53: Chapter 53 Alleyway Ambush! Sand God's Might Annihilates All Enemies!

Lin Feng stood outside the metal gates at the entrance of the Desert Golden Sea, squinting his eyes to adjust to the light outside.

Returning to the sunlight from the gloomy Secret Realm, his eyes stung slightly.

"I'm out..."

He took a deep breath, feeling that even the air was much fresher—even though it was still the dry air of the desert region, at least there wasn't that constant tension of being ambushed by monsters at any moment.

The Scarred Captain guarding the gate was leaning against the wall smoking. Seeing Lin Feng come out, he raised an eyebrow.

"Yo, you made it out alive?"

He sized Lin Feng up and down, finding that not only was the kid missing no limbs, but his Aura had also strengthened considerably.

"Good luck, kid. The Desert Golden Sea has a 70% mortality rate, yet you actually managed to stay for four days and come out in one piece."

Lin Feng smiled. "Just lucky."

He didn't say much, nodded to the captain, and turned to leave.

The Scarred Captain watched Lin Feng's receding figure and muttered, "This kid... seems a bit different."

Exactly how he was different, he couldn't quite say.

It just felt... like a sharpened blade that could no longer be hidden.

...

Lin Feng passed through the protection zone and headed toward the city district.

Between the protection zone and the city district, there was a transition zone.

This place wasn't completely safe, but there weren't many Advanced monsters either. Occasionally, entrances and exits to some low-level Dungeons were scattered about.

Usually, only novice Explorers would come here to grind levels.

Walking along the small path, Lin Feng calculated his next plans in his head.

"First, go home and take a shower, change clothes."

"Then go find that White-haired Old Man and ask how to use the S-Rank Essence Blood."

"And the pet egg, I need to get it appraised..."

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly paused.

From around the corner of the alley ahead came the sound of messy footsteps.

More than one person.

And... they carried Killing Intent.

Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, and he continued walking forward nonchalantly, but his entire body's muscles were already tensed.

Sure enough, just as he reached the mouth of the alley—

Clatter!

A dozen people surged out from all directions, instantly surrounding him in the center!

These people were all dressed in black combat uniforms, holding various weapons with fierce gazes. One look and you could tell they frequently did dirty work.

The leader was a young man in his twenties with a buzz cut and a scar running from the corner of his eye to his mouth, carrying a meter-long machete in his hand.

The blade was dark red, as if it had been soaked in a lot of blood.

[Blood Butcher (B-Rank Talent User)]

[Rank: 19]

[Weapon: Blood-Drinking Machete (Blue)]

[Description: A thug for Donghai City's underground forces, ruthless and backed by the Zhou Family]

"People from the Zhou Family...?"

Lin Feng's heart sank.

He didn't expect them to come knocking so quickly.

And... they picked such a secluded spot.

"Kid, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Blood Butcher grinned, revealing yellow teeth and a hideous smile.

But Lin Feng's gaze bypassed him and landed on someone behind him.

That person was hiding behind the crowd, wearing a glamorous academy uniform with a smug smile on his face.

It was none other than Wang Hao!

"Wang Hao?"

Lin Feng frowned.

How did he end up mixed with these people?

"Lin Feng, didn't expect this, did you?"

Wang Hao stepped out from the crowd, arms crossed and chin held high, looking like a petty man who had achieved his aim.

"Did you think you'd be safe by hiding in a Secret Realm?"

"Let me tell you, Young Master Zhou had people watching long ago! The moment you stepped out of the Secret Realm, we knew!"

Lin Feng looked at him coldly. "So? What do you want?"

"What do I want?"

Wang Hao laughed loudly, his laughter filled with malice.

"Lin Feng, oh Lin Feng, you're just an F-Rank Talent trash. Wouldn't it have been enough to just honestly go to the exploration team and die?"

"Why did you have to open some equipment shop? Why did you have to offend Young Master Zhou? Why did you have to... get in my way!"

His expression suddenly turned savage.

"You've been suppressing me since we were kids! Your grades were better than mine, you were better at fighting than me, even Chen Lin revolved around you!"

"Why?! Huh? Why?!"

Wang Hao became more and more agitated as he spoke, spit flying everywhere.

