Chapter 304

The vast desert, named “Tianhe,” was once the decisive battleground of the great war between the immortals and demons many years ago.

It is also the entrance to the Demon Realm.

In the skies above Tianhe, deathly energy still lingers, and remnants of the demon spells and traps set by the demon clan remain, making it unsuitable for flight.

Thus, the group arrived at their destination—a small town in the southern part of the desert called Pingchuan—by flying sword.

Although Pingchuan is built on an oasis, the view is still dominated by endless yellow sands.

Greenery is sparse, and even the leaves on the trees appear listless, curled into shriveled clumps.

The grayish sky blends with the golden air, and as Ning Ning jumped off her Xinghen Sword, she couldn’t help but cough.

“All these years, and Pingchuan hasn’t changed a bit.”

Tian Xianzi raised his eyes, glancing around with undisguised melancholy.

Then he turned to the young man in white beside him.

“Senior brother, is your body feeling unwell?”

The man shook his head and responded gently, “I’m fine.”

This man was none other than Wen Hemian.

Back when the demons were being driven back at every turn, the cultivation world suffered equally severe losses.

It took the combined strength of all the major sects to finally set up the Two Elements Dust Formation, sealing a barrier at the end of Tianhe to separate the human and demon realms.

Due to the scarcity of talent, cultivators struggled to provide the vast amount of spiritual energy required for the formation, so blood and flesh were often used as substitutes.

Wen Hemian was one of those who contributed.

He exerted all his strength, causing his sea of consciousness to collapse and his meridians to be damaged.

However, because his cultivation was far above ordinary people, the last thread of his spiritual vein was barely preserved by the sword energy still within him, allowing him to cling to life.

When he awoke at death’s door, all that remained was a sea of corpses and blood, everything changed.

As one of the primary planners and executors of the Two Elements Dust Formation, Wen Hemian was familiar with every part of its design.

If there were any flaws in the formation that needed to be investigated, he was the most suitable candidate.

To be honest, Tian Xianzi had never been sure if Wen Hemian was willing to leave Qingxu Valley at all.

He knew that his senior brother was a proud man.

Ever since he lost his cultivation, he had shut himself off in his own small world for years.

This morning, when Tian Xianzi and his disciples went to find him, they had little hope.

Yet, before they even stepped foot into Qingxu Valley, they saw a figure in white standing beside the stone monument at the entrance.

—In the dappled shadows of the trees, Wen Hemian stood straight, staring intently at a letter in his hand.

Upon hearing footsteps, the young man lifted his eyelashes slightly.

After a brief hesitation and daze, a gentle smile curved his lips.

“Let’s go.”

It was truly strange.

The letter appeared plain, like the kind only junior disciples would use.

But Senior Brother Wen had almost completely cut off contact with the outside world and never accepted any communication talismans—

Who could have sent him that letter?

And did it have anything to do with his decision to leave the valley?

Tian Xianzi puzzled over it endlessly, but in his confusion, he failed to notice the stiff expression that appeared on Ning Ning’s face when she saw that letter.

It was the very one she had written to Wen Hemian the previous night, still under the anonymous guise of “Little Fan of Elder Jiang Xing.”

They had been pen pals for some time.

The night before, Wen Hemian had suddenly sent her a brief communication talisman, asking what kind of person she truly thought he was.

Ning Ning had given it much thought and earnestly wrote him a reply.

So, when she went to Qingxu Valley the next day and saw that unmistakable letter in Wen Hemian’s hand, she was momentarily stunned.

Whether or not the letter brought him any comfort, the fact remains that Wen Hemian agreed to leave Qingxu Valley and join them on their journey to the desert.

That was the best outcome.

“This place is so hot and stifling,” He Zhizhou grumbled as they finally arrived at Pingchuan.

He fanned himself with his hand and looked around.

“If it’s like this out here, how much worse must it be deeper in the desert?”

“You’d better prepare yourself,” Tian Xianzi chuckled softly.

“The barrier set up in Tianhe contains demonic and deathly energy that hasn’t dissipated. Besides the demons likely hiding in the shadows, there are also many beasts corrupted by demonic energy—the deeper you go, the worse it’ll get.”

Curious, Ning Ning asked, “Pingchuan is so close to the entrance of the Demon Realm, it’s extremely dangerous. Logically, the townspeople should have all fled long ago. Why are there still so many people here?”

“Exactly,” He Zhizhou added, rubbing his chin.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t stay here a second longer.”

Wen Hemian’s long eyelashes quivered slightly, as though he wanted to say something but ultimately sighed instead.

“Think about it—yellow sands, demonic beasts rampant, Can the big brothers and sisters who can live in this place be ordinary people?” Tian Xianzi remarked.

“Of course not! This place is crawling with bandits and street gangs,” Tian Xianzi continued.

“When they get fierce, they can fight demonic beasts hand-to-hand!”

…Fight demonic beasts hand-to-hand.

Ning Ning let her imagination run wild, picturing a bunch of burly, bare-chested uncles waving machetes and chasing demonic beasts to the point of tears.

It was a magical image—very much like Pingchuan.

“The most important point,” Tian Xianzi continued, “is that although the Immortal-Demon War drove many people away, it also attracted others.”

Lin Xun couldn’t understand.

“The Immortal-Demon War is long over. What are these people here for?”

He couldn’t figure it out, but Ning Ning frowned and replied, “Could it be… because of the relics left on the battlefield?”

Tian Xianzi sighed, confirming her suspicions.

During the decisive battle at Tianhe, countless lives were lost on both sides.

Many artifacts and manuals were left behind by both demon cultivators and righteous sects, scattered across the desert.

If someone could enter the desert and find even one or two valuable items, they could sell them for a fortune, enough to live in comfort for a lifetime.

“But—”