Chapter 60

Qing Zhouxue instinctively reached for her sword, only to find the spot empty. For a moment, she felt utterly out of sorts.

The wasteland was barren, its spiritual energy sparse, so any spells they used would be greatly diminished. Qing Zhouxue, for instance, could barely condense ice in the dry wind, and water refused to answer Lin Xunzhen's call. For those of still shallow cultivation, it felt as if they had been cast into a vast ocean without a log to cling to.

The wolves howled with mournful, weeping cries, their voices hauntingly beautiful in the night breeze, but when a pack surrounded them, the sound layered upon itself, becoming a cacophony of ghostly wails.

As the wolf king lifted its head and called out, the sand wolves surged forward in a mass.

Ruan Mingzhu noticed a wolf lowering its body, its two eerie ghost-fire eyes glowing brighter. She knew this well—it was the prelude to an attack—and her heart clenched in alarm.

The beast leaped silently, its eyes aimed at her midsection. Ruan Mingzhu used her hands as a shield, guarding her waist. With her superior strength, she twisted aside and grabbed the brute by the scruff, slamming it onto the ground and raining blows down on its head.

Its claws scrabbled uselessly in the sand, kicking up clouds of dust. Ruan Mingzhu stamped its neck down firmly and drove a fist through its spine. Its claws had left several scratches on her arm, and the faint scent of blood quickly spread, driving the other beasts into frenzy.

Now, with nearly no spells usable and no suitable weapons, they could only fight like common mortals, taking them on one by one. Apart from Ruan Mingzhu, Qing Zhouxue could hold her own, but their healer and mage had no concept of close combat, making things far more difficult.

Sand wolves were cunning by nature, born tacticians. Seeing they couldn't swallow the group in one go, they attacked in waves, trying to wear them down through attrition.

Suddenly, Qing Zhouxue heard a muffled grunt behind her. She turned to find Lin Xunzhen and Bai Su rolling together, a sand wolf biting Bai Su's ankle and dragging her toward the pack, while another was barely fended off by the arms they raised. The massive wolf head hovered over Bai Su's vulnerable neck, jaws parted slightly, as if it could bite at any moment.

Ruan Mingzhu was forced back a few steps, caught a glimpse in her peripheral vision, and saw the same scene. She grabbed the wolf that had Bai Su's ankle, but it refused to let go, dragging her back several paces. Bai Su was now in too much pain to speak, so Ruan Mingzhu let go.

Her brows furrowed. With a few heavy blows, the wolf's head was covered in blood. But wolves were bloodthirsty, and its gleaming white fangs remained embedded in flesh, refusing to yield.

Seeing Ruan Mingzhu dealing with the wolf on the ground, Qing Zhouxue grabbed hold of the head of the wolf that the others had been holding back, pulling it away with difficulty.

Just as she managed to pull one off, she felt a tug at the hem of her clothes. Turning around, she saw the sand wolves swarming up like shadows.

Ruan Mingzhu concentrated whatever spiritual energy she could muster into her fingertips, finally igniting a few strands of wolf fur. For an instant, firelight flared, conspicuous in the darkness.

Beasts feared fire. Their pupils shrank to pinpricks, and they twisted away in panic, retreating a few steps to watch from several meters away, seemingly unwilling to give up on the easy prey.

The wolf that had been burned finally released its grip. Seizing this chance, Ruan Mingzhu kicked it away and quickly pulled Bai Su to her feet.

"Wait a moment..."

"Let them come," Lin Xunzhen said. She had eaten several mouthfuls of sand on the ground, and when she got up, she spat them out, feeling as though her tongue was scraped raw with every word.

"What do you mean?"

The moment she spoke, the wolf pack formed an encirclement, completely surrounding them. A short howl from the lead wolf was barely audible, and several shadows leaped into the air from the darkness.

At that precise moment,

Out of the flat sand rose earthen walls, as if growing from the depths of the silver sand itself. They ringed the four, closing tightly around them, leaving only a small opening at the top.

A single drop of cold sweat slid down Lin Xunzhen's cheek. She sighed, "The soil layer was too deep; this spell took a lot of effort."

Bai Su, held up by the others, was clearly relieved. Her ankle was still bleeding, but after a moment of settling her breathing and circulating her energy, the wound healed, new pink flesh forming. She also closed the claw marks on Ruan Mingzhu's hands.

Qing Zhouxue looked up. The opening at the top was too narrow, only big enough for one wolf to squeeze through—perhaps not even a person could fit. Did Senior Lin intend it for ventilation?

Ruan Mingzhu pressed her ear to the earthen wall, hearing a few muffled thuds and scrabbling outside. She couldn't help but knock on the wall. "Are we just going to wait like this?"

"Wait for them to come in," Lin Xunzhen said. Qing Zhouxue suddenly understood her intent. "That opening at the top is just wide enough to let one wolf squeeze through."

If only she had her sword. If its blade were pointed upward, this small earthen fort would be the perfect trap.

Ruan Mingzhu was also annoyed. "If I had a decent weapon, I'd have already turned these beasts into char siu."

A clump of dirt fell from above, and they all fell silent. Looking up, sure enough, a wolf was sniffing at the opening, but suddenly the earthen walls closed around its neck, squeezing with life-like force, ruthlessly constricting. The sand wolf didn't even have time for a whimper—it scratched wildly for a few moments before slowly suffocating to death.

