The moment they stepped into the heart of the Desert Land, the group felt the surrounding pressure suddenly intensify. The once yellowish-brown sand had now turned a dark gold. The Fire Attribute Spiritual Power in the area was gone, completely inundated by rampaging Earth Attribute Spiritual Power. Even Shen Haoran and Elder Bai had to circulate their internal Spiritual Power to resist the violent aura.

After entering the heartland, the group’s pace slowed considerably. They were drenched in sweat after covering a mere hundred meters. Two strands of Murong Wanqing’s fine hair clung to her temples, sweat dripping from them ceaselessly. Her cheeks were flushed red, giving her a unique sort of charm.

After half a day, the group had finally managed to travel several miles through the heartland, but their hearts were heavy. For one, the rampaging Spiritual Power around them was constantly eroding their bodies. Their own Spiritual Power was being consumed at an alarming rate, yet they couldn’t refine the surrounding power to replenish it. For another, an invisible pressure constantly weighed on their nerves.

Fortunately, none of them were ordinary people. As disciples of the Celestial Spirit Sect, Ling Feng and his two companions were naturally well-off and had some Elixirs to restore Spiritual Power. And as for Shen Haoran, it went without saying. He was an Alchemist himself; he had handfuls of Spiritual Power recovery Elixirs, enough to pop like candy without a second thought.

The group walked for another few miles when Shen Haoran suddenly stopped.

"Hm? What is it, Brother Shen?" Seeing Shen Haoran halt, the others stopped as well, looking at him with confusion as they asked.

"Don’t you find this a little strange?" Shen Haoran asked, his brows furrowed as he scanned the endless sea of dark gold sand.

"Strange? Of course it’s strange! Nothing has been normal since we entered the heart of this desert!" Murong Wanqing grumbled, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"No, that’s not it. Don’t you think that for all the time we’ve been walking, it’s been... too smooth?" Shen Haoran said in a low voice.

Hearing this, the others were taken aback. It was true. Ever since they entered the heart of the desert, they hadn’t encountered a single obstacle. On the outskirts, they were attacked by all sorts of venomous creatures every few steps. Logically, the heart of the desert should have been far more dangerous, yet they hadn’t seen so much as the shadow of a single Spirit Beast. It was indeed bizarre.

"Elder Xue, what’s going on? Have you ever encountered this before?" Finding the situation unsettling after hearing Shen Haoran’s observation, the group immediately turned to ask Elder Xue.

At their question, Elder Xue fell into deep thought. He then bent down and plunged his hands into the dark gold sand, as if trying to sense something.

"Not good! Run! We’re in big trouble!" Suddenly, the color drained from Elder Xue’s face.

"What?" The hearts of the others clenched. Elder Xue frequently traveled to the desert’s heartland. For him to be so terrified, it had to be an unexpected and extreme danger.

"A desert storm! We’ve run into a desert storm!" Elder Xue said, his voice trembling.

BOOM...

The moment Elder Xue’s voice fell, a tremendous roar echoed between heaven and earth. The sky changed dramatically; the once blazing sun vanished, and the heavens instantly grew dark. On a distant sand dune, a black line appeared, advancing toward them at an incredible speed!

"What is that?" Everyone was shocked as they stared at the rapidly expanding black line, feeling an utterly terrifying pressure rolling in from the distance.

"The desert storm... the most terrifying existence in the Desert Land! It’s the desert’s cleansing machine! No living thing can survive its power!" Elder Xue stammered, trembling all over.

"No wonder we haven’t seen any Spirit Beasts. It’s because of the desert storm!" Elder Xue scrambled to his feet and began to back away frantically.

"Quick, run! If we don’t go now, we’ll all die here!" Elder Xue yelled anxiously.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

At that very moment, the entire earth began to tremble. The sand beneath their feet started to flow, moving faster and faster, even starting to pull them from their spots and drag them toward the desert storm!

’Dammit!’ Shen Haoran cursed under his breath. He stomped his foot to steady himself and broke into a run, heading away from the heartland!

As if sensing their attempt to flee, the distant black line suddenly swelled. A dark, oppressive wall of storm lunged toward them like lightning.

WHOOSH...

In an instant, the world changed color. Sand and stone flew as the wind howled. A sky full of yellow sand and grit danced wildly across the firmament. A black miasma filled the air, plunging toward the earth and seeming to shatter upon impact. The scene was like the end of the world. The terrifying might of heaven and earth permeated the heartland, making Shen Haoran’s group feel as if they were trapped in a quagmire, their movements slowing to a crawl!

"It’s over... it’s over! We can’t escape!" A look of despair washed over Elder Xue’s face. He plopped right down onto the sand, giving up completely.

Shen Haoran’s brows were also tightly knitted. The pressure of heaven and earth made their bodies feel as if they were buried in sand, drastically reducing their speed. It was only a matter of time before the desert storm caught them!

’Dammit, to think we’d run into something like this on my first time out. What rotten luck!’ Ling Feng cursed inwardly as he stared at the oppressive desert storm, which descended like a massive curtain.

"Cousin, what do we do?" Murong Wanqing asked Ling Feng, her gaze fixed on the desert storm in terror, completely at a loss.

Shen Haoran took a deep breath, his gaze hardening. ’If we can’t escape, then we’ll just have to fight!’

"Our only option now is to join forces and try to tear an opening in this storm. It might be our only chance to survive!" Shen Haoran said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the approaching maelstrom.

"Fight the desert storm? Brother Shen, how is that possible? This is the might of heaven and earth! How could we possibly break through it?" A grim look crossed Ling Feng’s face.

"Hmph! So what if it’s the might of heaven and earth? I believe that man can conquer nature! If we fight with our lives on the line, we’ll have a sliver of hope. Otherwise, we can only wait here to die!" Shen Haoran snorted coldly as the Spiritual Power in his body began to surge. Black flames erupted, instantly enveloping him.

"Man can conquer nature?" Ling Feng murmured. Seeing Shen Haoran’s powerful aura, a look of do-or-die determination appeared on his face, and the Spiritual Power in his own body began to surge.

"Alright, let’s give it everything we’ve got! I don’t want to throw my life away here either!" Ling Feng shouted, his aura erupting at full force.

’A Tier Eight Spirit Marquis!’ Shen Haoran was somewhat surprised as he felt the aura erupt from him. ’It seems the disciples of the Celestial Spirit Sect are no slouches.’

"Count me in!" Murong Wanqing also stepped forward. The profound Clan Pattern on her brow reappeared, and the crimson Battle Armor once again enveloped her.

WOOOO...

As if sensing the fighting spirit from Shen Haoran’s group, the desert storm began to rage even more furiously. Faintly, a terrifying face materialized within it, lunging menacingly toward them...