Not long after, a male cultivator slowly ascended from the other side of the hill. He appeared to be in his forties, with a sallow complexion—the very same cultivator who had been terrified of Patriarch Ji Yin in the great hall.
At this moment, he wore an oddly shaped emerald-green bamboo hat and held a white jade bowl in his hands. Despite the extreme heat of the surroundings, a faint chill emanated from his body, indicating that these two items were anything but ordinary.
As soon as he reached the hilltop, he cautiously scanned his surroundings, as if searching for something. Finding nothing but emptiness, his expression grew even more guarded.
Not long ago, from a distance, he had vaguely glimpsed a figure moving on this hill. Yet now that he had arrived, there was no trace of anyone. Naturally, this put him on high alert.
After coldly surveying the area once more, he wordlessly plunged two fingers into the jade bowl, then abruptly withdrew them. A streak of white light shot out from the bowl, arcing into the air and circling above his head.
“Activate!” the sallow-faced man chanted softly, forming a hand seal with one hand.
With a faint *pop*, the white light trembled violently before exploding like scattered blossoms, transforming into countless shimmering starlight particles that enveloped an area several dozen zhang in radius.
Where the white light fell, layers of frost condensed on the red ground, yet no anomalies appeared in the surroundings.
Seeing this, a flicker of doubt crossed the man’s face. After a moment of contemplation, he dismissed the matter, assuming he must have imagined the earlier figure. Setting his concerns aside, he turned his gaze solemnly toward the Black Desert.
“This place is truly sinister,” he murmured to himself, staring at the eerie black sands, his expression equally hesitant.
However, after only a brief moment of consideration, he flicked his sleeve, and a red streak shot out, landing on the ground. As the light faded, a small, fox-like beast appeared in its place.
The man flicked his finger, sending a green pill flying toward the creature. The beast snapped it up with its mouth, its face instantly showing delight.
“Go!” the sallow-faced cultivator commanded sharply, pointing toward the Black Desert.
The beast immediately pushed off with all four limbs, transforming into a red streak as it dashed down the hill at an astonishing speed.
Within moments, the fox-like creature had ventured several dozen zhang into the Black Desert, tracing a wide arc and even stirring up a swirling cloud of yellow sand—all without incident.
No abnormalities occurred, as if the Black Desert were no different from an ordinary desert, aside from its color.
The sallow-faced man looked astonished, clearly not expecting this outcome. He had prepared himself for the “Red Raccoon Beast” to be destroyed, as it was merely an ordinary level-one spirit beast with no remarkable abilities beyond agility and an exceptional sense of smell. Its loss would not have troubled him in the least.
Frowning deeply, he watched intently as the beast dashed back and forth across the desert several times before whistling to recall it. The Red Raccoon Beast promptly returned to the hill and vanished back into his sleeve.
Then, with an uncertain expression, the man fell silent as he stared at the Black Desert.
Yet this time, he hesitated only briefly before stepping off the hill and cautiously making his way toward the black sands.
Unbeknownst to him, shortly after he descended, Han Li’s figure reappeared atop the hill amidst a ripple in the air.
Earlier, although the sallow-faced man had cast a wide-ranging detection spell, Han Li had easily evaded it by employing the Qi Restraining Technique from the Nameless Art and using the Misty Steps. He was confident that even if his opponent were a mid-Core Formation cultivator, a sudden ambush with all nine Emerald Bamboo Cloud-Swallowing Swords would guarantee a swift and fatal strike, utterly annihilating both body and soul.
This had left Han Li conflicted for some time—unsure whether to immediately kill the man and seize the two obviously valuable treasures or let him scout the path ahead first.
After witnessing the man’s beast explore the Black Desert without any results, Han Li ultimately decided against attacking. The unknown was always the most dangerous; it was better to let this man pave the way. He refused to believe the Black Desert was entirely harmless.
Moreover, with his White Rhino Pendant and Frost Pearl, he was already well-protected against fire, so he felt no urgent need for the man’s fire-warding treasures.
Oblivious to Han Li’s silent presence behind him, the sallow-faced man finally stepped onto the black sands and ventured into the sinister desert.
One zhang, two zhang…
As he delved deeper into the Black Desert, the man grew increasingly tense. He had already activated a green protective barrier using his bamboo hat, shielding himself completely.
But after advancing several hundred zhang into the desert without encountering any issues, his expression relaxed slightly, and he felt somewhat reassured. Logically, if there were any real danger, it should have manifested by now after venturing so deep.
Watching the man’s gradually shrinking figure from behind, Han Li wore a puzzled expression. Had he been mistaken? Was the Black Desert merely intimidating in appearance but actually harmless? If he had known, he might have acted sooner to eliminate the man and claim those treasures.
A twinge of regret stirred within Han Li.
But just then, a sudden upheaval occurred in the distance.
As the sallow-faced cultivator took another step, the nearby black grains of sand inexplicably floated into the air. Suspended mid-air, they surrounded him, emitting a dark, ghostly glow—silent and utterly eerie.
Experienced as he was, the man immediately threw his jade bowl into the air. A vast expanse of white light spilled forth, adding an additional layer of protection outside the green barrier.
At that moment, the black grains of sand instantly transformed into countless winged black insects, swarming toward the horrified man like a tidal wave.
With a furious roar, the man intensified the white light, summoning countless palm-sized ice shields around him. These shields spun rapidly, forming a white tornado that enveloped him completely.
Now he could clearly see the insects—they were jet-black flying ants. But their numbers were staggering, easily exceeding ten thousand.
The sallow-faced man’s mind raced as he desperately tried to recall what kind of insect beasts these were and what weaknesses they might have. But before he could recollect, the black torrent crashed into the icy tornado.
A series of *crack* and *snap* sounds echoed as all the flying ants were repelled, thrown several zhang away. Seeing this, the man relaxed slightly, a hint of relief crossing his face.
Yet moments later, his smile froze. The repelled black ants merely tumbled a few times before steadying their wings and flying back, completely unharmed.
Panic seized him! Without a second thought, he raised his hand and released a gray flying dagger, which transformed into a dazzling streak several zhang long, slashing fiercely toward the swarm of ants.
As soon as the dagger left the tornado, nearly ten thousand ants buzzed in unison and swarmed it. No matter how the gray light shifted and slashed, the ants remained unscathed. Instead, they instantly covered the dagger, trapping it completely.
Horrified, the sallow-faced man tried to recall his treasure, but it was too late. After a few flickers of gray light within the swarm, it was completely submerged by the black torrent.
A mouthful of blood sprayed forth as the man’s face turned deathly pale. The destruction of his spiritually linked treasure had severely damaged his vitality.
Not daring to delay any longer, he frantically urged the white tornado to retreat along the path he had come, hoping to escape the Black Desert while he still had a chance.
But at that moment, the black flying ants did not pursue him after devouring the remnants of the dagger. Instead, they performed a jaw-dropping maneuver: they gathered together in an instant, and after a flash of eerie black light, transformed into a massive black spear several zhang long. With a piercing shriek, the spear shot through the air like a ballista bolt.
Terror gripped the sallow-faced man as he desperately channeled all his spiritual power, intensifying the tornado around him.
The black spear plunged into the white tornado. With a *thud* and a *pierce*, it flashed through the whirlwind and emerged on the other side.
Its sharp tip and long shaft were now stained with fresh, speckled blood.
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