Chapter 87: Giant Monster

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Giant Monster

Surtr tactfully stepped forward, picking up the sand scorpion corpses scattered around the crater one by one and piling them at Chen Shang’s feet. All of the carapaces were shattered, their limbs twisted, and their tail stingers completely broken off. Chen Shang squatted down to perform a simple inspection. His Spiritual Power swept over their venom glands, the neurotoxins in their tail stingers, and the unique Energy circulation structure of the sand scorpions. Though their structural integrity was low, they were sufficient to be used as research materials.

He stored all the corpses into his Space Book, stood up, and dusted off his hands. "Let’s go. It shouldn’t be far now."

Within the vision of his Secret Eye, a blurry, dark red halo pulsed to the east-northeast—the Energy fluctuation of Dragon Blood. Saphiron left behind faint traces of Dragon Blood every time he came and went. Although the blood itself had been washed away by wind and rain, the residual Energy fluctuations formed a halo in the area. The center of it should be the giant red boulder.

They walked for about another half an Hourglass. Surtr’s dark Gold eyes constantly scanned their surroundings, and he deliberately stomped heavily on the sand, trying to intimidate any hidden sand worms. Soon, the giant red boulder appeared at the edge of their vision. It stood stark and angular on the wasteland, its surface covered in wind-eroded patterns.

"Mr. Chen, is this the one?" Surtr suddenly perked up.

Chen Shang held Surtr back. Instead of rushing forward, he closed his eyes and spread his Spiritual Power, sweeping over the sandy ground beneath their feet inch by inch. Beneath the sand surrounding the boulder, there was indeed an extremely faint fluctuation, perfectly matching the characteristics of the treasury Saphiron had described.

After scanning the area a few more times, Chen Shang released a Ben Bo’Erba from his Space Book. He took a test tube from his coat and handed it over. "Take this. Walk to the base of the boulder, take thirteen steps to the west, find the groove on the ground, and drip the Dragon Blood into it."

The Ben Bo’Erba took the test tube and turned toward the boulder. Its footsteps were incredibly light, and its grayish-Blue skin almost blended into the sand under the dim sky. Chen Shang stood in place watching it, with Surtr right behind him, his dark Gold eyes reflecting the creature’s retreating back. When the Ben Bo’Erba reached the boulder, it stopped and looked down to find the groove.

But the very moment it crouched, the sand at the foot of the boulder exploded.

Something violently thrust out from underground, blasting sand and gravel high into the air. A hideous giant maw emerged, and two rows of inward-curving, hook-like maxillipeds viciously clamped down on the Ben Bo’Erba.

At the same time, the ground beneath Chen Shang and Surtr trembled. Thick, jointed limbs pierced out of the sand, forming a circular cage around them. The ends of these limbs were tipped with sharp claws that gleamed under the dim sky, poised to shred the two into pieces.

But in the next instant, the bodies of Chen Shang and Surtr popped like overinflated balloons, dissipating into nothingness. Their true bodies were already standing twenty paces away. Chen Shang’s robes snapped loudly in the wind. He gripped Natural Fury, the Gemstone atop the Magic Staff glowing with a pale Gold light. It was a simple visual deception—a minor Witchcraft that only allowed the enemy to see an afterimage of light and shadow, leading to a fatal misjudgment.

The full appearance of the monster was finally revealed. It was an absolute behemoth. Just pulling itself out of the sand took several seconds. Its jointed segments broke free of the ground one by one, much like a freight train rolling out of a tunnel. Its body was dark yellow, blending almost perfectly with the surroundings. Each segment was covered in a thick carapace, with the edges of its armor bristling with dense, fine hairs.

Surtr looked at the monster’s head and gasped. "Mr. Chen, what is this thing? It’s so ugly!"

Chen Shang nodded. The monster was indeed quite hideous. The front of its head featured two rows of inward-curving maxillipeds, a pair of massive fangs, and countless tiny, wriggling antennae. Its eyes consisted of two rows of ocelli neatly arranged along the sides of its head. Every single eye was dark red, resembling two rows of Rubies nailed into its carapace. It looked somewhat like a giant centipede.

"You were the one driving those sand scorpions, weren’t you?" Chen Shang tightened his grip on Natural Fury, his Magic Power already pouring into the Magic Staff.

When he had inspected the sand scorpions earlier, he found no signs of them being in heat or experiencing any other biological anomalies. For them to initiate an unprovoked attack, something had to be pulling the strings. As they approached the giant boulder, he had repeatedly observed the area with his Secret Eye and finally caught on. This monster had been tracking them underground the entire time!

The giant centipede did not answer. Its two rows of eyes turned toward Chen Shang simultaneously, a dark red light dancing within its sockets. Then it moved, pulling its body completely out of the ground. Sand cascaded off its body like a waterfall, forming a gray curtain in the air. Its massive body writhed behind the curtain of dust before violently launching itself at Chen Shang, moving so fast that the human eye could barely track it.

Chen Shang waved his Magic Staff, activating its innate Skill: [Giant Wood Guard]. Instantly, two rows of towering wooden treants, dozens of meters tall, materialized to shield him.

Taking advantage of the ensuing clash, he opened his interface.

[Extractable trait detected: Toxin Resistance (Blue) — Source: Desert Centipede. Extract?]

[Extractable trait detected: Earthquake Perception (Blue) — Source: Desert Centipede. Extract?]

[Extractable trait detected: Eye of the Earth Element (Blue) — Source: Desert Centipede. Extract?]

Extract! Three streams of Blue light entered his inventory simultaneously. Chen Shang closed the interface and looked back at the battlefield.

The abilities of the Giant Wood Guard were clearly suppressed in the desert environment, preventing them from unleashing their full strength. They were being fiercely torn apart by the massive centipede, sending wooden splinters flying everywhere. Chen Shang raised his hand again, manipulating the Water-Fire Elements and injecting them into a Witchcraft model. As the Energy Ball took shape, he utilized his Spiritual Power to rapidly compress it.

Soon, an egg-sized sphere appeared in Chen Shang’s hand, spinning several times faster than the one he had used against the sand scorpions. He threw it. The Energy Ball shot straight toward the seams in the centipede’s carapace. Within the vision of his Secret Eye, this was the most vulnerable spot on the behemoth’s body.

The Water-Fire Ball exploded the moment it made contact. Scalding steam gushed into the joints of the armor, burning completely through the carapace connections along its entire flank. The giant centipede let out a shrill shriek, condensing countless invisible blades of Spiritual Power and shooting them in all directions.

Chen Shang’s temples throbbed for a second, but then the Crystal Core in his Sea of Consciousness lit up, fending off the attack. Surtr’s body swayed slightly, but his magma Constitution possessed a natural resistance to this kind of Spiritual Attack, allowing him to quickly steady himself.

The centipede’s body began to writhe. It tried to bury its injured side into the sand, attempting to block the burned-through seams with gravel. But Chen Shang gave it no such chance. A second Water-Fire Ball had already been formed, and this time, it was aimed squarely at its head.