The Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpion King was dead.
Losing their leader, the numerous scorpions immediately fell into chaos, their formation collapsing without a commander.
Following the death of the last 1st Rank scorpion, the swarms that hadn’t even reached the 1st Rank were completely disorganized.
The hierarchy among Magical Beasts is strict; having lost their leader and command, they were suppressed by the aura of the higher-ranked Desert Rock Snakes and scattered in all directions.
After chasing them for a while, the Desert Rock Snakes gave up the pursuit at Qing Ling’s call.
Yan Qingshan and Qing Ling then began processing the many beast corpses on the spot.
Common Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions aren’t even 1st Rank, so their value is truly minimal.
Aside from their venom, which holds some utility, they are practically worthless.
Yan Qingshan collected the venom glands from their tail stingers, doing the same for the 1st Rank scorpions and the 2nd Rank Scorpion King.
Out of nearly twenty 1st Rank scorpions, only three possessed Monster Cores.
This ratio is extremely low even among 1st Rank beasts, indicating the poor potential of this species.
Fortunately, the 2nd Rank Scorpion King yielded a 2nd Rank Monster Core.
This was a stroke of good luck.
A 2nd Rank Earth-attribute Monster Core of nearly 3rd Rank quality held considerable value.
However, Yan Qingshan did not keep these four cores for himself; instead, he gave them to the Rock Snake King and the three 1st Rank Rock Snakes that had contributed the most to consume.
Although Rock Snakes possess the Stone attribute, it is a variant of the Earth attribute.
The energy conversion rate between the two is high, and since Desert Rock Snakes frequently absorb Earth-attribute energy, they could utilize these cores to the greatest extent.
The advancement of Magical Beasts is far more difficult than that of humans.
Their strength grows slowly after reaching adulthood, and lacking human cultivation talent, they can only continuously accumulate energy.
They grow through the slow, grinding effort of accumulating foundation over long periods of time.
Of course, high-level beasts with noble bloodlines grow much faster, but most Magical Beasts follow the path of slowly promoting through energy accumulation.
There are a few ways for a Magical Beast to accumulate energy.
One is hard cultivation over time; another is finding and consuming precious medicinal herbs rich in energy; and the last is mutual slaughter, devouring the corpses of the losers.
Magical Beast corpses contain significant energy, but it is even more violent and chaotic than that in Monster Cores, making it impossible for ordinary people to use.
However, the powerful bodies of Magical Beasts allow them to swallow it directly.
While the conversion rate isn’t very high, it is much faster than hard cultivation.
In this battle, the ranked members of the Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpion pack were wiped out by Yan Qingshan and the snakes.
With over a hundred corpses left on the field and about twenty surviving Rock Snakes, it was a gluttonous feast for them.
The scene of Magical Beasts devouring one another was truly bloody.
The Rock Snakes, lacking developed intelligence, did not even spare their fallen comrades.
Qing Ling’s small face turned pale at the sight.
“Qing Ling, take me to where the Scorpion King first appeared.”
Yan Qingshan placed the collected materials into his storage ring and spoke softly as he approached Qing Ling.
She jolted, turned her head, and hurriedly followed Yan Qingshan away while covering her mouth.
…
“Young Master, I was leading the Rock Snakes through the desert as usual, searching for possible underground passages.”
“But when we reached this spot, not long after the Rock Snake King burrowed in, there was a huge disturbance below.
Then, that 2nd Rank Scorpion King rushed out.”
“Before this, although we encountered Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions and other subterranean beasts, I had thirty Rock Snakes with me.
Most beasts were startled and just ran away.”
“Only the Scorpion King that appeared here was the leader of the entire swarm.
After we woke it, it summoned numerous scorpions, and that’s why…”
Qing Ling led Yan Qingshan to the northern side of the sandy area, in front of a sand pit with obvious traces.
“Young Master, look.
It’s right here.”
In the center of the depression was a shrinking hole.
The pitch-black opening at the very bottom was less than a foot wide, with a faint, warm air rising from it.
“This hole is very deep, and Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions love the heat.
They often burrow toward heat sources; perhaps they’ve broken through to an underground passage!”
Yan Qingshan had a vague suspicion.
This desert underground should be the nurturing ground of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
During the time this Heavenly Flame was formed, the underground magma lake would be extremely active and have erupted several times.
The spreading movement of the underground magma created some quartz-lined hollow passages.
This was the reason Xiao Yan discovered many fork roads after entering the underground in the original story.
These underground hollow passages are buried deep and are usually hard to find.
After all, humans dig with specific goals and give up after a period with no results.
Magical Beasts are different; they often rely on instinct and intuition to seek benefits and avoid harm.
The Yellow Sand Demonic Scorpions love heat but dislike being directly exposed to the sun on the surface, so they often travel through the desert sand seeking heat sources.
It was perfectly normal for them to break through into a hollow underground tunnel by chance.
“Qing Ling, let’s bring the Rock Snakes over first!”
Yan Qingshan tried to clear the area around the hole, but a slight movement caused the surrounding sand to slide, burying the opening even further.
