Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Zhang Xiaohou brought the man back to the team. The man seemed a little cautious when he saw so many people had gathered around him. His eyes were scanning the people like a wary beast.
“His name is Lin Feili, he seems to be a soldier who has failed to retreat in time around ten years ago. The return path was blocked off by the sand and the demon creatures, so he was stranded here for many years,” Zhang Xiaohou said, briefly explaining the situation to the team.
Everyone was astounded when they learned the man had been living in the desert for eleven years. How unyielding was this man? Loneliness was the hardest thing to overcome as a human being. Most people would suffer mental breakdowns if they were isolated for three months. Those that were isolated for a year would begin to have suicidal thoughts, yet the man had been living in the desert alone for eleven years. They were utterly impressed by his man’s tenacity, not to mention that he survived in the territory of the demon creatures too!
“Feili, you’re Lin Feili! Do you recognize me? I’m Tong Li, Qin Xiaoyu’s brother. Lin Feili, I’ve lost contact with my sister. Do you remember where my sister Qin Xiaoyu was evacuated to? Please tell me!” Tong Li burst into tears when he heard the man’s name. He grabbed Lin Feili’s arm, as if he was the only hope he had found after so many years!
Lin Feili shook his arm free with a hostile look. The man seemed to have lost some rationality as a human after living in the desert for so long. He was easily spooked by the slightest movement around him.
“Tong Li, don’t irritate him. He seems to be suffering from some mental instability. I can help him recover with the Psychic Element,” Jiang Shaoxu said.
“Sorry, I’m sorry, I’m just too excited! My sister’s disappearance has been bothering me for so long, but I never had the chance to come to this place to search for her. I finally had the chance thanks to you all…” Tong Li said.
“So that’s why you were so eager to come with us, but eleven years have passed since then. It’s going to be difficult to find her,” Zhang Xiaohou said.
“The third year after I joined the army, my sister and her squadron received the order to patrol the area. The desert was not as dangerous back then as it is now. They were transporting goods between the relay station and the military base too. However, they lost contact with the relay station, and my sister has been missing since then, too…” Tong Li sighed.
The team listened to Tong Li as he shared his past.
The relay station at the oasis was once called the Taklamakan Relay Station. It used to be at the scale of a little town. The black rocks that were burned at a high temperature contained Black Rock Pistil, an important material for construction. Many cities in the west were built with rocks containing the Black Rock Pistil. It allowed Mages to construct buildings easily, as Black Rock Pistil contained an abundant supply of the Earth Element.
The Black Rock Pistil was the main reason why the Taklamakan Relay Station was extremely important in the past. The place would be garrisoned by soldiers, and Hunters would come to the relay station before entering the mysterious desert full of treasure waiting to be discovered.
However, on a certain day, a huge sandstorm took place in the Taklamakan Desert. The wind was strong enough to move sand dunes. The relay station was buried by the sand in a single night. The safe area ended up becoming a part of the demon creatures’ territory!
The soldiers and the Hunters at the Taklamakan Relay Station all went missing, and Tong Li’s sister, Qin Xiaoyu, was one of the victims. Tong Li could not get over it even after so many years. He finally gathered his courage and volunteered to join the team when he heard Ge Ming and his team were planning an expedition in the desert.
He knew it was unlikely that he would find his sister, but at least he had tried!
“I’ve calmed him down and helped to restore his memories. He should recover soon,” Jiang Shaoxu said.
“He’s very familiar with the area. Perhaps he can bring us to the Burning Mountains?” Zhang Xiaohou asked.
The Burning Mountains were still a certain distance away from the relay station. It was impossible to tell how long it would take them to find the right place, since they only had the temperature as a guide. Spending an extra day in the desert meant placing themselves at a greater risk.
“How…how did you all come in here?” Lin Feili was more fluent after Jiang Shaoxu’s help.
“How else could we possibly come in here? We just forced our way in, but it was a hell of a journey. We almost died on our way here. I really can’t believe this area was once safe ten years ago!” Lu Fang answered.
“Lin Feili, you aren’t weak, why didn’t you try and leave this place?” Mo Fan asked curiously.
“I…I don’t know either, maybe… maybe I’ve already gotten used to it, or maybe… I don’t know, I can’t remember,” Lin Feili said.
Mo Fan looked at Jiang Shaoxu. She quickly explained, “He must have suffered a serious shock before. It’s the best I can do to restore his memories, but I can’t help him remember the things that he forgot in order to protect himself.”
