Chapter 82: Departure

"Her physique hasn't awakened yet. Once it does, she can quickly grow by taming snake-type magical beasts and absorbing energy from them. In the future, it would be like accelerating her cultivation. If she tames a few more snake-type magical beasts, her cultivation speed will be even faster."

"Oh? The Emerald Snake Three Flower Pupils?" Xian'er exclaimed in surprise.

Is there really such a strange physique in the world? This was even more exaggerated than her own Woeful Poison Body!

After all, the Woeful Poison Body had hidden dangers and constantly required high-grade toxins to devour.

And this Emerald Snake Three Flower Pupils, according to Wei Yang, simply required taming some snake-type magical beasts to level up effortlessly? Since the magical beasts would help in cultivation, it meant lying back while progressing.

This was complete and utter plunder!

Qing Lin was also surprised as she looked at Wei Yang. She hadn't expected herself to possess such a unique physique.

"Qing Lin, I'll first teach you to cultivate Dou Qi in these coming days. Your physique is cold, so you should rest here during the day, and I'll take you to the desert at night to cultivate."

Wei Yang smiled, "As for your physique, we'll need snake-type magical beasts to awaken it. Let's not rush into it for now. There's no need to tame ordinary snake-type magical beasts. Let's wait until we encounter good or talented ones."

"Okay, I'll listen to you, young master." Qing Lin nodded.

"Hehe," Wei Yang chuckled, rubbing her little head.

He wasn't about to hand Qing Lin over for the Heaven Snake Manor to take away.

He had already placed a shielding seal on Qing Lin using his soul power, blocking all her aura.

Later, when her physique is awakened, he would apply several more seals to hide the strange waves from spreading. It shouldn't be a significant issue unless Heaven Snake Manor people happened to be nearby.

Heaven Snake Manor was founded by a Dou Zun and was indeed a formidable force on this northwest continent, although it's not much in the Central Plain.

Perhaps the Heaven Snake Manor's legacy was very suitable for Qing Lin's early growth, but Wei Yang still didn't want Qing Lin to go there.

Yin wood attributed techniques might be hard to find, but Yin attribute or non-attribute techniques were still obtainable.

Tomorrow, he planned to head out and acquire a low to mid-level Xuan class non-attribute technique as a backup for Qing Lin. Later, when they reached the Black-Corner Region, he would find a more suitable Yin attribute technique.

Or he could trade for one with Yao Lao.

Don't be fooled by Qing Lin who hadn't even started cultivating Dou Qi yet. If she truly awakened her physique and tamed a higher-level snake-type magical beast, her advancement speed would soar.

...

A month later.

In the depths of the Endless Sand Sea.

Here, living creatures were rare, and as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but an expanse of golden sand.

When the sandstorms raged, they blotted out the sun, filling the sky with sand and dust, sometimes making directions difficult to discern.

This place was a forbidden zone for living creatures. Even common desert scorpions and sand snakes were hard to find here.

It was evident how harsh the environment was.

At this moment, the sandstorm blotted out the sky like the end had come.

Though it was daytime, there wasn't a hint of sunlight. The sky was overcast, and the ground was completely obscured by the sandstorm.

In a temporary cave dug into the base of a sand dune, Wei Yang looked a bit glum.

The three of them had been trapped here for three whole days.

For three entire days, the sandstorm outside showed no signs of stopping, stretching for hundreds or even thousands of miles, making it impossible to discern direction. Wei Yang naturally didn't dare venture out.

The desert terrain was known for its ever-changing nature, yet also seemed unchanging because finding a definite reference point was challenging. Getting lost due to direction confusion was no laughing matter.

Having set out about twenty days ago, they traveled by day and camped by night.

Originally, everything went smoothly. Even when encountering small sandstorms, Wei Yang used his strength to push through.

But now, he had no choice but to stop temporarily.

Their current shelter from the sandstorm was located inside a sand dune. Wei Yang forcibly expanded a spacious area with Dou Qi, then burned and melted the sand with fire to cool into crystalline rock walls, forming a cave.

Wei Yang sat cross-legged beside a table, holding a jade teacup without the mind to drink.

Frowning slightly, his gaze fixed on an ancient map spread out on the table.

It was a map leading deep into the Endless Sand Sea, extending for countless miles.

At the end of the map's route, there was a small red circle marked with a scarlet skull symbol, giving off an eerie vibe that involuntarily sent chills down one's spine.

Beside the skull was a black flame emblem, seemingly burning and leaping.

This black flame seemed dynamic and vivid, almost like a black sun burning, exuding an endless sense of heat.

The entire map emitted thin strange aura fluctuations. This slight fluctuation radiated from the flame-like, black sun-like emblem.

Currently, the map didn't offer much reference value anymore and could only provide a rough directional guide.

In the vast sand sea, one couldn't locate any suitable reference point, especially in recent days as even small oases became scarce.

Now, the sandstorm outside raged for unknown miles and had persisted for three days. Who knew how much longer it would continue, and afterward, the landscape outside might be unrecognizable.

Thinking of this, Wei Yang couldn't help but rub his temples in frustration.

According to some experienced mercenaries, sandstorms in the desert interior could last several days, a dozen days, or even over a month when they raged.

The larger the sandstorm, the longer its duration, as per this rule.

There was once a mercenary squad trapped in place by a sandstorm for nearly two months, nearly starving and thirsting to death, eventually surviving by slaughtering camels for sustenance.

In the face of such large-scale natural disasters like sandstorms, even as a Dou Wang, Wei Yang could only wait patiently.

How could a Dou Wang resist the might of nature?

He was prepared to endure for a month or so if needed.

On his sides sat Xian'er and Qing Lin, obediently accompanying him.

Wei Yang exhaled softly and set down his jade teacup.

He opened his arms, pulling Xian'er and Qing Lin close, resignedly saying, "We'll just have to keep waiting."

Xian'er traced her jade-like finger along the map's route, stopping at about the midway point, and commented, "Brother Yang, the last small oasis we encountered a few days ago was likely at this spot."

"This means we've probably covered about half the route on this map, with only about half left to go."

Qing Lin nodded in encouragement, saying, "Don't worry, young master. Once this sandstorm passes, we can hasten our travel and should reach our destination quickly."

"Yes, I'm not in a hurry. Just a bit frustrated waiting around," Wei Yang chuckled.

Glancing at Qing Lin, Wei Yang smiled, "Actually, after so many days of traveling, you must be tired, Qing Lin. A rest period is good too."

A strange gleam flashed in Qing Lin's eyes as she leaned back into Wei Yang's embrace, shaking her head with a smile, "I'm not tired at all, young master. No need to worry about me."

In just a month since she began cultivating Dou Qi, she had reached Dou Qi Level Two, a testament to her Emerald Snake Three Flower Pupils physique.

Her cultivation speed was even faster than Xian'er's back then, possibly due to environmental factors.

Though scorching in the day, the desert nights were cold, making it the best time for Qing Lin to cultivate.