A desert, nearly one thousand miles in circumference, laid quietly amidst a stretch of lofty mountains, fully surrounded by towering cliffs and steep, almost perpendicular rock walls. Countless bones of unknown animals were scattered everywhere. The wind blew, carrying sand up in the air and across the opening between the bones. Buzzing noises could be heard coming from patches of about one-foot thick quicksand, and a gloomy aura of danger was lingering beneath it.
Under a steep cliff wall at a corner of the desert, Daoist Chi reclined powerlessly on the ground. His face was somber, and his eyes were staring blankly at the sky. Nobody could tell what he was thinking about. A one-foot and two inches long jade tablet stood askew in the sand next to him, emitting a faint red light and a crystal clear buzz.
