Chapter 1613: Chapter 1609: Journey Together

Shen Luo, with Nie Cai Zhu by his side, shifted slightly and landed, then with a swift hand gesture, a streak of sword light swept across, cleaving the remaining two tail-severed sand lizards into halves.

Afterward, he walked over to a severed limb of the sand lizard, lifted his toe, and flicked it upwards. The chunk of flesh was tossed high into the air before flying up into the high altitude.

At first, there was nothing unusual, but once it reached a height of several hundred feet, the space around the severed corpse suddenly twisted as though an invisible force had swallowed it in one gulp, and then it disappeared without a trace.

Shen Luo’s brows furrowed slightly, his thoughts flowed for a moment, and his expression couldn’t help but change subtly.

“What’s wrong?” Nie Cai Zhu asked.

“Just now, those sand lizards were constantly trying to force us to flee by flying, and a test has indeed revealed that there is a prohibition force in the void. Furthermore, I controlled a damaged corpse refinement within the Corpse Raising Bag to attempt fleeing through the space inside the bag, and that corpse refinement disappeared into thin air, leaving no trace of breath to be sensed,” Shen Luo said.

“It’s just that we can’t flee by flying. Even if we travel on foot, there would be no problem,” Nie Cai Zhu said with a smile.

As long as she was with Shen Luo, she felt that there was nothing to fear.

Shen Luo glanced at Nie Cai Zhu, then gazed at the vast desert, and took off the pair of Pacing Azure Cloud Boots he was wearing on his feet, placing them beside Nie Cai Zhu’s feet.

“These Pacing Azure Cloud Boots are wind attribute Magical Treasures, you wear them.”

“Ever since I absorbed the power of Hou Yi, my physique has greatly improved. Rest assured, I will make sure not to lag behind,” Nie Cai Zhu replied with a bright smile upon hearing this.

“I’m not worried about you keeping up, it’s just that there is no Heavenly and Earthly Spiritual Qi in the void here, and the sun above our heads is oddly hot. In this vast desert, there are probably more creatures like sand lizards waiting to ambush. With these Spirit Boots on, your movements will be more agile, and your reactions swifter,” Shen Luo said.

“And what will you do? You can’t possibly wear my lotus boots, can you?” Nie Cai Zhu looked at her own pink boots and laughed lightly with her hand covered her mouth.

“Heh, I’ll go without any,” Shen Luo said upon hearing this, and casually took off his socks, rolled up his trousers, and stepped barefoot onto the sandy ground.

Having said that, he proceeded to remove Nie Cai Zhu’s boots without any further discussion.

Although Nie Cai Zhu had already become his Spouse, she still couldn’t help feeling a bit shy. Knowing she couldn’t win against Shen Luo, she took off her pink lotus boots herself and put on the Pacing Azure Cloud Boots.

As soon as the Spirit Boots were worn, their surface flashed with a brilliance, automatically adjusting to fit her delicate feet perfectly.

“Mm-hmm, not bad,” Shen Luo observed and nodded with his arms folded.

“Let’s go,” said Nie Cai Zhu with a smile on her face.

The two walked hand in hand towards the deeper parts of the desert, leaving a long trail of footprints on the ground.

But after they had walked far away, the sands on the ground began to flow slowly, gradually burying their footprints and the lotus boots that had been left behind.

While Shen Luo and Nie Cai Zhu walked and talked, both remaining alert yet the feeling of mutual support made their journey quite pleasant.

It was as though at that moment, they were not trekking across the vast desert, but walking side by side along the shores of Mount Putuo.

However, the peaceful scene didn’t last long. After they hadn’t walked much farther, movements stirred from within the sand in front of them, as seven or eight huge black sand crabs emerged from beneath the sand, waving their glossy black claws and charging towards the two.

The black sand crabs were not fast, but their shells were incredibly tough. Shen Luo’s sword, using only a third of his strength, failed to break through them.

And the black sand crab was frantically spewing bubbles from its mouth, floating up a large swath in the void, surrounding Shen Luo and his companion in the center.

Those bubbles, shimmering with a rainbow gloss, expanded rapidly under the intense sun before exploding violently, their power comparable to high-grade Burst Talismans.

However, for Shen Luo and his companion, this level of power was not enough to harm them; they quickly slew all the sand crabs to the last.

After a brief rest and adjustment, the two continued on their journey, the vast sand sea stretching boundlessly, as if without end.

But they didn’t get far before they were stopped by a swarm of sand scorpions, creatures much smaller in size than the previous sand lizards and sand crabs but much faster.

The venom on their scorpion tail barbs indeed made Shen Luo and his companion exert quite some effort.

After clearing those sand scorpions, Shen Luo and his companion finally had a moment of peace, traveling more than ten li without encountering any further sand beast attacks.

Nevertheless, the scorching of the fierce sun was similarly unbearable, and both felt as if they were in a furnace.

As time slowly passed, they finally endured until Evening, when the sinking sun began to cool the temperature of the desert rapidly.

However, with the setting of the sun, the previously silent desert gradually grew bustling, with various sand creatures becoming active, attacking Shen Luo and his companion in waves like the tide.

With no escape, Shen Luo and his companion could only clear wave after wave; the night they thought they could rest turned out even more exhausting, and it wasn’t until near dawn that they finally slew the last sand python.

By then, both were utterly exhausted, slumping down on the ground, leaning on each other.

All around were the broken corpses of various sand creatures, mixed with blood, the smell really stinking and foul.

“I didn’t expect it to take so long, consuming more Mana than anticipated,” sighed Shen Luo.

“These guys were like madmen at Night, their attacks on us almost never stopping. I’m afraid we’ve killed all the sand creatures within hundreds of li,” said Nie Caizhu as she let out a long breath, sounding somewhat weary.

Shen Luo, looking toward the horizon where the light of dawn was just beginning to break, didn’t speak and got up to skin the last slain yellow-brown sand python, dismember its bones, and started a fire to cook.

The python’s outer skin was very rough and tough, but the meat inside was quite tender. He skewered two large pieces of snake meat on the bones and roasted them over the fire. Soon, they sizzled with oil, and it didn’t take long for them to take on a golden hue.

The fragrance of the snake meat gradually overpowered the stench of blood in the surroundings.

“Have some, it should at least help replenish some blood and Qi,” Shen Luo said as he handed a piece of the cooked snake meat to Nie Caizhu.

Nie Caizhu took it, brought it to her lips, bit off a little piece, chewed slightly, and her eyes lit up with a hint of surprise, “Unexpectedly delicious. You should taste it too.”

Shen Luo grabbed another piece of snake meat and sat down beside her, beginning to eat as well.

But after a few bites, Shen Luo’s expression subtly changed, pausing with the snake meat held midair.

“What’s wrong? Is there poison in this snake meat?” Nie Caizhu asked puzzlingly upon seeing this.

“The Devouring Element Magic Wand I gave you, did you put it in your Storage Magical Tool or have you been carrying it all along?” Shen Luo suddenly asked.