Chapter 9 Sand Scorpion Demon

"Xiahou the Hero!"

"In this thousand-mile desert, not only is it unbearably scorching, there are also many unknown dangers!"

"Without a local guide and ample preparations, it is simply impossible to cross."

"Although our Jiangdu's name contains 'water,' in reality, it is a city within a desert."

Li Jing, wearing a straw hat, sat astride a camel. Gazing at the boundless desert stretching for miles, he felt an indescribable shock in his heart.

Just as Pang Yong said, this desert truly was too vast.

With a thousand miles around, not a soul in sight.

From time to time there were natural disasters like black winds and quicksand.

Let alone a single person, even a caravan could not pass through lightly.

Luckily, he had inadvertently met the Pang Yong and Pei Rong duo, otherwise, he couldn't imagine how he would reach Jiangdu.

Then, naturally, he would have missed out on the subsequent storyline.

Seeing Li Jing coming back to his senses, Pang Yong continued to speak:

"The most terrifying thing when walking in the desert is the Demon Clan!"

Although well-versed in the storyline, Li Jing still asked with feigned confusion, "The Demon Clan?"

Pang Yong, unaware of Li Jing's thoughts and thinking he truly did not know, said seriously, "Yes!"

"Exactly the Demon Clan!"

"This thousand-mile desert, scarcely populated. The harsh climate is certainly a reason not to be overlooked, but it's also because there is a mysterious place here known as the Demon World!"

"The Demon World?"

Hearing about something he was interested in, Li Jing's eyes sparkled with even greater interest.

Seeing Li Jing's keen curiosity about the Demon World, Pang Yong introduced it in great detail:

"Yes!"

"Exactly the Demon World!"

"No one knows where this Demon World is, nor does anyone know when it came into being."

"But!"

"What everyone does know is that the Demon World gathers a large number of Demon Clan members and has even given birth to a series of orders of their own, with Demon Kings and Demon Queens as Commanders."

"Once they discover any alien species invading their territory, it is easy to imagine that the intruders would be subject to ruthless attacks."

"Occasionally, we also see Demon Clan members who have escaped, in the human world!"

Hearing Pang Yong's introduction, Li Jing couldn't help but nod slightly. However, his strong curiosity couldn't be restrained as he asked, "If it is the Demon Clan's own realm, why would they still escape from it?"

"Although the Demon Clan has order, they hold survival of the fittest in even higher regard."

"As one can imagine, conflicts within the Demon Clan are extremely fierce, and it's likely that weaker members could become prey for the stronger demons."

"It is precisely because of this that many members of the Demon Clan secretly leave the Demon World, transform into human form, and hide in Jiangdu!"

Hearing Pang Yong's introduction, Li Jing nodded again and again.

His understanding of the Demon Clan became even deeper. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, "The Demon Clan transforms into human form and hides in Jiangdu, living with you day and night, don't you feel afraid at all?"

Hearing Li Jing's question, Pang Yong couldn't help but shake his head with a light laugh.

Then a soldier beside him drew the longsword from his waist, not without pride, and boasted, "Brave sir, please look at the longsword in our hands; it doesn't feed on mere vegetation!"

"The Demon Clan, how dare they cause trouble in Jiangdu!"

Listening to everyone's self-assured words, Li Jing's mental map slowly became complete.

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In the thousand miles of yellow sand, there exist two massive oases.

One is in the hands of the Human Race, namely the Jiangdu guarded by the royal family's army! The other is controlled by the Demon Clan.

The Demon Clan and the Human Race, these two races, have been living and thriving on these two oases for nearly a thousand years. They have always been minding their own business.

But occasionally, there would be some exchanges.

It is precisely because of these exchanges that both sides have a good understanding of each other.

Thus, the Human Race is no stranger to the Demon Clan.

While everyone was engaged in conversation, suddenly the yellow sand next to Pei Rong's camel collapsed, and a scorpion, as big as a millstone, burrowed out from the sand, its poison needle, as thick as a human arm, lashing out swiftly like lightning.

"Miss, be careful!"

Only to hear Li Jing cry out in alarm before soaring into the air!

Bang!

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, Li Jing, holding Pei Rong, fell beneath the horse.

In the moment they dismounted, the arm-thick poison needle had already pierced through the camel's body. Instantly, the robust and famously sturdy camel let out a mournful cry, then was paralyzed by the intense poison and fell heavily.

"Not good!"

"It's a Scorpion Demon!"

Seeing the sand scorpion as big as a millstone, Pang Yong's face changed dramatically, revealing an unprecedented wariness in his eyes.

The Sand Scorpion Demon is definitely one of the most troublesome members of the desert's Demon Clan. Not only is their armored carapace hard, making them difficult to injure with swords, but they also possess extremely powerful poison.

Most importantly, these sand scorpions are ferociously aggressive by nature and once enraged, it's a fight to the death.

That's why, under normal circumstances, when encountering Sand Scorpion Demons, everyone would keep a wide berth, even going as far as to deliberately abandon some livestock.

Sand Scorpion Demons, though fierce, do not have a very large appetite; once they have eaten their fill, they would not pursue the merchants anymore.

Because of this understanding, upon seeing the Sand Scorpion Demon, Pang Yong's first reaction was not to draw his longsword, but to tactically retreat, signaling to the nearby soldiers to drive the old and weak horses and camels towards the Scorpion Demon as food.

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

The Sand Scorpion Demon's mouth isn't too large, but its teeth are unimaginably sharp.

Whether it's the tough hide or the hard bones, they are as brittle as dry wood before its teeth; even the femur is instantly snapped by its bite.

As it tore and chewed, red blood splattered everywhere.

Hundreds of fist-sized sand scorpions also burrowed out from underground, greedily sucking the blood and consuming the flesh and remains.

Before the camel was fully consumed, the Sand Scorpion Demon had already lifted its head again. In its dark green eyes flashed an extremely vicious light.

The ordinarily docile camels and horses, sensing danger, began to struggle frantically. Several, snapping their bridles, started to scatter and flee, ignoring the soldiers' chastising shouts, all in vain.

Hiss!

Hiss!

Watching those birds scattered like startled pigeons, the sand scorpion lay on the ground, mouth wide open, making horrifying hissing sounds.

Just when everyone thought it would be distracted by the fleeing horses, it suddenly twisted its body and pounced swiftly towards the nearby Armored Soldiers.

"Not good!"

Seeing the Sand Scorpion Demon suddenly change direction, everyone's hearts sank; the targeted Soldiers frantically backpedaled, but against the Sand Scorpion Demon, their speed was far too slow.

Li Jing stood there grim-faced. He hadn't expected this Sand Scorpion Demon to be so arrogant.

What he had even less anticipated was that the Sand Scorpion Demon would so presumptuously attack humans; this was a blatant challenge to Li Jing's bottom line.

Instantly, Li Jing's longsword at his waist was unsheathed without warning...

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