allonlinenovel Chapter 1821 is locked!
Chapter 1821 is locked!
Mingchuan sheathed the Nine Dragons Sword and let out a long breath.
He sensed the still lingering power of ice and fire on the sword, his gaze calmly sweeping across the dim, yellowish desert.
"Since the other side has already made a move and revealed some of their methods and intentions, we might as well play along."
He looked at Master Lingxu: "Senior, you mentioned before that the Lost Desert is a no-man's-land, and Dragon Roar Temple has peripheral forces here. Can we turn the tables and take the lead?"
A glint flashed in Lingxu Zhenren's eyes: "You mean..."
"The enemy is using beast hordes and traps to wear us down and delay us, simply to buy time, force us to change our route, or even expose more of our trump cards."
Mingchuan's thinking was clear: "Then we'll do the opposite of what he wants. Not only will we not take a detour, but we'll speed up and go straight there! At the same time, we'll make a commotion so that other eyes in this desert can see us."
"Are you trying to stir up trouble and see how many snakes you can lure out? Or do you want to..." Ye Yan seemed to understand.
"It's both a ploy to alert the enemy and a warning to others," Mingchuan said. "We're moving forward in a high-profile manner, putting on an attitude of 'I know there's an ambush, but I don't care.'"
"First, it's to show the other side that these petty tricks can't stop us, forcing them to either give up or use more direct, but also more easily exposed, forces. Second, it's to show other forces in the desert, especially those spies or fugitives who may have a grudge against Longyin Temple or are neutral."
“People from the Spirit Realm are not to be trifled with, and they may be at odds with the Dragon Roar Temple. Perhaps we can unexpectedly gain some information or potential allies.”
The chaotic lands surrounding the Holy Domain are full of desperados and information brokers who harbor resentment or fear towards the major powers of the Holy Domain.
Master Lingxu stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before nodding: "This plan is feasible, but we must be careful with the timing. The commotion should be significant, but we must not actually get surrounded. We must be fast, so that the enemy doesn't have time to set up a more complete killing trap."
"The old man and the Crimson Flame Fox can take turns clearing the way with their imposing aura to deter the villains. The Green-Faced Fox will be responsible for guarding and detecting life fluctuations to avoid large-scale ambush sites. Ye Yan and my little friend will provide support from the center and be ready to deal with any emergencies."
"That's it!" Crimson Flame Fox rubbed his hands together, his anger already simmering. "Let me see who else dares to come and die!"
With the plan settled, the five no longer made any effort to remain hidden.
Lingxu Zhenren was the first to release a trace of the vast pressure belonging to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Although he did not exert his full strength, the ancient and boundless aura of law was enough to make the low-level demonic beasts within a radius of dozens of miles, and even some hidden spies, tremble with fear and dare not make any rash moves.
The Crimson Flame Fox followed closely behind, its body enveloped in crimson-gold flames, resembling a walking god of fire. Its scorching and domineering purifying aura spread out, dispelling the chill and chaos in the air.
The Blue-Faced Fox maintained a wide range of life perception, like the most sophisticated radar, guiding the team to avoid dangerous areas where there might be a large number of life forms and to choose relatively clean paths.
Mingchuan and Yeyan followed closely behind, their auras concealed but their eyes sharp, alert to any unusual movement around them.
The group stopped walking and stopping, and instead transformed into five dazzling streaks of light, piercing through the dim sand like sharp swords, and sped towards the northern desert!
Wherever it passed, low-level monsters fled in terror, and some figures hidden in sand dunes and caves quietly retreated, not daring to show their faces.
The aura of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator is already a dominant force in the outer perimeter of the Holy Domain, enough to deter most unscrupulous individuals.
Sure enough, the rest of the journey went much more smoothly.
Although one could still vaguely sense some prying eyes and something seemed to be following and observing from the distant desert, there were no more large-scale beast tides or direct attacks.
The other side seemed to have their rhythm disrupted by their high-profile and aggressive approach, or... they were brewing an even more dangerous killing move.
After traveling for about two more hours, it grew dark. The temperature difference between day and night in the desert was extreme, and the cold night wind began to whip up icy sand.
Ahead appeared a continuous range of black stone mountains, like the spine of a giant beast lying in the sea of sand. That was the famous landmark of the Lost Desert, the Yangtong Mountains.
Once you cross this mountain range, you'll officially leave the most dangerous core area of the desert and enter a relatively populated area on the outskirts of the Holy Domain.
"After passing through Yangtong Mountain, and going another three hundred miles north, there is a small oasis market town called Shaquanji. It is the largest gathering place for cultivators and a place for exchanging information on the edge of the Lost Desert."
The blue-faced fox pointed to the dark mountain range, "We can rest there for a while, gather information, and replenish our supplies. The Holy Land's common currency and some intelligence need to be obtained or exchanged there."
Master Lingxu nodded: "Shaquan Village is a mixed bag, but it's well-informed. It's a good opportunity to find out about the recent movements of the Holy Domain, especially the reaction of the Dragon Roar Pavilion Master after his seclusion, as well as the attitudes of the other major forces."
The five people quickened their pace and flew towards the pass of the Yangtong Mountains.
However, just as they were about to enter the area shrouded in the mountain's shadow—
"Om..."
A deep, powerful tremor, as if it came from the depths of the earth, came without warning!
The entire Yangtong Mountain Range, along with the surrounding sandy land for dozens of miles, began to tremble violently!
Countless huge black rocks tumbled down from the mountain range, raising clouds of dust!
"Earthquake?" Ye Yan steadied himself.
"Something's not right!" Master Lingxu's expression changed drastically, his gaze fixed on the depths of the mountains. "It's a formation! A massive earth-elemental trapping formation! We're locked on!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several key peaks in the Yangtong Mountains simultaneously lit up with a dazzling, earthy-yellow light!
The intertwining lights instantly formed a huge and complex three-dimensional array in the air, covering the entire entrance area of the mountain range!
In the center of the array, a phantom image of a giant seal, as large as a mountain, slowly emerged, radiating a terrifying aura as heavy as a mountain and capable of suppressing everything!
At the same time, from all directions, the sand cracked open, and hundreds of figures, clad in earth-yellow armor, exuding a powerful and dignified aura, and with cold and ruthless eyes, rose from the ground!
Their positions were mysterious, faintly connected to the array in the air, and their auras were intertwined. They were all at the Core Formation stage, and there were even several leaders at the Nascent Soul stage!
The leader was a middle-aged man with a cold and hard face and a tall, towering figure. He was clad in heavy armor and wielded a giant axe the size of a door panel. His cultivation level had reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm!
He stood on the void beneath the array, his icy gaze sweeping over Mingchuan and his group of five, his voice like muffled thunder:
"By order of the Lord of the Dragon Roar Moon Shadow Palace, we are here to capture the spies from the Spirit Realm who have trespassed into the Holy Domain! Why don't you surrender now?!"