The sun was scorching hot, and the dust covered the sky.
After crossing the Imperial Mountain Pass , seven hundred miles east of Heavenly Gate City , the beautiful scenery turned into a desert where birds and animals could not be seen.
Whoosh---
Four flying swords, almost pressed against the ground, raced through the sand plains, raising waves of dust. The poisonous scorpions, who were originally looking for prey, immediately buried themselves in the sand and hid.
On one flying sword, Ye Anping wore a bamboo hat on his head and an earth-colored windproof cloth on his face. His eyes were alert for any disturbance in the sand plains.
Xue Tianqiao, who had been hanging on his collar, had crawled back into his clothes ever since she popped her head out and ate a mouthful of sand. She didn't come out anymore and even rested like a ball on his stomach inside his clothes, making him look pregnant.
The Central Region was twice as large as the Southern Region and five times as large as the Western Region . However, most of the land in the Central Region was uninhabited desert. The closer one got to the east, the more desolate it became.
Four people and one fox sped toward the east. When the sun was about to set--
Boom---!!
About ten miles away, behind a dune, there was a sudden fire and clouds of dust, making everyone turn their heads to look.
Roar---!!
A dragon-like roar could be heard as a Sand Dragon jumped up from behind the dune. At the same time, it brought out dozens of golden spiritual lights. It seemed that a group of swordsmen were fighting with the Sand Dragon, and they were even engaged in a bitter battle.
Judging from its size, the Sand Dragon should be a juvenile. Its cultivation level was roughly equivalent to a late-stage Foundation Building cultivator, but it didn't have much brain.
Ye Anping pondered for a while and finally decided to take a detour. He had no reason to help. Moreover, there were too many swordsmen on the sand plain. If he helped a group of ungrateful people, it would only cause trouble for them.
He signaled to his sister and the others who were following him, telling them not to interfere.
However...
Feng Yu Die looked over with squinted eyes, then suddenly shrank her neck and hurried to him with her sword. "That group of people seems to be disciples of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect... I just saw someone wearing yellow clothes who was sent flying by the Sand Dragon."
"?"
Ye Anping was stunned when he heard this. He turned and glanced at the cultivators who were fighting with the Sand Dragon. To be honest, he really couldn't tell.
Li Longling had sent word that Yun Tianchong and his three daughters were leading a team to the Eastern Great Wall. Logically, Yun Jiujiu could have dealt with a young Sand Dragon with just one blow, not to mention Yun Tianchong's attack...
How come these people...
Could it be that Yun Yiyi and the others were in trouble?
After a moment of silence, Ye Anping raised his hand and gestured to his sister and Xiao Yunluo behind him. Then, he led the three of them, changing the direction of the flying sword toward the dune.
...
Boom!!
Swoosh!
The sword wind gusted as flames kept rising.
Dozens of early-stage Foundation Building cultivators wearing the golden Moon Shadow Sword Sect uniforms swung their swords with all their might at the Sand Dragon, which was dozens of times larger than them. However, every sword strike landed on its scales, only superficially injuring the Sand Dragon's skin.
"Get out of the way!! Why are you flying here..."
"Ah! Senior Brother, you!"
"Ah--!"
The two Moon Shadow Sword Sect disciples flying on their swords did not cooperate well. As a result, they collided directly with each other in midair.
As the Sand Dragon moved, a few other disciples of the Sword Sect were knocked off their flying swords, smashing into a deep pit in the sand.
"Brother! Go for its eyes! Blind it first."
"Ahhhhh--!!"
Perhaps because they had no experience dealing with such a large monster, or because it was the first time they encountered this kind of Sand Dragon, the dozens of Moon Shadow Sword Sect disciples were at a loss at the moment.
Just when everyone was starting to think they might die today...
Rumble---
A dragon-like lightning fell from the sky, hitting the Sand Dragon's forehead and enveloping its whole body. After the lightning disappeared, three flying swords rushed straight toward its head from three directions.
"Sister, to your right."
Ye Anping calmly gave the order and, taking advantage of Xiao Yunluo's spell, he and Pei Lianxue seized the opportunity to strike the Sand Dragon's eyes with their swords, depriving it of its sight.
The Sand Dragon shook its body in pain, but it couldn't control itself and fell heavily to the ground. At this point, Feng Yu Die cut it in half with her sword.
Within a few breaths, the Sand Dragon that had given the Moon Shadow Sword Sect disciples such a headache had already lost its life as it lay on the sand, motionless.
Ye Anping landed and shook off the blood on his sword. He put it into his storage bag before turning to look at the injured Moon Shadow Sword Sect disciples around him.
These people seemed to have just come out of the battlefield. Their golden robes were full of holes, and the swords in their hands were either bent or broken.
He found a middle-stage Foundation Building disciple who was not that seriously injured and went to him.
"What's going on?"
Seeing Ye Anping's clothes, the Sword Sect disciple was still a little apprehensive, but after noticing he was in the Core Formation stage, he quickly stood up and cupped his hands. "Thank you for your help, Senior. I am a disciple of the Moon Shadow Sword Sect's Flowing Water Peak ..."
