Yellow sand—yellow sand filled the sky.
Ou Yangming’s voice was not loud, but it became the only sound in the area, suppressing the whimpering of the winds.
The land was silent. Everyone looked up at the white-robed young man in the sky. At this moment, he was a God-favored one and also a Daoist disciple. He was a mountain that stood in the hearts of the younger generation of cultivators, one that could crush a generation.
At this time, the brilliance in Jiang Yingrong’s eyes had reached its peak. She thought to herself, ‘This is what a man should be like, and this is what a cultivator should be like. For the sake of Lil’ Man, he didn’t hesitate to fight against a Daoist disciple and even suppressed his opponent’s light.”
Zang Jian’s face was filled with bitterness, and his expression was complicated. The image of Ou Yangming standing in mid-air was in his mind and no matter how hard he tried, he could not get it out of his mind.
The other cultivators outside the light screen were the same. At this moment, Ou Yangming had become a mountain that every cultivator must cross.
In the sky, Ou Yangming frowned slightly. He took another step forward and repeated, “Didn’t you want to kill me to attain the path? Come on! Didn’t you want to carve my name on your Path Attainment Table? Come on, let’s fight!”
After he shouted, the sound of bells and drums sounded in his ears, and the blood in his veins boiled like magma.
Ji Haoran’s face was solemn when he heard this. He remarked softly, “You’re the first person among my peers who dares to speak to me like this.”
“You talk too much nonsense. If you want to fight, let’s fight!” Ou Yangming sneered. He lifted his chin slightly and looked arrogant.
This was coincidentally heard by Jiang Yunjia, who was flying over from afar. His mind was ringing non-stop, and every cell in his body was screaming. When he recognized that the person confronting Ou Yangming was a Daoist disciple of the Blood Dragon Clan, his mind went blank. There were only 2 kinds of people who dared to say such words in front of a Daoist disciple. One was a fool, and the other was a God-favored one. Obviously, the young fellow was not a fool but a God-favored one—one who was comparable to a Daoist disciple.
It took him a long time to regain his senses. He had cursed at himself countless times in his heart. ‘How could you be so stupid? How… How could you offend someone of a Daoist disciple’s level?
In that instant, he was filled with bitterness. His face looked bitter, and he was on the verge of tears.
As Ou Yangming’s voice echoed in all directions, his energy grew stronger. He was like a spear that could pierce through the heavens.
Ji Haoran’s eyes flashed with blood, and he uttered coldly, “You think I’m afraid of you?!” With a sliding step, he charged forward.
Nonetheless, it was then the light screen outside the desert began to shake violently. It was as if a pair of invisible hands were pulling both ends of the screen and shaking it toward the center. The entire screen either protruded or caved in. It was completely folded up as if it could collapse at any moment.
After an instant, “Crack, crack…”
The sounds were soft. The light screen directly split open from the middle, turning into a colorful light stream that dissipated.
“The light screen has been opened. The good fortune inside is mine!” A cultivator roared loudly.
“Hmph, it belongs to the fated ones.” Someone immediately snorted coldly.
With that, sounds of air being torn apart rang out, and hundreds of long arcs shot into the distance.
Ji Haoran cast a deep look at Ou Yangming and sneered. “This time, I’ll spare your life. Next time, I’ll use you as a stepping stone to fulfill my heart for the path and break through to become a Venerable One.” Following that, he transformed into a streak of blood light and flew into the distance.
In the sky above the Barren Desert, Ji Haoran’s expression was cold. All of a sudden, his body staggered, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat. He spat out a large mouthful of blood onto his red clothes. The corner of his mouth was stained with blood, and it was a shocking sight. He glanced in Ou Yangming’s direction and muttered, “You’re the first person to injure me even though you’re a level lower than me. If I kill you to attain the path, I can at least overcome 6 Heavenly Thunderbolts, and you’ll be my first tribulation.”
With a flip of his wrist, he took out a pill and swallowed it before flying deep into the desert.
Outside the Barren Desert, the light screen had already shattered, turning into countless light spots. They were scattered and colorful.
Ou Yangming took a step forward and descended from the sky. His body trembled, and he staggered. His blood and Qi churned, and his face turned slightly pale.
“Brother Yu, are you okay?” He Jian had a worried look on his face. He took a step forward and came to Ou Yangming’s side.
“I’m fine. It’s just that my blood and Qi are surging a little. I’ll be fine after recuperating for a while.” Ou Yangming smiled and shook his head.
Zang Jian’s eyes flickered as he stood with his hands behind his back. After hesitating for a moment, he slowly moved, and his cloth shoes sank into the yellow sand. He walked over and cupped his hands gently and expressed, “Brother Yu, thank you for your help this time. Time is of the essence right now, so I’ll keep things simple. I’ll surely pay you a visit next time.” Just as his voice faded away, he turned into a light stream and disappeared into the horizon.
Jiang Yingrong’s face revealed a curious look as she asked, “Brother Yu, do you know each other?”
Upon hearing this, Ou Yangming’s expression turned strange. He tapped his chin and replied, “Not really. We’ve only met a few times.”
After hearing his reply, Jiang Yingrong’s eyes flickered for a moment, but she did not ask any further.
Jiang Yunkai seemed to have fallen into a nightmare as he stood in the yellow sand. His expression kept changing from white to green. He wanted to say something but hesitated. It was as if many thunderbolts were crashing down from the sky and exploding.
