Chapter 20. A Thousand Mill in One Step, Lost in a Sandstorm

However, Xie Lian said, "Even though what you see is history and unofficial rumors, but the Kingdom of Ban Yue actually exists."

"Oh, yes?" San Lang hummed, but Xie Lian couldn't bring himself to say that he just happened to know because he visited places like the Kingdom of Ban Yue to collect rubbish two hundred years ago long before the magicians came.

At this moment, Nan Feng finally finished drawing layer after layer of arrays on the ground. He stood up and said, "It's over. When do we leave?"

Xie Lian hurried to pack a bundle of items to put in a small bag before walking to the front door. "Let's go now."

Placing his hand on the door Nan Feng said, "With the Blessings from the Heavenly Official, there is no way that will be bound!" And then lightly pushed the front door in front.

Outside the door the view changes. Instead of being greeted by a view of a village on a small hillside, now disappeared. Now they are greeted by a view of the broad and empty main street of the city.

Even though the main road is wide, there are actually very few people around. Half a day can pass and only occasionally will see one or two pedestrians. Almost no one crossed the road, maybe there were only one or two pedestrians every now and then they disappeared. This is not because it is already dark, but because the population of people who occupy the northwestern tip is not yet high, in the highlands that are this close to the Gobi desert. Even in the daytime there won't be many passersby.

Xie Lian came out of the building then reached behind to close the door, and it was no longer his inner Pu Qi temple. He looked back again and wondered, how could he possibly get out of Pu Qi Monastery? What was behind him now was clearly a small inn.

With one step they had taken this way, of course for those traveling more than thousands of miles away, this was the magic of the Shortening Array of Distance.

Some pedestrians passed by them. A pair of pedestrians passed by, staring at them and whispering to themselves, looking quite alert. They are clearly alert. At this moment he heard San Lang speak from behind him, "According to historical records and texts, when the moon sinks in the sky, follow the direction where the North Star is in the sky and you will finally arrive to see the kingdom of Ban Yue. Gege, look." San Lang pointed at the sky and said, "That's Polaris."

Xie Lian raised her head to look at it and then said with a smile, "A very bright star."

San Lang stepped closer to his side and stood shoulder to shoulder next to him, He glanced at him then looked at Xie Lian before he raised his head and smiled, "That's right. For some unknown reason, it looks like the northwest night sky somehow looks a little brighter and clearer than the sky in the Central Plains "

Xie Lian stated his agreement with those words. On their side, San Lang and himself were absorbed in the chatter about the night sky and stars there, while the two young martial gods behind them watched the sight of two people in front of them with a look of disbelief. Finding them both (SanLang & XieLian) was really too much. Nan Feng asked, "Why is he also here?"

"The door you made looks very magical and ancient, so I followed to check it." San Lang answered innocently.

Nan Feng angrily shouted, "Check it out! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING THIS VISIT TOUR TRAVEL? !! TO SEE-SEE? !!"

Xie Lian massaged the space between his eyebrows and said, "Leave it. Because he is following us already, he is already here. He won't eat your inventory, I should have brought enough. San Lang, stay close to me, don't until I get lost and don't wander off. "

In a rather obedient way San Lang replied, "OK." "THIS ISN'T A QUESTION PROVISION OF THE INVENTORY OF GOODS THAT HE EATS ?? !!"

Xie Lian sighed, "Nan Feng, please calm down. We are in the middle of the night and everyone is sleeping. Let's focus on each other's business and stop taking care of small things. Come on Come on."

Guided by Polaris. The four of them followed the path where the North Star was and traveled north. After traveling on foot without stopping all night, the cities and greenery along the roadside began to become less and less visible, as the sand and rocks on the road gradually increased, and the land they passed to walk up to now fully slowly turn into sand. When the earth beneath their feet ceases to be land, that's when they officially enter the Gobi Desert.

Finally, they reached the Gobi desert. Even though the Array Shortens Distance can traverse thousands of miles away in one step, it uses a large amount of power to activate it, and the farther the distance must be traveled, the more power is needed, and the time needed to recover the power that was previously used also becomes increasingly long. This one step was help from Nan Feng for them and would need at least eight hours to recover his strength. To save strength in the event of an unexpected battle, Xie Lian decided not to ask Fu Yao to do the same technique. To be on guard on such a journey, at least one of them with their state of spiritual energy must at least be in the stage of full power.

