286: Chapter 285: The Poisonous Sect

Teng Qinghan stood beside him, her white robe fluttering in the wind. Her expression was cold, but a hint of deep-seated worry hid in her eyes. She pulled an ice-blue jade talisman from her sleeve and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou. The talisman was entirely ice-blue, its surface engraved with fine silver patterns that wound like swords, flickering slightly in the twilight.

"This is the ice soul jade talisman," Teng Qinghan’s voice was cool but carried an imperceptible trace of concern. "It was refined using the Ice Soul True Intent of the successive Sect Masters of the Mystic Ice Sword Sect. It can withstand the harsh wind, sand, and bizarre miasma of the Western Desert. The Western Desert is not like the Northlands; there are no ice sea beasts there, but there are more dangerous sandstorms, man-eating sandworms, and the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands and evil Cultivator forces that have occupied it for millennia."

Jiang Hanzhou took the ice soul jade talisman; it felt cold to the touch. That chill surged through his palm and into his Meridians, producing a faint resonance with the Tidal True Intent inside him. He tucked the talisman close to his body and nodded, "Thank you, Senior Sister Teng."

Teng Qinghan continued, "I have found that the West Altar of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect, the 'Poison Sand Cult,' is also active in the Western Desert. The Poison Sand Cult is the Ten Thousand Gu Sect's largest branch outside the Northlands. By combining Gu techniques with the Western Desert's toxic miasma, they refine various bizarre venomous Gu. They are also searching for traces of the teleportation Formation and are very likely looking for the core of the Great Leiyin Temple's Formation as well."

Jiang Hanzhou frowned slightly. "Poison Sand Cult? How is their strength?"

"The Sect Master of the Poison Sand Cult is known as 'Poison Sand Old Ancestor,' with a cultivation at the Middle Stage of the Spirit Communication Realm, equivalent to the Middle Stage of the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm in the East Sea." Teng Qinghan's voice was solemn. "Under him are seven Protectors, all ranging from the Peak of the Soul Condensation Realm to the Early Stage of the Spirit Communication Realm. They have operated in the Western Desert for centuries, their influence deeply entrenched, and they are also in league with the evil Cultivators of the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands. If you encounter people from the Poison Sand Cult, do not confront them head-on."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

He took out the heavenly secret mirror from his sumeru pouch. The jade talisman was pure white, its silver patterns brighter than they had been in the Northlands, winding like dragons and flowing slowly across the talisman. During the battle in the Northlands, the heavenly secret mirror had unlocked its third Seal in the spatial turbulence, opening a storage space about a square yard in size. The space wasn't large, but it was enough to hold the core runes of the Northlands' teleportation Formation, the tiger soul saber, and various classic texts he had scavenged from the Black Witch Cult's main altar.

He projected his Divine Sense into the storage space of the heavenly secret mirror and carefully placed the ice-blue rune in the deepest part of the space. Beside the rune was a spare scabbard for the tiger soul saber and several Jade Slips scavenged from the Black Witch Cult. Although the space was small, it was extremely stable; spiritual energy would not leak, and items would not be damaged.

"Regarding Perfected Lord Bingxuan's side," he looked up at Teng Qinghan, "I will contact her regularly via communication talisman. If Wei Wuya makes a move, or if there are any changes to the dao seed source in the East Sea, please inform me in time."

Teng Qinghan nodded. "Don't worry. The Mystic Ice Sword Sect has guarded the Northlands' dao seed source for generations; we won't let Dragon Slaying True Person's remnant soul succeed easily. As for you, there is no help from the Mystic Ice Sword Sect in the Western Desert; you can only rely on yourself for everything."

Jiang Hanzhou did not answer, but simply turned and walked down toward the pass.

Below the pass, a massive Ice Camel was kneeling on the ground, waiting for him. The Ice Camel was a mount gifted to him by the White Deer Tribe; it was pure white, ten feet tall, and over twenty feet long, with thick limbs and wide hooves, capable of long-distance gallops across ice fields and rocky deserts. A thick fur blanket was spread across the Ice Camel's back, with dried rations, water skins, and several spare sets of clothes hanging on either side.