Ruan Mingzhu pushed upward, and the massive corpse tumbled over the fort's top, landing among the wolf pack, likely serving as a deterrence. They repeated the trick several more times until the commotion outside gradually subsided.

"They're gone," Bai Su said softly. "I can't feel any living creatures anymore."

To be safe, they waited another incense stick's worth of time. Only when there was no sign of an ambush did they let the earthen walls collapse with a rumble and climb out of the pile of dirt.

Covered in dust, they stood in the desert and looked up to see a faint line of pale light on the horizon.

This was not good.

The rising sun would obscure the starlight. With daylight, it would be hard to find their bearings, and their time to navigate would be running out.

*

At the Taichu Sect, in the main peak's Sect Leader's hall,

A transparent water mirror hung in the center, reflecting a pristine white wasteland. Several young women, heads wrapped in dust-covered scarves, exposed only their eyes, trudged along the sand dunes, heads bowed. Behind them, a full moon slowly sank, its cold light lending a kind of untamed beauty to the scene.

Although she couldn't see their faces clearly and their figures were similar, Yun Shuchen recognized her own disciple at first glance with an inexplicable certainty.

It was rare for her to see Qing Zhouxue in such a sorry state, so she propped her chin on her hand and watched with great amusement.

The Sect Leader glanced at her, unable to understand what was so funny about the scene. The woman's brows were slightly creased, her eyes holding a gentle smile, though subtle. When she stared intently without moving, she seemed particularly affectionate.

The Sect Leader withdrew his gaze, secretly alarmed. Could she have taken a liking to this water mirror? It had cost a fortune, with exquisite, elegant carvings—seemingly just the style Yun Shuchen favored.

He'd have it moved away sometime, lest she covet it.

Ever since his private treasury had been depleted, he had no faith in the character of anyone in this sect.

After a while, Yun Shuchen tapped the table with her fingertip, seeming a little dissatisfied. "Who came up with the idea of not letting sword cultivators bring their swords?"

"It's not as if you're the one in there," Yue Changge rolled her eyes. "There's no need to be so nervous about your little disciple."

"Was it your idea?" Yun Shuchen hadn't missed the momentary stiffness in Yue Changge's expression. She fixed her gaze on her, unblinking, until the woman's smile grew increasingly guilt-ridden.

She then smiled at Yue Changge warmly and gently, but the next instant, her expression faded like a mask slipping off. She looked away and sneered, "How boring."

"..."

Yun Shuchen paid her no more mind, returning her gaze to the figures in the water mirror.

At that moment, the sky was a pale blue, fully bright.

After several quarter-hours of sunlight, Qing Zhouxue found the sand beneath her feet scorching hot, the heat unmistakable even through her shoes.

The spiritual energy around them was sparse, uncomfortable for cultivators born in the spiritual veins of the Taichu Sect. On top of that, the unavoidable searing heat caused sweat to bead on their foreheads.

"When will we ever reach the end?" Ruan Mingzhu took the map from Lin Xunzhen's hand, squinted, and used her fingers as a measure. She said in despair, "There's still half left!"

"We spent the night surrounded by wolves," Lin Xunzhen sighed. "It's a miracle we've made it this far. I wonder how the others are doing—we haven't come across a single person on this road."

Qing Zhouxue said, "Let's just try to move as quickly as we can."

She did her best to create a cool area around herself, but the harsh conditions made it far less effective than usual; still, it was better than nothing. Her companions practically pressed themselves against her while walking.

During the day, they couldn't travel too far, for fear of losing their way. But today luck was on their side, and they found an oasis. When Bai Su placed her hand on a half-dead withered tree, its drooping leaves gradually perked up, budding and sprouting, growing slowly until they cast a large swath of shade beneath.

They decided to rest there, avoiding the fiercest heat of the sun, and set out again in the evening.

The oasis's pool of water was remarkably clear, and sitting beside it, one could feel a cool breeze. Qing Zhouxue leaned against the tree trunk, quietly gazing at the scorching sun in the distance.

She had to admit that although this place was desolate, the images she'd read in books—the long river, the setting sun, the boundless desert—had suddenly come to life before her eyes.

Unlike the beautiful scenery of Heyi Peak, this place held a different kind of grandeur, a bleak and stirring beauty. Between heaven and earth, human forms seemed minuscule, leaving only this stretch of silver-white desert, lying across forgotten years.

If only the master could see this with her.

The beautiful sights she had seen in her life—rivers, lakes, seas, strange peaks, hidden valleys—always seemed to have been shared with Yun Shuchen.

Qing Zhouxue did not know that her master was indeed outside the secret realm at that very moment, watching the same view with her through a water mirror, until the Sect Leader cleared his throat. "Don't just stare at them. Let's look at some of the other children."

"I don't think someone's too keen on that... mmm!" Yue Changge hadn't finished speaking when she suddenly sat up straight, so abruptly that she nearly knocked over Liu Xunqin's teacup.

Liu Xunqin frowned and subtly moved farther away from her, along with her teacup.

The other elders asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Yue Changge covered her mouth, her phoenix eyes wide, staring at Yun Shuchen beside her. That woman was holding a teacup, eyes lowered, blowing gently on it before bringing it to her lips, radiating elegance in every gesture. When their eyes met, she even looked at Yue Changge with concern.

But no one knew that beneath the long table, hidden by her skirts, she was grinding her heel mercilessly into Yue Changge's shoe without a hint of leniency.