Chapter 896: Someone from the Flying Spirit Platform

Everyone was taken aback.

Even Xu Hei was momentarily stunned, but he quickly came to his senses.

Could the sandworm storm just now not have been a coincidence, but an inevitability?

"What do you mean by that?" Xu Yanran's voice was cold, her gaze sharp as she took out a communication talisman, ready to inform the sect leader at any moment.

"What do I mean? Why don't you check this person's corpse?" Hei Huang crossed his arms over his chest, standing tall as he spoke.

Without a word, Gu Qianqian stepped forward and began to search the body thoroughly.

But she found nothing.

"Grand Elder, stop wasting time with him. Just kill him. Anyone who dares to kill Fang Ze must pay with blood!"

Everyone was filled with righteous indignation.

Xu Hei narrowed his eyes, forming a seal with his palm.

Despite his apparent conflict with Hei Huang, if an outsider wanted to kill him, Xu Hei would be the first to take them down!

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Yun Ling raised a hand to stop them.

Yun Ling crouched down, reached into Fang Ze's crotch, and after some fumbling, pulled out an object resembling a silkworm cocoon.

"The queen worm's husk?!"

Gu Qianqian's pretty face changed instantly.

Xu Yanran also showed a look of realization, while the others were confused, not knowing what it was.

"The queen worm's husk still has many pheromones from the sandworm queen on it. These signals will attract a swarm of sandworms."

"Although we don't know where this came from, carrying such a husk will attract endless swarms of worms. What we faced earlier might just have been an appetizer."

Gu Qianqian explained, her voice tinged with fear.

Their journey ahead would take at least seven more days, and at this rate, they would face at least two more waves of worm attacks. They might hold out for now, but once their Spirit Stones were exhausted and supplies ran out, the consequences would be dire.

This was meant to kill them!

"So, this person spoke rudely to Xu Hei earlier because he was worried that Fellow Daoist Xu joining us would disrupt his plan," Xu Yanran said.

Everyone suddenly understood. If Xu Hei stayed with his methods of dealing with sandworms, they would just be delivering themselves to him. Fang Ze had to force Xu Hei away; it all made sense now!

"So that's how it is. We misunderstood you," Gu Qianqian said.

"Thank you, Brother Dog, for eliminating the scourge of Fang Ze!"

"Brother Dog is mighty!"

Everyone put down their weapons and clasped their fists in thanks to Hei Huang, their eyes filled with admiration.

In an instant, Hei Huang transformed from a moving hotpot of dog meat to the object of everyone's worship.

Hei Huang stood proudly, hands on hips, looking smug as he said, "I like that carriage."

"Please, it's yours!"

Yun Ling quickly invited Hei Huang onto the carriage.

From being in a dire situation to now being in the limelight, Hei Huang was truly satisfied and basked in his newfound fame.

However, Fang Ze's betrayal cast a shadow over the journey. Fang Ze had no reason to target them, so the mastermind behind him was the real threat!

Unfortunately, with Fang Ze dead, they had no way of knowing who the true culprit was.

Xu Yanran hesitated and said, "Brother Xu, what about the journey ahead..."

"My injuries haven't healed yet, and I can't move freely. I'll have to ride in the carriage, but I can travel with you."

Xu Hei's words put everyone at ease. No matter what, with Xu Hei around, the threat of sandworms would be greatly reduced.

Then, Xu Hei changed the subject, "However, could you lend me a fast horse? I have some matters to attend to and will return in at most two days."

"Two days..."

Everyone was puzzled.

What business could an unconscious outsider like Xu Hei have?

However, the three elders didn't ask further questions. Based on the strength Xu Hei had shown, he was worth befriending.

"Alright, we'll wait for you for two days. After two days, whether you return or not, we'll set off," Xu Yanran said.

"Thank you!"

Xu Hei cupped his hands in thanks, took the horse, and returned the way he came, heading into the depths of the yellow sand.

…………

A day later.

Xu Hei returned to the place where he had been unconscious.

Following the location in his memory, Xu Hei arrived at a small hill, transformed into a long snake, and began digging straight down.

After digging a hundred feet deep, Xu Hei finally found the white object.

It was a little white snake coiled into a ball.

"Phew! Finally found it," Xu Hei breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been constantly worried about Xu Bai's safety, but fortunately, everything was fine.

After a day of refining, the sandworms Xu Hei had previously devoured provided a great boost to his vitality, allowing him to recover to a barely functional state.

But sandworms were low-level creatures, and Xu Hei was still far from regaining his strength. Even long-distance travel required the help of a horse.

Xu Hei checked Xu Bai's condition, confirmed she was unharmed, then transformed back into human form and hung Xu Bai around his neck.

Just as he was about to return to the surface, Xu Hei suddenly looked toward the depths of the underground.

At that moment, strange vibrations came from below, as if some giant creature was crawling, accompanied by piercing sound waves that instinctively made Xu Hei feel a sense of danger.

Xu Hei remained still, not daring to move.

Only when the sound disappeared and the vibrations stopped did Xu Hei sit quietly for a while longer before cautiously returning the way he came, emerging onto the surface.

"What was that just now..."

Xu Hei looked toward the depths of the underground, feeling a wave of fear.

His intuition told him there was definitely something down there, and it seemed he had disturbed it.

This place was not safe to linger.

Xu Hei immediately mounted the horse, intending to leave.

"Buzz!"

At that moment, a vast Divine Sense swept over from afar, covering Xu Hei's body almost instantly.

The owner of this Divine Sense was extremely powerful, definitely at the Void Shattering level!

Xu Hei's face turned pale, not daring to breathe heavily, and he quickly stopped in place, not daring to move.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Soon, two figures appeared above Xu Hei, an old man and a middle-aged man, both wearing long cyan robes with intricate patterns of the world's wonders. A cyan cloud was embroidered on their sleeves.

Seeing that cyan cloud, three words immediately popped into Xu Hei's mind—Flying Spirit Platform!

These two were cultivators from the Flying Spirit Platform!

The Flying Spirit Platform managed the affairs between the Spirit Realm and the mortal world! Mortal ascension had to go through the Flying Spirit Platform, and any descent from the Spirit Realm also required their approval.

Xu Hei instinctively wanted to avoid them, but in the blink of an eye, the old man had already appeared before him.

"Greetings, Senior!" Xu Hei hurriedly bowed respectfully.

At this moment, Xu Hei felt as if his entire being was laid bare, except for the Demon God Cauldron, which had a self-concealing function. Everything about Xu Hei was exposed.

"Your cultivation has been abolished, spiritual power is gone, and you have no Divine Sense..." The old man's eyes flickered as he asked, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"This junior is an elder of the Qingshan Sect, attacked by sandworms and separated from my companions."

Xu Hei lied without a hint of embarrassment, speaking smoothly.