Ayiguli stood beside the Ice Camel. Seeing Jiang Hanzhou approach, she handed him the reins. "Physician Jiang, this Ice Camel is the fastest mount in our White Deer Tribe; covering a thousand miles a day is no problem. Ride it through the pass and head south for three days, and you will enter the oasis region of the Western Desert."

Jiang Hanzhou took the reins and cupped his hands in a salute to Ayiguli. "Thank you, Chief Ayiguli. I will remember the kindness of the White Deer Tribe."

Ayiguli shook her head, a hint of honest laughter appearing on her rugged face. "Physician Jiang is too polite. You saved the White Deer Tribe, killed the Ice Bear King, and destroyed the Black Witch Cult's main altar. This small token is nothing."

She paused and took a palm-sized piece of beast hide from her bosom, handing it to Jiang Hanzhou. "This is a map of the Western Desert passed down through generations of the White Deer Tribe, marking the locations of major oases, water sources, and Buddhist temples. The Great Leiyin Temple is in the deepest part of the Western Desert; it's not marked on the map, but you can follow the oases westward. Once you reach the 'Crescent Spring' oasis, head west for another five hundred miles, and you will see the Great Leiyin Temple's pagoda."

Jiang Hanzhou took the beast hide map and unfolded it for a look. It was densely marked with place names in Northlands script, some of which he knew and others he had never heard of. He put the map into the storage space of the heavenly secret mirror and flipped onto the Ice Camel.

The Ice Camel stood up and let out a low bray.

Teng Qinghan walked up to the Ice Camel and looked up at Jiang Hanzhou. In her gaze, there were instructions, reluctance, and a hint of unspeakable trust.

"Junior Brother Jiang, the Western Desert is not like the Northlands; there are no ice sea beasts there, but there are more dangerous sandstorms, man-eating sandworms, and the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands and evil Cultivator forces that have occupied it for millennia." Her voice was cool. "Furthermore, the Poison Sand Cult is also active in the Western Desert, and they too are searching for traces of the teleportation Formation. You must be careful."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded. "Senior Sister Teng, you take care as well."

He pulled the reins, and the Ice Camel set off, heading toward the rocky desert south of the pass.

Teng Qinghan stood on the rocks of the pass, watching that figure grow more distant. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't speak. She just stood there until the Ice Camel's silhouette vanished at the edge of the horizon before turning to walk back into the depths of the Northlands.

The Ice Camel's pace was steady, each step covering over ten feet, leaving a string of deep hoofprints in the rocky desert.

Sitting on the camel's back, Jiang Hanzhou watched the scenery change bit by bit. The ice fields of the Northlands gradually receded, and the ground beneath changed from snowy white to grayish-yellow, and then to earthy yellow. The chill in the air grew fainter, replaced by a dry, hot wind carrying the scent of sand and soil.

Three days later, he crossed the rocky desert south of the pass and officially entered the Western Desert.

The sky of the Western Desert was grayish-yellow; no sun or clouds could be seen, only yellow sand flying across the sky. The wind swirled sand grains against his face like fine blades cutting skin, leaving a burning pain. He activated the power of the ice soul jade talisman, and a thin ice-blue light shield enveloped him, keeping the wind and sand out.

The ground beneath changed from rocky desert to a sea of sand. Golden sand grains flowed in the wind, and dunes rose and fell like frozen waves. Between the dunes, dried riverbeds and dead Populus euphratica trees could occasionally be seen—places that once had water, now left in dead silence.

He followed the route marked on the map, heading west all the way.

On the first day, he passed an abandoned oasis. The spring water in the oasis had dried up, and the Populus euphratica trees were left as bare trunks, covered in marks of wind and sand erosion. Several collapsed mud-brick houses were scattered at the edge of the oasis, their roofs long gone and walls full of cracks. He rested in the oasis for half an hour, gave the Ice Camel some water, and then continued his journey.

