Black Sandstorm

The gale over the desert suddenly howled to life, shrieking like the wails of countless ghosts.

Sand and stones flew through the air, blotting out the sky and sun. In an instant, the whole world plunged into a desperate chaos and darkness.

The West Depot men were caught off guard and immediately fell into disarray.

The startled warhorses whinnied and reared, throwing the agents from their backs.

Screams, cries of alarm, and the horses' mournful neighs were instantly swallowed by the storm's deafening roar.

"Governor, it's a sandstorm!"

Ma Jinliang shouted himself hoarse.

"Quick! Get inside the inn!"

Though startled, Yu Huatian remained calm and immediately gave the order.

He did not know whether Dragon Gate Inn could withstand such a massive storm, but he had no other choice now.

Within dozens of miles, this was the only shelter from the wind.

"Into the inn! Hurry! Get inside!"

No one stopped them, nor did anyone have the strength to. The surviving West Depot men rushed in panic into the swaying Dragon Gate Inn, seeking shelter.

Yet before the might of heaven and earth, human strength seemed so insignificant.

Dragon Gate Inn, built from stone and wood, was simply incapable of resisting a storm of this scale.

A colossal tornado swept past like a roaring dragon. Its terrifying power effortlessly tore the entire Dragon Gate Inn from its foundations, shredding it into countless fragments and sweeping them into the sky-filling yellow sand!

Timber, rubble, human bodies, horses...

Everything was mercilessly devoured, torn apart, and deeply buried by that greedy beast of a sandstorm.

The crowd's brief screams quickly vanished completely into the storm's furious roar.

After a long while, the storm finally began to subside.

Only then did Zu Hao, Bulu Du, Gu Shaotang, and Feng Lidao crawl out from the safe underground passage, leading their horses and camels back into the light of day.

Outside, Dragon Gate Inn had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.

All that remained were shattered foundations and ruins half-buried beneath yellow sand. Several broken beams jutted crookedly from the dunes like tombstones marking what had once stood here.

"The inn... it's just gone!"

Feng Lidao muttered, a trace of lingering fear flashing through his eyes.

Zu Hao did not reply. He merely gazed into the distance.

It was nearing noon, and golden light spilled across the boundless sea of sand, scattering glimmers everywhere.

Zu Hao's extraordinary eyesight quickly fixed on a spot in the west. A faint golden reflection flickered in and out of sight among the dunes.

"There!"

Zu Hao raised a hand and pointed. "It's the golden roof of the imperial palace!"

Feng Lidao immediately grew excited at those words. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "We found it! We finally found the treasure of the Taibai Upper Kingdom!"

Gu Shaotang was even more decisive. She swung onto her horse and shouted, "Pick up the pace. We have an hour at most. The Black Sandstorm will return in an hour. Take as much as you can!"

"Hyah!"

The four no longer hesitated. They spurred their horses forward, each also leading a prepared camel meant to carry the expected haul of gold.

They raced onward, with yellow sand lashing their faces.

After riding hard for around twenty minutes, they finally reached the entrance of that mysterious imperial palace, half-buried in the sea of sand.

Most of the palace had already been swallowed by the sand, but its remaining grand columns, exquisite carvings, and enormous scale still offered a glimpse of its former magnificence.

The towering stone gates stood half-open, seeming to invite visitors in while also warning them away.

Each harboring their own thoughts, the four tied their horses and camels securely to stone posts outside the palace gates that appeared reasonably sturdy, then cautiously entered the maze-like palace.

A stale, decaying stench filled the deep passageway. Along the way, they saw many pale skeletons half-buried in sand and corpses long since dried out, silently recounting the dangers here and tragedies of the past.

Though weathered by time, the murals on the walls still revealed scenes of the Taibai Royal Clan's lavish former lives and grand ceremonies.

Zu Hao walked leisurely at the front, but his spiritual perception had long since spread out, extending like an invisible spiderweb into every corner of the passage. He remained alert for possible traps and betrayal from his companions.

The group continued deeper and eventually reached the legendary treasure hall.

Sunlight shone down through a breach in the hall, and the sight before them nearly took their breath away.

Golden objects lay scattered across the ground everywhere!

Gold bricks, gold ingots, gold vessels, and gold ornaments were piled in disorder, reflecting alluring light and nearly covering the entire floor of the vast hall.

Several huge beast-shaped statues stood in the center, seemingly remnants of some form of totem worship.

Zu Hao surveyed his surroundings. Relying on his powerful spiritual perception, he carefully searched the hall and soon discovered a dagger beneath one of the giant beast statues.

[Found it!]

Zu Hao strode over, brushed aside the sand and golden objects, and picked up the ancient-looking dagger with gemstones embedded in its sheath.

When he drew it, the blade gleamed with a faint blue chill. With a casual slash, he shaved off a corner of the nearby golden statue. It truly was a weapon capable of cutting iron like mud!

Looking at the dagger, he found three ancient characters engraved upon it: "Little Divine Edge."

"Not bad."

Zu Hao praised it and tucked it into his robes.

Just then, Feng Lidao excitedly scooped up a pile of gold objects and said, "So much gold! We're rich!"

Whoosh!

At that moment, an arrow tore through the air and precisely pierced Feng Lidao's neck.

Feng Lidao's expression froze in that instant of wild joy. The gold slipped from his hands as he fell stiffly to the ground, his blood rapidly staining the gold beneath his feet.

"Feng Lidao!"

Gu Shaotang was shocked and enraged. She immediately flung several throwing knives toward where the arrow had come from while swiftly seeking cover.

Bulu Du quickly hid behind a statue and said to Zu Hao, "There are other people."

"Hmph. You were the ones who killed Tan Luzi?"

A cold, effeminate voice came from the shadows.

Yu Huatian emerged from the passageway. Behind him were Ma Jinliang, the chief steward, and four other West Depot guards who had luckily survived.

One of them was the archer who had shot Feng Lidao.

Yu Huatian and his men had been fortunate as well. Swept away by the tornado, they had somehow not been killed by the fall. After waking up, they began exploring the palace.

Then they found this place.

Seeing the gold covering the ground, Yu Huatian and the others naturally wanted it all for themselves, so they struck to kill the moment they met.

As for why they had killed Feng Lidao first, perhaps Yu Huatian had disliked the fact that the man looked exactly like him.

"I want your life."

Gu Shaotang looked at the people in the passageway, then at Feng Lidao. Unable to quell the fury in her heart, she immediately flung several throwing knives before swinging her guandao and charging forward to avenge Feng Lidao.

Yu Huatian truly deserved his reputation as the flower of the West Depot. With a flick of his fingers, he knocked aside the incoming throwing knives, every movement both beautiful and sharp.

As Gu Shaotang charged midway, she caught a clear look at Yu Huatian's face and froze for a moment, because she realized he looked exactly like Feng Lidao.

Yu Huatian did not freeze.

With a casual gesture, he used a technique similar to Subduing the Dragon and Controlling the Crane, drawing one of his subordinate's long sabers into his hand from afar. Then, with another casual shake, the saber shattered, its fragments shooting out and instantly burying themselves in Gu Shaotang's body and throat.

That move was very stylish!

It just used up a lot of sabers.