I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

Abandoned highway on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert

Dusk. The setting sun, like blood, spreads across the endless Gobi Desert.

A dilapidated pickup truck was parked on the side of the road, its exhaust pipe sputtering black smoke.

"Brother, we really can't go any further."

The Uyghur driver leaned out and pointed to the deserted area shrouded in sandstorm ahead, saying in broken Chinese, "That's the 'Sea of ​​Death.' The wind is strong this time of year; once you go in, you won't come out. I'm not going to earn any more money; my life is more important."

Gu Qing got out of the passenger seat, tightened her trench coat, and put on goggles and a mask.

"Thanks, Master."

He didn't insist, picked up his simple bag, and walked alone into the depths of the desert.

The driver looked at the thin figure from behind, shook his head, muttered "madman" under his breath, and then stepped on the gas and turned around to leave.

Gu Qing walked very slowly.

With each step he took, the soft sand drained his dwindling strength. The burning sensation in his lungs intensified with each breath of the dry, cold air, but he didn't stop.

[Current location: 15 kilometers away from the core area of ​​the preset "Sword Tomb".]

[Warning: An unidentified vehicle has been detected following the host.]

Gu Qing stopped and turned her head slightly.

Amid the howling of the wind and sand, the faint roar of a high-powered engine could be heard.

Two modified black SUVs, like two hyenas that had smelled blood, rushed from the end of the road into the Gobi Desert, kicking up clouds of dust, heading straight for Gu Qing.

"It's finally here."

Gu Qing was not surprised.

As early as at the tea stall near the train station, he noticed several malicious eyes fixed on the thick wad of banknotes in his hand. In this border region with weak legal oversight, a lone, sickly-looking "fat sheep" was practically a walking ATM.

squeak--!

A screeching sound of brakes rang out.

The two cars, one in front and one behind, sandwiched Gu Qing in the middle.

The car door opened, and five burly men jumped out. They were wearing dirty camouflage uniforms and carrying homemade guns and machetes, not the hunting rifles used by herdsmen.

The leader was a bald man with a face full of scars, a string of wolf teeth hanging around his neck, and a military dagger in his hand.

"Hey, little boss."

The bald man grinned, revealing a set of smoky yellow teeth. "Going to the desert alone to see the scenery so late at night? There are a lot of wolves in there; if you get lost, you'll get eaten."

Gu Qing turned around and looked at them through her goggles.

The system instantly provided information about this group of people.

[Target Groups: Armed Poaching Gangs/Wanted Criminals]

[Criminal record: Illegally hunting Class I protected animals (wild camels, snow leopards), suspected of robbery and murder (3 cases).]

Threat Level: Low (from the host's perspective).

[Value assessment: An excellent "sacrifice".]

"There are indeed many wolves." Gu Qing's voice was hoarse, but unusually calm. "You've followed me all this way; are you here to rob me, or to kill me?"

The bald man was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this "fat sheep" to be so calm.

He toyed with his military knife, slowly approaching: "Since you're a sensible person, that makes things easier. Leave your bag, take off your clothes, and... your bank card PIN. If you cooperate, we might take pity on you and let you fend for yourself here."

The surrounding burly men burst into laughter.

In their eyes, this was just another routine hunt. In this no-man's-land, killing a person was no different from killing a wild donkey; once buried in the sand, there was no trace left.

Gu Qing looked at them and sighed.

"You know what?" He gently removed his goggles, revealing his deep, cold eyes, "I was worried about this."

"What's troubling you?" the bald man frowned.

"I'm building an 'ancient battlefield'." Gu Qing's voice grew softer, carrying an eerie gentleness. "Since it's a battlefield, how can there be no dead bodies? How can there be no smell of blood?"

"Illusions are ultimately just that—illusions."

"You've come at the perfect time."

A chill suddenly ran through the bald man. He was a man with blood on his hands, and he was very sensitive to killing intent. This sickly-looking guy in front of him could be blown away by a gust of wind, but why... did he look at him like he was looking at a bunch of dead pigs?

"Stop talking nonsense! Get him!" the bald man roared, raising his military dagger and thrusting it forward.

[System Command: Scene Partial Test - Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin (Fake)]

[Consumes 50 Faith Points.]

[Area of ​​effect: 20 meters in radius.]

Special effects: Metal control, sword aura illusion.

Gu Qing did not move.

He merely raised his finger slightly.

"rise."

Clang—!!

A clear, resonant sword cry suddenly rang out in the desolate desert.

The bald man's sprinting motion suddenly froze.

Because he felt the military dagger in his hand... trembling.

It's not just military daggers.

The homemade guns in their hands, the daggers at their waists, and even the sheet metal on their off-road vehicles were all trembling wildly, emitting a tooth-grinding metallic scraping sound.

