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Chapter 36: sand monster besieges
Next to them, a guard asked with bitterness, "Can't we avoid this group of sand monsters?" "No time. The sand monsters are already ahead of the caravan, and there's no time to turn and escape," Lao Bulu's expression was grim. The surrounding guards began considering whether to abandon the caravan and run away, but Lao Bulu's reputation within the caravan prevented anyone from doing so.
The primary targets of the sand monsters were the Cultivators. As for ordinary people and demonic beasts, they would not show mercy when encountered, but they wouldn't actively hunt them either. It was the presence of Cultivators within the green oases breached by the sand monsters in the Endless Sea of Sand that attracted their attacks. However, in the Endless Sea of Sand, which oasis didn't have Cultivators? A green oasis without Cultivator protection would have disappeared long before the sand monsters arrived.
At that moment, a message talisman flew over as a streak of light. After receiving the message, Lao Bulu's expression relaxed slightly. "According to the scout, this group of sand monsters is not large. Most of them are small sand monsters, with only a few being at the rank of soldiers."
Hearing this, everyone felt relieved. Small sand monsters were not very powerful and relied on their numbers for victory. Even fully armed ordinary people could handle individual small sand monsters. The soldier-ranked sand monsters were only equivalent to a few Cultivators at the Refining Qi stage.
Knowing the specific strength of the sand monsters, Lao Bulu regained his confidence. Singing Sand City was not far away. He sent a message talisman to inform the city about the appearance of the sand monsters before making arrangements.
"The number of sand monsters is not significant, and their strength isn't strong. We should take the initiative and attack," Lao Bulu made the right decision. "All Cultivators will join me in the attack, while the ordinary people and the camels stay here."
Lao Bulu's decision would minimize the losses to the caravan. The sand monsters' primary target was the Cultivators. By leading the Cultivators to actively confront them, the sand monsters wouldn't attack the humped sand lizard beasts and the ordinary people until they had dealt with all the Cultivators.
Lao Bulu felt a bit embarrassed as he said to Meng Zhang, "Sect Master Meng, I feel apologetic as a guest, having to trouble you to fight at the front. It's impolite of me."
"No need to feel guilty, Senior. The sand monsters are the enemies of all Cultivators, and it's every Cultivator's responsibility to eliminate them," Meng Zhang replied.
Facing the sand monsters, Meng Zhang and the others were both expectant and anxious. Lao Bulu's Cultivation Base was much higher than Meng Zhang's, and Meng Zhang couldn't read his thoughts using Mind Reading Divine Ability. However, he could be reasonably sure that Lao Bulu had no ill intentions toward him. So, when facing the sand monsters, Lao Bulu and his group could be trusted allies.
To avoid the sand monsters charging into the caravan, even Wang and his son, who had been staying with the ordinary people, were brought by Meng Zhang to his side. Once Lao Bulu made up his mind, he acted decisively. He immediately urged his demonic beast mount and led all the caravan guards to charge forward.
Wind chasing horses were large and broad-backed, barely accommodating Meng Zhang and the others.
The caravan's guards, riding specially selected demonic beast mounts known for their speed, could keep up with the main force without falling behind.
After advancing a few miles, the Cultivator scouts spotted the target. Dust and sand billowed in the distance, and smoke rose to the sky.
The three scouts were desperately urging their demonic beast mounts, trying to reach the main force as fast as possible, with the sand monsters in hot pursuit.
Though still far away and obscured by sand, Meng Zhang's Deception Breaking Eye allowed him to see through the yellow sand and discern the true faces of the sand monsters. They were tall and fierce-looking, even the so-called small sand monsters being taller than regular adults. The soldier-ranked sand monsters were like small giants compared to humans.
The sand monsters' bodies were entirely composed of rough sand, living up to their name.
The sand monsters were numerous but maintained discipline, forming neat formations under the leadership of the soldier-ranked sand monsters. As they marched, they raised a whirlwind of sand around the formation, enhancing their defense and speed.
Lao Bulu, though a merchant, displayed some commanding qualities when facing the sand monsters' charge. With his order, all the guards urged their mounts to catch up and successfully intercepted the three scouts before the sand monsters could reach them.
Once the guards regrouped, under Lao Bulu's command, they dismounted, formed a horizontal line, and confronted the incoming sand monster formation head-on.
In large-scale battles involving Cultivators, formations were crucial. Formations could fully unleash their side's strength and even allow weaker cultivators to contend against stronger ones. Some major sects possessed specialized war formations for large-scale battles in the Cultivation World. Using these formations, Cultivators at the Foundation Building stage could challenge and even harm Gold Core Daoist Masters.
Of course, the caravan guards couldn't employ such formations, and they only arranged a simple formation that suited their cooperation. Perhaps Lao Bulu was concerned that Meng Zhang, an outsider, wasn't familiar with their cooperation, so he kept him outside the formation, at the tail of the serpent-like formation.
Meng Zhang led Wang and his son to follow the instructions. Though somewhat uneasy, he couldn't be considered nervous. On the other hand, Wang and his son, who rarely participated in Cultivation World conflicts, felt their lips dry and their limbs weaken in the face of such a massive scene. However, due to Meng Zhang's prior warning, they didn't dare to flee during the battle.
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