Chapter 947: Sand River Dolls

Lu Ran had thought himself lucky.

He had merely walked westward and stumbled upon Ten Thousand Swords Mountain in the desert.

Later, Lu Ran realized he was wildly wrong.

He hadn't accidentally discovered Ten Thousand Swords Mountain—every single inch of this endless desert was Ten Thousand Swords Mountain!

Towering stone pillars stood thickly, spreading in all directions.

Even after crossing one patch of Ten Thousand Swords Mountain, another lay ahead.

One after another, without end!

"When will this ever end?" Lu Ran murmured.

He hovered a hundred meters above ground, gazing westward—but the stone pillar terrain stretched beyond sight.

Between the dense pillars, visible waves of scorching heat rippled.

Merely looking at them made one's mouth dry and throat parched, let alone those trapped in this extreme heat.

Any believer with even slightly weaker cultivation would surely die here—of heat, thirst, or despair—in this dreadful Ten Thousand Swords Mountain.

Deng Yuxiang stood silently beside Lu Ran, hovering in midair.

A quiet unease stirred in her heart—they had walked so long and seen not a single living thing.

No demons, no humans, not even a trace of movement.

The entire world was nothing but desolation.

Infinite silence.

Sacred Spirit Mountain had never held birds or beasts, but the region they had just left still boasted lush trees.

Here, not a whisper of life remained.

This Ten Thousand Swords Mountain standing amid the desert seemed abandoned by heaven itself.

"Huh?!"

A cry of shock rang out from a hundred meters below—it was Jing Hong.

In the silent environment, the sound was jarring, tightening every nerve.

Lu Ran looked down and saw the yellow sand beneath Jing Hong's feet twisting into a vortex.

Was this the demon art—Sand Vortex?

From the demon clan—Sand River Dolls!

Among the demon clans, there were four types of Dolls, and the Sand River Dolls were the most infamous.

Their most chilling and infuriating trait was their cruel, playful nature, especially their love for desecrating corpses.

When Sand River Dolls encountered human corpses, they filled them with sand, replacing flesh and bone, binding the sand to the skeleton.

Once the ritual succeeded, the sand-filled corpse would "revive" within moments.

And become a loyal puppet of the Sand River Doll.

These "sand corpses" moved sluggishly and, having already died, their souls had been reclaimed by the gods—their contracts severed—so they possessed no divine arts, their combat power pitifully low.

But to ordinary people, this was a nightmare.

A loved one had just died, yet suddenly sand poured from their mouth and eye sockets, and they rose, moaning as they lunged forward.

Such a sight could shatter anyone's sanity.

"Watch out!"

Lu Ran flashed to Jing Hong's side and seized her arm.

"Sssss—"

Beneath his feet, an invisible wind current lifted, followed by a surge of immortal mist.

Lu Ran activated the Immortal Sheep Divine Art—Immortal Hoof—building upon the Night Phantom Demon Art—Night Dance Enchanting.

The scene looked like he was performing a "midair double jump."

Well… truthfully, if he wanted, he could do a "midair ten-thousand-time jump."

"From Long, catch!" Lu Ran hurled Jing Hong diagonally upward with force.

Simultaneously, eight golden jade talismans erupted from his body.

Ding-ding-ding! The crisp chimes rang endlessly!

For from within the sand vortex, sharp sand spikes suddenly erupted—each four meters long.

Their bases clustered together, shooting outward in all directions like a blooming flower.

Sand River Doll Demon Art—Sand Spike Bloom!

Yet several spikes were blocked—stopped dead by the autonomous golden jade talismans.

The sand spike bloom failed to fully unfurl.

Lu Ran listened intently—he hadn't flashed away because he wanted to locate the enemy.

But in the next instant, countless water droplets surfaced, and tiny mosasaurs drifted through the air.

A Sha Divine Art—Canglong Sea!

Within a hundred-meter radius, no enemy could escape Luo Ying's sight.

Luo Ying was searching for the enemy when she suddenly noticed Lu Ran opening his mouth and swallowing a large cluster of water droplets.

Is the sect master thirsty?

Indeed, marching through this vast desert under such extreme heat—even Lu Ran, a Jiang-level powerhouse—was parched.

Without his water-armored armor, his lips might have cracked in this brutal environment.

Fortunately, Lu Ran still had some dignity!

He merely swallowed the water droplets before him—he didn't grab the tiny mosasaurs and bite their heads.

Luo Ying's expression turned peculiar, but her movements were swift—she drew her bow.

"Deng!"

The bowstring vibrated sharply.

As Luo Ying used her divine weapon's flight ability to recoil diagonally backward, a water-mist arrow shot into the sand.

A Sha Divine Art—Water Mist Arrow!

This was the most basic A Sha divine art, suited for Wu-level One, its arrow material barely even water—just a thin mist.

And with each casting, Luo Ying could fire only a single, lonely arrow.

So the question arose:

Why did the Divine General choose this?

Because the Divine Art—Water Mist Arrow—had another trait: the mist could seep into the target's body and disrupt their divine energy flow!

"Sss!"

The output of a Hai-level master was terrifying!

