"You died."
"Before your death, you suddenly saw birds flying in the distance, and you realized that perhaps the sky above this desert is safe."
"The sky? It's that simple!"
"As long as we don't walk in the desert, we can avoid turning into sand."
Su Nan's face showed a happy expression, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He finally found a solution.
"Princess, it's not safe in the Lost Lands. For now, you'll have to stay inside this gourd."
Su Nan took out the Water and Mountain Gourd, intending to put the Grand Princess inside.
Seeing the gourd in Su Nan's hand, the Grand Princess's expression changed.
She had entered the gourd more than once and was well aware that this seemingly ordinary gourd contained a small world inside.
Calling it a treasure wouldn't be an exaggeration, and she couldn't fathom how Su Nan had obtained it.
Without saying much, the Grand Princess entered the gourd.
Looking at the abyss in front of him again, Su Nan prepared to jump.
Just in case, he used foresight once more.
This time he transformed into a black eagle and flew in the sky.
The prediction went smoothly, and three minutes later, he didn't turn into sand as before.
The desert was vast, and in the prediction, he flew for more than ten minutes before finally reaching the edge of the desert.
Once he confirmed that everything was fine, he leaped down.
The Lost Lands.
As an isolated world, it had developed its own rules over thousands of years.
Though it appeared small, equivalent to a county in the Eastern Chen Province, it had a complete order.
In this place, it was ruled by a country called Da Xuan.
Under Da Xuan were numerous prominent families, which controlled the majority of resources in this world and held a high position.
The Deathly Sand Sea.
Located in the easternmost part of Da Xuan, this place was a well-known forbidden area in the entire Lost Lands.
At this moment, on a small path covered with weeds, dozens of miles away from the Deathly Sand Sea, a group was advancing rapidly.
At the forefront of the group, an elderly man was driving a rather luxurious carriage.
Behind the group were more than ten burly men, each carrying swords, and they didn't appear to be easy to provoke.
This group had clearly been traveling for a long time, and everyone looked exhausted, panting heavily.
Many of them were already floating, their steps becoming increasingly light, and they could no longer keep up with the group.
Despite this, they dared not stop.
The elderly man, who was driving the carriage, saw this and gazed towards the Deathly Sand Sea, which was already faintly visible in the distance. He turned to the carriage and said, "Miss, we're only a few miles away from the Deathly Sand Sea. Everyone is almost at their limit. Should we stop and rest?"
A clear female voice sounded from inside the carriage, "Alright."
Upon hearing the response, the elderly man turned to the group behind him and said, "Everyone, stop and rest for a while."
Upon hearing this, the more than ten burly men in the rear let out a sigh of relief. They were really on the verge of exhaustion.
The carriage stopped, and a woman emerged from it.
The woman appeared to be in her late twenties, with a slender figure and delicate features. Her elegant demeanor was accentuated by her yellow silk robe.
However, at this moment, the woman looked quite distressed, her expression fatigued as if she hadn't rested for several days.
"Is that the Deathly Sand Sea over there?"
She stood on the carriage and gazed ahead.
There were few trees in this area, with little cover. They could vaguely see a stretch of yellow sand several miles away.
Looking at the yellow sand, the woman's expression became solemn. "The most dangerous place is often the safest."
"The Deathly Sand Sea turns lifeless, and anyone who enters it will turn into sand. Those people from the Ma family probably wouldn't expect us to come near the Deathly Sand Sea."
Seeing this, the elderly man spoke, "Miss, don't worry. I believe that Master is definitely not dead. When Master returns, he will make the Ma family pay for their blood debts!"
The woman sighed, and a deep sadness filled her brows. She shook her head and said, "Uncle De, there's no need to comfort me. The danger in the Ancient God's Mound is far greater than the Deathly Sand Sea. My father disappeared there, and I'm afraid he's already in grave danger."
The elderly man opened his mouth as if to say something.
Suddenly, he noticed something and turned to look in the direction from which they had come. His expression changed dramatically.
"Bad news, the Ma family's people are following us!"
In his gaze, a group of about thirty to forty people was rapidly approaching them, with a middle-aged man in his forties leading the way.
"How is this possible? How did they know our whereabouts?"
"Run! Everyone, run!"
Everyone was shocked, but the elderly man reacted quickly. He immediately drove the carriage forward.
The carriage sped away, and the people who had just stopped to rest had to sprint forward again.
Their speed was fast, but the pursuing group was not slow either. Moreover, the thirty-odd people split up and encircled them in a fan-shaped formation.
