Chapter 312

It was none other than Lu Wanxing from Pingchuan Town.

“Can you really call treasure hunting in the desert ‘stalking’?”

Lu Wanxing chuckled, “It’s just a coincidence, a coincidence.”

“Bah! This girl has been sneaking around behind you for who knows what!”

A voice unfamiliar to them rang out, and He Zhizhou turned his head to see a group of burly men standing below the sand dunes not far away.

The leader, a middle-aged man with a bloodstained broadsword in hand and scars from demons all over his body, shot a disdainful glance at Lu Wanxing and said loudly, “Her brother was in the business of plotting against cultivators. You better watch out, or you’ll fall into her trap.”

Lu Wanxing made a face at him.

“These men are desert bandits crossing the wasteland,” Wen Hemian transmitted a warning.

“Be cautious, both of you.”

“There’s no need to be so guarded,” the leader laughed loudly.

“My name is Qian, the third in my family. Just call me Qian San. We’re all locals from Pingchuan and witnessed the devastation of the Immortal-Demon War with our own eyes. We hold the utmost respect for cultivators. Today, we meet by chance, but we would never commit any disloyal or unrighteous acts.”

The bandits, swords at their sides, radiated a heavy killing intent, while the sword cultivators beside them brimmed with sword energy.

Neither side seemed like a soft persimmon and easy to provoke.

The demons, already inclined to retreat, scattered like birds and beasts the moment they saw the two groups join forces, disappearing without a trace.

He Zhizhou muttered a thanks, then turned to Lu Wanxing with a resigned tone, “Little aunt, what on earth do you want to do by following us?”

“I, I just—”

Lu Wanxing stammered, then gave up and admitted with a scratch of her head, “I just figured, since your cultivation is so high, the demons wouldn’t dare approach. If I followed you, I’d be able to find more treasure deep in the desert…”

This girl was really willing to risk her life for money.

He Zhizhou took a deep breath, just as the bandit leader, Qian San, let out a cold snort: “Risking your life to loot the dead’s treasures—this brother and sister really are two of a kind.”

In the desert, it was all about swift vengeance and justice.

As bandits, they valued loyalty and honor above all else.

In their eyes, the betrayal of cultivators by a few townsfolk and the theft of relics by Lu Wanxing and her companions were equally despicable acts.

Lu Wanxing seemed unfazed by such comments, as if she had grown used to them.

She tilted her head and ignored the insult.

“They really have a lot of resentment toward Miss Lu,” Lin Xun noted, transmitting his thoughts quietly.

“Should she really be held responsible for her brother’s crimes?”

He Zhizhou was curious as well, “What exactly happened back then?”

“At that time, the demon clan was being forced back, and their last stronghold was the Tianhe Desert,” Wen Hemian responded after a brief pause, following up on the question.

“The demonic energy in the desert was much denser than it is now, and there were deadly traps everywhere. To ensure the safety of most cultivators, a 16-member scouting team was formed, led by Taoist Jueming from the Wanjian Sect.”

Lin Xun was startled.

“Taoist Jueming!”

Among sword cultivators, hardly anyone hadn’t heard of him.

He was a once-in-a-lifetime sword genius, known for splitting mountains with a single strike and having sword energy that penetrated to the bone.

Sadly, he had fallen during the Immortal-Demon War, leaving no trace of his body.

“The demon cultivators had planned an ambush, setting lethal traps throughout the desert. They even lured out an awakening ‘Demon God’ from the demon realm to stage a slaughter.”

Wen Hemian lowered his gaze, the dark emotion in his eyes hidden.

“Jueming fought to slay the Demon God, but in the end, he was exhausted and died in the explosion caused by the Demon God’s final attack. His legendary sword, said to be capable of cutting through anything, was lost, likely destroyed.”

Demon Gods were former immortals or divine beasts who had fallen and turned into demons, possessing extraordinary power and rumored to be capable of destroying the world.

Fortunately, they remained in long slumbers within the demon realm, rarely awakening.

Their existence was one of the reasons for the creation of the Two Elements Dust Formation, which separated the human and demon realms.

“But wait,” He Zhizhou scratched his head, “if all the cultivators back then perished in the desert, how did the story of the townspeople’s betrayal get out?”

“Of the 16 members, only one survived—a talisman cultivator named Liu Xiuyuan,” Wen Hemian replied, his voice grave.

“But he, too, was gravely injured and died a few days later at home from illness.”

So in the end, they all died.

Lin Xun felt a pang of sadness as he glanced around, only to realize that at some point, Lu Wanxing had quietly moved to stand beside him.

She looked quite curious, with a light smile as she tilted her chin towards him, “Why are you all standing so still? Could it be… the legendary secret voice transmission of the immortal sects?”

Lin Xun wilted like a withered eggplant and responded softly, “Yeah.”

Wen Hemian, however, remained composed and calmly asked her, “Miss, was the technique you used earlier a body cultivation skill?”

For the first time, a hint of shyness appeared on Lu Wanxing’s face as she touched her nose and nodded.

He Zhizhou, confused, asked, “Why would a perfectly good girl like you study body cultivation?”

“If I didn’t learn body cultivation, would you buy me swords, zithers, and talismans?”

Lu Wanxing shot him a glance.

“First, I had no money. Second, I had no path into cultivation. I just picked up whatever I could learn in the desert.”

“No money?”

He Zhizhou looked her up and down, his tone full of disbelief.

“With just the sword you showed us, I can guarantee you three lifetimes and three worlds of ten miles of gold, and you’re saying you’re broke?”

Lu Wanxing pursed her lips, about to retort, when a sudden, piercing cry echoed from the sky.

The black mist that had just dispersed began to gather again, thickening until it obscured their vision.

“Look, there’s someone on the sand dune!”

One of the desert bandits shouted in terror, “Th-that’s—”

He Zhizhou followed the voice and, through the rising winds and sand, saw two tall figures.

One of them had their face covered with black cloth, making it impossible to see their features, but the other…

Their dark, cat-like eyes and pale, clean face were unfamiliar, yet strangely evoked a sense of recognition.

Beside him, the young girl was trembling violently.

“That’s…”

Lu Wanxing stared at the person on the dune, her voice shaking, her lips bloodlessly pale.

“That’s my brother.”

Her brother, who had died many years ago.