Chapter Forty-Eight: The Elite Scorpion King

Chapter 48: The Elite Scorpion King

After the death of the Black-Striped Scorpion King, its body curled into a ball. Xia Zheng did not immediately reveal himself; instead, he waited a while longer, even manipulating a stone to strike the corpse. Only after confirming there was no response did he finally relax.

Stepping out from the thicket, he approached the scorpion king's corpse. Xia Zheng drew a sharp dagger, sliced off the scorpion's stinger, and carefully stowed it in his pack as proof and material for the task at hand.

He then incinerated the scorpion’s remains with flames conjured from his spiritual power. Since the latest evolution of his abilities, his mental energy had become increasingly potent and tangible.

With one scorpion king dealt with, Xia Zheng resumed his ambush, awaiting the next guardian to emerge. The Black-Striped Scorpion King seemed particularly diligent about sending sentinels; just as before, when one fell, another took its place.

Half an hour later, when no response came from the previous guard, a red scorpion king emerged to stand watch. It seemed to be searching for its missing companion, but found nothing. Though puzzled by the pile of ashes, it made no attempt to call for aid, instead assuming the post and continuing its patrol.

On its third round, Xia Zheng dispatched it with the same method, severed its stinger, and burned the body.

The scorpion kings persisted, sending new guards to replace the fallen. After three hours, Xia Zheng had slain seven of them in succession when the situation abruptly shifted.

This time, three guardians emerged instead of one—two red, and one, astonishingly, blue—the first of its kind he’d seen. This blue scorpion king was larger than the others, its tail forking midway into two stingers, clearly marking it as something beyond the ordinary.

Cloaking himself with his spiritual power, Xia Zheng "became" a sand dune.

The three scorpion kings did not patrol in circles, but began searching for traces of their lost companions. The blue one in particular radiated rage, uttering not the sharp warning whistles of the others, but a series of low, curt hisses—almost a roar.

It prowled to the ashes, sweeping with its tail. After several minutes, it seemed to discover a clue—some remnant of the seven scorpions previously burned, overlooked by the others but now detected by this elite or possibly leader. Its attention to detail was extraordinary, thoroughly befitting its status.

Already incensed, the blue scorpion king now became truly enraged, emitting a rapid series of cries—no longer mere alarms, but commands.

Soon, the two red scorpion kings that had been searching elsewhere hurried over. The blue scorpion king brandished its enormous pincers, toppling each of them in turn. Neither red scorpion dared resist; even if the blue one were to kill them, they would submit without a fight.

It seemed this elite was punishing its subordinates for their stupidity.

Xia Zheng watched motionless, his estimation of the blue scorpion king rising. Its intelligence was remarkable.

The blue scorpion king then led the two reds, sweeping steadily in Xia Zheng's direction. Clearly, it had picked up some vital clue, revealing aspects of Xia Zheng’s presence.

Realizing the situation had turned perilous, Xia Zheng prepared to strike first. If this blue scorpion king roused the entire nest, escape might become impossible.

He sent a flying dagger, guided by spiritual power, skimming low to another location. As the three scorpion kings closed in on his hiding place, the dagger appeared from the opposite side, drawing their attention.

With a furious roar, the blue scorpion king charged first, the reds trailing behind.

Suddenly, one red scorpion king was struck upward, suspended in midair, and a blade pierced its belly, killing it instantly. The other rushed at Xia Zheng, now forced to reveal himself and fight head-on.

At that moment, the blue scorpion king realized the deception, wheeled around, and let out a harsh, urgent hiss. Its forked tail split into two, both spraying venom toward Xia Zheng.

Caught off guard by the scorpion’s ability to project venom at a distance—unlike the others, which required close range—Xia Zheng nonetheless had anticipated an attack. He immediately activated his protective shield. The toxic spray splattered harmlessly against the barrier, though the shield shimmered violently, draining considerable energy. The potency of the venom was undeniable.

The charging red scorpion king attempted its elusive sidewinding approach, but Xia Zheng was unmoved. As its belly met the uneven ground, he leveraged the terrain to flip it skyward, then, driven by urgency, thrust his blade through its abdomen, killing it midair.

Meanwhile, the blue scorpion king closed to within five meters, its dual tails cracking like whips through the air. One strike was blocked by a conjured shield, the other intercepted by his Thunderblade, though the shock made his hand go numb.

“What power!” Xia Zheng realized he’d underestimated the scorpion king—its strength was immense. Had he not been prepared, the blow might have ended him.

But the Thunderblade’s contact sent a thin bolt of lightning coursing along the tail, paralyzing the scorpion king where it stood.

“A perfect chance!” Xia Zheng tapped his waist, sending seven or eight flying daggers spinning through the air, all guided by his mental power. They assaulted the scorpion’s back, its eyes, its jaw, seeking to overturn it and force an opening.

