Ling Tian Sword God

The destination of Ling Chen and his group was located in the northern part of the Northwind Prairie, among several stone mountains. The environment there was harsh, with no vegetation, and few people normally ventured there, but that spot was precisely where the map indicated.

To avoid unwanted attention, the Baiyue Trade Association had acted very discreetly. There weren't many people in the expedition, but each was an expert chosen from a hundred.

After rushing for nearly half a day, the main party gradually slowed. Ling Chen raised his gaze. Looking ahead at the jagged Stone Peaks, he could faintly hear low beastly roars.

This was their destination.

"Let's go. Everyone, be careful," Lin Ya said as she dismounted, not wasting any more words, and quickly headed towards the depths of the mountains. Behind her, the large group followed with practiced ease. The sound of rushing wind echoed constantly in this sandy terrain.

Ling Chen was positioned in the middle of the group, his gaze alertly sweeping his surroundings. He could sense many Exotic Beasts lurking nearby. Although their group was strong, an attack would undoubtedly cause trouble, so caution was paramount.

Fortunately, what Ling Chen worried about most did not happen. About ten minutes later, the dense forest began to thin. Soon after, Ling Chen felt the view before them widen; they had successfully reached the Central Area between the three Stone Peaks.

Due to the three Stone Peaks blocking the light, this place was quite dim. The surroundings were covered in rubble and weeds. There was no sign of an entrance to any ancient city, not even an outline of the Golden Sand Ancient City itself.

"Ling Chen, is this really where the treasure map points?" Lin Ya asked, frowning as she surveyed the area. "Could we have made a mistake? This place doesn't look like somewhere an ancient city could be located."

"The location indicated on the map is right here," Ling Chen said, handing the map to Lin Ya. "Let's search carefully for any mechanisms or Array Formations."

After confirming the map was correct, Lin Ya addressed the others, "Everyone, spread out. Form teams of three and search for the ancient city's entrance."

"Yes." The experts of the Baiyue Trade Association cupped their fists towards Lin Ya and then dispersed.

「Half an hour later.」

Just when everyone's search was proving fruitless, a voice suddenly called out, "Miss Lin Ya, there's a stone slab over here!"

In the center of the jagged peaks, they had indeed found a stone slab. Unusual runes were engraved upon it, and in its very center was an image of a ferocious Exotic Beast.

This beast was entirely dirt-yellow, its flesh and blood seemingly composed of mud.

Lin Ya gazed at the beast's image, a hint of joy in her beautiful eyes. Is this beast the totemic Auspicious Beast of the Golden Sand Ancient City, the Sandstone Tiger? If this image truly is the Sandstone Tiger, then this must be the entrance to the Golden Sand Ancient City.

"But this place is barren," Liu Yi said, looking around and shaking his head. "I don't see any mechanisms. How could such a large ancient city be hidden here?"

"Enough talk. Let me see if I can break it," one of the Baiyue Trade Association Elders declared, stepping forward. He channeled his True Qi and struck the stone slab with his palm.

BOOM!

The ground shook violently, but his palm strike didn't break the stone slab; it didn't even leave the slightest crack.

"It's that hard?" the Elder exclaimed, his face etched with shock. His strike, delivered with eighty percent of his power, hadn't even made a fissure.

"Shall we try combining our strength?" another Elder from the Baiyue Trade Association suggested, stepping forward.

Lin Ya shook her head. "Judging by the sound just now, it's solid underneath. Even if we break the slab, there won't be an entrance. Let's keep searching the surroundings for any other clues."

Hearing this, Ling Chen also felt quite puzzled. He couldn't find any mechanisms nearby either. Where on earth could the Golden Sand Ancient City be?

「Time flew, and soon it was night.」

The desert experienced drastic temperature differences between day and night. It was dry and hot during the day, but at night, the air became bone-chillingly cold.

Ling Chen's party set up tents nearby, preparing to spend the night.

Having not found the Golden Sand Ancient City, they were naturally unwilling to leave just like that.

Why can't we find it? Unless the map is fake, there must be some secret to it. But what exactly is that secret? Ling Chen pondered deeply but couldn't find a breakthrough. There were too few clues. They had only found this place thanks to the treasure map. If the map turned out to be fake, then their leads to the Golden Sand Ancient City would likely be severed.

However, just then, Ling Chen's peripheral vision caught a faint glimmer of light from the stone slab.

Startled, Ling Chen quickly walked over to it. He saw that, under the moonlight, the beast's image on the stone slab was emitting wisps of archaic yellow light.

These wisps of yellow light waxed and waned, appearing quite peculiar. The runes also seemed like countless tadpoles, imbued with life, flickering erratically.

Could it be that moonlight is the key to unlocking this stone slab's mystery? A glint flashed in Ling Chen's eyes. He then retrieved a tool for concentrating light and focused all the descending moonlight onto the beast's image.

Under the focused moonlight, the yellow light gradually turned red, emitting an exceedingly eerie glow.

RUMBLE. RUMBLE.

The ground began to vibrate, the frequency increasing.

"What's happening?" Lin Ya and the others emerged from their tents, their faces showing surprise.

"The Golden Sand Ancient City is about to emerge," Ling Chen said, retreating. A hissing sound, like that of a snake, reached his ears. He saw the surrounding quicksand begin to swirl automatically, forming numerous whirlpools that sucked in all the sand and mud.

The entire nearby ground was slowly sinking.

Those several Stone Peaks also began to crumble and disintegrate.

And beneath that sand and mud, the outlines of buildings and the corners of palace halls began to emerge one after another.

When the quicksand had been completely drawn away, what appeared before everyone was an exceptionally grand and magnificent ancient city.

This city spanned about ten miles. Although many buildings appeared faded yellow and dilapidated, with yellow sand constantly trickling down from them, this still couldn't conceal its imposing grandeur.

"Golden Sand Ancient City!" Lin Ya exclaimed, a hint of joy gracing her features as she gazed at the exceptionally majestic ancient city before them. This ancient city, buried beneath the yellow sand for hundreds of years, had finally reappeared before the eyes of the world.