Chapter 77

In the vast, endless golden desert, the desolation was overwhelming. Apart from a few cacti that occasionally appeared and the sand pits, only a few scattered groups of people could be seen.

Lin Yiming and his group of four people moved forward slowly. With every step, their feet would sink deep into the sand. Under the scorching sun that seemed to be right above their heads, each grain of sand felt as if it was being burned to the point of ignition.

"Ah... ah..."

Zhu Lubin struggled to move his obese body, and with every step, he would let out a groan as if he had been kicked in the buttocks. While others' feet only sank to their calves, his feet would almost sink to his knees.

"I came here to take the Mechanist exam, not the Warrior exam. Why must I suffer like this!" Zhu Lubin took the water he had extracted from a cactus and gulped down three large mouthfuls. His eyes were full of envy as he looked at Xiaoguoguo, who seemed completely unaffected by the quicksand, walking as if on flat ground and even jumping around without sinking at all. His eyes were filled with resentment. Was he really that heavy, Fat Master?

He took a deep breath, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, which was as dirty as the bottom of a shoe, and shouted in a piteous voice, "Auntie, Old Lin, walk slower. We have plenty of time."

Thinking of the team they had just overtaken, Zhu Lubin felt a pang of regret. That team had a very well-developed beauty. Because of the heat, she had taken off her clothes and was only wearing a belly band, her body radiating fiery heat.

At that moment, he had wanted to follow the beauty, then offer her some water when she ran out, and then have a deeper conversation. Unfortunately, the other guys in the team had no sense of romance, no appreciation for beauty, and no understanding of the pleasure of the sight, and they had just run past.

"What a pity. Fat Master wanted to see how much more she would take off when it got even hotter. Now, there's no chance." Zhu Lubin sighed, lifted his leg, and was about to take a step forward when Ouyang Aoting suddenly turned around, his face full of fear.

"Run quickly, we need to go back. A sandstorm is coming."

Except for Xiaoguoguo, who still looked happy and thought walking was fun, Lin Yiming and Zhu Lubin were stunned.

"Run quickly, the sandstorm is coming. If we don't go now, we'll die." Ouyang Aoting, seeing that Lin Yiming and Zhu Lubin were not reacting, was almost jumping with urgency. As he gradually got to know everyone, he no longer stuttered as much as when they first met.

"Are you crazy?" Zhu Lubin pointed at the sky and mocked, "Look at the sky, it's so clear. You say a sandstorm is coming, which means a strong wind. Does this look like a day for a strong wind?"

"The sandstorm is really coming!" Ouyang Aoting, in his anxiety, had beads of sweat the size of peas rolling down his forehead. "Believe me, I may not have other skills, but I'm very good at escaping. There was a sand pit we passed earlier. If we hide in it, we'll be safe."

"Sand pit? We have to turn back?" Zhu Lubin's eyes widened. "Are you joking, Fat Master? I'm not going back."

After Zhu Lubin finished speaking, he noticed that Ouyang Aoting had already turned around and was sprinting back the way they came, much faster than when they came.

While running, he kept shouting, "Believe me, run quickly, it's too late if you don't run now."

"This kid is really crazy." Zhu Lubin looked at Lin Yiming with sympathy, as if Ouyang Aoting was beyond help.

Lin Yiming did not speak but closed his eyes slightly. At first, he had not felt anything, but after Ouyang Aoting started running, he had a vague intuition that following Ouyang Aoting was the right thing to do.

Looking at the clear sky, Lin Yiming suddenly turned around and said, "I think we should better be safe than sorry. It's not far, let's go in and hide for a while. Even if there's no sandstorm, we won't lose anything."

"What? Old Lin, you can't be serious! You believe that kid? What do you mean it's not far? The sand pit is clearly far away... Old Lin, don't run, wait for me." Zhu Lubin was still speaking when he saw Lin Yiming turn around and chase after Ouyang Aoting. He quickly stopped talking and followed Lin Yiming.

His martial skills were not strong, so it was safer to follow Old Lin.

The four of them turned and ran back in the opposite direction, soon attracting the attention of other disciples participating in the exam in the desert.

"Huh? What are these people doing? Why are they running in the opposite direction?" A young boy, who looked younger than Lin Yiming, watched the four people speed past in confusion.

"Maybe they ran out of water."

"Even if they ran out of water, they wouldn't run so fast. Wait, listen, they are shouting something."

Lin Yiming and the others ran quickly, and Ouyang Aoting, while running, kept shouting, "A sandstorm is coming, everyone run quickly. Run quickly!"

"This brat, he's not ashamed enough, he's shouting so loudly!" Zhu Lubin, running at the back, muttered in annoyance.

"Hey, it's that beauty." As he ran, Zhu Lubin's eyes lit up when he saw the beauty who had taken off her clothes due to the heat and was only wearing a fiery red belly band.

Seeing the beauty, Zhu Lubin, without thinking, blurted out, "Run quickly, a sandstorm is coming."

"A sandstorm on such a day?" The beauty, who was only wearing a belly band, revealing her fiery figure, looked at Zhu Lubin as if he were a fool and turned away.

"Haha, this guy must be crazy. Such a good day, and he says a sandstorm is coming! It's hilarious."

"Not just him, look at his companions. They are all scared and running back. I think they are all crazy from the heat. It's rare to see someone go crazy from the sun."

The two people next to the beauty laughed loudly, clearly annoyed by the fat man's lecherous gaze.

Ouyang Aoting kept shouting, but his shouts only brought more ridicule. He ignored the laughter and continued to call out.

"Run quickly, sand..." Suddenly, Ouyang Aoting's mouth was as if blocked by something, and his voice stopped abruptly.

In front of them, a man was walking alone.

Despite the scorching sun, the man seemed unaffected, with no sweat on his chiseled face. He carried a slender sword on his back, his expression cold and unbothered by the environment, moving forward steadily.

Seeing this man, Ouyang Aoting's voice stopped, and he felt an inexplicable fear. For a moment, he had the illusion that he was facing not a person but a god of death.

Seemingly hearing Ouyang Aoting's earlier shouts, the man lifted his head, and his sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, glanced at Ouyang Aoting before returning to his steady pace. Each step he took was as if carefully calculated, with the same rhythm.

Just being glanced at, Ouyang Aoting felt as if his neck was close to the sharp axe of a demon, shivering all over. The man's eyes were like a sharp dagger, piercing his heart. Trembling, he turned around, crouched down, and darted into the sand pit.

"This guy has a strong aura." Lin Yiming looked deeply at the man walking alone and followed into the sand pit.

The sand pit looked small from the outside, but inside, it was spacious. Because it was underground, it seemed small, but it could easily accommodate not just the four of them but even seven or eight more people.

Zhu Lubin, drenched in sweat, was the last to enter the sand pit. As soon as he entered, he grabbed Ouyang Aoting by the collar and pulled him in front of him.

"Making Fat Master so tired, boy, I'll tell you, if there's no sandstorm in a while, I'll use these skillful hands to make you wish you were dead!"

Zhu Lubin threatened Ouyang Aoting fiercely, and to emphasize his point, he raised his fist.

Just as Zhu Lubin raised his fist, a howling sound suddenly came from above.

"What's that sound?" Zhu Lubin let go of Ouyang Aoting and looked out through a small hole in the sand pit. In the distance, a large, dark gray mass, like a giant curtain, was rapidly approaching. The clear sky had somehow turned overcast.

"Whistling..."

The wind above them grew louder. The dark sky and the howling wind gave the impression of being in a graveyard, surrounded by the wailing of vengeful spirits.