Hou Niao sought out fellow disciples he knew and tracked down a map of the depths of the Binxu Desert. Such maps had always existed, but they were rather sketchy, growing vaguer the deeper they went into the desert. Over the past few years, human cultivators had pushed steadily farther in and drawn up a fairly detailed map covering several thousand li. That was what he needed.
There were also the patterns of the Undead's activities over the years, trends in the weather and dust storms, and certain mysterious incidents that had occurred here in recent years... all of these would help determine whether his mission succeeded.
He could scorn them strategically, but tactically, he had to take them seriously. That was the key to how he had survived countless dangers throughout his years of wandering.
Three days later, he quietly left the city, mingling with the countless cultivators coming and going as he flew onward without showing his hand. But before he had flown a hundred li, a powerful presence rushed toward him from behind.
That woman had still put her own little scheme into motion for his sake. Since she could not stop him, she would find him a sufficiently formidable helper.
He could not be angry. This was what family affection meant.
"Off on your own? Where are you planning to go?" Xiang Anshi slowly approached, his smile never reaching his eyes.
Hou Niao did not answer him directly. "In an environment as unusual as the desert, you can bring out seventy percent of your strength at most!"
Xiang Anshi was utterly unconcerned. "Even with only seventy percent, I can still come and go as I please."
Yingtai's cultivation methods and techniques naturally centered on the water element. The barrier he had displayed in Red Leaf City,