44: The antlion explores the dangerous area for the first time, and the Sand Hidden Guardians show their edge!

The Ant Lion Hazard Zone truly lived up to its name.

The canyon's sides were steep, ochre-yellow rock walls, riddled with holes from wind and sand erosion.

“Whoosh—” The wind howled mournfully, echoing through the narrow valley, stirring up a sky full of yellow sand. Visibility was extremely low; figures blurred beyond three steps.

Sand grains struck his face, bringing a faint stinging sensation.

The quicksand beneath his feet was so soft it had no bottom, sinking deep with every step, requiring extra effort to pull out.

Tang Yan's black hair danced wildly in the wind. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and deep within his pupils, a purple glow, imperceptible to ordinary people, swirled. His Purple Demon Eyes, at the micro-level, operated at full power, presenting a different scene of chaotic magnetic fields and violent energy flows in his eyes.

“Watch your step. The geomagnetism here is erratic, and some sand layers are hollow,” he warned Qian and Zi Luo behind him.

Qian nodded, her expression solemn.

Zi Luo, however, pouted and flexed the iron hand on his wrist, producing a faint metallic grinding sound. “This godforsaken place is a good spot to hide, but also a good spot to bury bones.” He glanced at Tang Yan, “Captain, your eyes really see carefully.”

Tang Yan ignored his teasing, quickly formed hand signs, gathered Chakra in his palm, and slammed it onto the sandy ground.

“Summoning Technique!”

“Boom!”

White smoke exploded, and a nimble figure appeared in the mist.

A Ninja Toad, wearing a headband with the character “Tang,” knelt on one knee, one hand propped on the ground, its crimson long scarf fluttering in the wind. It landed silently, warily surveying its surroundings.

“Yan.”

The Ninja Toad looked up, meeting Tang Yan’s gaze. No words were needed; their understanding was complete.

“Ninja Toad, this time I need you to conduct a deep reconnaissance. Pay attention to concealment. Qian, have Scythe Wind Slash assist from the air,” Tang Yan quickly gave his orders.

“Yes!”

The Ninja Toad crouched, blending into the quicksand like a green shadow, moving incredibly fast, almost merging with the sandy ground.

Qian also formed hand signs simultaneously: “Summoning Technique!”

“Swish!”

Scythe Wind Slash, a Sickle Weasel with a pure white body and nimble eyes, appeared on her shoulder, affectionately rubbing its small head against her cheek and letting out soft “chirp chirp” sounds.

“Go, Scythe Wind Slash, high-altitude reconnaissance!”

“Whoosh—”

Wind elements flowed around Scythe Wind Slash, transforming it into a white streak that shot into the sky, weaving flexibly through the dim yellow sandstorm, and soon disappearing from sight.

A moment later, Tang Yan received a message from the Ninja Toad in his mind.

“Three hundred meters ahead to the left, there’s freshly turned earth under the sand, mixed with three kunai metal fragments.”

Almost simultaneously, Qian spoke, her expression slightly changed: “Scythe Wind Slash found something at high altitude! Several Sunagakure-laid decoy traps have been tampered with, and the method of destruction is very crude. On a slightly flatter rock wall nearby, there’s an emergency distress signal and direction of travel drawn with hemostatic powder mixed with medicinal liquid—it’s our medical unit’s mark!”

“Location?” Tang Yan asked.

Qian pointed to a corner deep in the canyon, obscured by a large rock: “Behind that, about a kilometer away.”

“Very good, we…”

Before Tang Yan could finish speaking, a subtle, unnatural distortion appeared in the energy field of the towering sand dune to his right, visible through his Purple Demon Eyes. Three faint but murderous Chakra sources were lurking behind it.

“Ambush! Three o’clock direction, behind the sand dune, three people!”

His voice had just fallen.

“Swish! Swish! Swish!”

Three figures tumbled out from behind the towering sand dune on the right, forming a triangular formation that subtly surrounded the Fifth Squad.

They were Konoha Ninja! Two Genin and one Chunin with a more composed aura.

The Chunin leading them had a hideous scar on his face and wary eyes, fixed intently on Tang Yan. On his arm, several small, strangely arranged dark red wounds were still bleeding, as if gnawed by some small insects.

“Sunagakure rats, you’ve got some nerve, still daring to follow our Konoha trail. Are you here to pick at our leftover bones?” The Chunin’s voice was hoarse, with an imperceptible stiffness, clearly indicating that the previous battle had not been easy.

Zi Luo, instead of getting angry, laughed, a fierce arc spreading across his lips. He twisted his neck, his knuckles cracking crisply.

“Such a foul mouth, seems you ate something unclean.”

Before he finished speaking, Seven Day Breathing Method instantly activated. A faint, earthy yellow airflow appeared on the surface of his exposed skin, and the sand beneath his feet sank slightly.

