Fierce winds howled, whipping up sand that obscured the sky and blotted out the sun. The air was thick with the dry scent of dust, choking the throat. The sunset's afterglow dyed the Youming Desert blood-red, and the sand surged in the gale like countless golden serpents dancing in the air. The entire world seemed shrouded in desolation and barrenness. Yuyi's figure darted quickly between sand dunes, the Cloud-Soaring Step pushed to its limit. Each step left a shallow mark in the sand, quickly buried by the wind.
From behind came the sound of laughter like silver bells—laughter that carried madness and bloodlust, echoing through the empty desert like demonic sounds from the netherworld. Xueji, clad in bright red silk robes, was like a burning flame, pursuing relentlessly. Her movement technique was as fast as lightning, each leap closing the distance between her and Yuyi.
"Are you chasing me so desperately because you've taken a fancy to me?" Yuyi called back without turning, his voice carrying a trace of mockery.
"Hehehe..." Xueji laughed like a demon, the sound unspeakably eerie. "With such a sharp tongue, when you fall into my hands, I'll make you regret ever being born."
Yuyi cursed inwardly. This madwoman was truly difficult to shake. His spiritual power was greatly depleted, the spiritual energy in his Dantian nearly exhausted. But Xueji, as an early Nascent Soul Realm expert, had profound spiritual power and showed no signs of tiring. If this continued, he would eventually be caught.
He couldn't help but think of Shaying, that gentle and considerate woman. In his memories, Shaying was always quietly by his side, wiping sweat from his forehead, preparing spirit tea and medicine for him. Her clear eyes always held a warm smile, as if they could dispel all shadows. In those days, they had mined together in the back mountain mines. Though the work was hard, it was filled with laughter. Shaying would shield him from flying debris, share her meager Spirit Stones with him. That pure warmth, thinking back now, seemed so precious. If Shaying were here, perhaps everything would be different. But now, he could only face all this alone.
Ahead appeared a massive sand mountain, dozens of meters high with steep slopes. Yuyi grit his teeth and pushed his remaining spiritual power to rush toward the summit. If he could cross this sand mountain, perhaps he could find a hiding place.
But just as he was about to reach the summit, the sand beneath his feet suddenly shifted. The entire sand mountain seemed to come alive, beginning to tremble violently. Yuyi's heart lurched—this was...
"Quicksand Formation!" he blurted out.
Before he could react, the entire sand mountain began to collapse. Yuyi lost his footing, sliding downward along with countless grains of sand. He desperately tried to stabilize himself, but the quicksand pulled him down like a vortex, impossible to break free.
Just then, Xueji also reached the edge of the sand mountain. Seeing Yuyi caught in the quicksand, a cruel smile spread across her face. "I'll strangle you with my own hands!"
Before her words faded, she leaped forward, wanting to jump toward Yuyi's position. However, she underestimated the strangeness of the Quicksand Formation. The sand beneath her feet instantly collapsed, and she too lost her balance, sliding toward the center of the quicksand.
"The two of us dying together in a Quicksand Formation—truly a joke for the cultivation world," Yuyi said self-deprecatingly, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness.
The quicksand swallowed them like a giant beast's maw. Darkness enveloped everything. Yuyi felt his body constantly falling, as if plummeting into a bottomless abyss. He closed his eyes, waiting for death to arrive.
But the expected death did not come.
"Thump"—a dull sound. Yuyi felt his body hit hard ground. Pain shot through him, but he was still alive. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a massive underground circular platform. The walls around the platform were densely covered with small holes, leading to unknown places. Above, a damaged stone ceiling let through faint light.
Before he could react, a red figure also fell, landing right on top of him.
Yuyi instinctively extended his arms, catching Xueji. The two rolled together, tumbling several times across the platform before stopping.
When everything settled, Yuyi found himself tightly holding Xueji, their bodies pressed closely together. Xueji's face was right before his eyes, that eerily beautiful countenance now showing a mix of shock and anger.
"You're Yuyi!" Xueji recognized the person before her, murderous intent blazing in her eyes. "I'll kill you!"
She tried to struggle, but Yuyi held her tightly, not giving her any room to move. The two remained locked in this position, neither daring to make a rash move.
"Miss Xueji, our current situation doesn't seem suitable for continuing to fight and kill," Yuyi said, his voice as calm as possible.
"Let me go!" Xueji grit her teeth.
"Let you go, so you can kill me?" Yuyi sneered. "I haven't lived enough yet."
Xueji said nothing more, only stared at Yuyi with those eyes full of killing intent. She could feel Yuyi's body was tense, clearly also guarding against her sudden attack.
