Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Desert Ruler suddenly stopped. A metal forest of missile launchers and tanks laid before it.
The metal forest slowly edged away from it as it took a step forward.
Out of nowhere, the Gengjin Eagle came at it with its metallic wings. However, the Desert Ruler was able to dodge the attack with unnatural agility. It swung an enlarged arm at the eagle and struck its tail feather, causing it to falter in its ascent.
The Desert Ruler let out a roar as it grabbed ahold of one of the eagle’s feet, then swung the eagle down so hard that it created a huge crater in the soft soil!
The Gengjin Eagle was disorientated by the impact for a moment. Before it even had the chance to regain its senses, the Desert Ruler viciously stamped its foot on the eagle’s abdomen.
A golden energy barrier had formed around the Gengjin Eagle’s body as a layer of protection. However, the Desert Ruler’s foot broke through the barrier easily.
A clanging sound echoed in the air as the Desert Ruler’s foot struck the eagle’s golden metallic feathers, which overlapped one another like armor plates. However, this didn’t completely cushion the foot’s impact.
The Gengjin Eagle squawked in pain. It swung its wings at the Desert Ruler, leaving two deep grooves on its body.
The eagle had left a bit of its golden energy residue on its opponent, preventing the injuries from healing.
Not at all fazed by the eagle’s attack, the Desert Ruler proceeded to grab the Gengjin Eagle’s wings.
Suddenly, there was a golden flash of light. A smoking hole could be seen on the Desert Ruler’s hand.
The Gengjin Eagle was glaring at it coldly, its beak glowing with a golden light.
“Sir, the Golden Deity is still engaged with the Desert Ruler. Should we continue firing at it?”
Yang Lin shook his head somberly. “No, let’s stop for now.”
Not only was the Golden Deity the most powerful Lord-tier familiar in the Chang’an army, it was also the city’s symbol of hope.
With the Golden Deity’s help, the Chang’an base city had been able to expand its borders.
If the Golden Deity were to perish here, the city’s military strength and the morale of its people would take a huge hit.
“Get ready, people. As soon as the Golden Deity pulls out, take your shot at the Desert Ruler immediately!”
Suddenly, the earth shook beneath his feet as a couple of tanks sank into the ground. Then a huge head emerged from the ground and bit a gigantic chunk of metal off of one of the tanks.
The creature then stuffed its head inside the tank, as if it was trying to squeeze out every bit of its contents.
The Shatuoman Man-eating Earthworms emerged from the ground one after another, disrupting the army’s formation.
One of the Man-eating Earthworms’ notable features was its physiology.
The tip of its head would open up like a flower, revealing a long tongue lined with sharp teeth inside.
Its tongue was equipped with thermoreceptors capable of sensing body heat in its vicinity. It would wrap its tongue around its prey and drag it into its digestive tract, where it would then be digested by a powerful acid.
Close-range weapons wouldn’t be able to do much damage to it, while the collateral damage caused by weapons of mass destruction had never made them an enticing option to take these creatures down.
“Tanks, scatter out. All familiars move in,” commanded Yang Lin. He had already done his homework on the monsters that lived in the desert.
One by one, the army’s avian familiars swooped down and snatched the Man-eating Earthworms out of the ground.
A chicken-like familiar with green scales covering its neck rushed at one of the earthworms while flapping its wings wildly. It snapped its beak shut around the earthworm, splitting it in two.
“Gao Peng, should we help?” asked Flamy, stretching its neck out.
“Not yet… If they look like they’re about to lose, then we’ll go in,” said Gao Peng. These people must have had a contingency plan up their sleeves. There was no way they would take on the Dali Desert with only this much firepower.
Gao Peng suddenly noticed a strange figure clad in black from head to toe beside Yang Lin.
One had to be either foolish or mad to be dressed entirely in black under the scorching desert sun.
Gao Peng strained his eyes at the black figure. However, he couldn’t read anything useful about them. He would have to personally remove the person’s attire in order to more accurately appraise him or her.
The Desert Ruler was now in a frenzy.
The Gengjin Eagle tried to fly away from it, but every time it opened up its wings, its opponent simply forced it back down.
The Desert Ruler grabbed the eagle by its neck and pinned it to the ground.
The Gengjin Eagle frantically beat at the Desert Ruler with its wings and dug out a gruesome hole in its abdomen with its claws. However, this seemed to have little to no effect on the Desert Ruler. As long as its core remained undamaged, it would still be able to regrow any part of itself.
As the Desert Ruler approached the desert, strings of sand flew out from the ground, refilling the gaping hole in the monster’s abdomen.
It seemed to be growing stronger and stronger as more and more sand filled up its body.
Gao Peng was impressed by this. The Desert Ruler was evidently in its element. On a scale from one to five, with one being its combat power outside the desert, the monster’s combat power was a solid five in the desert.
In the next instant, countless Sand Monsters from the desert began moving in tandem towards the Desert Ruler. They melted into its body, causing it to increase in size!
The Desert Ruler’s eyes were now filled with rage.
The Gengjin Eagle was completely immobilized by its opponent. Two rows of sand protrusions emerged from Desert Ruler’s back. One could see the distorted faces of the Sand Monsters that had merged with the Desert Ruler on its massive arms.
Suddenly, a sandstorm began brewing around the Desert Ruler…