“I’ll help you clean up!”

Instead of retreating, his body surged forward, launching himself like a cannonball!

His speed far exceeded that of ordinary Ninja!

The sand exploded beneath his feet, and the low wind pressure created by his forward momentum caused the quicksand on both sides to tremble.

The hideous iron hand on his right hand gleamed with metallic cold light under the dim yellow sky, and the bracer on his left arm emitted a faint, rhythmic clicking sound as he ran.

“Click! Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”

The clicking sound paused, and several glowing blue hand spikes shot out from hidden crevices in his bracer. Their poisoned tips traced cunning arcs, aiming directly for the faces and throats of the two Konoha Genin attempting to form hand signs!

“Watch out for projectiles!” one Konoha Genin cried out, hastily rolling to the side in a clumsy dodge.

The other Genin, confident in his quick reflexes, raised his kunai to block.

“Clang!”

A piercing clang rang out, a tremendous force transmitted through the kunai, instantly knocking it from his hand. The poisoned spike grazed his arm, leaving a bloody trail. The Genin felt his arm go numb, and sensation in his entire limb rapidly vanished, his movements instantly sluggish.

Now!

Zi Luo was already in close quarters!

He gave his opponent no chance to breathe. Taking advantage of the Genin’s sluggishness, his right iron hand, accompanied by the sound of wind, carried a force of a thousand jun, smashing fiercely into his chest!

“Crunch!”

A bone-chilling crackling sound mixed with the shattering of protective gear. The Genin’s sternum visibly caved in, his eyes filled with disbelief. He flew backward, blood spewing from his mouth in a horrifying arc.

One down!

The other Genin, whose arm had been grazed by the poisoned spike, felt a chilling numbness rapidly spread from the wound throughout his body. His blood seemed to congeal, and his body became completely rigid. His hand sign movements became incredibly slow and comical.

Zi Luo had already closed in on him, delivering an incredibly fierce straight punch that landed heavily on his abdomen.

“Pfft!”

The Genin arched violently as if struck head-on by a battering ram, his eyes bulging. Gastric fluids mixed with internal organ fragments spewed from his mouth as he was sent flying by the punch, crashing heavily against the rock wall, sliding down, and falling silent.

In the blink of an eye, two Konoha Genin, instantly killed!

Zi Luo shook the blood from his iron hand, his eyes cold and full of murderous intent. He glanced at the shattered protective gear on the ground and sneered, “Konoha’s equipment, the quality is getting worse and worse.”

Seeing this, the Konoha Chunin’s face drained of color.

These two Sunagakure brats… no, they were monsters! Their strength far exceeded his estimation!

Fear seized his heart. Chakra erupted beneath his feet, and his body violently retreated backward. At the same time, he formed hand signs at the fastest speed of his life, attempting to use Ninjutsu to create distance.

“Trying to leave?”

A cold voice sounded behind him, as if right against his nape.

The Konoha Chunin felt a chilling dread rise from his back. He turned back in horror, only to see a humanoid puppet, crafted entirely from dark, dull metal, with scarlet lights flickering at its joints, had somehow blocked his retreat!

The puppet was roughly the size of an adult, with flowing lines and a cold, mechanical aesthetic.

Especially its scarlet single eye, devoid of any living emotion, only a pure, soul-shaking aura of hatred emanated from the puppet.

This aura was chilling and violent, causing the Konoha Chunin’s mind to tremble, and the flow of his Chakra became slightly sluggish. The hand sign he was about to complete was delayed by half a beat.

What kind of puppet is this?! This ominous aura is even more sinister than a Tailed Beast!

Tang Yan stood not far away, his expression calm, his fingers moving slightly. Invisible Chakra threads extended through the sandstorm, precisely connecting to every joint of the puppet, ‘Luo.’

“I’ll handle this guy,” Tang Yan said calmly, as if stating a trivial matter. “‘Luo,’ let him experience Sunagakure’s hospitality.”

Zi Luo, hearing this, pouted and grumbled unhappily, “Tch, nothing for me to do again.”

No sooner had he spoken than the energy core within the puppet ‘Luo’s’ chest cavity suddenly glowed red, and a dull humming sound emanated from within its body.

Earth Release: Sand Time Rain!

‘Luo’ raised a single arm, spreading its five fingers, its palm aimed at the terrified Konoha Chunin.

The surrounding sandy ground instantly boiled. Countless grains of sand were lifted from the ground by an invisible force, gathering in mid-air, and in a blink of an eye, transformed into a thick cloud of sand, covering the sky and falling down upon him!

The sand cloud obscured the dim yellow sky and also sealed off all his escape routes.

“Damn it!” The Konoha Chunin cursed inwardly. This puppet could actually use Earth Release of such a wide range!

