Chapter Thirteen: Change

A crescent moon hung high in the night sky.

Lizards, scorpions, and other small creatures scurried through the fine sand, making the desert more lively at night than it was during the day.

Li Ao's body had fallen to the ground at some unknown time, half-buried in the yellow sand. It had been two days since he lost consciousness, and in another two days, his body would likely vanish into the vast expanse of sand.

A hissing sound echoed not far away.

A grayish-white desert horned viper, with V-shaped horns atop its head, had raised itself up to observe the motionless Li Ao. The snake's long, thin tongue flicked in and out repeatedly.

Li Ao's eyelids twitched before they snapped open, revealing the burning anger still raging within the eyes behind the mask. His head felt dizzy and heavy.

Li Ao raised a hand to rub his temples. It felt like he had just woken from a nightmare—a nightmare where all his loved ones had died.

As he rubbed his face, Li Ao fell silent. His fingers brushed against the mask on his face. Seeing the sand beneath him and the giant lizard's corpse beside him, Li Ao froze, his chapped lips trembling slightly as he murmured, "So, it wasn't just a dream."

The desert horned viper continued to hiss and flick its tongue.

Li Ao turned his head to look. Seeing him move, the viper grew agitated.

Its rough scales rubbed together, producing a peculiar rattling sound as it rapidly twisted its body. Further away, two vultures, waiting to scavenge, took to the skies, circling above when they saw that Li Ao had awakened.

Information about the viper flashed through Li Ao's mind.

It was a desert horned viper, a Bronze-ranked beast with two common snake abilities: venom and constriction. As a desert creature, it likely also had a passive skill called endurance, which enhanced its resistance to extreme environments like heat and dryness. Fire-based attacks would be less effective against it.

Luckily, it was only a Bronze-ranked desert horned viper. If it had been a Silver-ranked one, it would have had two more abilities: venom spray and rapid movement. Although these wouldn't have posed a great threat to Li Ao, they would have been incredibly annoying—true trouble.

As for the two vultures, they were just ordinary wild animals, likely relying on their ability to fly to steal food from the snake and get a share of the spoils.

Li Ao retrieved a bottle of water from his storage ring and took a few sips. Gradually, feeling returned to his stiff body. His injuries began to heal rapidly under the influence of his energy.

Despite the intense pain, Li Ao reset his broken bones, flexed his limbs, and stood up.

Ignoring the snake, Li Ao reached into the giant lizard's wound and retrieved its energy core.

Seeing Li Ao stand up, the horned viper began to retreat, maintaining a relatively safe distance from him.

After placing the energy core in his storage ring, Li Ao picked up his Snowdrift Sword and grinned at the viper.

A phantom of the sword appeared in mid-air, ready to end the fight with one decisive strike. But before the phantom could descend, the wary desert horned viper sensed the imminent threat of death. Without hesitation, it turned and fled at lightning speed.

The two vultures circling above let out a disdainful cry in the direction of the retreating viper before flying away themselves.

Li Ao chuckled but paid no attention to the three fleeing creatures.

Once again, he touched the mask that still covered his face. Now that the crisis had passed and he was calm, he recalled the words he had heard when he first put on the mask: "Shattered Cloak, Deathly Mask, Forge my name in downfall."

Reflecting on these words, Li Ao felt a bitter taste in his mouth. As someone who enjoyed reading, he happened to know what these words meant.

In his clan's archives, it was recorded that this phrase belonged to a famous figure from two thousand years ago, during the final days of the Seven Dragon Knights Era—a man named Wan Qi Xun.

He came from the northern lands known as the Demon Domain, a place of extreme cold. A vast empire called Tianji ruled over that frozen land, and Wan Qi was a member of its royal family. Wan Qi Xun was the most gifted prince of his time.

He was also betrothed to the Holy Maiden of that era's Church, and it was said that the two were deeply in love.

The Seven Dragon Knights had perished while escorting the Holy Maiden on a visit to her homeland. Not only did the Seven Dragon Knights die, but so did the Holy Maiden, who was the sister of the then-Pope.

This led to a period of vulnerability among the major powers, who underestimated the Church. Over time, the Church seized their legacies one after another.

