Ao Yue trudged with difficulty through the vast desert, every step feeling as heavy as a thousand jun. Sand kept pouring into his boots, grinding his soles until they throbbed with pain. The howling gale sounded like ten thousand ghosts wailing and wolves roaring, carrying sand that lashed viciously against his body. His clothes were tattered, and bloody gashes split open across his skin. Yet he gritted his teeth and stared resolutely toward the city. The soul of a true dragon blazed within him, supporting him as he drew step by step closer to that mysterious place.
When he finally reached the city gates, the pressure radiating from the two demon-god statues grew even stronger. Black flames writhed toward him like demonic serpents choosing their prey. Ao Yue's instincts immediately warned him, and his body tensed. Though his magic power was sealed, his battle instincts remained. Just as the flames were about to touch him, he abruptly twisted aside. His movement was as fast as lightning, and he crouched low, darting into the city beside one statue's leg. As soon as he entered, a rotten, oppressive aura washed over him. The buildings lining the streets leaned crookedly, their doors and windows tightly shut. Dim and gloomy, the streets were shrouded in mist, with ghostly green flames flickering faintly within.
He had not gone far when a burst of noisy voices and strange snarls suddenly came from ahead. Ao Yue's spirits lifted, and he followed the sounds. On a broad square, he saw a group of mysterious figures dressed in black robes, their faces hidden beneath their hoods, surrounding and attacking a Sand Beast as enormous as a mountain. The Sand Beast resembled a giant scorpion, its tail hook gleaming coldly. Every swing sent waves of sand surging outward, forcing the