The party of six humans and a wolf had already traveled a kilometer across the Drifting Sand River without them knowing. For some reason, as they moved further away from the bank behind them, they could not help but feel uneasy.
The wolf was the first to show it.
Its pace slowed slightly, its breath heavier than usual. A faint layer of frost that normally lingered along its fur had thinned, melting into nothing under the strange, dry heat of the drifting sands. Its ears twitched constantly, not in alertness, but irritation. This place did not belong to it.
As they continued to journey forward, they could no longer see the shore when they turned back to look. They could only see white sands in their surroundings, with the same white sand particles lingering in the sky.
"I was told that the fine sand particles in the Drifting Sand River are heavier than usual, so the wind cannot blow them into the air. The white particles lingering in the air which we assume to be sand are actually the ashes of dead bodies, as they are lighter," Zhang Xiaohou spoke up, remembering something about the Drifting Sand River that some of his old comrades had mentioned before when he saw the nervous looks on everyone's faces, trying to improve the mood.
Chen Yi and Xinxia's faces turned pale when they learned that the sand particles that would occasionally brush their faces were actually ashes of dead bodies, making them extremely uneasy.
Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan both glared at Zhang Xiaohou, who had to mention something so inappropriate in a situation like this.
When Zhang Xiaohou realized that his intention to lift up the mood ended up worsening the situation, he uttered a hollow laugh and quickly shut his mouth.
The wolf let out a low, displeased rumble.
Not at the conversation, but at the air itself. Each breath seemed to dry its lungs, the faintest trace of frost energy it exhaled dissolving before it could even form. Its claws pressed deeper into the sand, as if searching for something colder beneath the surface, but found nothing.
Unfortunately, a gust of white sand was blowing in Xinxia's direction, and she subconsciously dodged aside when she thought it was the ashes of dead bodies, interrupting the channeling of her Psychic Spell.
Within a few seconds, tides of sand suddenly rolled in towards the party's front and back with dull roars. It was obvious that something was drilling out from the sand beneath them!
The tides covered a few hundred meters, boiling around them, resulting in a terrifying sight when glancing into the distance!
From the tides of sand, enormous creatures over five meters tall rose from the ground.
They were bigger and scarier than the ones the party had seen before. The sand sabers in the hands of the creatures were over three meters long, nearly twice the height of a human. The group could not help but shiver in fear at the horrifying sight of the giant creatures holding such long sabers in their hands!
Cold sweat slid down along the back of Mo Fan's neck, who subconsciously swallowed.
His mental stability was considered outstanding among the Magicians at his level, yet when close to a hundred White Sand Giants appeared out of nowhere, his hair immediately stood on end, as if he were standing in the deep abyss of Hell surrounded by devils.
The wolf's reaction was different.
Its body lowered, muscles tightening—not in fear, but restraint. A faint, suppressed chill flickered around its paws, vanishing almost instantly. In this suffocating environment, even it could not fully draw upon its nature. That only seemed to agitate it further.
Xinxia quickly closed her eyes and focused on finishing the Star Pattern of the Psychic Spell. She knew that if she messed up again, the whole squad would be wiped out here.
She could not afford to lose even the slightest focus.
It felt like Zhao Manyan and Zhang Xiaohou had turned into statues too, even holding their breaths. Meanwhile, Chen Yi, whose scalp had turned numb when she experienced an overwhelming fear she had never felt before, instinctively tried to cast a Spell to protect herself.
Mo Fan quickly tackled her to the ground without hesitation. "Are you trying to get all of us killed? Hide your Magic's presence at once!" he yelled at her.
Chen Yi regained some of her rationality, but her heart was still racing when she saw the White Sand Giants surrounding the party like a bastion of iron.
"Comfort!"
Without letting the team down, Xinxia successfully cast the Psychic Spell. Her voice seemed to be enchanted, which not only dampened the evil-foreboding presence of the White Sand Giants, but also calmed the fear in everyone's heart at the horrifying sight.
The group was left breathless. They never thought they would encounter even bigger White Sand Giants as they ventured deeper into the Drifting Sand River.
Although the White Sand Giants were not emanating Warrior-level auras, it went without saying that they were stronger than the White Sand Demons they had encountered previously. The area for a few hundred meters around the party was filled by the White Sand Giants, without any gap between them. It felt like they were surrounded by a magnificent sand castle built of the white sand.
Luckily, the three-meter-long sand sabers were not put to use. The threatening auras emitting from the creatures swiftly dissipated.
As the hostility went away, their bodies suddenly turned into soft sand and fell to the ground, returning to the boundless sand river.
The enormous White Sand Giants fell to the ground like dominoes, sweeping a huge wave of dust into the sky. The spectacular sight left the six humans that were standing in the midst of it bewildered.
The White Sand Giants completely disappeared a moment later, yet everyone's hearts were still beating rapidly.
The wolf exhaled slowly.
A faint trace of frost finally lingered in the air this time—but it was mild, unstable, and gone in seconds.
This place was suffocating.
