The black flames were scorching with a high temperature. It was as if the yellow sand was about to melt.
Ou Yangming did not know that a huge crisis was slowly approaching. He stepped on the flames and walked into the depths of the desert. His clothes were soaked in sweat. He did this on purpose to confuse others. For the crazy idea in his heart, he had to try his best to tell a “story”.
The resistance from the depths of the Barren Desert grew stronger. Under the pressure, many Advanced Spiritualists were buried in the black flames.
This was especially true for Advanced Spiritualists who did not have the Barren Badge. The chances of them dying increased exponentially.
At that moment, the person walking at the forefront of the black flames was shockingly Ji Haoran, who was the Ji family’s Daoist disciple. His steps were steady. With every step he took, it was as if he was exploring his great path.
All of a sudden, his steps came to a halt. He sat cross-legged within the flames as if he was waiting for something.
Zang Jian followed not too far behind him. He was panting heavily and sweat was dripping down. Without the Barren Badge, even if he was a Daoist disciple, he would have used up a lot of energy. It was somewhat unbearable. With a flip of his wrist, he swallowed 2 pills in succession and began to recover his spiritual power.
This was also a huge advantage for Spiritual Realm powerhouses after entering the Big Ruins. They had many spiritual pills on them.
As time passed, Ou Yangming also caught up. He did not say anything and walked to the side of Zang Jian. He sat cross-legged and began to regulate his breathing. His face was slightly pale, and it was obvious that he had used up a lot of spiritual power. Moreover, in order to tell his “story” well, he had intentionally used up the spiritual Qi in his dantian.
“1, 2, 3…”
A dozen top-grade Spiritualists slowly arrived. They sat cross-legged and began to discuss in low voices.
“20 years ago, I heard that a top-grade Spiritualist obtained a spiritual liquid that could restore life force. I wonder if it’ll be released again this time.” A top-grade Spiritualist with grizzled hair revealed a look of anticipation in his eyes. His aura was decaying and half of his body was already in the grave. Only then did he enter the Barren Desert. He wanted to take a chance. If he could obtain a spiritual item that could extend his life force, he would have a chance to seek the path and become a Venerable One. Even if he could not obtain it, he would have a clear conscience for the rest of his life.
“Ah, this spiritual spring can’t spew out too many good treasures. It’s a pity that with my cultivation base, I can only go this far. If I go any further, there’s a high chance of me dying. I won’t have a chance to reach the next spiritual spring at all. Only Daoist disciples can go further,” another top-grade Spiritualist expressed in a soft voice.
He Jian was slow, but his steps were very steady. Each step was like a heavy awl that smashed deep into the yellow sand.
He was as steady as a mountain. He was not fast, but it was as if he could walk to the end of the horizon.
At this moment, as he looked at Ou Yangming’s back, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself, ‘Given Brother Yu’s speed when he entered the black flames, he shouldn’t have consumed so much spiritual Qi. What’s going on now?’
He Jian did not know that Ou Yangming was trying to tell a story, and his audience was Ji Haoran. Everything he was showing at the moment was what he hoped the man would see. His goal was to lower his opponent’s guard to the lowest level then take the opportunity to launch a shocking attack to kill him.
Jiang Yingrong had also arrived. Her face was covered in sweat, and she was panting heavily.
She slowly walked to He Jian’s side and sat cross-legged. She held her breath and adjusted her Qi.
At the spur of the moment, a gust of strong wind blew over. Wherever it passed, all the black flames started to spin and danced like horned dragons that were spiraling into the sky. The flames grew higher. They rapidly collapsed and contracted toward the center. They grew bigger until they turned into a majestic cyclone.
The yellow sand began to shake rhythmically as if an invisible giant stick was drawing circles in the sand.
In just an instant, 2 concentric circles of different radii appeared on the yellow sand, and a ball of green Qi spread out.
“Boom…” A loud bang that shook the universe reverberated. At the same time, treasure lights spread out, and all sorts of spiritual items flew out from the yellow sand. There were white pearls that emitted majestic fluctuations, sword pellets that were completely white, corpses of powerhouses that were stained with blood, as well as blood-red treasure mirrors. All in all, there were more than 20 types of treasure.
There were only a dozen top-grade Spiritualists here, and each of them could at least snatch a good one.
Ou Yangming’s eyes suddenly opened and with a sliding step, he grabbed at a white pearl that was emitting majestic fluctuations.
Ji Haoran sneered. His spiritual Qi stirred, and the void materialized into 5 pitch-black fingers. He held the pearl in his palm and with a squeeze, the pearl was crushed.
“You’re courting death!” Ou Yangming’s face turned cold. He forcefully changed his direction in the air. Punches and kicks connected and went toward Ji Haoran. Nonetheless, at this moment, the young fellow’s white armor, which was condensed by his spiritual power, started to show signs of breaking. He glared at Ji Haoran fiercely and quickly adjusted his Qi momentum. By holding with both arms, he guarded his body and mobilized the spiritual Qi in his dantian to be channeled into the armor. Only then did he stop the armor from breaking.
Fighting in the black flames required a great price. Not only did one have to resist the pressure from the space, but one also had to stop one’s armor from breaking. As such, even a first-level Daoist disciple would not easily make a move in the flames.