In just a few minutes, the group ahead had reached a place only a mile or two away from the Deathly Sand Sea.
At this point, the rolling yellow sand of the Deathly Sand Sea was clearly visible.
As far as the eye could see, there was endless yellow sand, devoid of any signs of life.
"What should we do? The Deathly Sand Sea is right in front of us. Do we have to continue forward?"
The woman's face was extremely gloomy as she stared at the boundless sea of sand ahead, unsure of what to do.
There was still a path ahead, but if they continued forward, once they were surrounded, they would have no way to escape.
The group came to a halt, and the more than ten burly men following them quickly surrounded the carriage, preparing for a confrontation with the approaching enemy.
"Ha-ha-ha, keep running! Do you think you can keep running?"
The other group quickly surrounded them, and the middle-aged man in his forties at the forefront laughed heartily, his expression smug.
On the carriage, the elderly man surveyed the group and said in a deep voice, "Five top-tier experts and twelve second-tier experts. This time, they are determined to deal with us."
As he spoke, he looked at the woman and said quickly, "Miss, later, I'll cover for you. Look for an opportunity to escape in another direction."
"Run? Where else do you think you can run to?"
"Chen De, if you were at your peak, even I, Ma Qiang, would have to go around you. As for now, hehe..." The middle-aged man sneered, not bothering to hide his contempt.
He then turned to the woman on the carriage and said, "Miss Chen, as long as you hand over the Ancient God's Key, I can make the decision today and spare you all!"
"Do you think I'll believe you?
The Ma family killed more than a hundred people from my Chen family. Even if I die today, I won't give you anything." The woman's expression was cold, and she drew a long sword from her side, ready to fight.
Both sides were at a standoff.
No one noticed that a withered ancient tree about a kilometer away from them had silently transformed into a young man.
"The Ancient God's Key?"
"Interesting, just as I arrive, I encounter this kind of treasure-seeking drama."
Su Nan heard the conversation between the two sides and became interested.
"Indeed, just like the information from the Heavenly Palace Pavilion, the number of Bloodline Warriors here is rare, and most of them are ordinary people."
His gaze swept over the people, and in his eyes, among the four to five dozen people present, only three were Bloodline Warriors.
The elderly man named Chen De, the middle-aged man calling himself Ma Hua, and the woman.
The elderly man was at the Initial Spirit level, the middle-aged man was at the Peak Mortal level, and the woman was only at the Mid Mortal level.
As for the others, without exception, they were all ordinary people without fused bloodlines.
However, these people, although they didn't fuse bloodlines, still had a peculiar aura about them.
"Hmph, you offer a toast only to be met with a punch, since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"
Seeing that the woman showed no intention of handing over anything, the middle-aged man named Ma Qiang snorted coldly and didn't waste any more words. He waved his hand, and the people behind him all attacked at once.
"Miss, be careful!"
The battle was about to erupt.
The number of fighters on both sides was completely unequal, and the elderly man's side was immediately on the defensive, with injuries occurring within moments.
Su Nan noticed that although these ordinary people didn't have fused bloodlines, they were quite skilled in combat, reacting swiftly.
At the same time, he also noticed that as they attacked, a faint blood light surrounded them!
Five of them had particularly dense bloodlights, and the power they erupted with was extremely strong, comparable to the Mid Mortal level!
"So, these are the so-called top-tier experts?"
"People in this realm really have some tricks up their sleeves. Even without fused bloodlines, they possess the strength of the Mid Mortal level."
Su Nan nodded.
But one must not underestimate the Mid Mortal level. Fused with two types of bloodlines, ordinary people would have no ability to resist before them.
This battle was completely one-sided.
Although the elderly man was only at the Initial Spirit level, it was as Ma Qiang had said, he was heavily injured. The strength he could bring to bear was only at the Peak Mortal level, barely matching Ma Qiang.
As for the woman, her Mid Mortal level strength was pinned down by the two so-called top-tier experts, leaving her with no chance to counterattack.
Not long after the battle began, several people on the elderly man's side were killed in succession.
Seeing this, the elderly man did not know what secret technique he had used, but his strength suddenly surged, pushing Ma Qiang, with whom he was in a stalemate, back. Furthermore, he instantly killed the two martial artists who were attacking the woman.
However, the elderly man was not happy at all. Instead, he shouted, "Miss, quickly leave, I'll hold them off!"
"Uncle De, be careful!"
The woman hesitated slightly, but still gritted her teeth and left through the gap created by the elderly man.
