Special Bloodlines, the Sinking Sand Army Spread Across the Desert

With 100,000 magic beasts and just over 200 Huang Tribesmen, it took half a day to barely finish the tally before reporting to Thorne.

"Lord Thorne, we've awakened 105,000 magic beasts this time. Most have common bloodlines, but we found some rare ones. Please take a look, my lord."

"Oh? Bring them up," Thorne replied.

He'd awakened tens of thousands before, all with ordinary bloodlines and nothing noteworthy. Could this larger scale finally yield surprises?

Awakening bloodlines was like a lottery—finding one rare bloodline among 10,000 was a jackpot.

When Tylen and the others presented the rare-bloodlined beasts, they immediately caught Thorne's eye.

Five in total. Four were familiar from memory: two Giant Scythe Scorpions, evolved from desert scorpions with pincers turned to scythes; and two Horned Dragons of the magic dragon lineage, sporting a single horn and immense strength.

These four, fresh from awakening, were already Tier 2 with great potential. The fifth, however, stumped even Thorne.

He glanced at Shelley nearby. Hailing from a greater world, her vast knowledge might identify it.

Feeling his gaze, Shelley frowned at the fifth beast, hesitantly saying, "This one's rare. I've only seen it in travelogues—likely a Blood-Eyed Jackal. Extremely bloodthirsty, solitary, and terrifyingly strong when mature. But beware—it's cunning and prone to betrayal. In my world, no one dared tame it."

Thorne nodded. With his system, even a rock could be molded into a loyal follower.

If it was strong, he'd take it.

He ordered Tylen to train the rest, keeping these five mutants for himself—or rather, for the bored Magic Dragon Gecko.

Stuck at Mortal Tier Level 10, unable to advance, the gecko sulked. It envied the Ghost Thorn Tree's maturity and strength, fearing being outpaced and ignored. Desperate to break through yet stumped, it had been gloomy.

Handing it these five beasts perked it up. Always overshadowed by the tree, it finally got to play the boss.

Soon, it scampered off with its new minions into the distant wilderness, purpose unknown.

After a week of intense training under Tylen, Thorne ordered the 100,000 beasts split among the Huang Tribesmen and dispersed to lurk across the desert.

Dividing the whole into parts—100,000 together was conspicuous, but split into over 200 groups, it blended in. Even the elves couldn't easily distinguish Thorne's beasts from the desert's natives.

With Huang Tribesmen coordinating, these 200+ units could support each other, securing a foothold in the desert.

In Thorne's mental map of the vast Divine and Demonic Continent, the eastern corner held the dense Elven Forest, bordered by a sprawling desert.

His Sinking Sand Army dotted this desert. At his command, 100,000 troops would converge on the lake from all directions.

Normally, they'd monitor every corner, quietly growing stronger.

One day, the elves would realize this buffer zone they took for granted was no longer theirs.

Mercenaries noticed the desert's beasts were different—organized, cooperative, even across species.

Many reckless, weak mercenaries left their bones behind.

Surface preparations were set, awaiting major factions' entry to fully unleash his plan.

In the underground world, Thorne spent another million energy points, extending the River Styx by 1,000 meters. The further he went, the more unfathomable the original dark river seemed—endless.

Along the Styx, he sensed the power distribution within this 1,000-meter stretch—nothing too formidable, ripe for McGee's conquest.

McGee, now Earth Spirit Clan Leader after the old one retired, rallied all troops by the Styx, awaiting Thorne's arrival.

The pitch-black river flowed silently, devoid of life.

Gazing at it, McGee and his kin felt an instinctive chill.

This river symbolized death—only dark creatures thrived within. For them, entering meant forsaking life, unless they became fleshless skeletons.

Thorne had left a spiritual water lake at their clan grounds for bathing after battles—theirs alone.

"I've scouted ahead—no strong foes within 1,000 meters. It's up to you now. Along the River Styx, spare the submissive, slay the rest. Sacrifice their corpses to my river," Thorne declared.

He'd yet to encounter dark creatures, suspecting they thrived deeper in this environment, beyond the periphery he'd reached.

The Styx's Submersion skill, turning enemy corpses into skeleton warriors, bolstered his forces.

"All forces, prepare to march! Expand Lord Lake God's domain—target: 1,000 meters along the River Styx!" McGee commanded, brandishing his spear.

At his order, troops mobilized, advancing swiftly along the river.