After accepting the letter handed over by a Tang Sect disciple, Zhao Xuan watched as the disciple slowly withdrew, then opened the letter and began reading it carefully.
The autumn wind came with a steady drizzle, bringing a chill to the pavilion. Silver droplets hung from the emerald jade bamboo, falling one after another as the rainstorm steadily intensified.
Inside the pavilion, Zhao Xuan's expression grew increasingly grave.
At last, he put away the letter and took off toward the imperial palace.
On the southwestern frontier of the Heaven Dou Empire lay the northwestern Gobi of the Star Luo Empire. Yellow sand stretched for thousands of miles, life was nonexistent, and few people ever ventured here.
Zhao Xuan set foot on this land once more, narrowing his eyes as he gazed into the distance. The distant sky was blue-gray, and the last trace of sunset illuminated the western horizon. Its magnificent colors were as beautiful as flawless glazed crystal.
Once the last lingering glow in the west had completely faded, countless stars appeared in the desert sky, and the temperature suddenly plummeted.
Following the path he remembered, Zhao Xuan crossed the Gobi and entered a desolate mountain range. Between the countless peaks and ravines lay nothing but endless yellow earth, dim and gray beneath the night sky.
As Zhao Xuan stepped into a certain area, he suddenly felt the surrounding temperature rise sharply, even becoming scorching. In the vast Gobi at night, such a phenomenon was clearly abnormal.
"This is the place."
From a ridge, Zhao Xuan looked down and saw a dazzling crimson glow. His eyes narrowed as his gaze settled upon a flat stretch of land amid the mountains, and then he dived down.
There had once been a human settlement nestled between the mountains, but it