The flash of light receded and Bei Yingluo cast her sights on an endless desert that stretched to the horizon in all directions. Flat, rocky terrain surrounded her. Aside from some sparse mud huts that surrounded the small teleportation array, there were no other signs of human life or any other life for that matter.
"Bei Clan, gather up!" She said as she took stock of her people.
The same group that had gone to the city lord's manor at Drifting Sand City were with her now. They were in the middle of the Great Hui Desert, many hundreds of kilometers south of the city. This outpost lay along the ancient trade route that led humans from the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent to the southern ocean.
With her was her first aunt, fourth aunt, fifth aunt, and tenth aunt. The others were pregnant or nursing newborns and could not come for this lengthy and dangerous mission. The rest of the group were all the men of the clan that could fight.
Behind the Bei Clan, more people arrived along with camels and desert mules. They carried an abundance of supplies including food, clothing, tools, and weapons. There were also a large number of heavy metal crates protected by an impressive contingent of city guards as well as a few scantily clad women who came from the south.
Once everyone was ready, they left the tiny outpost and set off towards the south, following a dusty path that was half-covered with sand. Bei Yingluo and the Bei Clan were at the front and acted as the vanguard. They were responsible for dealing with all dangers that appeared whether it was wild beasts or bandits.
Bei Yingluo took the lead position, her Jade Tusk Spear slung on her shoulder. She carried an extra pack on her back. Although she had a spatial bag, she still carried extra supplies in solidarity with her people who were each laden with multiple bags.
She looked left and right and then up at the blazing sun. Already, she was sweating profusely from the heat. It was still early morning but it felt as if they were standing in the middle of a frying pan.
This was going to be her life for the next few weeks, perhaps even a month or two. This was the mission her master had agreed to with that female immortal from the south named Immortal Lake Mystic Qian Hu. The Bei Clan would participate in the grand project undertaken by the southern empire. In exchange, the clan would not only have their ancestral home returned, they would gain ten times the land within the city as well as the right to participate in the future political and power structure of the city.
Bei Yingluo didn't care too much about such things but her aunts had been greatly drawn to these rewards. In the past, they had just been a minor family with no power within the city. They had to obey and were bullied around by the larger factions. Now, they had an opportunity to leap over the dragon gate. This was especially important to the older generation as it would represent a brilliant moment in the Bei Clan's legacy.
But to reach that point, it would not be easy.
The mission was part of the grand project by the Sapphire Mystic Empire to finally connect the Aiqin Mystic Archipelago and the Eastern Sanmu Subcontinent by teleportation array. It was something that had been impossible up until now.
The Great Hui Desert spanned the area of several provinces. At its narrowest point, it was still over ten thousand kilometers in width. This was the hiding ground of senior Dugu's fourth sword ground. Many experts from the Immortal Association had come to analyze the land and search for the sword ground to no avail.
The desert winds and ever-shifting sands carried with them strange and unpredictable undulations of void energy. If one happened to take the teleportation array across the desert right when such a void energy event was taking place, they would be lucky to survive and end up in the middle of nowhere. If they were unlucky, they would directly be shredded into nothingness by the clashing void energies. Even immortals might not be able to survive.
This was why in the past centuries, no faction bothered to set up a teleportation array across the desert. Immortals simply chose to fly the distance and mortals had to make the trip on foot through the treacherous land. That was, until now…
This was the grand plan of the Sapphire Mystic Empire, to finally establish a teleportation array across the desert. However, they still had no answer for the desert's void energy fluctuations. Therefore, the teleportation array was not a single connection but multiple ones in a long series.
Every one hundred kilometers, they would establish an outpost and a miniature teleportation array. They would also lay down special arrays around each outpost to detect spatial anomalies. If one was detected, a message would be sent to the north and the south and all attempts at teleportation would be paused until the event had passed.
It was an ingenious idea albeit an extremely expensive one. Instead of two teleportation arrays, one each at the northern edge of the desert and the southern edge, now there would have to be one hundred teleportation arrays. Although each array was much smaller and less powerful than normal, the overall cost in terms of spiritual crystals and inscription arrays was thirty or forty times as much.
The Sapphire Mystic Empire was willing to foot the bill. They were even willing to supply the rare spatial-attribute spiritual crystals needed to construct the arrays. However, it was still easier said than done.
The responsibility of constructing each outpost and protecting it fell on mortals like the Bei Clan. It was just them but the other major families of Drifting Sand City. They were all involved. Some of the families had let their people join the city guards and were under the direct command of the Sapphire Mystic Empire. Others were in a similar situation as the Bei Clan where they were providing manpower as independent factions.
The success or the failure of the mission was on these mortals. The various immortals such as Qian Hu and Chen Wentian would not be involved unless their people met insurmountable dangers. After all, this teleportation array benefitted mortals the most. It would turn a dangerous trek across the desert that would take many months into an instant. It would increase trade between lands on the opposite sides of the desert. It would turn Drifting Sand City to the north and the city of Green Tide Bay to the south into vibrant trading hubs and bring great wealth to the people of both cities.
This was why the Bei Clan was here, for the sake of a brighter future for the clan and their future generations. This was why Bei Yingluo was here, to support her family. The opportunity to fight wild beasts and practice her secret ability seemed almost like an afterthought.
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