The Thousand Li of Yellow Sands stretched endlessly, barren and desolate. Everywhere Luo Chen looked, there was nothing but an expanse of golden grit—dunes rising and falling like the waves of a still, silent sea.1

According to ancient records, this place had once been nothing like it was now. Back then, the land had been lush with water and greenery; the mountains had been elegant and serene. But that all changed a thousand years ago. The Thundernet Nine Mountains erupted from the earth, and as if bringing a heavenly tribulation against heaven itself, their lightning raged across the skies.0

Over time, that overwhelming power of lightning shattered the surrounding terrain, grinding mountains and valleys alike into fine sand. Even now, after countless ages and countless transformations of the land, the wrath of lightning had never ceased. What was once a thriving land had become a vast desert stretching for thousands of li.1

Yet this was no ordinary desert. This was forged by the lightning of the Thundernet Nine Mountains; it harbored neither life nor vegetation—no demonic beasts, no plants, no signs of vitality at all. The dunes moved constantly, writhing like a living sea of sand. Without Wind Control, even a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator would be sucked down by quicksand and buried alive. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators had to stay constantly alert, lest they too be dragged under.0

Luo Chen stood near the center of the formation, his gaze calm but sharp, sweeping across the marching army. Over ten thousand cultivators were present, most of them at the late Qi Refinement Realm. But what truly stood out was the number of Initiates, which had reached over a thousand!0

That number alone rivaled the strength of a major sect. In fact, few major sects could muster this many Initiates. Within...0