Above the vast, empty sky, the scorching sun seemed to melt people as it descended from the heavens, and the barren Gobi Desert below reflected a reddish-yellow hue, appearing especially desolate.
A scorching wind swept through the air, like red-hot blades, easily pulverizing the corpses of some enormous monsters in the Gobi Desert, turning them into a cloud of yellow sand that was swallowed by the fierce wind.
Such a harsh environment can only be described as desolate.
The Red Silk Gobi is the largest Gobi Desert in the Northern Wasteland, and also the most barren place in the entire Northern Wasteland.
Here, although the land is not like yellow sand, it is still a barren land. The scattered pebbles carry a scorching heat, making it difficult to walk and burning the soles of one's feet. For this reason, this Red Silk Gobi has another name: Barefoot Gobi.
The scorching heat is not a suitable environment for life, but right here in this boundless Gobi Desert, at this very moment, a small group of people are slowly and laboriously walking forward.
Sweat dripped from their foreheads, but before the beads could even touch the ground, they evaporated in the scorching air. Most of them were in a similar state, but there were a few middle-aged men in brocade robes whose auras were thick and unaffected by the environment. These men were all Nine-Star Dou Di experts.
As for the others, even ordinary Dou Di experts looked rather grim in this strange environment. The environment of the Northern Wasteland was no better than that of the Western Wilderness Region. In fact, even Dou Di experts were affected by the environment in this Gobi Desert.
After all, it is the power of heaven and earth, and even a powerful Dou Di cannot ignore it.
However, among these people, there was one who remained unaffected by the harsh environment of the Gobi Desert.
A disheveled old man, dressed in tattered clothes and looking utterly wretched, walked unsteadily among the small group of people. Yet, his expression remained unchanged. His steps appeared erratic, but upon closer inspection, one could discern a peculiar pattern within them. It was this pattern that kept the old man's wobbly body from collapsing.
Besides the disheveled old man, at the very end of the group, a young man in a black robe, with a steady gait, was walking slowly forward with an unchanged expression. Judging from his appearance, he was none other than Xiao Yan, who was heading north.
A week has passed since the destruction of the Southern Hall, and the Gobi Desert where Xiao Yan is now is the only way to Mount Beiji. Although it is not a vast desert, it is still a wide area. Even Xiao Yan would risk getting lost here without a guide. To avoid this, Xiao Yan can only follow the group in front of him.
Although the group was small, the three High-Level Dou Di leading the way had a certain understanding of this Gobi Desert. They were like experienced horses, their only guides in this desert at this moment.
At this moment, everyone in the group paid fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stone to the three men. Although the fee was high, it was not only for crossing the Red Silk Gobi, but more importantly, to ensure their safe passage across the desert.
Although the Red Silk Gobi is barren and desolate, it also harbors potential dangers. Powerful magical beasts struggle to survive in this environment, making the struggle for survival even more intense. Every moment, powerful magical beasts perish, but only the even stronger ones survive!
In this Red Silk Gobi, even ordinary High-Level Dou Di would face life-threatening dangers. That is why the team was led by three High-Level Dou Di experts.
Walking at the back of the crowd, Xiao Yan was unhurried. Although the ground was covered with pebbles, it did not cause him any trouble. With each step, the pebbles were easily crushed as if they were tofu, leaving a clear trail of footprints in their wake.
At the same time, with each breath Xiao Yan took, the powerful fire-attribute energy contained in this world continuously flowed into his body. Although this kind of cultivation was particularly slow, it was also extremely solid. Every bit of energy was condensed after countless absorptions and refinements, and the result was undoubtedly the most direct increase in cultivation level. The only drawback was the slow speed, but this did not affect Xiao Yan's interest in it.
Although Xiao Yan's cultivation level had increased significantly after his trip to the Obsidian Tower, his aura was still not stable enough. After this period of slow consolidation, it is believed that Xiao Yan's cultivation level will be able to solidify completely, which is a good thing for him.
The path to becoming a strong person is like a grueling trek through the Gobi Desert; only by taking one step at a time, with firm footing, can one truly grow. Xiao Yan naturally understands this principle very well.
"Kindness?"
Just as Xiao Yan was walking, the figure of the disheveled old man suddenly came into Xiao Yan's sight.
An ordinary old man would not have attracted Xiao Yan's attention, but what made this old man different was his tattered black robe.
The robe was tattered beyond recognition, clearly burned by flames. This very fact deepened Xiao Yan's suspicions, for he could clearly sense a fierce and domineering fiery aura emanating from the old man's body. From this alone, Xiao Yan was certain the old man was also a fire-attribute cultivator, and one whose cultivation was certainly not low. At least, when Xiao Yan probed the old man with his Spiritual Strength, he couldn't uncover any valuable information.
As a fire-attribute cultivator, the fact that he was in such a disheveled state because of the flames really piqued Xiao Yan's curiosity. What kind of flame could possibly turn a fire-attribute expert into such a state?
"Kindness?"
As Xiao Yan probed the old man with his Spiritual Strength, the old man also sensed it. A smile flashed across his dark face, and then his unsteady steps slowed down imperceptibly.
As for Xiao Yan at this moment, he was lost in thought, pondering the question that had been on his mind a moment before.
The flames that could leave a Dou Di powerhouse in such a sorry state could only be the work of someone with a higher cultivation level. If it wasn't the work of someone stronger than him, then there is probably only one kind of flame in the world capable of doing such a thing.
