Chapter 74: The Great Desert, the Five Poisons Sect

The next day…

Lu Xuezhi was eating breakfast slowly.

She sat by the window, like a scarlet peony blooming alone, graceful and luxurious.

Her eyes were a little dazed as she looked into the distance.

Until a golden light surged out, that spirit was restored a little.

“General Lu.” Chaoyinzi appeared.

Lu Xuezhi stretched out her tender white fingers, gently flicked them, then raised her head, looked over, and asked, “Does His Majesty have a decree?”

Chaoyinzi said, “His Majesty has agreed, but… His Majesty wants to transfer the Heavenly Master away.”

She paused.

Lu Xuezhi just looked at her.

Chaoyinzi then said, “A crisis more serious than the Frozen Hell has appeared in Leizhou on the Suizhou Dao. Many people have already died. His Majesty has temporarily mobilized the surrounding Heavenly Masters to support. My junior sister Yaozhen and I are among them.”

After speaking, she said again, “General Lu might as well go with us. When the crisis is resolved, we can go to the Western Regions together?”

Lu Xuezhi asked, “What crisis?”

Chaoyinzi said, “The name recorded in the imperial archives is… Demon Post Station.

Strange and originally non-existent post stations have begun to appear everywhere. Demons will suddenly appear in these post stations. When a Heavenly Master and a Taoist boy chase after them, the demons will disappear as long as they enter the post station, and then suddenly appear in another post station. The harm is extremely great.

The first post station was discovered in Leizhou. Now, it has only been a short month since the discovery of the first post station, but in this month, a full eighteen post stations have appeared, and there are many powerful demons in them. Leizhou Prefecture can’t hold on anymore, so they began to report.

Now, the Zixia Temple has already mobilized a lot of manpower, but there are demon disasters everywhere, and it is difficult to cope, so the mobilization is slow. So His Majesty mobilized on the spot. Because my junior sister Yaozhen and I are second-grade Heavenly Masters, we are both in the mobilization…”

Lu Xuezhi said, “The Shanmo Sect is a demon sect. They have already infiltrated through all aspects. We must cut off their extended tentacles to cut off the disaster.”

Chaoyinzi said, “Then I wish the general a victorious start.”

Lu Xuezhi said, “We’ll meet again when we get back.”

Chaoyinzi nodded, and then glanced at Ning Xuan who was walking here from the courtyard.

Ning Xuan was walking beside a petite and exquisite girl in a white jacket.

A strange look flashed in her eyes, and she thought to herself: Senior Brother, you have suffered a lot these days. I hope you don’t expose yourself on this trip to the Western Regions, and don’t get killed…

Although the Taiyin Ghost was immortal, she had heard from the elders of the Sacred Sect that the remnants of those sects still had some means to “seal evil ghosts.”

Some of the missing Taiyin Ghosts might have been caught by the remnants of those sects and imprisoned.

Chaoyinzi only felt that Senior Brother was too miserable.

Not only did Senior Brother have to endure the torment of two human girls every day, he also had to carry out such a dangerous mission. Senior Brother’s ranking was all hers.

Her thoughts flowed, and she glanced over…

Chaoyinzi did not communicate much. A golden light surged, and she used earth-遁 (dì dùn – earth escape) and left.

Lu Xuezhi got up, walked out of the courtyard, and glanced at Ning Xuan with a smiling look, “His Majesty has appointed us to go to the Western Regions together.”

After speaking, she suddenly glanced at Xiao Jie beside Ning Xuan and said, “If you leave, Miss Jie will miss you. Take her with you.”

Xiao Jie’s mouth was wide open in shock.

She could hardly believe what she had heard.

She said in surprise, “Miss Lu, my… my strength is low, so I won’t go, right?”

Lu Xuezhi said lightly, “With me and Ning Xuan here, you will be fine.

You are not without a martial arts foundation. Your past experience as a female flying thief still has some fame in the Jianghu.

I had my personal guards look through the archives, and I can still find the case file of the former female thief Feiyanzi in some government offices.

