In the vast, desolate desert, three directions align with three full, round suns, tightly hugging the barren edge of this lifeless land. From a distance, the faint, dim light makes the earth appear like a deep brown sea.
A young man in a silver robe carries a gray bundle on his back, walking alone across the desert.
The youth is tall and upright, with a resolute face that is not lacking in charm. His cultivation seems to be quite strong, and as he walks, every step he takes covers a distance of several feet.
The young man seems tireless, his aura of spiritual energy never depleting, as he moves freely across the desert.
"In half an hour, I'll be through this nameless desert and reach Great Fu," he mutters to himself, brushing his right hand across his face. A layer of skin peels off and falls into his hand.
As the skin peels away, the silver-robed youth's features change dramatically, and his body grows taller, revealing the true identity of Ji Xia, the ruler of the Taicang Kingdom.
"This face-shifting technique is truly marvelous. With this divine artifact, I won't have to reveal my true face when I reach Great Fu."
[Face-shifting mask requires: 800 spiritual essence. Information: Made from the skin of the ancient multi-faced human race. After wearing it, one can freely alter their appearance and physique.]
When Ji Xia last exchanged for divine artifacts, he had found nine items, and the face-shifting mask was one of them. However, due to a lack of spiritual essence, he had to reluctantly give it up.
Fortunately, in the days that followed, the citizens of Taicang contributed more spiritual essence to Ji Xia, and with the remaining essence, Ji Xia finally obtained the mask this morning.
Ji Xia carefully examined the face-shifting mask before putting it on. His appearance and physique altered once again, returning to the form of the resolute young man from before.
He had set off three days ago, relying on his robust body and nearly limitless spiritual energy, traveling at great speed.
Along the way, he took a detour through Zhou Qing City and Chiyan Mountain. Zhou Qing City, as the black-clad Ming Qing had described, was nearly half destroyed by a massive force and had become a wasteland.
Countless bodies were buried under the rubble, emitting a nauseating stench of decay. The city, once home to the Zhou Qing people for generations, was now deserted, with all the Zhou Qing people having left for other plains in the Zhou Qing Kingdom.
Indeed, who would want to live in a city full of rotting corpses?
The detour to Chiyan Mountain yielded nothing either. The Zhou Qing army had already withdrawn, and the once-natural beauty of Chiyan Mountain had been entirely altered by excavation.
The reason Ji Xia took the detour was to investigate the whereabouts of the mysterious Meng Gui.
The two Ming Qing sent to investigate Chiyan Mountain had not returned by the time Ji Xia set off. Concerned about Meng Gui, who was willing to make great sacrifices for Taicang, Ji Xia feared that something had happened to him, which led to his visit to Chiyan Mountain.
Unfortunately, he found nothing.
Disappointed and worried, Ji Xia continued his westward journey, crossing several small nations and entering this nameless desert.
Along the way, he encountered over ten desert beasts, all of which were killed by Ji Xia, and nothing unexpected happened.
Ji Xia traveled quickly, occasionally stopping to satisfy his thirst for words, all the while constantly practicing the Suixing Swordsmanship inherited from the Lord of Suixing, making the journey quite pleasant.
"Half of the desert borders a vast forest in Great Fu. If I'm not mistaken, I should be passing the edge of the forest soon."
"Zha Qu said that the forest, like the Southern Forbidden Forest, is home to large monsters. Great Fu can't handle those creatures. If I accidentally walk into it, I'll be treated as a snack and eaten by those beasts."
He pulled out a map and checked his surroundings.
Fortunately, the direction in the endless wilderness is easy to distinguish. Three suns rise in the east, south, and north. The direction without a rising or setting sun must be the west. Great Fu is located to the west of the Zhou Qing Kingdom.
Ji Xia folded the map and was about to speed up when he suddenly sensed something unusual.
"The ground seems to be shaking."
