black Sand Fire Ants.

Along the edges of the pit were countless ferocious and powerful snake magical beasts, many of them highly venomous.

This inescapable trap, along with the mention of thirty-six stratagems, was truly terrifying.

The mercenaries, caught off guard, were quickly overwhelmed by the relentless attacks of the snakes and ants.

Those who were bitten by the venomous snakes immediately collapsed, their bodies turning black and emitting a foul odor.

Those who were swarmed by the Black Sand Fire Ants were quickly reduced to skeletons, their flesh and blood devoured in a matter of seconds.

Luo Bu, desperately defending himself against the attacks, shouted, "Elder Mo Cheng, what do we do? We can't hold on much longer!"

Mo Cheng, his face grim, was also struggling to fend off the attacks. Although his Dou Qi was powerful, he couldn't protect everyone. He knew that if they didn't find a way out soon, they would all perish.

"Everyone, gather around me!" Mo Cheng commanded, his voice filled with urgency.

"We'll break through together!"

With Mo Cheng leading the charge, the remaining mercenaries formed a tight formation, using their Dou Qi to create a barrier against the relentless attacks.

They fought their way through the sea of snakes and ants, inching closer to the edge of the pit.

Yan Qingshan, watching from a distance, smirked. "Trying to escape? Not so fast!"

He raised his hand, and the ground trembled. A massive rock snake, several meters long, emerged from the sand, blocking the mercenaries' path.

The rock snake roared, its eyes glowing red, and lunged at the group.

Mo Cheng, his eyes blazing with fury, unleashed a powerful Dou Qi attack, striking the rock snake head-on. The rock snake was thrown back, but it quickly recovered and charged again.

The battle raged on, the mercenaries desperately fighting for their lives. The sand pit was filled with the sounds of screams, roars, and explosions, a chaotic scene of death and destruction.