The Red Mist Descends, the Challenge Begins! (Continued)

After all, in the red fog, a lantern alone cannot last long.

Besides the lords of the Blue Star World, another Red World is also making final preparations for war.

—The Red Sand World.

There is no ocean, no land here.

As far as the eye can see, there is only endless red sand, stretching to the horizon like a wasteland soaked in blood.

Although it was late at night, the whole world was still bright and scorching hot.

If a lord from Blue Star were to come to this world, he would be astonished to find that there are three suns overhead!

They are arranged in a triangular shape, hanging in the eastern, western, and northwestern Firmament respectively.

Like three inextinguishable furnaces, continuously radiating terrifying high temperatures, turning the entire world into a fiery hell.

Fortunately, at the top of the Firmament in this world, there was a layer of red twilight.

It looks like a protective shield made of countless grains of sand, or some kind of barrier, blocking most of the heat emitted by the three suns.

Even so, temperatures around the world have generally reached 80 degrees Celsius, with some areas exceeding 100 degrees Celsius.

There is even an even hotter Red Sand Purgatory Zone, where the sand grains have been baked into dark red glass crystals by the high temperature.

All living things that have survived in this world, whether human or animal, have endured countless cruel trials.

At this moment, in the heart of the endless Crimson Desert, there stands a city built from the bones of an unknown beast.

In the heart of the city, inside the primitive and rugged council hall.

Inside, a group of figures of various shapes and powerful auras were gathering.

"I never imagined... the world's defenses would crumble so quickly."

An elderly man with bronze-colored skin, holding a metal staff, sighed, "Our Red Sand World is already a harsh environment. If we lose the protection of the barrier, probably only one in ten of the world's creatures will survive."

"Elder Tuertuo, don't lose heart," a young man comforted him. "As long as we can defeat that Blue Star World and repair the world's barrier, we can at least extend our lives for a few more years."

"Sigh..." Another elderly man sighed, "Although our Red Sand World is strong overall, we fight our own battles."

"They frequently waged war in order to compete for resources for survival."

"It seems unlikely that we can unite these lords to fight against another world..."

Upon hearing these remarks, everyone in the council hall fell silent.

"It's the same in every world."

Seated in the main seat, a middle-aged man with a dark sun mark on his forehead spoke, "Wherever there are people, there is competition, whether it's for resources or for power."

"War never ends, and this Blue Star World is no exception."

"The Eclipse Lord is right," another person chimed in. "It's the same in every world, unless an unparalleled, powerful being emerges to suppress everything."

"Our Red Sand World's Sand Lord could have done it, but he was solely focused on pursuing immense power and had absolutely no interest in such things."

Upon hearing this name, everyone in the hall showed slight changes in expression.

"Sand Lord... will you make a move this time?"

A young lord tentatively asked, "He's the only SSS-level talent in our Red Sand World. Blue Star has three SSS-level talents."

"We all know that SSS-level talents are worlds apart from other levels, possessing absolute dominance."

"If he doesn't intervene, it will be very detrimental to the situation of our Red Sand World."

Upon hearing this, everyone realized this as well, and their brows gradually furrowed.

"Please don't worry."

The man known as the Eclipse Lord spoke up, "As can be seen from the rankings, although that Blue Star World has three SSS-level talents, there are only 70 talents above S-level in total."

"As everyone knows, the more lords who enter the Land of Mist, the more beings will have their talents activated."

"Our Red Sand World officially came into contact with this world hundreds of years ago, and has been guiding more and more people into it ever since."

"Even so, we've only accumulated a little over a hundred S-rank or higher talent individuals so far."

"This also means that the Blue Star World entered the Land of Mist relatively late, and the number of powerful individuals it has accumulated is definitely not as large as ours."

"We still have the advantage, and a significant one."

After hearing the man's analysis, the others in the hall realized the same thing, and their fighting spirit rekindled.

On the other side of the red desert lies a completely different scene.

A vibrant blue Oasis, like a jewel, sits amidst a sea of red sand, its clear waters shimmering under the reflection of three suns.

The surrounding area is covered with lush tropical plants, forming a natural green barrier, and many desert animals whose names I don't know bow their heads to drink water by the lake.

Nearby, there was a large human settlement, with shadowy figures inside, suggesting that many people lived there.

At this moment, under a dead old tree on the edge of the tribe.

A man dressed in a white robe, exuding a profound aura, was squatting beside the tree roots, a smile playing on his lips.