Ye Anping was not too keen on exchanging pleasantries with him and raised his hand to stop him, asking in return,
" Flowing Water Peak ... Are you Yun Yiyi's man? Where's Eldest Miss?"
The disciple widened his eyes slightly, and he carefully sized up Ye Anping. He seemed to be considering his words, and after a long silence, he asked, "...Senior, do you know Miss Yun?"
Seeing this man so vigilant, Ye Anping felt that it would take a long time to get some answers, so he simply showed his identity badge from the Black Star Sect.
"I'm a disciple of the Black Star Sect, just answer my questions. You don't have to be so wary."
Seeing his badge, the man relaxed a little. He let out a heavy breath and cupped his hands again. "We got separated from Eldest Miss Yun..."
"Separated? What do you mean... wasn't your Patriarch also here? Were you separated from him too?"
The man replied with a helpless expression. "Ah... Senior... I followed the Sect Patriarch and the three young ladies out of the sect and headed for the Eastern Great Wall, but just after crossing the boundary, we encountered a strong sandstorm, and most of the original thousand disciples were scattered. After that, we mistakenly entered the lair of the Sand Dragon on the road. Although the Patriarch was there, there were too many people, and many of the remaining disciples were also washed away, and then..."
Ye Anping raised his hand to stop him from continuing. Then, he pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling extremely tired.
He didn't need to hear further to guess what had happened to Yun Yiyi and their party.
In the game, nothing like this happened, and the Moon Shadow Sword Sect had never been to the Central Region . This should have been totally unexpected for him, but for some reason, Ye Anping was not surprised at all...
He was silent for a while, then asked again, "...How long have you been separated?"
"Senior, we have been separated from Eldest Miss and Sect Patriarch for seven or eight days."
"..."
Ye Anping looked speechlessly at the Sword Sect disciples who were all staring at him. He took out a blank map from his storage bag and swept it with his sword finger, then threw it into the man's hand.
"Try your best to find the other Sword Sect disciples who have strayed. Follow the route on this map, and you will be able to return to Sword Sect safely. There's nothing else you can do here."
"Ah... but Senior, we were going to..."
"If you go to the Eastern Great Wall, you guys will be a burden." Ye Anping pointed his chin at the Sand Dragon lying on the ground. "A Sand Dragon can injure twenty of you like this. You'll all be dead when you get to the Wall."
"But..."
"No buts. If an Elder asks you when you go back, just say that you met a disciple of the Black Star Sect who told you to go back."
"...Alright."
Seeing that he had agreed, Ye Anping glanced at the other Sword Sect disciples and sighed again. He called over his sister and Feng Yu Die, who were chopping off the corpse of the Sand Dragon, ready to go on their way.
However, seeing them leave, the Sword Sect disciple hurriedly stepped forward to stop them. "Seniors!"
"...What?"
"May I ask if you Seniors are going to the Eastern Wall?" The disciple cupped his hands and took out a jade wine gourd from his storage bag. Then, he handed it over. "This is the wine gourd that Second Miss lost previously. If you see Eldest Miss and the others, could you..."
Ye Anping nodded slightly and looked at Feng Yu Die. "Take it... it's your wife's."
?
Feng Yu Die frowned and protested. "She's not my wife. If you say that again, I'll be angry."
Ye Anping shrugged with a smile. He took the jade wine gourd from the Sword Sect disciple, and then led his sister and the others on their flying swords, continuing to the east...
...
The moon shone brightly, making the sand on the ground white as snow. A small inn stood alone on the sandy plain, and a few old red lanterns hanging under the doorplate swayed in the wind.
In a room on the second floor, four people sat around a round table and looked at each other in silence.
Sitting on the north side was a man with long golden hair, dressed in a brocade robe.
The man had sword-like eyebrows and blue eyes, with a pair of bright red double-stamen plum blossoms tattooed on his forehead. He looked like a man with a feminine appearance but with a fierce masculine gaze.
Yun Tianchong took a deep breath and reached out to pick up the teapot on the table. He poured a cup of tea for the bandaged person sitting in the east side seat.
"Xi..."
Yun Xi quickly covered the teacup with her hand and glared at her stinky old man, who was in the Deification stage. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't speak now, she would have cursed him.
With an embarrassed look, Yun Tianchong hurriedly picked up the teapot and went to Yun Jiujiu who was sitting on the west side.
"Jiujiu..."
But Yun Jiujiu also covered the mouth of the teacup.
Although Yun Jiujiu was not as injured as Yun Xi who was unable to speak, her body was also still wrapped in a lot of bandages.
Yun Tianchong smiled awkwardly and then looked at Yun Yiyi, who was looking at him speechless at the other side of the table.
"Yiyi... have a cup of tea. You can't blame me for this..."
Yun Yiyi sighed softly, but in the end, still gave him face. She pushed the cup over so he could pour her some tea.
"Father, we brought a total of nine hundred and seventy-three disciples with us this time. However, after seventeen hundred miles in the Central Region , only about sixty disciples are left. All the others have all gone missing, and now their lives and deaths are uncertain."
