Chapter 441: The Flame Desert
Qin Mu was, after all, the Grand Sacrificial Scholar of the Heavenly Sacred Academy. Before departing, he gave some instructions. Since many of the scholars at the Heavenly Sacred Academy came from the Heavenly Demon Sect, and many of the Imperial Academy students also hailed from the sect, there would be no problems even in his absence. He felt quite at ease.
He also passed the Dragon Taming Scripture to Si Yunxiang, asking her to have someone look after these flood dragons.
"These flood dragons only eat spirit pills, and different types require different pills," Qin Mu instructed. "I've written down the types and quantities of pills for each day. Don't forget, Saintess. If they don't listen to you, go get Ling'er. She can keep these flood dragons in line."
Si Yunxiang smiled. "With the Dragon Taming Scripture in hand, am I not better than a little fox? Aren't you taking a few flood dragons for protection? Isn't the little fox going with you?"
"Ling'er is studying magic with the Fox Immortal, so she won't be coming this time. Besides, this trip is just to scout the Western Lands. There's no danger."
After giving his instructions, Qin Mu took his leave from Granny Si and the others. Just as he was about to set off with the Dragon Qilin, he noticed a little girl of five or six standing beside the beast.
"Qi'er, didn't you go to the Western Lands with Nai Kui?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled.
Xiong Qi'er shook her head. "Mother told me to follow you. She said she doesn't quite trust the Imperial Preceptor of Yan Kingdom. She said he lacks humanity and would sacrifice anything to achieve his goals. Someone like that is hard for her to trust."
"Your mother is quite perceptive," Qin Mu said. "It's good that you're coming with me. Their group is too conspicuous. Following me is actually safer."
He picked up Xiong Qi'er, jumped onto the Dragon Qilin's back, and shouted, "Fatty Dragon, let's go!"
The Dragon Qilin immediately took a few strides, leaped onto a cloud of fire, and soared into the air. "Chief, I've been feeling lately that the flavor of the Crimson Fire Spirit Pills is off. Did you switch pills?" he asked.
Qin Mu shook his head. "Fatty Dragon, don't be so suspicious. If I had switched pills, wouldn't you be able to tell?"
The Dragon Qilin was skeptical but uncertain. Xiong Qi'er exclaimed in surprise, "Fatty Dragon is running faster than before, and his belly isn't as big as it used to be."
The Dragon Qilin grew even more suspicious, but every time he ate a pill, he would peel it open to check if Qin Mu had tampered with it, yet he found nothing unusual.
Qin Mu smiled. He had improved the Crimson Fire Spirit Pill and the Fire Element Divine Origin Pill, combining them into one. The taste was similar to the Crimson Fire Spirit Pill but slightly spicier. The Dragon Qilin could tell something was different but couldn't figure out what the problem was.
The Dragon Qilin's speed had increased significantly, and his stamina was much greater. After two or three days, they arrived at the Great Ruins. Following his memory, Qin Mu found the Moon Boat. The stone statue of the Village Chief stood not far from it.
He was surprised to see that two new houses had been built nearby. These families must have noticed the stone statue that could ward off darkness and decided to settle here.
When they saw him riding a creature that was neither dragon nor qilin, the two families grew tense. Two young hunters stood guard at their doors with steel forks, while young women peered out from behind them.
Qin Mu stopped, dismounted with Xiong Qi'er, and greeted the two men. They returned the gesture. "Are you a bandit or a thief?" one asked.
"I'm just a traveler passing through to visit an old acquaintance. Don't worry, I mean no harm."
Qin Mu approached the Village Chief's stone statue, placed offerings of cattle and sheep, and said, "This is an elder of mine. I've come to pay my respects. If he could see that his broken body still protects you, he would be very happy."
He performed a ritual, using the Soul Summoning Technique. Dark clouds gathered, and shadows stirred. After a while, many walking skeletons appeared outside the village, but the Village Chief's stone statue remained still.
Soon, Qin Mu's spiritual power was nearly exhausted. Just as he was about to dispel the technique, the stone statue moved slightly, spat out a few gold coins, and spoke: "Mu'er, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, under the full moon, I'll wait for you at the Ghost Gate!" Then it returned to being a statue.
Qin Mu picked up the coins—eight Fengdu coins.
The nearby villagers stared in shock and uncertainty.
Qin Mu turned, thanked them, and left some money. "Please help me clean the statue from time to time. Don't let it get too dirty," he said before departing.
The villagers watched his retreating figure. One young woman stared blankly and suddenly said, "Did you see that young man? Doesn't he look like the deity on the big ship that night?"
Another woman exclaimed, "He really does! That night, the big ship passed by our village, and I saw the deity on board—he looked exactly like him!"
A hunter quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense! He's just a boy, younger than us. How could he be that deity?"
...
Qin Mu, with Xiong Qi'er, rode the Dragon Qilin westward, stopping at night to rest. They passed the Western Heavenly Palace Basin, where Qin Mu observed the ruins before moving on. After more than ten days of travel, they finally reached the westernmost edge of the Great Ruins. There, a mountain range stretched endlessly, covered in snow, cutting off the Great Ruins.
"There's a Divine Severing Mountain Range here too?" Qin Mu wondered.
As the Dragon Qilin climbed to the summit, a massive arrow, as thick as a beam, shot from a Xuanji Crossbow, stirring up a blizzard. The Dragon Qilin raised a claw to swat the arrow down but was startled. "Chief, I've gotten stronger!" he exclaimed.