A dagger pierced one unblinking eye, blood spurting. The scorpion king, shocked from its paralysis, let out a tortured roar—its savagery now laid bare.

Its tails spun in a cyclone, generating a gust that swept a cloud of green vapor toward Xia Zheng. He rebounded swiftly, launching himself away from the poisonous mist.

Still, a trace of the gas reached him, burning his throat, making his eyes ache and water—symptoms dulled only by his shield and antidote. To take such a blast unprotected would be fatal.

Maintaining a fifty-meter distance, Xia Zheng unleashed a barrage of flying daggers and needles, but the blue scorpion king’s defenses were exceptional—his attacks merely tickled.

When its belly brushed the ground, Xia Zheng tried to pry it up with a lever formed of spiritual energy, increasing the force. For a moment, he was elated—but then saw the scorpion king rise only a meter before another force anchored it. Its twin tails had secretly burrowed into the earth, locking it in place—a cunning move.

Foiled, Xia Zheng sought another opening. The scorpion king, now wary, kept its tails firmly planted underground.

Yet in doing so, it had sealed away its greatest weapons, giving Xia Zheng more chances to attack.

He levitated massive rocks overhead, dropping them onto the scorpion king, which snapped them apart with its pincers. Though it had lost its ranged offense, its pincers remained deadly, but Xia Zheng was not foolish enough to engage in close combat.

He’d now completed the task of killing nine scorpion kings, but this last one was proving a formidable challenge.

Xia Zheng noticed it never left its belly exposed—there was no chance to flip it over.

“If that’s the case, let’s try this.” This time, instead of a lever, he used his power to summon a spike from the earth beneath the scorpion king, aiming for a vital spot.

The spike shot up suddenly, catching the scorpion king off guard and grazing its belly. Another spike followed, forcing it to keep shifting sideways, unable to flip over. Over the next several seconds, the barrage of spikes kept it moving, its tails now a hindrance rather than a defense.

Enraged, the scorpion king reared back and roared, withdrawing its tails from the ground. Its entire body flushed a deep red, reminiscent of a boiled lobster.

“Not good, it’s going all out,” Xia Zheng sensed the scorpion king's desperation and prepared to retreat, but the ground suddenly shook violently, making him dizzy.

An earthquake? No—there had been no precursory magnetic field, no warning. It was not a natural disaster, but a localized tremor generated by the blue scorpion king.

Gritting his teeth, Xia Zheng summoned spiritual wings and soared into the air. Below, the scorpion king shook its body violently, unleashing shockwaves that rattled the earth for dozens of meters around.

The tremors echoed deep into the scorpion lair, where a chorus of whistles rose in response. Xia Zheng could already envision the swarming horde to come.

“Damn it.” Xia Zheng saw the blue scorpion king had not ceased its convulsions. He quickly targeted it with flying needles and daggers, forcing it to halt. It seemed this move could be interrupted.

After exhausting itself with the earthquake skill, the scorpion king’s body returned to normal, but its movement and vigor were much diminished—clearly, the move had taken a toll.

“Now’s my chance!” Xia Zheng landed and summoned another spike from the earth. This time, the scorpion king was too slow to evade; the spike pierced its side. It snapped the spike in half, but its right side was wounded and could not touch the ground. Instinctively, it pressed its left side close to the earth.

With a new fulcrum, Xia Zheng conjured another lever beneath it, easily flipping the scorpion king into the air and exposing a pale spot on its belly.

“Die!” Out of physical projectiles, Xia Zheng condensed a blade of pure spiritual power and launched it.

The blade struck true, penetrating the white mark. The blue scorpion king shrieked hoarsely, writhing in agony.

When it crashed down, its body shrank rapidly, curling up until it was only half the size of a red scorpion king—apparently its true form.

Now, Xia Zheng could see the mass of red scorpion kings emerging, interspersed with a few blue, even some white and black variants that sent chills down his spine.

Despite the risk, he had to collect the stingers from the three scorpion kings he’d slain. As the swarm advanced, he quickly severed them, noting the blue scorpion king’s twin stingers—a rare find.

A deep tremor shook the ground. Xia Zheng stuffed the stingers into his pack and sprinted away. Glancing back, he saw a colossal scorpion king rising from the earth, as massive as a hill, its tails—seven or eight in all—thicker than tree trunks.

It let out a piercing shriek, a psychic assault that slammed into Xia Zheng’s mind like a siren.

Fortunately, as a mentalist, Xia Zheng conjured a psychic wall to block the blast, then spread his spirit wings and fled.

A horde of scorpion kings gave chase, laying waste to all the poisonous plants and creatures in their path. Indeed, this land of death lived up to its name.