Chen Pingping was much calmer than Guang Xiaoyu and didn’t go wild with joy at the thought of reaching their destination. On the contrary, he was continuously surveying the deadly area.
The old yellow ox beside him was very calm.
The little black dog he was holding in his arms was quieter than usual, but the Earth Chicken following behind them had panic in its eyes, occasionally scrutinizing its surroundings.
He looked back, a smile playing on his lips. So, you get scared too?
Two years had passed, and it still hadn’t been tamed.
Good thing the System hasn’t dished out any punishment! Entering the Wasteland should be an opportunity, but I’m not very interested in those so-called Great Opportunities!
After walking for several days, the area remained desolate and uninhabited. Not a blade of grass was in sight, and not even a shadow could be found, let alone the eyes of a Demon God.
Things seemed unusually quiet.
Shi Yi was very cautious. "Should we... change our direction?"
The Divine Body nodded. "Agreed."
Guang Xiaoyu showed her displeasure. "I’m the leader; you all have to listen to me! If I say we don’t change direction, then we don’t."
Although several days had passed without any incident, as if they were lost in this desert land, the Demon God in Guang Xiaoyu’s mind stirred restlessly, its presence growing stronger each time.
She had a premonition that the eyes of the Demon God were in this direction.
The two looked at Chen Pingping for help, and he smiled. "Junior Sister has the final say."
In the depths, a world enshrouded in darkness housed many powerful creatures.
Their bodies were neither large nor muscular but rather frail and weak.
There were many of these creatures, packed as densely as the eye could see.
They were the race that lived deep in the sand dunes, the Devouring Ants, a fearsome species said to be able to easily devour even Emperor Realm experts.
Once they sensed the presence of life, they would swarm out in groups.
The Devouring Ant leader hesitated.
It was different from ordinary Devouring Ants; it had evolved a more robust physique and possessed a high level of wisdom its kin did not, allowing it to easily detect life forms walking on the sand dunes.
Not only that, but it could also sense the strength of those life forms.
If the life forms were much stronger than its own species, it naturally wouldn’t initiate an attack.
Of course, as the Lords of the Sand Dune, the Devouring Ants rarely feared any lifeforms that became lost in this desert, not even an Emperor Realm expert.
But what made it hesitate this time was a terrifying sensation, a palpitation; among the group walking above, there was an exceptional powerhouse.
No! It must be bloodline suppression.
This was quite outrageous.
They were born in the Wasteland, belonging to the Vicious Beast category, different from Demon Beasts. There was no such thing as bloodline suppression for them, but now... it truly felt fear.
"Leader, if we don’t attack now, those Human Clan members will walk past," an old Devouring Ant by its side couldn’t help but urge.
"Wait a bit longer. This group is not to be trifled with."
Chen Pingping and his group were unaware that, as they entered the dunes, Zi Yan and four others from the Saint Tao family had been following them for several days.
Zi Yan was puzzled. Where are the Devouring Ants mentioned in the records?
She had intended to use Chen Pingping’s group to lure out the Devouring Ants, but unexpectedly, after several days, the desert area remained calm, without even a shadow in sight.
"Could the records be mistaken? Or has this species gone extinct?" a young man nearby suggested.
"Impossible!" someone objected. "The Devouring Ants of the sand dunes have appeared seven or eight times in historical records. According to those records, this species has a strong survival capability and an even stronger reproductive capacity. They wouldn’t go extinct so easily."
"I get it! The Devouring Ants must have sensed our presence and probably don’t dare to make a rash move," the young man said with a smile. "It seems... the Divine Body’s group is benefiting from our presence!"
Zi Yan frowned, a sense of unease beginning to fill her heart.
An hour later, they came upon the path Guang Xiaoyu’s group had taken.
Suddenly... a massive amount of sand gushed out from the midst of the desert, followed by a collapse. Hundreds of holes emerged, and swarms of Devouring Ants appeared before their eyes.
The young man was dumbfounded.
Chen Pingping, who had walked some distance away, subconsciously looked back.
Shi Yi’s face turned pale. "It’s the Devouring Ants! They haven’t gone extinct! Damn it..." With that, he tried to flee.
Guang Xiaoyu grabbed him. "What are you panicking about?"
The group calmed down.
A dense swarm of Devouring Ants crawled out from the depths of the desert. Oddly, they did not rush towards Chen Pingping’s group but seemed to... intercept something else.
Guang Xiaoyu blinked, suppressing a laugh.
Chen Pingping murmured softly, "It’s those people from the Saint Tao family."
The Divine Body also smiled. "That woman is not to be trifled with."
Though the Devouring Ants were powerful and had the advantage in numbers, Zi Yan from the Saint Tao family was no ordinary young talent.
About ten minutes later, she fought her way out of the encirclement. Covered in blood, her disheveled hair cascaded over her shoulders. When she spotted Chen Pingping and the others watching the fight, she involuntarily spat out a mouthful of blood.
Afterward, she activated her powerful Divine Weapon, which fended off the Devouring Ants’ attack and also saved her companions who were on the verge of being eaten.
"Such strong skill," Chen Pingping said with admiration. "Perfectly integrating with the damaged Sacred Soldier to fend off the Devouring Ants’ attack. Not bad... truly worthy of that kind of physique."
Shi Yi was astonished. "How do you know?"
Could a mortal discern all this?
Chen Shixian looked at him, becoming even more certain that this fellow was concealing his true capabilities.
Zi Yan’s atavistic physique was almost unknown to anyone, even within the Saint Tao family; only a handful knew. Yet Chen Pingping had identified it outright.
"Trash physique," Guang Xiaoyu said disdainfully.
Chen Pingping rapped her on the head. "Be humble. You don’t even qualify as having a special physique."
Guang Xiaoyu felt wronged. I am the Demon Emperor, after all!
Nangong Jue’s mouth twitched. Right, right, right. She doesn’t even qualify as having a special physique, yet I can’t even defeat her. I get it now; this girl is a classic wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Once the damaged Sacred Soldier was reactivated, it repelled the Devouring Ants.
But Zi Yan and her party had all sustained injuries. She clenched her teeth and walked over.
"Eh? Isn’t this Leader Zi Yan of the Saint Tao family?" Guang Xiaoyu feigned surprise. "What are you doing here?"
She had been following Guang Xiaoyu’s group. She never imagined the Devouring Ants would ignore them and attack her instead.
The thought alone was enough to make her want to spit blood.
But she couldn’t very well complain about such "bad luck," so she said, "Oh, just passing by..."
"Were those Devouring Ants just now?" Guang Xiaoyu asked knowingly, deliberately prodding a sore spot.
Zi Yan gritted her teeth and said, "Yes! But... just a few Devouring Ants. They can’t stop me."
"It looks like you’re injured," Guang Xiaoyu said earnestly.
"It’s a minor wound."
"You have a bloody hole in your stomach. Is that considered minor?"
"Your forehead was almost smashed, and there’s a claw mark," Guang Xiaoyu said, her voice laced with false concern. "How could it be so serious? If you died here, the hope of the Saint Tao family would be dashed, right? Then you wouldn’t be able to take the lead and break through to the King Tao realm."
Zi Yan’s expression stiffened.