When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

Upon hearing these two words, the half-demons' hearts leaped into their throats. They saw Yi Chen slightly close his eyes, clasp his hands together, and slowly lift Bu Xi Zhou, holding it level with his chin.

Before anyone could react, a cold wind swept in, stirring up turbulence.

A chilling, deep blue light burst forth from the unmoored boat, and in an instant, ice lines spread and swept across the entire area. Before the sand and gravel could be blown away by the wind, they were condensed into particles by this sudden icy power, falling to the ground like a galaxy of stars.

The mechanical puppet's movements became increasingly heavy and sluggish, and it was covered by ice at a visible speed, starting from its feet.

Yi Chen's clothes were untouched by snow, and his white hair swept backward in the cold wind, like a god who controlled frost and snow, making it difficult for mortal dust to get close to him.

By this time, the half-demons were covered in cold sweat, their bodies were cold, and their hearts were trembling.

Chu Xianlan, who was not far away, felt her heart skip a beat and her breathing slowed down.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen his master unleash such a powerful ice-sealing technique. Each time he saw it, it would awaken memories of his childhood when he first encountered a celestial being descending to earth—in a daze, it was as if he were seeing that being again, the one he could never reach no matter how hard he tried to catch up.

It made him feel that he was very, very far away from this person.

Though seemingly close, they are worlds apart.

Chu Xianlan quickly composed herself and shook off the inexplicable thoughts.

Such a move consumes a great deal of spiritual energy. Master is always cautious, and the reason he didn't use it earlier must be to keep a backup plan. Chu Xianlan frantically rummaged through her storage pouch, looking for a magical artifact that could replenish Yi Chen's spiritual energy.

My shoulder was gently pushed.

Yi Chen appeared behind him and said softly, "Let's go quickly."

Ma Mian and the others were stunned. It was really amazing. It seemed that whenever the man approached the boy, his aura of keeping people at a distance would automatically dissipate.

It's like holding a handful of water in your palm, carefully protecting it, afraid that the other person might leak out through your fingers.

They originally thought that the older one was in control of the relationship between the two. Between the two, Chu Xianlan seemed to be a follower, after all, Yi Chen had the upper hand in terms of experience, cultivation and temperament.

But the reality seems to be different.

That boy was the one who truly stirred his emotions; he was his Achilles' heel.

The team leader, as if waking from a dream, decisively abandoned his shock and seized the opportunity: "Yes, let's go!"

"Hurry up and leave, lest things get complicated."

Chu Xianlan looked back and saw that the mechanical puppet had begun to tremble slightly, indicating that the ice layer could not trap this behemoth forever.

Just as he was about to leave the last stone slab, another bronze stone hand suddenly rose up in front of him.

Chu Xianlan's pupils trembled slightly as she caught the approaching presence.

With a slap of the palm, a powerful gust of wind swept in the blink of an eye!

One slap like that is enough for a lifetime. After all, no one is lucky enough to endure a second one.

"Weren't the puppets already sealed off?!"

"Why are they still popping up?!"

At this moment, Chu Xianlan finally understood.

There has always been a misconception in people's minds that there is only one mechanical puppet.

In fact, every bronze pillar in the entire desert is part of a mechanical puppet. They don't need to form a complete human shape; even a single hand can perform moves.

Chu Xianlan turned to the left, his supple body as light as a swallow, dodging the oncoming slap. He instantly condensed his spiritual power into a longsword in his hand and slashed forward.

At the same time, the white figure stood in front of him without hesitation.

The blue and gold sword lights converged, and the master and apprentice cooperated perfectly, shattering the attacking stone hand together.

"Great!" Ma Mian pumped his fist and breathed a sigh of relief.

But he breathed a sigh of relief too soon.

However, in that instant, another giant hand emerged from behind Chu Xianlan, who was completely unprepared, moving so fast that it left afterimages.

The hand arrived with incredible speed, completely unlike the clumsy one it had shown on the mechanical puppet. It grabbed the boy's body and dragged him into the depths of the desert with lightning speed.

As if they had achieved some goal, all the mechanical puppets were torn to pieces.

A dead silence.

"What's going on—" Wei Jin subconsciously looked in Yi Chen's direction.

For the first time in my life, I saw an unprecedentedly out-of-control expression on that usually calm face.

-

"Aaaaaahh ...

"Wa ...

Chu Xianlan felt dizzy and disoriented, with the pitiful screams of Hua Ling and Yan Ling echoing in her ears. She felt that it was even more torturous than being crushed to death by a mechanical puppet.

The giant hand moved downwards at high speed, tightening into a fist to block all the sand waves from the outside. Chu Xianlan was not crushed, but was simply enveloped within and could not see anything. In the blink of an eye, the three spirits and one person were placed into an underground space.

The giant hand disappeared.

Chu Xianlan staggered to her feet, looked up, and froze.

Because this place... is very strange.

After all, being kidnapped by a mechanical puppet is strange enough in itself.

Chu Xianlan thought she would at least lose half her life if she didn't die, and might even see corpses scattered everywhere or Xiao Huandu's body. Little did she expect that this underground space was a hidden paradise.

It has pavilions, terraces, and towers—everything imaginable.

But none of those are true.

Everything was made of sand.

From the walls to the furnishings in the courtyard, they resembled figurines made by children playing house, yet they were so realistic that they were dyed in different colors according to the actual situation. If you didn't get up close and look closely to distinguish the texture of the sand, at first glance you would almost think you had actually walked into a courtyard.

"What kind of place is this?" Yan Ling looked left and right, finding it both absurd and novel.

Hua Ling sighed, "What can I do? I guess I'll just have to take it one step at a time!"

The spirits of heaven and earth are usually unreliable, but they are quite united in special circumstances. The flower spirit remained vigilant on the left, the flame spirit transformed into a wild horse on the right, and the snow spirit also took the initiative to fly in front of Chu Xianlan to scout the way.

The instinctive protective actions of the little spirits warmed Chu Xianlan's heart, but soon another emotion welled up inside her.

Recalling the scene of Yi Chen protecting him without hesitation, the boy's eyes dimmed slightly.

...Master must be very worried.

Chu Xianlan regretted his carelessness; he should have been more careful.

"There's some noise ahead," Xue Ling suddenly said.

If you listen closely, you can discern the subtle sound of sand and gravel flowing continuously. Chu Xianlan looked up and was astonished by the sight before her.

It was still a realistic illusion made of sand. A small, low artificial hill stood in the courtyard, with streams of fine sand flowing gently down from its summit. Beside the hill was a stone table, on which were placed delicate snacks and teacups.

There is also a guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument).

Yan Ling felt like she was dreaming, and murmured, "Well, this is truly... a kindred spirit found in a humble place."