577: Chapter 577 A Resting Place in a High-Ranking Family - Subduing Demons in the Wasteland

"You're right, I'm just worrying for nothing." Spicy Mom shook her head, her fingertips dusted with flour. "The first time I saw him, I felt something was off. That decoction you drink every time you're injured, who has ever heard of such a recipe? Oh well, let's focus on the present—eat while it's hot, and get on your way once you're full. Finish the mission early and come back soon. With Spicy Mom here, everything will be steady and secure."

"Mm! It'll definitely work! This time it's a sure thing, hehehe!"

Spicy Mom watched the corners of his mouth turn up. Though she sounded helpless, her heart felt as if it had been brushed by a warm breeze: This is good. As long as there's something to strive for, there's light.

Zhanchi didn't stay long. After finishing a bowl of dumplings and wiping his mouth, he said his goodbyes and left. He had to continue heading north to find that legendary teacher, Tianjingsha—only he knew how to tame Zero Power so it wouldn't harm a hair on anyone around him. Of course, he still had another person on his mind, but that person was like mist and smoke, impossible to find or track. For now, a living Master was more reliable than a dream.

However, for several days in a row, Tianjingsha didn't even show a corner of his robes. Instead, he ran into a disheveled old man—his arms stuffed with someone else's copper bells, being chased all over the street. Zhanchi originally wanted to avoid him, but the old man winked at him, slapped him hard on the shoulder, and turned into an alley, disappearing from sight. The man chasing him didn't say a word; he grabbed Zhanchi by the collar and cursed, "Accomplice of the little thief, still want to run?"

"Damn it! Simply outrageous!" Zhanchi stomped his feet internally, hating himself for being so stupid, acting as a scapegoat for nothing. In his panic, he missed a step and plummeted straight down—

"Ah—!!!" The scream echoed through the cave. The pursuer peeked in, grinned with a sneer, spat, and walked away while cursing.

"Big Brother, where exactly are we going? We've been walking for so many days, my legs are sore..." Ai Luo dragged his feet, his voice hoarse.

"We're almost there, just in the mountain hollow ahead. But you're young, so you need to train your body—starting tonight, practice horse stance for half an hour before bed; run three laps around the town in the morning; carry half a bag of stones and walk the main road in the afternoon. Let's start with that."

"Huh?!" Ai Luo froze on the spot, but when he looked up, Jiang Chen had already started walking ahead, ignoring him completely. He hung his head and sighed: If only I had kept my mouth shut and not complained about being tired, I wouldn't have ended up with this unlucky task... Truly digging my own grave.

"What 'huh'? Perk up! The town is just ahead; once we arrive, we'll rest and eat our fill."

Hearing this, Ai Luo's eyes suddenly lit up, and he scrambled to follow Jiang Chen's back.

Gaomen Town was small but lively. The bluestone road glistened with oil, wine flags hung askew, and the sound of people was boisterous, full of the same worldly atmosphere as Taoyuan Town.

"Big Brother, are we staying here tonight?"

"Yes, we'll rest for the night. We'll head up the mountain tomorrow morning; it's only half a day's journey from there. Order whatever you want to eat; are you afraid Big Brother will short you a meal?" Jiang Chen smiled, patted his head, and led him through the busy market.

The two soon found a clean restaurant. As soon as they sat down, Ai Luo was already drooling while staring at the menu—his tongue was blistered from gnawing on dry rations, and just smelling the scallion oil wafting from the stove made him unable to stop swallowing saliva.

Jiang Chen didn't stop him. He poured himself a cup of tea, peeled two peanuts, and chewed slowly, listening to the peddling outside the window with narrowed eyes, his expression leisurely.

"Did you hear? The desert..."

"Something happened in the Wilderness again, a whole bunch of people died! Not even a bone fragment was left. No one seen alive, no corpse found, it's too terrifying... That caravan from last month just entered the Wilderness and there hasn't been a shred of news since; it really makes one's spine chill."

