The next morning, before the desert chill had even dissipated, the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's base was already bustling with activity.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo had gotten up early and watched as the mercenary group loaded supplies onto several camels.
After being bandaged, Lei Le's injuries did not affect anything, and since he was very familiar with the area around Ghost Howl Valley, he was chosen to lead the team.
Lei Le selected five experienced mercenaries, and together with himself and the Xiao brothers, Xiao Li Xiao Yan, they set off.
However, just before they were about to set off, Xiao Huohuo saw Qing Lin standing beside the group, carrying a package even bigger than her on her back.
"Why is she here too?" Xiao Huohuo, somewhat surprised.
" Qing Lin is very skilled at identifying medicinal herbs. There are many poisonous creatures in the desert, so it's always good to have her with us."
Xiao Ding explained, then whispered to Xiao Huohuo, "And..."
He paused before continuing, "It's better for her to come with you than to stay in the troupe."
Xiao Huohuo followed his elder brother's gaze and saw several young mercenaries looking in their direction, their eyes filled with undisguised disgust.
Qing Lin lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.
"Let's go." Xiao Yan nodded, understanding. Rather than staying in the group and suffering cold looks, it was better to go out with the team.
"I'll stay with the group. Your second brother will accompany you. If you have any questions on the way, talk to him."
Xiao Ding patted Xiao Huohuo on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.
Xiao Huohuo shrugged with a wry smile. His two older brothers still treated him like a child.
The group slowly left Stone Desert City and headed east.
The sun rose above the horizon, and the temperature gradually began to climb, the heat distorting the distant scenery.
Lei Le led the way, with Xiao Yan, Xiao Huohuo, and Xiao Li riding alongside him.
The five veteran mercenaries, experienced in their own right, spread out in a fan shape, cautiously observing their surroundings.
Qing Lin was protected in the middle of the group, and the camel she rode was the most docile one.
"Young Commander."
Lei Le slowed down to walk alongside Xiao Huohuo and the others, and said:
" Ghost Howl Valley is a very strange place. It's so hot during the day that you can cook an egg, and so cold at night that water freezes instantly."
Strange noises echoed in the valley, like countless people wailing, sending chills down one's spine.
"Have you investigated the source of the strange noise?" Xiao Yan asked.
"It's been investigated, but no one dares to go into detail."
Lei Le shook his head and explained to them, "Ten years ago, a mercenary group didn't believe in the superstition. Twenty people went in, but only three came out, and they all went insane. Since then, no one has dared to go to that cursed place."
"Don't worry, we won't enter the valley," Xiao Huohuo said to Lei Le. "We'll just scout the outer target area."
Lei Le breathed a sigh of relief. Xiao Yan and the others had saved his life, so he wasn't afraid, but he still had to consider the other mercenaries.
"Please forgive me, Young Commander, I had no choice."
Lei Le scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.
"Alright, go ahead and watch the road."
Xiao Li glared at Lei Le, watched his retreating figure, and said to Xiao Huohuo:
" The Lei Le people are nice; they were just worried about your safety."
As Xiao Li explained the surrounding information of Stone Xiao Huohuo Stone Desert City to Xiao Huohuo and the others, the group gradually approached their destination.
As they were talking, the mercenary scouting ahead suddenly raised his right hand, and Lei Le and his men immediately stopped.
Lei Le squinted, his face darkening. " The Sand Mercenary Group."
About a hundred meters away, a group of about fifteen or sixteen people were moving in this direction, riding the Swift Claw Beast, Magical Beast beast native to the Tagor Desert.
This Magical Beast is faster than a camel, but has poor carrying capacity, making it suitable for short-range raids.
"Avoid them." Xiao Li frowned and spoke decisively.
Their purpose in coming here was to help Xiao Huohuo find the Heavenly Flames, and Xiao Li didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
Lei Le nodded and directed the troops to turn southeast.
But the other side had clearly spotted them too, and changed direction to give chase!
"It seems they did it on purpose." Xiao Li recognized the leader of the group, his eyes narrowed, a hint of killing intent flashing within them, and he quickly said:
"The leader is called Sha Tie. Like me, he's Three-Star Dou Shi, and he's ruthless."
Xiao Li quickly addressed Xiao Huohuo and the others, and then organized the team to form a defensive formation.
Their opponent was Swift Claw Beast; they couldn't outrun it at all, so there was no need to expose any weaknesses.
