I asked you to go down the mountain and get married, not to shock the world!

Mingchuan looked at Jinman: "Jinman, I'm entrusting the sect and the Spirit Realm to you. Keep things stable. Follow our previously agreed plan: maintain a relaxed exterior but a tight interior. Continue to put pressure on Falling Star Wasteland, but never be reckless. If there is any new definite news from Zhao Hu, or if Yueyao or Longyin Temple makes any unusual moves, send a message through encrypted channels immediately."

Jinman took a deep breath, suppressing the complex emotions churning within her.

There was regret for not being able to personally participate in the revenge against Longyin Temple, and even more concern for Mingchuan's safety on this trip.

She said solemnly, "Don't worry, leave the sect to me. You must be careful. The Holy Domain is not like the Spirit Domain; there are more rules there, and the traps are more hidden. Especially..." She looked at Mingchuan, hesitated, and finally whispered, "Be careful of Yueyao; she knows the dark side of the Holy Domain better than I do."

Mingchuan gave her a reassuring look: "I will."

He then looked at the Stone Bear who had been standing silently to the side: "Senior Bear, I'm entrusting the family to you."

Stone Bear bowed deeply, his voice booming like thunder: "As long as we are here, our lineage is here."

Four simple words, yet weighing more than a thousand pounds.

Without delay, everyone immediately split up to make preparations.

Mingchuan quickly explained his whereabouts to Leng Xi and the other two women, reassuring them. He only said that he had important business to attend to with Master Lingxu in the Holy Domain to visit an old friend and discuss a strategy to deal with the Dragon Roar Temple, without mentioning any specific risks.

Although the three women were worried, they knew the matter was of great importance, and they repeatedly told him to be careful in everything he did.

Ah Xiong, along with core disciples such as Zhao Hu and Chen Shu who had already set off, also received brief instructions to perform their respective duties and strengthen vigilance.

Half an hour later, a barely perceptible silver rift quietly opened above the Wan Chuan Sect.

Mingchuan, Lingxu Zhenren, Ye Yan, Qingmianhu, and Chiyanhu silently stepped inside and disappeared.

The crack healed, as if it had never existed.

Jinman and Shiwenxiong stood atop the suspended palace, gazing in the direction they had gone, remaining silent for a long time.

"They... will come back safely, right?" Jinman asked softly, unsure whether she was asking the Stone Bear or herself.

The stone-patterned bear did not answer; instead, its granite-like body stood even straighter, like an unyielding mountain.

He looked towards the direction of the Fallen Star Wasteland in the Western Regions, and then towards the Holy Domain. A deep worry flashed in his honest bear eyes.

The storm has quietly escalated.

All they can do is persevere and wait.

……

Inside the spatial passage, there was a dazzling array of lights and colors, a bizarre and wonderful sight.

“Between the Sacred Realm and the Spirit Realm, there exists a natural boundary barrier and a chaotic void zone, which is difficult for ordinary cultivators to cross. They mostly rely on a few fixed ancient teleportation arrays or large flying boats.” Lingxu Zhenren explained to Mingchuan while maintaining the stability of the passage. “The path we are taking is a shortcut opened up by me from a weak point in space that I discovered years ago. It is relatively hidden, but the exit is located in the Lost Desert on the outskirts of the Sacred Realm, so we still need to be careful.”

"The Great Brahma Temple, where Master Huineng resides, is located on Mount Ling in the center of the Holy Domain. The mountain gate of the Moon Wheel Pavilion is in the Eastern Sword Echo Mountain Range. And the core of the Holy Domain Dynasty, Tiandu City, is located in the northern place where the dragon veins converge. The Dragon Roar Temple is situated in the western Moonflower Mountain Range." The Green-Faced Fox added in a gentle voice the basic structure of the Holy Domain.

"The Lost Desert is in the southwest of the Holy Land. We need to cross the edge of the desert to the north to reach a relatively safe area before deciding where to go first."

Crimson Flame Fox curled its lip: "That lousy desert is no good place. Quicksand, illusions, spatial rifts, and all sorts of strange sand beasts and fugitives... But with Lingxu and Green-Faced Fox here, it's not a big problem. However, once we enter the Holy Domain's territory, we'll have to change our clothes. The clothing and aura of the Spirit Domain are too conspicuous in some places."

The moment he finished speaking, Ye Yan and Ming Chuan changed their outfits.

That's pretty fast.

They also deliberately lowered their cultivation levels to avoid being too conspicuous and attracting attention after arriving in the Holy Domain.

Fortunately, the cultivation levels of the Holy Domain members are all significantly higher, so they don't pay too much attention to them, since even the weakest among them is at the Foundation Establishment stage.

After about half a day, a hazy scene of yellow sand appeared at the end of the passage ahead.

"We've arrived. Conceal your presence and prepare to leave." Master Lingxu shouted in a low voice, and with a wave of his sleeve, the exit of the passage stabilized.

As the five people stepped out one by one, they immediately felt a dry, scorching sandstorm hitting their faces.

Before me stretched an endless, gloomy desert, the sky a strange, dark red. The sun blazed high, yet offered little warmth, instead carrying a strange sense of oppression. In the distance, the sand dunes twisted and distorted in the heat, as if writhing with life.

This is one of the perilous areas on the outskirts of the Holy Land, the Lost Desert.

“Follow me, I know a relatively safe path that avoids several notorious quicksand areas and spatial disorder zones.”

The blue-faced fox identified the direction and took the lead in walking in a certain direction.

Her keen sense of life allows her to effectively avoid the dangers lurking beneath the sand.

The group followed closely behind, concealing their auras to the extreme, like five insignificant specks of dust, merging into this vast and dangerous desert.

The quicksand beneath my feet occasionally made a soft "rustling" sound, and the air was filled with the smell of dryness and dust. Occasionally, a hot breeze would stir up sand and gravel, which would hit the protective aura and make a slight crackling sound.

For the first half hour, everything went as the Green-Faced Fox had predicted. They avoided several obvious areas of energy disorder and quicksand traps, and their journey was quite smooth.

However, just as they ventured deep into the desert and passed through a relatively flat area filled with weathered rock pillars, a sudden change occurred!

"Roar--!!!"

A violent, hoarse roar, completely unlike that of a normal creature, suddenly exploded from behind a huge weathered rock pillar in front!

Immediately afterwards, a massive black shadow, accompanied by a bloody wind and sandstorm, pounced out at an astonishing speed!

It turned out to be a giant sand-scaled lizard that was over three zhang long!

However, it was completely different from ordinary sand lizards. Its scales were covered in a sickly dark red color, its eyes were bloodshot, it had completely lost its mind, and the breath it exhaled was filled with a scorching stench and chaotic spiritual energy fluctuations. Its cultivation level had reached the late stage of Core Formation!

What's even stranger is that its target was very clear: Ye Yan, who was the weakest in the group!

"careful!"

The Crimson Flame Fox reacted the fastest, letting out a cold snort without even turning around, simply flicking its finger.

"laugh--!"

A wisp of condensed, silky crimson-gold fire shot out from the sky, piercing the forehead of the sand-scaled giant lizard with perfect precision!

Without a deafening explosion, the giant lizard's massive body, which was charging forward, suddenly froze. Then, starting from its head, it rapidly turned into ashes, completely annihilated by the intensely hot purifying fire before it could even let out a scream.

The Crimson Flame Fox clapped its hands, its tone laced with disdain: "A mere Core Formation stage beast dares to..."

Before he finished speaking, countless violent roars rang out simultaneously from all directions—behind the rocks, under the sand, and even in the distorted heatwaves in mid-air!