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Chapter 9: The Sand Demon
Ji Zichen fixed his gaze on Killer and said, "Don't think that the fire dragon will burn you entirely; I have secretly controlled a part of the fire dragon's belly to focus on burning your face."
Killer shot a resentful glance at Ji Zichen and replied, "It seems you've noticed my attempt to cover my face, which is how you figured out my weakness."
Ji Zichen laughed heartily, "That's one thing. In fact, your weakness was already revealed to me by Mad Bull."
Killer was taken aback. "Mad Bull told you? When did he tell you?"
Ji Zichen replied cheerfully, "You forgot that in Fire Cloud Residence, you angered Mad Bull. He only targeted your face when he attacked you. At that time, it didn't seem strange, but seeing you cover your face during our fight made me realize that Mad Bull must have known your weakness all along. He knows that the only place where you can be hurt is your face."
Killer glared fiercely at Ji Zichen, whose eyes seemed to see through everything. "The pain you've given me, I will make you pay back double."
Ji Zichen had heard many threats like this before, but none had ever been able to take his life. While he felt a sense of caution towards such words, he did not appear flustered.
However, Ji Zichen remained calm while the Sand Bandits were in a panic. Killer's ferocity was evident, and the Sand Bandits shuddered as they quickly distanced themselves from Ji Zichen and his companions. Ji Zichen was surprised to see the Sand Bandits retreating in fear.
The Sand Bandits were like startled birds, backing away while calling out, "Wait... wait... let us..."
Killer ignored the pleas of the other Sand Bandits; his furious eyes were fixed solely on Ji Zichen. He shouted angrily, " Ji Zichen, your eyes are truly vicious! I want to dig them out and see if they are different from mine!"
At that moment, dark clouds rolled in ominously. Gale howled fiercely as the people present felt their clothes fluttering violently. Ji Zichen exclaimed in shock, "What is happening?"
Seeing the sudden change in circumstances, the Sand Bandits were horrified and cried out in panic, "Run... run fast... or else when the sandstorm comes! We will all die here!"
Killer bellowed with rage, "Die! Go die! All of you die!"
"Sand Demon!"
The swirling dark clouds suddenly coalesced into a massive golden demon. The demon was covered in golden sand rather than gold itself. It had a pair of sharp horns and fangs protruding from its mouth. In its left hand, it held a bow; in its right hand, an arrow. Its eyes were hollow and empty as it loomed high above like a god of death.
The demon nocked an arrow onto its bowstring, drawing sand from the ground around it toward the arrowhead. The target was Ji Zichen. Lin Chuyu watched in horror as sweat dripped from her palms and her body trembled uncontrollably.
The wind grew increasingly fierce and shrill around them; everyone was paralyzed with fear at the terrifying appearance of the demon.
Xia Zhou's face was already pale from the scorching yellow sand that whipped against it. Killer raised his hands and shouted, "I'll bury you alive!"
With a loud "bang," the sand arrow shot forth. In the air, it didn't seem particularly large, but as it descended, it resembled a pillar of death. The sand arrow spanned dozens of yards wide, and attempting to escape on foot before it landed was nothing short of a fool's dream.
The sand arrow carried a weight akin to millions of tons, rushing towards Ji Zichen. Kiko's expression changed drastically as he quickly pulled Xia Zhou and Lin Chuyu close to him.
With a thunderous roar, the ground shook.
Dust obscured everything, plunging the area into darkness. After a while, as the smoke cleared, they saw that Cheng Gangzhu's previously conjured Fox Spines were gone—not vanished, but buried beneath the yellow sand, which had raised the ground by seven or eight yards.
Yet within dozens of yards, the ground was covered in yellow sand, as if Killer had forcibly moved a vast expanse of desert.
At the edge of this sand-covered ground, many Sand Bandits found their lower bodies heavily buried in sand. They screamed in unison, "It's so hot! I'm burning alive!"
The Sand Bandits struggled desperately; eight of them managed to break free from the suffocating sand and distanced themselves from its reach.
As the grains shifted, the weight of the sand at the edges lightened. Another eight Sand Bandits emerged from beneath the sand, their faces covered in dirt, but only sixteen of them remained alive.
The skin of those buried in sand was scorched red from the searing heat. Several Sand Bandits shouted angrily at Killer, "Boss! Are you crazy? You're harming your own brothers!"
Killer seemed blinded by rage; his mind was consumed with thoughts of tearing Ji Zichen apart. He manifested a sandball where Kiko had been moments before.
Killer glared furiously at the sandball and declared, " Ji Zichen, do you think you can escape?"
With a swift motion of his right hand, grains of sand coalesced into a Sand Spear. Killer summoned his strength and hurled the Sand Spear towards the deadly sphere. Just as the Sand Spear pierced a few inches into the ball, it suddenly exploded. Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou along with Lin Chuyu leaped out in three different directions from within.
The Sand Spear flew past the sandball and embedded itself several feet deep into the sandy ground behind it. This sandball was not an illusion created by Killer to protect Ji Zichen; it was actually a Wind Barrier formed by grains of sand enveloping it entirely.
Seeing Ji Zichen emerge, Killer's murderous intent surged as he snarled, "Today is your day to die, Ji Zichen!"
Xia Zhou seized the opportunity and threw three Eight Desolation Needles at Killer. Killer grinned widely and laughed maniacally, "No one can kill me on this sandy ground!"