Ji Haoran waved his hand noncommittally, his face was calm as if nothing had happened. He did not know that he was slowly walking into Ou Yangming’s trap. As long as he believed that the young fellow did not dare to make a move in the flames, when the young fellow unleashed his fatal strike, the crisis he would face would be greater.
Ou Yangming had been waiting for an opportunity like a venomous snake hidden in the dark. He was very patient so that he could kill his opponent in one strike. He knew Ji Haoran had not consumed enough spiritual Qi at this time. If he attacked now, there was no way he would succeed. Furthermore, the young fellow had deliberately consumed a lot of spiritual Qi to not arouse Ji Haoran’s suspicion, so he looked very tired.
The young fellow’s face was as cold as frost, but his heart was blooming with joy. He thought to himself, ‘Time, place, person—I already have all 3 of them. How are you going to avoid the disaster this time?’ Nevertheless, the aura on his body was abnormally violent. It seemed that as long as there was a disagreement, he would attack regardless of anything.
He Jian, who was behind them, saw this. The doubt in his eyes grew deeper. He muttered softly, “This… Doesn’t make sense!” As soon as his voice was heard, it blended into the whimpering winds.
Jiang Yingrong snatched a silver comb that was refined from spiritual wood. It was overflowing with brilliance. Her body technique was exquisite as she took a step forward and landed next to He Jian from the air.
When she heard what the elder said, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. She secretly transmitted her voice, ‘Senior He, what doesn’t make sense?’
He Jian looked like he was deep in thought. He shook his head and shifted his gaze away on purpose.
After 10 breaths, the world returned to peace. All the treasures that spurted out of the yellow sand found their owners. The cultivators who obtained the spiritual items had joy spread across their faces. It was obvious that they were satisfied with their gains from this trip.
Of course, some were satisfied while others were not. Zang Jian was one of them.
His purpose of this trip was to find spiritual herbs that could prolong the life of the Ultimate Sword Peak’s peak master. Despite that, after coming to the Big Ruins for several months, he did not find anything. This made him a little discouraged, and it made him feel bitter.
He opened his mouth and sucked in 2 large mouthfuls of turbid air. Only then did he calm down.
Zang Jian looked into the depths of the desert and clenched his fists tightly. His eyes were filled with determination as he walked deeper into the desert.
Ou Yangming and Ji Haoran moved at the same time. They seemed to be competing with each other.
He Jian’s shoes sank into the yellow sand. One of his feet was high while the other was low. He also stepped into the desert.
Jiang Yingrong looked at the backs of the 4 people and brushed her hair. Without warning, her heart skipped a beat. An uneasy feeling appeared in her mind. It was as if a great crisis was coming. This feeling was mysterious and could not be described with words. She frowned and thought to herself, ‘What’s going on? Is something going to happen?’
As the 4 people walked further away, the space squeezed over from all directions, and the pressure on her shoulders grew stronger. Even the yellow sand on the ground had disappeared, leaving only black flames.
Ji Haoran spat out a mouthful of white mist, and it was as if a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders.
The spiritual Qi within 33 meters of his body was crushed by the compressed air, turning into small bubbles. His eyes were filled with determination and fervor, and he did not stop. The man quickly stepped out, unleashed his potential, and the hot blood in his body surged up. There was only one thought in his mind at the moment, ‘I want to go further, I want to go further… I want to see what’s hidden in the deepest part of this desert.’
This part of the journey was seen as the cultivation of his heart.
Ou Yangming followed not far behind him and used his spiritual power to wash his body, forcing blood out of his pores and painting his white clothes red. It was shocking, and he looked miserable. This was all to confuse Ji Haoran and to create a perfect opportunity to attack.
Yes, to create. Since the opportunity did not exist, Ou Yangming would create it himself.
Ou Yangming had a faint sense of anticipation in his heart. If Ji Haoran knew he had been plotted against from the start, how would he look? He did not know, but he was sure that it would be interesting.
The distance between Zang Jian and them grew apart. He was a Daoist disciple, but he did not have the Barren Badge, so he was at a disadvantage.
As for He Jian, he was still neither too fast nor too slow, making it impossible for others to see his strength. After restoring his foundation, his strength was still half a level higher than that of Daoist disciples. After all, no Daoist disciple could block 3 moves from a Venerable One with their own strength.
Even Ou Yangming could not do it. After all, his cultivation base was too far away from that of a Venerable One.
He could block one move with the path intent’s Big Avalanche, and he could block half a move with the Voices of Gods and Demons.
Right at this moment, a roar came from the depths of the Barren Desert. It was hard to tell what it was, but it made every cell in one’s body scream. The pressure in the flames increased at an incredible speed, and an invisible storm swept out to distort the surrounding void.
Ji Haoran’s face was pale. His body trembled, and a sweet taste filled his throat.
The roar was filled with a towering and domineering feeling. It was as if the ruler of this world was pressing down, causing anyone who heard it to submit.
At this moment, Ji Haoran’s power as a Daoist disciple was completely unleashed. A cold light flickered in his eyes, and a rune appeared on his body. His mighty physical power exploded, and he took another step forward to destroy the sound.