Time passed minute by minute. The two maintained this ambiguous posture, neither daring to relax. Yuyi could smell the faint fragrance on Xueji's body—an indescribable scent, both eerie and alluring. He could feel the softness and warmth of Xueji's body, and this contact stirred an unusual feeling in his heart.
What was worse, as his spiritual power slowly recovered, his body began to react.
Xueji clearly also felt the change in Yuyi's body. Her face instantly flushed red, a trace of shame and anger flashing through her eyes. She wanted to struggle, but Yuyi's arms were like iron hoops tightly binding her, making movement impossible. Her heart was filled with complex emotions: anger at being so humiliated by a Foundation Building Realm brat; shame at this ambiguous contact making her feel unprecedented embarrassment; and something indescribable quietly sprouting in the depths of her heart. She, Xueji, had dominated the cultivation world for years—when had she ever been treated like this? This humiliation, she swore she would make Yuyi repay a hundredfold!
"You..." Xueji's voice trembled, holding both anger and helplessness.
"Sorry, this is a physiological reaction. I can't control it," Yuyi said, his voice carrying some embarrassment.
Xueji said nothing more, only turned her head aside, no longer looking at Yuyi. Her breathing became rapid, her chest heaving violently. The two remained locked in this position, the air filled with awkward and ambiguous tension.
Yuyi calculated silently. His spiritual power was nearly exhausted now, and he was no match for Xueji at all. If he let go, he would surely die. But if this continued, sooner or later Xueji would find an opening. He had to find a way to escape.
Two hours passed.
In these long two hours, both their spiritual powers were slowly recovering. Yuyi could feel the spiritual energy in his Dantian gathering like a trickle, flowing in from all directions. That gentle power circulated through his meridians, bit by bit repairing the damaged channels, nourishing the parched Dantian. Though still far from his peak state, he at least had some power for self-protection. He could feel the fluctuations of spiritual power within him, like ripples on a calm lake—though weak, they were gradually strengthening.
Xueji had clearly also recovered some spiritual power. Her body began to tremble slightly, obviously accumulating strength, preparing to erupt.
Yuyi knew he couldn't wait any longer. He had to strike first.
His gaze swept across the platform, seeing some scattered stones on the ground. An idea formed in his mind.
"Miss Xueji, I advise you not to make any rash moves," Yuyi said, his voice carrying a hint of threat.
"On what grounds?" Xueji said coldly.
"On these grounds." Yuyi suddenly released one hand, grabbed a stone, and hurled it forcefully at Xueji's face.
Xueji reacted extremely quickly, tilting her head to the side. The stone grazed past her cheek, smashing a shallow pit in the wall. But in that instant, Yuyi grabbed several more stones, throwing them in rapid succession.
Xueji was forced to dodge continuously, her figure becoming increasingly disheveled. She glared at Yuyi in fury. "You're courting death!"
"Nine Yin True Scripture!" Yuyi suddenly shouted, his voice carrying false bravado.
Xueji froze, instinctively wanting to dodge. She had heard of the Nine Yin True Scripture's reputation—one of the most sinister techniques in the cultivation world, specifically designed to destroy people's appearance. Though she was powerful, she was extremely concerned about her looks and would never tolerate the slightest damage.
Just as she turned, Yuyi forcefully pushed her away and rushed toward a passage on the other side of the platform. It was a pitch-black, deep corridor, leading to unknown places, but now it was his only path to survival.
"You tricked me!" Xueji realized and screamed in rage.
She wanted to pursue, but Yuyi had already rushed into the corridor, his figure disappearing into the darkness. Xueji stood at the entrance of the corridor, those eerie eyes flashing with complex emotions. There was anger, shame, and something indescribable.
"Yuyi..." she whispered the name, her voice carrying a trace of gritted teeth. "I will definitely catch you."
In the corridor, Yuyi ran desperately. He didn't know where this passage led, but he knew he had temporarily escaped. Xueji's angry roar gradually faded behind him, but he dared not relax in the slightest.
Beneath the Youming Desert, the intricate corridors extended like a maze. Yuyi's figure moved through the darkness, running toward unknown depths. And this pursuit was far from over.
He thought of Shaying, that gentle and considerate woman. If Shaying were here, perhaps everything would be different. But now, he could only face all this alone. He couldn't help but contemplate his future: for Shaying, for those worth protecting, he had to become stronger. This cultivation world was cruel and ruthless—only strength was the foundation for survival. He needed to break through to higher realms, master more powerful techniques, to protect those he wanted to protect, to find his own path in this world. Proud people were destined to be lonely. But it was precisely this pride that allowed him to escape danger time and again in this cruel cultivation world.