It was a very simple color scheme and a very desolate place, yet it made this group of cultivators, who were confident that they could move unhindered between heaven and earth, feel their own insignificance.
The few of them looked at each other and nodded slightly. Soon after, they leaped out one after another.
The wind whistled past their ears as a group of people glided out from the mountain peak. They were like flying ants between heaven and earth. They landed on a sand dune, then got up and flew out again.
The group of people continuously rose and fell in the vast sea of sand, rapidly fleeing into the depths of the desert.
Four hours later, Linghu Qiu raised his hand and gestured, "There's no rush. Let's all take a break and recover our transcendence energy. Don't let your transcendence energy be consumed too much. Otherwise, if we encounter any trouble, it will be difficult to deal with it."
It wasn't without reason that he could be so considerate. He was very clear that someone had set their eyes on Niu Youdao. It was better to be safe than sorry.
Among them, only he and the two handmaidens had Aurous Core cultivation. On Niu Youdao's side, everyone else's cultivation was Foundation Establishment.
Linghu Qiu took out a sheepskin water bottle and indicated for the two handmaidens to remain on guard. He opened the cork and slowly drank some water.
Niu Youdao and the others also took out their water bottles and drank some water. At the same time, they surveyed their surroundings.
Apart from the blue sky, white clouds, and sand dunes, they couldn't see anything else. It was spacious and empty. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow, causing the sand on the sand dunes to tumble and slide down.
"Have you guys been to the Boundless Pavilion before?" Niu Youdao put down his water bottle and asked Black Peony and Duan Hu.
The two of them nodded. Black Peony said, "We've been here three times."
Niu Youdao nodded slightly.
Soon after, the few of them sat cross-legged on the scalding sand. They took out Primary Spirit Pills and consumed them, adjusting their breathing and recovering.
Linghu Qiu did the same. Hong Xiu and Hong Fu stood at the sides of the group, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
About an hour later, there was a strange movement. Everyone who was sitting cross-legged opened their eyes and turned their heads to look at a sand dune not far away. They saw five huge brown scorpions shaking their heads and wagging their tails on the sand dune.
Niu Youdao had seen a description of these things in the "Records of the Upper Qing Dynasty". They were called sand scorpions. They could be described as monsters that lived in this desert. They came and went like the wind in the desert, crawled very fast, had a hard carapace, and their tail stingers were extremely poisonous. They had very powerful attacks, but had a weakness — they were afraid of water!
It was said that sand scorpions' hard carapace would soften upon contact with water, so they were afraid of water.
Even though he had seen its description, this was the first time he had seen a scorpion that was as big as a calf. Other than its grayish-white eyes, the rest of its body was the same color as the desert. If it was hiding in the desert, it would not be easy to spot it.
It was that even bigger than sand scorpions' could reach a length of three meters.
The five sand scorpions shook their tails violently, as if sending out an attack signal. They slid down the sand dune with a swishing sound.
That's right, they didn't climb down. Instead, they used the special structure of their abdomens to slide down like a skateboard. Their legs could also be used as paddles to accelerate, so their speed was very fast.
What was even more frightening was that they could slide with their abdomens close to the ground and jump when their abdomens were off the ground. With a spring of their legs, they leaped up the sand dune and pounced.
Hong Xiu and Hong Fu flipped their palms and quickly struck out with their palm energy, sending the sand scorpions flying.
The five sand scorpions couldn't get close to the sand dune, but they were unrepentant and kept rushing up.
Niu Youdao reached out and grabbed the hilt of his sword.
Noticing this, Linghu Qiu quickly made a gesture to stop him and said, "It's not that we can't kill them, but these monsters have already adapted to the desert environment. In order to obtain food in such a harsh environment, they are born with a keen sense of smell. Once they smell blood, all the sand scorpions within a hundred miles will rush over. "These things are all over the desert. It's easy to deal with a small number of them, but once they come from all directions, it's no different from falling into an army. There's no way to kill them all, and the more we kill, the more there will be. If we're not careful, we might even fall into their trap. At that time, we can only escape. "Therefore, we can only repel them and not kill them. When they can't take it anymore, they will naturally retreat."
Niu Youdao knew about this. He had read about it in the Records of the Shang Qing Dynasty. He only took the sword as a precaution.
"I heard that there's an ancient city under this desert?" Niu Youdao asked.
Linghu Qiu nodded and said, "There is such a saying. It's said that a long time ago, this place was still a place with lush water and grass. Later on, heaven and earth changed, and yellow sand buried this place, including the ancient city. Occasionally, some people will come across the ancient city by accident, but even if they do, it's meaningless. "
As if to prove Linghu Qiu's words, the five sand scorpions were indeed beaten until they couldn't take it anymore. Seeing that they couldn't do anything to this side, they finally turned around and quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Everyone continued to do what they were doing. Linghu Qiu got up and switched to Hong Xiu and Hong Fu to recover.
Linghu Qiu looked into the distance with his hands clasped behind his back. Occasionally, he could see figures flying back and forth in the distance. Needless to say, they were definitely cultivators going to the Boundless Pavilion.
The group set off again. It was enough for them to take a rest midway. Afterward, they directly arrived at the Boundless Pavilion.
A huge black stone mountain stood abruptly in the middle of the desert. There were lakes of various sizes on the top of the mountain. They were like pearls of various sizes on a plate, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds, making people feel relaxed and happy.