Qin Mu looked around at the surrounding peaks, where giant Xuanji Crossbows were automatically rotating and adjusting their aim. He quickly shouted, "Fatty Dragon, run!"
*Whoosh!*
The crossbows fired simultaneously, unleashing a storm of arrows that rained down on them. The Dragon Qilin leaped and dashed madly toward the other side of the mountain.
Massive arrows struck the ground behind them, turning into pillars of ice. More arrows flew in. The Dragon Qilin roared, and flames erupted behind him, forming clouds of fire that burned fiercely against the arrows. Still, many ice arrows that hadn't melted pierced through!
Qin Mu formed a sword seal with his hand and shook it. Eight thousand swords flew into the air, slicing through countless ice arrows.
The Dragon Qilin charged down the mountain, arrows raining down behind him, thudding into the ground. When they reached the base, the assault finally stopped.
Qin Mu breathed a sigh of relief, but then a wave of heat hit him. He looked ahead and saw a vast desert stretching to the horizon, flames blazing across it, scorching the sky red.
Qin Mu turned back. Behind him was the snowy mountain.
"Beyond this Flame Desert lies the Western Lands," he said.
Xiong Qi'er said crisply, "The Western Lands are behind the desert."
Qin Mu was puzzled. "How did this Flame Desert come to be between the Western Lands and the Great Ruins? Where does the fire come from?"
"My mother said this fire was lit by a god to stop the abandoned people of the Great Ruins from leaving," Xiong Qi'er explained. She suddenly jumped into the flames of the desert, startling Qin Mu. She ran around laughing. "This fire doesn't hurt us. It only burns the abandoned people of the Great Ruins. To us, it's not hot at all, but to them, it's deadly! Mother said that if an abandoned person enters the desert, a flame mark appears on their forehead, branding them. The higher their status, the more flames appear on their body."
Qin Mu reached out and touched the flame. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain and quickly withdrew his hand. His fingertip began to burn.
He extinguished the flame and frowned.
This Flame Desert was indeed an extremely dangerous place for the people of the Great Ruins. Entering it would surely mean death.
"Qi'er, get on!"
Qin Mu's primal energy shot out, wrapping around the little girl and tossing her onto the Dragon Qilin's back. "The Imperial Preceptor and the Palace Master set out a few days before us. Let's not linger. Fatty Dragon—"
Xiong Qi'er suddenly said, "Big brother, what's wrong with your face?"
Qin Mu was confused. "What's wrong with my face?"
"You have many patterns on your face!" Xiong Qi'er exclaimed. "The patterns are twisting, and there are more and more of them! Are you sick? Oh, I see—big brother, you're an abandoned person from the Great Ruins. But you have too many flame marks!"
Qin Mu was startled. He quickly pulled out the mirror the pharmacist had given him and looked at his reflection. Indeed, many blue and red patterns had appeared on his face, twisting and spreading across his features!
He pulled open his collar and saw similar patterns on his chest, a mix of blue and rainbow colors!
He extended his hand and saw the patterns growing from his wrist, spreading to the back of his hand and his palm.
With a *shwoosh*, Qin Mu tore off his shirt. Several more mirrors flew out of his gluttonous sack. He looked at them and saw patterns spreading all over his body, front and back, like blue and red flames!
Xiong Qi'er stared at him, dumbfounded. The bare-chested boy stood on the Dragon Qilin's back, flame marks covering almost his entire body!
"Mother said the higher the abandoned person's status, the more flame marks they have. Ordinary abandoned people only have one mark on their forehead, but big brother has them everywhere," the little girl murmured, stunned. "What kind of status does he have..."
"Could it be the effect of this fire?" Qin Mu pondered. "When I touched the flame, it seeped into my body and formed these strange patterns... Fatty Dragon, retreat to the snowy mountain!"
The Dragon Qilin didn't understand but carefully backed out of the Flame Desert to the foot of the snowy mountain. Qin Mu looked in the mirror and saw the patterns gradually fading. By the time they reached the mountain's base, they had completely disappeared.
He put away the mirrors, dressed, and said calmly, "Fatty Dragon, let's continue. It's nothing. These patterns are just a symbol of being an abandoned person."
The Dragon Qilin rushed back into the Flame Desert, and the patterns on Qin Mu began to reappear, spreading rapidly. The boy paid them no mind. The scenery in the Flame Desert was unique, with fire tornadoes roaring everywhere, sweeping through everything. The Dragon Qilin, being naturally attuned to fire, eagerly charged into a tornado, nearly burning Qin Mu to death. Qin Mu quickly stopped him.
Seeing Qin Mu's face blackened by the flames, the Dragon Qilin was startled and obediently continued on. The fire had no effect on him, but for Qin Mu, it was a deadly threat.
"Big brother, there's an oasis ahead!" Xiong Qi'er exclaimed excitedly. "There's water there!"
Qin Mu was stunned. "Water in a place like this?"
Then he saw the oasis in the Flame Desert. Many olive trees grew beside a beautiful lake, and a few white sheepskin tents were pitched by the shore.
The Dragon Qilin hurried over. When they reached the lake, Qin Mu dismounted and said, "A traveler passing through. Apologies for the intrusion."
A sheepskin tent opened, and a young man stepped out, smiling. "No intrusion. I was practicing a special technique here and needed someone to sacrifice... It's you!"
The young man's face changed dramatically. Without hesitation, Qin Mu drew his sword. Eight thousand swords flew up at once, engulfing the young man!