Now that you are a demonic plague martial artist, you should also go with us to broaden your horizons.”

Xiao Jie hurriedly looked at Ning Xuan and murmured, “I… I…”

Ning Xuan looked at Lu Xuezhi.

Lu Xuezhi raised her head slightly and said, “General Ning has no objection, right?”

Ning Xuan said, “No.”

Xiao Jie was about to cry. Seeing Ning Xuan looking at her, she said with teary eyes, “Husband, I’m so happy.”

Ning Xuan comforted her, and then looked at Lu Xuezhi again.

His wife had resumed her arrogant air, looking so powerful and cold. But as someone who had a full view of the situation, he only had one evaluation in his heart: anxious, and anxious again. Miss, you are already the bait, haven’t you noticed?

However, he had originally planned to go and see the sect. Before, he was unwilling to go because he was wary of the Taiyin Ghost Cultivators. Now that this worry had disappeared, he followed Lu Xuezhi, which was also a matter of course.

As for Xiao Jie, his wife wanted to take her to “recognize her ancestors and return to her clan,” and give her a chance.

A trip to the Western Regions.

Ning Xuan wanted to go by carriage.

Lu Xuezhi refused.

A person was faster than a horse, and a horse was faster than a carriage. Why take a carriage?

Ning Xuan said again that the two of them didn’t need a carriage, but Xiao Jie needed one.

And then the situation became like this.

In the vast yellow sand, two figures were rapidly shuttling. One of them was carrying a huge carriage on his back.

In the carriage, the little lady in the white jacket would lift the curtain from time to time and look at the scenery that was madly retreating outside. She wanted to say a few words, but she bit her lip, pulled the curtain, and then used her hands to protect the wooden bucket of water and some dried meat in the carriage.

Until night, the three of them stopped in front of a cliff.

The cliff absorbed heat, and at night, it could emit some of the remaining warmth of the day. In addition, there were weathered camel bones beside the cliff.

Although the camel bones were long broken, their existence showed that this place was a safe resting place that had been verified by predecessors.

The Milky Way was all over the sky, and the desert at night turned from hot to cold.

Ning Xuan took out dried meat and water, and sat on the carriage with his two women. While enjoying the stars, they had a meal.

Xiao Jie was concerned and said apologetically, “Husband, you must be tired. Let me rub your shoulders.”

As she spoke, she climbed onto the carriage, stood behind Ning Xuan, and pressed against him, trying her best to pound his back and rub his shoulders.

Carrying a carriage was like grabbing a small stone for Ning Xuan, and it had no effect at all.

He said he wanted to take a carriage, which was just to follow the “persona” of “Tianyouzi.”

He reminded himself at all times: he liked a confined environment.

“This is the desert.” Lu Xuezhi’s long legs were close together, and she looked at the vast yellow sand in the day, which had now become a vast expanse of frost and snow.

She had actually never been to the desert.

At this time, she even had a feeling of joy in her heart, a joy of about to go to a sacred place.

Ning Xuan also liked beautiful scenery.

The desert was a very strange place. It was hot and cold, vast and narrow, and life and death coexisted.

He came here, and he really didn’t have much pressure.

He was brought by Lu Xuezhi. This time, Lu Xuezhi did not ask “join?” and so on, but she must have forced him to “join.” This was considered that he was invited.

The remnants of the sect would not mess with him.

He was also ordered by the Zixia Sacred Sect. The Zixia Sacred Sect had asked him to come and see the situation here, and had also promised him a generous reward.

The Zixia Sacred Sect would not mess with him.

As for the Shanmo Sect.

Great General Qin had colluded with the demons, and the Shanmo Sect had established a sect in the Western Regions where there were many remnants of the sect.

How much danger could there be?

As for the evil of the demons, he also knew, but… in this world, who was not evil? If he only followed the principle of “slaying evil,” he would only become a chess piece that others could play with at will.

So, he did not have any thoughts of saving the world or saving the common people.

He was not nervous at all at this time.

This time, it was a trip for official business, by invitation, and to enjoy the blessings of having two women.