Frowning, Ji Xia stopped and pressed his ear to the sandy ground. He could clearly hear the rumbling sound of vibrations.
"It seems to be coming from the west."
A sense of foreboding filled Ji Xia's heart. Standing tall, he activated his Grand Sun Spiritual Eyes, and flames ignited in his eyes, slowly forming two blazing suns.
With the spiritual energy from the Snow Mountain infusing into his eyes, Ji Xia focused on the source of the tremor, and his Grand Sun Spiritual Eyes immediately closed the distance, revealing two sand dunes that blocked his view.
Yet, Ji Xia could see countless lights of spiritual energy flickering beyond the dunes, growing closer!
"So many spiritual energy fluctuations?" Ji Xia thought, alarmed. "What could it be?"
The Grand Sun Spiritual Eyes answered his question. As they activated, a dark line began to appear on the distant hills. The vibrations became so intense that the sound now resembled thunder.
Ji Xia's expression changed drastically. "A beast tide!"
"And I don't know how many beasts are involved, but this tremor is so terrifying that calling it boundless would not be an exaggeration!"
Without hesitation, Ji Xia conjured the Suixing Law Form in his mind. His spiritual energy surged, and he summoned all his strength, dashing forward like a lightning-fast bird!
Now, he had to fly towards the source of the beast tide, hoping to find an escape route.
This was the first time Ji Xia had fully activated his power since gaining the Suixing bloodline. He didn't even know he could run this fast! But the beast tide was faster!
In just half an hour, Ji Xia didn't know how far he had run.
Beasts and monsters from the desert sprinted past him. These usually ferocious creatures didn't even care about Ji Xia, who had practically delivered himself to their doorstep.
Their sense of danger was even more acute than Ji Xia's.
Ji Xia also clearly felt the tremors grow stronger, and with the rumbling came the terrifying roars behind him, like the deadly sounds of an infernal creature, sending chills down his spine!
Fighting back his overwhelming fear, Ji Xia took a quick glance behind him.
The great deluge surged from the eastern corner, and mountains swallowed the vast plains!
Countless beasts charged like a mighty wave, trampling the sand and causing the earth to fracture.
Ji Xia even felt the very void trembling!
The beasts that caused this chaos were now only a few miles away from him.
If Ji Xia stayed still, the beast tide would soon engulf him, devouring him completely, leaving not even a bone behind!
What should he do?
What should he do?
What should he do?
Ji Xia's mind raced, his anxiety nearly boiling over!
This was the greatest terror he had faced since crossing over!
"No, I must stay calm. I can't let fear cloud my judgment!"
He realized that anxiety and fear wouldn't help the situation and could cloud his thinking. He forced himself to suppress his negative emotions.
Ji Xia gradually regained his composure.
"What should I do? Should I dig a big hole and bury myself?"
"No, if the beasts charge through, the ground will collapse. Digging a hole for myself would be like digging my own grave."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The terrifying sounds drew closer, and Ji Xia suddenly stopped running.
Anyone watching would think that this silver-robed youth had given up on struggling and decided to die beneath the beasts' feet!
"Hoo..." The young ruler took a deep breath and exhaled heavily.
He looked ahead at the bizarre beasts—giant elephants with three noses and covered in hair, a giant cat with colorful fur and a mouthful of long, sharp teeth, and a bird-like beast with a tail like a rainbow, looking quite beautiful like a peacock.
Suddenly, Ji Xia's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his face. "This bird-like beast looks so gentle. Maybe I can hop onto its back."
But just then, the bird suddenly turned ferocious and opened its beak at a passing fire-breathing eagle.
Its beak expanded to an enormous size, larger than its body, filled with sharp fangs, and it snapped forward!
The fire-breathing eagle was instantly caught by the bird, and before it could make a sound, it was swallowed whole!
Ji Xia's face darkened, and his eyelids twitched. "This peacock-like bird sure has a big appetite, swallowing an eagle twice its size in one bite!"