After flying for roughly a million li, a thin black line appeared at the edge of the horizon. But as they drew closer, it became clear that it was an endless desert composed of gray gravel.
So this was the legendary Phantom Roar Desert of the Demon Realm!
Han Li narrowed his eyes within his遁光, a flicker of blue light passing through his pupils as he gazed into the distance.
The gray sandy expanse stretched beyond the limits of sight. Aside from some sparse, low-lying shrubs along the edges, not a single blade of grass grew within. Besides its unusual coloring, it didn't seem all that different from any ordinary desert.
However, the sky above the desert was heavy and overcast, blanketed by low-hanging yellow clouds. Though only a line separated it from the sky outside the desert, it felt as though two entirely different worlds lay side by side.
When they were still more than ten li from the desert, the yellow-haired giant took the lead and descended, his遁光 vanishing as he appeared on the ground below.
The others naturally followed close behind.
"Once we go any further, our movement techniques may become unusable, so the rest of the journey will have to be made on Eight-Legged Demon Lizards. Let me make this clear to all of you fellow Daoists first—the Bai family only has around thirty of these Eight-Legged Demon Lizards, and each one is extraordinarily precious. Bringing out eleven for this single trip is already our absolute limit. I'd appreciate it if you could all keep an eye on them during the journey. If we truly encounter danger, please secure them in their Beast-Taming Rings first and try not to let them come to any harm." The yellow-haired giant cupped his fists toward Han Li and the others as he spoke.
"Haha, Brother Bai, rest easy. How could we not know how important the Eight-Legged Demon Lizards are to your families? We absolutely won't allow a single scale on them to be damaged. But what's the meaning of bringing these youngsters along on this trip? You even went so far as to bring out a few extra lizards for them." The extraordinarily obese Tianjun Luan Long chuckled, then asked with some puzzlement.
"Fellow Daoist Luan Long, you may not be aware—the six of them have trained in a combined formation array. Working together, their combined strength is roughly comparable to an early-stage Demon Venerable. Bringing them along does serve a purpose." The purple-haired woman explained with a smile.
"I see. Then I misspoke." Tianjun Luan Long nodded, the fat on his face quivering.
Han Qizi's eyes flashed with an odd light behind his mask. Though he hadn't said a word, he clearly had no objections.
As for Han Li, he merely smiled faintly, though the thought of whether he might be able to seize these lizards along the way flickered through his mind.
But the notion vanished as quickly as it came, and he dismissed it.
While he was somewhat confident in his own abilities, facing four Demon Venerables of unknown depth all at once would still be far too risky. Defeating them might be manageable, but killing every last one of them without exception would be nearly impossible. And even if he could accomplish that, the number of lizards would still be far too few for the entire party. Worse, it would alert the major families of Phantom Night City after the fact, easily drawing the attention of other powerful enemies—even a Holy Ancestor-level foe.
After weighing the pros and cons, Han Li quickly put aside these restless thoughts.
At that moment, the purple-haired woman flicked her wrist, and a jade-green ring shot out with a whistle. A flash later, it spewed forth a swath of five-colored light, which swept across the ground before revealing eleven massive demonic beasts, each five zhang long and two zhang tall.
At first glance, each one resembled a giant lizard magnified over tenfold. But their entire bodies were covered in black scales, and beneath their bellies they each bore eight identical, thick legs—looking truly ferocious.
Mounted on the backs of these demon lizards were shiny, saddle-like structures, clearly indicating that they were all long-domesticated beasts.
"So these are the Eight-Legged Demon Lizards. Each one radiates an aura of roughly the Golden Core stage—I can't see anything particularly special about them?" Han Li fixed his gaze and swept it across the beasts, feeling secretly surprised.
At the yellow-haired giant's call, each of them was assigned a lizard and given a Beast Command Token.
Han Li moved with a flicker and appeared atop his lizard in an instant, lowering his head slightly to take a quick look.
The silver saddle's surface was inscribed with simple demonic runes and designed to be exceptionally comfortable. The corner of Han Li's mouth curved upward as he aimed the Beast Command Token at the creature beneath him and gave it a slight wave.
With a soft "pssh," a silver light shot out from the token and, in a flash, sank into the beast's body.
The demon lizard let out a low growl and immediately began to charge forward. Though its initial speed wasn't particularly impressive, with all eight legs working in unison, it was remarkably stable—Han Li couldn't feel the slightest bit of jostling.
By now, the yellow-haired giant and the others had already moved on ahead, and the line of more than ten beasts headed in a column toward the desert.
A distance of ten-odd li was naturally covered in no time at all.
When the yellow-haired giant drove his beast charging into the desert, billowing waves of sand and dust surged toward them from the front. At the same moment, the silver saddles on the demon lizards' backs flashed and projected a layer of shimmering white barrier light, enveloping everyone on top within it.
The sand and wind struck the barrier and silently slid around both sides, completely unable to affect anyone inside.
But none of this drew much of Han Li's attention. What truly caught his notice was that the moment the Eight-Legged Demon Lizards set foot on the sand, their speed suddenly surged several times over, running even faster than an ordinary fine steed.
From the massive bodies of the demon lizards emanated a peculiar wave of energy. Flowing ceaselessly, it was slowly absorbing the scorching heat energy of the desert.
And the instant Han Li entered the gray desert, he immediately felt a mysterious, alien force descend upon him. The Magical Power within his body was suppressed by over ninety percent in a single moment. The void around him was saturated with an incredibly chaotic blend of heaven and earth energy, which simultaneously repelled both demonic energy and spiritual energy, making both forms of energy extraordinarily thin upon the sand.