Chapter 162 Sand Whale Blocking the Way

The speed of a Battle Emperor is beyond imagination!

After several hundred breaths, a boundless, vast desert came into the line of sight of Qin Feiyang and his companions.

Although it had been raining continuously for the past two days, the desert remained extremely dry, and the air felt somewhat muggy.

Along the periphery of the desert, human figures were everywhere.

Some were exploring.
Others were locked in fierce battles with ferocious beasts.

Qin Feiyang felt a bit puzzled. What kind of treasures could possibly exist in an endless, arid desert? Were they truly worth the people of Star-Moon City coming here wave after wave, risking their lives?

Feng Ling'er said in a low voice, "There are many minerals beneath the Sea of Death, such as gold, silver, and various iron ores used for forging weapons. If you are lucky, you can even find a few rare medicinal herbs."

Qin Feiyang suddenly understood.

Although the desert was arid, medicinal herbs did indeed exist there. This was because some rare herbs adapted to this environment.

In fact, certain herbs could only survive in the desert; if placed in lush green mountains and rivers, they would instead wither.

After entering the desert, Elder Wan did not stop at all. Leading Qin Feiyang and the other two, he flew deep into the desert.

Because of their incredible speed, no one down below noticed them. Even if someone caught a glimpse, they would only mistake them for a shooting star streaking across the sky.

Boom!

They traveled dozens of miles deep.

Accompanied by a earth-shaking roar, a fish-like tail, fully dozens of feet long, burst out from beneath the sands, kicking up towering billows of sand!

Feng Ling'er said, "That is the tail of a Sand Whale!"

Qin Feiyang's pupils contracted.

He had long since heard of this ferocious beast. It was as massive as a mountain and lived deep beneath the desert sands. Moreover, moving through the earth just like a fish swimming in water, it could come and go freely. It was also one of the fierce beasts that humans dreaded encountering most while traveling in the desert.

Once encountered, it was almost certain to be a narrow escape with nine deaths and one life!

Next, Qin Feiyang witnessed many more savage ferocious beasts.

Without exception, every single one was gigantic and possessed an overwhelming, monstrous aura of ferocity!

Having witnessed the terrifying nature of the Sea of Death, the three of them secretly felt fortunate that Elder Wan was with them. Otherwise, with their meager strength, they wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between these beasts' teeth.

The sky gradually darkened.

Both the heavens and the earth plunged into the deepest pitch black.

The situation in the desert below could no longer be seen; only the roars of ferocious beasts could be heard.

Occasionally, the sudden roars were so deafening that their ears rang and the blood in their bodies surged. This showed just how terrifying those beasts were!

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning.

The rain had stopped, but the sky remained overcast, casting a heavy, oppressive gloom over everything.

After a whole night of traveling, having covered who knows how many miles, the end of the desert was still nowhere in sight.

"Elder Wan, have you ever been here before?" Qin Feiyang couldn't help asking.

"I came once before, but after flying continuously for ten days and ten nights, I still couldn't see the end, so I gave up," Elder Wan replied.

"What?"

"Ten days and ten nights of flying and you couldn't reach the end?"

Qin Feiyang and the others looked at each other, their eyes filled with utter disbelief.

At this rate, if Elder Wan weren't here and they had to rely on themselves to survive the Sea of Death, it would probably take at least a year or two to reach the end.

The three of them finally realized that they had severely underestimated this desert.

Qin Feiyang lowered his head in thought. Waiting like this seemed like a waste of time, so he said, "Elder Wan, I want to cultivate."

"Go ahead!"

Elder Wan nodded. He conjured a barrier of battle energy and smiled, "Just sit inside the barrier and cultivate with peace of mind. I'll call you when we reach the end."

"Can we even do that?" Ling Yunfei asked in astonishment.

Elder Wan proudly declared, "Of course. Looking across the entire Yan County, no more than ten people can destroy this barrier."

"That is no lie," Feng Ling'er said with a smile. She was the first to cross her legs and sit down, tossing a few Qi-Gathering Pills into her mouth before immediately entering a meditative state.

Clearly, this was not her first time doing this.

Ling Yunfei watched in amazement and quickly followed suit.

Seeing Qin Feiyang standing motionless, Elder Wan asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to cultivate?"

Qin Feiyang shook his head and said, "I am not going to cultivate here."

"Then where?" Elder Wan looked suspicious. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he asked, "You mean that ancient castle thing?"

Qin Feiyang nodded.

"Is there any difference between cultivating inside that castle and cultivating outside?" Elder Wan was puzzled.

"This..." Qin Feiyang stammered, unable to come up with an answer for a long time.

Seeing this, Elder Wan chuckled and waved his hand, "Go ahead. With me keeping watch outside, don't worry."

"Thank you, Elder," Qin Feiyang cupped his fists in gratitude, then shifted his consciousness and entered the castle.

"What a mysterious kid," Elder Wan muttered to himself.

The next moment, however, Qin Feiyang materialized out of thin air once again. Realizing he was still safe within the battle energy barrier, he finally felt at ease and re-entered the castle to begin transcribing the Returning Character Formula.

Now that he was already an Eight-Star Martial Master, once he finished transcribing the Returning Character Formula, he would be able to step into the realm of a Nine-Star Martial Master and return to his former peak!

In less than a year, he had advanced from a One-Star Martial Disciple to a Nine-Star Martial Master. This speed was unmatched even across the entire Great Qin Empire!

Yet, in Qin Feiyang's eyes, it was still too slow!

He wished he could return to the Imperial Capital right away and turn it completely upside down! He eagerly anticipated the expressions of those who had once harmed him when they saw him return to the Imperial Capital.

Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

True to expectations, the end of the desert was still nowhere in sight.

Elder Wan was also somewhat fatigued. After resting for a night, he resumed their journey.

In the blink of an eye, another ten days went by.

On this particular morning, a small valley entered Elder Wan's line of sight.

The valley covered an area of about a thousand zhang, surrounded entirely by the desert, resembling a tiny oasis.

Elder Wan paused high in the air, lowering his head to survey the valley below.

Inside the valley, vegetation flourished luxuriantly. At the center lay a lake over a hundred zhang wide, its crystal-clear water reflecting the overcast sky.

"I never imagined that deep within the Sea of Death, there would actually be such a picturesque place with mountains and clear waters," Elder Wan's eyes gleamed with fascination.

Suddenly, his elderly body trembled violently!

Could this be the place?

He hurriedly said, "Ling Yunfei, take a look quickly. Is this it?"

Ling Yunfei snapped to attention, rousing from his meditative state. He sprang to his feet and looked down.

At the same time, Qin Feiyang stepped out from the castle, and Feng Ling'er opened her eyes.

"It looks somewhat similar."

After observing for a moment, Ling Yunfei still couldn't be entirely sure. He then opened the collar of his shirt, revealing a crescent-shaped jade pendant.

"Oh?" Qin Feiyang and the others looked at the pendant, suspicion flickering in their eyes.

"This jade pendant was given to my mother by my father before he died. Before coming to Yan City, my mother gave it to me, and the original map of that place is hidden right inside it."

Ling Yunfei removed the pendant and offered a brief explanation. With a slight application of force, the seemingly solid crescent jade pendant instantly split into two halves.

The interior was hollow, concealing a slip of paper.

Ling Yunfei pulled it out and unfolded the paper.

The paper was as thin as a cicada's wing, depicting a valley with a lake right at its center.

The illustration on the paper was almost identical to the valley below!

Without a doubt, this was the place they were looking for!

The group looked down at the valley, their expressions quite excited. After enduring countless hardships, they had finally found it.

Feng Ling'er suddenly frowned, gazing far into the distance, and said, "That's not right. Weren't they saying it's at the end of the desert? But look at this now—who knows where the end of the desert even is?"

Ling Yunfei put away the map, a sorrowful expression crossing his face as he said, "Perhaps in my father's eyes, this was the end of the desert."

Qin Feiyang patted his shoulder and smiled, "The dead are gone, but the living must continue to strive and live on. I believe that if your father's spirit in heaven knows, he would certainly want you to live every day happily."

"Thank you." Ling Yunfei gave him a grateful look and added, "Before my father died, he left behind one last instruction, saying that he had carved his name on a cliff wall beside the valley. Let's go look for it; if his name is there, this must be the place."

"Alright."

Elder Wan led the three of them as they swooped down toward the valley below.

Roar!!!

However, before the four of them could descend, the desert surrounding the valley began to violently tremor.

Immediately following that!

Accompanied by a series of earth-shattering roars, massive tails burst out from beneath the sands one after another, whipping up a tempest of sandstorms.

Elder Wan's expression changed, and he hurriedly pulled the three companions back up into the sky. Standing high in the air, he looked down, his brow knitted tightly together.

As for Qin Feiyang and the other two, both their faces and eyes were filled with shock!

Those were the tails of Sand Whales!

Yet each tail was as large as a house, exuding a blood-chilling aura of ferocity!

One could only imagine how astonishing the bodies hidden beneath the sand truly were!

Moreover, there were not just a few of them. At the very least, thirty or forty of them were swimming endlessly through the sand, encircling the valley.

After observing for a moment, Elder Wan's expression sank heavily, "The strength of these Sand Whales is comparable to One-Star Battle Emperors!"

"What?"

The three of them lost all color in their faces.

What kind of concept was this? One had to know that the total number of Battle Emperors across the entire Yan County did not exceed twenty.

Yet, in this single location alone, there were thirty or forty ferocious beasts at the Battle Emperor level!

How were they supposed to enter the valley under these conditions?

Feng Ling'er asked in alarm, "Have you all noticed that the behavior of these Sand Whales is very strange? It gives the feeling as though they are protecting the valley?"

"Indeed!"

"They are protecting the valley."

"As long as we don't barge into the valley, they won't attack us," Elder Wan said in a deep voice.

Although the Sand Whales blocked their path, the hearts of everyone present burned with intense fervor.

With thirty or forty Sand Whales at the Battle Emperor level guarding this place, there must be some supreme, peerless treasure hidden within the valley!

Qin Feiyang asked, "Ling Yunfei, how did your father manage to get in back then?"

Back in the day, Ling Feng was merely a disciple of the Martial King Palace. At most, he was probably a Martial Ancestor. Could he have broken through relying solely on the strength of a Martial Ancestor? Let alone carving his name on the cliff wall beside the valley.

Therefore, there had to be a trick to it!

Ling Yunfei shook his head, "I don't know either, because my father never told my mother about this detail."

"That is strange," Qin Feiyang frowned.

Feng Ling'er thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don't we try descending directly from right above the valley and land inside?"

Elder Wan shook his head, "That won't work. Those Sand Whales can also fly. If we really do that, we will undoubtedly provoke them, and by then, forget about entering the valley—we'll probably end up hunted down by them instead!"

Qin Feiyang asked, "Elder, are you unable to deal with them?"

"Truth be told, I am only a One-Star Battle Emperor myself, unless the Grand Master himself comes in person," Elder Wan smiled bitterly.

Having finally found the place after so much trouble, only to be blocked outside the door—how utterly unwilling they felt!