Xue Mo’s face instantly reddened. The others looked at her intently, their gazes rife with deeper meaning. Ye Zichen, meanwhile, felt rather out of sorts.
However, Murong Xue’s mockery hadn’t stopped. Once Xue Mo stopped responding, she looked Ye Zichen up and down and even pinched his arm a few times. “He looks scrawny, but he’s actually quite strong, and not bad-looking either…. I approve of this marriage.”
“Shut your mouth!” Xue Mo’s face reddened even further. She shot Murong Xue a vision glare, waved her hands, and summoned a flying boat. “Let’s go.”
She stepped abroad, and the rest of Anti-Upheaval. Murong Xue watched her inquisitively, then walked right up to Ye Zichen and whispered in his ear. “Do your best.”
…
Barren Sands City was in the south of the Northern Divine Mountain. Here, it was rare to see even a speck of greenery. Everything within ten thousand square miles was a barren desert wasteland.
Ye Zichen quickly realized just how awesome this auxiliary divine artifact was. Their destination was supposed to be three days away, but with the flying boat’s support, it took less than half a day to reach Barren Sands City’s territory.
“We’re here.” Flying the boat took an enormous amount of divine power. As they drew near, Jiang Yong continuously resupplied it with energy. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and at the same time, pulled out a recovery pill.
Everyone else gathered around the edges of the boat, silently gazing down at the city below.
They were right above it, and even with their naked eyes, they could see faint purple smog hovering above it. Quite a pit of the purple smog had gathered around the surroundings.
“How many people died here?” the two flowers of the Appearance Association couldn’t help but say.
Murong Xue, who’d teased Xue Mo the whole way here, suddenly grew serious. She directed the boat in circles around the city.
Once Jiang Yong recovered around seventy percent of his divine power, he walked over the edge as well and examined the surrounding smog. “I’m afraid over a million people must have died. Otherwise, the deathly aura couldn’t possibly be this dense.”
“The mission said that around ten nearby villagers were obliterated overnight without any survivors. All the surrounding cities sent out their elites to investigate without any results…. Immediately afterward, they contacted Skyspan Academy for aid.
Xue Mo narrowed her eyes at the city, then turned to Chen Guangfa. “Did you bring all the pills I asked you to prepare?
Whoosh!
Countless pills appeared on board. While the Aspiration Society and Appearance Association members examined them, Xue Mo took them and distributed them amongst the group.
“These are consumable-type medicines that help you maintain focus and dispel poisons. This is our Anti-Upheaval’s mission, so we’ll naturally cover your daily expenses and necessities,” said Xue Mo once everyone had their pills. “No matter what’s going on below, our mission is to investigate. If you’re ready, let’s descend.”
Everyone popped a pill into their mouths right away, as they were used to cure poison.
Although the fumes in the air were a just lingering aura of death, they had no idea how those people had died. Who knows? It might have been poison, so better safe than sorry. It was best to stay on alert.
Once she saw that everyone had taken their medicine, Xue Mo nodded and took hers as well, then steered the boat right up to Barren Sands City’s gates.
“This deathly aura is extremely uncomfortable.” As they pierced through the smog, they sensed it even more clearly than before. Jiang Yong furrowed his brows and released his divine power, forming a faint barrier over his skin. Murong Xue and the others of the Appearance Association crossed their arms and did the same.
“This feels somewhat familiar.” When he hit the ground, Ye Zichen didn’t immediately activate his divine power like the others. Instead, he decided to experience the full impact of the purple smog.
Xue Mo led their way forward and walked right up to the gate. Just before she got there, two soldiers, armed to the teeth, called out from their posts atop the city walls. “Barren Sands City no longer welcomes outsiders. If you’re looking for a place to stay, please go to another city. If you take so much as another step forward, don’t blame us for our poor manners.”
“It seems that the entire city has entered a state of high alert.” Murong Xue frowned. The others nodded slightly.
Xue Mo took out her Skyspan Academy Emblem and raised it up. “We’re the team Skyspan Academy sent to investigate. Please open the gates for us. We have to talk to the City Lord and discuss the current situation.”
When they saw the emblem, the guards immediately lowered their weapons. “Ah, so you’re from Skyspan Academy! Please wait just a moment.”
One guard remained behind, still on high alert, while the other descended and opened the door.
“Please come in.” They opened the door to the city, but only by a sliver just wide enough to let a single person through. Ye Zichen and company walked through in single file, and once the last person had entered, the guards slammed the door shut with a bang.
“I’m Bai Qiu, the commander of the city guards. We’ve been waiting for you.” Based on his spiritual power fluctuations, this Bai Qiu was a third-stage sky supreme. He turned and gestured for them to follow. Xue Mo and the others nodded and followed him towards the City Lord’s manor.
Outside, the deathly smog in the air was practically unbearable, but the city was far more pleasant.
The ordinary citizens were carrying out daily trade but from their expressions, they were obviously terrified and uncertain.
“The situation seems far better here than outside,” said Xue Mo.
“That’s right. The city has spiritual cleansing formation, which keeps the deathly smog outside. As a result, the inside is far better than the outside.” Bai Qiu nodded. They’d already arrived at the City Lord’s manor. “This is it, everyone. His Excellency is already waiting inside. I’m needed to keep an eye on the city’s defenses, so I’m afraid I can’t lead you inside.”
“Take care, Master Bai.” Ye Zichen nodded at him. Bai Qiu turned and ran off in the opposite direction.
“It seems like this is going to be far more troublesome than we imagined,” said Murong Xue as she watched Bai Qiu’s agitated, frantic figure fade away.
“That’s for sure. From the fact that they’ve closed their gates and started refusing outsiders, it’s clear that the entire city is on edge,’ said Jiang Yong.
Xue Mo, however, simply looked back at the city gates and chuckled. “If it weren’t difficult, they would never have asked Skyspan Academy for help, right? Also, they’re offering terrifyingly high compensation.”
“Let’s go see just what’s going on. Then we’ll really know just how hard getting that reward is going to be.”
