The cave was deep, descending towards the earth. Here, they discovered numerous skeletons of Sand Worms, leading them to suspect these large burrows were created by them in the desert.
These Blood Scorpions had evidently claimed the Sand Worms' lairs and, in the process, made the Sand Worms their snacks.
This possibility wasn't entirely out of the question.
Perhaps due to their fear of ice magic, they later found no trace of Blood Scorpions.
"Were all these monsters eliminated?" Sun Shangxiang asked, confused.
"I suspect they got scared and won't dare to show themselves again," Diao Chan guessed.
"I feel like the temperature here has increased significantly. Let's head to the bottom level and see," Zhou Yan said.
They descended further into the depths of the cave. Along the way, the number of Sand Worm skeletons they found increased, proving they were getting closer to the underground.
After half an hour, they finally reached the deepest part of the underground.
Emerging from the cave, they discovered a vast, subterranean lava lake. It was incredibly wide and large, surrounded by countless monsters.
Everywhere they looked, there were piles of Blood Scorpions, so dense that their numbers were impossible to gauge.
"So many monsters! Look, there are quite a few high-quality advanced monsters among them."
"That Blood Scorpion's level has reached 80, and its quality is Diamond. Its size is comparable to a Sand Worm, so it's likely the strongest Blood Scorpion here."
"I also see quite a few Gold and Dark Gold quality monsters at levels 50 and 60. Look, there are also many other caves around."
"It seems the caves connecting to this place are more than just one."
...
The levels of these monsters were quite high. The most powerful Blood Scorpion had the strength of an 80-level Diamond boss.
Upon spotting them, these Blood Scorpions immediately became restless. However, they did not attack, as if waiting for something.
The group watched as the 80-level Diamond boss looked in their direction and let out a strange cry.
Following its call, the densely packed Blood Scorpions around them began to advance towards Zhou Yan and his companions.
"So many monsters! Finally, we can have a good fight. We haven't had the chance to engage properly before, so we can't miss this."
Sun Shangxiang drew her weapon. Previously, Zhen Mi had handled all the fighting, and the others hadn't needed to act.
Facing such a horde of monsters, Sun Shangxiang began to fight. She brandished a diamond-grade long spear and unleashed a powerful skill. A massive surge of energy annihilated hundreds of charging monsters.
"I'll help too," Diao Chan said, drawing her long sword and charging into the fray.
During combat, Diao Chan maintained her agile and graceful posture, a sight that never failed to captivate.
Sun Shangxiang, on the other hand, fought with fierce dominance, exhibiting a martial prowess akin to a man's, yet imbued with the subtle finesse of a woman.
Zhen Mi and Cai Yan remained stationary.
Cai Yan continued to bestow buffs upon everyone, also granting them a shield that enhanced their safety.
Zhen Mi unleashed a barrage of ice magic. The expansive area allowed her to cast her spells without restraint.
Blizzard, Hailstorm, Glacial Barrage, Frost Nova, Ice Meteorite, Ice Shards, Ice Dragon's Roar...
Ice-elemental spells appeared continuously from her hands. Her magic was inherently powerful, and with Cai Yan's enhancements, its potency multiplied several times over.
This was originally a lava region, but after Zhen Mi's relentless ice magic attacks, the entire molten world began to freeze over. Even the lava started to solidify, demonstrating the immense power of Zhen Mi's ice attacks.
Zhou Yan did not stand idly by. He also unleashed two ice-elemental spells he had learned, both large-area attack skills. One skill, "Ice Heaven and Snow Earth," further encased the entire lava world in ice.
This was an SSS-quality skill. Combined with his formidable spiritual power and Cai Yan's buffs, its destructive force was simply terrifying.
After this skill was used, only the boss-level monsters in the lava depths remained alive among the enemy ranks.
He still had an SS-quality skill, "Ice Seal Ten Thousand Miles," that he hadn't even used yet, and he had already annihilated the regular monsters.
Diao Chan and Sun Shangxiang, seeing that most of the monsters had been eliminated by Zhou Yan, could only turn their attention to the remaining bosses.
"The Lord's strength is truly formidable. He wiped out most of the monsters with a single move."
Zhen Mi was astonished. Her ice magic was already quite potent, but compared to Zhou Yan, it seemed to fall far short.
"My mental attribute is just too high. If your mental attribute reached seven thousand, any ice spell you cast would have power exceeding mine," Zhou Yan replied.
It was impossible for anyone else to increase their four core attributes to such a high level.
They had consumed numerous permanent stat-boosting spirit fruits and elixirs, yet their individual attributes still hadn't surpassed a thousand points.
However, Zhou Yan's four core attributes all reached seven thousand, more than seven times Zhen Mi's. Even without the ice attribute bonus, his power would definitely surpass hers.
Diao Chan and Sun Shangxiang had already engaged the bosses. The lower-level bosses couldn't withstand more than a few blows from them.
They quickly advanced to confront the most powerful bosses.
Diao Chan alone faced the 80-level Diamond boss. Her treasured sword constantly unleashed brilliant lotus flowers, pure and holy, imbued with immense explosive power, bombarding the boss.
The blood flowing from the boss was not poisonous but resembled red pearls, even carrying a pleasant fragrance. This greatly intrigued Zhou Yan. Indeed, these Blood Scorpions were treasures from head to tail.
They had numerous uses: their venomous tails could be made into poison, their hard carapaces could be refined into materials for crafting leather armor. Their pincers could also be fashioned into weapons. Every part of them was useful.
Furthermore, they could drop Blood Crystal Stones and Soul Coins.
Their utility was immense and highly commendable.
The 80-level Diamond boss possessed some formidable abilities. Its massive size and numerous skills, especially its venomous tail, could poison its targets if struck.
Unfortunately for the boss, hitting Diao Chan was no easy feat.
Zhen Mi began casting single-target spells, attacking the boss. Her ice magic posed a significant threat to it.
However, its carapace remained incredibly sturdy, making it difficult to kill easily.
Zhou Yan struck like lightning, unleashing a "Thunderclap."
The terrifying lightning struck the boss, severely wounding it.
Following a combined assault from Diao Chan, Zhen Mi, and Sun Shangxiang, it finally collapsed to the ground.
With this, all the monsters in this area were annihilated, leaving behind piles of materials, Soul Coins, and corpses.
"Let's start picking up the loot. There's simply too much."
"I don't even know how many Blood Scorpions we killed; the ground is covered."
"We should have brought more people. Now we have to do it ourselves."
They began collecting the spoils of war, storing everything, regardless of its nature, in the specialized "Treasure Vaults." After all, they had established several "Treasure Vaults" within the territory to store different items separately.