The desert night was very cold, in stark contrast to the scorching heat of the day.
However, the desert sky seemed even more brilliant, with countless stars twinkling in the night, stretching far above and looking down upon the earth.
It was already deep into the night when Yu Xie woke from his sleep, the drowsiness gone.
The surroundings were very quiet, with only the occasional sound of wind, and the faint noises of desert birds drinking from the water's edge.
Yu Xie left the camp and began walking slowly around.
The chilly breeze brought a slight coldness, and Yu Xie saw Nabu sitting by the water, staring at the reflection of the starlight on the surface, seemingly deep in thought.
"Nabu, you're still awake?" Yu Xie walked over and sat beside her.
"Hmm, not too tired, and I couldn't sleep, so I came over here to sit for a bit," Nabu smiled warmly at Yu Xie, her smile as gentle as a flower.
"Thinking about something?" Yu Xie asked, also looking at the starlight reflected on the water.
"Not really. Just random thoughts here and there," Nabu replied.
Yu Xie looked into Nabu's eyes, and she just so happened to turn her head at that moment, meeting his gaze.
From the look in her eyes, Yu Xie sensed a hint of helplessness.
He fell silent for a moment, not pressing her with any further questions.
He understood. If Nabu wanted to speak, she would do so without him asking.
If she didn't want to talk, asking would be pointless.
Even gods have their troubles, and the troubles of gods are often more complicated and harder to resolve than those of mortals.
"No matter what happens, everything will be fine in the end," Yu Xie said, breaking the silence. "Just like with the assassination attempt—I'm sure everything will be resolved tomorrow."
"You always seem so optimistic," Nabu remarked, glancing at him.
"Well, what's the point of being pessimistic? One must learn to find joy even in hard times," Yu Xie responded with a light-hearted smile.
"You're right," Nabu said, spreading her arms wide. The night breeze blew gently across her face, lifting her hair and the hem of her clothes. She looked like a beautiful flower blooming in the wind, as if she didn't belong to this world.
"Thank you, your words from last time really made me realize a lot," Nabu added, her voice soft.
"Last time… what did I say?" Yu Xie was a little confused by Nabu's sudden thanks.
"It's nothing, just… thank you," Nabu said with a smile, her lips curling upward. She adjusted her windblown hair and returned her gaze to the water's surface.
The night grew deeper, and the first light of dawn slowly crept across the horizon.
The three of them set off once more.
Following the guidance of the system, Yu Xie, Myrna, and Nabu arrived at the foot of a mountain.
At first glance, there seemed to be nothing around—just a barren mountain and endless yellow sand, with a few cacti growing at the base of the mountain.
"Why are we here?" Myrna looked around and asked.
"The intelligence I received indicates that this is the place," Yu Xie replied.
"But it seems like there's nothing here," Myrna said in confusion, walking closer to the mountain to observe more closely, but finding nothing.
"It doesn't seem like there's nothing," Nabu said, her gaze shifting to a nearby sand dune.
Suddenly, the sand on the dune began to flow rapidly, as though it were liquid.
In the blink of an eye, a wind-eroded sandworm emerged from beneath the dune. It raised its head high and faced the three of them.
The sandworm was of medium size, with a sharp, drill-like head and a long, serpentine body.
Seeing this, Myrna's eyes immediately sharpened. Before Yu Xie and Nabu could react, she had already drawn her sword and leaped forward.
Her figure moved swiftly over the yellow sand, her sword gleaming with a blinding light.
She brushed past the sandworm.
As she stopped, the sandworm fell to the ground with a thud, completely motionless.
She had defeated the sandworm in one strike, which would have shocked any ordinary person.
Though Myrna couldn't wield elemental powers, she was certainly a formidable fighter.
Otherwise, Buer wouldn't have sent her alone to protect Yu Xie.
Standing on the yellow sand, Myrna turned to look back at Yu Xie and Nabu.
"The sandworms are the hunters of the desert. They generally capture their prey based on vibrations, but it seems that there are no living creatures moving around here. The chances of a sandworm appearing in this area should be slim, logically speaking."
"Unless, there are living creatures moving here, but we haven't found them," Yu Xie said, turning to look at the mountain and slowly walking toward it.
Guided by his instincts, he extended his hand and touched the mountain's surface.
In an instant, the mountain in front of him began to twist, as if the space itself was warping.
When the twisting stopped, a stone door, tightly shut, appeared right before them.
"This is..." Nabu walked up to Yu Xie's side. "Yu Xie, what did you do?"
Yu Xie looked at his left hand. The skill Erasure had taken effect, dispelling the illusion that had even fooled Nabu.
"I accidentally broke this illusion. Let's go in and take a look, but be careful."
The three of them approached the door and pushed it open.
With a rumbling sound, the door slowly creaked open.
Inside was a downward passage, seemingly leading underground.
Looking through the open door, nothing could be seen except for the dark passage stretching downward.
Yu Xie was about to step forward when Myrna stopped him.
"I need to protect you. I'll go first."
Without waiting for Yu Xie to respond, Myrna stepped forward and took the lead.
The passage wasn't particularly narrow; it was wide enough for four or five people to walk side by side with some space to spare. On the walls of the passage, there were candleholders, all of which were lit, providing ample light along the way.
At this moment, Yu Xie couldn't help but feel a bit emotional. The people who wanted to assassinate the divine beings were indeed cautious in their actions.
The illusion at the entrance was so powerful that even the Goddess of Flower had been deceived. Under normal circumstances, this place would have been impossible to expose.
If they were to follow the clues step by step, it might take a long time to uncover this location.
The three of them walked slowly, staying alert to every small sound and movement.
So far, there had been no signs of danger.
At this moment, the passage branched into two paths, and the three of them stopped.
"Let's go this way." Yu Xie quietly pointed to one of the paths.
Myrna and Nabu had no objections, following him without hesitation.
Finally, ahead, a stronger light shone, indicating that the passage was coming to an end.
The three of them reached the end, where they found an open space with no one around.
In the center of the space, there was a huge stone pillar, supporting the dome of the ceiling.
They stepped out of the passage and looked around the area.
There were no fewer than ten other passageways around them. It was unclear where these tunnels led, but from the look of things, this space seemed to be the central hub for all the passageways.
What was odd was that there was not a single guard in sight.
Yu Xie furrowed his brows slightly as he glanced down at the ground.
Following his instincts, he crouched down and pressed his ear to the floor.
He could hear faint noises coming from underground—sounds that were chaotic and disorganized.
It sounded like a bustling marketplace.
End of chapter
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