The three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Ten figures gathered beneath Sandrock Fort's gate, built from enormous mushroom-shaped rocks. At their head stood an old man in a worn gray robe, his face lean, his frame slightly stooped, and a Black Crutch of neither metal nor wood in his hand. Sharp glints occasionally flashed as his eyes opened and closed, and his aura was as deep and solid as a mountain. This was Elder Mo, Sandrock Fort's strongest cultivator, at the Deity Transformation Late Stage.
Beside Elder Mo stood a stern-faced Sword Cultivator in black, a broad, heavy sword strapped to his back. Also at the deity transformation middle stage, he was called Gu Ying, another powerful lone wanderer within the fort, renowned for his swift sword and ruthless methods.
Next to them stood the rough-hewn Stone Yaksha and Han Li.
These four deity transformation cultivators formed the core of the expedition. The other six were all at the nascent soul stage, three men and three women. Some had steady auras, others nimble ones; clearly, they too were experienced cultivators from the fort with considerable fighting strength. Han Li had seen one of them in the mission area two days earlier-the burly man who had posted the mission to hunt "Bone-Eroding Sand Scorpions."
Elder Mo's cloudy gaze swept slowly across the group, pausing briefly on Han Li. He gave an almost imperceptible nod and spoke hoarsely. "Everyone is here. I am Mo Xuan, and I will lead this expedition. A new Earthfire Cave has appeared deep within the Flame Sand Pit. Opportunity and danger await in equal measure. Let me make the unpleasant things clear first: once inside, you must follow my orders and not act on your own. Any gains will be divided according to each