Chapter 1277: Journey to the Great Wilderness 7
Cang Xuan seemed to have expected this and wasn't surprised at all. He just sighed, "The Western Wasteland is not like Qingshan City. The wind and sand there are filled with the smell of blood. Emperor Shi's subordinates are full of talented people, and many Chaos species have come to him. Wu'er..."
"He'll be fine." Luo Li interrupted him, her eyes clear, "He's Cangwu."
Cang Xuan looked at the certainty in her eyes, which was an unreserved trust in his son, as unshakable as a rock.
This trust even surpasses his current worries as a father.
He was silent for a moment, and finally nodded slowly, taking out a warm black jade token from his arms, on which was engraved an ancient word "Cang".
"This is the highest-level communication order of the Cang family. With this order, you can mobilize some resources within the reach of the Cang family and can also contact me urgently."
He pushed the token in front of Luo Li. "The Western Wasteland is vast and dangerous, with a complex network of forces. Especially in the area controlled by Emperor Shi, it is an ironclad entity. You are going alone, so be careful."
Luo Li did not refuse and reached out to take the token.
It feels cool to the touch, as if it still carries the warmth of Cang Xuan's palm, and also carries the heavy trust of a father.
"Thank you." She put the token away and looked back at the densely marked Western Wasteland on the map. "I will find him."
"The last confirmed information he had was that he was near the Red Wind Gobi Desert, 300 miles southeast of Blackrock City. He seemed to be tracking a group of unusually active bone-eating sand scorpions."
Cang Xuan added, his fingertip precisely pointing on the map, "But that was news from over a year ago. Wu'er's whereabouts are unpredictable, so you need to be prepared."
"That's enough." Luo Li nodded. Having a general direction and clues to the target was enough for her.
She said no more, bowed slightly to Cang Xuan, and then her figure merged into the shadows, quietly leaving the study, leaving only a few snowflakes pouring in through the gaps in the window frame and slowly falling on the warm floor.
Cang Xuan stood there, looking at the empty window, the smell of wind and snow intertwined with the lingering scent of sandalwood in the room.
He slowly sat back at the desk, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the cold map, and finally sighed silently.
The waves of the wilderness eventually swept his most cherished son into the center of an unknown storm.
And this mysterious Miss Luo, her coming and going, is it a blessing or a curse?
He could only bury this worry deep in his heart.
Luo Li left Qingshan City without stopping for a moment.
She increased her speed to the extreme, but restrained her aura to be as gentle as the most ordinary mountain breeze.
After a hundred years of silence, her chaotic power has become more refined and condensed, and her control over power has become strong enough.
The figure passed through the sky, and the mountains, rivers, and tribal towns below flew away like a flash of light.
The further west you go, the more desolate and grim the scene becomes.
The lush green forests near Qingshan City were gradually replaced by sparse shrubs and low thorns.
Further west is the endless yellow Gobi desert with gullies eroded by wind and sand.
The sky is no longer pure blue, but is often covered with a layer of gray dust. The sunlight that penetrates through appears pale and lacks warmth.
The cold wind also became different. It was no longer the biting damp cold of Qingshan City, but was dry and rough with sand and gravel, like countless tiny knives scraping across exposed skin.
Luo Li's figure shuttled between the huge crimson rock peaks, avoiding some areas emitting powerful energy fluctuations.
She saw a huge skeleton half-hidden by sand, belonging to some long-extinct prehistoric beast.
In the distance, one could also see some stone forts built along the cracks in the earth's fire. Those were the lairs of some powerful monsters or alien races. Their flags fluttered, revealing a brutal law of survival.
This is the Western Wilderness, the most chaotic, cruel, and opportunity-rich melting pot in the wilderness.
Cangwu chose to train here, and one can imagine his determination and the dangers he faced.
Indra was able to lay a foundation here, and his skills and strength are even more frightening.
Three days later, outside Blackrock City.
Luo Li was wearing a gray robe, put away the Xuan Yue Sword, and blended into the caravan entering the city.
The gate of Black Stone City is half a meter shorter than that of Green Mountain City. Its walls are made of red sandstone, and traces of wind erosion are all over the walls, like hideous scars.
The guards guarding the city wore rough leather armor and carried rusty scimitars at their waists. They glanced vigilantly at every person entering the city, their fingertips unconsciously stroking the wolf-fang decorations on their armor.
"New here?" A bearded guard stopped the caravan leader and asked in a muffled voice, "Are you bringing goods? Pay the toll according to the rules. If you don't have a single spirit stone, you can't even enter."
The caravan leader was a lean, middle-aged man. He quickly handed over a bag of spirit stones and said with a smile, "As usual, please count. This time, I brought some herbs from Qingshan City, all genuine goods."
The guard weighed the bag, curled his lips, and waved his hand to let him go.
His gaze paused as he passed by Luo Li, who was at the end of the caravan. The gray-robed man was too quiet, with a slender figure but an indescribable sense of alienation, like a lone wolf in the Gobi Desert.
Although he was mixed in the crowd, he seemed able to withdraw and disappear into the wind and sand at any time.
Luo Li lowered her eyes, and the power of chaos condensed into an imperceptible air film around her body, isolating her from the guards' prying eyes.
She could smell the blood on the guards, a smell that only people who have been on the brink of life and death for years could have.
