My Misfortune Crushed Instances

Ahead lies a vast, flat desert, but countless camps are pitched on the ground.

Most of the Demon Race originally in the desert have already left, the remaining must be able to withstand drought and possess great strength.

Because those who cannot adapt to extreme drought die naturally, and those who are weak are annihilated by other tribes or sand bandit groups.

After all, the oasis in the desert is so limited, not enough for many of the Demon Race to share, thus they generally remain scattered, rarely gathering like this.

Zhu Wen hadn’t anticipated such a situation.

"This is not right."

He muttered, "It seems all the sand bandits left in the desert have come."

Li Rui said, "No problem, let’s go over and have a look first."

It’s not that he doesn’t want to act low-key, but the giant warrior’s size makes low-key actions difficult for him.

The group’s intrusion inevitably alerts the sand bandits.

Everywhere they pass, many undisguised malicious glances come their way, making Zhu Wen and Yuan Erliang feel uneasy.

"Strange, why do they seem to be wary of us?"

Zhu Wen didn’t understand, as news from Yellow Sand Ancient City shouldn’t have reached here yet; the Demon Race shouldn’t recognize them.

Li Rui replied, "Not strange, these sand bandits are inherently enemies, not friends, vigilant of each other. I deliberately took this middle path, under the watchful eyes of various forces, they don’t dare to act easily, fearing it might cause conflict first."

Zhu Wen suddenly realized, his years spent secluded have made him not adept at dealing with foreign races.

Cheng Mingyue lazily said, "It’s better if they behave. After all, by observing these Demon Race movements, we can find our target."

Zhu Wen didn’t understand her words, but took the opportunity to suggest, "The terrain in Quicksand Canyon is complex, a minor carelessness leads to falling into the abyss; we can follow these sand bandits."

He considered himself integrated into Li Rui’s style; previously encountering such desert marauders, he would desperately bury his head in the sand, but now he’s thinking about utilizing them.

Both individuals proposed similar viewpoints, naturally, Li Rui complied willingly.

Cheng Mingyue was slightly worried, "But what if someone has already obtained what we want? Kill for treasure?"

Li Rui laughed, "Sister Yue, that worry is a bit extra, these sand bandits aren’t united, their peaceful coexistence must be because no one has the means to acquire it yet. If it really emerged, they’d surely be fighting by now."

"Makes sense."

Cheng Mingyue said, "Surely, because some obvious sign appeared, but the sand bandits don’t have enough gold coins; they can’t open the door."

Li Rui thought the same, taking the lead with giant power, heading in the direction of the crowd.

He held a diamond umbrella, ready to fight if necessary, as these sand bandits are stronger and numerous compared to those in Yellow Sand Ancient City.

In the vast sand, sand bandits, consuming raw meat and blood, move back and forth; approaching the northern Quicksand Canyon, they increase in number, and soon wounded ones are carried back by companions.

Li Rui planned to find someone to ask questions, when he heard a commotion ahead.

Many Demons were clamoring, some gloating, others furious, anxious, while some were just enjoying the spectacle without caring about trouble.

Soon, a group of swift-footed, Trotting Demons ran back hurriedly from ahead, carrying a large, makeshift stretcher with a tall Demon lying on it.

This unknown Demon group dashed past Li Rui’s group, leaving a trail of blood on the sand.

Shocked, Zhu Wen whispered after the group left, "Guests, the one carried away earlier I recognized; that’s Tuo Liusi, from the former dominant Shatuo Race in Jinluan City, once the city’s Grand General, now a notorious sand bandit leader."

Li Rui asked, "How did you know?"

Zhu Wen laughed awkwardly, "Years ago, during our tribe’s deep desert expedition, we encountered their plundering."

"How did you survive?" Li Rui inquired.

Zhu Wen sighed, shaking his head, "At that time, we encountered a severe sandstorm, lacking supplies, already returning, carrying little wealth or resources. Tuo Liusi learned our deep desert exploration reason, spared us, praised us briefly, and gave us several water pouches."

"Then he was quite nice." Li Rui chuckled lightly, though just casually speaking; he surely knew if the Three-Birds Race had more supplies then, it might have been robbed.

Zhu Wen understood this, giving an embarrassed smile without saying more.

Continuing forward, another conflict appeared.

Several Shatuo Race members were surrounded by a few Wolf Demons, who revealed their original forms, each several meters long, draped in earth-yellow fur, eyes full of killing intent.

The Shatuo Demons backed against each other in the center, shivering.

With their leader carried away, they naturally weakened; old enemies or treasure-coveting sand bandits seized the opportunity, since those able to hold here aren’t kind-hearted.

"Howl—"

The pack leader howled, signaling to start slaughter; it opened its bloody mouth, preparing to rush forward, but suddenly, a strong force came from its tail, spinning and landing flat on the distant ground.

"Scram!"

Yuan Erliang shouted loudly from the giant warrior’s shoulder.

The Wolf Demons were bewildered, the leader in its original form held immense power but was thrown out by a peculiarly-shaped individual with one hand; they couldn’t comprehend it.

However, Li Rui didn’t deliver a fatal blow; it wasn’t yet an unavoidable battle, so they quickly helped the leader up and fled, tails tucked.

The rescued Shatuo Race were thrilled despite not knowing these aiding individuals.

After expressing gratitude and politeness, the Shatuo Race understood the situation, realizing their leader’s past kindness inadvertently helped them greatly now, also feeling awe of the person holding a black umbrella, and cautiously polite.

Thus, when Li Rui asked about the happenings here, the Shatuo Race was forthcoming.

"You may not be aware, years ago rumors spoke of hidden treasures in Nuanyang State, requiring eighty-one gold coins to open, believed by some and doubted by others."

"But now, no one can’t believe it, because last month, the Quicksand Canyon shook the earth, affecting half the desert, then a subterranean ancient palace was discovered, surely containing the rumored treasures."

Li Rui asked, "If so, why not explore the palace, lingering here instead?"

Shatuo Race awkwardly laughed, "Exploring the palace... we haven’t found a way to enter it, moreover, merely approaching costs tremendous effort, even the leader suffered severe injuries; if you intend to try, please be very cautious."