novelraw Chapter 593: Sand Sovereign
Chapter 593: Sand Sovereign
After walking for another two days and not coming across any other creature, the group had begun to let their guard down.
However, Ye Xuan and Chu Miao kept urging the others to stay vigilant.
They had entered this place physically. It wasn’t an illusion, so if something happened to them here, it would be real.
On the third day, they noticed that their bodies, which seemed to have adapted to the heat in the desert, were getting burned again and the pain that burned to their souls was increasing.
"Something is wrong. Everyone, stay alert." Chu Miao warned.
Just then, they felt the sand under their feet start to shift.
At first, it was very subtle but soon, it became violent and they had to keep dodging to avoid getting sucked up.
As the ground trembled, a figure slowly rose from the sand.
To be more precise, it was made from the sand that was moving.
The figure looked humanoid, but it didn’t have clear features like a human.
It was simply a massive body made from what seemed to be condensed sand and fire.
Its eyes burned like molten lava and the moment it appeared, the temperature rose once again.
"This..." Pei Ming swallowed hard.
"...is definitely not something we will be able to punch to death easily."
The others had the same opinion.
It wasn’t going to be as easy to deal with this sand man as it had been with the scorpion.
The moment the sand figure took its first step forward, the entire desert seemed to respond to its movement.
The winds howled louder than before and sand rose from the ground.
The sand beneath Chu Miao and her companions’ feet began to shift violently, forming waves that rose and fell like a restless ocean.
The heat spiked and the sand man emitted a pressure that pressed on them like a mountain.
This was the first time since entering the Soul Ring training grounds that the group felt a sense of danger.
"This thing is on a completely different level." Gu Fan muttered, his usual relaxed expression now gone.
"No kidding," Pei Ming added, already taking a defensive stance. "I liked the scorpion better."
Ye Xuan looked at his brothers who still had the time to make jokes and knew that they weren’t that threatened.
However, the sandman was indeed not simple to deal with.
Chu Miao’s eyes were fixed on the figure ahead.
The moment it fully rose from the sand, its form stabilized.
It was about ten feet tall and a meter wide.
It had thick arms and legs that didn’t look like they would be worn down by punches.
Its body was made of densely compacted sand, glowing faintly with red light from within, as if molten lava flowed beneath its surface.
The eyes of the sandman moved between the group making them realize that it had some intelligence.
"How on earth did your Chu family ancestors manage to create things like these?" Li Kun asked, looking vigilantly at the creature before them.
"Well, the Chu family has always had intelligent people. You can’t be jealous." Chu Hao started bragging.
"Is this really the time to brag about your ancestors’ intelligence when it’s about to get our ass handed to us?" Jing Xian who usually remained civilized spoke with vulgar language for the first time in a long time.
"Alright, everyone be careful. I believe this is the last trial in the desert. Once we are done with this thing. We can go back to rest. I believe everyone has gained enough from this training." Chu Miao urged everyone to concentrate.
In fact, she was also beat and tired and wanted to go back and rest too.
She could also feel that her spiritual power was on the verge of busting and she needed to go out and advance.
This time she didn’t need to suppress her breakthrough because her spiritual power had been purified and condensed to the extreme.
She could also feel the energy fluctuations on everyone else.
Once they left the Soul Ring, they would all advance collectively.
She somehow felt bad that she hadn’t brought more people or the rest of her family to this training session.
However, the Soul Ring was still there and if they wanted, they could come at any time.
Just as they were getting ready to fight, the sandman spoke.
"Congratulations on passing the trials."
This shocked even Chu Miao and Ye Xuan who had seen more of the world.
"Wh...what?" Chu Hao asked in confusion.
The sand man looked at Chu Hao for a moment then moved its eyes to Chu Miao.
"Chu family descendants." It suddenly said.
"The Chu family has produced worthy descendants." It added.
Chu Miao looked at it and realized that even though the figure looked intimidating, it didn’t have any hostility towards them.
So, she spoke and asked.
"You know we are from the Chu family, then who are you?"
"I am the guardian of this domain. I have waited for thousands of years, but not a single person was able to pass the test." I said in what Chu Miao could have sworn was a sad voice.
"What is the test for?" She asked curiously.
"For those who seek strength and a wider path."
"So, the life and death situations we have faced over the last month were part of a test?" Pei Ming asked.
The figure turned to him and was silent for a while before it spoke again.
"Yes. That was both a test and a reward. Passing the test means you have what it takes to walk a wider and longer path. It also gives you strength and foundation you wouldn’t get anywhere else."
"And what is this wider and longer path you keep mentioning?" Chu Hao was getting impatient and asked.
The guardian looked at Chu Hao for a while then its sandy lips stretched as if in a smile.
"A path to transcend beyond the limits of the mortal world."