"Isn't that right! I heard the only son of Old Zhao next door was in that group, and he's still missing. Usually, even if they were delayed on the road, they would at least send someone to bring a message back—how many days has it been? There's not even a whisper of news, as if they were swallowed by the earth."

"Who's to say it isn't? It's extremely sinister! What on earth is causing this, specifically targeting passersby, not letting a single one go?"

"It's strange, that desert Wilderness has always felt off—have you noticed? Not a blade of grass grows, not a single tree or plant. It was always hard to traverse, but you could grit your teeth and force your way through; yet recently, accidents have happened one after another, clearly something is seriously wrong. And yet, we can't figure out the cause. What can we do? There's truly no way!"

Everyone fell silent, wine cups suspended in mid-air, chopsticks resting on the edges of bowls, even the energy to chew food gone. Losing a loved one was already a heart-piercing pain; but disappearing so silently, not even leaving ashes behind, was even more chilling and terrifying—this Wilderness was likely truly impossible to enter.

"Big Brother, the place we're going this time... could it be here?" Ai Luo gripped his hem tightly, his voice strained.

"Heh, little smarty-pants, you guessed right—it is here. What are you afraid of? Before, I only thought it was lifeless, but now it seems to have hidden traps. This trip is worth it. Eat up, what are you afraid of? Don't you still have to guard the 'dog kennel'?" Seeing his face go pale, Jiang Chen deliberately emphasized the words "dog kennel" and poked him with a smile.

"Afraid? I'm not afraid! I'm a person with real skills now, how could I be scared of this!" His words were tough, but his legs under the table were shaking like a sieve, even his shoe tips were trembling—being this stubborn with his mouth really made one shake their head.

Jiang Chen pretended not to see. It was only human nature; who wasn't sweating and dry-throated when they were young? When he first entered dangerous situations, he was even more pathetic than this. What mattered was that his heart didn't falter, so his steps could remain steady.

"Alright, rest for the whole day today, settle your heart, don't be so tense. Everything will work out in the end."

After the meal, the two checked into an inn at the entrance of the town. Ai Luo was still a bit dazed, but after a night of peaceful sleep, his brow relaxed a bit, and although there was still a hint of fear in his eyes when he woke up, his complexion had improved quite a bit.

"Let's go, let's go take a look in the Wilderness—see what kind of tricks that 'silent and soundless' ghostly place is hiding." Jiang Chen pushed the door open and left; Ai Luo immediately followed, not daring to leave his side for a step. He knew that without this person, he would truly be left with nothing but death.

The desert Wilderness unfolded before their eyes, boundless at a glance. Calling it a desert, it would be better to call it scorched earth drained of its soul—ordinary sand dunes would have lizard trails and tumbleweeds passing by, but here, even the finest insect chirps and the faintest smell of dust were absent. It was abnormally dead silent, something that couldn't be explained by natural disasters; it was highly likely that something was panting heavily underneath.

"Really... there's truly no sign of life at all. Big Brother, are we really going in here?" Ai Luo lowered his head and stepped on the gravel under his feet; the first step was soft, but the next step felt like stepping on a cold iron plate; the temperature difference was ridiculously distinct—this place didn't look like land that should exist in the human world.

"Yes, this is it. The Zero Power is bitter with intensity, and Yin Qi is pressing down in layers. Ai-Ai, you first set up the Qian Ling Formation at the edge, take it slow, no rush. We'll wait for it to show its head, then we'll deal with it."

Ai Luo nodded vigorously, feeling much more secure. The steady hands he had practiced at the Seven Star Tomb were all put to use this time: pinching spells with his fingertips, measuring with his steps, and placing talisman papers lightly, meticulous, and not the least bit chaotic—he had to complete this formation, he had to eliminate this disaster.

Jiang Chen watched him set up the formation while scanning the depths of the Wilderness. The Zero Power at the edge was still relatively thin, but if allowed to spread, within three months, frost and evil qi would be condensing under the eaves of Gaomen Town. He narrowed his eyes; every grain of sand, every wind trace, every imperceptible distortion of airflow, nothing escaped his sight—a hair's breadth off would mean total disaster.

