No Man's Land

Desolate and bleak, the wilderness stretched endlessly beneath coarse sand and gravel.

It was hot. The blazing sun baked the distant scenery into warped, blurry shapes. Now and then, tiny whirlwinds swept Yellow Sand into wild spirals. Bleached bones from cattle skulls lay scattered among the rocks, their hollow eye sockets gazing out over the boundless wasteland.

A black figure walked through the heat-warped haze in the distance...

Beyond a slope beneath the deep blue sky lay a hollow with grass and spring water. Many migrating animals stopped here to rest—antelopes, wild donkeys, Wild Oxen, and the rarely seen wild camels.

Herds of animals gathered by the water to drink, while hungry wild wolves prowled in the distance.

Suddenly, the wolf pack slowly backed away, looking back with every step. The bull Wild Ox that had been confronting them snorted heavily, its hooves pawing at the ground. The wolves had retreated, yet an even fiercer predator was approaching.

Several black bull Wild Oxen widened their eyes, lowered their heads, and furiously scraped at the earth, sending dust flying. Their eyes remained fixed on a barren hill as they waited uneasily...

Travel-worn Bai Yujun emerged from behind the hill and walked past the wolf pack.

The wolves lowered their heads, hunched their backs, bared their teeth, and growled deep in their throats!

"Awooo~!"

"Hiss!"

Bai Yujun turned to look at the wolf pack and opened her small mouth in a hissing warning. The wolves fled with their tails tucked between their legs, and the antelopes, wild donkeys, and other wild animals were startled into retreating again and again. Bai had been crossing No Man's Land on foot for several days straight. Scorching heat by day, bitter cold by night—without pause, she gradually drew closer to Kunlun.

Kunlun was the ancestor of