Time was of the essence, and wasting a single second could mean that they would all be left behind today. Ma Qiang was chasing after her, and as long as she left, the elderly man would still have a chance to escape.
With the elderly man's assistance, the woman broke through the encirclement and quickly ran to the side.
Coincidentally, she was running in the direction where Su Nan was.
It wasn't intentional on the woman's part, but rather because the direction where Su Nan was happened to be the easiest route for her to escape.
"Capture them at all costs, dead or alive!"
Ma Qiang shouted, wanting to chase after her personally, but he was entangled by the elderly man.
Fortunately, the elderly man's use of the secret technique didn't last long, and now his strength was rapidly declining. Ma Qiang found an opportunity, kicked the elderly man in the chest, and sent him flying.
In the past, he would have taken the opportunity to kill the elderly man, but now he didn't have time to spare for the elderly man.
In his eyes, the old man in front of him was already like a fish on a chopping board, ready to be slaughtered. He could carve him up at will. Right now, the most important thing was to catch the woman.
With a single move, the elderly man was pushed back, and the woman who had quickly fled was chased by Ma Qiang.
"The Ma family?"
The woman had just run a few steps when she noticed Su Nan on the tree, and her heart sank.
Su Nan hadn't concealed his presence, so the woman naturally saw him standing on the tree.
She was initially startled, thinking that Su Nan might also be from the Ma family. However, when she saw that Su Nan had no intention of harming her, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she was curious about when Su Nan had appeared and why he was here, it was not the time to think about these things. Ignoring Su Nan, the woman continued to run.
Soon, Ma Qiang, the middle-aged man, and his thirty-something subordinates also caught up. When they saw Su Nan, they were all taken aback.
"Where did this kid come from?"
Ma Qiang frowned, also not having time to think much. He quickly ordered, "Whoever you are, since you've seen something you shouldn't have, then you're out of luck. Kill him for me."
Receiving the order, two martial artists quickly approached Su Nan.
A person on a tree was a sitting duck.
Su Nan's eyes flashed with a cold light. He remained calm, just glancing at the two martial artists.
In the next moment, the two martial artists fell to the ground without a sound, unable to even scream.
"What's going on?"
Seeing this scene, Ma Qiang was dumbfounded.
Then he noticed something else, and his face turned pale.
"Spirit, Spirit-level! You're actually a Spirit-level Bloodline Warrior!"
He had been too focused on chasing after the woman earlier and hadn't paid attention to Su Nan's aura.
Now that two of his subordinates were dead, he suddenly realized that the person in front of him was a Spirit-level Bloodline Warrior!
Furthermore, when he looked at the two corpses on the ground, Ma Qiang's heart sank even more.
Mystery Power! The young man in front of him was actually a Bloodline Warrior who possessed the power of the Mystery Power, controlling the power of the soul!
Where did this monster come from?
Ma Qiang's forehead broke out in a cold sweat, and his mind raced.
In this world, the number of Bloodline Warriors was extremely rare, and those who mastered the power of the soul in the Mystery Power category were even rarer. Any one of them was not to be trifled with.
"Spirit-level? He's actually a Spirit-level?"
Hearing Ma Qiang's words, the other martial artists also had their faces change, staring at Su Nan with solemn expressions.
Ma Qiang's heart sank, but he quickly realized something and calmed down.
Su Nan had a pseudo-spirit stone on him, and in Ma Qiang's eyes, although Su Nan was a Spirit-level Bloodline Warrior, he was only at the Spirit-level Initial stage.
Thinking about the power behind him, Ma Qiang gained confidence.
"I am Ma Qiang, the leader of the Ma family's guards. I don't know who you are." Ma Qiang stared at Su Nan and questioned him, deliberately emphasizing the words "Ma family," as if warning Su Nan not to meddle in their affairs.
Su Nan descended from the tree and glanced at the group, asking, "Where is this place?"
He had just arrived in this Lost Land, and he needed to first understand the situation here.
"Where is this place?"
At Ma Qiang's words, Su Nan was puzzled, not understanding why he would ask such a question.
For a moment, he even suspected that Su Nan was playing him.
Was there anyone in this world who didn't know where this place was?
At this moment, the elderly man who had been injured by Ma Qiang also caught up.
Feeling Su Nan's cultivation level, he showed a pleasantly surprised expression and quickly said, "Young man, we are from the Chen family. The Ma family killed more than a hundred of us from the Chen family, and we are mortal enemies. If you can help us get rid of these people today, the Chen family will definitely repay you generously!"
(End of this chapter)