The weather in Shurima is extremely changeable, which means that there are only a few hours a day when Shurima can work and travel: in the early morning and a little before evening.
Apart from that, the locals spend the rest of their time avoiding the extreme temperatures of heat and cold.
But it's clear that this rule doesn't apply to Li Ke and his group.
After three days of effort, under Taliyah's magic, Li Ke arrived at the place he longed to be: a river deep in the desert.
"That's really strange, Li Ke. Why would there be a river in a place like this?" Jinx, wearing large sunglasses and a hat, with her coat half-on, reached for her sunglasses and peered curiously at the flowing river ahead.
Li Ke was also surprised at this moment, and his expression was not much better than Jinx's.
Because when you've been walking in the desert for days, constantly in contact with sand, and then suddenly you see a river, the feeling is truly indescribable.
Especially since there are no trees around this river, it truly stands on the yellow sand, flowing westward. Even with Li Ke's strength, after projecting his divine sense, he could not see the end of the river's flow. Therefore, Li Ke did not know where it led.
Taliyah the riverbank, touched the water with her finger, then put it in her mouth, smacked her lips twice, and said, "This is definitely fresh water."
She is indeed a native of Shurima, but Shurima is too vast. Taliyah grew up in her tribe and hasn't traveled to many places. This river is quite spectacular for Taliyah.
Only Jax, with a hint of nostalgia in his many eyes beneath his helmet, saw the crowd's curiosity about the river's origin Jax explained, "This river comes from Ixtal."
"That primeval jungle?" Taliyah blinked. She had heard her father say that in the east of Shurima, there was a wild and lush primeval jungle where three out of the four seasons were rainy seasons.
"Yes, this river flows from Ixtal, and branches out at Vekaura. The main river flows towards Faraj, while the branch forms two large rivers: one is the Rek River, where we are now, and the other is the Kahali River."
Upon hearing Jax's words, "Rek River" Li Ke's expression immediately turned strange.
Rek River Rek'Sai, wait, is this also a coincidence?
Then, Li Ke looked at Jax and asked, "Jax, when did this river appear?"
Jax pondered for a moment before speaking, "From the Shurima's creation, thousands of years ago, the mountains and jungles of Ixtal blocked the flow of water. But the Ascended Queen Setaka intervened, severing the mountain ridges, destroying the rainforest, and diverting the waters of the primeval jungle into Shurima countless oases were built."
"Actually, the original Shuriman Empire was not as arid and impoverished as you think. In my time, Shurima was prosperous and had extremely abundant water resources. In fact, you could say that small oases could be seen every few miles on the map of Shurima at that time. Back then, water was not a valuable thing in Shurima."
Jax spoke with a touch of melancholy, then continued, "The rivers of Ixtal, the springs deep beneath Shurima, and the oases created by the Ascended with divine power."
Honestly, Jax has become much more talkative.
From the moment he arrived in Shurima, Jax's emotions fluctuated noticeably. He was no longer a silent, fighting fanatic, but a man full of stories who was always thinking.
After hearing Jax's explanation, Li Ke understood.
In Azir's personal story, Sivir was stabbed in the back by the Cassiopeia, and her blood became a sacrifice to awaken Azir. However, when Azir returned, he saw his descendant Sivir severely injured and unconscious, her fate unknown.
Azir did not hesitate at the time, and directly chose to give Sivir the hope of survival.
He used the last vestige of his power, which he had used to revive himself, to heal Sivir, thus gaining the approval of the Sun Disc. The Ascension Ritual that he had failed to complete in his previous life because of Xerath was revived, and Azir obtained the power of the Ascended.
Then, springs of earth wells gushed forth in Shurima, forming vast oases. The earth trembled, temples revived, and a tremendous transformation took place, centered on the Sun Disc.
Therefore, what Jax said is true.
In Shurima thousands of years ago, water was not a scarce resource.
As for the relationship between Rek'Sai and Rek River, Li Ke believes it can only be said that after the locals encountered the Void creatures, and because these creatures only roamed around the Rek River, they named the largest one in the group, the queen.
Jax guessed what Li Ke was thinking and said, "The Void creature you're looking for, Rek'Sai, is indeed named after this river."
Narrowing his eyes, Jax continued, "Most Void creatures lack intelligence; they are merely beasts driven by the instinct to devour. Take Kalixis's Void Beasts, for example. That group of Void creatures, called Xer'Sai, by the local Sand People, are essentially a bunch of earthworms, completely devoid of intelligence. And their queen, Rek'Sai, is nothing more than a burrowing beast with animalistic instincts and a sliver of intelligence."
"Apart from a few powerful Void creatures that name themselves, all other Void creatures are named by us humans."
Upon hearing this, Li Ke nodded.
"Let's go, Li Ke, let's not waste any more time," Jax said.
Li Ke nodded, and at the same time, Aatrox's voice appeared in his mind.
"Pretending!"
