Douluo Continent: Martial Soul Young Gilas, Sandstorm King!

Chapter 97 Sandstorm Worm King!
Lin Xia was prepared. He took out a specially made heat-insulating cloak from his soul tool and wrapped it tightly. He then used his first soul skill, Sandstorm, to create an extremely thin, almost invisible sandstorm barrier around his body. This barrier could slightly insulate him from extreme temperatures and also provide early warning of sudden increases in sandstorms.

Young Kiras adapted well to this environment. The scorching sand made it feel comfortable, and the cold of the night had little effect on its tough lava shell. It even liked to roll around in the sand, with only its small head and carapace showing, and the runes shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

They ventured deeper into the "Quicksand Wasteland" marked on the map.

Day after day, monotonous and harsh.

The sand dunes stretch out in a continuous arc, like solidified golden waves.

It's easy to lose your way, so Lin Xia relies on her precise memory of the stars' positions and her subtle perception of her soul power to correct her route.

Water is the biggest problem. The clean water he carries is consumed very quickly, and he has to rely on his martial soul to sense the faint moisture under the sand to find possible oases or underground water sources.

Several times, they encountered sudden sandstorms, with the sky-covering yellow sand like a monstrous apocalypse beast, roaring as if to devour everything.

Lin Xia had to use all his soul power to create a temporary sandcastle or dig a deep sand pit to hide, while Young Gilas clung tightly to him, using his weight and strength to become a stable anchor point.

The markers on the map were getting closer, and the environment was becoming increasingly treacherous.

The dunes here are taller and steeper, and the sand is extremely loose; you can sink up to your knees when you step on it.

An eerie silence filled the air, as if even the sound of the wind was being absorbed by the vast expanse of shifting sands.

Huge, irregular holes began to appear in the sand, with smooth edges and bottomless depths, exuding a chilling aura.

Some huge, twisted white skeletons lay half-buried in the sand, the remains of indistinguishable creatures, silently testifying to the deadly nature of this place.

"This is the area..."

Lin Xia squatted down, grabbed a handful of sand, and felt the turbulent earth element power contained within it, far exceeding that of the surrounding area.

"The nesting place of the sandstorm worms. Be careful, young Kiras, they usually lurk deep in the sand, sensing tremors to launch a surprise attack."

"Yoji!"

Young Gilas growled, its scarlet eyes scanning the soft sand around it warily, its lava teeth on its little claws slightly open, ready for battle.

Lin Xia did not rush to take action.

He chose a relatively solid, leeward side of a sand dune and began a detailed reconnaissance.

He released an extremely weak spiritual force, which seeped into the sand layer like a spider web.

He observed the flow of the sand ripples, paid attention to the location and distribution of those huge holes, and felt the slightest vibration of the sand grains under his feet.

At the same time, he was also adjusting his state. His level 20 soul power surged through his meridians, his first soul ring was faintly visible under his feet, and the power of the sandstorm was gathering in his palm.

The target is not just an ordinary sandstorm worm.

He was looking for the overlord of this desolate quicksand – the king of the sandstorm worms!
It must be the largest, oldest, and most powerful being in the race, and only its spirit ring can maximize the potential of Young Gilas.

Waiting is like dancing on a knife's edge.

Time passed in deathly silence.

Under the blazing sun, the temperature on the sand was frighteningly high.

Suddenly! The sand within a radius of tens of meters beneath Lin Xia's feet collapsed without warning!
A huge funnel-shaped quicksand vortex instantly formed, and a terrifying suction force came, trying to drag him into the bottomless abyss!

At the same time, less than five meters to his side, yellow sand shot into the sky like an explosion!

A massive, suffocating shadow burst forth from the sand!

It's huge! The part that's just protruding from the sand is over ten meters long and nearly two meters in diameter!
Its body is a deep, almost metallic, earthy brown, covered with layers upon layers of thick, ring-shaped carapaces that seem to be made of millions of compressed sand crystals. The edges of each carapace are sharp as knives and gleam with a cold, hard luster under the blazing sun.

It has no obvious head; the front end is a huge mouth made up of countless rotating, keratinized teeth, like a wildly spinning rock crusher, emitting a deep and terrifying "buzzing" roar!
Deep within the mouthparts lies a darkness that devours everything.

With its appearance, a gust of wind, mixed with the smell of earth and death, swept in, stirring up a sky full of yellow sand!
It is the king of sandstorm worms!

It used quicksand traps to draw attention, while its true form launched a deadly sneak attack from another direction!
The enormous body carried the power to crush everything, and its terrifying, rotating maw lunged straight at Lin Xia, intending to shred and devour him along with the sand!
"coming!"

Lin Xia's pupils suddenly contracted, her heart pounded, but her eyes instantly ignited with a fierce fighting spirit.

The prey he had been waiting for finally appeared!
"Younggilas, prepare for battle!"

Lin Xia's sharp shout was like a battle horn. Before the words had even finished, Young Gilas's small but terrifyingly powerful body had already transformed into a bolt of earth-yellow lightning!
"Yoji—!"

With a short, powerful growl, Young Gilas plunged its two small claws, covered in lava carapace, into the soft sand beneath its feet.

The crimson-gold phoenix patterns on its body suddenly lit up, as if lava was flowing within them, radiating astonishing heat and energy fluctuations.

Without the slightest hesitation, it grabbed Lin Xia's ankle and activated a standard digging skill!
Boom!

The sand beneath their feet seemed to melt and collapse downwards, instantly burying the figures of the man and his pet beneath the yellow sand, leaving only a crater that was quickly filled in by the flowing sand.

The massive body of the Sandstorm Worm King crashed down with the force to crush everything, its spinning mandibles, filled with ferocious teeth, like a runaway rock crusher, viciously gnawing at the empty sand.

*Thud!* The sand and gravel were squeezed and flung away by the immense force, leaving a terrifying bite mark several meters deep on the spot, and dust billowed into the sky.

However, the target has already disappeared!

The Sandstorm Worm King let out a low hiss, like the scraping of rocks, filled with rage and confusion.

Its massive body arched and twisted violently on the sand, its body, covered with a thick shell of sand crystals, grinding across the dunes and leaving deep furrows.

It has no eyes, but it clearly possesses an extremely keen sense of vibration, and quickly locked onto the young Gilas and Linxia moving rapidly beneath the sand.

"Now! Youngkiras, charge out!"

Lin Xia's voice echoed in the narrow sand tunnel, carrying a hint of excitement.

He could clearly feel the surging power within Young Gilas, as well as the pure fire intent emanating from the phoenix patterns on its carapace.

"Yoji!!"

Young Gilas responded, his scarlet eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

It suddenly changed direction, stopped digging downwards, and instead used all four legs to break through the sand layer above its head like a cannonball, soaring into the sky!

The yellow sand exploded like a fountain, and Young Gilas and Lin Xia's figures were once again exposed to the scorching sun.

(End of this chapter)