Chapter 60: The Wind and Thunder Stone Desert

After the earlier verbal clash, the five companions grew much quieter as they hurried through the dense forest. An hour later, they had emerged from the two-hundred-mile stretch of woods, and the landscape around them had transformed dramatically. Gone was the soothing green; instead, the world was a muddy yellow-brown.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

As soon as they stepped out of the forest, fierce winds battered their ears, and before their eyes stretched a vast expanse of drifting yellow sand. Countless grains whirled through the air, blotting out the sun, filling the space with thick, murky hues. The field of vision shrank to barely thirty feet.

“The Storm and Thunder Stone Wastes are here!” Captain Lei Jianqin gazed ahead and spoke. “The winds and lightning in this wasteland follow a pattern—every two hours, they peak, then ebb. Judging by the current conditions, we’re at the strongest point. Let’s retreat to the woods and rest. Once the winds and lightning subside, we’ll push through and cross these four hundred miles within two hours!”

No one objected; they immediately withdrew into the forest.

Chu Feng sat in meditation, quietly calculating. With his current strength at the fourth level of Body Refinement, he could cover two thousand miles a day—but that referred to flat terrain or easy mountain paths. Here, in the Storm and Thunder Stone Wastes, not only did the fierce winds hinder progress, but the scattered boulders and gravel would severely slow any warrior.

On flat ground, four hundred miles would take him less than an hour. But here, even two hours seemed a struggle.

“Four hundred miles—neither far nor near. The key is to seize the right moment and cross the wasteland in one breath; it’s a true test of strength and endurance!” Liu Run muttered, “I’d better prepare carefully—not only would I lose face if I lag behind, I might even ruin the mission!”

Though his words seemed addressed to himself, everyone could tell he was really speaking to Chu Feng, reminding him not to hold them back.

Chu Feng pretended not to hear, unwilling to bicker.

Soon, the winds outside diminished noticeably, as if a sudden downpour had ceased.

“It’s time!” Lei Jianqin declared. “We move now, aiming to cross the wasteland within two hours. In the central area, sand beasts may appear—look out for each other. We are a team, not lone fighters!”

At her words, Fan Qianjun drew two gleaming silver axes and took the lead. Liu Run, Lei Jianqin, and Tang Jiao all revealed their weapons: Liu Run wielded a pine-patterned sword, Lei Jianqin carried twin blades, and Tang Jiao’s weapon was a great silver bow.

Chu Feng hefted the Tyrant’s Shadow-Chasing Spear and followed them into the wasteland.

At this moment, the winds had subsided, and the sand settled, allowing them to see nearly seventy feet around. The five formed a line, advancing quickly.

Chu Feng noticed that at first, the ground was covered with small stones and coarse sand. The deeper they went, the larger and more numerous the rocks became.

Half an hour in, the ground was nothing but great stones. These boulders were jagged and sharp-edged, scattered chaotically like blades and spears. For ordinary folk without martial skill, traversing such terrain would be impossible.

In a place so perilous, littered with treacherous rocks, masters of the Iron Bone Realm could pass without injury. But if Chu Feng were careless, he could easily be wounded.

Seeing Chu Feng keeping pace without falling behind over nearly a hundred miles, Liu Run was clearly surprised. “Chu Feng, I didn’t expect your stamina to be this strong! But the next three hundred miles will be even tougher—don’t falter and disappoint me.”

“Mind your own path,” Chu Feng replied coldly.

“Brother Liu, you and Chu Feng have no real enmity, do you? Why always speak so harshly?” Lei Jianqin, the captain, couldn’t stand it any longer. “Even if he does falter, we should help him—not belittle him.”

“Indeed, Brother Liu, you’re always making these snide remarks. Aren’t you afraid Chu Feng might turn back and leave? We’re here for a mission, not a race—what use is speed?” Fan Qianjun grumbled.

“I’m just kindly reminding him,” Liu Run snorted, taking the lead.

When Liu Run had moved some distance ahead, Lei Jianqin addressed Chu Feng, “Don’t mind him—he’s not broad-minded and his words are often sharp.”

“Right! Just pretend he doesn’t exist,” Fan Qianjun added. “If he says anything more, I’ll answer him for you.”

Chu Feng smiled and nodded. In truth, he found it odd—Liu Shenghua was courteous and gentlemanly, but his son Liu Run was utterly petty.

Chu Feng despised Liu Run’s character, yet watching him move ahead like a gust of wind, light-footed and swift, he couldn’t help but admire his agility.

“Senior Sister Lei, your Storm and Thunder Martial Hall’s footwork is truly famous!” Chu Feng said, gesturing toward Liu Run’s ostentatious speed.

“Yes. Our Martial Hall has two branches—the Wind Sect and the Thunder Sect. Wind Sect disciples excel in speed, their techniques swift as lightning. Thunder Sect disciples focus on power, their attacks are formidable. Liu Run is from the Wind Sect, and as the son of its leader, Elder Liu, his speed surpasses ours,” Lei Jianqin replied.

Chu Feng hadn’t realized the Martial Hall was divided thus. “So you are all Thunder Sect disciples?”

“That’s right. Brother Fan, Sister Tang, and I are Thunder Sect,” Lei Jianqin confirmed.

As they spoke, they unknowingly covered several dozen more miles, nearing the central region of the wasteland.

Here, the path grew even more treacherous—not only were the rocks more numerous and menacing, but the ground radiated intense heat, with hot vapors rising and distorting the air.

Boom… Boom…

Listening closely, faint sounds like cloth being shaken echoed. It was the result of heat swirling and colliding in the atmosphere, forming pockets of hot air.

Fortunately, all five were capable warriors; an ordinary person would faint from the heat and die where they fell.

“Senior Sister Lei, it’s so hot!” Tang Jiao, who rarely spoke, could hardly bear the heat any longer.

“Yes, during the two hours when wind and lightning are weakest, the heat here is at its peak. We must press on—once we reach the entrance to the Storm and Thunder Caverns, we can rest. Here, it’s absolutely forbidden,” Lei Jianqin said, wiping sweat from her brow.

At the fifth level of Body Refinement, the Iron Bone Realm, martial artists’ external skills were so perfected their bodies rarely sweated. Yet here, all five, including Chu Feng, were drenched.

“Senior Sister Lei, look out!” Chu Feng suddenly cried, unleashing the Soul-Piercing Thrust. Before the afterimage faded, a loud clang rang out as the Tyrant’s Shadow-Chasing Spear skewered a gigantic scorpion.

This scorpion was iron-brown, blending with the rocks, its shell hard as steel, and its body as large as a washbasin, its belly swollen like a watermelon.

Chu Feng channeled his strength through the spear, and with a fierce crack, the scorpion’s belly burst, releasing a torrent of black fluid.

Sizzle!

The dark liquid splashed onto the stones, corroding them instantly, leaving fist-sized rocks riddled like honeycomb.

Iron-Skinned Sand Scorpion—one of the monstrous beasts of the Scorpion family, favoring the hottest wastelands and deserts. It lies in wait, striking with its deadly stinger when travelers are unprepared. One sting can paralyze any martial artist below the fifth level of Body Refinement.

Though Iron Bone masters are immune to ordinary poisons, this so-called immunity does not extend to the likes of the Iron-Skinned Sand Scorpion, infamous for its “bellyful of vile water.” Its toxins are beyond even their endurance.