"Well..." Yun Tianchong felt that he was extremely unlucky.
After the death of the Central Region Emperor, an Elder in the Moon Shadow Sword Sect suggested that they gather the remnants of the Imperial Sect's Justice Division that had been scattered to the Eastern Great Wall to restore the Sword Sect's vitality.
Because it seemed like a good idea, he decided to go to the Eastern Great Wall to negotiate with the head of the Justice Division .
Originally, he planned to only take some disciples of the Sword Sect with him, but after thinking about it, Yun Yiyi and the others had rarely left the Sword Sect before, and ever since he came out of retreat, the three girls were not close to him.
Therefore, Yun Tianchong thought of taking them out to see the scenery of the Central Region as a way to strengthen the bond between father and daughters.
But who would have thought they would encounter so many difficulties on the way?
They were met with sandstorms, quicksand, several eight and nine-level monsters, beasts coming in tides...
Especially the level nine monster, which was close to the strength of a late Nascent Soul cultivator, buried Yun Xi directly into the ground. After he killed it, hundreds of people had to dig for several hours before retrieving her injured body.
Yun Xi's current injuries were caused by it.
As for Yun Jiujiu, when he was chopping a mature Sand Dragon to death, the dragon's head flew out and hit Yun Jiujiu's head directly...
Yun Jiujiu was getting angrier and angrier as she thought about it. Her nostrils flared up as she glared at her lousy father.
"Fuck it. Next time you fucking throw a beast's head at me, believe it or not, I'll kick what's left of your 'jewel'.
"Hiss-- Jiujiu, don't swear... Such a good girl, how could you..."
Pah--!
Yun Jiujiu slapped the table, shaking the wine glasses in front of the four of them.
Seeing that she was about to erupt, Yun Yiyi stopped her. "Second Sister, why are you arguing with him?"
"Hmph~"
Yun Tianchong sighed as he looked at Yun Xi. "Xi, the route you chose is so... How come we encounter so much? You..."
"Third Sister's luck is bad to begin with, you know that." Yun Yiyi quickly defended Yun Xi. "When we set off, I told you not to take the path Yun Xi chose but to avoid it as much as possible. And what did you say then?"
"Erm..."
"It's fine. With me here, even if we meet a twelfth-level demonic beast, I'll cut it down with a single strike." Yun Yiyi looked at Yun Tianchong with a stern face. "Who said this?"
"..."
Yun Tianchong looked at his three daughters, who were all staring at him angrily. He closed his mouth and quickly stood up.
"I'm going to see how the remaining Sword Sect disciples are doing..."
None of the three responded.
Yun Tianchong sighed awkwardly and quickly turned around to leave the room.
Yun Yiyi looked at her two sisters before standing up. She walked to the window, opened it, and raised her gaze at the full moon in the desert.
"Sigh... it's been almost five years..."
Her tender eyes reflected the silver moon, and she sighed out the pain of lovesickness.
Yun Jiujiu covered her mouth and snickered when she saw her like this. She stood up and walked to her side, then took out a leather flask that she had just bought downstairs. "Sister, wanna drink?"
Yun Yiyi turned around and took the flask. She unscrewed the stopper, took a sip, and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.
Seeing her like this, Yun Jiujiu jumped up and supported herself on the window, sitting on the window sill with her back to the outside. "Missing him again? Then, why don't you take the time to go to the Hundred Lotus Sect later?"
Yun Yiyi shook her head and lifted a golden lock, staining it with wine. "Let's say I'm just being pretentious and not going. Besides, it was me who broke off the engagement."
"Then, why did you cancel the engagement? You like him so much..."
Yun Yiyi hesitated before asking with a smile, "Then, why did you let Feng Yu go if you like her so much?"
?
"Eh?" Yun Jiujiu flinched, and the two small wooden clogs dangling in the air also stopped. "Who said I like her? She's a girl, how can I like a girl?!"
"Can't you like her as a friend?"
Yun Jiujiu touched her nose and took a deep breath.
"I can't say I like her. I just think she's quite loyal. Heh~"
Saying that, Yun Jiujiu snatched back the leather flask, raised her head, and took a sip of wine. Then, she turned her head, looking sideways at the moon in the sky.
Yun Yiyi glanced at her, and she also moved her gaze back to the moon.
The two of them said at the same time, "I don't know what he (that sissy) is doing now?"
Yun Xi looked at her two sisters gazing at the moon and sighed. She then raised her left hand, the only limb she could still move, and knocked on the table.
Bang bang---
Immediately, Zhang Yihe, who was waiting outside, gently opened the door and walked in. "Third Miss, what's wrong?"
"..."
"Ah? Third Miss, say something... Oh, right, you can't speak."
Yun Xi's left eye twitched. Her left hand clenched tightly, but then she loosened it somewhat helplessly. Her mouth opened. "Back... to the room..."
"Alright!" Zhang Yihe raised an eyebrow, then turned to Yun Jiujiu and Yun Yiyi and cupped his hands. "Eldest Miss, Second Miss, I'll push Third Miss back to her room first. You guys rest early too..."