Qiao Jianjun, Jinniu, Kuang Shi, Peacock, and others felt as if something had lodged in their throats, they could not utter a single word, and their breathing seemed to stop altogether.
Before their eyes, the delicate-looking young man they had looked down upon had killed two members of the Wind Thunder Sect with just one move?
And the four of them were still struggling to fight the sand man that had transformed, with no hope of victory in sight.
"Chief Instructor Lin is incredible," Long Mang said with utmost admiration.
"Yes, Chief Instructor Lin has become much more powerful than when he first joined the Sky Group," Huang Mu remarked somewhat emotionally.
Tang Suo's eyes sparkled excitedly, and his face glowed with admiration. His idol, a man of absolute power, had effortlessly slain two formidable opponents.
As Tang Suo admired, he also felt a sense of powerlessness, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint, bitter smile. He had been training himself hard for the past year or two, hoping to surpass Lin Mo, but now it seemed he was falling even further behind.
After Lin Mo had finished, it was as if he had casually crushed two ants.
"If you are injured, you can go back and rest first," Lin Mo said to Qiao Jianjun and the others.
Qiao Jianjun, looking at Lin Mo, clenched his teeth tightly. There was fear and unwillingness in his heart. Was this the real strength of the Sky Group Chief Instructor?
Lin Mo's expression was indifferent, extremely calm, neither sad nor happy, not mocking them, nor showing any emotion, as if he were talking to a wall.
It was a true strongman's confidence and foundation. Qiao Jianjun saw no scorn or ridicule in his gaze, and he found that calmness more distressing.
Having such powerful strength, and even more so, a strongman's mindset, it was no wonder Sima Zining chose him over himself.
Thinking this, Qiao Jianjun's face showed a trace of bitterness. From the beginning to the end, his 'love rival' probably never even considered him an opponent. That was the saddest part.
"We can still hold on; I won't return until the mission is completed," Qiao Jianjun said firmly, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Lin Mo nodded and threw four pills to them, "You all are also Huaxia's elite and warriors, having expended efforts and blood for Huaxia's safety. Eat these four elixirs; they can help you recover from your injuries."
Qiao Jianjun grabbed the elixir, moved his lips, but said nothing.
Lin Mo returned to Sima Zining and Yingzi's side. Long Mang immediately showed a look of admiration, "Chief Instructor Lin, my admiration for you is as endless as the river, as uncontrollable as the overflow of the Yellow River…"
"Enough, stop fooling around, we have important matters to attend to," Lin Mo said helplessly.
"But what about all this sand?"
Sima Zining frowned, her willow-leaf eyebrows knitting as she looked at the wind wall troubling her.
Although the two Wind Thunder Sect members were dead, the sandstorm persisted, making it very difficult to enter.
"Yingzi, give me the Nine Heavens Sword," Lin Mo said to Yingzi.
Yingzi obediently nodded, stretched out her fair wrist whiter than snow, and jingled the silver bell on her hand. A purple and a cyan light flashed, and immediately a three-foot-three-inch treasure sword appeared in her hand.
The crowd once again showed looks of amazement.
"Is this some kind of magic trick?" Long Mang swallowed.
Yingzi smiled and said, "This is a treasure sword my master gave me, it's not a magic trick."
Lin Mo took the Nine Heavens Sword; with the sword in his right hand and his left middle and index fingers lightly touching the Sword God, a clear sword light and purple haze sprang forth. The treasure sword then split into two, forming one cyan treasure sword and one purple treasure sword.
The two treasure swords hovered in midair, buzzing loudly, and suddenly turned into two brilliant streaks of light that flew into the sandstorm ahead.
The originally ferocious sandstorm, upon encountering the two treasure swords, was violently cleaved to create a path about three meters wide, through which the endless yellow sky and desert beyond were clearly visible.
"Let's go."
Lin Mo didn't bother with Qiao Jianjun and the others, striding toward the pathway.
Yingzi, Sima Zining, and others quickly followed behind.
"Captain, what about us?" Kuang Shi, clutching his waist, said with a contorted face.
"You're injured, let Jinniu take you back; Peacock and I will go in," said Qiao Jianjun.
"No, I'm going too," Kuang Shi insisted. "This pain is nothing new to me."
"Alright," Qiao Jianjun glanced at him briefly and then followed Lin Mo and the others into the pathway.
The pathway wasn't very long, only a few dozen meters. After everyone came out, Lin Mo summoned the Nine Heavens Sword back, the two beams of light merging into one treasure sword. The pathway they had opened slowly closed and was engulfed by the sandstorm once again.
After passing the Wind Wall, Lin Mo's Divine Thought suddenly sensed several strong Divine Senses, seemingly probing them.
Long Mang and the others were also stunned by the sight; Lobu Lake's depths were regarded as the land of a lost civilization, the Sea of Death. Noted in the Classic of Mountains and Seas as Ju Ze, time had transformed this lake into a desert. The entire Lobu Lake area now contained only surviving oases and small lakes.
But due to the wind's direction and shifting sands, the terrain was treacherous and constantly changing, making it difficult to accurately locate the oases and lakes.
Yet, at this moment above Lobu Lake, an enormous illusory city floated in the air, sunlight piercing the clouds and scattering below in a burst of brilliant colors, transforming the entire scene into a mythical realm akin to a heavenly court from a movie.
"What exactly happened here, why couldn't we see it before?" Sima Zining asked, her clear eyes wide with astonishment.
"There's an Illusion Technique here, naturally, those outside wouldn't know what happened," Lin Mo spoke indifferently.
He then took big steps toward the grand city hovering in the sky, which must be the legendary Immortal City within the Heavenly Sect, albeit merely a mirage.
The closer Lin Mo got to the depths of Lobu Lake, the more he could feel those strong presences had locked onto him.
As they approached, they gradually spotted some figures. Lin Mo led the way, with Yingzi and Sima Zining on either side, followed by Long Mang, Tang Suo, Qiao Jianjun, and the rest.
Curiosity and astonishment filled everyone's eyes; every person they encountered along the way was incredibly peculiar.
There was a monk with an upper body bare, his whole body golden as if he were a Buddha statue, meditating with closed eyes on a rock.
There were also people controlling terrifying big snakes, their bodies emitting a black aura, akin to God Demons.
And others were riding a White Tiger, standing on a giant tortoise.
Moreover, there were youths wearing regal headdresses, carrying longswords, some in designer suits like members of noble families, and old men with flowing white hair, dressed in Daoist robes, half-Buddha, half-Immortal.
"Lin Tanyu has arrived!" a faint voice spread, not very loud, but everyone heard it clearly.
On the western hillside, a white-haired elder with hair draped over his shoulders was seated cross-legged in midair, eyes closed, but the voice seemed to emanate from him.