The water mist arrow flew at incredible speed and force, piercing deep into the desert, its movement underground identical to its flight through air.

In an instant, it pierced through dozens of meters underground—straight through the sneaky little sand creature.

As mist spread, the Sand River Doll's sand-formed body instantly reverted to its true flesh.

The demon art—Sand Body—was nullified!

From this moment, human physical attacks could now inflict real damage on the Sand River Doll.

And the Sand River Doll's other demon art—Sand River Travel—was useless too; it could no longer roam freely through the sand sea or tunnel beneath the earth.

The poor Sand River Doll, stripped of all its arts, had buried itself alive.

"I'll handle it!"

Lu Ran plunged downward from another angle, gripping the Eight Wilderness Annihilation Blade, merging with the weapon like a spear thrusting diagonally into the earth.

Luo Ying's fingers, gripping the bowstring, paused slightly.

A string of arrows could have finished it—why did the sect master dive into the sand?

Luo Ying didn't understand, but she obeyed.

"Boom!"

The sand exploded violently; immortal mist surged beneath Lu Ran's feet as he stabbed deep underground.

The Eight Wilderness Blade pierced the Sand River Doll's skull; Lu Ran instantly teleported back.

"Hum!"

Lu Ran's eyes brightened—he knew it!

He gripped the Eight Wilderness Blade's hilt, murmuring: "Yes! Keep going—don't stop!"

You've got sea, land, and sky—what you lack is underground, right?

Or perhaps you've got sky, sea, snow forests, and grasslands—what you lack is desert?

Eight Wilderness Annihilation—no matter what, you just give me—

Damn!

The Eight Wilderness Blade, which had just been humming, gradually fell silent.

Everyone watched in silence as Lu Ran's expression darkened, until they heard the sect master's sigh.

It seemed the Eight Wilderness Blade still lacked something to become a divine weapon.

Luo Ying's thoughts shifted—within the Canglong Sea, a tiny mosasaur drifted slowly toward Lu Ran.

"Hmm?" Lu Ran looked at his divine general.

"Are you thirsty, sect master?" Luo Ying whispered, a flicker of tenderness passing unseen beneath her eyes.

Lu Ran: "."

His observational skills were exceptional; he caught every subtle expression on Luoying's face.

Lu Ran was torn between laughter and tears, and felt a pang of guilt.

All this time, he had taken this young mother on missions, leaving her with little time to be with her children.

Yes! I am indeed young, and I truly couldn't resist—I stole a bite of your Canglong Sea!

But you can't transfer your maternal love and treat me like your son!

"Hm?" Luoying suddenly turned, gazing toward the west.

Everyone turned to look.

Lu Ran covered his ears as if stealing a bell, secretly taking a bite of the little Canglong before him.

It really quenches thirst~

Though the little Canglong was made of water, its essence was divine power—it could not truly replenish Lu Ran's body with moisture.

But Lu Ran had reached the River Realm; he didn't need to drink water at all—he only wanted the feeling of quenching thirst.

What is meant by fate's perfect match?

"The Sand River Children are numerous," Luoying stood midair, bow in hand, gazing down at the ground.

The fine droplets of the Canglong Sea had seeped into the desert's depths, sensing everything.

As they spoke, one Sand River Child rose from the sand.

From its size, it resembled a four- or five-year-old child—thin and small, wearing a strangely shaped hat like a bird's crest.

Kind of like the feather headdresses worn by Native Americans?

At this moment, the Sand River Child was using the Evil Art: Sand Body, its entire form assembled from grains of sand, leaving its features blurred, only outlines visible.

"Swoosh~!"

The instant the demon revealed itself, Luoying's mist arrow shot forward.

The Sand River Child instinctively raised its hand, opening its tiny sand palm, sending a terrifying sand wave surging forward.

Evil Art: Torrential Sand Wave!

Yet the towering, fearsome sand wave failed to stop the arrow of the Vast Sea.

The mist arrow pierced through the sand wave instantly, its force undiminished, terrifyingly powerful, and cut through the Sand River Child's body.

The arrow passed through.

But the mist scattered, wreaking havoc within the Sand River Child's energy!

The torrential sand wave, deprived of its caster's control, crashed to the ground.

Amidst the flying dust, Lu Ran saw the Sand River Child's true form.

It had dry, earth-yellow skin, emaciated and bony.

This was clearly nothing but a desiccated corpse!

"Aaaah!!" The Sand River Child shrieked in fury, its scream piercing.

Since most of its body remained buried in sand, it used its tiny hands to push against the ground, struggling to crawl out.

In an instant, Lu Ran appeared behind the demon, and the Eight Wilderness Blade drove down from above, pinning the dreadful mummy to the ground.

"Hum~"

The Eight Wilderness Blade vibrated once more.

Lu Ran's heart surged!

The Eight Wilderness really needs this, doesn't it?

Good!

"Kill!!" Lu Ran roared fiercely.

By the way, is the Sand River Child's demonic sculpture a good choice?

To this day, I can ascend to the heavens and dive into the seas, yet I still cannot tunnel through the earth.

(End of Chapter)