"The Skeleton Society has a lead on the Ming Wen Divine Stele?! And it's in the Super Sandstorm Zone!"
Xue Yuli was shocked.
"Ye Feng, why... why are you telling me this?"
"That's a rare treasure potent enough to invite divine punishment. Legend has it that those who obtain it gain immense power!"
After a pause, Xue Yuli spoke slowly, her expression serious.
Ye Feng didn't answer, he just looked at her quietly.
"My objective is not the Ming Wen Divine Stele!"
Under Ye Feng's gaze, Xue Yuli spoke again. "Although my destination is also the Super Sandstorm Zone, my target is not the Ming Wen Divine Stele!"
"My target is... Crescent Spring and the Rebirth Wood!"
She hesitated slightly before revealing her goal.
"Crescent Spring and the Rebirth Wood? What are those?" Ye Feng asked, puzzled.
"Similar to the Ming Wen Divine Stele, they are also legendary things. Legend has it that the Crescent Spring and the Rebirth Wood possess immense power of heaven and earth, capable of transforming the entire desert back into lush greenery!"
Xue Yuli sighed. "Ye Feng, do you know why my name is Xue Yuli?"
"Twenty-three years ago, when I was born, there was an unprecedented rain in the sand dunes. My mother told me it was the most beautiful sight she had seen since the Great Cataclysm..."
"It was a morning, with countless fine raindrops, like ten thousand silver threads falling from heaven... They gently landed on the sparse green leaves, rustling them... The sky became hazy, and the mountains and villages were dimly visible..."
"As the sun rose, a rainbow bridge spanned the sky... making the entire land resemble a slightly damp ink wash painting draped in rosy hues... The gentle breeze even carried a hint of fragrance..."
"And so, my mother named me Yuli!" Xue Yuli answered her own question, her face filled with remembrance.
"Later, things changed, and my mother... her only wish was to see the sand dunes bloom with greenery again!"
"Then, by chance, I learned about the Crescent Spring and the Rebirth Wood... so I wanted to fulfill my mother's wish!"
She paused and spoke again.
"Ye Feng, to be honest, I've basically confirmed the location of the Crescent Spring. Now I'm only missing the Rebirth Wood!"
"And in my investigation of the Rebirth Wood, I found a place where it might exist!" Xue Yuli added at the end.
"The Super Sandstorm Zone?!" Ye Feng interjected.
"Yes!" Xue Yuli nodded slightly. "For some reason, every major outbreak of the Super Sandstorm blows out wood and water elemental arcane stones. Although they are small, they are numerous!"
"This is why, despite the danger, the Super Sandstorm Zone has always been the primary destination for explorers coming to the sand dunes!" Xue Yuli's voice echoed.
"I see~!" After hearing Xue Yuli's explanation, Ye Feng began to understand.
"Big Brother, there's a convoy over there, it looks like they're heading this way!" Suddenly, Xiao Xiao's voice rang out.
"Hmm? What's going on?" Ye Feng immediately took the binoculars and looked in the direction Xiao Xiao was pointing.
"It's people from Ocean Paradise. Perfect, I have something to discuss with them!" Xue Yuli said, also looking through binoculars. Without waiting for Ye Feng and Xiao Xiao's response, Xue Yuli quickly ran towards the convoy, moving with remarkable speed. Seeing this, Ye Feng frowned slightly but said nothing. Feeling bored, Ye Feng went back into the tent to rest, while Xiao Xiao curiously watched the Ocean Paradise convoy.
...
Inside the tent, Ye Feng touched his bracelet and opened the [Zone Chat Channel]. He realized he hadn't checked the messages there in a while.
Yan Mo: "Everyone be careful, someone is specifically looking for and capturing us survivors!"
Soon, a message caught Ye Feng's attention.
"That's right, and not just one person, but a whole bunch of them – bounty hunters, desert bandits, and the like!"
Give You a Bottle to Knock Crooked: "Damn it, I had a close call. A few days ago, I was inexplicably captured by a group of guys wearing skull-shaped clothes and locked in an iron cage!"
"The one above, you were captured too? Were you taken to a desert area?"
Give You a Bottle to Knock Crooked: "Yeah, the place was called Dune. I thought it was just a small sand dune when I went exploring, but it turned out to be a vast desert..."
"Brother Bottle, I was also captured in Dune!"
"Unbelievable..."
...
Yan Mo: "By the way, they call us survivors 'Braceleted Ones' because of the strange bracelet on our hands! Remember to disguise yourselves!"
Give You a Bottle to Knock Crooked: "That's right, and your clothes too. You should change the clothes you arrived in this place with. These guys sometimes arrest people based on their clothing!"
"Our clothes seem a bit eccentric, and their quality is quite good. They're called pre-Great Cataclysm styles!"
"Wait, you can get these kinds of clothes from treasure chests too! I've opened several down jackets and underwear!"
"Indeed, a bandit bought clothes of this style in town and was mistaken for a survivor and arrested!"
"What the heck, is it that dangerous? I learned from Big Brother Zhang San that the bracelet can't come into contact with natives, or they'll become foolish. Now we also have to be wary of people specifically hunting us..."
Yan Mo: "Speaking of Big Brother Zhang San, dozens of us survivors owe him a great debt of gratitude!"
"What's going on?"
Yan Mo: "We were captured and put in iron cages, seemingly about to be sold or something, but Zhang San appeared and used explosives to destroy the cages, and we were saved!"
"The brother above, was it last night? I was also saved thanks to Big Brother Zhang San!"
"+1"
"+1"
"+1"
...
"So there really are survivors here who were captured by the Skeleton Society and put in iron cages yesterday!" Ye Feng realized with a hint of clarity.
The person named Yan Mo had many replies below him.
Wen Rui: "Brothers above, have any of you seen what Big Brother Zhang San looks like? Is he a tall, strong man? Or a handsome and dashing young man? How old is he?"
Yan Mo: "Uh... I didn't see his face!"
Wen Rui: "Then how did you know it was him who saved you?"
Yan Mo: "He sprayed 'Zhang San' on the black cloak on his back with spray paint at the time. It should be him, right?"
Wen Rui: "Brother Yan Mo, where are you guys? If you're nearby, let's have a chat. I have some beer here!"
"Brother above, you t-"
"Sister Xue, you're back!" At this moment, Xiao Xiao's voice sounded from outside the tent.
...