In desert climates, the change in temperature difference between night and day is very extreme, the temperature at night is so cold that it freezes enough to seep into one's bones, but not too bad. But when it comes during the day. When the day that starts at night turns into day, then it becomes another story. This will be a completely different security. The sky here is very clear looking bright and has no white cloud streaks to make way for the very fierce sun to show itself.

The group kept going, but the more they walked, the more as if they went to a large steaming basket. The hot air that is emitted from far away feels in the earth feels as if a day trip can make someone not want to live. It was as if they were walking in a steaming oven, cooking it alive from the ground.

Xie Lian led the way, relying on the direction of the wind and small plants that grew in crowds under the base of a large rock to find their direction and path. Worried that some people would not be able to follow him, he would often look back. Nan Feng and Fu Yao were not ordinary people, so there was no need to mention how they were doing. However, the view of San Lang made him laugh. With the sun blazing over his head, the young man took off his outer robe and lazily wore it to block the sun's rays. His weak expression showed a little fatigue. With her beautiful skin, deep black hair, and the way the red robe covered her face, her face looked even more amazing and handsome.

Under the hot sun, the teenager with an outer red tunic and used it lazily to block the sun, looked tired and fussy. Her pearl white skin, and her jet-black hair, with a red tunic over her face, made her face stand out more. Xie Lian took off her straw hat and put it on San Lang's head, "Here, I'll lend it to you."

Xie Lian took off his straw hat and raised his hand to put it on San Lang's head. He said, "I'll lend it to you. Here." Surprised, San Lang was stunned for a moment, before he smiled and said, "No need. It's okay."

He handed the straw hat back to him. Xie Lian didn't argue and didn't want to go back and forth on this issue, so if San Lang didn't need it, he wouldn't insist and push harder. "If you need it, just tell me." He then supported to straighten the hat on his head and kept walking.

After walking some distance, the group saw a small gray building in the middle of the sand plain in front of them. They approached him to take a closer look and see that the inn seemed to have been abandoned for years. Upon closer inspection, I was sure that the place seemed to be an abandoned inn. Xie Lian raised his head to look at the sky to check, before calculating that it was past noon and this was the time that made the heat of the sun worse. He was afraid they would approach the hottest and most difficult hours of the day so evening. Moreover, they had been walking all night. It was time to rest, and as such, he led the three of them to the inn and entered the building.

Inside, they saw a square table so they sat around it. Xie Lian took out a water bottle from a simple traveling bag on her back. He handed it over to San Lang and asked. "Want some?"

San Lang nodded. Receive the bottle from Xie Lian's hand, and then he drinks a sip of water. Only then did Xie Lian take it back to drink alone.

Xie Lian tilted her head back and swallowed several times with Adam's apple rolling. Cold liquid slid down his throat and felt very refreshing. Next to him, San Lang had been holding his chin in his hand and looked at the scene, but not at the same time. After some time, he suddenly asked, "Is there still anything left?"

Xie Lian licked her moist lips, where there was still water left on her lips. Nodding, he handed the bottle back to San Lang again. San Lang was just about to take it when a hand blocked Xie Lian's hand, which was holding the bottle. Hinder it.

"Wait a minute." Fu Yao interrupted.

While the others watched, Fu Yao slowly took out a water bottle from inside his sleeve, before placing it on the table. He then pushed it towards San Lang. "I also have some here. Please help yourself," he said.

At first glance, Xie Lian immediately knew what he was planning.

With Fu Yao's personality, how could he want to share a bottle with someone else? Xie Lian also remembered how last night, both of them wanted to investigate San Lang further. He and Nan Feng talked about testing San Lang the night before. So, what liquid is in the bottle is definitely not ordinary water, but 'The Revealing Water'.

With this secret, liquid is a kind of medicinal herb, which if normal people drink it, there will be no effect. However, if they are not human and have consumed them, then, under the influence of the drugs from the herbs, they will be forced to reveal their true form. Because the other two want to find out whether this young man is truly 'Disaster' like the Demon King or not, this potion must have a strong effect. And for the Liquid Water Disclosure bottle itself, it also has extraordinary strength.