He looked at the desert, ate dried meat, and after he finished eating, he turned around and grabbed Xiao Jie, held her up, and pressed her on his lap…

Just as Xiao Jie was murmuring and humming, Lu Xuezhi beside her suddenly said, “You’ve been running all day, haven’t you sweated?”

Her cold gaze and voice extinguished the passion of the “dog and man” beside her.

Ning Xuan recalled that he had not seen an oasis along the way, so he said, “There are four large buckets of water in the carriage. Use one bucket to bathe.”

Lu Xuezhi asked, “One bucket, how to bathe?”

Ning Xuan did not talk nonsense. He picked up Xiao Jie, put her aside, and then took a large bucket of water and said, “You and Xiao Jie go first.”

Lu Xuezhi looked at the water, and then at Ning Xuan. She naturally knew what bad ideas her martial arts partner was up to.

She stood with her legs together for a moment, and suddenly said, “I don’t need to use much.”

As she spoke, she stepped forward, pressed her five fingers on the surface of the water, and suddenly pulled.

The water was pulled up like a silk ribbon by a strange and gentle force.

The silk woven from water flowed in from Lu Xuezhi’s collar, and flowed over her shoulders, chest, and abdomen like it had a life of its own. Then it went down, and circled around, washing away the mud and dust. Then it suddenly scattered to her clothes and pants, and with a shake of her power, it turned into a water mist, and rolled away with the dirt.

Ning Xuan praised, “What a wonderful power.”

Lu Xuezhi said, “I’m done washing.”

Xiao Jie looked at Ning Xuan and said, “Husband, you wash first.”

Ning Xuan said, “You go first. There are some poplar trees not far away. I’ll go and get some branches to start a bonfire. When you’re done washing, you can also dry your clothes.”

Half an hour later…

A blazing bonfire emitted light and heat.

Half of the carriage was immersed in darkness, and the other half reflected the firelight that was like water plants.

In the carriage, a man and two women were enjoying themselves in this extreme place.

After a long time, the three of them calmed down.

Starlight fell from the skylight of the carriage and fell on the three of them.

Xiao Jie was like a pure white lamb. She had just participated in a battle between two giant beasts. Fortunately… the giant beasts had taken great care of her, so that she was not only still alive, but also lying on Ning Xuan’s left arm.

Lu Xuezhi was lying on Ning Xuan’s right arm.

The two women were both facing him, one with her small foot hooked on his calf, and the other with her foot pressed on his ankle.

Ning Xuan closed his eyes, his mood calm and happy.

Lu Xuezhi said, “Bad thing, are you satisfied?”

Ning Xuan said, “Are we still cultivating tonight?”

Lu Xuezhi said, “For the sake of little sister Jie, we won’t practice tonight.”

In the dark, Xiao Jie opened her eyes in surprise and quietly looked at the woman opposite her. She didn’t understand for a moment why this General Lu was so considerate to her.

The Jixiang Merchant Guild had brought a lot of information about the Shanmo Sect, including a map of the Shanmo Sect’s palace.

That place was not close.

The straight-line distance was naturally through the desert.

A strong sense of direction made the two of them not get lost in the desert.

So, the three of them were still in the desert the next day.

And the luck of the three of them was not always bad.

When the evening of the second day came, the three of them found an oasis in the depths of the desert.

Under the desert sunset, the oasis looked not only beautiful, but also dreamlike, like a paradise of ultimate bliss.

But all three of them stopped.

Ning Xuan stood on a sand ridge, released his perception, and carefully scanned the oasis. He smiled and said, “Someone lives here. Although those people are not here now, they will probably come back at night.”

Lu Xuezhi said, “That’s just right. We can wait for the rabbit to hit the tree stump and go and collect more information about the Shanmo Sect. This place is not far from the Shanmo Sect.”

Ning Xuan looked into the distance, and then glanced at his wife, and said, “Alright, I’ll listen to my wife.”

Lu Xuezhi did not argue with him about the title.

The three of them went to the oasis below.

