Yuan and his companions made their way to the desert, leaving behind the forest. As they advanced, vegetation became more scarce, until it wholly disappeared. Beyond them lay a scene of solitude and desolation. Τhe weather was dry and the heated sun unbearable.

Seeing the vast expanse of desert before them, Ping wryly smiled. "This will be one hell of a journey…"

"If we managed to survive the forest and its bandits, we will survive this," Yuan said.

"Do not underestimate the danger this desert poses," Aaren said. "It is not known as the Desert of Death for nothing. The heat and dryness of this desert are more dangerous than an army of battle-hardened soldiers. Nature can make even the most powerful man bow to its will."

The party made its way to the trackless desert. The sun beat down and there was not even a wisp of cloud to soften the harsh rays. Each of their steps sunk into the searing sand and the air was thick and hazy. Their clothing was overwhelmingly hot and sticky. The stiff, dry desert breeze blew sand into their eyes. They were all exhausted; only Aaren seemed to not be that tired. She was using her immense internal energy to sustain herself.

"We have been walking for hours..." Ping said. "Our supply of water is running low too. How long until we reach some well?"

"We have no choice but to keep going," Yuan replied.

They kept walking across the endless waves of sand dunes. Heat rained down on them like the breath of hell. The arid heat burnt at their lungs. They were sweating and exhausted. After about an hour, the sun began to set. The desert at twilight was a vast undulating sea and the sand dunes looked like waves. Heat gave its way to chilling coldness. The temperature was below freezing because once the sun was down, the sand began releasing heat. Their blood ran cold through their veins and their bones were chilled. Their teeth chattered. They were barely able to walk when they finally reached a stone well.

"Let's drink some water!" Ping said.

They rushed to the well and drew a wooden bucket that was inside. It was full of water and they rushed to drink it. The water was cold and they could feel it's chillness but they did not care. Only Aaren restrained herself as her internal energy allowed her to keep her body cool. After drinking enough water, they lied on the cold sand to rest.

Suddenly, they could hear the sound of hooves. They turned around and saw about twenty horses galloping towards them. The horsemen were wearing long brown robes and scarfs and were armed with swords. They were roaring and shouting. Their battle cries were chilling. Yuan and Hua drew their swords and Harald grabbed his axe; they took battle positions and got ready to defend themselves. The horsemen encircled them and charged at them.

Yuan somersaulted and with a swift move, he stabbed one of the raiders; his sword cut through the raider's chest and killed him instantly. Another raider tried to slash at him but he parried the attack with a quick movement of his blade. The two swords clashed and a 'clang' sound was heard. Before the raider could strike again, Harald had already thrown his axe at him; it stabbed the raider's back, killing him instantly. Harald rushed forward and removed his axe from the dead man's back.

"Thanks," Yuan said.

Before Harald could reply, a raider charged at him but he defended himself with his axe. Harald then struck his axe at the horse. The horse panicked and it frantically tried to move away. The sudden movement brought the raider off the horse and onto the ground. Before the raider could get up, Harald beheaded him with his axe.

Hua too rushed forward at the enemy, jumping onto one of the raiders' horses and pushing to the ground its rider. She then jumped off the horse and stabbed the man before he could get up. Another raider slashed at Hua, but she dodged the saber, grabbed it by the hilt and used it against its user, slashing his neck and killing him.

Aaren was using her internal energy to send energy waves at the raiders and push them back but her use of internal energy to maintain her cool during the journey had exhausted her; she coughed some blood and collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Ping tried to run away but a raider knocked him out by hitting him on the head with the hilt of his sword. Harald, Hua, and Yuan were the only ones standing but they too had been exhausted after traveling for hours under the scorching sun. Their movements were becoming slow and their attacks weak and inaccurate. The raiders were slowly but steadily getting the better of them.

'The stone!' Yuan thought. He remembered the magic stone given to him by Almar. With that rock, he could call the Elves to come to his aid. It was in his belt; he quickly grabbed it and transferred his internal energy onto the stone, hoping that this way he would activate it. The hieroglyphics carved on the stone brightened and a light emanated from it. "I did it!" Yuan said and then collapsed on the ground.

"Surrender!" one of the raiders said to Hua and Harald. "You are the only ones still conscious; you have no hope of defeating us. If you resist, we will kill you. If you surrender, we will spare you."

Hua threw away her sword. "Fine!" she said. Hua could be stubborn and reckless but she knew when a fight had been lost. She understood that they had no chance of defeating those raiders.

