The journey passed without incident. After leaving the plains, Yang Kai walked on for another ten days or so, and oddly enough, he didn't run into a single person.
The phenomenon was highly unusual, leaving him on edge.
Previously, whether in the Scorching Zone or the Spirit Herb Zone, he hadn't encountered many people, but at least something like this hadn't happened — as if every martial artist foraging for spirit herbs and rare treasures in the Spirit Herb Zone had suddenly vanished into thin air. A warning signal blared in Yang Kai's mind, unsure whether some major change had occurred in this area.
He wondered to himself — could it be that while he'd been mining Sacred Crystals underground, something significant had happened here, which was why not a soul could be found?
He pressed on for several more days, and as the third layer of the Scorching Zone drew near, the situation remained unchanged.
Half a day later, Yang Kai arrived at the edge of the third layer's Scorching Zone, staring intently at the crimson world ahead, his expression grave.
The third layer looked no different from the outermost Scorching Zone on the surface, but Yang Kai could sense that a great deal of danger lurked within. At the very least, the fire toxin and searing heat here were on an entirely different level from the outermost layer.
However… it didn't seem to be the truly impassable deathtrap Qian Tong had described? After sensing for a while, Yang Kai felt that this zone was something he could enter, let alone the elite disciples of other sects — as long as they made sufficient preparations, they should be able to venture inside as well.
Could the danger be more than what met the eye?
Just as Yang Kai was lost in thought, two figures suddenly appeared a hundred zhang away, hurtling toward him at great speed. The two wore matching uniforms, clearly from the same sect, and both possessed cultivation at Sacred King Stage Three.
Yang Kai sensed that the Sacred Yuan within their bodies was incredibly dense and pure — far beyond what ordinary Sacred King Stage Three cultivators could muster. They were likely elite members of some sect.
The two raced past, one leading the other, moving at breathtaking speed, heading straight for this area without so much as a glance at Yang Kai.
Reaching the edge of the third layer's Scorching Zone, the pair whispered a few words to each other in consultation. Then the one in front erupted with a pale blue glow. A layer of cold air enveloped him as he activated some ice-type artifact to shield himself, after which he plunged headlong into the third layer.
Yang Kai stared, dumbfounded!
Hadn't he been told that the third layer was a place of no return? Was this fellow insane or just stupid, charging straight in like that?
Wei Guchang wouldn't have deceived him — Yang Kai was quite certain of that. He had given a very solemn warning. Yet the scene playing out before his eyes was the complete opposite of what Wei Guchang had cautioned him about.
Watching as the second person also unleashed a frigid aura and prepared to enter the Scorching Zone, Yang Kai hurriedly called out, "My friend, wait!"
Hearing the shout, the man furrowed his brow and shot Yang Kai an annoyed look.
When he and his fellow disciple had arrived, they hadn't failed to notice Yang Kai's presence — but a Sacred King Stage One martial artist simply wasn't worth paying attention to.
Now, however, this person had the audacity to call out to him. The man's voice turned cold: "What is it?"
Yang Kai clasped his fists in a polite gesture, knowing the man was in no mood for courtesy, and asked with an apologetic smile, "Forgive me, friend. I'm simply curious — I was told that the third layer of the Scorching Zone is unfathomably dangerous, that those who enter never return. So why are you and your fellow disciple heading in?"
"A place of no return?" The man let out a derisive laugh and glanced at Yang Kai sideways. "That's ancient history. The Flaming Sand Lands were indeed like that when they opened before, but this time seems different. I don't know the specifics either — all I know is that the third layer can be entered now. Of course, with your level of cultivation, I'd advise against looking for death!"
With that, he charged impatiently into the Scorching Zone, too bothered to waste another word on Yang Kai.
After he was gone, Yang Kai stood in place with a strange expression on his face.
The third layer of the Flaming Sand Lands was now accessible? But judging by that man's words, he didn't seem to know the full story either — he was simply following others inside.
No wonder so few people could be found in the Spirit Herb Zone — it turned out many had gone to the third layer.
How this information had been leaked, and how it had been verified, Yang Kai had no idea. But among the two to three thousand martial artists who had entered the second layer, all elites from their respective sects, it wasn't strange that someone had uncovered this.
Since the Flaming Sand Lands had first opened, the third layer had remained uncharted and inaccessible. It was hard to imagine how many treasures lay waiting to be claimed within.
Tracing the history of the Flaming Sand Lands, they had existed for tens of thousands of years. A place untouched for tens of thousands of years — how could it possibly be lacking in good things?
No wonder these people were rushing in as if their lives depended on it. Even if it meant taking a risk, what did it matter if the rewards were great enough?
Profit had always walked hand in hand with risk. Martial artists who pursued cultivation had never feared danger — the more perilous the place, the more it set their blood racing.