Chapter 375: Chapter 358: Sandstorm
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What the hell is this place?" Fan Hong spat out a mouthful of sand, gazing at the endless desert around him.
"We have to stay in this godforsaken place for a year?"
"Looks like it."
The group had no choice but to face the reality before them. Lv Yuantian had actually given them a year of safety to cultivate. After they returned to the academy, they would inevitably have to face an all-out counterattack from the Dragon King Faction.
If they were still no match for their enemies by then, the Holy Hall would face complete annihilation. No one would be able to escape, and this time, Lv Yuantian wouldn’t step in to stop it.
Of course, sending them here was also meant as a punishment.
Mingren brushed the sand from his face, flew into the air, and then slowly descended. "We should probably find a place to settle down first. There’s something that looks like a tower up ahead."
The Elemental Qi here was nothing like in the Great Yuan Realm. It was filled with tyrannical and unstable energy, an extremely volatile factor for Cultivators.
Everyone flew up and headed toward the distant structure. They really did find a dilapidated tower in the desert, but at least it was a place to take shelter.
Almost as soon as they arrived, the sky changed instantly. A raging gale swept in, filling the air with yellow sand. It howled toward them like a giant beast intent on devouring heaven and earth.
The group scrambled into the tower. The sandstorm had arrived.
A sandstorm formed from tyrannical Elemental Qi was not something an ordinary Cultivator could withstand. It was a complete nightmare.
Everyone gathered in a circle, focusing their Elemental Power to resist the sandstorm. If it weren’t for the tower, they probably would have been blown who knows where.
All sound vanished; shouting was useless. The only thing they could do was grit their teeth and wait for the sandstorm to pass.
An unknown amount of time passed in the gloom, but finally, calm returned.
The dilapidated tower was now tilted and piled high with yellow sand. The scorching sun blazed, tirelessly burning the desert.
RUSTLE. The sand shifted, and a head poked out.
One by one, the others poked their heads out. Wang Meng was the first to climb out completely, and then everyone helped each other up. During the most dangerous moment, no one had let go. They had managed to endure.
"What the hell is this goddamn place? This is insane!" Fan Hong said, his throat feeling like it was on fire.
Hex Zui shook his head. "I’m afraid this isn’t even the deadliest part. From what I know, there are also dangerous Demon Beasts here. Everyone, be careful. If we want to survive, we’d better make a plan."
"Let’s clean this place up first and recover. Tomorrow, we’ll start inspecting the surrounding area to see if there are any other places,"
Wang Meng said.
"Then let’s get started. I’d rather not get blown away by a sandstorm," Lv Buwei said with a laugh. The fact that he could still laugh in a situation like this showed he had real guts.
Without another word, everyone quickly began clearing away the sand. Arhat and Zhou Feng started setting up a Defense Array.
The desert night seemed especially desolate. After some cleaning, three floors of the tower were exposed. After a whole day of struggle, no one had gotten much rest. Fan Hong was already fast asleep and snoring.
Ma Tian’Er quietly gazed at the night sky. Wang Meng sat down beside her. "You know, if you look closely, it’s actually quite beautiful here."
"Brother Wang, tell me, why can’t we live a peaceful life?" Ma Tian’Er said softly.
Wang Meng sighed internally. ’It seems Ma Tian’Er still can’t get over Ning Zhiquan’s death.’ "Peace doesn’t belong to us Cultivators, especially not in the Great Yuan Realm."
"Am I too weak? I miss Thunderlight Hall."
Looking at Ma Tian’Er’s pitiful and lovely expression, Wang Meng gently stroked Tian’Er’s hair. "Don’t overthink it. Everything will be all right!"
Ma Tian’Er leaned gently against Wang Meng, her eyes red, but she didn’t let any tears fall. She had been in the Great Yuan Realm for a long time now, but in truth, she still couldn’t get used to the slaughter—especially such pointless life and death. It was as if just yesterday Ning Zhiquan was perfectly fine, laughing and chatting, but in the blink of an eye, his soul had returned to the Underworld for such a nonsensical reason.
Conflict, eternal conflict. She thought she had adapted, but in reality, she was still just lying to herself.
"Tian’Er, we Cultivators must fight against the heavens, and we must also fight against ourselves. One day, you and I might face the same fate. But this is the path we chose. If we really lived a peaceful, ordinary life every day, we’d probably go crazy,"
Wang Meng said. At least he wasn’t someone content with being ordinary. In fact, everyone here was likely the same, with the possible exception of Ma Tian’Er. The path of Cultivation was one of constant challenges, where the strong prey on the weak.
Ma Tian’Er nodded. She understood, really, but she couldn’t help but feel weak for a moment, especially when Wang Meng was around.
And just like that, Ma Tian’Er gradually fell asleep. Wang Meng, however, felt no sleepiness at all. There were still many things weighing on his mind.
’In this one year, I have to advance my Five Elements Technique to the Fourth Stage. Only then can I take down Hua Jianyu!’
In the moonlight, the sleeping Ma Tian’Er looked like a helpless child. Wang Meng gently placed her head on his lap so she could sleep more comfortably.
Wang Meng’s Heart Spirit began to expand, spreading outward from the tower. The immediate sensation was one of desolation and scarcity. It seemed the Five Elements were missing!
It felt like Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth were all scarce. ’So this is the Five Elements Desert. The Old Demon Dean really knows how to pick a ’good’ place for me.’
He faintly sensed the auras of Demon Beasts, auras filled with aggression. ’Looks like we really do have to be careful here.’
But that wasn’t his biggest worry. Besides the harsh environment, he was more concerned about who else might be in this space.
Day broke, and everyone got busy. For the next year, this would be the place where they lived and cultivated. Arhat and Zhou Qian were responsible for perfecting the arrays, setting up warnings around the perimeter. Ma Tian’Er and Yanm Yuyue took charge of the area around the tower, planning out living spaces for everyone.
Wang Meng and the others began patrolling the surroundings in pairs, getting a feel for the area and gathering intelligence.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed in the Five Elements Desert Space. During this time, they had endured two sandstorms and several attacks from Sand Worms. Wang Meng and the others, however, focused their main efforts on their Cultivation.
Away from the Cultivation Academy, the barren and desolate environment had unexpectedly given everyone a new focus for their training. Here, the best way to pass the time was to cultivate.
The Five Elements Cultivation Array produced miraculous effects here. Its principle was the resonance of Elemental Power among Cultivators. In this world, which was scarce in the Five Elements, each person’s Five Elements Attribute became exceptionally sensitive and controllable. This, in turn, made the Cultivation Array even more effective.
The Sand Worms were quite powerful. They were a type of Exotic Beast unique to this place that fed on anything they could devour. They moved with lightning speed, their color blending in with the surroundings. They possessed brutal physical attacks and had a fairly strong defense against Magic. Patrol duties were mostly led by Wang Meng and Mingren, as the two of them were the strongest. Even if they were attacked, they could retreat unscathed.
The others were busy with their own tasks. Zhou Feng was still practicing his Alchemy Technique; he had read a great deal back at the Alchemy Institute, so this was a good opportunity to take the time to organize his knowledge clearly. He had also brought quite a few Pill Furnaces with him. Arhat, meanwhile, was cultivating his Array Technique, and the rest could spar with one another.
