Chapter 770: Fragrance Bug and Sandpoison Scorpion
"Ge Mote! You need to take full responsibility!" Yu Rongxin roared.
They had already escaped from the Overlord Legion, and they were currently taking a short rest. This was the very first time Yu Rongxin had suffered a loss this big. If it wasn't for his rich experience, he would have fallen into the ambush as well.
Ge Mote got on his knees and begged, "Deputy commander, please forgive me! I-I really have no idea how they found out about our operation!"
Yu Rongxin kicked Ge Mote away before raising his weapon, preparing to cut Ge Mote down.
At this time, someone stopped him. "Deputy commander, Ge Mote is wrong, but if you kill him now, it will only affect the morale of our brothers."
"Hmph. So am I supposed to spare him? How can I face our dead brothers if I let him off this easily?" said Yu Rongxin resentfully.
"Let him make up for his mistakes."
Ge Mote quickly begged, "Deputy commander, please give me a chance to make up for my mistakes! Please!"
Yu Rongxin frowned and said, "Fine, I'll give you one last chance. Think of a way to trap them in the desert and make them lose their way. Then, lure some demonic beasts over to attack them. When they are exhausted and weakened, we will take them down once and for all."
"Yes, deputy commander. On it immediately!" said Ge Mote.
He then brought a few bandits with him and left, trying to find a way to trap the Overlord Legion in the desert.
After Ge Mote left, Yu Rongxin looked at the ground beneath him and patted his mount before saying, "There are no pursuers in the sky, but that might not be the case for under the ground. Try to check if there are any."
The mount voiced an acknowledgment before drilling underground, trying to look for any pursuers. Sure enough, the desert wolf discovered the pangolin, forcing it to retreat at full speed. The pangolin had a large advantage underground. If it wanted to flee, the desert wolf wouldn’t be able to stop it.
"There is indeed something underground. Continue withdrawing," commanded Yu Rongxin coldly.
Meanwhile, the Overlord Legion was moving in the direction of Yu Rongxin's group. They weren't moving at a fast speed, and they could only plan their next course of action after waiting for the pangolin's update. After about two hours, the pangolin returned with bad news.
"Overlord, you were right. The pangolin has been discovered," said Shou Xie in a dejected manner.
"That is to be expected. Don't be too discouraged," said Xiang Shaoyun. "Does anyone have a way to locate the bandits? I will award the one who locates them a first-class merit. You will be amply rewarded when we get back."
The academy was filled with prodigies. Xiang Shaoyun was confident there was someone present who was good at tracking.
Sure enough, someone stepped out almost immediately. "Overlord, I can locate the bandits."
It was Pan Yun, the same person who had shown himself at Desert Sea Town. He always looked bashful, giving off the impression of a shy boy next door instead of a powerful cultivator.
"You can? Remember, we can't afford to be messing around," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"Don't worry, Overlord. I left something on that Ge Mote. Wherever he goes, I will be able to find him," said Pan Yun confidently.
"Good. You'll be in charge of leading the way," said Xiang Shaoyun.
Thereupon, Pan Yun demonstrated his tracking skills. He summoned an odd bug and let the bug show the way.
Ouyang Chuanqi was someone with keen eyesight. The moment he saw the bug, he cried out in alarm, "Fragrance bug!"
"Good eyes, Deputy Commander Ouyang," said Pan Yun with a smile.
"Looks like the bandits will not be able to escape us anymore," said Ouyang Chuanqi.
The fragrance bug was a peculiar bug. It did not have any offensive power, nor was it poisonous. However, it was extremely sensitive toward smell and could locate a scent even 1,000 miles away. It was an excellent tracking tool.
With the fragrance bug showing the way, the Overlord Legion followed Pan Yun. Initially, the fragrance bug was flying quickly. But after about four hours, it started having a hard time due to the desert's high temperature. It returned to Pan Yun, requesting water. After feeding it for a bit, Pan Yun urged it to continue showing the way.
But as they traveled, they got completely confused by the directions. Beads of sweat formed on Pan Yun's face as he thought nervously, What's wrong with the fragrance bug? Why haven't we found the bandits?
He had guaranteed a result in front of Xiang Shaoyun, and he intended to showcase his ability. But now, it seemed like not even the fragrance bug could ascertain which direction to go anymore. After two more days of travel, they were completely lost.
Many people started questioning Pan Yun, forcing Xiang Shaoyun to ask, "Pan Yun, everything fine?"
Pan Yun wore an embarrassed look. "Overlord, I-I'm helpless. This stupid bug is not working anymore."
Xiang Shaoyun patted his shoulder. "This is not your fault. Those bandits probably expected that we would try to track them, so they led us round and round. Looks like we fell for their trick."
"What should we do now?" Pan Yun asked gloomily.
"Focus. We'll decide after facing our current danger," said Xiang Shaoyun as he looked ahead.
Right after he said that, a group of sandpoison scorpions shot out from the sand and attacked them. These sandpoison scorpions had been hiding under the sand all along. Even with the legion's sharp senses, they couldn't detect the scorpions easily.
The sandpoison scorpions were the most poisonous beast in the Desert of Despair. Additionally, they always lived in large groups. And now, the legion was facing hundreds of them.
The scorpions spat poisonous sand at them repeatedly. The moment one was hit, one would die from the poison in a short period of time.
Zhuge Zhantian immediately commanded, "Circular Defensive Formation!"
At that, tens of people formed a circle around the others. They released their energies at the same time, allowing the energies to converge and form a barrier of light that blocked all the incoming poisonous sand.
"Pointed Thorn Formation!" Zhuge Zhantian commanded again.
At that command, about 100 people stepped forth and attacked, sending wave after wave of attacks toward the sandpoison scorpions.
Rumble! Rumble!
Sand splashed everywhere, lowering their visibility.
Hiss! Hiss!
At this moment, an extremely powerful demonic aura surged out and tore the Overlord Legion's attacks apart, greatly shocking the Overlord Legion members.