"Stop!"
The burly man at the head of the group approached Xiao Huohuo and his companions, and suddenly shouted, his voice rough like sandpaper.
Xiao Li raised his hand, and the group stopped.
He calmly watched the approaching troops, his eyes showing no sign of panic.
Sha Tie led fifteen mercenaries to surround them in a semi-circle.
These men all had fierce expressions, and their weapons were already drawn.
Sha Tie himself was a bald, burly man with a hideous scar across his face, running from his left forehead to his right cheek.
"Who is it, Xiao Li? Your people from Mo Tie have crossed the line."
Sha Tie grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. His gaze swept over Xiao Yan and his group, pausing briefly on Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo, before he spoke:
"This area is under our Sand Mercenary Group's control."
"The desert belongs to everyone, when did it become yours?" Xiao Li replied coldly.
"The commander's word is final."
Sha Tie's gaze lingered on Qing Lin for a moment, then he revealed a look of disgust and spoke sarcastically:
"And you even brought along a bastard. You guys in Mo Tie are getting less and less picky about who you're with."
Qing Lin trembled, and her head drooped even lower.
Xiao Huohuo clenched his fist suddenly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"We're going to collect medicinal herbs on the south side of Ghost Howl Valley," Xiao Li said calmly, continuing:
"We don't care what your Sand Mercenary Group does in Wolf Howl Valley, and we won't bother you. Make way."
Sha Tie seemed to only then notice Xiao Yan Xiao Li Xiao Huohuo.
Two unfamiliar faces, too young for their age.
He scoffed, "Two greenhorns, how dare they be on equal footing with you? Is there no one left in Mo Tie?"
Just as Xiao Li was about to get angry, Xiao Huohuo raised her hand to stop him.
"I'll say it one last time, get out of the way, or I won't mind making you crawl back."
Xiao Huohuo repeated Xiao Li's words and jumped off the camel.
His movements were very light, and he barely kicked up any dust when he landed.
But in that instant, the smile on Sha Tie's face froze.
A chilling aura emanated from Xiao Huohuo.
It wasn't just a cold in terms of temperature, but a chill that penetrated to the bone, as if it were freezing even one's soul.
The Swift Claw Beast behind Sha Tie pawed at its hooves uneasily, emitting low whimpers.
Sha Tie's expression changed slightly.
He was a man who had climbed up through bloodshed, possessing a beast-like instinct for danger.
The black-clad youth before him gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.
" Dou Shi?" Sha Tie asked tentatively.
The only person who could give him this sense of pressure was someone who was also at the Dou Shi level.
Xiao Huohuo didn't answer. He just stood there quietly, but the cold light flashing in his dark eyes made Sha Tie swallow back his next words.
After a brief silence, Sha Tie shifted his gaze from Xiao Huohuo, glanced at Xiao Yan who remained unmoved, and at Xiao Li who was eyeing him menacingly, and gritted his teeth, saying:
"Alright, I'll give Mo Tie face today. But Xiao Li, you all remember this."
He pointed at Xiao Li and said:
"Anything near Ghost Howl Valley belongs to our Sand Mercenary Group."
If you dare touch us, don't blame us for being impolite.
After saying that, he waved his hand and led his men away in a different direction.
Before leaving, Sha Tie gave Xiao Huohuo a deep look, his eyes as cold and sinister as a venomous snake.
"Are we just going to let them go like that?" a mercenary behind Sha Tie asked unwillingly.
"Otherwise what?" Sha Tie said with a gloomy face.
"That kid in black is acting strangely, and Xiao Li is watching us too. If a fight breaks out, we'll be the ones who suffer."
He glanced back at Xiao Yan and his departing group, and said:
"Send more men to keep an eye on it. Go back and inform the regimental commander."
The procession continued on, but the atmosphere became much heavier.
" Sha Tie won't let this go easily; he'll definitely send people to follow us," Lei Le said, but with a smile on his face.
Lei Le and his men were overjoyed that they had managed to humiliate Sha Tie.
"Let them follow." Xiao Huohuo remounted his camel. "Our goal isn't fighting; finding the item is more important."
Two hours later, Xiao Yan and his team arrived at their target area.
"This is it." Xiao Huohuo looked at the map, his eyes flashing with excitement.
Unfortunately, this place looks no different from an ordinary desert area and doesn't seem to have any Heavenly Flames at all.
