Chapter 140: The Sandstorm Rises

Deep within the Desert of Death, noon was the most agonizing time of the entire day.

Under the scorching glare of the relentless sun, the yellow sand on the ground was practically no different from a red-hot iron plate, causing one's lips to twitch involuntarily with every single step.

The fierce wind blowing from ahead was mixed with abrasive grains of sand, stinging the face upon impact.

Those with mounts had it slightly better, having only to endure the head-on wind and sand; the martial artists who had lost their mounts for various reasons and were forced to travel on foot were cursing their wretched luck from the bottom of their hearts.

A lone camel trudged slowly forward against the wind and sand.

The neat rows of deep hoofprints left behind in the yellow sand were quickly swallowed and erased by the shifting dunes just moments later.

Reclining on top of the camel was a young man in azure robes. Even in such a harsh and desolate environment, his clothes remained remarkably pristine, forming a sharp contrast with the ancient, weathered, and battered longsword hanging at his waist.

The azure-robed man untied the wineskin fastened to the camel, tilted his head back, and took a few long swallows.

Witnessing this, the surrounding martial artists could not help but reach out to wipe the sweat from their brows, licking their parched lips while their eyes revealed expressions of envy and greed.

In the desert, water could sometimes be even more precious than gold.

Not a single one of the martial artists who had made it this far could be considered anything less than an expert, yet no matter how strong they were, they still had to eat and drink.

The waterskins they carried were only enough to sustain the bare necessities of life; they could never afford to be as wasteful as Ning Xiu.

To the gazes cast from all around, Ning Xiu remained indifferent. He drew a sheepskin map from his tunic, glanced at it briefly, then raised his head to gaze into the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"According to the markings on the map, we should be arriving soon..."

Ning Xiu tucked the map away, his left hand suddenly flashing out to draw the Longevity Sword from his waist, plunging it fiercely downward into the yellow sand below.

*Screech!*

The entire blade of the Longevity Sword sank completely into the sand, immediately triggering a sharp, shrill shriek.

Sitting atop the camel with an expressionless face, Ning Xiu struck out with his right palm, releasing a surge of internal energy that burst forth and instantly blew away the surrounding layer of sand.

Buried beneath the sand was a massive black scorpion, exposed to everyone's view, with the Longevity Sword pinned squarely through its body.

Ning Xiu flicked his wrist, and the Longevity Sword flew back into his grasp.

A dark, foul-smelling stream of blood spurted out along the ultra-narrow wound.

A Death Scorpion—one of the most terrifying creatures in the Desert of Death.

The reason those martial artists had lost their mounts earlier was, in all likelihood, thanks to this very beast.

These scorpions were exceptionally skilled at camouflage, favored a diet of flesh, and possessed terrifying venom concentrated in both their twin front pincers and the stinger at the end of their tails.

Even seasoned desert nomads who roamed the Desert of Death year-round could easily fall victim to them if they were even the least bit careless.

However, Ning Xiu's spiritual aperture between his eyebrows was already nearly condensed, allowing his spiritual consciousness to overflow temporarily. His sensory perception was immeasurably superior to that of ordinary people.

For these Death Scorpions, attempting to launch a sneak attack on him was practically impossible.

When the surrounding martial artists witnessed this scene, they hurriedly withdrew their gazes, and a few individuals even deliberately quickened their pace to put some distance between themselves and Ning Xiu.

In this desert, the strong were revered.

Ning Xiu displaying such prowess could save him a great deal of trouble, deterring any blind fools from coming to bother him later.

***

Across the boundless Gobi Desert, as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but yellow sand and more yellow sand.

By this point, the group had penetrated deep into the heart of the Desert of Death. There were no longer any oases to be found here; according to the map's markings, oases and settlements were distributed almost exclusively along the outer fringes of the desert.

Had they not been lured by the ruins of the ancient Loulan Kingdom, absolutely no one would have risked their lives to venture this far inward.

The howling of the fierce wind was endless.

Ning Xiu stood atop a sand dune, his expression similarly grim. The camel that had previously accompanied him had also vanished without a trace.

According to the location marked on the treasure map, Ning Xiu should have already entered the Loulan ruins by now, yet where was there any sign of an ancient kingdom's remains?

Not just him; among the nearly one hundred martial artists present, everyone was searching desperately, but not a single trace of the ancient Loulan Kingdom could be found anywhere.

Even after the passage of countless years, had the ancient Loulan Kingdom been buried deep beneath the sands, there should still have been some distinctive anomalies in the terrain.

"Damn it, have we all been played for fools?!"

"The ancient Loulan Kingdom is nothing more than a myth; perhaps it doesn't even exist at all."

Amidst the crowd, voices of complaint began to rise.

One person angrily slammed the treasure map in his hand down onto the ground. "This damn thing got over twenty of my brothers killed, and in the end, it's a complete and utter scam! If I ever find out who orchestrated this conspiracy, I'll tear him to pieces!"

"What's that compared to you? Even my wife died!" another man nearby yelled, his eyes bloodshot and his teeth clenched in hatred.

Yet there were others who refused to give up.

After all, the map only marked a tiny point, but when translated into reality, the search area was by no means small. From the initial scramble for the treasure map all the way to overcoming obstacles and hardships along the journey, they had paid too heavy a price to reach this point. If they were to give up so easily now, the regret should they happen to miss it by a hair's breadth would be enough to tear their intestines apart.

Besides, since they had already come this far, they cared little for wasting a few more days.

And so, the hundred-odd martial artists initiated a massive, sweeping search operation for the Loulan ruins.

***

Meanwhile, what occupied Ning Xiu's mind was a different question: What purpose could that mastermind possibly have by gathering all of them here?

Was it purely to toy with them, thereby gratifying some morbid sense of pleasure?

Ning Xiu shook his head. As he watched the scattered groups of people searching about, a faint sense of unease welled up within him.

At this moment, virtually every prominent figure in the entire Desert of Death had gathered here. If someone wanted to make a move against them, now was the absolute best opportunity.

Yet, where was the meaning in doing so? If the matter truly involved beings of that lofty tier, they could wipe out these ordinary martial artists with a flick of their fingers; why would they ever need to go to such troublesome lengths?

Time passed swiftly, and night soon began to fall.

Having searched for an entire day without managing to find the legendary ruins of the ancient Loulan Kingdom, everyone tacitly and taciturnly came to a halt.

Anyone who had lived in the Desert of Death knew that the moment night descended, a sandstorm would inevitably follow.

A natural disaster of this magnitude was far beyond the power of human beings to resist, and everyone made preparations in advance to avoid being scattered by the oncoming tempest.

At that very moment, as if sensing something, Ning Xiu abruptly raised his head.

In the distance, the sky suddenly turned pitch-black.

A violent, oppressive aura permeated the air, piercing straight up into the gloomy firmament.

The wild wind howled as yellow sand danced in a frenzy, forming into a terrifying sandstorm tornado in the blink of an eye.

It blotted out the sun and swallowed the sky!