On the second day, he encountered his first sandstorm. The sandstorm came without warning; what was initially just a light breeze turned into a gale in an instant, with yellow sand filling the sky and blotting out the sun, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. He pushed the power of the ice soul jade talisman to its limit, led the Ice Camel to the leeward side of a dune, and stabilized himself with Pure Yang True Intent, waiting for two full hours in the sandstorm. After the storm passed, the ice-blue light shield on him had dimmed significantly, and much of the power in the ice soul jade talisman had been consumed.

On the third day, he encountered people from the Poison Sand Cult at the edge of an oasis. They were five Cultivators dressed in yellow robes, their faces covered with yellow cloth, revealing only their eyes. Various Gu tools hung from their waists—some shaped like gourds, some like bone flutes, some like copper bells—emanating a cold aura. The cultivation of the five was not high, ranging from the Peak of the Blood Expansion Realm to the Early Stage of the Soul Condensation Realm, but their Gu techniques were bizarre. Jiang Hanzhou did not want to expose his tracks so soon after entering the Western Desert. He bypassed them from a distance without alerting them.

On the tenth day, he reached the first large oasis marked on the map, Crescent Spring.

Crescent Spring was a body of water in the depths of the Western Desert, shaped like a crescent moon, about a hundred yards long and twenty yards wide, with crystal-clear water. Dense Populus euphratica forests and reeds grew by the spring, and dozens of mud-brick houses were scattered through the woods—the camps of local herders and merchant caravans. Jiang Hanzhou replenished his water and dried rations at Crescent Spring and asked the local herders for the direction of the Great Leiyin Temple. The herders said the Great Leiyin Temple was five hundred miles west of Crescent Spring, built on a massive rocky mountain; the temple was magnificent and golden, with pagodas reaching into the clouds, the Holy Land for all Buddhist Cultivators in the Western Desert. But the herders also warned him that the area within a hundred miles of the Great Leiyin Temple was filled with the Formations of the Esoteric Sect; outsiders could not enter, and those who did would be converted by the Buddha-light, becoming mindless Puppets.

Jiang Hanzhou ignored those warnings. He put the map and the ice soul jade talisman into the heavenly secret mirror, mounted the Ice Camel, and continued west.

The Ice Camel galloped through the sand sea, its hooves making a rustling sound on the sand grains. The wind howled in his ears, and yellow sand flew around him. He pushed the light shield of the ice soul jade talisman to its limit to resist the encroachment of wind and sand, while slowly circulating his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent in his Sea of Consciousness, staying alert for any threats that might appear around him.

Behind him, in the direction of the Mystic Ice Vast Sea, the last trace of the ice field's aura was swallowed by the yellow sand.

Ahead, in the depths of the Western Desert, in the direction of the Great Leiyin Temple, a golden light could be seen flickering between heaven and earth.

That was Buddha-light, the Power Of Faith refined by the Esoteric Sect's Buddhist Cultivators through a thousand years of chanting and prayer, and the proof of the Great Leiyin Temple's existence.

Jiang Hanzhou looked at that golden light and gripped the tiger soul saber tightly.

The core of the Western Desert's teleportation Formation was inside the Great Leiyin Temple.

He didn't know if the Esoteric Sect's Buddhist Cultivators would let him enter the temple, if the teleportation Formation core was still in its original place, or if the Poison Sand Cult had already reached it before him. But he had to go, because it was his only choice.

The Ice Camel continued galloping west, its hoofbeats echoing in the sand sea.

On the third day after entering the Western Desert, before dawn, Jiang Hanzhou sensed something was wrong.

The Ice Camel began to grow restless at dawn; it knelt on the sand, its head lowered, nostrils snorting thick white vapor, and limbs trembling slightly. Jiang Hanzhou woke from his meditation, gripped the tiger soul saber in his hand, and scanned his surroundings. The sky was a hazy gray, and a dark yellow glow was faintly visible at the edge of the horizon; that glow didn't look like a sunrise, but more like something approaching.