After the Holy Maiden's death, Wan Qi Xun, who had reached the Apocalypse level, donned a ghostly mask. With just a sword, he went on a killing spree, earning the title of the Fallen Knight, a name that echoed throughout the Western Continent. He kept killing until his blood ran dry, and in his final moments, he found the Jiuli Clan.

It was said that the Dragon Knight Ancestor Li Huang was very close to Wan Qi Xun, and that's why Wan Qi Xun followed the familiar aura to the Jiuli Clan in his last moments.

Before he died, he told the Jiuli that the legacy he carried was the hope for the apocalyptic calamity two thousand years into the future.

Thinking of this, Li Ao couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. Another apocalyptic calamity.

He lifted his head and gazed at the sky, his eyes blazing with anger.

"If an apocalypse is truly coming, then let us all perish together. I will make the entire world pay for the destruction of the Jiuli Clan."

Wasting no more time, Li Ao took out the emerald jade token and continued his journey in search of the oasis sanctuary.

He didn't bother to remove the mask on his face. The dark energy coiled within his Yuan Mansion filled every corner of his body, making it irrelevant whether he wore the mask or not.

What Li Ao didn't realize was that the mask was subtly altering his thoughts, amplifying his negative emotions.

Under the bright moonlight, the young boy walked alone across the vast desert.

Influenced by the mask, Li Ao's mind was flooded with memories of the fall of Jiuli City. Tears welled up in his eyes, streaming down his face. Sadness, anger, and hatred assaulted his mind, driving him to the brink of madness.

"You killed my family, my friends—I will make you suffer a thousandfold, ten thousandfold before you die," Li Ao raged.

But no matter how calm or strong he tried to be, he was still just a thirteen-year-old child.

Li Ao began to run wildly, letting out meaningless screams, trying to vent the sorrow and fury suppressed in his heart. The blood-red patterns on his mask flashed in sync with his intense emotions. Uncontrolled by Li Ao, the dark energy surged around him, wreaking havoc as it shattered stones and reduced plants to dust—nothing could withstand its annihilating force.

He ran all through the night. As the dark blue horizon gradually lightened to a pale white, the world that had been shrouded in darkness suddenly brightened as a fiery red sun peeked over the distant horizon.

Seeing the start of a new day, Li Ao, who had been venting his emotions all night, finally stopped running, panting heavily. The dark energy that had been raging around him gradually retracted back into his Yuan Mansion.

As he lowered his head, the emerald jade token in his hand began to glow brightly, the arrow on it flashing rapidly.

A look of joy crossed Li Ao's face. Forgetting his exhaustion, he quickly followed the arrow's direction.

At last, he was nearing his destination.

Following the arrow's guidance, Li Ao soon arrived at the entrance of a cave. Bending down, he entered the cave, where the arrow on the jade token began to glow even more intensely, its flashing speed almost like that of an electric motor.

Looking up at the uneven, dirt-covered stone wall in front of him, and then down at the arrow on the jade token, Li Ao noticed that the arrow pointed straight at the solid rock wall.

After a moment of thought, Li Ao touched the rock wall with his left hand, still holding the jade token.

A ripple spread out from where Li Ao's hand touched the wall.

As he had anticipated, there was no sensation of hitting a solid surface. Instead, it felt as though his hand was passing through something slightly thicker than jelly.

The ripples spread out like water waves, and Li Ao took a few steps forward, allowing the wall to engulf his entire body.

Once he passed through the wall, light pierced through his closed eyelids. Opening his eyes instinctively, he was greeted by a stunning sight.

Li Ao found himself standing on a sand dune, with a cave behind him and an oasis stretching out before him. The oasis was vast, its lush greenery sharply contrasting with the surrounding yellow sand, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty and grandeur.

A transparent, semicircular barrier extended from the sand dune behind him, enveloping the entire oasis like an enormous, overturned bowl. Inside the barrier, the harsh wind and searing heat of the desert were kept at bay, creating a pleasant and habitable environment.

Li Ao couldn't help but open his mouth in awe, letting out a gasp of wonder.