“Because right next door is the desert—the same one we visited last time, just across from the Meyor Dynasty.” Melody Wood explained.
“I never really paid attention—so it’s actually like this?” Hearing it was across from the desert, Evan Yang was both surprised and suspicious. Lynn Lin was curious and asked, “I didn’t feel this hot in Meyor, but here it’s completely different.”
“It’s because we’re closer to the desert here, and the part of the desert near this area is almost all sand. Plus, the unique geography makes it extremely hot.” Melody Wood explained.
“That really is a strange place. I wonder how the desert and Meyor are doing now.” Evan Yang laughed.
“Who cares how they’re doing? Let’s find somewhere to eat first. I can’t remember the last time I had a proper meal.” Ember Yang suddenly piped up. Evan Yang and the others were stunned for a moment, then helplessly went to look for an inn.
Once inside the inn, Evan Yang immediately sensed a heavy scent of blood in the air. Ember Yang frowned and said, “Why does it smell so strong in here?”
“It’s normal. Lots of people are waiting here to enter the Bloodfiend Ground, and those who return from it also come here. Whether they’re going in or coming out, if they don’t control their aura, the place fills up with a heavy scent of blood and slaughter.” Melody Wood explained.
Hearing this, Ember Yang instantly lost her appetite, but she had no choice—her stomach was more important. “Let’s eat anyway,” she said.
The four walked in, found a spot, and ordered a bunch of dishes. Luckily, the food wasn’t bad, so they ate while listening to people around them discussing Meyor.
Evan Yang was curious—how could they hear news from a place across an entire desert?
After listening in, Evan Yang was shocked to learn that Meyor had been destroyed—replaced by a terrifying abyss.
Not only Evan Yang, but Lynn Lin and the others were also stunned—hard to believe what had happened.
“Looks like something happened to the Meyor Dynasty.” Evan Yang muttered.
“I wonder what happened to that empress.” Lynn Lin remembered most clearly how the empress drugged her and Melody Wood.
“Who’s that empress? Was she powerful?” Ember Yang asked curiously while eating.
“Powerful. And the most impressive thing was, she actually knew where you were. If it hadn’t been for her, we wouldn’t have found you.” Evan Yang smiled.
“Oh? Really? Tell me—what happened? I want to hear it.” Ember Yang said in surprise.
Evan Yang asked Lynn Lin to explain it to Ember Yang. So while Lynn Lin explained, Evan Yang kept listening to the talk about Meyor. When he heard that a monster had appeared and destroyed the entire dynasty in an instant, he looked suspicious.
Some said the Meyor Dynasty collected strange creatures and lost control, letting those monsters take over.
Just as Evan Yang and the others were listening intently, a group walked in. At the front was a refined-looking youth, followed by several burly men—all dressed in Desert Tribes attire.
Evan Yang wasn’t unfamiliar with the Desert Tribes’ attire, but when he saw them, he couldn’t help but remark, "What a coincidence."
Melody Wood and Lynn Lin turned to look as well. Seeing those people, they had to admit—it really was a coincidence.
"Are we seeing things?" Lynn Lin asked.
Ember Yang asked in confusion, "What’s going on?"
"Nothing much, we just ran into some old acquaintances," Evan Yang replied with a smile.
"Acquaintances? Who are they?" Ember Yang asked, still puzzled.
Just then, that group also noticed Evan Yang and the others. When they saw Evan’s group, some of the burly men behind showed surprised expressions, and one of them whispered something to the youth in front.
The youth paused for a moment after hearing this, then walked over to Evan Yang’s group with a smiling face.
"Is it you guys?" the youth asked.
"Us? Do we even know you?" Lynn Lin responded.
"Sister, I may not know you personally, but my people do. And it was you who caused us to lose a major ally. We’ve remembered that grudge. Didn’t expect we’d bump into you here," the youth said with a smile.
"Oh? So what? Are you planning to make a move? Just so you know, we’re not afraid," Lynn Lin replied.
The youth laughed, "I never said you’re afraid. But you’re here for the Bloodfiend Ground, aren’t you?"
"Anyone with eyes can see that," Lynn Lin answered.
"All the better. Once we’re in the Bloodfiend Ground, I’ll properly teach you a lesson," the youth sneered, then walked away.
The group then took seats at an empty table, smiling as they watched Evan Yang and his companions.
These were the same Desert Tribes people Evan Yang had disciplined back in Meyor. To see them here was a surprise, but for Evan and the others, it wasn’t a big deal.
"He says he’ll teach us a lesson in the Bloodfiend Ground. Maybe we’ll be the ones teaching him instead," Lynn Lin snorted.