However, San Lang just laughed before saying, "Gege and I can share this one water bottle."

Nan Feng and Fu Yao looked at Xie Lian who was sitting on the side. Xie Lian thought, what do you guys see me?

San Lang smiled, "And I just want to drink from Gege's water bottle."

Fu Yao and Nan Feng looked at Xie Lian, and he replied to them, thinking glaring at me would not mean anything! In a cold tone, Fu Yao said, "His water bottle is almost gone. Please drink from my water bottle."

"Really? Then you two drink first, don't worry about me." said San Lang

They both stopped talking. After a while, Fu Yao spoke again, "You are a guest, you are the first."

"Don't bother, you go first." San Lang replied.

Fu Yao was surprised. "You are a guest, please don't hesitate."

Even though he still spoke in a smooth and cultured way, Xie Lian felt as if he knew that the words squeezed were forced through his teeth. San Lang also made a 'you are the first' hand gesture, saying, "You two are his assistants / followers of the host. You are the first to drink first, or I will feel bad and indecent to me." Xie Lian watched them air. But when such air is removed, they eventually become physical. Separated by the table space, the three of them fought with the poor water bottle, pushing it back and forth.

Xie Lian watched the three of them play a silly game about fake pleasantries and pity for the pitiful water bottle that was roughly pushed around the table. He shook his head; he could feel the poor table tremble faintly from their power play and worried that it would not last much longer.

Xie Lian felt the table vibrate harder from under his hand. Thinking that a bad table would meet eventually, he shook his head again regretfully. His friends fought a few more silent battles.

Finally, unable to hold back anymore, Fu Yao sneered, "Because you don't want to drink this water, then that means you have gotten a guilty conscience."

San Lang laughs. "You two are so unfriendly, and you two also don't agree to drink first. Isn't it more like you who have a guilty conscience? Could you have poisoned the water?"

Fu Yao pointed at Xie Lian, "You can ask the person sitting next to you if I really poisoned the water or not!"

So, San Lang asked Xie Lian. "Gege, is the water poisonous?"

Fu Yao's question was too cunning. Naturally, that is a pretty sneaky question, because technically it is an herb that shows a person's true form and does not endanger a native human Xie Lian answered slowly, "It's not poison, but ..."

Fu Yao and Nan Feng focused their gaze on San Lang and he surprisingly loosened his hands and released his grip on the bottle. "Okay."

San Lang took a water bottle and jolted it playfully several times. "Since GeGe says there is no poison, I will drink it." he swallowed the contents of the water bottle at once in one gulp.

Because of that, the boy smiled before downing the whole bottle.

Xie Lian didn't expect he would be so clear and a little surprised by his actions. Nan Feng and Fu Yao were also stunned, both of them on guard. But who knows, after San Lang finished drinking the Water Revealing Form, he only shook the bottle a few times before saying, "There's nothing too great about the taste."

Then, he quickly threw the bottle aside, where it made a 'clanking' sound as it fell on the ground and broke into pieces.

Seeing how he drank the Air Revealing Form, but it still looked fine without any abnormalities, a look of confusion crossed Fu Yao's face and he instantly tensed up. But immediately, he replied coldly, "It's only water. Doesn't everything feel the same? What kind of difference can it have?"

Fu Yao was surprised to see that the 'Unmasked Water' didn't react to San Lang but felt a little confused, and disgustedly said, "It's just water, what's the difference?"

San Lang took a bottle of water on Xie Lian's elbow before saying, "Of course it's different. The water here tastes a lot better."

After seeing this, Xie Lian couldn't help but smile. He really did not care about the results of this test. Regardless of the outcome, he won't care about San Lang's identity or motives. Therefore, for the chaos that happened in front of him, other than that it was funny, there was not much that could be done and only considered giving him entertainment.

Xie Lian thought everything would end here, but who knew, with another loud clang, Nan Feng had put his sword on the table.