It felt like Zhao Manyan and Zhang Xiaohou had turned into statues too, even holding their breaths.
But that only lasted a second.
Zhao Manyan's eyes sharpened.
A faint, deep azure glow flickered beneath his skin, subtle but dense—like a calm ocean hiding a crushing abyss beneath its surface. The Water Element within him was no longer just defensive support; it had weight now, presence, something that could contend.
He slowly raised his hand.
The surrounding sand, dry and chaotic, suddenly seemed to hesitate.
A thin veil of water quietly formed around the group—not flowing, not obvious, but condensed to an almost invisible density. It clung to the air itself, stabilizing it, suppressing the erratic movements of the sand tides just enough to prevent them from collapsing inward.
At the same time, a soft golden radiance pulsed from his other hand.
It wasn't flashy.
But it was firm.
The Light Element wrapped around the group like a silent barrier, not to repel—but to define their existance, preventing the White Sand Giants from locking onto their exact presence.
Mo Fan glanced at him briefly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
This was moving towards the Zhao Manyan he wanted.
This was someone who could hold the line.
Wolfie whk had been visibly irritated and suppressed by the environment, flicked its gaze toward Zhao Manyan for a brief moment.
For the first time since entering the Drifting Sand River…
something here felt stable.
Not cold.
But controlled.
Zhao Manyan didn't speak. His expression was focused, far more serious than usual.
The pressure from nearly a hundred towering White Sand Giants bore down on them, yet the thin layer of condensed water and faint light anchoring their position held firm—like an invisible domain carved out in the middle of chaos.
His breathing remained steady.
But the strain was real.
The dryness of the environment was constantly eroding his Water Element, forcing him to reinforce it again and again. Even so, the pearl-like energy within his nebula surged each time, replenishing what was lost, adapting, stabilizing.
This was no ordinary control.
This was something that had evolved.
Xinxia's Psychic Spell could only last for another two kilometers, yet they still had another three to four kilometers to go. Didn't that mean they would eventually be surrounded by the White Sand Giants?
Lingling frowned slightly, but not out of fear—only calculation. The path they had taken was straying from a straight line. The situation was becoming complicated, but not impossible.
"Should we just rush out for the last stretch? One or two kilometers at full speed isn't much," Zhang Xiaohou suggested.
Mo Fan scoffed, "Rush? You trying to run through a wall of Warrior-level creatures? Those things stack up like a fortress."
"That's true," Zhao Manyan said calmly. "But standing still isn't an option either. We need to control the situation, not let it control us."
Mo Fan's eyes flickered toward the surrounding sands, a faint excitement surfacing instead of dread.
"Honestly… this isn't that bad," he muttered. "These things are practically walking spirit essences. If we thin them out properly, we could walk out of here richer than we came in."
Zhao Manyan immediately frowned. "You're thinking about farming right now?"
"Why not?" Mo Fan shrugged. "They're not Commander-level. If we split them up, I can burn through a batch pretty quickly."
Lingling shot him a sharp look. "And then what? You exhaust your magic halfway through and leave us without our strongest damage dealer?"
Mo Fan clicked his tongue.
"You're an Advanced Mage now," Zhao Manyan added, his tone more serious. "Which means you're not just here to fight—you're here to decide when not to. If you burn through your energy now, what happens when we actually get stuck?"
Mo Fan fell silent for a moment.
Zhang Xiaohou scratched his head. "Yeah… saving strength might be smarter. We don't even know what's deeper ahead."
Mo Fan exhaled slowly, the excitement in his eyes dimming just a little—but not disappearing.
"Tch. Fine," he said. "I'll hold back… for now."
"But if something worth killing shows up, I'm not holding back."
"No one's stopping you from fighting," Zhao Manyan replied. "Just don't fight like you're alone."
—
After discussion, the group came up with a plan.
Instead of fearing the White Sand Giants, they would control the battlefield.
They would split the demons apart, disrupt their formation, and deal with them in manageable groups. No reckless bait, no unnecessary sacrifices—just calculated execution.
Each person had a role.
Speed to lure. Defense to hold. Control to stabilize. Damage to eliminate.
They weren't prey.
They were hunters moving through dangerous territory.
—
"I'll be heading off then," Zhang Xiaohou said, still nervous—but no longer paralyzed. "Just make sure I'm not the only one doing all the work."
Zhao Manyan smirked faintly. "Relax. If you mess up, we'll all be too busy fighting to even think about saving you."
Zhang Xiaohou rolled his eyes but moved anyway.
"Everyone, take your positions," Lingling said. "The moment the spell drops, we move exactly as planned."
—
Mo Fan walked across the white sands, glancing at the endless pale landscape.
Instead of fear, there was anticipation.
His fingers twitched slightly.
These White Sand Giants…
Even if he couldn't go all out, taking down a few along the way wouldn't hurt.
In the distance, Zhang Xiaohou stood ready.
At the center, Xinxia slowly raised her hand.
Everyone focused.
Not scared.
Not hesitant.
Just waiting.
As her pale hand finally dropped—
the silence shattered.