"Now it's different! You Awakened a trash F-Rank Talent, while I Awakened a B-Rank! I got into the academy, and you can only go to the exploration team to die!"

"But you still won't accept your fate! You still dared to open an equipment shop! You still dared to steal the spotlight!"

"Today... I'll make you accept your fate once and for all!"

He turned to Blood Butcher and said, "Brother Butcher, it's him! Young Master Zhou said, kill him, and you get a hundred thousand points!"

Blood Butcher licked his lips, greed flashing in his eyes.

"A hundred thousand... enough for the brothers to live comfortably for a while."

He raised his machete and pointed it at Lin Feng.

"Kid, don't blame us. Blame yourself for offending someone you shouldn't have."

"In your next life, keep your eyes peeled."

Lin Feng looked at this group of people and suddenly laughed.

It wasn't a laugh of fear.

It was... a laugh of pure exasperation.

"Wang Hao, I originally only took you for a petty person with a strong sense of jealousy."

"I didn't expect... you to truly be a complete piece of trash."

"Just because of some trivial matters from when we were kids, you actually want me dead?"

"Fine."

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze turning completely cold.

"Since you want to die so badly... I'll grant your wish."

Wang Hao was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter.

"Hahahaha! Lin Feng, did you get sunstroke in the Secret Realm and go crazy?"

"Look around you! Fifteen people! The lowest is Rank 13, the highest is Rank 19!"

"And you? You're Rank 16 at most, right? With an F-Rank Talent?"

"What do you have to fight us with?!"

Blood Butcher didn't bother with more nonsense and waved his hand.

"Brothers, go! Finish this early so we can go drink!"

"You got it!"

"Slaughter him!"

A dozen people rushed forward with sinister grins!

Their coordination was very tacit.

Three shield-bearers were at the very front, five swordsmen were flanking from the sides, and the seven ranged classes in the back had already begun charging their attacks—arrows, darts, Spells...

A typical encirclement formation!

If it were the Lin Feng of four days ago, this might have been a bit troublesome.

But now...

"Perfect, let's try out the new toy."

Lin Feng unhurriedly untied the Storage Pouch filled with sand from his waist.

Rustle—

With a flick of his wrist, he poured out a large handful of sand.

The fine yellow sand scattered on the ground, shimmering with golden light in the sun.

Seeing this, Wang Hao was first stunned, then laughed so hard he couldn't stand straight.

"Hahahaha! Lin Feng! Have you been scared stupid?!"

"What are you pouring sand for? Digging your own grave?!"

"Or do you want to use sand to blind our eyes? Hahahaha!"

The surrounding thugs also burst into laughter.

"This kid must be insane!"

"Stop talking and just slaughter him!"

"I bet his head will be gone within three moves!"

Lin Feng ignored them.

He stared at the sand on the ground, and with a thought.

He didn't activate his Talent.

It was the tower soul's ability—Earth Control!

Hum—

With him as the center, the ground within a hundred-meter radius vibrated slightly!

It wasn't an earthquake.

It was... the sand responding to his call!

The handful of sand on the ground suddenly came to life!

It flowed, converged, and expanded as if it had a life of its own!

In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a sand wall three meters wide and two meters high, blocking the path in front of Lin Feng!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The three warriors at the very front slammed hard into the sand wall!

They had originally thought they could easily smash through it—after all, it was just a wall made of sand.

But in the next second, the expressions of the three changed.

The sand wall... didn't budge an inch!

Instead, a counter-force surged back, making their arms go numb!

"What the Hell?!"

"This sand... is so hard!"

Before the three could react, the sand wall suddenly deformed!

Three sand hands extended from the wall, grabbing their ankles like lightning!

"Not good!"

"Quick, cut them off!"

The three raised their blades and slashed!

But the sand hands were far tougher than imagined!

When the blades hit, they only kicked up a cloud of dust and couldn't be cut through at all!

"Get—down!"

Lin Feng gave a cold shout.

The three sand hands yanked downward violently!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The three shield warriors were pulled directly to the ground, falling flat on their faces!

The sand hands followed suit, wrapping from their ankles to their entire bodies, turning them into three sand cocoons!