The three Eight Desolation Needles exploded before Killer, sending dust flying everywhere. At that moment, Ji Zichen suddenly exclaimed, "Where are the others?"
At this moment, the dust had yet to settle, but amidst the swirling haze, there was no sign of the Killer. With a sudden "whoosh," the Killer sprang up from the ground, three paces away from his original position.
The Killer laughed arrogantly, "Don't waste your needles! I can move freely beneath the sand. If you know what's good for you, just accept your death! I'll make it quick for you!"
Xia Zhou leaped down to Ji Zaichen's side and anxiously said, "What do we do now? He's formidable; he can move underground, which makes my needles ineffective against him."
Lin Chuyu looked at the once smooth ground now covered in thick layers of sand, her heart racing. "He can move so much sand; his artifact is truly terrifying."
Ji Zichen felt the warmth of the sand beneath her feet and shivered slightly. "His artifact is indeed frightening. This sand is so hot; it doesn't feel like it's from around here. It must have come from the Yellow Sand Plain, but that's over twenty miles away!"
Xia Zhou was sweating profusely from the heat radiating off the sand. Wiping his brow, he said, "We need to get off this sandy surface; otherwise, we'll die of thirst."
Ji Zichen observed the Killer and remarked, "He brought all this sand here to prevent us from leaving. Instead of trying to escape, we should think of a way to deal with him."
Xia Zhou sighed, knowing Ji Zichen's analysis was spot on. "I refuse to believe he can't be killed on this sandy surface."
With that, Xia Zhou moved forward, each hand gripping three Eight Desolation Needles as he advanced toward the Killer. Seeing Xia Zhou approach, the Killer sneered arrogantly, "I knew you wouldn't give up, but as I said before, your needles can't hurt me!"
Xia Zhou smiled enigmatically. "Don't speak too soon!"
With a swift motion, Xia Zhou threw three needles with precision. He didn't trigger them in front of the Killer; instead, they pierced through and landed on the ground five paces away from him. The Killer laughed mockingly, "Even that Demon-Slaying Sword couldn't kill me! You saw it yourself; why are you trying the same trick again? Are you foolish or just blind?"
The Killer made a grabbing motion and conjured a Sand Spear in his hand. He raised it and lunged at Xia Zhou. As Xia Zhou's Eight Desolation Needles collided with the Sand Spear, Ji Zichen's expression darkened as she wondered what Xia Zhou was thinking. She thought to herself, "He knows this won't harm the Killer; what is he trying to accomplish?"
Xia Zhou was no fool; his instinctive response was just as sharp as Ji Zichen's. The earlier throw had been a test to see if his Eight Desolation Needles could penetrate through. Now he knew it was possible.
At that moment, Xia Zhou thrust three needles against the Sand Spear and reached into his pocket with his left hand to retrieve another needle. The Sand Spear was made of condensed sand particles; based on how his previous needles had pierced through earlier, he believed this time his Eight Desolation Needles could travel along the inside of the Sand Spear toward the Killer.
Xia Zhou inserted one needle into the tip of the Sand Spear. As he saw it sink inside, Ji Zichen's eyes widened in realization. "I understand now!"
Ji Zichen grasped what was happening while the Killer understood even better than anyone else. His heart raced as he thought, "This is bad! He intends to detonate the Eight Desolation Needles from within!"
Indeed, Xia Zhou aimed to explode the Eight Desolation Needles in front of the Killer. With sand particles shielding him from harm on the outside, if those needles detonated inside him instead, even if they couldn't kill him outright, they would surely inflict severe damage.
The Eight Desolation Needles pierced through the air, heading straight for the Killer, who quickly realized Xia Zhou's intentions. Reacting in an instant, the Killer had no choice but to abandon his current position. Just as he loosened his grip, the Sand Spear fell to his knees, and at that moment, the Eight Desolation Needles exploded from within the Sand Spear.
The Sand Spear was instantly shattered into countless pieces by the blast of the Eight Desolation Needles, sending grains of sand flying in all directions. The Killer staggered back from the shockwave of the explosion, struggling to maintain his footing. As he finally steadied himself, a sudden thought struck him; he turned around and saw three Eight Desolation Needles that had previously pierced through him lying right at his heels.
His face turned pale as he realized, "This is bad! I've fallen into a trap!"
Xia Zhou seized the opportunity and decisively launched three Eight Desolation Needles from his right hand, smiling brightly as he declared, "Detonate front and back! One move to scatter you!"
With a thunderous roar, another massive explosion erupted within a ten-foot radius of the Killer, enveloping him in a cloud of dust and debris. His body was sent flying out of the smoke like a kite with its string cut.
In the distance, the Sand Bandit gasped, "Has the leader been killed?"
A gaping hole had been blown in the Killer's abdomen, and he lay motionless on the ground. Xia Zhou chuckled leisurely and remarked, "What doesn’t die on the sandy surface? Now..."
Before Xia Zhou could finish his sentence, he suddenly stared in astonishment and exclaimed, "What!"
To his disbelief, the Killer slowly stood up. Xia Zhou looked incredulously at the gaping wound in the Killer's abdomen and said, "Your stomach has been blown out, yet you can still stand!"
The Killer replied ominously, "Do you have any more tricks? If not, it's my turn to strike!"
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