On the first day, the wind passed without a trace, and the formation was completed without a sound. When Ai Luo finished, sweat beaded on his forehead, and at the edge of the originally deathly gray sand, a line of green qi quietly emerged, as thin as a thread but unmistakably real. Jiang Chen nodded, said nothing more, and only said: "Come back tomorrow."

The next day was the same as before. The thing in the darkness still stayed curled up and motionless. Jiang Chen didn't use his Divine Sense to probe—it was too easy, and would lose its flavor. Getting to the bottom of things requires digging with a hoe and a pickaxe; besides, Ai Luo was still by his side; watching more, doing more, and enduring more would ensure that when he stood on his own in the future, he wouldn't be blown over by a gust of wind.

That thing was truly too clever at hiding, as if it were born knowing how to vanish without a trace. Over ten days passed, and still there wasn't a shadow of it, but Jiang Chen actually developed a bit of respect—respect aside, patience has its limits. After more than ten days of working day and night, the place of vitality had spread like vines deep into the heart of the Wilderness, only a step away from the core. There, the Zero Power surged like a tide, the heart of the entire dead zone. No matter how much it hid, it wouldn't be able to hide for much longer.

"Ai-Ai, don't be afraid, there's no Zero Power here anymore." Jiang Chen looked at Ai Luo, his voice deep and steady. "If it appears, you just focus on stabilizing the foundation of the formation, don't be distracted by me. This light we've endured to create must not be snuffed out by a single claw of its. Remember that?"

"Mm! Big Brother, don't worry!" Ai Luo nodded, his eyes shining. "I will definitely guard this place well, I won't let anyone touch it—I will never let it collapse!" These past few days, he had personally planted the first ray of green into the scorched earth, watching the tender shoots push through the rubble, and the stone that had been pressing on his heart for too long finally cracked open. Who would be willing to let something watered with their own blood and sweat be crushed underfoot by someone else?

"Good." Jiang Chen nodded. "Finish up. Tomorrow, I'm afraid it'll be a hard clash. Sleep."

The two didn't return to camp; they sat where they were, looking up and waiting for the night. The wind passed without a trace, stars hung over the wilderness, and even the chirping of insects was stingy. Unfortunately, the opponent was even more composed than a shadow, refusing to reveal even a single flaw—this silence was like a blunt knife cutting flesh, making one's chest feel stifled.

The sunlight was blinding, the clouds white and the wind light. But for Jiang Chen and Ai Luo, this clear sky felt like a taut bow.

"Continue to push." Jiang Chen raised a finger. "Press inward, cover it inch by inch. I want to see how long it can hide—does it really intend to be a coward for a lifetime?"

Ai Luo responded and moved; his fingertips traced the ground, and the talisman patterns spread like flowing water. He bent his waist, his breathing kept extremely light, as if afraid of disturbing the awakening earth.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. Even the wind went around it. The quieter it was, the more it meant—the prey was already on the string.

Jiang Chen's pupils suddenly contracted; he reached back and grasped at the Void Realm, shouting sharply: "Evil creature! Still dare to wander? Today, I, the Daoist, will take you on behalf of Heaven!"

The thing in his palm struggled violently, but it was as if its limbs and bones were pressed by an iron-cast mountain. The power it was so proud of completely collapsed at this moment, seeping into the soil, melting into the air, unable to even stir up a ripple.

Ai Luo looked up at the sound, only to see a blurry humanoid figure suspended in mid-air, its outline twisted, like mist yet not mist.

"Are you the one who slaughtered the Mortals?" Jiang Chen stared at the shadow, his mouth without a trace of a curve. "Gathered from filth and Yin, full of intent to destroy... indeed, it's a piece of work personally crafted by Qiong Qi. You have some skill, but unfortunately, you ran into me."

"You... how do you know Lord Qiong Qi?" The shadow asked in a hissing voice, its ending tone trembling. "If you let me go now, I can put in a good word for you before Lord—otherwise, when he breaks free, you will surely die without a place to be buried!"