The desert wind blew down from the sky. It was almost as if there was a big hole in the dome of heaven, out of which would pour endless wind and sand to fill every nook and cranny of the desert. It was omnipresent, and reduced visibility to nothing but a blur. The wind sounded like the wail of countless mourners, piling together to create a howl of anguish. The souls of mortals wouldn’t be able to endure that sound for very long, and even cultivators would have a hard time, unless they were natives who were born and raised in the desert.14

Xu Qing walked calmly through the desert, the hat on his head and the ancient artificial sun at his waist. The sand beneath his feet was soft, yet he walked atop it as if it were hard ground, without even leaving footprints behind him. He now had perfect control over every aspect of his strength. Normally, the wind would make it hard for anyone to walk around steadily, but it didn’t affect him at all.0

A few days later, Xu Qing reached the border. Standing there, he looked over his shoulder at the desert behind him.0

It’s been a year,...11