Chapter 0628: The Female General
Anyone who had survived this long in the Golden Sand Desert wasn't a fool. Greed for wealth had blinded them earlier, pushing them to ambush from the shadows, thinking they could seize Eternal Coins or even the channel through which they could be obtained. But now, with the earlier ambush utterly crushed in the blink of an eye, a harsh truth became clear.
Those who had attacked before—were all dead. Instantly.Completely and thoroughly annihilated.
What did that mean? It meant their strength was nowhere near that of Yi Tianxing and his companion. The slaughter had been one-sided, overwhelming. Even cultivators at the Life Aperture Realm had been effortlessly slain. This showed how terrifyingly powerful their target truly was. This wasn't hunting—it was suicide. They weren't the hunters—they were the prey.
Those who couldn't recognize this reality had already died.
Even the greediest among them were shocked awake at the sight of the battlefield—death and blood had cleared their minds. Many instantly gave up and turned back without hesitation. Since they had arrived masked, they could leave the same way. Take off the veil, and no one would recognize anyone. They hadn't even attacked yet, so there was nothing to fear. As long as they didn't provoke Yi Tianxing, nothing would happen to them.
This was the survival instinct of hunters in the desert.
This incident, of course, was swiftly reported to the Dragon Gate Inn, landing in the hands of Jin Xiangyu.
Reading the report, Jin Xiangyu's lips curled with a meaningful smile. She murmured, "Interesting. As expected, someone bold enough to flaunt wealth at Dragon Gate Inn and still dare to leave openly would never be ordinary. Anyone targeting him was courting death. Even I didn't dare make a move—what made those fools think they could? They have no one to blame but themselves."
"But according to the report, it was only Wushuang Ghost who made a move. That means his true strength far exceeds previous estimates. Perhaps... he's never revealed his full power before. When he was fighting, the Phantom of the Great Strength One-Horned Ghost King appeared behind him. Is that a bloodline manifestation, or a type of physical battle body? Just who is he?"
A strange light flashed through Jin Xiangyu's eyes.
As a merchant of intelligence, she had to analyze every possibility. Every possibility could turn into a valuable piece of information—potentially worth a fortune. How much you earned depended on how clever your mind was.
"Devil's oasis... Legend has it that no one who enters ever comes out alive. I hope you two become the exception. Intelligence on Devil's oasis is worth a lot."
Jin Xiangyu murmured, a look of anticipation flickering in her gaze.
...
About ten miles from the battlefield, Yi Tianxing stopped beneath a sand dune. With a wave of his hand, a silver spatial gate emerged.
"Follow me!"
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Wushuang Ghost looked surprised but didn't hesitate. He followed closely.
Whoosh!
When they appeared again, they were already a hundred miles away from the previous location.
"This is...?"
Wushuang Ghost scanned the unfamiliar terrain with astonishment.
"This is a Spatial Gate. It can instantly teleport us a hundred miles. Right now, we're exactly one hundred miles from where we entered it. This avoids unnecessary trouble. I'm not in a rush, but Devil's oasis won't wait for us—it might vanish at any time. We don't have a choice."
Yi Tianxing actually preferred to travel on foot—walking allowed one to train, to slay beasts and enemies alike, and gain life experience. But Devil Continent was unpredictable; no one knew how long it would linger. If it disappeared before they got there, it'd be a serious loss.
Devil's oasis was a rare and ideal training ground.
They were roughly six hundred miles away. With a first-grade Mystic-level Spatial Gate, each jump covered a hundred miles. Five or six jumps would get them there quickly.
"Thank you, my Lord."
Wushuang Ghost nodded deeply. He knew this method of travel was chosen for his sake.
The Spatial Gate opened again.
They stepped through once more.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice!
In the blink of an eye, they were now over four hundred miles from the Dragon Gate Inn. In the chaotic desert, it was hard to track anyone. Any pursuers had surely been shaken off by now. If anyone could keep up, they would indeed be formidable.
Whoosh!
As they reappeared atop a sand dune, before they could take in the surroundings—
"Who goes there?!"
"All units on alert—assassins!"
Shouted commands exploded in their ears, and both Yi Tianxing and Wushuang Ghost froze in surprise. Killing intent surged around them, locking down their every movement.
"An army!" Wushuang Ghost exclaimed.
"Female soldiers!"
Yi Tianxing's eyes gleamed sharply.
Looking closely, they saw that their unlucky teleportation had landed them inside a military camp—a garrison stationed in the desert. And most strikingly, among the soldiers were female warriors, each exuding commanding presence, their bearing sharp and heroic. Just one glance was enough to tell—they were no decorative troops. These women had crawled through blood and corpses; they were elite soldiers forged in the flames of battle.
Anyone foolish enough to underestimate them because of their gender would suffer terribly.
Male troops were also present. Though their armor wasn't ornate, it was clearly standardized military gear. Interestingly, the armor looked like it was made from condensed desert sand, a kind of yellowish-brown that glinted like gold under the sunlight. The design was rough and plain, almost like it came from a peasant workshop.
But despite appearances, every soldier wore it—clearly this was mature technology, capable of mass production. Standardized equipment meant one thing: this was a formal, organized army.
Their bows and arrows were already aimed at Yi Tianxing and Wushuang Ghost. One wrong move, and they would unleash a deadly storm.
"Unshaken in the face of sudden change. Their reactions swift, instinctive. They trust each other implicitly. Each movement in harmony. This is a true elite force. Whoever trained this army knows the art of war well," Yi Tianxing noted silently.
The army had over twenty to thirty thousand soldiers. Yet they had shown no panic when two strangers teleported into their midst. Their coordinated response revealed how battle-hardened they were.
"Well said. I wouldn't say I 'know' warfare, just that I've studied it a little."
At that moment, a tent flap opened in the camp's center. A tall woman stepped out, clad in leather armor and wielding a long saber. Though female, she radiated a powerful martial aura. Her features weren't stunning, but they had an enduring, striking beauty—and the more one looked, the more captivating she became.
Her heroic presence only enhanced her charm.
Especially in a military setting, she made an immediate impression—formidable and dignified.
Yi Tianxing looked at her and thought of someone—Mu Guiying, the legendary warrior woman. They shared the same aura of a heroic female general, though their energies weren't identical, they resonated similarly.
"Who are you?" Wushuang Ghost asked with narrowed eyes.
"Watch your tongue! This is General Hua! Her name is not for the likes of you to inquire about. We haven't even asked why you suddenly appeared inside our camp—emerging from thin air, clearly with malicious intent!" a female soldier shouted.
"Malicious intent? Don't speak nonsense. We were just passing through and stopped briefly to rest. It's sheer coincidence that we landed in your camp. If we had bad intentions, we wouldn't be standing here talking—we'd already have turned this place into a bloodbath," Wushuang Ghost sneered.
"Liar! You're clearly scouts from a Desert Marauder Gang, here to spy on our military and target General Hua. Soldiers, prepare to fire—kill them with a volley of arrows!"
The female lieutenant barked the order, ready to unleash a rain of arrows on them.
"Wait!!"
At this moment, General Hua raised her hand to stop them.
"You say you're just passing through—then tell me, where are you headed?"
"We're going to Devil's oasis," Yi Tianxing said calmly.
"Devil Continent?"
As soon as he said it, the female lieutenant's face turned cold with disdain. "Still lying? You must be desert spies. Devil Continent is a known zone of death. Everyone who's heard of it avoids it like plague. No one in their right mind would go there. Even if you want to lie, at least make up something better."
That was a forbidden zone, a place of no return. No one had ever made it back alive. Who would approach it willingly? Going there was suicide. How could she believe such nonsense?