Only their heads were left exposed.

"Help... Help!"

"I can't move!"

"There's something weird about this sand!"

The three struggled in terror, but the more they struggled, the tighter the sand wrapped around them.

"Ranged! Attack that kid!"

Blood Butcher's expression changed as he roared.

The archers and mages in the back immediately launched their attacks!

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

Three arrows pierced through the air!

Two fireballs came whistling toward him!

And several darts were shot from tricky angles toward Lin Feng's vital points!

"Sand Shield."

Lin Feng raised his hand and pointed.

The sand on the ground flowed again, forming an arc-shaped Sand Shield in front of him.

The shield was half a meter thick, with sand grains on the surface rotating at high speed, making a "rustling" friction sound.

Puff puff puff!

The arrows hit the Sand Shield and were directly ground to pieces by the rotating sand grains!

Boom boom!

The fireballs smashed into the Sand Shield, exploding in a burst of light, but the Sand Shield only swayed slightly without even leaving a dent!

Not to mention the darts, they couldn't even penetrate the surface layer of the Sand Shield!

"What... what kind of defense is this?!"

"How can sand possibly block a fireball?!"

"What kind of Talent does he have exactly?!"

The thugs were stunned.

They had never seen such a bizarre way of fighting!

Controlling sand?

Isn't that an ability of an Earth Mage?

But Earth Mages controlled rocks and soil; who ever controlled sand?

And with such fine control!

"Don't panic! He's only one person!"

Blood Butcher was indeed a leader and quickly calmed down.

"Melee, circle around! Ranged, continue suppression!"

"We'll wear him down until he dies!"

The remaining twelve people immediately changed their formation.

Four melee fighters circled from the sides, trying to bypass the Sand Shield.

Eight ranged attackers output damage frantically, with arrows, Spells, and hidden weapons raining down on the Sand Shield like raindrops.

Lin Feng watched their movements, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Circle around?"

With another thought.

The sand beneath his feet suddenly burst!

It wasn't an explosion.

It was... a spray!

Countless sand grains, like bullets, shot toward the four melee fighters circling from the sides!

The speed was extremely fast!

The coverage area was extremely wide!

"Watch out!"

The expressions of the four changed drastically as they hurriedly raised their shields to block.

Clang clang clang clang!

The grains of sand struck the shield, producing a dense clatter of metallic impacts!

Each grain of sand was like a small pebble!

The force of the impact was astonishing!

"Ugh!"

One fellow holding a blade failed to protect his lower body with his shield; in an instant, a dozen bloody holes were shot into his legs!

"My eyes!"

Another unlucky soul was struck in the eyes by the sand, clutching his face and screaming as he fell to the ground.

The remaining two barely managed to block it, but they were also beaten back repeatedly, unable to get close at all.

"Ranged attackers! Increase the firepower!"

Blood Butcher grew anxious and personally charged forward, brandishing a cleaver.

His B-Rank Talent was [Blood Drinker]; his attacks carried a life-steal effect, making him stronger the more he fought.

"Break for me—!"

Blood Butcher rushed to the Sand Shield, gripping his blade with both hands and cleaving down fiercely!

A bloody light flickered on the blade's body, his Aura impressive!

This single strike was enough to split rock!

Lin Feng watched him charge, neither dodging nor flinching.

He simply uttered two words softly.

"Sand Bind."

Crash!

The ground beneath Blood Butcher's feet suddenly caved in!

It wasn't a pit.

It was... quicksand!

The ground within a five-meter radius instantly turned into a quicksand swamp!

Blood Butcher stepped into empty air, his entire body sinking downward!

"What?!"

He turned pale with fright and tried to jump out, but the suction of the quicksand was too strong!

In the blink of an eye, the sand had submerged his knees!

"Brother Butcher!"

"Quick, save Brother Butcher!"

Several subordinates tried to rush over to save him.

But Lin Feng waved his hand.

A dozen sand spikes suddenly rose from the sandy ground!

Each one was as thick as an arm and two meters long, with sharp tips!

Puchi, puchi, puchi!

The three people at the very front were directly impaled by the sand spikes!

They were skewered on them like candied haws on a stick!

