More than ten minutes later, the ground was slightly disturbed.

Then, a pair of insect antennae emerged from the ground, carefully surveyed the surrounding environment, and probably felt there was no danger before crawling out of the ground.

It wasn't just one; there were hundreds of them, densely packed together.

Jian Ning frowned slightly in mid-air. She had seen these pests before. They were omnivores, not just eating vegetable roots and stems. Now, they had clearly mutated.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be so big, and there wouldn't be so many of them. Now she understands where this desert came from; it's probably all because of these pests.

However, they are probably not related to the curse of this ancient city.

Jian Ning couldn't stand seeing these pests so rampant, so she threw down an invisible spiritual fire from mid-air. Soon, a stench and the squeaking of the dying insects filled the air.

No one knew how many insects were underground; after burning for more than ten minutes, the spiritual fire continued to burrow deeper into the ground. Just as Jian Ning was about to retrieve it, she heard a long howl from afar. It was coming from the direction Xiao Lingfeng had gone.

She quickly flew over on her sword. It was unclear what she had discovered. The voice sounded quite urgent.

Xiao Wuyu arrived at Xiao Lingfeng's side at almost the same time as her, and in front of them was an ancient temple covered with yellow sand.

A woman dressed in red with a full head of white hair was wielding a huge axe and was frantically hacking at Xiao Lingfeng without any mercy.

"What's going on? Stop!" Jian Ning wasn't about to let Xiao Lingfeng suffer a loss, even though she could clearly see that...

Xiao Lingfeng never used his full strength; he simply used his sword to continuously block the opponent's attacks.

Seeing Jian Ning draw her sword and rush forward, she even shouted something.

"Don't hurt her, just keep her under control."

Upon hearing his words, Jian Ning wielded her sword with impenetrable skill, while her other hand was not idle either. She placed a talisman on the red-clad woman's body through a gap, and she instantly became motionless.

The axe in his hand was still held high.

"Where did this woman come from? She's quite pretty, but judging from her appearance, she's probably from an ethnic minority group, right?"

Jian Ning walked over and looked the woman in red up and down. She had a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes. Although she had a full head of white hair, she looked to be no more than thirty years old.

The woman in red seemed caught off guard by the sudden attack. She froze, stopped moving, and stared at the two men with a look of astonishment on her face.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Lingfeng quickly withdrew and distanced himself from the woman in red.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking him?" Jian Ning pointed his sword at the woman in red and asked sharply.

The woman in red stared blankly at her body, as if she couldn't believe that she was no longer able to move.

Then, she looked up at Jian Ning, her eyes filled with resentment and rage. "You will all die! No one can stop me!" she shouted hoarsely.

"When I came over just now, I accidentally knocked off a yellow talisman that was stuck to her head."

That's why she suddenly woke up and, without saying a word, grabbed an axe and started chopping at me.

She kept yelling that I should die; I suspect she might not be mentally sound.

But she was clearly different from the other maids; she possessed a strange energy within her.

"It's not exactly the same as spiritual energy. Maybe we can learn some of the secrets of this place from her." Xiao Lingfeng explained to Jian Ning in a low voice.

"Although she can't move now, we still need to be careful."

Jian Ning nodded, remaining fully alert. The woman in red, under the effect of the immobilization charm, could only glare at them, unable to make any further moves.

"You will pay the price! I want you dead!" Although the woman in red could not move, her shrill screams still echoed in the air.

"Her mind was probably controlled, and her brain was already in a state of necrosis."

Xiao Lingfeng walked over and said to the two of them that he had been carefully observing the woman from the side and that she was clearly being controlled by something.

"So that means she's no longer of any use. Let's leave her be and go inside to take a look. Maybe there's something strange about this temple?"

Jian Ning and the other two were about to enter the ancient temple.

Unexpectedly, a powerful energy suddenly erupted from the woman in red, instantly breaking free from the immobilization talisman. She charged towards Jian Ning and Xiao Lingfeng, her face contorted and her eyes bloodshot.

"You think you can escape? I'll make you pay the price!"

The woman in red spoke in a shrill, piercing voice, filled with resentment. She swung her axe down rapidly, seemingly on the verge of madness.

Xiao Lingfeng swiftly stepped in front of Jian Ning, his sword flashing out diagonally, striking the red-clad woman's wrist precisely, sending the heavy axe flying with a whoosh.

The woman in red struck Xiao Lingfeng with her palm, but he quickly dodged and struck back with his own palm, colliding with the woman's hand and producing a deafening bang.

"Hmph, you've got some skill."

The woman sneered, ignoring the falling axe, and suddenly transformed into a red blur, lunging towards Jian Ning. Her hands formed claws, faintly shimmering with an eerie black hue.

Jian Ning was startled and instinctively moved quickly, narrowly dodging the attack.

She quickly pulled out a talisman from her bosom, silently chanted an incantation, and the talisman instantly burst into flames, transforming into a golden light that flew towards the woman in red.

The woman in red let out a shrill scream as her body was enveloped in golden light, instantly losing all ability to resist.

Her body gradually became transparent, and finally turned into a wisp of smoke and dissipated into the air.

"It's finally solved."

Jian Ning breathed a sigh of relief. This person was so strange; why did he attack them? Did he not want them to enter this ancient temple? Then they had to go in and find out.

"Brother Xiao, you stay outside and keep watch. Xiao Lingfeng and I will go in and take a look." Jian Ning needed to leave himself an escape route.

"Okay, be careful."

Xiao Wuyu stopped in his tracks, watching Jian Ning and the other person stride into the ancient temple.

The ancient temple was eerie; as soon as you entered, you felt a chill seep into your bones.

Moreover, a stench of decay wafted through the air, and there wasn't a single ray of light; this ancient temple had no windows.

Jian Ning took out a high-powered flashlight and gave one to Xiao Lingfeng. After turning it on, it illuminated the surroundings.

They walked forward cautiously, shining their flashlights on the surrounding walls. But they were all mud walls covered with yellow mud, without any patterns on them.

"There's a very eerie atmosphere in this ancient temple. I always feel like something is watching us from the shadows. We need to be careful," Jian Ning whispered in Xiao Lingfeng's ear.

Xiao Lingfeng nodded, his eyes darting around, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

They walked for a while and came to an ancient altar. The altar was covered with tattered offerings, some ancient-looking yellow paper talismans, and a yellow silk scroll with writing that looked like earthworms.