After asking some more questions, Xiang Shaoyun rewarded all three of the informants before sending two of them away, leaving only the Emperor behind. His name was Ge Mote, and he looked middle-aged. He seemed somewhat nervous facing the Overlord Legion members, as if he was afraid they would treat him unfavorably.
“Ge Mote, you are probably aware that we are foreign visitors. We are entering the desert on a training session, and we wish to hire you as our guide. Are you willing to come with us?” Xiang Shaoyun asked.
Ge Mote replied nervously, “I’m afraid I won’t be a good guide.”
“Don’t worry. We won’t delve too deeply into the desert. You only need to bring us to places where demonic beasts can be frequently found so we can have some practice before you bring us back,” said Xiang Shaoyun. “Naturally, you will be amply rewarded.”
After some hesitation, Ge Mote agreed, “Ok. But I need to make it clear that I’ll only be in charge of showing the way. Also, you need to be in charge of my safety. I might have a decent cultivation level, but there are many Demon Emperors in the desert. We might even encounter Demon Sovereigns. I am definitely not a match for them.”
“That won’t be a problem. Shall we depart?” said Xiang Shaoyun.
Just like that, Ge Mote became their guide as they stepped into the Desert of Despair. This time, Xiang Shaoyun brought Vicious One, Two, and Three with him as well. These three birds had physiques granting them an affinity with the power of earth. Thus, they were extremely joyful when they arrived. It was obvious they loved the environment of the desert.
Xiang Shaoyun allowed them to roam about in the sky freely. That way, they could also act as scouts and might prove to be useful on their way back later. They had not traveled far before they encountered trouble.
Some rattlesnakes had suddenly appeared and attacked the Overlord Legion members. Individually, a rattlesnake wasn’t strong. But there were too many of them, and it would be rather troublesome to eliminate them all.
Zhuge Zhantian used this as the chance to command the Overlord Legion members to work together, clearing all the rattlesnakes around them.
“What a surprise! There’s actually a formation master in the legion? I truly can’t look down on any disciple of the academy,” praised Ouyang Chuanqi.
“You’re talking about Zhantian?” Xiang Shaoyun asked doubtfully.
“Who else? That was a simple military formation, but he was able to use it like it was some powerful major formation. He is definitely an amazing formation master,” said Ouyang Chuanqi. “Of course, if he is actually from that Zhuge Clan, it is understandable why he’s so good.”
“Is the Zhuge Clan a big clan?” Xiang Shaoyun asked.
“Not really, but each member of their clan is someone the major organizations would fight to recruit. Because of that, the Zhuge Clan has a good relationship with many powerful organizations. Thus, their influence shouldn’t be underestimated,” explained Ouyang Chuanqi.
“Looks like I need to have a nice chat with Zhantian. I don’t know his background well,” said Xiang Shaoyun.
“Everyone has his own secrets. If he is unwilling to tell you, don’t force it. If he is willing to tell, he won’t hide anything.”
“You’re right. I’ll let it happen naturally, then.”
…
In the coming few days, the Overlord Legion was continuously attacked by demonic beasts, giving Zhuge Zhantian a great opportunity to drill the soldiers.
Since Zhuge Zhantian held the position of butler, apart from the three commanders, he held the most influence. Hence, when he commanded the members in battles, nobody dared to disobey.
Of course, these genius disciples were also people with keen eyes. After the battles, they discovered how amazing Zhuge Zhantian was. Often, after getting into a formation as commanded by him, they would be able to unleash a frightening might.
They were confident that so long as they moved in accordance with Zhuge Zhantian’s command, they could even cause some Sovereigns to flee at the sight of them. Now, Xiang Shaoyun and Ouyang Chuanqi were even more sure that Zhuge Zhantian was probably from the same extraordinary Zhuge Clan.
The deeper the Overlord Legion entered the desert, the more they could feel how nasty the environment was. Apart from the high temperature, berserk winds would blow every now and then, creating a sandstorm that made it hard to even keep one’s eyes open. It was hard for one to find one’s way here, surrounded by sand on all sides.
A regular person would probably either be burned to death or buried in the sand after entering this desert. Dying from dehydration was very possible as well. The Overlord Legion members knew the situation in the desert well. Thus, they had abundant water and food in their storage rings. Additionally, with their tough constitutions, they were able to survive the desert’s vile environment.
Of course, if they were made to stay here for an extended period of time, they would probably go mad.
“Ge Mote, we have been traveling for several days. Where are you bringing us?” Xiang Shaoyun asked.
“You said you were looking for demonic beasts for training, right? Haven’t we been encountering demonic beasts? Two more days of travel, and we can start heading back. I don’t have the courage to go any deeper,” said Ge Mote.
Xiang Shaoyun was just about to say something when Tang Longfei said, “Overlord, I thought we were looking for bandits? Are we returning before seeing any of them?”
Xiang Shaoyun glared at Tang Longfei and said, “This is not the place for you to talk!” He then looked at Ge Mote, “Ok. We will return after two more days. I thought there were powerful demonic beasts in the desert, but it looks like there is nothing special about this desert after all.”
Ge Mote’s eyes flickered as he said, “In fact, the scariest beasts in this desert are the desert wolves and the sandpoison scorpions. They move in groups, and they have a considerable number of Demon Emperors among them. But to find them, you have to head deeper. I don’t dare to go that far.”
“I see. How about this, bring us to a place nearby, and you can return first. We will continue forward and meet these powerful beasts ourselves,” said Xiang Shaoyun with excitement.
The others were confused. Weren’t they here to hunt the bandits? Tang Longfei was also confused, but he thought it improper for him to say anything.
Ge Mote appeared overjoyed. “Sure, sure.”
Just like that, Ge Mote continued leading them deeper into the desert. Three days later, they had delved deep. Nobody apart from them could be seen, and they were surrounded by boundless sand as far as the eye could see.
Many disciples started sighing, but they did not dare to voice their concern. Only the earth cultivators were still in high spirits. After all, the earth energy was extremely thick, and the desert was an excellent cultivation spot for them.
As they traveled, danger started closing in on them.
