The Conspiracy in Sand Snake Land

Led by Li Niu and others, the group of independent cultivators continued their slow advance towards the Heavenly Splendor Dynasty.

As Dongfang Yueming silently returned to the group, Li Tie caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye, and his heart skipped a beat! "This kid... he actually came back?!"

He suppressed his surprise and suspicion, pretending to be nonchalant, but inwardly he was trembling with anxiety. "Forget it, better to avoid trouble. As long as I don't report it, Lord Yunshan shouldn't notice him. Besides... there are three Internal Force Realm experts here, he can't cause any trouble!"

He glanced furtively at the imposing Yunshan not far away, and felt somewhat relieved.

Dongfang Yueming naturally noticed Li Tie's strange gaze and the faint yet powerful auras emanating from the group. "There's definitely something wrong with this group," he thought to himself. "However, I'm not familiar with the route to the Heavenly Splendor Dynasty, so for now I can only stay at the back of the group and observe the situation."

Three days passed quietly in the tedious journey.

On this day, a vast expanse of sand appeared ahead of the column, with yellow sand swirling in the sky, the sun blazing overhead, and an unsettling heat permeating the air.

"Gentlemen! We've entered the Sand Snake Land!" Li Niu's voice rang out in the group, tinged with a hint of seriousness, yet he feigned a lighthearted tone. "But don't worry too much! As long as we stay united and look after each other, we'll definitely get through this safely!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and they all became extremely vigilant.

The team carefully stepped onto the sand, moving forward step by step.

Surprisingly, the initial part of the journey was uneventful, without any danger. The tense nerves of the group gradually relaxed, and some even began to appreciate the unique desert scenery.

However, just when everyone thought they could finally breathe a sigh of relief!

Laugh--!

A burst of yellow sand suddenly shot up from the ground! A sand serpent, its body entirely yellowish-brown and covered in fine scales, darted out like an arrow! It opened its fang-filled, venomous mouth and snapped at an unsuspecting martial artist with lightning speed!

"Ah--!"

The warrior only had time to let out a short scream before the sand snake bit off his neck, spurting out blood. He was then dragged into the rolling yellow sand and disappeared instantly!

"There are sand snakes!"

"Careful!"

Everyone was immediately horrified! Many people turned pale with fright and instinctively backed away!

Just then, another sand snake suddenly sprang out from the sand on the other side, its target Li Niu at the front of the group!

Li Niu seemed to have been prepared, his footwork in the "Cloud-Treading Steps" technique was executed flawlessly, his movements graceful and agile, narrowly avoiding the sand snake's fatal attack! While maneuvering around the sand snake, he shouted loudly to the crowd, "Don't panic! Although these sand snakes are fast, as long as we use our movement techniques and dodge nimbly, they won't be able to attack us!"

"Brother Li Niu is awesome!"

"That's right! As long as we're careful, these beasts can't do anything to us!"

Seeing that Li Niu handled the situation with ease, everyone felt relieved, and the tense atmosphere eased considerably.

However, this good fortune didn't last long!

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

More and more sand snakes emerged from all directions! Like Ghost lurking in the shadows, they constantly sprang out of the sand, launching sudden attacks!

These sand snakes are not only incredibly fast, but also extremely difficult to deal with! Their scales are hard and impervious to ordinary swords and knives! Moreover, their fangs contain potent venom, and a bite could have dire consequences!

In an instant, screams, roars, and the clash of weapons rose and fell! Many martial artists were unable to dodge in time and were hit! Panic and despair once again enveloped everyone's hearts!

"Don't panic! Hold your ground!" Li Niu shouted as he fought off the sand snakes' attacks, trying to calm the troops. His eyes scanned the chaotic battlefield quickly, and when he saw a sand snake that was noticeably thicker and stronger than the others, with darker scales and even a faint fleshy bump on its forehead, a glint of light One Flash in his eyes!

"You beast! You're asking for death!" Li Niu roared, suddenly breaking free from his opponent and charging towards a martial artist entangled by the "mature" sand snake like a tiger descending a mountain! He wielded his broadsword like the wind, and within a few moves, he had slain the mature sand snake!