Then Aatrox shouted, "Li Ke, next time you should just ask the great Aatrox about these kinds of questions. What he says is just what he heard from others. But I'm different. I personally participated in the Void War. You ask him about things concerning the Void, not me. What are you thinking?"
Arriving in Shurima, returning to familiar territory, Jax wasn't the only one filled with emotion; Aatrox was too.
However, unlike Jax was single-mindedly focused on restoring his homeland and driving away the Void and had never wavered in his beliefs for thousands of years, Aatrox had fallen and destroyed his own glory. Therefore, when Aatrox returned to Shurima in his conscious state, he became silent.
A couple of days ago, Li Ke had asked Aatrox about Shurima and the Void, but Aatrox simply ignored Li Ke's questions and remained silent.
After all, when Aatrox returned to this land in his lucid state, his heart was filled with guilt and remorse.
He's probably coming out now because he can't stand Jax's swagger.
"Aatrox, do you have any information about Rek'Sai?"
Li Ke asked Aatrox in his heart, amused.
Aatrox's voice answered Li Ke with a matter-of-fact confidence, "No."
"?"
"Then what do you want me to ask?" Li Ke laughed angrily.
"How could I possibly understand such a weak insect? I was fighting the Watchers, enormous, blotting out the sky, twisted creatures. At most, it was just a fragment that fell from the body of the creature I killed."
"This guy isn't even worth my time to investigate!" Aatrox scoffed.
He wasn't bragging. As the Grand General of the Ascended Legion and the strongest under Empress Setaka, Aatrox was at the forefront of the Void Battlefield back then. Creatures like Rek'Sai were simply not worth his time.
Li Ke shook his head, ignoring Aatrox, and instead instructed Taliyah to continue using magic to travel. Taliyah obediently used her magic and continued westward.
But in Li Ke's mind, Aatrox continued to scream.
"Li Ke, use me to kill the Void worms. You absolutely have to use me! Otherwise, I'll get angry with you!"
"Did you hear that?!"
"Use me!"
On the way, Li Ke listened helplessly to the strange cries of Aatrox in his mind.
Not only does he have a loud voice, but he's also a damn chatterbox!
Suddenly, Li Ke Kezhen felt a pang of longing for the silent Aatrox who had first Shurima.
Kalixis is the only road leading to Shurima, directly to the commercial city of Zerima.
Although Kalixis has been designated a forbidden area by Shurima's traveling merchants and explorers in recent years, some reckless individuals still venture along this route, for danger lurks everywhere in Shurima.
An unfamiliar sandy road is no less dangerous than the monsters on Kalixis.
After all, no one knows what kind of creatures might lurk on that sandy road—perhaps man-eating bandits, or venomous insects that devour one's bones?
Therefore, even though the Xer'Sai on Kalixis are notorious, some northern sand people still venture onto this trade route. They are desperate people, and for them, risking their lives to go to Zerima is their only option for survival.
It's a timeless truth that people die for wealth and birds die for food.
And just like now, in the cool afternoon air on the sandy road, a small caravan is stepping into this dangerous Sea of Bones.
"Watch your step! From this moment on, our lives are tied to this camel. Anyone who dares to wander off and attract Xer'Sai, I swear I'll throw him out and make him pay for his recklessness by buying everyone time!"
With scars on his face and a headscarf wrapped around his head, Xia Er spoke in a low voice as he walked at the front of the group. He lifted one foot, his bare foot stepping onto the gravel. He squinted, feeling the burning pain from the sole of his foot as his big toe dug deep into the gravel.
This was based on Xia Er's experience. As a seasoned sandman who had traversed the Sea of Bones, he possessed his own wisdom. Taking a step forward, he continued, "First, let your big toe sink into the gravel, then let your entire foot land on the ground, and then shift your body weight from your back foot."
The rest of the caravan followed in Xia Er's footsteps, cautiously stepping onto the Sea of Bones.
"Xia Er, won't our conversation attract Xer'Sai?"
"Don't worry about that," Xia Er shook his head, then continued to the others, "The Xer'Sai's hearing is very strong, but that's only limited to sounds beneath the sand. They can't hear sounds above the sand."
Xia Er added, "And even if we do attract the Xer'Sai, we must remain calm. The Xer'Sai have no sight; they only have a sense of smell and hearing. Otherwise, what do you think I've been smearing the thorny palm juice on you all this time? So, all you need to do is hold your breath, and when I pat the sand camel's rump to make it run, the Xer'Sai will blindly chase after it."
Hearing Xia Er say this, everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and the younger members of the group became much bolder.
Because the Xer'Sai don't seem as scary as I imagined; they seem rather stupid?
But Xia Er saw through the boy's shrewdness and immediately cursed, "Get your attitude straight, you bastard! Over the years, every arrogant guy like you has died at the hands of Xer'Sai."
"Xer'Sai is indeed not scary, but Rek'Sai."
