"Indeed," Heather said immediately. To think that Ye Fan once wanted to annihilate the Pharaohs during their reincarnation. That was an impossible goal; there were almost no traces to follow!

"But I don’t sense any of those Pharaohs here," Ye Fan said.

He set down the Grassland Bear he was holding. The creature also disliked this place; the high desert temperatures didn’t suit its nature, and it began to rub pitifully against Ye Fan’s thigh.

At this, Heather was also filled with doubt. "This is an Ancient Egyptian ruin," she said. "When the Pharaohs are about to be reborn, they should come here to contemplate, unless..."

"Unless what?" Ye Fan asked.

Heather’s expression grew grave. "Unless we’ve fallen into a trap!"

Just then, Su Qingxue cried out, "Look! What’s that?"

The two of them looked in the direction she indicated. Sure enough, an overwhelming sandstorm was bearing down on them!

"Damn it! What freak weather to encounter at a time like this!" Ye Fan complained.

But Heather corrected him, "No, that’s not normal weather!"

"Indeed, it’s not," Su Qingxue agreed, her eyes fixed on the storm. A huge, grotesque face had appeared within the swirling sands. Its expression was utterly menacing, and the distorted visage was rapidly closing in on the trio.

ROAR!

The grotesque sandstorm face let out a tremendous roar, clearly preparing to devour the three of them.

Ye Fan drew his Yuanhong Sword. "Bring it on! I was just getting frustrated that I couldn’t find those mummies. I didn’t expect them to come to me." His power was undeniable—this was confidence, this was his foundation.

Sure enough, the sandstorm face pressed closer, bearing down with an oppressive force.

"Returning to the Sect Sword!" Ye Fan shouted, unleashing his strongest strike. The sword cleaved downward, exploding in the sky and instantly shattering the hideous face. The resulting dust cloud descended, only to be frozen solid by a blast of icy True Qi from the Grassland Bear.

At that moment, four square pillars erupted from the ground, constructing a powerful Array that encircled them. It was indeed a trap. Four gray-robed elders appeared simultaneously on the pillars. Each was a mummy Pharaoh holding a scepter. They looked imposing, their power unquestionably immense. Ye Fan and his companions immediately went on the defensive.

Just then, another figure appeared, standing atop a pyramid that had just risen from the desert sands. He was the Pharaoh of Egypt, the strongest of them all.

The Pharaoh of Egypt spoke to Ye Fan, his voice echoing across the dunes. "Friends from the East, welcome!"

Ye Fan scoffed, "Is this how you welcome friends?"

"We’ve been waiting for you for many days," the Pharaoh of Egypt replied. "This welcome is suitably grand, wouldn’t you say?"

"How did you know we were coming?" Ye Fan asked coldly. I never let this secret slip out! How could these old geezers have known in advance?

"You are a restless man," the Pharaoh of Egypt said with a chilling tone. "We have long anticipated this day. After your rise to power, we planted our people in the Divine Land."

"You want to eliminate us? Dream on!" the desiccated Pharaoh of Egypt screeched. "The Spirit Suppressing People’s plan to expel us is hardly a secret. For years, many have tried to carry it out, but all have failed. We’ve grown quite accustomed to it!"

"So that’s how it is," Ye Fan said, his voice dropping. "But I don’t intend to leave empty-handed this time. You are all going to die!" He leveled his sword at the Pharaoh of Egypt.

The Pharaoh of Egypt simply shook his head. "What a foolish thought. Over the years, countless people have harbored the same ambition as you. But you know what their final fate was, don’t you? Young man, you are hopelessly naive!"

"And look, two old acquaintances," one of the other Pharaohs sneered at Su Qingxue and Heather. As prominent figures from a thousand years ago themselves, the Pharaohs naturally recognized the two women. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

At this, Ye Fan spoke up. "For the sake of your Martial Arts, you willingly buried yourselves for a thousand years, living a life neither human nor ghost! You are willing to live like this, but you won’t contribute to the world you came from? You are people of this world, so don’t disappoint me!" Of course, they already had.

"We Pharaohs have vast interests in the Secular World," the Pharaoh of Egypt declared. "Why would we ever become Spirit Suppressing People? No matter what you intend, come and fight!"

In response to the Pharaoh’s challenge, Ye Fan launched himself forward. Gathering all his power, he slashed down with his sword. The strike whipped up a maelstrom of sand and dust, and amid the swirling chaos, Ye Fan shattered the pyramid. But the Pharaoh of Egypt had vanished.

The two women also sprang into action, charging toward the four weathered Pharaohs on the pillars. The Pharaohs immediately made their move, standing atop the pillars and channeling their full power into the Array to trap them.

But the Grassland Bear was not to be underestimated. It coordinated with the two women, launching a fierce assault on the four Pharaohs. The Pharaohs were shocked; even with the Mummy Array, the four of them were unable to handle the two women and the Grassland Bear. They were furious. Muttering incantations, they stirred up a sky full of sand, filling the air with billowing clouds of war smoke. The battle reached a stalemate. Their fight would not conclude quickly; it was destined to be a long and arduous one.

Meanwhile, Ye Fan was trying to sense the Pharaoh of Egypt’s aura. Suddenly, a tremendous shriek echoed, a sound so piercing it assaulted his eardrums. Ye Fan clutched his ears in pain as the surrounding ancient ruins began to crumble and collapse.

The very earth began to shift, forming a vortex. From within it, a tremendously large Sandstorm Giant Snake appeared. It was three times larger than the Grassland Bear at its maximum size. The sight of the giant serpent made of sand sent a chill down Ye Fan’s spine.

"Conquer the World!" Ye Fan bellowed, aiming to sever the giant serpent.

However, as his Cross and Diagonal Sword Technique neared the Sandstorm Giant Snake, its massive tail swung down, blocking his fatal blow. Then, the serpent’s head came crashing down.

"Wanxiang Divine Shield!"

Ye Fan braced against the serpent’s head, feeling an immense weight pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe. Just then, the serpent’s tail—formed of sand and stone and sharp enough to pierce through anything—shot toward Ye Fan’s vulnerable body.

Ye Fan’s heart leaped in alarm.

"Break!"

He unleashed his full power. A blue phantom appeared and flung the Sandstorm Giant Snake away. It flew backward and crashed heavily into the desert, gouging a massive crater in the sand. But the Sandstorm Giant Snake simply roared and charged again.

"Slash!"

Ye Fan struck with his sword, colliding with the serpent. This time, it could not withstand the blow and disintegrated into the swirling storm. The fierce sandstorm swept in, but with a single stroke of his sword, Ye Fan split it in two. The sudden move was utterly unexpected.

However, just as he thought he had a moment to catch his breath, the giant serpent reformed. This creature was essentially immortal; it couldn’t be destroyed by external force.