The rescued martial artist, having narrowly escaped death, collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his face filled with the relief of surviving a calamity.

"I'm here! Don't be afraid!" Li Niu planted his broadsword in the ground and said with great pride!

"Brother Li Niu is awesome!"

"Thank you so much, Brother Li Niu, for saving my life!"

Seeing this, everyone was moved to tears, and their morale was reignited! Li Niu's image in their hearts became even more towering and heroic!

However, just as everyone was cheering, a martial artist next to him was ambushed by another sand snake and was about to die in its mouth! Li Niu glanced at the sand snake and found that it was still small and obviously not "mature" yet, so he ignored it and went to find other "mature" targets.

The rescued martial artist continued to express his gratitude to Li Niu for saving his life. Li Niu, on the other hand, adopted a righteous and chivalrous demeanor, constantly reassuring the crowd and rallying their spirits.

All of this was observed by Dongfang Yueming at the rear of the group. He easily dodged the attacks of the surrounding sand snakes while coldly watching Li Niu's "performance".

"This Li Niu... is quite interesting," Dongfang Yueming thought to himself. "He seems to be selectively hunting the 'mature' sand snakes, ignoring the young ones. And..."

His gaze inadvertently swept over the outer edge of the group, where three unassuming martial artists stood in a triangle formation, seemingly defending against the sand snakes' attacks. However, their movements were unusually relaxed and effortless, revealing no true strength whatsoever. Dongfang Yueming keenly sensed that these three individuals had definitely reached the Internal Force Realm!

"Are these three people... preventing someone from escaping?" Dongfang Yueming was filled with doubts. "Could it be... that the real purpose of this trip is to... feed these sand snakes?!" A bold and chilling guess quietly emerged in his mind.

Ahead, Li Niu's voice rang out again, full of encouragement. "Brothers! Give it your all! As long as we can hold on and get through this damned Sand Snake Land, the plains ahead will be wide open! Just keep heading east, and we'll be able to reach the Heavenly Splendor Dynasty and participate in the Battle of the Flood Dragon Gate, where we can ascend to the heavens in one step!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt as if they had seen a glimmer of hope, and their previously low morale was reignited! The will to survive and their aspirations for the future unleashed astonishing potential within them!

"Kill!" a martial artist roared, his longsword gleaming brightly as he broke through his own limits at the critical moment, cleaving a sand serpent that had ambushed him in two with a single strike! He looked at the corpse of the sand serpent at his feet, a smile of excitement and fanaticism on his face!

Seeing this, Li Niu smiled approvingly and encouraged loudly, "Well done, brothers! Did everyone see that? As long as we work together, these beasts are nothing to fear!"

But inwardly he scoffed, "Hmph, that sand snake wasn't even mature yet, what a waste to kill it like that! You brat, you ruined my plans, you deserve to die!"

Dongfang Yueming took in everything, and his ominous premonition grew stronger. "Now that we know the general direction to the Heavenly Splendor Dynasty, we shouldn't linger here. There's something strange about this group; who knows what other conspiracies and schemes lie behind it all?"

Without further hesitation, taking advantage of the moment when everyone was engrossed in the fierce battle with the Sand Serpent and their attention was drawn to Li Niu, he quietly retreated, like Ghost merging into the shadows, and suddenly accelerated, speeding off in the opposite direction from the main force!

Li Tie, who had been secretly observing Dongfang Yueming, was startled when he saw him suddenly leave the group and run away! "This kid... he's definitely up to something!"

Almost simultaneously, the three powerful Internal Force Realm experts who had been hiding on the outskirts of the group— Yunshan, an Inner Strength Realm martial artist from Cloud-Overturning Gate, and an Inner Force martial artist from the Heaven-Surging Alliance —also noticed Dongfang Yueming's unusual movements!

"He's trying to run?!" A cold glint flashed in all three men's eyes simultaneously!

Yunshan and the black-clad, chilling Inner Force artist from the Heaven-Surging Alliance exchanged a glance, both seeing a tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Inner Force martial artist from the Heaven-Surging Alliance vanished from the group like a ghost, silently pursuing the direction in which Dongfang Yueming had disappeared! His mission was to ensure that no "accidents" occurred!