71: Refugees, sisters!

Amidst the fine yellow sand, a line of refugees was trudging along.

They were covered from head to toe in thick cloth and leather, not only to protect themselves from the heat waves and prevent water loss, but also to keep the wind and sand out of their mouths.

Most importantly, this earthy yellow leather made it easy to conceal their figures!

As mentioned before, after the Great Sandstorm Array was activated, the monsters and the Luan Xiu Alliance had formed an alliance, annihilating over a dozen market towns and human settlements.

The Black Horn Mountain Range was completely flattened.

However, there were inevitably some oversights, and some refugees miraculously survived the disaster.

But whether they would have good fortune afterward was uncertain.

These refugees desperately ran south, heading out of the Black Horn Mountain Range, frequently suffering heavy losses along the way; their original team of over a thousand people was now reduced to only a few hundred.

Moreover, the number was still constantly decreasing.

On the path heading south, there were not many monsters encountered.

These monsters seemed to be guided by something, desperately heading towards Two Peaks Mountain.

However, it couldn't be said that they were already safe.

If it were a normal natural disaster, then ordinary commoners might just suffer from bleeding from their seven orifices and a severe illness, but if they were strong-bodied, they could still pull through.

But this year's Sandstorm was clearly different from previous ones.

This Sandstorm was a Great Art formed by a monster and the evil Cultivators of the Luan Xiu Alliance working together to control and guide the Great Array.

Even martial artists and Cultivators would be affected within the Great Sandstorm Array, experiencing irregular Qi.

Not to mention these ordinary mortals.

Indeed, after days of fleeing, many commoners had gradually begun to show strange changes on their bodies.

The surface of their skin began to crack, and then fine, dense sand would come off with a rub, revealing mud underneath.

Once cleaned, they found that they could already see their stark white bones.

It was terrifying.

This was the side effect of the Great Sandstorm Array.

It was also a disease that everyone in the Yellow Sand Plains spoke of with dread.

'Sand Body Poison'

If they didn't find a sealed or moisture-rich place soon, then these commoners would eventually turn into grains of sand, mixing into this endless Yellow Sand Plains.

No one would be spared.

Whether it was flesh, blood, bones, or hair, all would be corroded by the Sand Body Poison.

In the end, only tattered robes would remain, drifting thousands of miles with the wind.

And suppressing the Sand Body Poison was also very simple: it was... drinking water.

But the Yellow Sand Plains itself had very little water, and they were still fleeing, plus the Sandstorm ground everything, so where could they find water?

This was not what made them feel the most despair.

The most despairing thing was... the Cultivators of the Luan Xiu Alliance hanging behind them, vaguely treating them as prey.

These Cultivators were simply insane; they didn't kill them directly, but just hung back from a distance, watching them flee!

Watching them get infected with Sand Body Poison... watching them die one after another!!!

An atmosphere of fear gradually spread through the team.

An old man, already frail, collapsed heavily into the sand at this moment.

The scorching sun overhead descended, and even the constantly rising hurricanes could not blow away this sense of sorrow!

The old man's robe was blown up by the wind, half of his head had already turned into decaying yellow sand, and then the yellow sand gradually turned black, mixing into the storm.

The fleeing people showed no panic, no sorrow; only a strong man silently stripped off the old man's robe, then put it on himself, covering his exposed arm which already showed symptoms of Sand Body Poison.

Then he signaled for the team to continue forward!

And within this team, two figures who looked very frail were supporting each other as they moved south.

Their hair hung down beneath their robes, faintly visible and withered yellow.

Slightly looking up, Ye Yuèyuè's face, which had a very good foundation but was emaciated and sallow, was filled with confusion.

They didn't know where they should go; a few days ago, an immortal master had protected them as they traveled south, and according to that immortal master, it would be peaceful once they left the Black Horn Mountain Range.

After leaving, they would encounter various gathering places to replenish resources, and then continue south to a forward outpost... which was said to be called Crescent Lake Market.

However, the distance was thousands of miles, and even an immortal master's Dharma boat would take several days, let alone ordinary commoners like them.