As they were talking, Xia Er's face suddenly stiffened, because he felt a tickling sensation on the back of his foot as it was stuck in the gravel. Xia Er was experienced and immediately figured out that it was the ticklish sensation caused by the gravel bouncing onto the back of his foot.
"Don't you fucking move!"
With a loud shout, Xia Er pinched his nose and wrapped his clothes, which were stained with the thorny palm juice, around himself to avoid attracting Xer'Sai's attack because of the smell.
Seeing Xia Er's action, the others immediately followed suit, standing up straight and not daring to move.
Xia Er is right.
Because just half a minute after everyone held this position, countless pits of varying sizes suddenly appeared beneath the yellow sand of the Sea of Bones in front of them. These pits connected to each other, forming a strange underground world.
In the sunken quicksand, one can vaguely see purple shadows darting about.
A hint of panic flashed in Xia Er's eyes. He had no idea what was going on; they had only just entered the Sea of Bones.
Based on past experience, the Xer'Sai are located deep within the Sea of Bones; they are not active in this area at all!
This is why Xia Er is teaching those greenhorns here; it's not dangerous, but now a group of purple shadows are darting around underground.
As they darted about, the yellow sand sank away, and Xia Er's feet sank deep into it, feeling as if he were stuck in a swamp.
"Those who don't want to die, you'd better hold back!" Seeing this, Xia Er hurriedly shouted again.
Running away was impossible; the Xer'Sai were incredibly fast, and even on horseback, they couldn't escape their pursuit. Their only hope of survival was to endure and wait for the Xer'Sai to leave.
Hearing Xia Er's words, some people in the standing crowd who were about to kick him held back.
But this couldn't go on, because the sand was eroding even faster, soon reaching above the knees, and then growing towards the waist.
At this rate, they'll die here from suffocation even without Xer'Sai eating them.
Xia Er gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure, but a young boy in the group couldn't hold back any longer. The fear of death made him lose his mind, and when a Xer'Sai darted out from not far from him, he immediately broke down, screamed, and began to struggle violently, bracing himself against the sand with both hands.
The Xer'Sai that had swept past it quickly turned around, and the Xer'Sai around it instantly shifted their positions to face it.
"No, I don't want the money anymore, I want to go back, I want to go back!"
"I don't want to die! Don't eat me!"
Shouting, he crawled out of the gravel and ran in the opposite direction of the Sea of Bones, trying to escape this terrifying place.
"Puff--"
As the yellow sand swirled, several enormous creatures leaped out from beneath it. They were about three or four meters long, with fat heads and small tails, and their appearance resembled that of half-human, half-insect.
They had enormous "hands" with outward-facing claws, and their entire bodies were covered in hard purple and dark blue carapaces. The carapaces were covered with sharp bone spurs and cracks, with a faint purple light flowing between the cracks. Their heads were triangular in shape, and their faces did not have obvious eyes. Instead, they had organs that seemed to sense sound fluctuations. Their huge lower jaws were full of sharp teeth, and they were pouncing towards the mentally broken youth.
Upon seeing this, Xia Er felt a chill run down his spine.
As expected, the others in the team were terrified when they saw him being surrounded and killed by Xer'Sai. In their fear, their already unsteady bodies began to sway, instantly attracting the attention of the other Xer'Sai.
"Run!"
Xia Er immediately shouted, "Now is no time to play dumb and avoid danger! Now, the only chance of survival is to run, to run!"
Damn it, those green recruits are a real menace!
Just as Xia Er pulled himself out of the quicksand, got up on all fours to run, and thought the young man was about to die in Xer'Sai's mouth, he saw a sudden flash of red light appear.
In the blink of an eye, a black and red heavy sword descended from the sky, falling vertically and piercing straight through the body of a Xer'Sai. The Xer'Sai didn't even have time to scream before its body exploded instantly, splattering purple blood onto the sand. The surrounding Xer'Sai also went berserk instantly, letting out terrifying howls.
Visible blood vessels spread from the massive greatsword, then permeated the surrounding sand. In the very center of the black and red greatsword, a terrifying eye appeared, a wild and chaotic eye.
Xia Er was stunned, and then something even more incomprehensible happened.
That black and red greatsword... it spoke?!
"Li Ke! You son of a bitch, I told you to use me to kill these bugs, not to throw me out here!"
"I am the great Aatrox, how dare you treat me like this!"
A, Aatrox?
For a moment, Xia Er was confused by the name, and even forgot about the crisis.
The name seemed strangely familiar to him.
Then, a voice rang out, bringing Xia Er back to his senses.
The voice was gentle, with a hint of laughter.
"Stop joking, Aatrox, isn't this still killing someone?"
Xia Er looked up and saw a young man flying in the air. He had black hair, a handsome face, and was looking at the black and red greatsword with one hand behind his back.
Upon hearing this, the black-and-red greatsword roared in anger. The crimson threads that emanated from it seemed to outline two hands, crossed over the blade. The greatsword's pupils, too, were fixed on the black-haired youth in the sky as it shouted its fury:
Fuck you!