"Ah—"

The screams came to an abrupt halt.

The three of them stared with wide eyes, dying with their grievances unavenged.

Until the moment they died, they couldn't understand how sand... could kill people?

The remaining thugs were scared witless.

How the Hell were they supposed to fight this!

The sand could turn into walls, shields, hands, spikes, quicksand...

How could they fight?!

"Run! Run quickly!"

Someone shouted, and the remaining seven or eight people turned and fled.

They didn't even care about Blood Butcher anymore.

"Want to run?"

Lin Feng's gaze turned cold.

"Sand Waterfall Funeral."

He raised both hands upward.

Boom, boom, boom!!!

The surrounding sandy ground surged like ocean waves!

Countless grains of sand soared into the sky, transforming into waves of sand from all directions, crashing down toward those who were fleeing!

"No—"

"Mercy!"

"I was wrong!"

Pleas for mercy and screams were drowned out by the sand waves.

The sand washed over them like a flood.

When the sand waves subsided, seven or eight... sand mounds had appeared on the ground.

A person was buried in each mound.

Only their heads were exposed, but they were all breathless—sand had poured into their mouths, noses, and lungs, suffocating them to death.

Now, only two people remained alive.

One was Blood Butcher, trapped in the quicksand.

The other was... Wang Hao, who had long since been scared senseless.

"Mon... Monster..."

Wang Hao slumped on the ground, his pants soaked, his face as pale as paper.

He looked at Lin Feng as if he were looking at a malevolent ghost crawling out of Hell.

"You... You're not Lin Feng... You're a monster..."

Lin Feng ignored him.

He walked up to Blood Butcher.

Blood Butcher was already submerged up to his chest, still struggling desperately, but the more he struggled, the faster he sank.

"Sp... Spare me..."

Blood Butcher spoke with difficulty, his eyes filled with terror.

"It was Zhou Tianhao... he's the one who sent me..."

"I was just taking money to do a job..."

Lin Feng squatted down and looked at him.

"Where is Zhou Tianhao?"

"I... I don't know... he's usually at the Zhou Family Manor..."

"This operation... was coordinated by his subordinates..."

Blood Butcher was incoherent, wanting only to survive.

"I beg you... let me go... I'm willing to be your dog... to serve you like an ox or a horse..."

Lin Feng shook his head.

"I don't need a dog."

He raised his hand toward Blood Butcher's head and made a clenching motion.

Crash—

The quicksand suddenly surged upward, instantly swallowing Blood Butcher's head.

A few seconds later, the sand settled.

Blood Butcher... was gone.

He was completely buried beneath the sand.

Not even a burial mound remained.

Having finished all this, Lin Feng stood up and looked at Wang Hao.

Wang Hao trembled all over, scrambling backward on all fours.

"Don't... don't kill me..."

"Lin Feng... we... we're classmates..."

"When we were kids... we even played together..."

"I was wrong... I was really wrong..."

"I'll apologize to you... I'll kowtow to you..."

He actually began to kowtow, his forehead hitting the ground with a thudding sound.

Lin Feng walked up to him and looked down at him from above.

"Wang Hao, I gave you chances."

"At the Awakening ceremony, you mocked me, and I ignored you."

"In school, you spread rumors, and I ignored you."

"Even just now, when you sent people to kill me, I was still thinking of sparing your miserable life... but today!"

Lin Feng's voice was very calm.

But beneath that calmness was a bone-chilling coldness.

"But now I know."

"You truly... want me dead."

Wang Hao looked up, snot and tears mixed on his face in a pathetic mess.

"No... that's not it... I just... I was just jealous..."

"Lin Feng... let me go... I promise... I'll never appear before you again..."

"I'll drop out of school... I'll leave Donghai City... I'll go to the border... and never come back..."

Lin Feng shook his head.

"Too late."

Wang Hao's expression turned vicious as he suddenly lunged!

"Then you're coming with me!!!"

A dagger appeared in his hand, flickering with a faint blue light—it was clearly coated in a deadly poison!

At the same time, a phantom image emerged behind him!

It was the phantom of a wolf, with crimson eyes and bared fangs!

