Journey to the Tagore Desert

A month later, in the Tagore Desert.

The sky was clear, and the blazing sun hung high overhead like a fireball, constantly pouring down scorching light across the golden desert. The entire sea of sand had been baked until even the air began to warp and tremble.

The fine yellow sand beneath his feet was hot as fire. With every step, waves of heat pierced through his soles and reached his skin.

He wore a loose black outfit, and his chest was slightly damp with sweat. Though circulating Dou Qi allowed him to resist most of the heat, the drain on his stamina was very real.

"It's so hot! This place simply isn't fit for human habitation."

Qing Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead. The sun was far too vicious.

Especially while walking on the ground—it felt like stepping on an iron plate.

Those grains of sand had absorbed the sun's heat, like countless red-hot irons.

"Is Brother Qing Mo feeling uncomfortable?"

Qing Lin took out a small handkerchief from her backpack and gently wiped Qing Mo's sweat away.

Seeing how virtuous Qing Lin was, Qing Mo suddenly recalled a comment he had seen in his previous life.

In the animal kingdom, female creatures with intelligence equivalent to only five- or six-year-old children could still take good care of their offspring. Let alone...

Qing Lin would surely be able to become a qualified... Ahem.

Terrifying. Why did I think of something like that?

Someone must have forced that idea on him!

Qing Mo shook his head, flinging the thoughts from his mind.

Looking at Qing Lin, who seemed entirely at ease, Qing Mo could not help asking,

"Little Qing Lin, do you really not feel hot?"

"I'm fine."

Qing Lin turned around and gave Qing Mo a sweet smile. She was a half-human, half-Snakefolk hybrid, so she possessed a natural adaptability to this extreme desert environment.

There was only a faint sheen of sweat on her delicate little face. Beads of perspiration slid down from her fair forehead, adding a touch of vitality to her.

"Is that so?" Qing Mo felt somewhat envious upon hearing that. He had to admit that, in terms of adaptability, he, a Dou Practitioner, could not even compare to a little girl still in the Dou Qi stage.

Qing Mo had not been idle over the past month. He had gone out with the Desert Iron Mercenary Group several times. He had to admit that traveling with a group had its benefits: he did not need to worry about logistics and only had to follow the others.

Qing Mo did not dislike it, but it still meant sacrificing some freedom.

This time, he had brought Qing Lin along because she had already returned to the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi. There was little point in continuing to cultivate at this stage.

He might as well bring her out for some practical experience and see whether they could encounter a Second-Order Wood-Attribute Snake Magic Beast.

Although Qing Lin's talent was heaven-defying, advancing to become a Dou Practitioner was an exceedingly crucial step.

Thanks to the mercenary group, people were stationed at the market every day, and they had acquired several First-Order Magic Cores. However, First-Order Magic Cores could only raise the success rate by ten percent. If possible, he still wanted to prepare a Second-Order Magic Core for Qing Lin.

If they failed to find one this time, they would have no choice but to try using a First-Order Magic Core.

Since this was a personal matter, Qing Mo did not want to trouble the mercenary group further, so the two of them set out on their own.

He slowly exhaled a breath of hot air and looked around. Other than golden dunes and the occasional patch of withered yellow vegetation, there was nothing else in sight.

"Little Qing Lin, how much longer until the nearest place we can rest?"

It was still too hot during the day. They should wait until nightfall before moving again.

Qing Lin took out a map made from tanned Magic Beast hide and looked around to confirm their location.

Qing Mo had no idea how she could tell. Everything looked the same to him—nothing but sand. Yet Qing Lin could always use the direction of the dunes and traces of wind erosion to pinpoint their location accurately.

"We're already nearing the central region of the Tagore Desert. The nearest supply point... is about a hundred sand li away."

Qing Lin's finger traced across the hide map.

Qing Mo licked his somewhat dry lips.

A hundred sand li was not particularly far for a Dou Practitioner, but under such blistering conditions, it would still be agonizing.

"So we've been walking for five days and still haven't reached the middle of the Tagore Desert?"

Qing Mo's brow twitched. The Tagore Desert truly lived up to its reputation. Thankfully, Qing Lin was with him. Otherwise, he would likely have become trapped in this endless sea of sand long ago.

"But if it's only a hundred sand li, we should be able to get there in an hour and a half if we hurry." Qing Mo made a rough estimate.

"Then let's go there."

"Okay, Brother Qing Mo."

Qing Lin put away the map and returned it to her bag.

Just as the two were about to continue onward, Qing Mo's expression suddenly shifted. His powerful soul perception caught an extremely faint disturbance.

Almost instinctively, the low-tier Earth-class movement technique, Gale-Chasing Step, activated at once. He scooped Qing Lin up and retreated.

Qing Lin skillfully wrapped her arms around him. With a twist of her waist, she slithered in the direction of his movement like a snake and climbed onto Qing Mo's back.

She clamped her legs around him, fixing herself firmly to his body.

The entire sequence flowed as smoothly as water, without the slightest pause or hesitation.

The next instant, the yellow sand where they had just been standing abruptly bulged upward, forming a massive earth-yellow mound.

Then the sand exploded violently, and a gigantic sandworm surged up from underground.

The sandworm was enormous, roughly ten meters long. Its entire body was covered in a layer of earth-yellow armor as hard as rock, its shell filled with thick folds and rough patterns.

Its body was as thick as a giant pillar, while the head at the front was savage and terrifying.

A round maw occupied most of its head. Its mouth was packed with rings of sharp, spiraling saw teeth. It had no eyes, but two constantly swaying feelers protruded from the top of its head.

"Rock-Armored Sandworm!"

This was a First-Order Magic Beast skilled in camouflage and ambush. Its whole body was yellowish-brown, making it nearly impossible to detect while hidden beneath the sand.

He did not stop moving. His body retreated rapidly in a zigzag trajectory.

This type of sandworm was a relatively common First-Order Magic Beast in the desert, with strength comparable to a Six-Star Dou Practitioner.

Rock-Armored Sandworms used vibrations and scents beneath the sand to lock onto their prey. Their entire bodies were covered in a rocky shell, making them extremely tough and troublesome.

"These things really are annoying."

Qing Mo sighed softly, a trace of helplessness in his tone.

Qing Mo pulled a flying dagger from his chest. Its name was Silent.

The Silent Flying Dagger had an unusual shape. It had no handle and resembled a fallen leaf. Its blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, while its edges were exceptionally sharp.

He had specially commissioned these Silent Flying Daggers from a blacksmith. One dagger cost three hundred gold coins! And they were consumables! After a single use, they were essentially ruined. Even Qing Mo could not help feeling pained.

Three hundred gold coins were enough for an ordinary household in Stone Desert City to live comfortably for several years.

The reason they were so expensive yet so fragile was mainly because his flying daggers were too specialized. They had to satisfy three conditions—lightness, thinness, and resilience—in order to perfectly bring out the silent, traceless essence and unpredictable trajectories of the Earth-class Dou Technique, Falling Leaf Flying Daggers.

"I hope it has a Magic Core. Otherwise, I'll be taking another loss this time."

He had prepared a total of thirty Silent Flying Daggers for this trip, costing him nine thousand gold coins.

He really had to thank Xiao Ding. If Xiao Ding had not given him fifty thousand gold coins back then, he would not even have a decent weapon now.

Over the past five days, he had already used four Silent Flying Daggers. Ordinary Magic Beasts did not warrant their use, but against Magic Beasts above the Five-Star Dou Practitioner level—especially those with thick hides—if he could not kill them in a single strike, other Magic Beasts would be drawn over by the commotion. That would become troublesome.

He was only a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner himself.