The source of the sandstorm
The sandstorm swept across the sky, obscuring the sun and wiping out much of the life in the Lower Realm. The sand within was like a knife, grinding away Lower Realm the creatures that couldn't escape in time, and they were instantly taken by the sand.
This scene, as witnessed by the cultivators, only instilled fear in them.
The sun was swallowed up, and then the yellow sand reappeared.
The entire Lower Realm was shrouded in a thick fog of despair, with everyone worrying about their future.
Fortunately, the yellow sand isn't unstoppable; it's just that stopping this all-pervasive sandstorm is extremely difficult. A Nascent Soul Cultivator can only barely hold it off for half a day, but how many Nascent Soul Cultivators are there in the entire Lower Realm?
What terrified them even more was that the sandstorm seemed to be getting stronger. In just one day, the power of the sandstorm changed again and again, and the two cultivators who initially stood in front of it almost couldn't withstand it.
Seeing all this Sang Zheng was horrified. "If things continue to change like this, I'm afraid none of us will be able to stop this sandstorm."
Not long ago, one Nascent Soul Cultivator could hold them off for a while, but now even two Nascent Soul Cultivator aren't enough!
And that's not all; this sandstorm not only devoured life, but also Spiritual Qi!
After the Nascent Soul Cultivator had weathered the sandstorm and were about to rest and replenish their Spiritual Qi, they discovered that the surrounding Spiritual Qi was extremely thin.
This is really not right, since the Spiritual Qi in the Lower Realm has become inexplicably richer after the five small worlds merged.
If the Spiritual Qi was so abundant before today that it could be absorbed with a single breath, then today Spiritual Qi is so thin that they cannot accumulate it even through meditation and guidance.
Cultivators fear nothing more than the loss of Spiritual Qi. Without Spiritual Qi, how can they cultivate? Wouldn't they be no different from ordinary mortals?
This outcome left the powerful figures present feeling troubled. Even the sect leader of Ten Thousand Daos Born wore an unprecedentedly grim expression. "This sandstorm is strange; we don't know what caused it. Simply blocking it like this isn't a solution. We can't fight the sandstorm forever. I think we need to find out the cause of its formation."
That's what they say, but finding out the truth is easier said than done. To this day, they still don't know how the Devil Race disappeared, or where the sandstorms originated.
And when will the sun in the sky finally return to normal?
Just as the powerful beings were gathered together discussing the matter, a voice suddenly interrupted them, "The sandstorm was created by the Devil God."
Everyone immediately turned their attention to the source of the sound, and from the dark corner of the room, a figure gradually became clear.
He had an eerily handsome appearance, but the demonic markings on his face instilled a sense of fear in people.
The cultivators present were all powerful figures with extremely keen senses of Demonic Qi. The moment this mysterious person appeared, they had already sensed the dense Demonic Qi emanating from him.
This is Demonic Qi that even those high-ranking Devil Race can't compare to!
The group immediately went on guard, and several who loathed Devil Race wanted to attack him right away.
But in the end, they were stopped by Sang Zheng and Jiulian.
"Jiang Zhuoxue?" Sang Zheng called out uncertainly, glancing at the other person. He had known this child for a long time, so even though his appearance had changed drastically, he still recognized him.
Jiang Zhuoxue let out a breath after hearing her name called.
His feelings were quite complicated, but he still obediently admitted, "It's me, Uncle."
Jiang Zhuoxue stepped out from the corner and said, "Uncle, it's been a long time."
Although it's been a long time since we last met, it's only been a little over half a year. But so much has happened in these days. The peace and tranquility we felt when we last met felt like a scene from a past life.
Sang Zheng was shocked when he saw his current appearance. "How did you become like this? What happened to you? And where is my son, Sang Ying?"
"Uncle, don't worry, Sang Ying is fine. She's busy slaying the Devil God right now." Jiang Zhuoxue finished speaking, then looked down at herself. "As for me, I'm alright too."
Sang Zheng, however, didn't believe him at all. What did he mean by "not too bad"? He looked terrible in his current state.
And the Devil God —why was it his daughter who slew him?
Sang Zheng had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but the head of the Jimo Household interrupted him, saying, "What kind of thing is this Devil God? Would you be willing to tell us?"
The head of the Jimo Household had heard about Jiang Zhuoxue from his son before, so he had a fairly good impression of him. Now, seeing him covered in Demonic Qi, the head of the Jimo Household was somewhat wary, but he was still willing to listen to what he had to say.
Jiang Zhuoxue certainly wouldn't hide it from these people. When he parted ways with Sang Ying and went to the cultivator camp to help, he sensed that something was wrong.
He was now considered a Devil Race, so when Gu Huaiwei began to recklessly absorb Demonic Qi, he was the first to be affected.
If Jiang Zhuoxue hadn't been powerful enough, his Demonic Qi would probably have been taken away as well.
However, in order to resist Gu Huaiwei's power, he had to temporarily abandon his journey, which is why he was delayed until now in finding her.
After hearing Jiang Zhuoxue's words, Sang Zheng was the first to jump up. "What did you say? That Devil God has the Gu Huaiwei?!"
He didn't even have time to pay attention to the fact that his daughter's cultivation had now reached the level of Demigod; his mind was completely occupied by this matter.
How could that be? Gu Huaiwei is clearly dead.
Apart from a few people who didn't know who Gu Huaiwei was, the rest of the group turned pale, as if they had seen a ghost. Or rather, even seeing a ghost wouldn't have made them look so ugly.
"What that person looks like is no longer important. What's important is that he has become Devil God, and it will probably be very difficult to kill him. We can't just wait for Sang Ying to come to our rescue; we should also find out the reason why the yellow sand appeared." Jiang Zhuoxue quickly shifted everyone's attention to the key point.
So Sang Zheng and the others could only temporarily suppress their doubts and focus all their attention on the desert sands.
Because Jiang Zhuoxue came from outside, she knew better than them where this storm started.
He didn't believe the sandstorm was so simple, so he suggested taking people to the source of the sandstorm.
Although the sandstorm absorbs life force and Spiritual Qi, it is a demon. Jiang Zhuoxue has already tested it, and his Demonic Qi is enough to suppress the strange power of this sandstorm.
The sandstorm had died down at its source, leaving only a lifeless wasteland. Though danger remained, it was far better than staying in the camp doing nothing.
Therefore, preparations for this matter were quickly made.
Just as the sandstorm reached its peak, a team led by Jiang Zhuoxue secretly escaped the sandstorm, fled the camp, and headed towards the place where the sandstorm originated.