[B-Rank Talent Skill: Hungry Wolf's Pounce]

[Effect: Summons a hungry wolf phantom to pounce on the target, dealing Strength × 8 damage with a bleed effect]

[Description: A Talent Skill Wang Hao comprehended at the academy; its power is quite decent]

This was Wang Hao's trump card!

He had been waiting for this chance!

Waiting for Lin Feng to get close, waiting for Lin Feng to lower his guard!

"Die!!!"

With a distorted face, Wang Hao stabbed the dagger toward Lin Feng's heart while the hungry wolf phantom pounced toward Lin Feng's throat!

A double attack!

A total surprise!

But Lin Feng... didn't even bat an eyelid.

"Water Shield."

Buzz—

A layer of pale blue water curtain appeared in front of him.

Puchi!

The dagger stabbed into the water curtain, but after penetrating only an inch, it could go no further.

The hungry wolf phantom crashed into the water curtain, biting and tearing frantically.

But the water curtain only rippled slightly, without even a single crack.

[Water Shield absorbed damage: 658 × 3 = 1974]

[Current Shield Value: 1974/1974]

[Hungry Wolf's Pounce dealt damage: Strength 43 × 8 = 344]

[Shield Remaining: 1630/1974]

"What?!"

Wang Hao's eyes widened in disbelief.

His full-power strike couldn't even break Lin Feng's magic shield?!

How was this possible?!

Lin Feng's spirit was now 658, so the Water Shield could absorb 1974 points of damage.

Wang Hao's strength was only 43, so the damage from Hungry Wolf's Pounce was only 344.

Even with the dagger's physical damage, the total was less than 500.

Wanting to break the shield?

Dream on.

"This is your trump card?"

Lin Feng looked at him, his eyes filled with pity.

"Too weak."

He raised his hand toward Wang Hao and made a clenching motion.

"Sand Burial."

Crash—

A dozen sand hands suddenly reached out from the ground beneath Wang Hao's feet!

They instantly grabbed his limbs, neck, and waist!

"No—"

Wang Hao only had time to let out a short scream.

The sand hands yanked him downward violently!

Puchi!

Wang Hao was pulled into the sandy ground and disappeared.

The ground returned to its level state.

Only a few wisps of sand were still slowly flowing.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

Silence returned to the alley.

Fifteen people, completely wiped out.

Not a single one escaped.

Lin Feng stood in place, quietly sensing the fluctuations of the tower soul within his body.

The battle just now had consumed quite a bit of mana to manipulate the sand.

Roughly... around five thousand points.

Compared to his current total of 230,000, it was a drop in the bucket.

"The power is quite good."

He nodded, very satisfied with this new ability.

It was flexible to control, varied in its transformations, and impossible to guard against.

The key was... it wasn't conspicuous.

Who would be on guard against sand?

"Time to collect the spoils."

Lin Feng began to clean up the battlefield.

Blood Butcher's gang had quite a few things on them.

Weapons, armor, potions, points cards...

Lin Feng collected everything of value into his wanxiang ring.

He used special means to transfer the money from the points cards to his own account—this was an essential skill for an Explorer, allowing one to crack the passwords of low-level points cards.

He transferred a total of over eighty thousand points.

Added to what he already had, he now had nearly 4 million in his account.

Lin Feng sighed with emotion.

However, he also knew that he couldn't do this often.

This time, the other party had made the first move, so he was acting in self-defense.

But if he were to take the initiative to kill and rob, that would be another matter entirely.

"Zhou Tianhao..."

A cold light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

This time Wang Hao had led the way, but the mastermind was that eldest young master of the Zhou Family.

This debt would have to be settled sooner or later.

"But for now, I should leave here first."

Lin Feng cleaned up the scene.

He took the sand back into his Storage Pouch—except for the parts soaked in blood, which he didn't want anymore.

The corpses were all buried beneath the sand; unless someone dug up the ground, they wouldn't be found.

He covered the bloodstains with sand and handled the scent with an earth-type Spell.

After finishing everything, he clapped his hands and turned to leave the alley.

The setting sun cast his shadow very long.

In the alley, there was only the sound of the wind blowing across the sandy ground.

It was as if the bloody ambush just now had never happened.