No time to waste! Seeing that the weather was still decent, Fiona Fang led the group out of Sunfield City. There were about twenty people, plus a few rented carts and some horses—basically, they looked like a full-blown caravan.
"Normally, heading into the desert you'd want to hire a few bodyguards, since the Sand Thieves are seriously rampant out there. If they like your face, they'll rob you; if not, they'll just slice you up and be done with it. But—" Fiona Fang scanned the crowd, her gaze lingering on the Long River Triad folks. Every single one of them gave off a vibe like, 'I'm bad news.' Especially Fang Hailong and Xiang Xiaolong—they practically had 'What are you looking at? Wanna die?' tattooed on their foreheads.
Sand Thieves? Please, who's robbing who is still up in the air!
So Fiona Fang nodded with satisfaction, "Good, looks like regular Sand Thieves won't be a problem. Heh, let’s get moving!" Maybe she had some shady history, because leading a bunch of cutthroat types into the South Wasteland seemed to put her in a great mood—she was practically skipping, just short of humming a tune.
Leaving Sunfield City, the road got muddier and wilder with every mile. The change in landscape was obvious—like stepping from plains straight into mountains, or from temperate zone right into the tropics. The plants, the water, the temperature—everything was different.
"Master, Senior Sister, look at those mountains over there! That's the Absolute Ridge!" Fiona Fang pointed excitedly into the distance. "Absolute Ridge stretches for thousands of miles, separating the Central Plains from the South Wasteland. On this side, the weather's nice, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming. But on the other side—it's nothing but raging winds and endless yellow sand. Oh, and the sunset clouds over Absolute Ridge are famous. We'll see them soon!"
Yang Qi squinted into the distance, and sure enough, there was a stretch of towering mountains ahead. Even though they were already in the mountains, those peaks were ten times taller than anything nearby! It was like a row of giants standing shoulder to shoulder, and just eyeballing it, they had to be at least six or seven thousand meters high—maybe even more above sea level. In the blazing summer, there was still snow covering Absolute Ridge, just to show how ridiculously tall it was.
That Absolute Ridge pretty much protected all of the Central Plains. If it weren’t for that wall of mountains, the desert from the South Wasteland would’ve swallowed them up ages ago.
Wen Hanlong sidled up to Fiona Fang, looking for a chance to chat: "Miss Fang, with Absolute Ridge being so steep, how do we get into the South Wasteland? Do we climb over it?"
"Wow, you’re not the brightest, huh? How would we climb Absolute Ridge? Even Blade-Winged Birds can't fly over it—only swans might make it. If we tried it on foot, as Master says, it’d be two words—'asking for trouble.'" Fiona Fang pointed ahead: "There, see that pass? That’s Wind Cry Pass. If you want to go from the Central Plains to the South Wasteland, or come back, you have to go through Wind Cry Pass."
As they kept moving forward, the sun dipped westward and everyone found themselves in the shadow of Absolute Ridge. The sky was still bright, but everything around them was already getting dim—that’s a rare kind of spectacle. You know that saying, 'mountains look close but kill your horse'? Absolute Ridge looked right there, but no matter how fast they rode, it never seemed to get any closer.
After another hour or so, the clouds in the sky started glowing yellow—it was getting close to evening.
"How much longer?" Wen Hanlong couldn’t help but ask again.
"You really have no patience. Fine, you should be able to see it soon..." Fiona Fang paused mid-sentence, but no one minded—they were all staring wide-eyed, jaws hanging open. Yang Qi and Rachel Luo both straightened up and held their breath.
Suddenly, in the dimming world, a beam of golden light shot up—like a pillar of gold piercing the sky.
Looking closer, they saw a gap in the distant Absolute Ridge. It wasn’t huge compared to the whole range, but to them it looked like a six or seven thousand meter tall golden brand. The setting sun lined up perfectly with the gap and the group, so all they could see was a dazzling golden light rushing toward them, casting a golden road across the land. And they were walking right on it, feeling like they’d entered some holy pilgrimage site.
For a moment, everyone was silent, just soaking in the unbelievable scenery. Fiona Fang shook her head and sighed, then whispered, "Every time I see this, it feels the same—never gets old. Folks, that’s Wind Cry Pass. We’ll be there soon."
They walked along the golden-lit road, watching the sunset sink through that 'crack' like a sparkling pearl dropping lower and lower. Just as the sun was about to disappear, they finally arrived at Wind Cry Pass.
From a distance, that crack looked like just a line, but up close it was a wide canyon—at least wide enough for people, anyway. Absolute Ridge looked impressive from afar, but standing at its base and looking up, it was even more breathtaking. Once they entered the canyon, Rachel Luo craned her neck, looking left and right, and murmured, "Here, I feel like I’m just a grain of sand..."
