As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

The scorching sun mercilessly burned the earth, and the rolling heat waves swept across the yellow sand, as if to swallow everything.

Ding Chen and his group headed westward in search of the legendary Sword of Purification. However, the first obstacle before them was this barren desert.

"Water...water..." Ah Hu's rough voice became hoarse, and his lips were so cracked that blood oozed out.

The water they brought with them when they set out had been used up, and everyone's throat felt like it was on fire and they were extremely thirsty.

General Lin wiped the sweat from his face and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, hold on a little longer, we will definitely find a water source!"

At this moment, Yingfeng's sharp eyes suddenly lit up, and he pointed to a low-lying area ahead and said, "There! Maybe there's water!"

Everyone looked in the direction of his finger and saw that the sand there was slightly darker in color, as if it contained moisture.

The flame of hope ignited in everyone's hearts, but Xiaoxuan frowned and pulled Yingfeng who was about to rush forward.

"Wait!" Xiaoxuan said anxiously, "Look at the sand around here. The colors are different, and the sand grains are very fine. It's probably a quicksand trap!"

Ying Feng snorted disapprovingly: "It's just a little quicksand, what are you afraid of? I'm agile and can avoid it."

"Better safe than sorry." Xiaoxuan refused to budge. "We can't take any chances. What if..."

The two of them were arguing, and Ding Chen stepped forward and patted Yingfeng on the shoulder: "Xiaoxuan is right, we can't be reckless. Let's observe the surrounding situation first."

Although Yingfeng was a little unconvinced, he still followed Ding Chen's advice.

Everyone approached the low-lying area cautiously and carefully observed the surrounding environment.

Suddenly, Xiaoxuan's gaze fell on a few withered plants not far away. She squatted down and gently stroked the dry branches and leaves, a strange light flashing in her eyes...

"and many more……"

Xiaoxuan gently stroked the dry branches and leaves, and a strange light flashed in her eyes.

"Wait..." She said in a low voice, attracting everyone's attention.

"This plant is called sea buckthorn. Although it looks withered on the surface, its rhizomes are buried deep underground and can absorb groundwater." She pulled up a sea buckthorn plant, revealing the tender white rhizomes underneath. She squeezed it gently with her hands, and sure enough, a few drops of crystal clear liquid flowed out.

"Everyone, look for this plant. Its rhizome can temporarily quench your thirst!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately dispersed and looked for sea buckthorn grass.

Soon, everyone found some sea buckthorn grass, absorbed the moisture in it, and felt refreshed.

Although this amount of water was not enough to completely quench their thirst, it at least gave them hope.

As we continued forward, a group of black dots appeared on the horizon, gradually becoming clearer as they got closer and closer - they were sand bandits riding camels and wielding scimitars!

They stared at Ding Chen and his group greedily like a group of hungry wolves, as if they saw lambs to be slaughtered.

"Protect Xiaoxuan!" Ding Chen shouted, drew out his sword and stood in front of Xiaoxuan.

General Lin and Yingfeng also rushed forward without fear and engaged in a fierce fight with the sand bandits.

General Lin's swordsmanship was vigorous and each move carried the force of thunder; Ying Feng's body movements were agile, moving among the sand bandits like a swimming dragon, the dagger in his hand flashing with cold light, and each move was precise and deadly.

Although the sand bandits were numerous, their martial arts skills were uneven and they were quickly suppressed by General Lin and Yingfeng.

However, the leader of the sand bandits just watched coldly with a sinister smile on his face.

"Interesting..." he whispered, a sly glint in his eyes.

The leader of the sand bandits smiled grimly, and the scimitar in his hand drew a strange arc. He commanded his men to change their formation and constantly adjusted their tactics like a chameleon.

General Lin's eyes were sharp, and the sand bandits' tricks were like child's play to him. He responded calmly, and every swing of his sword was just right to break the sand bandits' offensive.

Yingfeng shuttled among the sand bandits like a ghost, his dagger flying and splashing blood, and the sand bandits cried out in pain.

Ah Hu closely protected Xiaoxuan and the white-haired wise man, waving the wooden stick in his hand and repelling the approaching sand bandits one by one.

Xiaoxuan observed the actions of the sand bandits and keenly discovered that they seemed to be very sensitive to a certain smell. Whenever the wind blew and brought a faint herbal aroma, the sand bandits would involuntarily cover their noses and retreat.

She immediately thought of a plant unique to the desert called "exorcism grass". The smell of this herb has a repelling effect on some desert creatures.

Xiaoxuan told the white-haired wise man about her discovery. The white-haired wise man nodded slightly, formed seals with his hands, and muttered something. A strange power emanated from him, quickly spreading the scent of the exorcism grass to the entire battlefield.

The smell of the exorcist grass became stronger and stronger, and the sand bandits' horses began to get restless and neigh, and some even began to run wildly, completely disrupting the sand bandits' formation.

The leader of the sand bandits was horrified when he saw this and wanted to control the situation, but it was already too late.

The sand bandits were panicked and fled in all directions, abandoning their weapons and armor.

The crowd pursued the enemy and soon defeated all the remaining sand bandits.

The crisis in the desert was finally resolved, and everyone finally walked out of this land of death.

A mysterious valley appeared before my eyes. The valley entrance was shrouded in mist and I couldn't see the scenery inside clearly.

An ancient and mysterious atmosphere wafts from the valley, giving people an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The Sword of Purification is among them.

"Let's go," Ding Chen took a deep breath and looked at the valley with a firm gaze, "Let's go in." Xiaoxuan held Ding Chen's hand tightly, without saying a word, but nodded silently.

General Lin drew his sword, looked around vigilantly, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone be careful, the atmosphere here is a little wrong." Yingfeng said nothing, and the dagger in his hand had already been quietly unsheathed.

The white-haired wise man looked at the valley, a strange light flashing in his eyes, and he slowly said: "...It has begun."