"Be careful. These people seem different from before—something’s changed, though I can’t say exactly what," Evan Yang warned.
"Got it. We’ll be careful," Lynn Lin promised.
So the two sides remained in a standoff. As Ember Yang ate, she asked about their situation, then laughed, "Are we supposed to be afraid of them or something?"
Evan Yang knew this coming month was destined to be anything but simple.
After finishing their meal, they found a place in the city where they could stay.
Meanwhile, the Desert Tribes group also settled into their own place nearby.
"Prince Leng, should we contact the Meyor people?" the Desert Envoy asked the youth.
The youth smiled, "Sure, I’d like to see what these people are really capable of. Go ahead, let their Great General know we’ve spotted the targets they’re looking for."
"Alright, I’ll contact them right away," the Desert Envoy replied with a smile.
Far away, on the other side of the desert, Empress Myra was resting underground. Above ground, things had completely changed—almost no one lived there anymore. Only the Meyor Great General and the remaining troops guarded what little territory was left.
"Great General, do we really have to keep chasing after that demon?" a guard asked.
"She’s not a demon, she just suffered backlash. I believe the Empress will return one day. Don’t say things like that again," the Great General said.
The guards fell silent. Just then, another guard came with news. "Great General, there’s news."
"What news? Why do you look so nervous?" the Great General asked curiously.
"Those people have shown up in the city at the entrance to the Bloodfiend Ground, on the other side of the desert," the guard said.
"Where did you get this information?" the Great General asked in shock.
"It came from the Desert Envoy—they said they saw them," the guard answered.
"Excellent. Wait here, I’ll report to Her Majesty immediately," said the Great General. With a flash, he went underground, where a scorpion was lying on a stone stele—this was the Empress’s resting form.
The Great General bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty, we’ve found them."
"Oh? You’ve found them? Really?" The Empress, who had been waiting a long time, was overjoyed at the news.
"Yes, they’re in the city at the entrance to the Bloodfiend Ground," the Great General replied.
"Good. Let’s go—come with me." The Empress transformed into human form. Compared to before, she now had a scorpion mark on her forehead and her aura and tone were darker, but otherwise she looked the same.
"Understood," the Great General replied.
The Great General then left the underground chamber, gathered several strong subordinates, and boarded a special two-story carriage—the Empress on the upper level, the others below.
They sped away in the carriage, leaving that place behind. Meanwhile, Evan Yang, Lynn Lin, and the others had no idea that a terrifying scorpion demon was heading their way.
After several days with no movement from the Desert Tribes, Lynn Lin grew curious. "They’re really patient. Are they seriously going to wait until we’re inside the Bloodfiend Ground to make a move?"
"Isn’t that perfect? Inside the Bloodfiend Ground, you’ll have one more opponent to test yourselves against," Evan Yang said with a smile.
"Don’t act so smug—you said yourself their auras are strange," Lynn Lin protested.
"True, that’s an unknown. But everything else is clear—they’re definitely waiting to target us inside the Bloodfiend Ground. For now, they’re pretending nothing happened," Evan Yang said.
"How boring. I thought we’d get to have some fun with them this month," Ember Yang complained, wishing for more excitement.
Evan Yang just smiled, Lynn Lin shot Ember a look, and Melody Wood said, "No worries, let’s wander the city and buy supplies. Once we’re in the Bloodfiend Ground, there won’t be any cities around."
"I want to buy lots of rations—so I’ll have something to eat when I’m tired from fighting!" Ember Yang declared.
Lynn Lin sighed, "You’re such a foodie."
"I like it that way," Ember Yang said with a grin.
"Alright, let’s go shopping," Evan Yang said with a smile. The four of them started wandering the city, and most of what they bought was food—Ember scooped up every kind of dried good she could find.
Elsewhere, the Desert Envoy reported to Prince Leng, "They’ve gone out shopping."
"Oh? They’re in the mood to shop?" Prince Leng chuckled.
"We still have a month to go, and we’re idle too," the Desert Envoy replied with a smile.
"Who says we’re idle? I have my own plans. Just do as I say—especially help me keep track of how many people in this city already have Blood-Marks, no matter how strong or weak. Report them all to me," Prince Leng instructed.
The Desert Envoy nodded. "Yes, Prince Leng." He left, still puzzled about what his prince wanted with those people.
He’d already investigated before coming, but the numbers kept changing, especially as more people arrived over the month.
Every time the Desert Envoy gave Prince Leng an update, the prince would study it, then disappear for a while—no one knew what he was up to.
Ember Yang spent most of the day shopping, buying enough to last for years, but she still wanted more. Only when they saw a crowd gathering by the river did the four pause and walk over, curious to see what was happening.