Chapter 443: Insta-killed
WHOOSH... WHOOSH...
A biting sandstorm howled in Gu Tianyao's ears. He pushed through the wind and sand, moving ever forward through the vast gloom in search of Shen Daoxing.
But suddenly, Gu Tianyao slowed. He let the sandstorm blow past him as the Flying Boat, suspended in the sky, gradually came to a halt.
Gu Tianyao couldn't help but turn to look outside, then back inside. His gaze grew cold.
'That's right. I didn't mean to leave Shen Daoxing behind in the sandstorm, but isn't this the perfect opportunity?'
'A mere outer sect disciple like Shen Daoxing dared to insult my sister and do something so outrageous. This is absolutely unforgivable.'
SHING!
The sharp sound of a blade being unsheathed rang out.
Gu Tianyao suddenly drew a brightly gleaming broadsword, his gaze falling coldly upon the depths of the sandstorm.
...
「Meanwhile, at the heart of the sandstorm.」
After Gu Tianyao, Gu Muyun, and the others had fled on the Flying Boat, only Shen Daoxing remained.
Suddenly, all the Desert Poison Scorpions raised their bright red tails in unison, glaring at him ferociously.
Seeing this, Shen Daoxing couldn't help but laugh. The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat had already emerged from his robes. Looking at the swarms of Desert Poison Scorpions, it couldn't help but drool, squeaking impatiently, "SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK."
"Don't be hasty. You'll get your chance to eat."
Shen Daoxing and the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat were bound by a master-servant contract, their minds linked. He naturally understood what it wanted.
After devouring many of the demonic beasts from Yun Meng Lake, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat had reached a critical moment in its breakthrough. It was just one step away from recovering its strength at the Refining Dust realm. To do so, however, it needed to consume a massive amount of food and energy.
And the Desert Poison Scorpions before it were the perfect delicacy.
HISS! HISS!
A series of sharp, strange noises suddenly erupted from the mouths of the Desert Poison Scorpions.
The next moment, three Desert Poison Scorpions leaped up and lunged at Shen Daoxing.
With a flick of his hand, Shen Daoxing summoned the Great Ming Demon Sparrow.
BZZZT!
Black arcs of electricity flashed, and a streak of black light cut through the air.
The three Desert Poison Scorpions froze mid-air. Then they convulsed, splitting right down the middle into two halves.
However, at that moment, the sand beneath Shen Daoxing's feet suddenly churned, and a long, bright red scorpion tail shot out.
Shen Daoxing quickly sidestepped, narrowly dodging the attack.
But just as he avoided the tail's attack from below, several more Desert Poison Scorpions at his sides sprang into action, pouncing at him in unison.
Shen Daoxing simply reached out and grabbed the long scorpion tail that had stabbed up from the ground.
Then he yanked hard. His small frame somehow managed to pull the enormous scorpion, several times his size, completely out from under the sand.
Then Shen Daoxing twisted his body, and with the scorpion tail in hand, he suddenly swung it out, carving a graceful arc through the air.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
A series of loud bangs echoed.
The scorpion in Shen Daoxing's hands collided with the lunging Desert Poison Scorpions. They exploded in a shower of gore, splattering blue blood everywhere.
However, no sooner had these few Desert Poison Scorpions fallen than several more leaped at Shen Daoxing from all sides—front, back, left, and right.
At the same time, even more Desert Poison Scorpions burrowed underground, their bright red tails stabbing out in a series of sneak attacks against Shen Daoxing.
And on the perimeter, more and more Desert Poison Scorpions pushed forward, a relentless, layered tide.
BAM!
Shen Daoxing lashed out with a fist, blasting apart a scorpion that leaped at him.
Then, he followed with a sweeping kick, shattering another that tried to ambush him from below.
Although Shen Daoxing dealt with the Desert Poison Scorpions effortlessly, there was no end to them. They were a ceaseless tide. If this continued, even though his Spiritual Power was more abundant than a normal person's, it would eventually run out.
SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!
At that moment, the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat in his robes began to squeak, waving its paws at Shen Daoxing as if complaining that its master was useless.
BONK!
Shen Daoxing couldn't help but reach out and rap the Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat soundly on the head.
The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat immediately clutched its head and squawked.
'So be it!'
The next moment.
A black-gold light suddenly flared around Shen Daoxing's feet. He slowly raised one foot, then brought it down hard on the ground.
BOOM!
In that instant.
BZZZZT!
Countless black arcs of electricity spread out from the soles of Shen Daoxing's feet. They branched out like a spider's web, crawling across the surroundings and deep into the desert sand.
In a flash, black arcs of electricity flickered over the bodies of the Desert Poison Scorpions hiding underground.
HIIISSS!
Agonized screeches suddenly rose from beneath the ground.
RUMBLE!
Then, they all burst out from the ground at once.
The ground, already packed densely with Desert Poison Scorpions, now became even more crowded.
Seeing this, Shen Daoxing smiled faintly. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
"Venerable Invincible, Huangliang's Moment!"
A magnetic voice issued from Shen Daoxing's lips.
Suddenly, the swarming Desert Poison Scorpions froze in place. The sand filling the sky also stopped without warning. It was as if the entire world had paused, everything frozen solid in the air.
Shen Daoxing slowly raised the Great Ming Demon Sparrow in his hand.
"Venerable Taboo, Kunlun Duanyue!"
Then, he spun his body, tracing a perfect circle in the air.
BZZZT!
Black arcs of electricity flashed through the sky.
The next moment.
A circular blade of light, vast enough to cleave mountains and sunder the heavens, shot out from Shen Daoxing's position. It flashed past in an instant, bisecting the world.
In that instant, a long fissure appeared down the middle of every Desert Poison Scorpion surrounding Shen Daoxing.
The entire sandstorm also split down the middle, a long fissure appearing within it.
The entire world seemed to have been horizontally sliced in two.
SNAP!
Shen Daoxing suddenly raised his hand and snapped his fingers in the air.
With that, Huangliang's Moment was released.
Suddenly, all the Desert Poison Scorpions around Shen Daoxing shuddered, then collapsed to the ground in a great clattering heap without any warning.
CRACK!
Their bodies suddenly split apart, the top halves sliding off the bottom. Severed neatly in two, they fell in piles around Shen Daoxing.
Even the sandstorm filling the sky paused. The long fissure in its center flashed for a moment, and then the storm abruptly subsided, the endless yellow sand slowly drifting down.
SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!
The Golden-Eyed Treasure-Seeking Rat gave a joyful cry. It shot out from Shen Daoxing's robes as a gray arc of light. Its head suddenly swelled in size, and it opened its cavernous maw, unceremoniously devouring the nearby Desert Poison Scorpions.
And at this very moment, Gu Tianyao, gripping a gleaming longsword, was still piloting the Flying Boat through the sandstorm.