They knew... this matter was too remote; they had never left their own market town since birth, so how could they cross thousands of miles to reach a market town?

But deep down, their hearts were still filled with a glimmer of hope.

They still didn't want to die.

But unfortunately, they encountered some evil Cultivators on their escape route, and that immortal master... died.

And their fleeing team also became fragmented... with fewer and fewer people.

Thinking this, Ye Yuèyuè felt a pair of equally withered hands tugging at her robe.

She looked down and saw a pair of eyes as brilliant as stars.

Despite malnutrition and prolonged dehydration leading to a sallow and emaciated face, it was still evident that the girl had excellent bone structure.

Ye Yuèyuè's voice was clear and cool, but she spoke to the girl in front of her with a doting tone.

"What's wrong, Xingxing?"

Xingxing... truly lived up to her name.

Ye Xingxing pouted and whispered,

"Big sister, my feet hurt."

"Big sister will carry you."

"No... Big sister will get tired."

How could a half-grown child resist a young girl? Ye Yuèyuè carried Ye Xingxing on her back, but Ye Xingxing was a bit sad.

"Am I dragging you down, Big sister?"

"How could you be?"

"Big sister... can we survive this?"

Ye Yuèyuè wanted to say yes, but she had never lied to her younger sister since childhood, and for a moment, she was speechless.

Seeing this, Ye Xingxing seemed to understand something, but she just hugged Ye Yuèyuè's neck even tighter.

"It's okay, Big sister, anyway, living means working for those martial artist masters, and being slaves for those immortal masters!

"A while ago, there were even ruffians looking for trouble with Big sister!

"Even if we survive, this will be our fate; I don't want to see Big sister suffer humiliation for my sake."

"Perhaps it's a good thing if the two of us die in the sand?"

Ye Yuèyuè didn't speak, just patted the little girl's bottom.

"You're talking nonsense."

The sky was dry, without a drop of moisture.

Yet, a silent young man next to them, who had been quiet all along, took a sip of water.

This made Ye Xingxing feel parched.

The young man seemed to notice and casually handed over his water bottle.

"Here."

Ye Yuèyuè didn't take it, her face full of vigilance.

The young man said helplessly,

"You might be fine, but your younger sister is not old; it might cause trouble."

Ye Yuèyuè hesitated for a moment before taking it.

She had just given Ye Xingxing a sip and was about to hand it back.

The young man continued,

"You drink a sip too."

"Fleeing is important."

Just as Ye Yuèyuè was about to bring it to her mouth, another panicked cry came from behind them.

A chilling arrow shot up into the sky, impaling a refugee onto the sand.

Blood flowed out, and the smell of blood caused a wave of panic.

The crowd began to disperse, desperately fleeing into the distance!

Seeing this, Ye Yuèyuè also gritted her teeth and followed, but her physical strength gradually became weak.

The mocking voices behind them grew louder, and the words in the wind quietly became clear.

"These damnable commoners run quite fast."

"Not bad, not bad, after fleeing for so long, without water or food, they can still persist; their Physique is truly good."

"Hmm? There are two little children too?"

"Give this one to me, I'll shoot an arrow, I'll shoot an arrow!"

But Ye Xingxing's foot faltered, tripped by a small stone.

Ye Xingxing on her back rolled down, then quickly got up and ran towards Ye Yuèyuè.

"Big sister, Big sister!"

Ye Yuèyuè quickly hugged Ye Xingxing to her chest, covering her eyes, but she was powerless to struggle any further.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay."

A chilling arrow pierced through the storm and shot straight towards them, the scent of blood in the air seemingly much thicker.

The chill of death suddenly exploded in both their hearts.

Ye Yuèyuè also quickly closed her eyes, awaiting the struggle of fate!

But then a crisp clang made her open her eyes.

A figure in red, with a high ponytail, fair and heroic features, and a slender build, stood in front of the sisters.

Like a towering pillar!

The female martial artist tossed her ponytail, appearing even more heroic and spirited, then turned her head, the cold gleam of Autumn Water in her hand sharp.

It made one's heart tremble.

What a great hero who saves the suffering and helps those in need.

Qiu Ya then asked calmly,

"Are you alright?"