After entering the city, the caravan headed straight for the market, but Luo Li turned into a fork in the road.
The streets of Black Rock City are paved with irregular stone slabs, with yellow sand accumulated in the potholes. When the wind blows, the sand turns into small whirlwinds, swirling past the stone houses on both sides.
Most of the houses have flat roofs, with dried animal bones and faded banners hanging at the doors. Some have the word "weapons" written on them, and some have skulls painted on them, revealing an undisguised ferocity.
The tavern on the corner was the most lively. Luo Li stood at the corner and observed for a moment, then pushed the door and walked in.
The air was filled with the odor of alcohol, sweat, and animal flesh. The hall was packed with people, mostly men in armor and armed with swords. They drank cheap liquor in loud voices and talked about recent hunts and tribal disputes.
"Have you heard? Those restless tribes outside Blackrock City are fighting again, and there's no telling when it will end." A burly man with a face full of flesh took a sip of turbid wine and shouted while wiping his mouth.
A thin man across from him sneered, "Fight! We're all serving as Lord Emperor Shi's dogs anyway. After all the biting and ripping, the bones will eventually fall back into the hands of the master."
"It's those crazy guys from Blood Wolf who have been hanging around Blackrock City lately. They've robbed several small caravans and couldn't even stop the Scorpion Tail. They even lost a few good fighters."
"Scorpion Tail" is a well-known mercenary group in Blackrock City, known for its ferocity and tracking.
"The bone-eating sand scorpion has been restless lately." An old man wrapped in tattered clothes and with a hoarse voice interrupted in the corner.
He had only a glass of water in front of him. "Usually at this time of year they would have burrowed into the ground and gone into hibernation. But over the past two weeks, over in the Red Wind Gobi Desert, the sand scorpions have been running around like crazy, chewing up a lot of things, even destroying some of the iron-clad lizards' nests."
Someone clicked their tongues. "Bone-eating sand scorpions? Haven't those creatures been hiding at the bottom of the Black Wind Abyss for over a year? How dare they come to the Red Wind Gobi?"
"Who knows?" the one-eyed burly man scoffed. "But the Western Wilds haven't been peaceful lately. The Bone Guards under Lord Emperor Shi have been patrolling more and more frequently around Black Stone City. I heard they're looking for some defectors. It's possible the Sand Scorpions were startled by the Bone Guards' movements and fled."
Luo Li sat in the corner, tapping the table unconsciously with her fingertips.
Bone-eating sand scorpion, red wind Gobi.
This was exactly the clue that Cangwu mentioned at the end.
She looked up at the one-eyed man and said calmly, "Where exactly is the Bone-Eroding Sand Scorpion in the Red Wind Gobi Desert?"
The burly man was startled by the sudden female voice. He turned around and saw Luo Li's gray-robed figure, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
This restaurant is usually crowded with rough guys, and it is rare to see such a slender figure. Especially when the other party spoke, there was not a trace of the usual vigilance or flattery of the people from the Western Wilderness in his tone, but only a kind of calmness that was almost indifferent.
He narrowed his single eye and looked Luo Li up and down. "Why are you asking this? Young girl, why don't you stay in the city and ask about the Red Wind Gobi? Are you afraid of losing your life?"
Luo Li didn't respond, but took out a medium-sized spirit stone from her sleeve and gently placed it on the table.
The pure spiritual energy of the spirit stone glowed faintly in the dim tavern, instantly attracting several greedy gazes from the surroundings.
The one-eyed burly man's Adam's apple moved, and he clutched the spirit stone in his palm. He lowered his voice a little, "I can't pinpoint the exact location, but I know it's in the eastern section of the Gobi Desert, near the Black Wind Abyss. There's been a lot of activity there lately. Not only are there sand scorpions, but some people also say they've seen the Cang family's mark."
"Cang family?" Luo Li's fingertips paused slightly.
"It's hard to tell whether it's true or not." The burly man took a sip of wine, his eyes wandering. "After all, the Cang family rarely sets foot in the heart of the Western Wilds, let alone the territory that Lord Emperor Shi is watching. But there were rumors a while ago that a powerful person with a token with the word Cang on it had a conflict with the Bone Guards in the Gobi Desert, and then disappeared..."
Before he could finish his words, heavy footsteps were suddenly heard outside the tavern, accompanied by the harsh sound of metal rubbing against each other.
The originally noisy lobby suddenly fell silent. Everyone subconsciously tensed up and all their eyes turned towards the door.
Several spiritual masters wearing armor walked in. They were the "bone guards" mentioned by the one-eyed strong man.
The leading bone guard had no expression under his visor, only a pair of eyes with a cold light, slowly scanning everyone in the hall.
"By order of Lord Emperor Shi, we are investigating suspicious individuals." His voice was like two stones rubbing against each other. "Recently, an outsider has trespassed into the forbidden area of the Red Wind Gobi Desert. Anyone who sees this person should report it immediately."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and waved it. A light curtain was projected onto the wall, and a blurry figure was reflected in the light curtain.
His white clothes were as white as snow, and a jade pendant hung around his waist, which was exactly the outline of Cangwu.
Luo Li slowly clenched the hand hanging in her sleeve, and the power of chaos flowed silently in her palm.
She narrowed her eyes slightly. Cangwu and Dishi were obviously good friends, so why were they so confrontational at this time?
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