He stood up and took the ice soul jade talisman from his bosom. The silver patterns on the talisman flickered slightly, emitting a faint chill that contained a sense of alertness, as if warning him of approaching danger.

Half an hour later, the black sandstorm arrived.

There was no sign, no buffer. What was initially just a light breeze turned into a gale in an instant. The wind blew from the west, carrying yellow sand that filled the sky and blotted out the sun. Between heaven and earth, only a Chaos of grayish-yellow remained, with visibility less than three feet. Sand grains hit his face like fine blades cutting skin, causing a burning pain. The wind and sand were mixed with gravel, which was whipped up by the gale and slammed into the Ice Camel's body with dull thuds.

The Ice Camel completely lost control. It let out a shrill bray, stood up abruptly, and bolted toward the south. Jiang Hanzhou didn't have time to pull the reins; he could only grab the fur blanket on the camel's back tightly and duck his body to avoid the flying sand and stone. The Ice Camel's speed was astonishing, each step covering several yards, leaving a string of deep hoofprints in the sand. But the hoofprints were quickly covered by the wind and sand, leaving no trace.

"Stop!" Jiang Hanzhou barked, trying to soothe the Ice Camel with his Divine Soul power. But the Ice Camel was completely terrified by the sandstorm; its eyes were full of fear, and it wouldn't listen at all.

Ahead, the sand began to collapse.

Quicksand.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils contracted sharply. He saw the sand beneath them flowing downward like a massive vortex, pulling everything around it toward the center. The moment the Ice Camel's front hooves stepped into the quicksand, its entire body began to sink. It struggled and brayed, trying to break free, but the force of the quicksand was too great; the more it struggled, the faster it sank.

Jiang Hanzhou did not hesitate. He let go of the fur blanket and kicked off the camel's back with both feet, his body leaping into the air. The Ice Camel let out a desperate bray, its body swallowed by the quicksand; only the small section of fur at the top of its hump remained on the surface for a moment before that too vanished.

Jiang Hanzhou's body flipped in the air, the tiger soul saber unsheathed, its tip touching a rock at the edge of the quicksand to propel him back into the air, landing on the crest of a dune ten yards away. He turned around and watched the patch of quicksand slowly level out in the gale; the Ice Camel had completely disappeared.

There was no time for regret.

The black sandstorm grew more intense, the gale swirling yellow sand and blotting out the sun until even the outlines of the dunes were invisible. Jiang Hanzhou thrust the tiger soul saber into the sand beside him, using the blade as an anchor to steady his body. He circulated the Li Huo Golden Body Art, and a fierce heat surged within him; crimson-gold flames emerged from the surface of his skin, enveloping his body in layers.

Li Fire Golden Body, fourth layer, Blood Burning.

Those flames danced in the sandstorm, burning the sand grains that approached him into ash and isolating the chill in the gale from his body. The daytime in the Western Desert was unbearably hot, and the temperature inside the sandstorm was even higher; wind and sand hit the Li Fire Golden Body with a sizzling sound, like a blacksmith plunging a red-hot iron into cold water. The dual erosion of high temperature and windblown sand put immense pressure on his Li Fire Golden Body, but it also grew slowly in this extreme tempering.

His skin became tougher through the burning, his blood became more intense in the high temperature, and his Blazing Fire True Intent became purer in the process of resisting the sandstorm.

But the black sandstorm was not just wind and sand.

He caught a whiff of a bizarre scent in the wind and sand. That scent was not the smell of soil or dry hot wind, but a cold, dry, toxic gas carrying the astringency of yellow sand. The toxic gas was mixed in the sandstorm, invisible to the naked eye, but with every breath, he could feel it eroding his nasal passages and surging through his trachea into his lungs.

He inhaled a trace of the toxic gas, and his Meridians instantly became stiff, the flow of his blood slowed down, and even the flames of his Li Fire Golden Body dimmed slightly.

The Poison Sand Cult.