“Conduct yourself well!” Ou Yangming turned to look at him casually. There was no joy or anger in his voice. As soon as he spoke, with the surge of his spiritual Qi, he drew a perfect arc in the air, tearing the sky into pieces as he entered the Barren Desert.
The sword case on He Jian’s back swayed up and down and made creaking sounds. It looked a little comical.
Nevertheless, his speed was not slow at all. In a flash, he caught up to the young fellow.
Jiang Yingrong’s aura was ice-cold. She gave Jiang Yunkai a meaningful glance and said coldly, “Since Brother Yu said that, the displeasure between you from before no longer exists. It doesn’t matter whether you have hatred in your heart or not because it’s all gone. Don’t hide it deep inside your heart; you can’t bear it. The difference between the two of you is like heaven and earth. Do you understand?”
Jiang Yunkai took a deep breath and nodded heavily. “I have a good judgment, and I know the difference between good and bad.”
The young lady nodded slightly and did not say anything else.
Her figure was graceful, and her red clothes were gorgeous. With a flash, she disappeared into the horizon.
Jiang Yunkai raised his head and looked at the sky. After a moment of silence, he stepped into the Barren Desert.
The sun was scorching hot, roasting the earth. Scorching air swept across.
A young man in white had half of his shoes sunk into the yellow sand. His eyes revealed a thoughtful look. He thought to himself, ‘Ever since I entered the desert, the Heavenly Phoenix FIre started to burn by itself. What’s going on?”
He rubbed his chin with his fingers and looked at the yellow sand on the ground. Who was this white-clothed young man if he was not Ou Yangming?
After pondering for a moment, Ou Yangming half-squatted and picked up a grain of yellow sand. He put his 2 fingers together and forcefully crushed it. A bright light flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself, ‘After entering the Barren Desert, the smell of phoenix blood has indeed become stronger in the sand and rocks.’ In actuality, the smell was very faint. If he did not have the spiritual world unique to the Phoenixes, he probably would not have noticed it.
The air was tremendously hot, and the sky above everyone’s head became distorted under the high temperature. Not only that, but a majestic resistance also came from an unknown area. Furthermore, even space seemed to be pressing down from all directions, preventing everyone from advancing.
Ou Yangming discovered that every time this pressure pressed down, the Barren Badge emitted a faint light, canceling out part of the resistance.
Holding the Barren Badge in his hand, he was amazed.
He Jian followed behind Ou Yangming and looked into the distance. The desert was boundless. When these hundreds of people were thrown into it, they were like a drop of ink dripping into the sea. In an instant, they disappeared without a trace. Apart from desolation, there was only dead silence.
The elder retracted his gaze and swayed his body. The sword case on his back also rang non-stop. He did not have the demeanor of a powerhouse at all.
As for Jiang Yingrong, she had a faint smile on her face. No one knew what she was thinking about.
Without warning, rustling sounds came from under the ground. The sounds were not loud, but they traveled far in the empty desert.
Soon after, the desert began to sink, and gravel flew everywhere.
The 3 of them exchanged glances and saw the astonishment in their eyes.
“Woosh, woosh…” As the sounds spread, many palm-sized Spirit-devouring Scorpions poked their heads out from the desert. They were pitch-black, and their outer shells were painted with enchanting patterns. Upon closer inspection, the patterns turned out to be burning flames. Their tails were like curved antlers. As they rattled their tails to mirror their bodies, they looked ferocious.
He Jian’s expression changed drastically, and he shrieked, “Hurry up and leave!” Cold air seeped out from his bone marrow.
Ou Yangming’s expression was grave. This Spirit-devouring Scorpion gave him a strange feeling. They were not strong on their own, but they made his heart and mind tremble slightly.
Without the slightest hesitation, he shot up into the sky, with Jiang Yingrong and He Jian following closely behind.
Who knew, right at this moment, the Spirit-devouring Scorpions in the yellow sand opened their mouths and emitted a large amount of white fog at the same time, which turned into a silk cocoon. The air was filled with the smell of erosion and in a flash, the escape route of Ou Yangming and his companions were blocked.
After seeing this, Ou Yangming looked ruthless. He quickly formed a gesture with both hands and pressed down at the same time. The Ancient Dragon Shield rolled out of the mists, and all the spiritual Qi in his dantian was poured into it. Immediately, the shield shone brightly, and an enormous aura that was as heavy as a mountain swept in all directions. The young fellow blocked the Ancient Dragon Shield in front of him and crashed forward with a bang. The silk cocoon was instantly shattered and flew into the sky.
Only then did he heave a sigh of relief. He looked at He Jian and asked, “What are these things?”
He Jian’s heart was still filled with fear, but he replied to the young fellow, “These are Spirit-devouring Scorpions. They can swallow spiritual power, and they have strong poison. Water and fire won’t be able to harm them, and they have remarkably tenacious life forces. If a top-grade Spiritualist wants to kill them, one will have to use life-saving methods. What’s even more frightening is that there are too many of them. As long as one’s being surrounded by them, unless one’s a Venerable One, one will die without a doubt.”
Jiang Yingrong nodded and added, “Almost 40% of the cultivators who entered the Barren Desert were devoured by them.”
Looking down at the endless Spirit-devouring Scorpions from the sky, Ou Yangming felt slightly apprehensive.
Taking in a breath of hot air, his trachea, chest, and lungs felt hot. At this time, an Advanced Spiritualist’s dantian emitted spiritual Qi as he flew through the air, glancing at the 3 of them with fear.
