"Pfft!"

The brute slammed the pipe with a single blow, driving it more than a meter underground. Beside him, Luo Tianyi rolled her eyes wildly, thinking to herself, My god, what did he eat to have such strength? Her own arms had just gotten sore and numb after driving down just a few pipes.

"Give me another one!"

Su Xuan felt a surge of excitement in his heart because, for a moment, something felt off. When he struck down earlier, it didn’t feel like sand.

Handing another steel pipe to Su Xuan, he struck down with the hammer once more. This time, it wasn’t as impressive as the last, but still sank about fifty centimeters into the ground. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Gripping the pipe with one hand, Su Xuan let a massive wave of Dark Strength flow continuously through the steel. Soon, he felt that the bottom of the pipe wasn’t sand; it was soil. With another wave of Dark Strength pushing through, it broke the soil like flowing water seeping through. Suddenly, Su Xuan felt an emptiness, and the Dark Strength vanished instantly.

"It’s hollow! My heavens, there’s always a way. Go call everyone over quickly!"

Su Xuan was so excited he was sweating. Checking the time, the sandstorm was half an hour away. If it hit while they were out here, he might survive, but the others’ fate would be uncertain. If they were unlucky enough to encounter the center of the sandstorm, they might just get blown away.

So Su Xuan and Bu Daming decided to take a chance. Bu Daming was familiar with this part of the desert and could determine if there was an underground palace based on some desert clues. Su Xuan didn’t have that skill, but he could use Dark Strength to search underground. Surprisingly, below the spot Luo Tianyi struck was a hollow space, very likely a passage or chamber of a tomb. Finding the tomb might allow them to shelter from the storm.

Su Xuan took off his jacket, then took out a Luoyang shovel to begin digging. His speed was astonishingly high, a truly high frequency. Sand continuously flew out, and the ground beneath Su Xuan gradually descended.

By then, Bu Daming had arrived, exclaiming in excitement.

"What are you all standing around for? Get down here and help dig! We’ve got twenty minutes left. If we don’t get into the tomb, we’ll be wolf food!"

Bu Daming jumped down with a Luoyang shovel in hand. Initially, nobody knew what Su Xuan was doing, but they soon caught on and jumped down quickly. Everyone was energized, as the threat to their lives unlocked immense potential. Even the scholarly gentlemen started to dig frantically, while the women above used tools to help move the sand. They could see the horizon was already filled with yellow sand, indicating the sandstorm was approaching. At this speed, it wouldn’t take long to sweep over them.

Finally, concrete appeared. Lifting his head, Su Xuan looked at the over-four-meter deep hole, feeling speechless. The desert’s sand was indeed abundant. Fortunately, they had brought adequate tools, or digging such a deep hole would have been impossible.

"Everyone, step aside!"

Su Xuan drew his Heroic Sword, holding the hilt with both hands, then thrust it sharply into the soil. With a squelching sound, the longsword pierced through, and Su Xuan concentrated, sensing it broke through the surface layer, which was three feet thick.

"Big Brother Su, the sandstorm is coming!"

Luo Tianyi shouted.

"Got it, dig faster, everyone! Three more feet to go!"

As he spoke, he resumed digging, the others frantically digging downwards. The sandstorm was drawing ever closer, the surrounding sand forming a massive haze.

In that moment, everyone was desperately excavating, their hands raw and bloodied, yet they pressed on. Finally, the Heroic Sword almost hit bottom. Su Xuan told them to stand back, then drew the sword, channeled Dark Strength into his right hand, and with a slam on the ground, a gap instantly appeared with a crash.

"It’s open, wonderful..."

Everyone felt a rush of exhilaration. Huo Qiyin quickly lit several torches and tossed them inside. After a while, the flames didn’t extinguish, confirming there was air inside.

"Everyone, get in quickly! I’ll bring the others down!"

Su Xuan climbed up the side quickly as if circling the giant deep pit to reach the ground above.

"Quick, hold the rope and get down!"

Su Xuan held the rope in one hand, lowering each woman down one by one. Jumping from such a height was impossible; otherwise, they might die from the fall instead of the sandstorm.

"Miss, you go first!"

Luo Tianyi’s three bodyguards urged.

"You go, hurry!"

Seeing the sandstorm intensify, Luo Tianyi urged them.

"Enough talk, hurry!"

Su Xuan was starting to feel exhausted after digging such a deep hole in one go.

The surrounding sandstorm made it hard for him to keep his eyes open, and the wind was growing stronger, threatening to blow Su Xuan away.

When the three bodyguards were lowered down, and as Su Xuan was about to lower Luo Tianyi, her body suddenly got swept backward. This was the powerful suction of the sandstorm at work.

"Damn it!"

Su Xuan cursed, reaching out in vain, as the rope slipped through his right hand. Swiftly, he coiled it around Luo Tianyi’s waist in a flash. In that instant, Su Xuan felt his body being tugged forward by a tremendous force, sliding several steps. The sandstorm’s power was unbelievably strong, nearly dragging Su Xuan away with it.

"Hold on tight!"

Su Xuan shouted, activating Thousand Jin Fall, instantly rooting his feet into the ground.

"Big Brother Su, let go, or you’ll die!"

Luo Tianyi could feel the tremendous suction. Without Su Xuan holding her, she’d have been swept away to who knows where.

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

Su Xuan gripped the rope with both hands, the pulling force so great that it slipped through his hands, staining it with blood.

"Aargh!"

Su Xuan suddenly roared, and with a tremendous effort, yanked Luo Tianyi down from the air.