Bai Pu’s great sword continuously unleashed several gusts of Gang Wind. The final slash, aligned with the trajectory of the wind, formed an Eye of the Storm under the infusion of Blood River Fighting Qi.

A terrifying suction emerged, completely nullifying the already limited mobility of the Sandstorm Mage within the Blood River Territory. The Sandstorm Mage was forcibly drawn towards the eye, exhibiting the bizarre spectacle of running steps with a body floating backward, like the "moonwalk".

In this state, the Sandstorm Mage couldn’t even cast instant magic spells, essentially becoming an incompetent punching bag!

Its 10,080 points of Life Value couldn’t withstand Bai Pu’s sword for long.

This was because the Sandstorm Mage’s Endurance Attribute was inherently low, resulting in low Armor. Out of its ten-thousand-plus Life Value, 8,000 points came from its template’s World Waymark bonus, leaving it with only 2,080 points of its own Life Value.

With a hoarse low roar, the Sandstorm Mage’s last bit of Life Value was drained by the [Blood River Territory], turning into a pile of bandaged yellow sand.

A large Golden Treasure Chest floated in front of Bai Pu.

Bai Pu grabbed the treasure chest, struggled to move his steps, and finally escaped the quicksand area. Regaining his freedom, he immediately rushed to Sandstorm Mage Number Two!

At this moment, Sandstorm Mage Number Two was engaged in a fierce battle with Tom and Oshana.

The formidable defense of the Quicksand Shell left the two first-year students from Garrison with almost no recourse.

This Lost Staff quest was originally designed for low-level students of War God Peak, or at least for top senior students from Garrison Academy’s main campus. For Tom and his partner, it was beyond their syllabus.

Both Tom and his partner had their own secret techniques, which were their family-passed ultimate moves. But even when they used their ultimate moves, they barely surpassed the 500-point damage absorption of the Quicksand Shell, only inflicting a few hundred points of damage to Sandstorm Mage Number Two.

The ultimate move couldn’t be used as a Horizontal Slash, and the few hundred points of damage it caused were quickly healed by Sandstorm Mage Number Two within minutes of the subsequent battle!

Thus, relying on their own strength alone, it was utterly impossible to take down Sandstorm Mage Number Two, leaving them to pin their hopes on Bai Pu.

Fortunately, Bai Pu did not disappoint!

Seeing Bai Pu quickly take down Sandstorm Mage Number One within minutes, Tom was ecstatic. He knew he had bet on the right person; this powerful helper was truly worthy!

The Demon God’s Underground Palace of War God Peak, here I come!

Whoosh, the Blood River Territory swept over, engulfing Sandstorm Mage Number Two.

Bai Pu’s steady voice rang out, "Tom, go check the remains of the first mummy to see if the Lost Staff has dropped next to its remains. Oshana, continue dealing with the Earth Spirits, don’t let these minions bother me."

Both of them agreed in unison.

Although Bai Pu’s true intention was to prevent the two from continuing to "pollute" Sandstorm Mage Number Two’s treasure chest, they had no doubts, mainly because their output was limited and their understanding of Mystical Arts wasn’t assault-oriented, rendering them helpless against the Quicksand Shell.

From Bai Pu’s perspective, if the Quicksand Shell could be shattered using Mountain Shattering Mystical Arts, only then could Tom and Oshana deliver effective output.

But this would mean the two natives’ contributions would increase, and Bai Pu would only end up with a Shared Chest, something he was unwilling to accept—unless Bai Pu alone couldn’t kill Sandstorm Mage Number Two.

As things stood...

Bai Pu’s supplies were abundant. He had downed a vial of [Strong Energy Potion] before arriving, and now his Blood River Fighting Qi was near ninety percent, more than enough to deal with Sandstorm Mage Number Two.

Moreover, with the Dai Sect nearby, Bai Pu need not worry about attacks from Xilou and Celestial Wolf. With such favorable conditions, he naturally aimed to obtain a full-fledged treasure chest!

Soon, as Sandstorm Mage Number Two dissipated into yellow sand, the battle was over.

Meanwhile, Oshana and Tom had already cleared out the other Earth Spirits.

"Dior, there’s good news and bad news."

Tom sighed, approached Bai Pu, and handed over a yellow, irregular sphere.

"First, the good news is that this is a Sandstorm Core, found inside that earlier mummy. It contains two different Sources of Magical Power, Earth and Wind, allowing you to cultivate seeds of Magic Power from both elements simultaneously."

Oshana added from the side, "Although this composite demon core isn’t as good as a single-attribute one, the strength of this mummy creature was quite formidable, nearly at the level of a Super Mage. The seeds of Magic Power you cultivate should be impressive, too."

Bai Pu inquired, "Shouldn’t there be two Sandstorm Cores from two mummies?"

"No, there was only one. Not every demon beast contains a demon core; these ancient mummies are no exception," Tom explained, "Some scholars believe it’s because some demon beasts erase their natural Magic Power Circuits before dying, causing the demon core to dissolve into Magic Energy and disappear into the world."

Bai Pu nodded: "Alright... getting one Sandstorm Core is considered good news. What about the bad news?"

"The bad news is that the staffs held by both mummy priests do not match the features described in the quest for the ’Lost Staff’."

Tom took Bai Pu to inspect the two staffs and brought out a comparison image for verification.

Bai Pu was curious about the source of the comparison image, to which Tom revealed he did not know—it might have been left by a teacher who researched the ancient history of the Red Sand Dynasty.

At this moment, Tano timidly approached.

"Sirs, may I take a look at these two staffs?"

A thought crossed Bai Pu’s mind—Tano, being a Red Sand Remnant, might know some insider information.

"Here you go, just be careful not to damage them; these are artifacts and should fetch a decent amount of Gold Coins," Tom handed the two staffs to Tano.

Tano took the two staffs, and crawled up the wall to the ceiling—which was actually the top floor of an ancient sacrificial tower from thousands of years ago—and carefully approached the ancient sacrificial platform hanging upside down from the "ceiling".

He inserted the two staffs into the left and right slots of the sacrificial platform.

A wondrous scene unfolded as both staffs simultaneously emitted a red light and then deeply embedded themselves into the holes of the sacrificial platform!

In the next second, where the sacrificial tower’s wall had been, there came a rumbling noise. The wall split along ancient carved patterns, revealing a hall inside.

Golden light flooded out, blinding everyone until they blinked several times to adjust.

"My lords, this is the Secret Treasure hidden by the Red Sand... the ancient sacrificial scepter and the national treasure of the Red Sand Kingdom, the Earth Dragon Pearl."

Tano jumped down from the ceiling and said respectfully.

"Tano, why are you telling us this?" Bai Pu squinted his eyes, sensing something amiss.

Tano replied with frustration, "I have been marked by the leader of the Red Sand Defense Army, and there is no longer a place for me in the tribe... I can only beg you to take me in. This Secret Treasure of the Red Sand Kingdom is my offering to you, my lords..."