He toyed with the hourglass in his hand, which was filled with fine black sand, and poured it out.

Strangely, as he moved, everything around him seemed to begin to reverse.

Yellowed leaves sprouted anew on the dead old tree, and the cracked bark became moist and plump.

Even the fine sand floating in the air flows backward along a completely opposite trajectory.

"Blue Star World... Three SSS-level talents, interesting..."

"After Master of self-breakthrough, I challenged almost all the S-rank to SS-rank talents on the leaderboard, with a win rate of over 80%."

"In the entire Red Sand World, apart from the Hanba and the Sand Lord, there are very few people left who are worth my serious attention."

"I wonder if any interesting characters will emerge on this Blue Star World."

"I'm really looking forward to adding a few more interesting collectibles."

He licked his chapped lips, turned the hourglass over, and watched the black sand flow again.

The surrounding scenery returned to normal at that moment; the old tree that had just regained its vitality withered again, and the fine sand floating in the air fell back to the ground.

In the endless Crimson Desert, a group of figures dressed in gray-brown robes and with sand-proof headscarves traversed between the rolling Sand Dune.

They led a group of special pack animals, followed by several horse-drawn carts, leaving two tracks in the soft sand.

Soon, they arrived at a dilapidated ruin.

This place looks like a village, except that most of the buildings have weathered away or are buried under the red sand.

Only a long-dried-up well stood there all alone.

The elderly man at the head of the group raised his hand, signaling the line to stop.

Then, leading several figures, they arrived at the dry well, tied a thick rope to the windlass, and slowly lowered the bucket of water.

The dry well was very deep; the rope had been lowered for over a hundred meters, but it still hadn't reached the end.

The noise stopped only when a dull, fleshy thud came from down the well, as if something soft had been hit.

A moment later, the group turned the winch together and pulled up the rope.

When the bucket reached the wellhead, a figure huddled together was suddenly revealed inside.

He was a emaciated young man, his body withered and drained of all moisture.

His legs and arms appeared to have completely atrophied, hanging like a few withered branches from his body; only his eyes remained bright.

The young man poked his head out of the bucket, a warm smile tugging at the corners of his chapped lips.

"Clan... Clan Chief... you've arrived..."

The elderly man at the head of the group nodded casually and said calmly, "We've awakened you because something very important has happened, and we need your abilities."

"The barriers of our Red Sand World have crumbled, and the mist is about to encroach upon it. We must contend with a world called Blue Star for the World Origin."

The young man's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked weakly, "Do you want me to... wish for the Red Sand World to win? My abilities... can't influence the entire world..."

"I know." The old man nodded slowly. "Although your ability cannot affect the pattern of the world, it still has unimaginable power."

"Last time, you wished for the prosperity of our Sand Feather Clan, and we successfully developed from an insignificant little tribe into one of the five great clans of the Red Sand World."

"This time, I want you to make a wish so that your Yaxin, can take the top spot on the leaderboard."

The young man paused, then looked at the lavishly decorated carriage ahead.

A gentle breeze stirred, lifting a corner of the curtain to reveal a man with crimson skin, whose body seemed composed of countless grains of sand.

He leaned against the car wall, closed his eyes, and let the countless grains of sand flow over his body.

Sensing the gaze of others, the crimson-haired man slowly opened his eyes and casually glanced at the figure in the bucket.

That look was as if he were looking at an insignificant tool.

The man in the bucket gave a bitter smile and said softly, "I understand, clan leader. I will make sure my brother wins first place."

On the other side, in the western part of the Red Sand World, there is a black area.

The area appears to have been struck by a meteorite; the land within a radius of hundreds of kilometers is charred black.

In the heart of this scorched earth lies an Old Wang built of red sandstone.

A woman dressed in a red gauze dress, holding a greatsword, and wearing a laurel crown sat on the throne.

"The new expansion is about to launch; the moment that will determine the fate of the Red Sand World has arrived."

"For my people, for my mother's last wish, we will never lose!"

She rose from her throne, her greatsword slamming heavily onto the ground.

With a clang, a surge of red energy erupted from the tip of the sword.

It spun rapidly in the air, transforming into a giant red flower.

In this tense atmosphere of preparation, the time came to 23:59.

One minute left until the update.

All the lords of the two worlds held their breath, quietly awaiting that historic moment.

Finally, the time jumped to 00:00!