Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Of the group, everyone except him had grown up in the capital, while he was born in the Northwest and was naturally much more familiar with the desert.

"Everyone, please stay close to me and don't get separated. There might be quicksand or other traps. Also, keep an eye on any tracks on the sand and warn us immediately if anything seems amiss. Do you all understand?"

He was usually taciturn, but once he took over the command position, he was anything but hesitant.

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

Soon, the five of them, led by Shen Lian, began their journey south.

Shen Lian was very experienced and chose a route that perfectly avoided the quicksand.

Along the way, they also encountered several armored sand scorpions lurking in the sand. These sand scorpions were just ordinary monsters, but their shells were hard, their stingers were poisonous, and they were good at ambushing.

However, because we were prepared, it caused almost no trouble. Inside the sand scorpion was a fire-attribute sand scorpion crystal core, which was a good material for refining weapons, so we took it without hesitation.

After traveling for about an hour, they encountered several shady rocks. Shen Lian even found a few drought-resistant sea buckthorn plants in the crevices, which were edible. This was undoubtedly good news.

"Everyone, please take a short rest here and replenish your water."

He gestured for everyone to stop and take shelter in the shade of the rocks to rest and replenish their energy.

Suddenly, a strong sense of crisis surged into Li Yuan's heart. He was startled. This was the first time he had sensed it so clearly since he had gained the power of prediction.

He looked up in confusion, and his expression suddenly changed. In the distant sky, a giant yellow dragon had appeared, rolling and twisting.

"What is that?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lian turned his head and his expression immediately changed.

"It's a sandstorm!"

"Quick! Get behind the rocks, everyone tie yourselves together with ropes and secure yourselves!" Shen Lian shouted sternly.

Everyone was startled and looked in the direction he pointed. They saw the gray-yellow dragon sweeping towards them at an astonishing speed.

A strong wind arrived first, whipping up sand that stung people's cheeks and blurred their vision. The world turned a hazy yellow, with sand and stones flying everywhere, and the howling wind sounding like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

"quick!"

Everyone quickly hid behind the rocks. Shen Lian took out a rope made of animal sinew from his backpack and tied the five people to the rocks. He then lowered his body and tightly wrapped his head and face with a cloth.

The next moment, the sandstorm completely engulfed the area.

The gale tore everything apart, and sand grains struck the protective aura, making crackling sounds.

All I could hear was the deafening roar of the sandstorm, and the sand beneath my feet seemed to be shifting, as if it could be overturned at any moment.

The group clung tightly to the ropes, relying on the strength of the rocks to resist the power of heaven and earth.

After an unknown amount of time, when everyone felt their true energy was almost exhausted, the sound of the wind finally began to subside, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, after a while, the wind gradually subsided, and everyone collapsed onto the sand, panting heavily and checking themselves.

Although they all looked disheveled and had exhausted their inner energy, fortunately none of them were injured.

"That was close... I was almost buried alive." Yu Ling'er patted her chest, still shaken.

"We really owe a lot to Senior Brother Shen this time." Even the usually cold-blooded Ji Fanghua felt a lingering fear.

Chu Yunhe brushed the sand off his body and said with a wry smile, "This secret realm has given us a real shock right from the start."

"Hahaha……"

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Everyone, don't relax. Check your equipment, and I'll double-check the location."

Having survived the ordeal, everyone was relieved. Only Shen Lian's expression remained grave.

"Wait, there's something underground!"

He suddenly let out a low shout, drew his sword, and retreated.

Almost simultaneously, the sand beneath their feet began to churn violently, as if some enormous creature was moving underground, and there was more than one of them.

"Everyone be careful!"

Li Yuan shouted sharply, and the nameless sword was already drawn. Chu Yunhe and the others instantly entered battle mode, their eyes fixed on the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ground exploded simultaneously, and several thick tentacles emerged from the sand, lashing out at the group.

These tentacles are covered with a hard, dark yellow carapace, and their tips are terrifying mouthparts that create gusts of savage winds that are nauseating.

"It's a swarm of sandworms! There are at least five of them. They are incredibly strong, have hard shells, and are adept at burrowing underground to ambush their prey. Don't get entangled with them!"

Shen Lian recognized it at a glance and hurriedly reminded him, then slashed his longsword fiercely at one of the sand worms.

The sandworm demons are social monsters, and the leader of them is as powerful as a demon general. They lurk underground in the sand fortress, clearly regarding them as prey.

Li Yuan's figure blurred, and he appeared in front of the thickest sandworm, slashing fiercely at the gap where the carapace was connected with his knife.

"choke!"

However, the sandworm's shell was far harder than expected; the nameless knife only managed to cut in an inch before getting stuck.

The sandworm, in pain, writhed wildly, its immense force nearly knocking Li Yuan over.

"Sizzle!"

Enraged, the sandworm opened its mouth wide and sprayed out a large amount of foul-smelling, sticky mucus. When it landed on the sand, it made a sizzling sound, and the ground quickly turned black, clearly indicating that it was highly poisonous.

"Everyone, don't get stuck in its slime, it's poisonous!" Shen Lian hurriedly warned.

Upon hearing this, the group dared not confront the enemy head-on anymore. Relying on their agility, they dodged and attacked at the same time, but the sand worm's defense was too strong, and their efforts were largely ineffective.

On the contrary, sandworms thrive in the sand, constantly emerging from various angles to attack.

In an instant, insect shadows fluttered, sand and stones flew everywhere, and roars and hisses mingled together.

"This won't do, we'll be worn down here!" Chu Yunhe shouted to Li Yuan as he blasted away a sand worm with his sword.

Li Yuan frowned slightly, fighting while observing the sand worms and pondering a way to break the deadlock.

Suddenly, he noticed a detail: the sandworms' frenzied attacks, seemingly random, were actually preventing them from getting closer in a certain direction.

There must be a problem.

"Concentrate your firepower and attack that side." Li Yuan made a decisive move, pointing his finger. The blade in his hand shone brightly, and he poured most of his magic power into it, slashing fiercely at the sand worm blocking his way.

Although no one understood why, they all chose to carry out the order without hesitation, immediately changing their target and launching a strong attack in that direction.

Boom—!

The combined furious attack of the five people finally blasted a large hole in the ground, causing the mud and sand to collapse and revealing a dark opening below.

"Hiss hiss hiss!"

The moment the cave entrance was blasted open, all the sandworms were completely enraged, emitting sharp, piercing screechs and desperately trying to prevent the group from entering the cave.

"There must be something down there! What are these sandworms guarding?" Yu Ling'er's eyes lit up.

"Enter the cave!"

Li Yuan swung his sword to force back a sand worm and roared at the crowd.

Although the situation below is unknown, staying here to fight the crazed sandworms to the death is obviously unwise, especially since their purpose in entering the secret realm is to find opportunities.

The five fought and retreated, approaching the dark cave entrance. The sandworms tried to intercept them, but through their combined efforts, they managed to carve a bloody path and leap into the cave one after another.

The cave entrance was not deep, only two or three zhang wide. After landing, the group found themselves in a wide passageway.

The passageway is built with huge stones, with a simple and rugged style, and is covered with blurry ancient murals.

This is clearly an ancient site buried beneath the desert.