Yang Qi’s eyes widened, completely moved. He’d seen plenty of epic sights—the auroras in Antarctica, the endless ocean, the wildness of the Ultimate Creation—but every time he witnessed a new wonder, it still blew him away. Dragon Elephant: Seventh Level? Insight Technique: Seventh Level? What did those matter? Humans are always small in front of nature, but as long as you keep pushing forward, one day you’ll go from weak to strong.
Soon, the caravan reached the middle of the canyon. There was a grand, ancient checkpoint, guarded by squads of tough-looking soldiers. Judging by their armor, they weren’t from the Flower Kingdom—they were the Imperial Guard of the Zhou Dynasty.
Past the gate was a small village, all low stone buildings, covered in a thick layer of gray that looked worn by years of wind. From here on, you could see crowds of people wearing cloaks everywhere.
"Wind Cry Pass has been here for over a thousand years. It’s called Wind Cry Pass because the winds from the South Wasteland are so strong that, when they blow through this canyon, it sounds like people crying." Tour guide Fiona was on point, volunteering the backstory of the place.
(This part of the chapter isn’t finished~.~ Please click next page to keep reading the good stuff!)
But Yang Qi had sharp ears. He heard an old man by the roadside sigh softly, "That’s not the wind—that’s the cry of the South Wasteland people... It’s been over a hundred years since the South Wasteland was destroyed, and the Huazu suffered disaster. The wailing of the wronged souls still hasn’t stopped. Tragic, bitter, unable to rest in peace..."
Of everyone there, only Yang Qi caught that whispered lament. When he turned around, the old man was already walking away, shaking his head and sighing. Clearly, it was just a mutter to himself, not meant for anyone else.
"Wind Cry Pass..." Yang Qi mused, but decided to let it go for now. Kingdoms rise and fall, dynasties change—there’s always tragedy. Maybe the old folks still remember, but the younger generation’s already forgotten. They weren’t here to dig up South Wasteland history, so he didn’t dwell on it.
Wen Hanlong looked around and suggested, "It’s getting late, and I’ve heard nights in the desert are tough. Should we crash here for the night?"
"No need! Just follow me—we’re going straight through! Trust me, I know all the tricks!" Fiona Fang made sure everyone remembered she was the local boss, then led the caravan straight to the big gate on the other side of town. The gate facing the South Wasteland was even bigger and sturdier than the last one, with way more guards. The tunnel was deep and dark, like a cave.
Not many people were leaving town at this hour, so it wasn’t crowded. Step by step, they walked through the tunnel, and—whoosh—the view suddenly opened up.
"Holy moly..."
"Mama back home..."
"My godson..."
Everyone blurted out all sorts of reactions, like they’d suddenly gained a bunch of relatives. Eyes wide, mouths hanging open—they were even more stunned than when they first saw Wind Cry Pass. But the most dramatic reaction came from Yang Qi.
Yang Qi just stared at the view, dumbstruck—and then, dozens more petals on his Crown Chakra popped open! Just one look at the scenery, and he unlocked so many Crown Chakra petals. That’s the most dramatic reaction of all!
Plus, he’d already unlocked a bunch back in Eight Directions City. Now, his Crown Chakra had a total of 780 petals—victory was in sight.
"A solitary plume of smoke straight up, a round sun setting over a long river—those old poems are totally outclassed!"
Sand Sea—boundless, majestic, wild. If you haven’t been here, you can’t imagine the raw, untamed energy pouring out from the wind, the sun, and the cliffs. Primitive, wild, brutal, passionate, and endlessly mysterious—all of it sprawled out, totally unrestrained. Every guy standing here probably had the same thought: to dive in with wild excitement and careful caution, and explore the depths of the Sand Sea.
Under the setting sun, the farthest horizon shimmered like the surface of the sea. But those sparkling dots weren’t grains of sand—they were sand dunes, each towering dozens of meters high. And the far-off, unbelievable Sand Sea wasn’t golden, but a kind of rosy red, like pale purple mist drifting and swirling, half-real, half-dream. Sometimes you’d spot the ruins of ancient buildings, like giant corpses lying silent on the sand.
The wind whipped their clothes, making them flutter wildly. This wilderness stirred up a deep urge to explore—no wonder so many people came here hunting for treasure. This land just draws you in, makes you want to see every last secret.
If you snapped a photo of the South Wasteland from here, you could drop it straight into Tomb Raider or Uncharted—no edits needed. This place is basically the word 'adventure' brought to life. It’s almost magical.
"So?" Fiona Fang looked like she was finally home. She brushed her nose with pride and grinned, "Welcome to the South Wasteland!"
Yang Qi could only shake his head and mutter, "Good thing it’s me who came. If my other self showed up here, he’d probably go nuts." Would he just bolt into the desert? Roll around on the dunes and play? Explore every mysterious corner of the South Wasteland? Dig up every treasure? Yang Qi didn’t know, but it seemed pretty likely.
"One day, I’ll explore every secret spot here and find all the treasures—!" Fiona Fang shouted at the desert. Honestly, girl, maybe you should take lessons from that other Yang Qi—you two would get along great.