Alex was surprised to see that the power of his punch was enough to shake a mountain. He had not even invoked his inner power; he had simply relied on what was left of his own human strength.
Many cultivators of divine ability worked in this way. They didn't rely on spells or inner power, but instead, used their physical bodies to fight. In the same way that he felt he could survive a missile attack, Alex figured it would be easy to overpower these individuals.
Now that my cultivation is complete, it's time for me to take revenge, he thought.
He retracted his fist and turned to look at the distant sky. His eyes followed the trail the missiles had traveled, right from Riley's secret base.
**
While the mountain had been collapsing from Alex's forceful punch, a group of tourists had been walking in the desert not far from the valley. They had come out in search of adventure, and their leader was Ron, an old man with a face full of wrinkles.
One of the party, a young lady called Natasha, looked toward the Valley of the Buried Heart in alarm. "Ron, did something happen there?"
"It was just a natural collapse, Natasha," he answered in a hoarse voice. "Now, move quickly! There's a storm coming this way, and we need to find shelter."
"Of course," Natasha said. "But I'm sure I saw someone flying in the air above that valley." She knew that she must sound ridiculous, but she couldn't shake the feeling. The rest of the party were so exhausted that they either failed to hear her or else they had no desire to talk. There was nothing she could do but put her head down and continue walking.
Ten minutes later, the group found a cave. They quickly lit a fire, set up their tents, and began to cook some supper, holding sausages over the flames.
"Ron, you promised there was so much to see in this desert," a young man complained. "You told us we'd find the ancient town where the werewolves once lived. But it's empty, and we haven't stumbled on as much as a single wolf's fang."
"I don't know what we're doing here," the young man's girlfriend added. "Now that the van has broken down, do we have to hike across this entire wasteland?"
Everyone looked at Ron in frustration. The legendary town they had come to discover was completely abandoned and covered in sand, and there was no evidence to suggest that the area had ever been inhabited in the first place.
"I'm sorry," Ron said, sighing. "I'm really not sure what's going on either. When I came to trade here last year, I saw the werewolves with my own eyes. Maybe they moved away to escape the disaster."
He paused for a moment to think. "I know it's not ideal, but if we can all manage to walk a bit further west, we'll reach a small village. We can get supplies there and find a driver to take us back to the city."
There was a chorus of snorts among the group, but everyone knew there was nothing else they could do. Out here in the desert, they had nothing to rely on but Ron's experience.
"Natasha, this sausage is ready," one of the men said, breaking the silence. "Here, you can have it. Let me find a fork for you."
Ron looked around at the group of rich kids in front of him. They had come from various corners of the world in search of excitement and adventure. They had been disappointed by how things had panned out in the desert, but at least they seemed to get on well together. The men of the group seemed especially eager to win favor with Natasha. As well as being beautiful, she was renowned as an explorer and archaeologist. Sitting around the fire, Ron also found himself charmed by her.
Natasha was quiet. She was replaying the scene from earlier in her mind, sure she had seen a purple glow in the sky. And, in the middle of the light, there had been what had looked like a supernatural figure with dark hair and dressed all in black. She knew there was no point in bringing it up again or the others would think she was crazy.
Suddenly, a voice came through the sandstorm and echoed in the cave. "Do you know what date it is?"
Ron jumped up and grabbed a shotgun from his rucksack. "Who's there?"
Everyone moved away from the fire and began to look for their own weapons. All this time, they had not encountered a single soul in the desert. How could there be anyone here? they wondered.
Seconds later, they looked up to see a young man enter the cave. He was handsome with jet-black hair and dark eyes, and he was dressed fully in black. To the group, he appeared like a deity that had descended to the mortal world.
While the kids tried to figure out what they should do, Ron appeared to relax. He quickly put down his shotgun and said, "Sir, today is February third, two thousand and nineteen."
"Two thousand and nineteen," Alex repeated quietly. "So, that means I have been underground for an entire year."
The more the travelers observed him, the more they felt that he was not an imminent threat, but they were shocked to hear that he had stayed an entire year in the desert. This place was incredibly hot, and it was impossible to imagine surviving a week in this climate, let alone an entire year.
Ron was particularly moved. Over the years, he had heard stories about powerful martial artists who could walk barefoot across ice or lava, tear apart polar bears with their bare hands, withstand extreme temperatures, and so on. According to these tales, such warriors often cultivated power under extreme heat or cold.
He must be one of the most powerful martial artists in the world, he thought. How else could he survive an entire year in these conditions?
"Do any of you know what kind of organization is in the northwest?" Alex asked.
"I know that there's a secret military base over there," Ron said, frowning. "I've been told that there's a massive army of super soldiers there."
"Do you know exactly where this base is?" Alex asked. "It's important." He needed to get revenge on Riley as soon as possible.
Without another word, Ron got up and began to root around in his backpack while Natasha stared at Alex. She was doing her best to maintain a neutral expression, but as soon as he had entered the cave, she had recognized the likeness between him and the figure she had seen floating above the valley. Black clothes and black hair, she thought. It must be the same man. There's nobody else out there. He must be some sort of god, but is he good or evil?
As she considered the possibilities, she felt excitement brewing up inside her. This was exactly the kind of adventure she had yearned for.
"Here it is," Ron said as he placed a map on the ground in front of Alex. "This is where we are. If you head northwest for about two hundred miles, you should be close to the secret base."
"That's very helpful; thank you," Alex said, noting the direction. Without wasting another moment, he turned to walk back out into the sandstorm.