He crept into the tent, only to discover that the Scorpion King within was not the one he had sensed during the day. Furthermore, traps had been laid.
He was surprised; this mission appeared more challenging than he had anticipated.
He also found that he could no longer sense the Scorpion King's exact location, which astonished him. The creature must have employed some method to conceal its aura.
With an army of at least a million scorpions, confronting such a force head-on was clearly an unwise decision.
He hid himself quietly and formulated a plan.
He dug a hole in the desert, concealed himself, and then unleashed a fire spell, incinerating the tent.
Upon catching fire, the surrounding scorpion army immediately converged, encircling the area.
However, they found no enemy.
Soon, a Scorpion King emerged, the largest one he had seen that day.
To Zhou Yan's shock, this Scorpion King was also not the true leader. He witnessed the largest scorpion respectfully ushering out a purple scorpion, half the size of an ordinary one—a being he had not detected before.
"Damn, this mission is this hard? Not only do you need to know about the Scorpion King's traps and tents, but the real Scorpion King is this tiny creature."
Even Zhou Yan had nearly fallen for the deception. If not for his sudden inspiration and this maneuver, he would never have realized that the true Scorpion King was this small purple scorpion.
During the day, it must have been hiding among the scorpion army, thus evading detection. After all, with a million-strong army, who could possibly spot such a minuscule scorpion?
The true Scorpion King began dispatching troops to search for the arsonist. The largest scorpion general, leading nearby scorpion soldiers, quickly departed.
Seeing them leave, Zhou Yan seized the opportunity. He unleashed a Violent Thunder spell, directing powerful lightning bolts towards the purple Scorpion King.
The Scorpion King was highly vigilant and used a nearby scorpion soldier as a shield.
The potent lightning instantly killed the sacrificial scorpion.
The Scorpion King retreated like lightning and fixed its gaze on Zhou Yan.
"Still here? I underestimated you," the purple Scorpion King remarked, looking at Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan hadn't expected his surprise attack to fail. No wonder this mission was so difficult; succeeding against such odds was indeed not easy for most.
"Your strength is considerable, but how many of my attacks can you withstand?"
Zhou Yan had no intention of engaging the million-strong army. He believed in capturing the leader to end the conflict, and killing the Scorpion King would complete the mission.
"Intercept him!" the Scorpion King hastily ordered, simultaneously signaling for other soldiers to approach.
A swarm of scorpion soldiers moved to surround Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan drew his Celestial Soul Sword, channeling spiritual energy to unleash a fearsome sword energy that slew all the charging scorpion soldiers.
He then turned his attention to the Scorpion King.
The Scorpion King was clearly stunned by Zhou Yan's formidable power and turned to flee.
Zhou Yan, of course, wouldn't let it escape. He employed the Ethereal Steps, moving with incredible speed and striking the Scorpion King with another sword blow.
"Swish!"
A sword strike that annihilated the void. The Scorpion King dodged with extreme speed, narrowly avoiding death but still subjected to the powerful sword energy. It flung a dark, amorphous object towards Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan activated his "Shifting Stars" technique to protect himself. The object landed before him and instantly exploded, releasing a cloud of verdant gas.
"This is poisonous gas," Zhou Yan quickly realized.
However, he was immune to its effects.
Ignoring the gas, he pursued the Scorpion King once more.
Seeing this, the Scorpion King was greatly alarmed and brandished its weapon to defend itself.
But how could its weapon contend with a Saint Artifact? Zhou Yan's sword cleaved it in two.
He severed the Scorpion King's head and, fighting his way through, quickly vanished into the desert.
"Finally, the mission is complete."
This task was truly arduous for others; a moment's carelessness could lead to failure.
Fortunately, he hadn't rashly charged in with brute force, or he wouldn't have found the true Scorpion King so quickly.
After another hour, he returned to the castle of the Sand Tribe and met their Queen.
The Queen nodded upon seeing the Scorpion King's head.
Then, the entire space began to fade, forming a peculiar dimension.
The first Queen's expression shifted from its previous mechanical demeanor. Zhou Yan could sense a soul's presence within her now, though it couldn't last long, likely a remnant from the past.
The Queen looked at Zhou Yan and said, "You are not of the Sand Tribe."
"Your Sand Tribe is extinct. I am here to undertake this trial at the behest of the last Queen," Zhou Yan replied.
The first Queen sighed sadly upon hearing this, "The outcome I most dreaded has still come to pass."
The Queen then continued, "I foresaw a great calamity that would befall my Sand Tribe. I specifically left this trial, hoping to save the tribe at its most critical juncture, but alas, it ended in failure."
"The Queen did her best; there is no need for sorrow. What was meant to happen, has already happened."
Zhou Yan sensed that the first Queen had been immensely powerful in life, likely reaching the pinnacle of cultivation, otherwise, her soul wouldn't possess such strength.
"Since you have passed the trial, it proves you are worthy of all the treasures I have left behind. I hope you will use them wisely. Among them, this particular item is profoundly mysterious; I spent my entire life unable to fully comprehend its secrets."
The Queen then produced a crystal radiating an earthy yellow aura, filled with an energy that made even Zhou Yan's heart pound.
"What is this..." Zhou Yan was astonished. He examined the item and gained some information.
[Item: Sand Godhead]
[Quality: Unknown]
[Description: The Godhead left behind by a fallen deity.]
"Holy crap, it's a Godhead!" He was utterly shocked, never having expected to acquire a Godhead!
This was a Godhead that only true deities could form!
"You recognize this item?" The Queen appeared surprised. "I only knew it was extraordinary. It was with the help of this item that I led the Sand Tribe to prosperity and strength. Ah, but it is too late to speak of these things now. I am but a wisp of a remnant soul and cannot linger much longer."
"Rest assured, I will use these things wisely," Zhou Yan responded.
"All things begin and end, and we shall all turn to dust in the desert..."
After saying this, the Queen vanished completely, leaving behind a vast fortune and the Godhead in Zhou Yan's hand.
"Good luck. I've acquired such a divine artifact. However, I won't be using this particular item."
He had unwavering confidence in himself and would not rely on external aids to achieve godhood, so he would keep this item aside.
He then looked at the abundance of wealth scattered around the place, marveling, "I never imagined the Queen of the Sand Tribe would leave behind so much treasure. These are high-grade materials, excellent! Even if I don't need them now, they will surely be useful in the future."
"This is Eight-Star Meteoric Iron. Even this material is here, impressive, impressive. And a whole pile of it! This is Desert Gold, a truly rare commodity..."
The treasures here were countless, including not only gold and silver but also innumerable pearls, agates, jades, and precious stones—all top-tier materials for crafting accessories and equipment.
Many materials were exceedingly rare, ranging from Seven-Star to Eight-Star, with even a few Nine-Star items.
His gains from this venture were undoubtedly immense.
As for the remaining equipment, it wasn't particularly high-grade, with only a few Diamond-quality pieces standing out. This indicated that the Sand Tribe's forging skills were not very advanced.
He didn't particularly care, but it was better than nothing.
He collected all these items.
Then, he stepped into a teleportation portal.
With a flash of light, he departed from the location.