"This place doesn't look like it might have any Heavenly Flames."
Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo exchanged a glance, neither of them noticing anything unusual. However, they failed to notice that Qing Lin in the group had a faint look of fear in his eyes and his body was trembling slightly.
Looking at this flat desert, there was no strange aura about it. Even Lei Le had walked back and forth in this desert several times when he was doing missions before.
There was absolutely nothing unusual about it.
Looks like I've made a wasted trip.
Xiao Yan felt somewhat helpless.
"Young Master Xiao... Young Master Xiao Yan, something's not right here."
Just as Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo were feeling somewhat discouraged, Qing Lin in the middle suddenly spoke up.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Li frowned, and everyone's gaze fell on Qing Lin.
Suddenly being watched by so many people, Qing Lin felt a little nervous, her body trembling slightly, but she still spoke:
"A month ago, I sensed an extremely powerful aura in this vicinity. This aura... seems somewhat similar to the bloodline within me..."
Even the leader of the Sand Mercenary Group was significantly weakened by this aura...
Qing Lin spoke, leaving everyone stunned.
"Even stronger than the leader of the Sand Mercenary Group..."
Xiao Li squinted and spoke to Qing Lin:
" Qing Lin, you're not lying to us, are you?"
"I don't..."
Qing Lin hurriedly spoke up:
"I can still sense that presence lingered here overnight, and when it left, it seemed to have been injured."
"The leader of the Sand Mercenary Group is a Da Dou Shi, even stronger than him, probably above Dou Wang, and also related to the bloodline within Qing Lin..."
A cold sweat broke out on Xiao Li's face.
"Could it be Queen Medusa of the Snake-People Tribe?"
The moment the name was uttered, everyone held their breath.
Queen Medusa, she's someone who could easily destroy Stone Desert City.
Why would they stay here?
"She's probably right."
Just then, Yao Lao's voice rang in Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo's ears:
"I just realized that girl actually has a pair of Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils."
Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo exchanged a glance, but before they could speak, Yao Lao continued to explain:
" The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils is an extremely special talent, granting it an almost brainwashing-like control over serpentine Magical Beast. This little girl will be quite a remarkable person as she grows up."
"If that's the case, then what she said is probably true."
Xiao Huohuo nodded slightly, then looked at Qing Lin carefully, only then noticing three extremely subtle green energies deep in her eyes.
" Qing Lin, can you still sense exactly where it is?"
Qing Lin lowered her head, squatted down, placed her palms on the sand, and closed her eyes.
A few minutes later, she suddenly opened her eyes and pointed northeast. "There... there's a very strange feeling."
"How does it feel?" Xiao Yan walked to her side.
"Her presence was strongest in that place," Qing Lin said hesitantly.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed.
He walked to the spot Qing Lin had pointed to and said:
"Since the location is fine, then we'll have to go underground!"
"You all step back a little."
Xiao Yan addressed the crowd. Xiao Li looked at Xiao Yan with a hint of surprise in his eyes and directed the members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group to retreat.
Seeing that they had retreated to a safe distance, Xiao Yan ignited the Bone Spirit Cold Flame in his palm.
"Boom!"
The sudden appearance of the cold, white flames brought a chill to the otherwise scorching desert, making Xiao Li and his companions feel a sense of coolness.
"Laugh!"
Xiao Yan controlled the flames to slowly press down onto the ground, and then gradually spread them into the sea of sand.
The instant the flames touched the sand, Xiao Yan controlled the Bone Spirit Cold Flame to begin spinning, freezing all the sand it touched into ice blocks, which were then torn away by the swirling flames.
Seeing this shocking scene, Xiao Li and the others not far away were dumbfounded.
This terrifying scene is something even Da Dou Shi couldn't accomplish.
As Xiao Yan moved, the sand began to tremble!
It wasn't the violent shaking of an earthquake, but rather a rhythmic, slow tremor.
Immediately afterwards, centered on the Bone Spirit Cold Flame released by Xiao Yan, the sand grains within a radius of ten feet began to flow, forming a slowly rotating vortex!
"Step back!" Xiao Yan shouted.
Everyone quickly retreated. The sand vortex was getting faster and faster, Bone Spirit Cold Flame at its very center suddenly burst into the sky, sending chunks of frozen sand flying out.
As the flames gradually dissipated, a dark hole was revealed in the center. The sand around the hole was still Ice Seal by the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, emanating chilling fumes.