“Lin Feili, do you remember my sister?” Tong Li asked.
“A little, but…but I think she’s dead,” Lin Feili said.
“Did she escape from the relay station with the others?” Tong Li’s voice was aggravated.
“I…I don’t really remember.” Lin Feili shook his head.
“Tong Li, give him some time. I know you just want some answers, since you already know there’s no chance your sister is still alive,” Ge Ming said.
Tong Li let out a sigh. He did not ask any further questions.
“A Senior Hunter who passed by here years ago mentioned that there were some Burning Mountains in this desert. Do you know where they are?” Mo Fan asked impatiently. The information was extremely important to resurrect Little Flame Belle!
It was extremely rare to find a Fire Element Sacred Ground, which meant it was extremely difficult to fulfill the conditions in order to resurrect Little Flame Belle. Mo Fan would have to search for other places if the Burning Mountains were not the right place, which would mean he had no idea when he would be able to resurrect Little Flame Belle!
“The mountains are in that direction. They are blazing red at night.” Lin Feili pointed to the north.
“Can you bring us there? I’ve briefly investigated the terrain. It feels like a natural maze, the kind that is difficult to pass through even if we keep heading in one direction,” Zhang Xiaohou asked.
“Sure,” Lin Feili said. However, he shuddered and put on a strange look all of a sudden.
Zhang Xiaohou thought the man had just remembered something. However, the man remained silent and pointed ahead. “Come with me.”
“I’m actually quite interested in the Burning Mountains that you mentioned. Since we are just wandering around aimlessly, we might as well check out the Burning Mountains too, perhaps we can find something interesting there!” Tong Zhuang said.
The others nodded. If they were able to find the Burning Mountains, it meant there might be some impressive loot of the Fire Element there. They had come so far, they would not want to go back empty-handed.
“Should we stick together then? We can help each other out too,” Ge Ming said.
“Sure, I won’t need to worry much with you around,” Mo Fan agreed.
Mo Fan could still take on Commander-level creatures, but he was worried that they might stumble into Ruler-level creatures. His Demon Element was still on cooldown; if they happened to stumble into a Ruler-level creature, the whole team was going to die without the help of a Super Mage.
The team was well-rested. They had honed their strength for the upcoming danger. It was time for them to proceed on their journey!
——
The journey ahead consisted of black rocks and sand dunes. The team did find some magic ores that they could sell for some money. The members picked the magic ores up along the way. Only a place with a high temperature like this, where even the demon creatures did not dare to roam around, would have magic ores or Soul Seed Pieces lying scattered across the ground.
The temperature had risen significantly. Every member of the team was drenched in sweat. It was already midnight, yet the heat showed no sign of dropping.
Mo Fan lifted his gaze and discovered the place ahead was covered in darkness. The ground was dark, and the sky was pitch-black without a single star.
When Mo Fan took a closer look, he finally realized that he was not looking at the night sky, but a mountain so big that it completely blocked the sky. He immediately felt a great pressure!
“Such a ridiculous mountain!” Zhang Xiaohou gasped.
“Strange, we should be able to see the mountain from the relay station considering how big it is, but why did we only see it when we are so close to it?” Mu Nujiao asked.
“It’s most likely because of the maze. It’s messing with our senses.”
For some reason, the heat was not as unbearable when they reached the mountain.
Lin Feili raised his head and looked into the sky. He then looked at the mountain top and said, “It’s coming.”
“What is?” Mo Fan asked. As soon as he spoke, a sprout of flame brighter than the stars in the sky suddenly lit up at the peak of the magnificent mountain. It spread rapidly across the outline of the mountain and soon covered an area of ten kilometers. It was basically highlighting the outline of the mountain with flames!
The fire had appeared so suddenly that before the team could react, an ocean of flames filled their vision. Their eyes hurt from the bright flames even after they shifted their gazes away.
The team was struggling to see the mountain, as it was pitch-black previously. However, as the flames lit up the mountain, the team was able to see its true appearance. Its imperiousness and scorching heat left the whole team greatly astonished.
When the flames lit up the sky, the team was surprised to hear the noise of wings beating at high frequency from all directions.
“Look, it’s the Sandstorm Demon Locusts!” Zhang Xiaohou suddenly pointed to the other side of the sky.
The Sandstorm Demon Locusts showed up like a cloud of dust. To their astonishment, the Sandstorm Demon Locusts were diving right at the Burning Mountains!