Xiao Jie was not like an ordinary girl. As soon as she arrived here, and as soon as she saw the clear lake water, she did not cheer and approach, but warily hid behind Ning Xuan.

Ning Xuan’s gaze swept around. He saw scorpions rustling in the shadows of the trees, and strings of full dates hanging among the slightly pointed tropical long leaves. The reeds by the lake were swaying tenaciously in the distant hot wind, and whispering softly. But among the reeds, Ning Xuan saw many snakes with just a glance.

Poisonous snakes.

Extremely poisonous snakes.

There were cobras in the reed marsh on the left, and on the right, there were strange black cockscombs.

He looked up again, and saw a spider web on a strange willow tree. A furry spider was motionless, as if it was waiting for its prey to take the bait.

Ning Xuan glanced at Lu Xuezhi.

Lu Xuezhi’s expression was as usual.

Ning Xuan sighed lightly in his heart, and then quietly held his breath. His strong constitution allowed him to absorb the least amount of air in deep water like a fish, and also allowed him to breathe only through his skin in daily life.

And what the skin breathed was naturally air. As for the other things in the air, they would be blocked outside.

However, this kind of breathing, because the amount of air absorbed was not much, was not enough to provide for strenuous exercise.

The twilight was like blood.

The oasis was becoming dangerous.

When you suddenly find a paradise in an extreme place, don’t be too happy, because maybe this paradise is the center of hell.

Only those who have never been out will yearn for an oasis.

But an oasis is never a safe haven, but the sweetest place for a trap.

The water here can save lives, and it can also take lives. The shade of the trees can provide shade, and it can also hide killing intent.

Suddenly, Xiao Jie beside Ning Xuan went limp and fell down.

Ning Xuan glanced at her.

Her face was flushed, and her breathing was rapid.

She was poisoned.

He grabbed Xiao Jie and held her in his arms.

And then…

Lu Xuezhi suddenly fell down too.

Ning Xuan was stunned for a moment, but he still quickly took action and held Lu Xuezhi.

And at this time, in the desert where the night was about to fall, the sound of camel bells came from the wind in all directions. It was crisp and pleasant, and seemed to be near and far. And behind the sand ridges and sand peaks around the oasis, black shadows holding scimitars soon appeared.

The black shadows were looking down from a high place, and looked at the center with the expression of looking at prey.

Their gazes were cold, as cold as a poisoned needle.

“Lu Xuezhi!”

Ning Xuan suddenly shook his wife.

He clearly knew that this oasis was where Lu Xuezhi had led him, and he also clearly knew what Lu Xuezhi’s purpose was, but he did not dare to gamble on this scene.

He shook her, but he didn’t wake her up.

An indescribable anger rose in his heart.

His wife wanted to take him to join some force. He had already come. Did she have to do this? Did she really have to let herself be poisoned and faint?

Stupid.

So naive that it was stupid.

So stupid that it was ridiculous.

She was clearly decisive and powerful, but why did she still have this naive trust?

Lu Xuezhi had calculated that he would also be poisoned and faint. Anyway, when he woke up, he might be in another place, a place he didn’t know how to go to, and how to return. Then she could just explain.

But, what if it wasn’t?

What if this was beyond Lu Xuezhi’s expectations?

Ning Xuan took a deep breath and glanced at the camel and scimitar cavalry on the surrounding sand dunes.

Now it was good…

He had no reason to faint at this moment. Not only could he not faint, he also had to kill all these people.

Because he didn’t dare to imagine what would happen if he, Lu Xuezhi, and Xiao Jie all fainted and fell into the hands of such a group of people.

The next moment, Ning Xuan’s golden body suddenly expanded, pushing away all the poisonous gas, and also leveling all the flowers and trees around him.

The golden body Bodhisattva sat cross-legged, and the golden body enveloped Lu Xuezhi and Xiao Jie. At the same time, he drew his saber, the Ruyi Saber.

The Bodhisattva held the Ruyi Saber as if it were holding a petal.

However, the camel and scimitar cavalry did not rush down. Instead, the place with the most cavalry suddenly parted to the sides, and a path was opened. In the path, a burly figure as big as a small mountain walked out.