There was almost no rain in this place, and it was dry. However, the water level of the lakes on the mountain was maintained all year round, never dropping. It was quite magical.
Linghu Qiu said so, but Niu Youdao understood the principle behind it. He didn't find it magical at all.
Ever since this place was discovered by cultivators, the strange peaks and rocks erected in the middle of the lake had been remodeled. They were excavated into pavilions and mansions, becoming shops for various sects and clans.
There were stone bridges of varying heights everywhere on the lake, connecting to various places. It would be strange if people who were unfamiliar with this place didn't get lost.
Because of this, fighting was not allowed here. Once discovered, they would be severely punished. It was understandable that there was such a rule. Once cultivators fought, some of the bridges might not be able to withstand the tossing and turning of the cultivators.
The highest point of the peak in the middle of the lake was the place with the most exquisite ornamental beams and cornices. It was the Boundless Pavilion.
Below the Boundless Pavilion, there was an inn called the Sky Lake Inn!
Niu Youdao and his group naturally had to stay at the Sky Lake Inn. Black Peony and the others were used to it. Daoye was a person who would not make do with a bad choice if he had a good one.
As they walked on the intersecting stone bridges, they suddenly saw dark waves surging on the surface of the water. Niu Youdao stopped and focused his gaze. He could faintly see a huge black shadow moving under the water.
Linghu Qiu, who had stopped at the side, smiled and said, "The Boundless Pavilion's Pavilion Master's pet, the Flood Dragon in the Sky Lake. It is said that as long as the opportunity is right, it can evolve into the legendary True Dragon. This can also be considered one of the sights of the Boundless Pavilion. Every night when the moon is in the sky, the cries of dragons can often be heard. However, very few people can see their true faces! "
Niu Youdao nodded slightly. He had also seen this in the "Shang Qing Shi Posthumous Records".
It was said that this place was originally a pool of stagnant water. At that time, the Boundless Pavilion did not exist yet. Cultivators coming and going would all replenish their water here. Later on, for some unknown reason, two Flood Dragons suddenly appeared in the water. It was said that they came from the earth's core. One male and one female, they stirred up trouble and caused many cultivators to die.
Later on, one of the Nine Great Supremes, Lan Daolin, heard the news and arrived. He subdued the two Flood Dragons. Afterwards, Lan Daolin took this place as his own and established the Boundless Pavilion here. The Pavilion Master of the Boundless Pavilion was Lan Daolin's son, Lan Ming!
Later on, a small Flood Dragon appeared in the Sky Lake. Everyone guessed that it was born from the mating of the male and female Flood Dragons.
The legendary Flood Dragon, Niu Youdao naturally wanted to see the true face of this creature. However, he could only faintly see a black shadow turning over in the water. He stood there for a long time, but it did not appear again. He could not even see its rough outline clearly. He could not help but feel somewhat regretful.
After checking into the Sky Lake Inn, Niu Youdao pushed open the window. His position was slightly higher than most of the shops outside.
He looked at the people coming and going on the stone bridge outside, and then stared at the Jade-Green Deep Pool below for a while. He turned back and said to Black Peony, "Go and find out the way to the shops of the three sects. If anything happens, we can communicate in time."
Black Peony was looking around the room. When they were reserving a guest room, she had taken the initiative and asked for a room with Niu Youdao. It could be said that they were staying together.
She did not care, and Niu Youdao did not care what outsiders thought of them.
"Yes!" Black Peony answered, turned around, and left.
Duan Hu quickly came in and took Black Peony's hand. He carefully checked every corner of the room, and then boiled tea with a charcoal stove.
When Black Peony returned, she brought the shopkeepers of the three sects to see Niu Youdao.
The two of them talked for a while, and Niu Youdao asked many questions, mainly about the situation in the Boundless Pavilion.
Since they had come here, they could not avoid walking around and broadening their horizons. Linghu Qiu accompanied them.
The group strolled until it was very late before they returned to their respective rooms. Niu Youdao had just sat by the window with a cup of tea and admired the moon when a Golden Wing swept over from the night sky and directly flew into the window.
Black Peony reached out and took the Golden Wing. She took out the secret letter from the tube at her feet, found a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and translated the contents of the secret letter. She walked to the window and presented it. "Daoye, news from the Northern Prefecture."
Niu Youdao turned around and took the secret letter to read.
He knew at a glance that it was a message from Chen Guishuo, but the contents of the letter made him frown. He did not understand what it meant. Chen Guishuo did not know what it meant either.
In any case, he had been suddenly transferred by Shao Pingbo. It was too sudden, and he had lost contact with the contact in the Northern Prefecture. It was not good to ask someone else to pass the message on his behalf, so he only spread the news when he returned to the Northern Prefecture's capital.
"Map of Korea!" Niu Youdao put down his teacup and stood up.
Black Peony immediately found the map he wanted from his bag and spread it out on the table.
Niu Youdao stared at the map for a while and asked for a charcoal pen. He compared the contents of the secret letter and found the waterway that Chen Guishuo had mentioned. He marked and connected the waterway sections of the various areas.
There were so many names and rivers in South Korea. Who would be able to figure out what was going on? Once the names were marked, everything became much clearer.
"The Northern Prefecture leads to the sea … The sea leads to the Northern Prefecture …" His finger gestured twice on the route. Niu Youdao seemed to be deep in thought. The corners of his mouth gradually curled up, revealing a strange smile. He muttered, "War horses!"
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