He had no time to think. He slammed his hands onto the ground, injecting Chakra into the earth without reservation.

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

A thick earth wall hastily rose from the ground, its rock texture clearly visible, attempting to block the cascading curtain of deathly sand.

However, at the moment the sand rain touched the earth wall, faint, almost inaudible clicking sounds came from within ‘Luo’s’ ten metal fingers.

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!”

Hundreds, even thousands, of needle-thin, glowing blue steel needles, mixed within the sky-full of sand rain, silently shot out from ‘Luo’s’ fingertips!

Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needle!

Each needle was laced with enough nerve toxin to paralyze a giant elephant.

These poisoned needles, using the sand rain as cover, had erratic trajectories, perfectly concealing their deadly intent.

“Pfft pfft pfft!” Although the earth wall was sturdy, under the impact of ‘Luo’s’ precisely controlled sand flow, gaps in its defense eventually appeared. Dozens of poisoned needles accurately penetrated those gaps, fiercely embedding themselves into the limbs and torso of the Konoha Chunin behind the earth wall.

“Ugh ah!” The Konoha Chunin let out a stifled groan, his body suddenly stiffening. The Chakra maintaining the Earth Flow Wall instantly cut off, and the thick earth wall collapsed with a roar.

A violent sensation of numbness exploded from the wounds like electricity, rapidly sweeping through his entire body. His limbs began to disobey him, and the flow of Chakra within him also stagnated. His eyes were consumed by endless terror and despair.

What kind of monster is this?!

Qian’s assistance also arrived silently at this moment.

“Cactus Genjutsu: Dream Weaving.”

A subtle, imperceptible Chakra fluctuation merged into the air. The poisoned Chunin felt the scene before his eyes flicker slightly. ‘Luo’s’ cold figure seemed to transform into three, approaching him simultaneously from different directions, causing a fatal error in his judgment of subsequent attacks.

High in the sky, Scythe Wind Slash had long been poised. It waved its claws, and several solidified Wind Slashes formed out of thin air, tearing through the air, striking at the Konoha Chunin’s vital joints from tricky angles.

“Sizzle sizzle!”

Several blood flowers splattered on the Chunin’s body. The wounds weren’t deep, but they worsened his already precarious situation.

Tang Yan had been calmly observing the battle.

His Purple Demon Eyes clearly captured that this Konoha Chunin’s movement pattern, though seemingly cautious, always carried a subtle, unnatural stiffness during offense-defense transitions. It was as if every one of his movements lacked the natural fluidity and agility a real person should possess. More importantly, the faint, unusual Chakra residue on him, though weak, could not escape Tang Yan’s perception.

It wasn’t like the symbiotic aura of the Aburame Clan with insects; instead, it was more like… a puppet controlled by parasitic insects.

“It’s over,” Tang Yan said faintly, his single hand making a grasping motion.

Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon!

An invisible suction force materialized out of thin air. The Konoha Chunin, already severely poisoned and further hampered by genjutsu and wind blades, stumbled uncontrollably forward, leaving his chest wide open.

‘Luo’s’ scarlet single eye flashed, and a metal iron fist, imbued with immense power, solidly struck him in the chest.

“Bang!”

The Konoha Chunin was struck as if by a heavy hammer, again spewing a mouthful of blood mixed with internal organ fragments, his eyes rapidly dimming.

Tang Yan appeared before him like a ghost, grabbing his neck and lifting him. His voice was cold: “Where is our medical unit? What conspiracy do you have?”

The Chunin’s throat made a gurgling sound, and black foam oozed from the corners of his mouth. He used his last ounce of strength, staring at Tang Yan with venomous eyes.

Suddenly, his body began to twitch violently, as if countless things were squirming beneath his skin.

The next moment, countless black beetles, the size of fingernails, erupted from his mouth, nose, eyes, and ears!

Those beetles frantically gnawed at the Chunin’s flesh, making a horrifying “rustling” sound. In just a few breaths, a living person was reduced to a desiccated corpse, gnawed beyond recognition, a truly tragic death.

The black beetles, having lost their host, quickly burrowed into the sand and disappeared.

Zi Luo walked over, saw the sight, and couldn’t help but curse, “Damn, these Konoha guys are really disgusting.”

Qian also came over, her pretty face a bit pale, clearly startled by the bizarre technique.

Tang Yan didn’t speak. He squatted down, carefully examining the desiccated corpse and the surrounding sand.

In the air, a faint, peculiar sweet and bloody smell permeated.

“The enemy committed suicide this way because they didn’t want to leave any clues,” Tang Yan stood up, his brows furrowed. “What exactly are those crazy Root members trying to hide?”

His gaze turned towards the depths of the canyon, his eyes sharpening.

“Clean up the traces. We must speed up.”

“The medical unit’s situation is probably more dangerous than we imagined.”