Chapter 141: The City Gates Open

Fierce winds howled, and yellow sand danced wildly.

A colossal sandstorm tornado pierced directly into the gloomy firmament, blocking out the sun and sky.

The spiritual aura in the air was thrown into total chaos, suddenly turning exceptionally violent, as if eager to tear everything apart and reduce it to nothingness.

For those who lived in the Desert of Death, sandstorms were an almost daily sight, but such a terrifying and massive sandstorm was something they were witnessing for the very first time.

To avoid being swept away by the gale, everyone present didn't hesitate in the slightest, throwing themselves flat onto the ground and struggling to resist the scattering violent winds.

Fear was etched in everyone's eyes. At this moment, when a natural disaster descended, the reactions of all mortals were much the same.

Before a natural disaster, everyone is equal.

Ning Xiu lay prone on the ground, lifting his head to stare fixedly at the immense tornado, his right hand involuntarily tightening its grip on the Longevity Sword.

At this very moment, Ning Xiu felt as though a violent gale was also blowing within his own body.

It shrieked sharply, seeming ready to burst out from his physical form at any second.

Outside Fengji Town, when facing Shen Sanqian, Ning Xiu had unleashed the Storm of the Seven Limitless Stages. Yet forcing out such a divine martial art with his cultivation realm at the time had nearly exhausted all his strength; it could be said that Ning Xiu had executed that blade strike almost entirely unconsciously.

And now, witnessing a genuine natural disaster from such close proximity, an even deeper layer of comprehension blossomed in his heart.

When a sandstorm passes, nothing remains.

Fortunately, the trajectory of the sandstorm did not directly collide with Ning Xiu and the others. Even so, the majority of people were still blasted flying by the terrifying gale, knocking them unconscious.

The natural disaster struck down everyone equally.

Yet after the natural disaster passed, the way each person rose to their feet was vastly different.

Some remained thoroughly knocked out, while others struggled to stand up by supporting one another.

As for Ning Xiu, protected by his Golden Bell Shield, he emerged almost completely unscathed. He slowly stood up, took a few steps forward, and as he looked at the changes before him, his expression shifted slightly.

More and more people regained consciousness, and the sound of footsteps—*tap, tap, tap*—constantly echoed in their ears.

Such a sound could only be produced by stepping on solid objects, and thus was utterly impossible to occur within a desert.

Yet at this moment, it was indeed happening.

What Ning Xiu and the others stepped upon was not fine golden sand at all, but stone slabs bearing the profound marks of time and age.

Ning Xiu glanced around, realizing that he was standing inside a sunken basin.

Having already witnessed far too many extraordinary events, Ning Xiu, though similarly shocked, did not let too much emotion show on his face.

After a moment of observation, he finally discovered where all that sand had gone.

Right in the exact center of this basin was an opening, and all the sand was pouring relentlessly into it until it vanished from sight.

"It seems this is the Loulan Ruins."

"Hahaha, heaven does not disappoint those who keep trying; we've finally found it."

...

Compared to the wild joy of the others, Ning Xiu appeared far calmer. That tiny opening was capable of swallowing such a massive quantity of yellow sand in so short a time.

It inevitably gave off an eerie feeling. In his eyes, that opening looked much like some ancient colossal beast, greedily gaping its massive maw.

Everyone converged toward the opening.

The entrance was pitch black. Ning Xiu attempted to probe it with his divine sense, but as soon as his sense approached the opening, it was like sinking into a deep quagmire, rendering it completely useless.

Waves of roars resembling those of fierce beasts also drifted up from the depths of the cave.

Those who had been ecstatic just moments before now began to hesitate and waver.

Instead, Ning Xiu took a glance, stepped out from the crowd, and leapt down without a second thought.

When facing choices, do not hesitate; one must dare to take risks.

All living beings are often indecisive, yet great men achieve their goals in all things because they act the moment they understand.

It was precisely by constantly taking risks that Ning Xiu had managed to reach where he was today. If he were to hesitate at this juncture, why had he ever decided to come here in the first place?

The instant he entered the cave, Ning Xiu felt his vision darken, accompanied by a dizzying, topsy-turvy sense of disorientation. By the time he regained his wits, he found himself standing firmly on the ground.

And right beside Ning Xiu's feet lay a human skeleton—a scene far too unexpected.

The surroundings were not pitch black as he had originally imagined. Lifting his gaze, he saw that the stone walls on either side were embedded with moon-white stones that emitted a soft glow. Though faint, they cast a sliver of light into this subterranean world.

And that skeleton happened to lean against the wall.

Soon, several more figures leapt down from above.

Then the number grew, until nearly everyone had entered this underground world.

"Th-this is moonlight stone!"

Someone cried out in astonishment upon seeing the glowing stones on the walls.

As for the pile of bones, very few bothered to pay them any mind.

After inspecting the skeleton, Ning Xiu stood up, glanced around, and frowned slightly.

Where had all those sand grains sucked into the cave gone? Why was there a skeleton here?

Ning Xiu raised his head to take one last look at the pitch-black opening high above, then turned and walked deeper inside.

The spot where Ning Xiu and the others stood now appeared to be a passageway; both the stone walls on either side and the bluestone beneath their feet bore traces of artificial carving.

Only, judging by their appearance, the era must have been extremely ancient.

With their own hidden agendas, the group silently walked deeper.

Clearly, this was not yet the time to turn on one another.

Following the passageway, they continued walking deeper into the earth, finally halting before a massive stone gate.

This stone gate was truly colossal, looking precisely like the gate of a grand city.

When Ning Xiu's right hand gently touched the cracked surface of the stone gate, which was scarred by the passage of time, a soft sound rang out in everyone's ears.

The accumulated dust on top began to peel away, revealing two large characters: "Loulan."

And this stone gate, which looked as though it weighed tens of thousands of catties, slowly creaked open at Ning Xiu's gentle push.

As the scene behind the door was revealed to everyone piece by piece, an expression of peerless shock appeared on every single face.

Beyond the stone gate lay an entirely different world.

...

On the surface.

The surrounding yellow sand collapsed, burying the basin once more. A gentle breeze blew past, as if nothing had ever happened.

Though the natural anomalies triggered by the resurgence of the ancient kingdom of Loulan vanished in a very short time, this ripple still spread throughout the entire Desert of Death, and even reached far beyond.

In the desert, an old man raised his head to look at the distant sky, remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued walking forward.

His pace was slow yet resolute.

Chunshui City, Longxiang Inn.

"The gate is open." Ji Niang crossed her index fingers, her expression looking somewhat gloomy.

"Miss, are we really just going to let them go in like that?" A figure knelt to the side and asked.

"These people are merely pawns crossing the river, expendable scapegoats. Until the person hiding behind the scenes reveals themselves, we cannot make a move. Besides, with the strength of those mortals, even if they go in, they won't be able to walk out alive," Ji Niang said in a deep voice.