Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

That evening, he called Xu Sheng, Wu Yu, and others to his room, and Ji Fanghua, despite her injuries, also attended the meeting.

The group discussed the matter in private for a full hour before dispersing.

The next day, Li Yuan went to visit Wu Yong, the military commander of Anxi, but returned empty-handed, as Wu Yong used the excuse of being on patrol to avoid seeing him.

Li Yuan had no choice but to speak with the officers below him and ask them to provide detailed information about the border.

Over the next few days, Li Yuan led Xu Sheng and others, with Du Sheng as their guide, searching for the demon in the Gobi Desert west of Suzhou.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, they only encountered a few scattered minor demons, and killed a few of them, but they still couldn't find any trace of the Flame Demon King.

Even the demon kings who are usually active in this area have all disappeared. Occasionally, there are reports of demons being spotted, but by the time they arrive, the demons have already retreated.

These monsters are all slippery, as if they had received advance notice, and always manage to escape, leaving behind only a mess.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Li Yuan became furious and berated Du Sheng, ordering him to coordinate information sharing with the Anxi army.

"My lord, General Wu has not yet returned. Your subordinates are making excuses and refusing to cooperate; there's really nothing we can do!"

Du Sheng, his face pale, tried to explain, but Li Yuan slammed his hand on the table and demanded sharply, "So, according to you, you've never shared any information before?"

"That's not quite right. It was Lord Zhou who contacted them before. I was only responsible for the operations, so I'm not familiar with them."

"Hehe~"

Li Yuan sneered, "So you're saying I'm in the wrong? What is Zhou Hai anyway, to think he can be compared to me!"

"This humble servant dares not!"

Du Sheng said this, but he acted like a dead pig that wasn't afraid of boiling water, clearly trying to slack off, leaving Li Yuan helpless.

"My lord, it must be your renowned reputation that has frightened those demons into not daring to show their faces."

Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Zheng Yuan quickly flattered him, and Li Yuan's expression improved slightly.

That evening, at Chunfang Tower in Suzhou, Du Sheng secretly slipped in through the back door, where a burly man with a dark face and a thick beard had been waiting for him for a long time.

"General Wu."

Du Sheng bowed upon meeting him; it turned out that this man was Wu Yong, the military officer of Anxi.

"I heard that brat Li Yuan was furious today?"

Wu Yong had a singer in his arms, his eyes filled with schadenfreude.

"That's right, he's been searching everywhere for days and is furious, so he's taking it out on me here."

Du Sheng drank a glass of wine and smiled disdainfully.

"Haha, doesn't he think he's so great? When he comes to my Anxi Army's territory, even a dragon has to coil up before me. Bah!"

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

"This is just the beginning. Come here, I have a plan..."

A strategist next to Wu Yong whispered a few words in his ear, and the two nodded repeatedly, their faces full of pride.

By the tenth day, Ji Fanghua's injuries had largely healed, and since a batch of supplies had just arrived, they decided to travel together.

"Let me see you off, just in case anything goes wrong."

Li Yuan led a dozen or so subordinates to personally escort them out of the city. Just as they left the city, the sound of rapid hoofbeats rang out behind them.

"Sir! Something's happened!"

A demon-hunting guard galloped up on horseback. "Just now, the Anxi army sent word that the Flame Demon King has been spotted sixty miles north of the city and is robbing herdsmen."

"What? Is this information reliable?"

Li Yuan was startled and immediately stopped his horse.

"It was said by the soldier who usually comes to deliver messages, so it must be true," the man said confidently.

Li Yuan was about to leave when he looked at Ji Fanghua and hesitated.

"Senior Brother Li, there are many of us. This time, the army is escorting the supplies, so we'll be fine. You can go and do your work now."

Seeing this, Ji Fanghua hurriedly said.

Li Yuan had been in Hexi for over a month, but had not accomplished anything. Young and impetuous, he was already very anxious. Now that he had heard of the whereabouts of the Flame Demon King, he could no longer wait.

He looked around and saw that the group was quite large, with more than 30 cultivators and 50 escorting soldiers, totaling nearly 90 people.

The leader of the team was a captain named Deng Tong, who was in his early forties, experienced, and had traveled back and forth to the Hexi Corridor many times.

"Don't worry, Lord Li, I will take care of Miss Ji."

Deng Tong also hurriedly made a guarantee.

"Alright, I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself."

Li Yuan hurriedly bid farewell to Ji Fanghua and the others, then turned and sped off towards the north of the city, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Let's go."

Deng Tongchao and Ji Fanghua nodded, and the group set off again, heading west along the Hexi Corridor, passing through Jiayuguan, and entering the vast Gobi Desert.

The scenery along the way became increasingly desolate, the greenery gradually disappeared, and there was only endless yellow sand everywhere. The wind was strong, stirring up sand and dust that stung our faces.

Ji Fanghua rode her horse in the middle of the group, with a female cultivator named Ruan Qing beside her. Ruan Qing was in her early twenties and had a very lively personality. Along the way, Ruan Qing chattered incessantly, full of curiosity about everything.

"Sister Ji, is this your first time visiting Longyou?"

Ji Fanghua was taken aback.

"I've been there once before."

"Really? Is it very dangerous over there? I heard there's constant fighting and demons everywhere."

"I don't know."

Ji Fanghua was originally aloof, only becoming slightly more cheerful in front of Li Yuan and others. After exchanging a few perfunctory words, she urged her horse forward, distancing herself from Ruan Qing.

"Sister Ji!" Ruan Qing hurriedly chased after her. "Don't go! Chat with me, I'm so bored..."

Ji Fanghua had no time to coax this young lady; her face immediately turned cold, and she spurred her horse to the front of the procession.

A day later, the group arrived at the Devil City.

This place is called a city, but it is actually just a yardang landform, a mound of earth formed by wind erosion over millions of years. Stone pillars stand everywhere, each with a different shape. When the wind blows, it makes a whistling sound, like the howling of ghosts and wolves.

This place is not peaceful. They had not originally planned to stay here overnight, but after resting for a while and preparing to set off, Hu Cheng, the guide in charge of the way, looked at the sky and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Oh no! A sandstorm is probably coming soon!"

The guide was a thin, middle-aged man who had been assigned by the Suzhou government and had been working in this area for over a decade, knowing the terrain like the back of his hand.

"sandstorm?"

Deng Tong was taken aback. He looked up at the sky; the sun was shining brightly, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. He asked doubtfully, "It doesn't look like the wind is about to pick up. Could you be mistaken?"

"Look, the sky is turning yellow; that's a sign of an impending sandstorm. Would I lie to you?"

Hu Cheng argued confidently, "You can leave if you want, but if you encounter a sandstorm on the way and have nowhere to hide, and all the supplies are destroyed, I won't be responsible."

Hearing this, Deng Tong hesitated: "Then, in your opinion, what should be done?"

Hu Cheng pointed to the Devil City and said, "Why don't we spend the night here? There's a water source and shelter from the wind. We can rest here for the night and leave tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Deng Tong hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, let's set up camp here."

At a command, the team followed Hu Cheng into the Devil City and set up camp in an open area.

Hu Cheng was very attentive and skillfully guided them to find a water source. In less than half an hour, everyone was settled.

everything is normal.

"Waaaaah..."

As night fell, the temperature in the Gobi Desert plummeted, and the cold wind howled, producing a piercing sound.