The figure had his back to the setting sun, and looked at the golden body Bodhisattva in the distance.

Suddenly, the figure frowned and asked in a muffled voice to the side, “Did you poison them?”

A cavalryman beside him nodded and said respectfully, “Yes.”

The giant figure asked coldly, “Who ordered it?”

The cavalryman’s eyes flickered and he said, “I don’t know… but, but it should have been ordered by the adults.”

The giant figure’s face was ferocious, and it changed a few times. He asked, “Then what should have happened?”

The cavalryman said, “We go down and tie them up, and take them back to the outer village.”

The giant figure glanced at the golden body Bodhisattva opposite him and asked, “Then can you still take them away now?”

The cavalryman insisted, “He must have been poisoned too. We just have to wait, wait for the poison to take effect, and when he faints, it will be fine.”

The giant figure twisted his neck and said, “Then you wait.”

After speaking, he raised his hand and beckoned to the golden body Bodhisattva on the oasis. Then he patted his butt and turned and left. He left very decisively, and his figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ning Xuan asked loudly, “What do you mean?”

No one answered.

Ning Xuan said, “Do you really want to force me to take action?”

The leading cavalryman shouted, “Don’t bluff!”

Ning Xuan stared at him faintly, and then thought of the giant figure that had just left. He thought to himself: It seems that where there are people, there is Jianghu. The Zixia Sacred Sect has not managed this place for a long time, and this place has already become a world of its own.

The cavalryman continued to shout, “You are also poisoned. Quickly give up resistance. We won’t kill you…”

Before he could finish his words, the petal in the golden body Bodhisattva’s hand was scattered.

With a scatter, it was like a swarm of metal locusts buzzing and screaming, and instantly passed through the cavalryman.

Countless blood holes appeared in the cavalryman’s flesh and blood.

Fear and disbelief appeared in his pupils.

The remaining power instantly erupted.

Boom!

He exploded, and his flesh, blood, and bones were scattered everywhere.

The metal locusts suddenly formed a neat queue and turned into a saber.

The Bodhisattva suddenly rose, and his left hand carefully protected the two women, while his right hand held the hundred-zhang-long saber.

His figure was like lightning, and he rushed out of the oasis with a “swoosh.” After a few quick ups and downs, he reached the sand ridge. He slashed out with a burst of arc light, and cut the hundred or so camel cavalry in front of him in half.

The air was as still as if it were frozen…

The human heads, human bodies, camel heads, and camel bodies suddenly separated, and then suddenly exploded.

The Swallow’s Cry Power was originally a collapsing power, a power that shattered everything.

Ning Xuan let out a ferocious laugh, and then rushed to the other side.

The camel cavalry reacted and fled frantically.

But, how could a camel outrun a golden body Bodhisattva?

Not long after, the camel and scimitar cavalry who had been looking down at them coldly from a high place were almost all killed.

The remaining one was so scared that he rolled to the ground and kept retreating. He looked up in fear at the Bodhisattva who was dragging a hundred-zhang-long butcher’s knife and approaching like a demon. He said in fear, “We are from the Five Poisons Sect. You… you are also here to find the Five Poisons Sect, right? You can’t kill me. If you kill me…”

Thud!

The golden body Bodhisattva did not wait for him to finish, and directly pressed down with its big hand.

The cavalryman was directly crushed.

At this time, the sound of clapping came from a sand dune not far away.

Ning Xuan turned his head and looked. It was the burly giant shadow that had turned his back to him and suddenly left just now.

But at this moment, he saw this person’s appearance clearly.

Thick eyebrows and big eyes, a calm expression, and an indescribable madness and violence hidden within.

Ning Xuan said, “Killing a few minions, it’s not enough to make us enemies, right? Great General Qin.”

Qin Shan Jun jumped down from the sand dune, and warmed up as if no one was around. While warming up, he said, “Of course not. If it were me, I would have killed those who didn’t have eyes. However, since you’re here, and you’re awake, let’s have a fight. It can be considered as getting to know each other.”