Time rewound five minutes. Mo Chuan had finally calmed down Roni. As they held each other tightly, Mo Chuan heard the system notification:
“Mission progress refreshed: Point Search (1/4)”
“???” Mo Chuan frowned at the sound. This was Loulan Palace, wasn't it? Why was it counted as part of the Dunhuang ruins?
Sensing something was wrong, Mo Chuan gently patted the person in his arms and said, “Shall we go out?”
“Go out? …Oh… Right, this place was turned into a different dimension by my teacher… Alright, I’ll take you back to reality.”
“By the way, Roni,” Mo Chuan asked, “who exactly is this ‘teacher’ you mentioned?”
“The patriarch of the Azure Wing Eagle tribe, Jin Peng.”
“Oh… A great demon from the same era as Su Daji… That explains it…”
Roni then shoved the Bronze Phoenix Mirror into Mo Chuan’s hand. She waved it a few times, and a golden teleportation wormhole appeared out of thin air. All the yellow sand soldiers parted, leaving only sixteen soldiers carrying a sedan chair and an honor guard.
The yellow sand soldiers bowed, gesturing for Mo Chuan to board the sedan chair.
“Uh… Roni, you sit, I can walk…” Mo Chuan originally felt there was no need to fight Roni for the single seat on the sedan chair. But seeing Roni about to cry again, he headachesly deactivated his 〔Hellwalker · Divine Dragon Venerable〕 form and sat on the sedan chair.
Roni, however, was so excited that the feathers on her head were almost standing on end. She immediately flew to Mo Chuan’s side and plopped down into his embrace.
“Uh… I knew this would happen…” Mo Chuan actually felt quite awkward, as he was already an Infernal Rider. Now he was to be Hou Yi (the masterful archer), which made him feel like his XP might have some serious issues.
The yellow sand soldiers lifted the sedan chair and entered the teleportation portal.
…
In the end, Zhang Hanshan and the others could not find any trace of Mo Chuan in the ruins, not even his body.
“Let’s look on the bright side, Mo Chuan was probably teleported somewhere else, after all, the teleportation here is highly unpredictable,” He Lanxin comforted them.
Just then, Cao Beijie rushed over and shouted, “Teacher Qing Lianzi, everyone, get in the car quickly! The teleportation array has only ten minutes of activation time due to disrepair. If we don’t leave here within these ten minutes, we’ll be trapped here permanently!”
Hearing this, the three could only reluctantly get into the car.
Not long after, a weathered transport vehicle appeared out of nowhere in the sea of sand. Its tires spun rapidly, and soon it turned into a black dot, disappearing into the vast desert.
The atmosphere in the car was heavy. Zhang Hanshan sat in the back seat, silent. He Lanxin was lost in worried thought. Qing Lianzi appeared to be meditating, but her disordered breathing clearly revealed her inner turmoil.
…
Mo Chuan looked at the boundless Mirror Lake before him, then at the Salt Crystal Spirit Ore in his hand, feeling a bit speechless.
The system had already given him a notification, showing his mission progress had been updated (Point Search: 2/4).
It’s just…
“Roni… Weren’t you going to take me back to reality? Why did we come here…” Mo Chuan glanced at the stone tablet and said, “To Lop Nur?”
Beside him, Roni, frolicking by the lake, pretended not to hear and continued to run around the salt lake that could perfectly reflect the sky.
She’s definitely doing this on purpose!
“Speaking of which… Lop Nur in my past life seemed to have dried up by the Han Dynasty. As for Lop Nur here, due to these water-attribute Salt Crystal Spirit Ores, and being pulled into a secret realm, it has become this salt marsh…” Mo Chuan absorbed the trace spiritual energy from the salt crystals and immediately felt his whole body turn ice-cold and clear, like drinking a bottle of chilled cola.
“Roni.” To return to reality as soon as possible, Mo Chuan could only feign anger and say, “It’s time to stop playing! If I don’t go back soon, my teammates will worry.”
“Okay!” Roni was surprisingly agreeable. She clapped her hands, and another teleportation portal appeared. She then took Mo Chuan’s hand and entered it.
…
Tian Sheng Sect.
Mo Chuan inhaled the cool, cool air and looked at the cool, cool snow-capped mountains, feeling a cool, cool chill in his heart.
Are you done acting?
Are you just going to do whatever you want because you can take me out?
I, Mo Chuan, just want to say…
You’re capable, you’re amazing, you’re noble.
“Roni… If you want me to play with you, just say so… but can you wait until I inform my teammates first…”
“My dear, what are you saying?” Roni came running over, followed by a large group of yellow sand soldiers.
“I… you have fun, call me when you’re done.” Mo Chuan plopped down onto a rock covered with a thin layer of snow, resigned to his fate, and looked at his status panel.
Wait a minute…
I can understand having the skill 〔Wasted Remains〕.
But what’s with this 〔Shadow Rush〕?
Isn’t this the ultimate ability of the Centaur?
So Mo Chuan clicked on the description of 〔Shadow Rush〕:
“Summons spectral cavalry to charge forward, dealing magic damage to enemies they strike.
The leading Khan will unleash a shockwave upon completing his charge, causing nearby enemies to flee in terror, with the fear effect lasting 0.75-2 seconds (depending on the distance of the spectral cavalry’s charge).”
“Wait a minute… Khan?” Mo Chuan keenly sensed something. After a moment of thought, he recalled the scene before his illusion shattered.
His skills… had dragged the Xiongnu cavalry into hell…
…
Night, deep within the sea of sand.
“Are you sure your incantation will work?” A voice from Taishan King’s communicator sounded doubtful.
“Of course… My lord, in the fields of formations and talismans, no one can compare to me, Taishan King,” Taishan King said with utmost confidence.
“An incantation that can forcibly pull a person into a nearby secret realm after a certain condition is met…” The voice on the other end of the device seemed to ponder for a moment before speaking, “We’ll discuss this matter later. Your immediate priority is to determine if Mo Chuan and his team are still alive.”
“Rest assured, my lord. Among the four legendary locations in this sea of sand, which one isn’t a place of extreme danger?” Taishan King patted his chest and guaranteed, “The Beast Empress of Loulan Palace, the Gatekeeper of Tian Sheng Sect, the Salt Crystal Snake of Lop Nur, the Queen Mother of Kunlun Mountain. Any one of them can take Mo Chuan’s life.”
“Hmm… Remember to bring back the corpse…” The voice on the other end seemed to agree with Taishan King’s assessment and hung up the communication.
The desert night was clear and moonlit, fraught with hidden dangers.