"Could it be Heavenly Flames?"
Suddenly, something occurred to Xiao Yan, and he raised an eyebrow. The moment he looked up, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him and pounced on him. Then, to Xiao Yan's astonishment, the figure collapsed in front of him, accompanied by a miserable wail, drawing the attention of everyone in front of him.
Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically. He never expected that someone could get close to him without him noticing. Even if he was only distracted for a second, such a sudden turn of events would normally be enough to seriously injure him.
He quickly retreated until he was sure the surroundings were safe. Only then did Xiao Yan look warily at the spot where he had just stood. There, the disheveled old man was curled up on the ground, groaning in pain.
"Waaaah... You brat, why did you bully this old man for no reason? You broke my leg, I can't walk anymore..."
Upon hearing this, the travelers behind frowned, exchanged glances, and finally focused their attention on the three High-Level Dou Di.
Since the three of them had accepted the Spirit Stone from these people, they naturally had to ensure that they escorted them to their destination. They could not easily abandon any member of the group. At this moment, the disheveled old man's actions would undoubtedly slow down their progress. Moreover, there were quite a few powerful magical beasts in the Red Silk Gobi. If they were provoked by the old man, it would cause even greater trouble. Compared to this, the latter situation was something no one wanted to see.
"Waaaaah... it hurts..."
The old man was rolling around on the ground, clutching his right leg with both hands. His hoarse wails were irritating to listeners, but even more so, they drew disgusted looks.
Before everyone else, the three middle-aged men in brocade robes frowned as they looked at the disheveled old man huddled on the ground, and at the same time, they also noticed Xiao Yan.
They could naturally tell that the disheveled old man was deliberately causing trouble, but regardless of the reason, they had to suppress the matter first; otherwise, if he continued to cause trouble, it would likely bring problems for everyone.
"Sir, the journey is long and arduous. Our priority now is to continue our journey. If you are not seriously injured, we hope you can hold on a little longer until nightfall before checking your injuries. Furthermore, the monsters in the Red Silk Gobi are extremely powerful. If we attract them, it will be a considerable problem. We hope you can consider our safety."
One of the three middle-aged men in brocade robes stepped forward and spoke in a calm tone. However, the disheveled old man ignored his words, remaining curled up on the ground with a pained expression on his face, which made the onlookers secretly grumble.
"You old geezer, Master Chen is speaking to you so politely, why are you still putting on this pretentious act? If you don't get up and shut up, I'll make sure you get up!"
The middle-aged man spoke politely, considering his own interests, but those in a hurry didn't care. They only cared about their own journey and couldn't afford to be delayed because of anyone.
At this moment, Xiao Yan also frowned, full of suspicion, as he looked at the disheveled old man curled up on the ground. He had never met the old man before, so what was the old man's intention in doing this?
The disheveled old man completely ignored what others were saying, his deep, bright eyes fixed on Xiao Yan, still wailing:
"Hey kid, you broke my leg, you've got to pay me back!"
A sharp, hoarse scream echoed through the empty space, causing everyone's brows to furrow even deeper. Xiao Yan's expression also darkened; it seemed this old man was deliberately picking a fight.
However, as the old man stared at Xiao Yan, the latter clearly saw that there were several burn scars on the old man's dark face, but he didn't care about them at the moment.
"You old geezer, are you ever going to stop?!"
Seeing that the disheveled old man remained unmoved, a middle-aged man in the crowd, his face slightly flushed, muttered a curse under his breath. His already dwindling patience had been completely worn down by the old man, and he was now determined to use him to cool things down.
"Laugh!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the middle-aged man shot forward with lightning speed, his Dou Qi surging rapidly within him. With a wave of his hand, he appeared behind the old man and grabbed at the disheveled old man's shoulder.
"Buzz..."
However, in the next instant, the disheveled old man glanced back seemingly unintentionally, and his eerie gaze instantly rendered the middle-aged man completely immobile. The Dou Qi flowing through his meridians seemed to freeze instantly, and a deep sense of terror rose from the bottom of his heart. His originally flushed face turned deathly pale at that moment.
"Bang."
With a soft thud, the middle-aged man was uncontrollably thrown backward. Although he was unharmed, this single move was enough to make everyone present change color.
Although this middle-aged man's cultivation level wasn't top-tier in this battle, he was still a Six-Star Dou Di. However, this disheveled old man was able to repel the latter with just a glance without even touching his body. One can imagine how strong he was!
At this moment, not only Xiao Yan, but also the three middle-aged men, had their expressions turn solemn in an instant, and their eyes were filled with deep fear as they looked at the old man.
However, just as Xiao Yan was about to speak, Xiao Xuan, who had been silent for half a month, finally spoke from within him.
"Young man, you must not be careless. This person's aura is extremely profound; even I cannot see through it. His cultivation level may have already surpassed that of Dou Di. You must be careful!"
The particularly solemn words resonated in Xiao Yan's heart, and as they fell, it was as if a huge stone had been thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up waves in Xiao Yan's heart.
Surpassing the Dou Di – these four words alone are enough to demonstrate just how powerful this old man truly is; he must at least be at the Origin Transformation Realm level!
" Origin Transformation Realm..."
A slight tremor ran through him. Even with Xiao Yan's composure, he couldn't help but feel nervous. Even the hands he had been clenching under his sleeves unconsciously began to loosen slowly.