Chapter 2428: Chapter 2428
For Ye Liuyun, slaying venomous scorpions wasn’t particularly taxing—he simply treated it as practice for honing his blade intent.
But the Death March was clearly no walk in the park. These creatures were merely warm-ups.
Soon, the scorpions grew massive, their pincers alone dwarfing Ye Liuyun’s entire frame. And they weren’t the only threats—rattlesnakes, desert wolves, and other savage beasts began appearing in waves. Some of the more cunning predators even coordinated attacks, ambushing him from the shadows.
The armored shells of the giant scorpions proved incredibly tough. Even Ye Liuyun’s Demon-Slaying Blade struggled to cleave through them, often requiring repeated strikes on the same spot to break their defenses.
Forced to remain vigilant, Ye Liuyun kept his spiritual senses sharp, scanning every direction—even beneath the shifting sands—for hidden dangers.
Not only was his Xuan Yuan energy steadily draining, but his patience was wearing thin as well.
"When will this damn nightmare end?" he muttered irritably as the assaults grew relentless.
Yet after unleashing a few ruthless counterattacks, he quickly steadied himself.
He remembered Wuhen’s warning: stock up on resources that could swiftly replenish his true energy. That meant this Death March demanded sustained combat.
Taking a deep breath, he shifted his mindset. No longer fixated on speed or efficiency, he embraced the ordeal as training—another step in mastering his blade.
Wuhen had once told him there was no set path to the end of the Death March. Each participant had to find their own way out.
But one thing was certain: any warrior below the third tier of the Heavenly Realm would never make it out alive.
So Ye Liuyun knew full well that he still had a long way to go before getting out of here. There was no point in rushing now.
Eventually, he started hunting larger venomous scorpions and ferocious beasts, storing them in his spatial world for everyone to roast and enjoy. Their shells and hides could also be used to craft armor and weapons.
He even released his strongest martial companions—Lei Ming, the Dragon Maiden, and Liao Yunyang—along with his tamed beasts: the Vermilion Bird, the Stone Ape, the White Tiger, and Phantom Hand. Together, they helped him take down the scorpions and beasts.
But before long, the trial intensified once more.
One after another, sand crocodiles emerged from beneath the dunes, launching vicious attacks. These creatures were massive, dwarfing even Lei Ming in size. A single slash from Ye Liuyun’s blade wasn’t enough to sever their heads—it often took seven or eight strikes to bring one down.
Desperate, Ye Liuyun summoned the Demon Vine to help restrain the sand crocodiles.
"Attack their bellies from below!" the Demon Vine hissed, having discovered their weak spot.
Taking the advice, Ye Liuyun sent out his doppelgänger. With the Demon Vine’s assistance, it burrowed beneath the shifting sands and struck from underneath, slicing open a crocodile’s belly with a single clean cut.
After finally defeating the sand crocodiles, the group barely had time to catch their breath when Ye Liuyun’s divine sense suddenly detected something—a stone city looming in the distance.
Just as he was about to lead everyone toward it, a violent gale erupted without warning. The desert sands swirled violently into the sky, twisting and coiling until they formed the shape of a massive dragon.
A monstrous, earth-yellow sand dragon now hovered above them, its body writhing as it let out a deafening roar.
"I’ll handle this!"
The Dragon Maiden stepped forward, leaping into the air. In a flash, she revealed her true draconic form and roared back in defiance.
But compared to the colossal sand dragon, her own figure seemed pitifully small—barely half its size.
"I’ll help too!" With a thunderous roar, Lei Ming transformed into his true form and soared into the sky.
At the same moment, the Vermilion Bird, the White Tiger, and several Xuanwu warriors including Phantom Hand all charged forward to join the battle.
Not to be outdone, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger brandished their blades and slashed at the colossal yellow sand dragon. Yet even as their strikes cleaved through its body, the wounds instantly filled with swirling sand, leaving the creature’s combat prowess completely unaffected.
Realizing the futility of their attacks, Ye Liuyun and his doppelganger sheathed their weapons. One channeled the power of heaven and earth, bombarding the dragon’s spine with relentless force, while the other unleashed frigid energy, encasing its claws in ice before shattering them. Though the sand reformed the claws, the process now required precious time.
Meanwhile, the Xuanwu warriors seized the dragon’s tail, their claws furiously digging into the same spot until they severed it entirely, robbing the beast of its whipping strikes.
Lei Ming, combining his frost abilities with the Dragon Maiden and White Tiger, locked the sand dragon in a stalemate. The Vermilion Bird focused its assault on the creature’s eyes, scorching the grains that formed them with searing flames.
The Demon Vine coiled around the dragon’s body, relentlessly draining its energy.
After blasting a massive hole through the dragon’s spine, Ye Liuyun plunged inside. Gathering every ounce of his celestial power and profound essence, he unleashed an explosive surge from within, causing the sand dragon’s body to burst apart.
The severed head and torso plummeted downward, crashing to the ground with a thunderous *boom*, sending golden sand scattering in all directions.
Amid the settling dust, a gleaming white crystal, three zhang in length and width, was revealed. With a swift gesture, Ye Liuyun stored it in his spatial realm before recalling his exhausted comrades. Without hesitation, he replenished his energy reserves and raced toward the stone city, sparing no expense in his haste.
The others, bearing significant injuries and completely drained of their vital energy, gulped down life-restoring spring water the moment they returned. Liang Xue and the rest hurried over to assist in their recovery.
"What’s happening out there?" Liang Xue and the other women, whose cultivation levels were too low to be of much help in battle, could only wait anxiously within the spatial realm, feeling utterly helpless.
"It’s brutal! That monstrous creature!" After drinking the Life Spring Water, Lei Ming had recovered enough to recount the battle to Liang Xue and the others.
Upon hearing the dire situation outside, they grew increasingly worried, frustrated by their inability to assist.
Once the doppelgänger, the Dragon Maiden, and the others had regained their strength, they immediately retreated into the Profound Void Stone to replenish their energy. They all understood the extreme danger of their circumstances—the sooner they recovered, the safer Ye Liuyun would be.
Meanwhile, Ye Liuyun was using his divine sense to survey the stone city.
The small town wasn’t large, and his consciousness could easily cover its entirety. But what he saw sent a chill down his spine.
Scattered throughout the city were numerous desiccated corpses, reduced to skeletal remains under the relentless desert sun. Strangely, their core energy—the Yuan Dan—had vanished entirely.
This was highly unusual. For powerful martial artists, especially those at the Heavenly Human Second Level, their bodies could remain preserved for centuries as long as their Yuan Dan remained intact. The fact that these corpses had decayed so thoroughly suggested something far more sinister at play.
Instantly on guard, Ye Liuyun replenished his own energy using the Energy Conversion Stone, preparing for potential combat.
As he scanned the area, he noticed a skeletal finger still bearing a Interspatial Ring. With a flick of his will, he drew it toward him and inspected its contents.
"Huh?"
To his surprise, the items inside were perfectly preserved. He meticulously examined them with his divine sense, detecting no hidden traps or harmful substances.
Still cautious, he handed the ring to Qiong Qi for a second inspection. After a thorough check, Qiong Qi confirmed it was safe.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Liuyun began collecting the remaining storage rings. Many contained valuable white crystals and other resources—far too precious to leave behind.
But just as he picked up a few, the Divine Command Token in his consciousness suddenly began to glow—brighter and brighter, radiating golden light.
"An illusion?"
He temporarily deactivated his Golden Pupils and the Divine Command Token. Instantly, the world before him transformed. The desolate ruins gave way to a resplendent city, bustling with people moving about.
