During this time, Daji's body flickered with green light as her wounds healed. Unfortunately, the green light of Enchanting Fox Dance could only heal herself, not others.
"Hahaha, humans, stop struggling. In this Quicksand Prison, the more you struggle, the deeper you sink, until you suffocate beneath the sand. Since you dared to steal from me, don't even think about escaping today. Rampaging Sandstorm!"
This time, the sand sphere condensed much faster and was noticeably larger.
Daji glanced at Lin Yuan. She knew she absolutely couldn't allow the giant to finish forming the sand hammer. She prepared for her final gamble.
"Third Soul Skill — Idol Charm.Eighth Soul Skill — Nightmare."
A pink halo spread out from Daji, instantly controlling both the Sand Giant and the Fire Giant. The sand hammer they held vanished.
Daji slowly closed her eyes and entered the Sandfire Giant's dream. The entire dream was burning—pale yellow and blazing red intertwined like a flaming illusion.
She extended her hands forward, and a pink spiritual chain shot out, striking the Sandfire Giant directly. Daji closed her eyes once more and began rewriting the spirit beast's dream.
But at that moment, the Sandfire Giant suddenly opened its eyes. It punched Daji away, easily shattering the pink chain.A Sandfire Meteor fell from the sky and struck her directly.
"Wha…? How? I failed…"
As Daji was still processing what happened, the blazing meteor reached her. Her pupils widened slightly—golden light erupted around her. Her golden avatar dashed forward, blocking the meteor head-on.
But the moment the golden body lifted its arms, another fireball came crashing down. Then another. And another.
She had no choice but to use her golden avatar and blue barrier for the last time.
But the barrage didn't stop.
Unable to dodge, a fireball struck her back, followed by several more in rapid succession.
In an instant, Daji's beautiful dream shattered. Blood gushed from her mouth, and blood streamed from her eyes.
Her spiritual backlash had been enormous—her soul force fluctuated violently.The blue glow of Enchanting Fox Dance could fend off an enemy's mental attack, but it could not erase the backlash from her own failed spiritual assault.
"Daji! How are you?"Lin Yuan could only watch helplessly. He had the power but couldn't use it, trapped once again in the whirlpool of sand. He also had no soul skills capable of healing others. Using soul power here was nearly impossible.
The Sandfire Giant sneered, "Heh… so this is a titled Douluo? I thought he would be stronger. This time, I won't miss again."
A violent sandstorm surged toward them.
"Golden Dragon Spear!"
A streak of golden light pierced through the Sandfire Giant, but the next moment, the hollow center inside its body filled with flowing sand again, restoring its original form completely.
The Golden Dragon Spear turned in midair and shot toward the giant again.
Using the spear didn't drain Lin Yuan's soul power, so it didn't worsen his condition inside the whirlpool.
While watching the spear fight the giant, Lin Yuan glanced around, thinking: I need to find a way out first.
He stared at the swirling vortex. If sand counts as an earth element… then I should be able to control it. But I've never tried manipulating natural elements before—not even dirt or stone directly.
Lin Yuan activated his Earth Aspect. He placed both hands on the flowing sand, feeling for elemental resonance. With a thought, the sand grains paused for a fraction of a second—then moved again.
It was less than a second, but Lin Yuan noticed it.
He smirked slightly. Soul power surged through him again. This time, the sand stayed still a moment longer.
Seeing the duration increase, Lin Yuan glanced at Daji and smiled faintly.
After more than ten attempts, he finally managed to stop the sand for seven full seconds. Using those seconds, he and Daji quickly escaped the vortex.
Meanwhile, the Sandfire Giant fighting the Golden Dragon Spear immediately noticed their escape. With a heavy stomp, towering sand pillars erupted before them, blocking their way.
"Golden Dragon Spear, return!"
The spear avoided the giant's attack, turned sharply, and flew back into Lin Yuan's hand.
"Ice Dragon King's Right Arm Bone Skill — Domain of Extreme Cold!"
The freezing domain expanded outward, sealing the sand pillars in thick ice.
Soul power surged beneath his feet as he dashed toward the frozen pillars. The Golden Dragon Spear spun rapidly in his hands before he thrust it forward. With a loud bang, the ice shattered instantly.
"Let's go."
Lin Yuan and Daji didn't know whether they were heading in the right direction. They only knew they had to get away from the Sandfire Giant as fast as possible.
Watching them flee, the giant suddenly realized something.This is bad. I must not let them reach that place.
Its crimson eyes flared, and it gave chase, constantly manipulating the surrounding sand to block their path.
"Sandfire Sunset Storm!"
Sunlight exploded in brightness—sand surged violently, flames roared, and a massive sphere of sandfire condensed, blazing like a miniature sun. It locked onto Lin Yuan and Daji, flying toward them rapidly.
Lin Yuan dodged left and right, but soon realized:
It's a tracking skill. I can't escape.
As the fireball approached, it grew larger and hotter. Lin Yuan felt his soul power being suppressed—an overwhelming sense of death washed over him.
"Master!"
Just as the sphere was about to hit Lin Yuan, Daji appeared before him and took the blow.
"Ahhh!"
Ding! CRACK!
The explosion hurled both of them through the air. At the same time, a sharp "crack" echoed—something had broken.
Lin Yuan hit the ground hard. Blood trickled from his lips as consciousness faded.
The Sandfire Giant approached to finish them off—but at that moment, an overwhelming spiritual force suddenly struck him, pinning him in place.
Cursed… I've stepped into that one's territory without noticing, the giant realized.
"I was only chasing these humans. It seems you don't care. Since you want them so badly, they're yours. I have no desire to fight you. We shall never meet again."With that, the giant slowly turned and left.
…
Lin Yuan didn't know how much time passed before he woke.
When he opened his eyes, they were no longer in the desert.
He struggled to sit up, his entire body aching. Several ribs seemed broken.
Brick walls surrounded him—candles flickered on sconces, illuminating faint murals. Multiple passages extended in different directions. Water dripped somewhere in the distance.
Looking around, he finally spotted the battered figure of Daji. Her clothes were torn, her body covered in wounds and bloodstains, her face pale.
Daji slowly regained consciousness.
"Daji, how are you? Let me see."
Lin Yuan gently placed his hand on her back. His soul power entered her body. After a brief examination, his expression darkened.
Most of her ribs were broken.Worse—her soul power was unstable.
Just then, a ding sounded.
"Ding! System Notice: Hero Daji has suffered irreversible damage.The system protected her life beforehand, but the enemy's attack power was too great.Daji has received severe irreversible injuries.Her soul power has dropped to Level 95 and will no longer increase."
Lin Yuan's face sank. He thought silently:
One day, I will kill that Sandfire Giant… and forge a soul ring from it.
"My lord… it's my fault," Daji whispered weakly. "I was useless… I couldn't protect you… I'm so sorry…"
"Enough. Don't say that.""No one could've predicted this. I don't blame you. I never will.""Right now, you just need to focus on healing. Think of nothing else."
go to "patreon.com/Hussain678" for more chapter