Chapter 579: The Nameless Land

A moment later, the torches finally approached. By their light, Han Li could see objects a bit farther away.

The nearby area was a whitish expanse, littered with piles of fish and shrimp covering the ground in a thick layer. He and the woman happened to be atop one of the higher mounds.

Farther away, everything remained shrouded in darkness, impossible to discern clearly. The only thing he could tell was that the place seemed vast, with no walls or boundaries in sight.

The men stopped about twenty or thirty zhang away from Han Li. They quickly set down their leather bags, and while one stood guard, scanning the surroundings warily, the others bent down and frantically stuffed the fish and shrimp into their bags.

Seeing this, Han Li was somewhat surprised. The woman on top of him also let out a soft, barely audible gasp, unnoticed by the men. Han Li instinctively glanced at her face. In the faint reddish glow, he caught a glimpse of a delicate, sweet countenance hidden in the darkness.

The woman immediately noticed Han Li’s bold gaze. A blush seemed to rise on her cheeks, and she turned her neck slightly, hiding her face in the shadows once more, leaving only a pair of bright, slightly bashful eyes gleaming in the dim light.

Han Li found this rather amusing.

This woman was quite interesting—when they couldn’t see each other’s faces, she had been straightforward and even a bit feisty. But now that they could see each other, she had instantly become shy and timid. The fierce impression she had given earlier had completely vanished.

Just then, a startled cry came from the distance.

“Bad news! Retreat quickly—Fire-Scaled Beasts are coming!” the lookout man suddenly turned and hissed at the others.

Immediately, the men who had been gathering fish slung their bags over their shoulders and bolted in another direction, leaving only two torches stuck in the ground, flickering uncertainly.

Almost simultaneously, several long, eerie cries echoed from the darkness, as if something had spotted the fleeing men. Then came the rapid, heavy thuds of something landing—*thud, thud, thud*.

Several crimson figures, each about a zhang long, shot out from the darkness and vanished in a flash.

In that brief moment, Han Li got a clear look at the so-called “Fire-Scaled Beasts.” They were ferocious creatures with leopard-like heads and crimson scales, baring rows of razor-sharp fangs that made them look extremely savage.

In the blink of an eye, silence returned.

Han Li let out a long breath. Fortunately, the beasts hadn’t noticed them.

After a short while, Han Li clenched his fists lightly, then wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist and slowly stood up.

His body had finally recovered, and he could move freely again.

“You… put me down. I’m almost fine too,” the woman murmured, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“If you don’t mind getting covered in fish stench, I don’t care,” Han Li said indifferently, glancing at her.

Hearing this, the woman looked down at the scattered fish and shrimp on the ground, hesitated, and wisely said nothing more.

Han Li then leaped lightly off the fish pile with her in his arms and headed toward the torches. Though he had no idea where this place was, being without any light at all would be troublesome.

Bending slightly, Han Li pulled one of the torches from the ground and surveyed the surroundings, his expression thoughtful.

“Put me down. I can move now,” the woman whispered shyly after a moment.

Without a word, Han Li released her, and she landed gracefully on her feet. After straightening her dress, she picked up the other torch and also began examining their surroundings.

Meanwhile, Han Li suddenly strode off in the direction from which the men had come.

“Where are you going?” the woman asked in alarm.

“I don’t want to wait for those beasts to return. I’d rather find a safe place first,” Han Li replied without turning back.

At the mention of the beasts possibly returning, the woman paled slightly. After a brief hesitation, she hurried after him, staying close behind.

Han Li said nothing and continued walking ahead.

But after only a few steps, he stopped and shone the torch on the ground, revealing clear footprints—the tracks left by the men earlier.

The woman, caught off guard, nearly bumped into his back and looked at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” she murmured.

Instead of answering, Han Li suddenly crouched, scooped up a handful of sand, and sniffed it. His expression turned peculiar.

“Strong scent of blood. This is no safe place,” he said flatly before continuing along the footprints.

The woman’s heart skipped a beat, and she clung even closer to Han Li.

The two walked for what felt like the time it took to eat a meal before finally spotting a faint blue glow in the distance.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and quickened his pace.

As they drew closer, they saw a blue-lit exit appearing out of nowhere in the pitch-black space ahead. Though only about a zhang wide, it was more than enough for them to pass through.

Encouraged, they hurried toward it.

In moments, they reached the exit and slipped through one after the other. But the moment Han Li emerged, a flash of white light greeted him—seven or eight jade-white blades were instantly pressed against his neck. A cold voice rang in his ears.

“Who are you? Where’s Ahu and the others? Are you outsiders?” The voice was hoarse but struck a chord in Han Li.

Around him stood over twenty young men and women, all wielding strange white-glowing weapons and dressed in the same odd green robes as the earlier men. Their expressions varied as they scrutinized Han Li.

The one who had spoken was a wiry middle-aged man in his forties, his eyes gleaming with an odd light.

Meanwhile, the sweet-faced woman who had followed Han Li was surrounded by others on the other side, frozen in place.

“I suppose we are what you’d call outsiders. But do people from outside often come here?” Han Li rubbed his nose and forced a wry smile.

“I didn’t need you to say it. Your strange attire gives you away. But meeting us is your lucky break—most outsiders end up as food for the Shadow Beasts before they even figure out where they are,” the middle-aged man said, his tone slightly less hostile but still cold.

With a wave of his hand, the men and women withdrew their blades.

Han Li touched his neck, then examined the weapons with a hint of surprise.

Through the brief contact, he had sensed an intense heat from the blades, as if they were all red-hot irons—an extremely bizarre sensation.

At the same time, Han Li glanced around and realized they were standing before a small stone mountain. They had just emerged from its hollow interior. In the distance stretched an expanse of deep-yellow desert, its vastness impossible to gauge.

When he looked up at the sky, his heart skipped another beat.

The heavens were choked with pitch-black clouds, stretching endlessly. Within them, deep-blue lightning flickered and danced, casting an eerie azure glow over the land.

Before Han Li could take in more, the wiry man frowned and asked, “Did you see anyone else when you came out? Those were our companions.”

“We saw a few, but they seemed to be fleeing from some beasts in another direction,” Han Li answered without hesitation.

“Beasts? What kind of beasts?” The man tensed instantly, gripping his weapon tighter.

“I heard them call them Fire-Scaled Beasts.”

“Fire-Scaled Beasts? Good. Ahu and the others can handle those Shadow Beasts. But just to be safe—Fan Li, take a few people to the nearest exit and assist them,” the wiry man relaxed slightly and issued orders calmly.

A towering black man nodded and immediately led a group of men and women away in haste.