The blazing sun roasted the brownish-yellow desert.
Under the tyranny of the sunlight, the sand dunes could only slump and flatten their forms.
The air distorted from the scorching heat. A man stepped forward across the burning gravel, moving slowly.
This man was thin, with swollen bags under his eyes and a vacant gaze. He breathed heavily as he walked, like a mechanical puppet.
He was not alone; strapped to his back was another unconscious man.
The man being carried had his eyes tightly shut. Even in his unconscious state, his brows remained deeply furrowed, twisted into a hard knot.
This was because he had a wound on his back, and the pain constantly tortured him.
By comparison, the unconscious man possessed a sturdier build, while the walking man was somewhat slender. Though they differed in physique, their faces were remarkably similar, revealing their close blood relation.
They were none other than the brothers Huang Zao and Lan Zao.
Ever since they had spotted Zi Di, Cang Xu, and the others surrounded by a pack of lizards on a sand dune, and at Huang Zao's insistence, the brothers had secretly fled the green-skinned lizard's nest.
Along the way, however, they still encountered scattered lizards roaming about. To save Huang Zao's life, Lan Zao had thrown himself forward to block the sprayed acid for his younger brother. As a result, Lan Zao was severely injured and fell unconscious.
The desert was boundless, seemingly without end.
Huang Zao carried Lan Zao on his back, having traveled for a long time.
He was both thirsty and hungry, his stomach having growled for a good while, but the feeling of thirst tortured him far more.
His throat felt as though it were about to smoke, and his tightly pressed lips were already chapped. With