Harald sighed. "I... I... surrender..." he said. Those words were painful to him; he was a proud man. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Good," the raider said. "I will present you and your other companions to the Khan. If you are lucky, one of you may be chosen as his slave."

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Under the glow of the moon, Yao and the other Kunlun disciples were making their way through the forest, following into Yuan's footsteps. Yao had been determined to find this 'bastard', as he called him, but his hopes of catching up to him were being diminished the further he walked into the forest. As he and his men marched forward, they saw before them tens of bodies. They were the Demonic swordsmen killed by Almar and his elves. Yao and the other disciples rushed forward to check those men.

"They are dressed just like the clad in black swordsmen we found in the previous massacre," a disciple said.

"It is as I've suspected," Yao replied. "They must belong to the Demonic Cult. Thankfully I've already alerted the Masters about their presence when we first found such bodies in the previous massacre. The Masters informed me that they will send Xiao to aid me in investigating who those swordsmen are."

"What about Yuan?"

Yao sighed. "Seeing the massacre here, he must have already passed through this path; now he is most likely in the desert. There is no point in following him there. The desert will take care of him."

Yao paused for a brief moment to think. "You", he said pointing at the disciple. "You should lead the other disciples back to Mount Kunlun. Our expedition here has been completed. We may not have been able to catch the villain, but we have driven him to the desert where he will surely die. I will remain here to investigate the identity of those swordsmen and meet up with Xiao."

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

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It was early in the morning. The sun shone brightly in the sky and birds were chirping. Masters Yi and Zhang were in the Main Hall of Mount Kunlun Sect. They were sitting on their chairs. Xiao was standing in front of them. He was waiting for what they had to say. For the two of them to have called him so early in the morning, he assumed that whatever they wanted to tell him was very urgent.

"I've received a letter from Yao," Master Yi said.

"How is he doing?" Xiao asked. "Has he caught that villain Yuan?"

"No, unfortunately, but he has made a discovery. Among those massacred by Yuan and his accomplices are some mysterious clad in black swordsmen. I want you to head south and meet up with him to investigate who those men are. From the description, I suspect that they belong to the Demonic Cult. You must find out if this is true. This is a mission of vital importance."

"You should take your disciple with you," Master Zhang said. "I believe that she will benefit from some experience of the real world. It is one thing to practice in a safe, secluded environment and completely another to go on a mission where you will face real opponents. Make sure though that she doesn't face any overly dangerous situation and that she doesn't become a liability on your mission; you are free to send her back here if you feel that the situation has become far too dangerous or if she hinders you."

Xiao bowed slightly. "I will do as you ask Masters. I shall not disappoint you!"

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Xiao was walking in the garden when he noticed Nuan silently gazing at the garden's pond. Seeing him, Nuan bowed in respect. "Greetings teacher," she said.

"I was looking for you," Xiao said. "I am going to the south for a mission; I am going to help brother Yao investigate the identity of some mysterious swordsmen who may belong to the Demonic Cult. You will be coming with me."

Nuan grinned. She could not believe her luck; she was finally going to leave this place and see the world. Although she certainly liked being in Mount Kunlun, she had always wanted to travel around and see new places. "Great!" she said, unable to hide her enthusiasm. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible, so better start preparing your stuff."

"I will do so immediately," Nuan said and left to pack her things.

Xiao smiled seeing her enthusiasm. "Well, that certainly reminds me of myself only a few months ago."

"Indeed," a voice said. "But you have come a long way since then."

Xiao turned around and saw that it was none other than Elder Rong. He gaped in astonishment; Elder Rong had been secluded in his room for a long time. The death of Yang Jing and the loss of the medallion had taken their toll on him. Xiao was thus very surprised to see him walking in the garden. At once he fell to his knees and began kowtowing. "Greetings Elder!"

The elderly man, dressed in his ethereal purple gown and with a bright smiled on his face, signaled him to get up. "No need for such formalities," he said. "I heard your talk about your mission; you must be careful. The Demonic Cult is once again on the rise and I am certain that those swordsmen belong to that cult. Do not underestimate them and, most importantly, make sure to come back alive. We've already lost a good disciple; no need to lose another one." He sighed as he was reminded of Jing.

"I will be careful and I will do my best to return alive; getting killed would really suck," Xiao said with a smile on his face. "Elder, you will be taking back your responsibilities as Grandmaster?"

"No. Masters Yi and Zhang have been doing well so far as leaders of Mount Kunlun. I plan on dedicating my time practicing my swordplay and cultivating my internal energy. While I was in isolation, I realized that it is irresponsible for me to descend into depression while the world is in danger. So I have decided that I should prepare myself for the battle against the Dark Lord if the Demonic Cult somehow manages to resurrect him."