"What happened? My knife!"

"The gun! The gun is moving by itself!"

Before the group of desperate criminals could react, a terrifying scene unfolded.

The military dagger in the bald man's hand suddenly flew out and hovered in mid-air, the tip of the blade... changing direction and pointing at his own forehead.

Immediately afterwards, all the metal objects on the five people detached and flew off.

Five knives, three guns, and even a belt buckle.

They hovered in the air, as if controlled by an invisible hand, emitting a humming sound that craved blood.

"What...what kind of sorcery is this?!"

The bald man was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud, his face deathly pale, and his crotch instantly soaked. "Are you a human or a ghost?!"

Gu Qing walked slowly to the bald man and looked down at him.

"This is a no-man's land."

Gu Qing's voice was carried away by the wind, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"Here, the law doesn't apply to you. You kill someone, bury them in the sand, and think you're done for."

"but."

Gu Qing's gray right eye slowly turned.

"In this world, besides the law, there is also cause and effect."

"You have killed living beings, and today, let your blood be used to consecrate this sword that is about to be born."

Gu Qing gently pressed her finger down.

"go."

puff!

No unnecessary words.

The military dagger, suspended in mid-air, transformed into a cold glint, instantly piercing the bald man's throat.

Blood gushed out, staining the yellow sand beneath their feet red.

"Aaaaaah! Run!!"

The remaining four poachers were terrified and scrambled to get back to their car.

But Gu Qing just watched their backs indifferently.

Since the goal is to build a "Sword Tomb" and to convince the authorities that this place was once an ancient battlefield for cultivators, then every inch of this land needs to be imbued with the true aura of death.

Whoosh whoosh!

Several flashes of cold light appeared.

Those who were trying to escape fell one after another.

There was no torture, only efficient elimination.

A few seconds later, the world fell silent. Only the sound of wind and sand, and the pungent smell of blood remained.

Gu Qing stood amidst the corpses, expressionless.

He wasn't a serial killer, but he had no pity for this kind of social scum.

more importantly……

Gu Qing squatted down and looked at the blood flowing on the sand.

The blood did not dry; instead, it seemed to be alive, rapidly seeping into the ground.

[Scene "Sword Tomb" charging progress: +0.5%]

[Note: Blood and fear are the best catalysts.]

"This is the price."

Gu Qing stood up and coughed violently for a while, coughing until tears streamed down his face. He wiped his mouth and put his goggles back on.

He did not dispose of the body.

Because these corpses are part of the "set".

When later visitors discover this place, they will see several fully armed thugs, utterly defenseless, killed by "a thousand swords piercing their hearts." This speaks volumes about the danger and mystique of this place.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes."

Gu Qing bypassed the corpse and continued walking deeper into the desert.

His back was hunched, lonely, yet carrying a chillingly resolute air.

Behind him, the two SUVs and five bodies were gradually buried by the sandstorm.

And ahead of him, a true "miracle" is about to rise from the ground.

……

[Two hours later, in the heart of the Taklamakan Desert]

Night falls.

The temperature plummeted to minus ten degrees Celsius.

Gu Qing stood atop a massive sand dune. This was the site of an ancient riverbed, deserted and utterly silent.

"Let's do it here."

Gu Qing opened his arms wide, his body shivering from the cold, but his spirits were higher than ever before.

He pulled up the B-grade script he had been preparing for a long time—[The Broken Sword Tomb].

"System, allocate 2000 points of Faith."

"Loading terrain: Ancient battlefield ruins."

"Loading effect: Eternal Sword Intent"

"Physical Manifestation: Three Thousand Broken Swords".

Special NPC deployment: Sword Guardian (Spirit)

[Confirm execution?]

This operation will permanently alter the geological structure and magnetic field of the area.

"implement."

Rumble—!!

The earth began to tremble.

It wasn't an earthquake, but some enormous thing trying to emerge from the ground.

The sand dune beneath Gu Qing's feet began to collapse, and quicksand cascaded down like a waterfall.

Beneath the quicksand, what was revealed was no longer rock, but rather... rusted broken swords.

One, two, a hundred, a thousand...

Countless broken swords were stuck in the black rocks, forming a sword mountain that was a hundred meters high. At the top of the sword mountain, a desolate, tragic aura, as if it had spanned a thousand years, rose into the sky and tore through the clouds above the desert.

The moonlight shone down.

It illuminated this newly born "forbidden zone".

Gu Qing stood at the foot of Sword Mountain, looking as small as an ant.

He watched this spectacular scene, a satisfied smile spreading across his pale face.

"Zhao Feng, Special Operations Team..."

"The stage is set up."

"Come and take the sword."

"Let's see if you can bear... this weight from history."