Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 231 Heavenly Demon Heavenly Corpse

At the city pass.

Xiahou Yan stood at the forefront, where he could see some Bone Tempering Realm Martial Artists slowly descending along the towering Yunlu Wall, while Stewards of the Five Viscera Realm leaped down in a single bound, plummeting a hundred feet.

In the distance, within the desert, the sandstorm had subsided, and vague figures could be seen moving about, most of them being Martial Artists of the Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering Realm. After each sand disaster, the winds did indeed bring some opportunities.

Many officers guarding the Yunlu Border Pass were partly from the local Sha Prefecture, partly dispatched by the Seven Profound Sect, and some were there for the opportunities in the desert.

"All right, it's our turn to set off."

After looking at those distant figures, Xiahou Yan smiled at Chu Jingsui and the others.

"Let's go."

Chu Jingsui responded, his voice still at the original spot, but his body had already drifted down into the desert.

Meng Danyun looked into the distance and suddenly raised her hand, tossing a compass-like object to Chen Mu, saying, "Junior Brother Chen, although you are very strong, you haven't stepped into the Six Viscera Realm yet, and you still need water and food. If you encounter an anomaly in the desert and lose your way, it could be dangerous. If you want to venture deeper into the desert, take this with you; it might provide some guidance."

Usually, Martial Artists of the Tendon Changing and Bone Tempering Realm wouldn't venture deep into the desert, exploring only within sight of Yunlu Pass at most, while Stewards of the Five Viscera Realm could go a bit further. However, since they haven't reached the Six Viscera Realm and can't abstain from food and drink for long, they wouldn't delve too deep, especially if mishaps occur and they get trapped deep in the desert or underground— it would be extremely dangerous.

Chen Mu was an exception; his strength exceeded that of an average Six Viscera Realm Martial Artist, and his movement technique surpassed ordinary people. Exploring the desert was much safer for him than for her, so he would certainly not just skim the outskirts.

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

Chen Mu took the locating compass, originally thinking it was magnetite but then realizing it was not; rather, within the clear crystal bead, there was always a blood-colored silk thread pointing towards Yunlu City Pass beneath their feet, the origin of which he did not know.

If he couldn't figure it out, he didn't dwell on it; it was probably related to the Earth's Veins or made using some kind of demonic power. Such magical items were diverse and, compared to Spirit Weapons, were just trinkets.

Whoosh.

After seeing Meng Danyun leap into the desert below, Chen Mu also took a step and drifted down from the hundred-feet-high city pass, then proceeded into the desert, his figure quietly disappearing into the vast expanse of sand.

Almost simultaneously, high above in the sky, within a cluster of clouds, a grey demon bird circled, capturing the entire scene below Yunlu Pass in its gaze, before swiftly flying into the distance.

...

Heat.

Dryness.

These were Chen Mu's most direct experiences upon entering the wasteland. Although it was now the time of bitter winter, with most of the water starting to freeze in the prefectures behind the pass, upon entering the wasteland, it remained unbearably hot.

At this moment, the power of Xun Wind had receded quite a bit, while the power of Separating Fire had markedly increased, constantly suppressing Kan Water to the point where hardly any moisture could be felt in the desert. Even forcibly extracting water from the air using the Kan Water Artistic Conception took a long time to gather a cupful.

"A Martial Artist in the Bone Tempering Realm couldn't last more than ten days without water here."

Chen Mu walked upon the sand plains, paying close attention to the surrounding environmental changes as he moved. Each step he took left no trace on the rolling sands, as if his whole being were light as a feather, ethereal and drifting.

He continued his journey while sensing the Power of the Veins beneath the vast sea of sand. The Earth Pulse's Power in the entire desert was evidently much weaker than usual.

In the regions behind the pass, like in Yu County, with his current strength, he could forcibly dive thirty feet underground; here in the desert, he could dive fifty feet or even deeper.

Such depth had already reached the flowing areas of the Earth's Veins, where various minerals could be found.

However.

Chen Mu did not dive into the sea of sand.

For one, moving below was not nearly as fast as above, with movement becoming increasingly difficult the deeper one went. Furthermore, he held no interest in ordinary minerals.

He already knew from Xiahou Yan that the main opportunity for exploring the desert after a sand disaster was to find places where the Earth's Veins were empty, similar to the hollows formed after flooding when the Earth's Veins erupted. In the desert, the same applied, with quicksand often forming and continuously flowing downward, becoming a deadly trap for the common folk, but a safe passage for Martial Artists to reach deeper into the Earth's Veins.

In such depths of quicksand, the chances of encountering rare Spiritual Objects were much higher.

Of course.

One could also encounter Great Demons of the Fifth and Sixth Rank or even Demon Kings of the Seventh Rank. Even for beings like Xiahou Yan and Chu Jingsui, it would be dangerous, though encountering a Demon King was highly unlikely. Their formidable demonic power, far stronger than that of Sixth Rank demon creatures, made it easier to detect and avoid them from afar.

Chen Mu continued his trek through the vast Sand Sea, walking an unknown distance until the sky gradually darkened, the heat faded, and a chilling cold enveloped the desert. At last, a disturbance in the Earth's Veins appeared in his perception.

Soon.

Upon approaching.

He saw that it was a low valley in the desert, where the nearby sands were moving slowly as if they were sinking and being swallowed by the valley as their center.

"It seems this is the place."