Chapter 1: Assistance in Battle

After making arrangements for his subordinates, Li Mingxing finally turned his attention to the surrounding situation. Only then did he understand why, the moment the passage opened, a wave of hot wind swept toward him—it turned out he was in the midst of a desert.

Moreover, Li Mingxing had no idea where he was within this vast expanse of sand, nor did he know which direction he should take. He glanced up at the blazing sun overhead, pondered for a moment, and then issued an order: all the dwarves were to dig a large pit in the desert sand and bury themselves and their companions within. Judging by the current circumstances, it was noon—the hottest time of day in the desert—and Li Mingxing had no intention of wandering about under the merciless sun.

His plan was to stay put until nightfall and, under the cover of darkness, search for a way out of the desert. However, this plan was swiftly dashed.

As his battle panther was digging into the ground, he noticed some desert troops approaching.

These troops rode on flying carpets straight out of Arabian legend. The carpets were only about one and a half meters long and seventy centimeters wide, but extravagantly decorated. Each carried two men with turbans wrapped around their heads—the one in front wielded a scimitar, while the one behind bore six or seven long spears strapped to his back. Clearly, their skills in both ranged and close combat were formidable.

There were twenty such flying carpets in all. As they soared past, the earth began to tremble, and Li Mingxing saw, in the distance, a procession of giant elephants, each towering nine meters high.

While he’d heard that some tropical nations kept elephants, Li Mingxing could scarcely imagine how such colossal beasts, each weighing dozens of tons, were able to traverse the desert sands.

From afar, there were seven elephants in the group. The first five were laden with cargo piled high as mountains, while the sixth stood out distinctly. Its skin was not the sandy yellow of the others but a jade-like pale blue. Its tusks, more than three meters in length, were inlaid with fist-sized sapphires and rubies. Draped over its back was a luxurious carpet, its patterns strikingly similar to those on the flying carpets.

Atop this carpet stood a small jade pavilion. Reclining within was a middle-aged man dressed in sumptuous robes, a water pipe in his left hand. Every ten minutes, the pipe would emit a gentle spray of smoke and mist, keeping the pavilion’s interior cool and pleasant.

To his right rested a golden oil lamp—the simplest object upon the entire elephant, yet the man paid it particular attention, glancing toward it from time to time to ensure it remained within his reach.

The last elephant was clearly a war elephant, armored in spiked iron, with a ballista mounted on its head. Flames burned atop its tusks, and on its back sat about thirty warriors armed with scimitars and spears.

Li Mingxing sensed these warriors were likely there to relieve the flying carpet troops as needed. The true master of the war elephant, however, was the veiled man seated atop its head. Beside him lay two identical scimitars, but for some reason, Li Mingxing had the distinct feeling that, if it came to a critical moment, only one of the blades would ever be drawn.

Before long, the flying carpets spotted Li Mingxing and his group digging their pit. Circling once in the sky, one carpet descended directly before him.

A man, his head wrapped in a turban, leapt lightly from the carpet, scimitar in hand, cautiously approaching Li Mingxing. The other, still on the carpet, lifted a spear, ready to hurl it at a moment’s notice.

As he drew near, the turbaned man asked warily, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“Nothing much,” Li Mingxing replied calmly, though inwardly curious as to why he could understand the man’s words. “We’ve lost our way, and my subordinates aren’t used to the sun overhead, so we decided to dig a hole and hide ourselves, waiting for the sun to set before we continue on.”

The man burst into exaggerated laughter at this. “You’re braver than you look! Don’t you know that sandworms hunt by sensing temperature? Burying yourselves in the sand is like offering yourselves as a meal.”

“It happens that we have a way to control our body temperature,” Li Mingxing answered coolly, referring to the special abilities of underground dwellers. In the underground world, most creatures rely on thermal perception, and being able to regulate one’s own body heat is often the key to survival.

This piqued the man’s curiosity. He quickly leapt back onto his flying carpet and zipped over to the sixth giant elephant, where he spoke a few words. Shortly thereafter, he returned to Li Mingxing. “Sir, Lord Maul Razak invites you to speak with him.”

At first, Li Mingxing was wary of such an invitation, but after a moment’s thought, he decided to follow the flying carpet to the side of the giant elephant.

Upon arriving, he stopped, sensing the veiled man from the war elephant had taken up position not far ahead. Lord Razak himself made no move to descend; instead, he spoke calmly from within his pavilion.

“I hear you and your men possess the ability to conceal your body heat?”

“Yes, my lord,” Li Mingxing replied honestly, though he cursed his luck inwardly.

“Five thousand gold coins, a bag of gems, one flying carpet, two iron golems, and I will even help your flesh golem advance a tier—in exchange for a small favor.”

“Of course, my lord. I do have one small request.”

“Speak.”

“I would ask that, when all is done, you bring me to the nearest city. I am lost in this desert.”

“No problem. When you’ve finished, follow us,” Razak agreed without hesitation. The man standing before the elephant then explained the situation.

Razak had come to the desert not only to transport goods for his family, but also to capture a few sandworms. Unfortunately, a severe sandstorm had swept away all his iron golems, so he’d only managed to catch three sandworms—far too few. Upon hearing of Li Mingxing’s ability to hide his temperature, he decided to enlist his help.

The task was simple. Li Mingxing and his men needed only to suppress their body heat and lie in ambush, while Razak’s party would lay a trap to attract the sandworm. Once it appeared, Li Mingxing’s group was to keep it occupied for five minutes—long enough for the distant desert troops to arrive. Should Li Mingxing’s forces be wiped out before then, Maul Razak would bear no responsibility for their loss.

Having learned all the details, Li Mingxing agreed without hesitation. He didn’t know what status Maul Razak held in the nearby city, but judging by appearances, he was either wealthy or powerful. Gaining his favor could be greatly advantageous for Li Mingxing’s future tasks.

Once he accepted, Razak’s men sprang into action. They helped Li Mingxing’s group dig hiding pits, then excavated a deeper pit between them.

From the first giant elephant, they unloaded heaps of meat, tossing them into the deep hole. When the preparations were complete, they poured in some oil-like substance and threw in many rubies. Finally, they refilled the pit with sand. Before dispersing, they explained the habits of sandworms to Li Mingxing.

Sandworms were highly sensitive to such traps. Upon detecting food, they would first scan the area for ambushes, searching a radius of about ten kilometers. They were extremely sensitive to heat and the magic used by flying carpets. Should anything seem amiss, the sandworm would burrow hundreds of meters underground and remain motionless until all danger had passed—sometimes even abandoning the bait altogether.

Turning these facts over and over in his mind, Li Mingxing focused all his attention on the spot where the meat had been buried. According to the desert folk, it would take at least an hour for a sandworm to appear, but he dared not let his guard down, lest he miss the best chance to strike.

After about an hour and a half, Li Mingxing suddenly sensed a faint tremor in the ground. His heart tightened as he looked toward the baited spot. In an instant, the earth collapsed inward, opening a gaping hole five meters across in the desert surface.

Before Li Mingxing could react, a thunderous roar echoed from the pit, and a monstrous worm—over seventy meters long—erupted from the ground. It had no eyes atop its head, and the upper half of its skull could unfurl like a flower to a diameter of five meters. Clearly, the pit had vanished in a single gulp.

As the sandworm burst forth, Li Mingxing shouted aloud and leapt onto its back, driving his venomous stinger into the creature’s flesh.