With a strong fighting aura around him, Xie Lian initially thought Nan Feng intended to silence San Lang forever. But in such an impressive way, at first glance, it seemed like he would kill everyone at the crime scene. Xie Lian felt silent for a few moments before she asked, "What are you doing?"

Nan Feng muttered with a dark aura. "Our aim is dangerous. Therefore, I give this little sword to this little brother so he can defend himself." Xie Lian bowed her head to look at him. The sheath is simple and not excessive, though the sword itself seems to have been carefully honed for years. The design of the scabbard looks ancient and bears power from time to time. This is no ordinary item. Xie Lian's eyes widened in recognition, putting his hand on his forehead. His heart trembled. Raising his eyebrows, Xie Lian turned to the side. muttered to himself, "This is actually HongJing !! Ah!"

The Old Red Mirror Sword is a holy sword that cannot fight evil, but no evil can escape its reflection. If there is a non-human entity trying to pull it from its scabbard, the blades will turn red as if covered in blood, and the HongJing blades will reflect the true form of what drew them. Neither Threat or the Highest, no one will escape!

There were no young men who were not interested in swords or horses, so San Lang looked rather excited, "Oh, let me see!"

Scabbard in one hand, grip of the sword in the other hand, San Lang then pulled the sword. Nan Feng and Fu Yao looked closely. But only for three inches. He pulled the sword, San Lang laughed, "Gege, are your servants playing with me?"

Xie Lian cleared her throat and turned, "San Lang, I already told you that they are not servants." Then he turned around again.

"We're not kidding." Nan Feng said coldly.

"How can someone survive with a broken sword?" San Lang sheathed his sword and threw it back on the table, still laughing.

Nan Feng immediately took the sword to examine it. He pulled it out of its sheath and heard the clang of a crack. HongJing's sword is broken from three inches down! Nan Feng's face changed color and flipped the scabbard only to find small pieces of broken swords that clanged on the table.

The HongJing sword is a powerful weapon that can expose its enemies, it's not a lie. But Nan Feng had never heard of any technique that could break it from inside its sheath too!

Nan Feng and Fu Yao pointed at San Lang and shouted, "YOU - !!!"

San Lang chuckled and threw himself back in his chair, pushed back and stood on the table, and turned one of the broken pieces between his fingers. "I'm sure you don't do this on purpose, and it's not careful enough to do it on the road. Don't worry about me, I don't need a broken sword to protect myself. Just keep it to yourself."

As for Xie Lian, back then he could not help but stare at HongJing's sword. The holy-sword was once part of Jun Wu's, a collection of Great Immortals! During his first hike, Xie Lian had visited the Jun Wu Palace and thought that despite not having battle power, HongJing was an interesting sword, so Jun Wu presented it to him. After the first disposal, there were times when things got very difficult, and Xie Lian gave the sword to Nan Feng to be pawned.

The money generated from mortgaging HongJing was enough to feed his stomach for a decent amount of food. Xie Lian had mortgaged too much treasure during that time, and forced herself to forget everyone so as not to let her heart bleed with regret. Maybe Feng Xin remembered the sword after Xie Lian's ascension and couldn't stand having the holy sword lost among humans, and found it again. But thus, thinking of the sword once again brought back painful memories for him so he could only look away. He could feel three other people starting to fight again behind him and shaking his head, instead observing changes in the weather outside. The wind was getting strong, in Xie Lian's mind. Maybe there will be a sandstorm later. Should they continue on their way? Will they be able to find a place to shelter later?

At that moment, on the golden sand, two shadows suddenly flashed.

Xie Lian immediately stood tall.

Two silhouettes, one black and the other white, walked in a hurry, but quickly as if they were sliding through the clouds. The one dressed in black looked slender and elegant, the one dressed in white on the other side was a soldier, a sword on his back and a whip in the hand. When they drove up to the abandoned inn, the black figure never looked back even once but the white figure glanced and smiled for an instant. That looks scary.

Xie Lian had been watching the outside and caught the scene, but three other people only saw their shadows. Nan Feng stopped his fight immediately and got up, "Who's that?" "Don't know, but they're not ordinary people."

Xie Lian answered and stood up too. "The wind is getting strong. Stop playing around and let's go as far as we can."

