Chapter 43: Wild Sand Descends

Nian and He became thoughtful, no longer sparring with each other.

Perhaps their luck had turned, for within minutes, another strange beast took the bait.

This creature had a bloated body like a hippopotamus, fin-like limbs, and a long tail and neck. In contrast, its head was strangely small. Such a low-intelligence creature never let go once it bit the hook, making it even easier to reel in than the earth dragon.

The only trouble was its enormous size; it took up an entire walnut boat, making the vessel sway precariously. Fortunately, the walnut boat was very close to the stone bridge, and over a hundred soldiers grabbed the tow ropes, laboriously pulling the creature onto the bridge.

What followed was a scene of large-scale butchering. People found buckets from the city's houses, bled the two monsters, and transported the blood, bucket by bucket, into the temple. Their massive bodies were like giant water jars, yielding copious, viscous blood with an overwhelming stench. He Lingchuan, smelling it from the side, secretly hoped the Grand Flask wouldn't be too picky.

Meanwhile, in front of the main hall, the pool's water was turning increasingly red. Most gratifyingly, after pouring over thirty buckets of beast blood, the pool's surface area began to expand!

"It's working!" Sun Fuping was overjoyed, his fingers clutching the edge of the pool turning white. "Keep going, keep going!"

Finally, after the last few buckets were poured in, the blood barely covered the bottom of the pool, appearing as only a thin layer.

Zeng Feixiong and his subordinates threw down their buckets. "Now what?" he asked.

"Wait!" Sun Fuping said, staring intently at the water. "Just wait!"

He Chunhua suddenly remarked, "The wind in the city stopped a long time ago." His reminder prompted everyone to recall: When had the omnipresent cold wind stopped?

The bright moon had, at some unknown point, hidden itself behind thick clouds, and everyone felt the city's light growing dimmer. No sooner had he spoken than a series of small bubbles appeared on the long-still water surface, creating slight ripples.

"There's a hole underneath..."

Before Zeng Feixiong could even finish his question, Sun Fuping shushed him, raising a hand to stop him. The vast Mitian Temple Square was utterly silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. This in itself was abnormal.

Another string of small bubbles rose. Sun Fuping lowered himself, just as he was about to lean closer for a better look, when the water surface suddenly splashed, and something shot out, nearly colliding with his face!

Others only saw a shadowy black mass, but this did not prevent them from gasping in alarm. Only Nian Songyu, He Chunhua, and a few others could make it out in the hurried moment: It was actually a wolf-like monster, with a head, tail, and limbs like a dog, but its body was covered in rough cracks, resembling tree bark rather than animal hide. And in its deeply sunken eye sockets, there were no eyeballs, but rather points of scarlet spectral fire!

This creature emerged from the water directly facing Sun Fuping, unceremoniously opening its maw and aiming straight for his throat. Its mouth could open to a hundred and twenty degrees, appearing capable of swallowing a person's head whole. The two were so close that in the blink of an eye for He Lingchuan, Sun Fuping's head seemed doomed.

But the Imperial Advisor was indeed true to his title, remaining calm in the face of danger. He thrust his staff directly into the monster's face. The beast head at the staff's tip opened its mouth and exhaled a blazing red fireball. The monster immediately let out a piercing shriek and disintegrated into ash.

Nian Songyu was startled, then exclaimed delightedly, "A vengeful spirit!" This monster had no physical form whatsoever; it was a vengeful spirit. People always believed vengeful spirits hid in the shadows of the Coiling Dragon Desert to corrupt minds, but the true culprits were the Three Corpse Worms. This vengeful spirit was the first true one they had encountered since entering the Coiling Dragon Desert. The moment it appeared, Nian Songyu was greatly pleased; this meant they were on the right track!

Soot covered Sun Fuping's face, but he didn't have time to wipe it off before bending down to observe the water. He Lingchuan maliciously thought that if Sun Fuping were to lower himself another inch, the next monster to emerge would be right in his face.

At this point, the entire pool of water was gurgling with bubbles, more numerous and denser than before. It was as if firewood were burning beneath it, and the water was on the verge of boiling. The layers of ripples reached the edge of the pool without dissipating; instead, they grew stronger as they spread outward, eventually forming waves. Waves crashed against the edge of the pool, then returned to further agitate the water surface.

Everyone's expressions soured. If a string of bubbles meant one monster emerging, then the dense, countless bubbles here meant...

Sun Fuping suddenly turned around and roared at everyone, "Take the Soul-Suppressing Powder, light your life flames! Quickly, quickly, quickly!"

This roar, amplified by true power, reverberated deafeningly across the surroundings and clearly revealed his anxiety. Everyone immediately sprang into action. Fortunately, the over a hundred soldiers previously involved in the sand-sea fishing had already taken the Soul-Suppressing Powder; now Sun Fuping, He Chunhua, and the others just needed to take theirs.

As soon as the small pills were swallowed, Sun Fuping urgently instructed, "Hold your breath and stand by the edge of the pool, don't look back! These monsters are even harder to deal with than the Three Corpse Worms!"

That last sentence sent a chill down everyone's spine. Sun Fuping emphasized again, "Hold your breath, hold it!"

No sooner had he spoken than the water surface suddenly exploded! The scene was like a volcanic eruption, with the pool's surface as the crater, and the spewing lava consisting of countless, bizarrely shaped vengeful spirits! Some resembled humans, some beasts, some plants, while others possessed characteristics of all three, making it impossible for living people to discern their original forms. But there were far too many vengeful spirits rushing out; people had no time to observe individuals. They could only see a spectacular black smoke, like volcanic ash, rising straight into the sky and then spreading in all directions!

Most terrifyingly, every vengeful spirit opened its mouth and wailed. The sound was sharp and piercing, filled with pain and resentment. Without needing a reminder, everyone instinctively covered their ears and tightly shut their mouths. But the sound echoed in everyone's consciousness, making their hearts tremble and their vision swim.

Most of the rushing vengeful spirits ascended, but a few circled twice above the main hall and then flew back down! No one dared to even breathe. Imperial Advisor Sun was right; these things looked far more vicious than the Three Corpse Worms. Three wisps of life flame ignited on their bodies, and the Soul-Suppressing Powder worked its utmost to conceal the presence of living people. The specters wove through the crowd but only perceived them as clay or wooden statues, and soon drifted away.

He Lingchuan looked up at the sky and saw that the circling specters filled the night sky, causing the weather to change rapidly. A wind began to blow.

Twenty breaths passed. Forty breaths passed. Thousands of vengeful spirits poured out with every breath, amounting to tens of thousands by now, yet they were still gushing out, showing no signs of slowing down.

The wind outside Coiling Dragon City grew increasingly strong. Dust devils began to form, growing from small to large, eventually turning into massive funnels with one end reaching the sky and the other touching the ground. Aside from the raging sand and strong winds, there seemed to be nothing else between heaven and earth. Although the sand blurred their vision, everyone, rubbing their eyes, felt compelled to witness it to the end. The Raging Sand Season was a part of growing up for most people in Blackwater City, but how many could personally witness its true cause?

As time passed, the soldiers' faces grew increasingly red from holding their breath, almost turning a liver-like purple.