Yan Qingshan knew that even with a target, reaching the underground by himself would require immense effort.
Fortunately, he had made preparations beforehand.
“Little girl, you’ve achieved a great merit for the Young Master this time!”
Besides Yan Qingshan, the girl in the green dress knelt by the hole just as he did.
Yellow sand clung to many parts of her body, yet her exquisite face carried a joyful smile.
Yan Qingshan laughed and dotingly pinched the girl’s nose, making the little beauty blush with shyness, her appearance becoming even more charming.
Qing Ling’s face showed a hint of shyness, then she playfully winked at him.
“Young Master, how are you going to reward Qing Ling then?”
“A reward, huh?”
Yan Qingshan mockingly rubbed his chin, looking at the girl who was developing rapidly now that her nutrition had improved.
“How about rewarding Qing Ling by having her warm the Young Master’s bed tonight?”
“The Young Master is so wicked!
I’m not talking to you anymore!”
At the end of the day, Qing Ling was just a young girl.
How could she withstand such teasing?
Her face turned bright red, and she immediately covered her face and ran away.
Yan Qingshan watched the girl run off with a laugh and chased after her mischievously.
“Little girl, if the Young Master catches you, you’d better warm the bed tonight…
Hahaha…”
“The Young Master is wicked…
Ah…”
Qing Ling’s shy voice was mixed with laughter.
Amidst the boundless yellow sand, the two chased and played, their bell-like laughter lingering within the whistling wind.
…
In front of the underground sand pit, Yan Qingshan drove a deep wooden stake into a loess slope about ten meters away and tied a rope to it.
One by one, the Rock Snakes charged through, using their Stone-attribute energy to stabilize the sand layers of the passage.
A passage over half a meter wide soon appeared in the original depression.
“Qing Ling, remember to hold me tight later!”
Yan Qingshan arrived at the hole, one hand gripping the rope and the other holding a Moonstone.
Qing Ling jogged to his side and clung tightly to his chest.
Her bright, enchanting jade eyes stared at his face, and she actually fell into a daze.
“Little girl, don’t be nervous.”
Yan Qingshan lowered his head to give Qing Ling a light kiss on her forehead and smiled.
Then, he tightened his grip on the rope.
Qing Ling directed the Rock Snake King and the other snakes to clear the path ahead and guard the rear.
With a leap, the two entered the pitch-black underground passage.
Within the dark tunnel, Yan Qingshan gripped the rope to maintain balance, protecting Qing Ling while holding the Moonstone in his other hand.
The two continued to slide down the passage.
The glowing Moonstone illuminated the path ahead, allowing them to avoid the dangers of the uneven terrain.
Surrounding Yan Qingshan and Qing Ling were about ten Desert Rock Snakes each.
The 2nd Rank Rock Snake King cleared the way in front.
Having devoured the Scorpion King’s corpse and Monster Core, its strength was undergoing a continuous transformation, already faintly emitting the aura of a 3rd Rank Magical Beast.
The end of this underground passage was a slope nearly a hundred meters below the surface.
After sliding for nearly three minutes, Yan Qingshan pushed off with his toes and landed steadily while holding Qing Ling with a dull thud.
Yan Qingshan gently set Qing Ling down and moved forward with the Moonstone.
Before them were over a dozen tunnels that disappeared into the darkness, seven or eight of which carried a faint, warm breeze.
“Have each Rock Snake go take a look.
Come back once you find a passage that is very, very hot!”
Yan Qingshan tried to sense the aura with his keen Soul Perception, but the surrounding auras were mixed and chaotic, making it truly difficult to distinguish.
Searching each one would be a waste of time.
Fortunately, Yan Qingshan had brought helpers.
He had Qing Ling use the Rock Snakes to scout the paths, telling them to return once they encountered an intensely hot environment.
“Mm!”
Qing Ling nodded lightly and blinked.
Around her jade-green pupils, three extremely tiny green dots emerged silently.
Qing Ling’s command was quickly received by the Rock Snakes.
Aside from the 2nd Rank Rock Snake King staying behind to protect Qing Ling, the twenty-plus snakes moved rapidly toward the various tunnels.
…
Within the pitch-black tunnel, two figures and over a dozen snake silhouettes walked slowly by the light of the Moonstone.
Along the way, aside from the footsteps and the slight rustling of the snakes, there was almost total silence.
In the dark and deep passage, there seemed to be no concept of time.
As they moved deeper, after traveling approximately five hundred meters, a faint warm breeze met them.
“Finally…
almost there.”
In the underground passage, Yan Qingshan was covered in sweat.
Turning another corner, a red glow actually appeared at the end of the tunnel, not far away.
His voice was hoarse and dry, and his entire body looked as if it had been soaked in water.
The suppression of the Fire attribute over the Wood attribute was too great.
Fortunately, he practiced a High Xuan Class Qi Method, and combined with his targeted Dou Qi condensation and long-term physical training, it would have been impossible for him to reach this place with the cultivation of a mere Dou Zhe.
(End of Chapter)