Even though the three people who liked to make this quarrel continue to argue, they still encouraged their hearts to do what they had to do, and immediately cleaned up the pieces of HongJing before going out through the door.

The four of them continued their journey, now against the gusts of wind. They walked for another four hours, the sound of the wind snaking in their ears, but the distance they made today was incomparable with the same distance they could have traveled the previous day. The whip of the wind grew stronger, throwing sand on their faces and bodies, hitting their uncovered skin. The more they advance the more difficult they walk. A deafening gust of wind and swirling sand wrapped the air around them, blinding their path. Xie Lian, holding her straw hat down, exclaimed, "This sandstorm doesn't feel right. This is strange!"

No one answered and Xie Lian looked back, afraid someone would get lost. But all three were still behind and following him, only nobody heard him. The strong wind was so strong that its voice was swallowed and disappeared in the air. He was not too worried about Nan Feng and Fu Yao; even with the crazy wind whipping both of them, they still walked steadily, full of killing intent. San Lang on the other hand, followed behind Xie Lian, never more than five steps away.

With so much sand blowing and struggling, San Lang remained relaxed and calm, his arms swinging casually as he walked. His red tunic and black hair danced wildly in the wind, as if he did not care what happened in this world. Xie Lian could feel how hard the sand had hit his face, and worried about how little San Lang's mind was. He opened his mouth to tell the young man to be careful with the sand entering his eyes and sleeve, but thought he would not hear anything he said, so Xie Lian grabbed it directly to help fold the sleeve of San Lang's shirt, tapping him to make sure himself no sand can enter. San Lang was taken back by that sudden movement.

The other two behind them approached and with everyone who was closer to better hearing range, Xie Lian tried to speak again. "Be careful, everyone. This wind is coming from nowhere, that's not true. Maybe there is a crime that blew up this storm."

"This is just a small sandstorm, how can evil be mixed with it?" Fu Yao said.

Xie Lian shook her head. "This wind is fine. Maybe there is more sand in the gust."

At that moment, a strong whistle blew, blowing off Xie Lian's straw hat. If it flies, it will disappear in the desert forever! But San Lang reacted immediately, and grabbed the hat on time with an abnormal hand speed. He returned the straw hat to Xie Lian once more, and Xie Lian thanked him. He tied the hat back to his head before saying, "We might have to find shelter for now."

Fu Yao did not agree, "If there is evil in this storm that is trying to stop us from going forward, we must continue!"

Before Xie Lian could say anything, San Lang burst out laughing. "Does being rebel make you feel special?"

Xie Lian always thought that it was hard to say when San Lang's laughter sounded sincere, but this time it must have been a mockery. Fu Yao's eyes darkened and Xie Lian raised his hand to stop the impending quarreling. "Stop there, both of you. If you have something to say, you can say it later. It won't be funny if the wind blows harder."

"What? Think it'll blow you away?" Fu Yao mocked.

"That might be a—"

Xie Lian did not finish his sentence before the three people in front of him suddenly disappeared. In fact, they hadn't finished it yet - another strong puff had really taken it for granted!

That's a whirlwind!

Xie Lian spins crazy in the sky. He stretched out his arm and shouted, "Ruoye! Hold something that can be relied upon!"

Ruoye flew out from Xie Lian's arm and in the next moment he could feel Ruoye getting heavier, as if he was tied to something, so he pulled it. Stabilizing himself in the wind, Xie Lian realized that he had been blown over ten feet above the ground! If it wasn't for Ruoye, he might have been thrown far higher into the sky. Xie Lian is now like a kite, attached to the ground with only one string.

With sand whipping his face, Xie Lian held on tight and tried to see what Ruoye was actually strapping. Squinting and blinking, Xie Lian finally recognized the red silhouette. The other end of Ruoye is wrapped around the wrists of teenagers wrapped in red clothing.

Xie Lian told Ruoye to hold onto something that was reliable, and he didn't expect it to grab San Lang!

Xie Lian didn't know whether to cry or laugh, and would order Ruoye to hold something else when the weight on his arm suddenly became lighter and lighter. Xie Lian's heart sank. This was not the feeling of Ruoye being released, but something far worse!