Elder Rong paused for a moment. "You should also make sure your disciple is safe. Trust me, losing your disciple can hurt more than being stabbed by a knife..."

Xiao nodded in agreement.

Rong smiled. "Good. You know you two remind me of the disciple I had before Jing. It was twenty thousand years ago, a long time ago even for an immortal like myself. We were exactly like you two."

"What happened?"

"Well... she did not follow the path of righteousness. Largely because of my fault. So heed my advice; never allow feelings to develop between you and her; you will regret it later on..."

Xiao blushed. "I... Elder, you needn't tell me that. Of course I do not have feelings for Nuan." Xiao wasn't sure if he was trying to persuade Elder Rong or himself. When he was training with Nuan, he was feeling a connection to her. He did not understand why he had such feelings. Now, he feared that such feelings could cloud his judgment.

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The wind howled, piling up snow in drifts. Intricate patterns of ice floated downward, each flake swirling and dancing. The landscape was whitened. The entire mansion was covered in snow. A child was playing in the snow when an armored man appeared before him. "Father!" the child excitedly said.

The man smiled. "Haven't seen you in a long time..." he said. That man was Yang Wanli. The boy was Yang Jing.

"Will you take me with you the next time you go to a campaign?" Jing asked. "That way I can beat bad guys!"

Wanli laughed. "When you are older, I will take you to the army to teach you how to lead men and fight with your sword. No need to rush though. Enjoy your time because when you join the army, you will miss these carefree days... You know, even though I love leading my men into combat and defending the Dynasty, it is here where I am truly happy. Here where I can be with your mother, you and your other siblings. There is no calmer and happier place than home."

"Wake up!" a voice said. Suddenly Yuan felt a rush of coldness and wet. He opened his eyes; one of the raiders had thrown on him a bucket of cold water.

'I must have been dreaming,' he thought and sighed. At once he searched for the Flaming Medallion; he let out a sigh, this time of relief, when he realized that it was still on him. The raiders had either not noticed it or did not know about its real value. Yuan then looked around to see where exactly he was. He was inside a yurt, a round tent covered with felt. There was a latticework of pieces of bamboo for walls and a door frame.

"Get up!" the man said. "The Khan is waiting for you!"

Yuan got up and followed behind the man as he led him to the yurt of the Khan. He could see tens of small yurts; this camp was a small 'city' of sorts in the middle of the desert. Yet the conditions were harsh. The heat was unbearable. The scorched sand shimmered in the intense white rays of the sun. The air was like breathing liquid fire. As Yuan was walking, he discreetly looked to see if there was any escape route he could use later on. He could not afford to waste much time in this camp.

A few minutes later, he was inside the Khan's yurt. The yurt was spacious and finely appointed. The Khan, sitting cross-legged upon a fur-draped dais, was dressed simply in a padded cotton coat, unadorned by jewels. Yet he was imposing, of stocky build and with ruggedly handsome features. He had a wide, firm jaw and dark gray eyes. He inspired awe to all. Standing to his right and left were warriors armed with axes or swords. Their black metallic armor covering their entire body was imposing; those were the personal bodyguards of the Khan. Aside from the bodyguards, there were three noblemen dressed in black silk robes and a young woman; she was pretty, light-skinned and slim. She was wearing a silk coat.

"Bow!" the soldier who had brought him there said and kicked him to the ground. "This is Khan Khongkhai."

Yuan had no choice but to bow. "Khan, were are my companions?"

The soldier slapped him. "You are not allowed to ask questions."

The Khan smiled. "The young woman will become a maid in my household. The old one is useless and I have ordered my men to throw her out of my camp; she will surely die in the desert. The two other men will work as slaves here in the camp; so will you."

"Father, you promised me that you would gift me a slave!" the young woman protested.

Khan Khongkhai laughed. "Indeed. You remember everything when it concerns gifts; too bad you are not so good at memorizing your responsibilities. I guess I can grant you this man as a slave."

"Thanks father!"

"What?" Yuan was surprised but at once he recomposed himself. 'It could be worse,' he thought. 'I need to be calm and composed; I need to survive so I can safely deliver the medallion to Elder Rong and seek justice for my clan.'

"She is my daughter, Princess Yesugen", Khan Khongkhai said. "You should be an obedient slave or I shall boil you alive."

"Yes," Yuan said. He knew that for now, he had to bid his time. When the moment was right, he would escape along with his companions. 'Hopefully, it will not be too late,' he thought. 'I must find a way to escape soon or the fate of the entire world might be in danger.'