The enormous sand sphere, accompanied by a whistling wind, hurtled towards the Stone Monkey.
The Stone Monkey raised its head, watching the sand sphere coming at it, a hint of disdain flashing in its eyes.
It raised one hand and swatted at the sand sphere.
"Boom!"
The sand sphere instantly disintegrated under the Stone Monkey's strike, turning into countless dust particles that filled the air.
The Stone Monkey's arm was also covered in sand, but it merely gave a gentle shake, and the sand fell away.
Marcus, seizing the moment the Stone Monkey dispersed the sand sphere, pushed off the ground and charged at the Stone Monkey again.
Marcus circled behind the Stone Monkey, his hands glowing yellow, and the surrounding sand rapidly converged into a giant Sand Hammer.
This Sand Hammer was enormous, its head covered in sharp spikes that gleamed with a cold light.
He gripped the Sand Hammer tightly with both hands, let out a roar, and swung it with all his might at the Stone Monkey's back.
With a loud "Bang!", the Sand Hammer slammed heavily onto the Stone Monkey's back.
The Stone Monkey staggered, almost falling over. It turned around furiously, its gigantic fist, accompanied by a whistling wind, came crashing towards Marcus.
Marcus had no time to dodge and could only use his Sand Armor to withstand the punch.
An unimaginably powerful force struck him, sending him flying like a cannonball, arcing through the air, and then crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Cough, cough…" Marcus coughed up a mouthful of blood, which stained the Sand Armor on his chest red.
He felt as if all the bones in his body were about to shatter, and the intense pain almost made him pass out.
But the Stone Monkey gave Marcus no chance to catch his breath; it charged at Marcus again like an out-of-control giant war chariot.
Marcus, enduring the severe pain, struggled to get up from the ground.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he quickly formed hand seals, muttering incantations.
"The vast yellow desert is the ultimate destination for all; where life perishes, everything ends…"
The surrounding sand began to swirl wildly, forming a massive and awe-inspiring Sand Vortex.
The Stone Monkey was instantly swept into this vortex. It struggled fiercely within the vortex, its limbs flailing continuously, trying to break free from the powerful binding force.
The rock magic on its body surged wildly, and huge rocks shot out from it, violently colliding with the inner wall of the vortex.
"Boom, boom, boom!" A series of deafening roars echoed as the inner wall of the vortex was shattered, sand flying everywhere, the entire scene resembling the end of the world.
However, the Stone Monkey was, after all, a powerful A-rank magic beast. It roared, and its full magical power erupted like a volcanic eruption, releasing an earthy gray shockwave that instantly tore through the Sand Vortex.
Marcus was repelled several steps by the Recoil force, his face ashen.
"This isn't enough? No, I can't fall here!" A hint of despair flashed in Marcus's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by his resolve.
He once again mobilized all his magical power, condensing the surrounding sand into countless Sand Blades, thin as cicada wings and incredibly sharp.
"Go!" Marcus shouted, waving his hands forward.
The Sand Blades, like a dense swarm of bees, whistled towards the Stone Monkey.
The Stone Monkey dared not be careless this time. It crossed its arms in front of its body, and an even thicker rock shield instantly formed.
The Sand Blades clashed fiercely with the rock shield, emitting a series of sharp, piercing sounds, and sparks bloomed like fireworks.
However, Marcus's true objective was not these Sand Blades.
While the Stone Monkey was fully focused on blocking the Sand Blades, he secretly condensed a mass of sand as soft as a swamp beneath the Stone Monkey's feet.
"Sand Trap!" Marcus whispered.
The sand beneath the Stone Monkey's feet suddenly softened, and its legs instantly sank into it.
The Stone Monkey was startled and tried to struggle free with force, but the sand clung to its legs like viscous glue, slowing its movements.
Marcus seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, rapidly changing his hand seals and muttering incantations.
"Sandstorm Tornado!"
A violent sandstorm instantly formed, like a roaring giant dragon, engulfing the Stone Monkey's entire body.
Within the sandstorm, sand spun at an astonishing speed, continuously cutting at the Stone Monkey's body.
The Stone Monkey let out a painful roar. Fine cracks appeared on the rock shield covering its body, as if it could shatter at any moment.
The Stone Monkey struggled desperately in the sandstorm, its thick arms flailing, trying to break free from the cage that bound it.
But the power of the sandstorm was extremely strong, constantly eroding its magical power and stamina.
Marcus dared not relax in the slightest at this moment. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, yet his gaze remained firm and sharp.
He formed hand seals again, muttering incantations, "Sand Crush!"
Instantly, the sand in the sandstorm seemed to become even heavier, pressing down on the Stone Monkey like countless mountains.
The Stone Monkey's knees bent slightly, and the cracks on its rock shield further expanded.
"Roar!" The Stone Monkey let out an unwilling roar, and the earthy gray magical light on its body flared, actually shaking off some of the sand.
But how could Marcus give it a chance to breathe? He immediately unleashed a new spell.
"Sand Pierce!" Marcus shouted, and countless sharp sand spikes abruptly thrust out from the sandstorm towards the Stone Monkey.
The Stone Monkey quickly swung its arms to block, breaking some of the sand spikes, but many still pierced its body, and blood seeped from the wounds.
The Stone Monkey's eyes turned even redder; its rage had reached its peak.
The Stone Monkey roared, and the rocks on its body instantly exploded, the powerful impact scattering part of the sandstorm, and its body temporarily gained a moment of respite.
Seeing this, Marcus's heart tightened. He knew the Stone Monkey was about to launch a furious counterattack.
Sure enough, the Stone Monkey slammed its hands on the ground, and a huge wave of earth surged from the ground, bringing with it rolling dust as it surged towards Marcus.
Marcus quickly jumped to dodge, and at the same time, he waved his hands, "Sand Barrier!"
A wall made of sand appeared in front of him, blocking the impact of the earth wave.
But the power of the earth wave was too strong, and cracks began to appear in the Sand Barrier.
Marcus gritted his teeth, continuously injecting magical power to maintain the barrier.
"Bang!" In the end, the Sand Barrier was still breached by the earth wave, and Marcus was sent flying by the residual force, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Cough, cough…" Marcus coughed up a mouthful of blood. He struggled to stand up, but a sharp pain shot through his body.
The Stone Monkey seized the opportunity and charged over. It raised its large foot, intending to stomp Marcus flat.
The massive rocky foot drew closer and closer. Just at this critical moment, a look of determination flashed in Marcus's eyes.
"Sand Substitute!" His body froze in place, his eyes losing their luster, like a dummy.
The Sand Substitute was crushed by the Stone Monkey's foot, yellow sand exploding and scattering.
Marcus's figure appeared in the distance.
The Stone Monkey turned its head furiously, locking onto Marcus again.
Marcus had already expended most of his magical power. He didn't have much magical power to begin with, and fighting against magical beasts, which naturally possessed immense magical power, made his disadvantage even more apparent.
"Not much magical power left. Can't drag this out any longer."
He took a deep breath, first forming a few hand seals that seemed somewhat similar to the ones he used for Sand Substitute. Then Marcus pressed his palms together, "Sand Giant!"
Marcus's body emitted an earthy yellow light, and a yellow sand tornado began to swirl around him.
The surrounding yellow sand trembled, boiling and churning like hot water, drawn by the yellow sand tornado around Marcus.
His body began to merge with the surrounding sand; a massive amount of yellow sand surged backward, completely engulfing him, and Marcus transformed into a giant Sand Man!