Ahead lay the Beast Clan's lair, the Jueji Forest, yet the sands before them seemed strangely unsettling. Xuan Hu inquired of Zuo Wencheng beside him, dismounting to take a closer look.

Zuo Wencheng, though ignorant of martial arts, possessed keen insight. After a moment's thought, he observed, "The Jueji Desert is no ordinary stretch of sand. These grains flow; anyone stepping on them will sink. And the Beast Clan has many masters of desert warfare. There must be an ambush below."

Xuan Hu nodded in affirmation. Although the Human Clan army was filled with powerful martial artists, some still lacked Qinggong (lightness skill). Even those with decent Qinggong could not traverse such a vast desert, especially with hidden enemies. Acting rashly now would surely lead to a heavy loss. He pondered, "Since that is the case, I shall test just how formidable this Gobi is."

"My Lord, absolutely not! If anything should befall the Lord, who could bear the responsibility?" Zuo Wencheng bowed low. "Perhaps we should send the Black Sword Guards with higher martial cultivation instead."

"What thing could possibly stop me!" Xuan Hu, brimming with confidence, drew his sword and soared into the Gobi. As soon as he charged into the desert, a flurry of sand erupted, startling him. The previously calm sands suddenly began to emit a rustling sound. Xuan Hu stabilized his footing, remaining composed, yet he already felt the ground beneath his feet beginning to collapse.

"Hmph! So that's how it is." Xuan Hu held no one in contempt, let alone mere sand. He raised his Luolei Jinghong (Fallen Thunder Startling Swan) and swept up all the sand beneath his feet. He leaped skyward, unleashing Wanjian Qingcheng (Ten Thousand Swords Overturning the City) which immediately carved a deep pit where he had been standing. The sand, however, was not inanimate; though scattered, as it fell back onto the Gobi, it swiftly refilled the deep crater—truly marvelous.

"Ah!" Seeing this, Xuan Hu also felt a sense of the bizarre. When one of his feet landed again on the sand surface, another collapse ensued, as if a giant beast had opened its maw, making escape impossible. "Hah!" In his desperation, he resolutely channeled his Kuang Jingmai (Frenzied Meridians) and shot upwards into the air, attempting to break free from the quicksand's embrace.

"Kill!" Unexpectedly, the individuals from the Beast Clan hidden beneath the quicksand surged forth, attempting to intercept and slay Xuan Hu in mid-air. Dozens of figures charged upward like tigers pouncing on their prey.

"Wan Jian Bafang!" Xuan Hu declared coldly. While suspended in the air, he unleashed the essence of the Myriad Sword Art, instantly shredding that group of Beast Clan members into fragments. For a short time, the sky rained specks of blood mixed into the flowing sand. "A bunch of presumptuous fools! Surrender immediately!"

It turned out there were numerous ambushes beneath the quicksand. Knowing the formidable power of Wan Jian Xuan Hu, they dared not emerge again. The flowing sand posed no threat to them; their only objective was the ambush.

"Whoosh..." Xuan Hu had no choice but to randomly lash out with sword light into the sand pit. With his power, he could easily slay those brutes, but the entire Wan Jian City army faced a dilemma crossing this Gobi.

"What can be done!" Xuan Hu returned to the front lines, his mood extremely anxious. The weather was at its peak midday intensity, and all the soldiers, including himself, were drenched in sweat.

"My Lord, there is no need to panic." Zuo Wencheng, serving as the strategist, remained unperturbed. He checked the time and smiled. "Why not let the soldiers rest for a few hours before proceeding?"

"Rest!" Seeing the look in Zuo Wencheng's eyes, Xuan Hu knew he had conceived some clever plan. "Zuo Wencheng, tell me your strategy directly. I am impatient; don't play games with me."

Zuo Wencheng was well aware of this. He smiled, fanning himself. "If rumor speaks true, the peculiarity of the Jueji Gobi lies in its climate. Here, the midday sun is scorching, but the nights are unbearably cold. These sands only exhibit fluidity when the temperature is high. Once night falls, they become almost as cold as ice. If we march after dark, never mind walking as if on level ground—even the Beast Clan members hiding beneath the dunes will be forced out to face us head-on."

"Heh heh, Zuo Wencheng is indeed learned, knowing even the traits of the Beast Clan's domain." Xuan Hu was naturally pleased, but he still harbored concerns. "The cold at night is unbearable, and our Human Clan soldiers are not accustomed to life in frigid regions. Can they endure it?"

"My Lord is a martial artist. Martial artists possess inner energy for protection. While their skills vary in depth, those selected as Black Sword Guards should possess the ability to withstand the cold," Zuo Wencheng had thought everything through. "I will select those with profound internal energy foundations to accompany you across the Gobi. I trust the majority of our army will manage without issue."

"En!" Xuan Hu nodded in agreement. "As long as we can directly assault the Jueji Forest, even if it's just me, I can eradicate the Beast Clan."

"The entire army, rest and reorganize!" Zuo Wencheng knew Xuan Hu’s arrogance wasn't baseless. In just a few days, he had witnessed the Second Lord's martial skill surpass that of the former Great Lord, a fact that made him suspicious. However, as the Human Clan's Administrator, if Wan Jian Xuan Hu could truly annihilate the members of the other three clans through his own might, it might yet prove a blessing for the Human Clan. Thus, he directed the officers, both high and low, to screen everyone's capabilities, selecting elite troops ready to advance once night fell.

Far away in the Hantian Valley, Yi Jian Jun (One-Stroke Sword Lord) and Yefeng Beiming (Night Wind's Lament) marched, one open and one hidden, leading elite archers. Due to the high altitude of the Hantian Valley, many Human Clan soldiers, lacking sufficient strength, felt a distressing lack of breath—a factor their commanders had not anticipated.

"If this continues, we will be completely exhausted before we even reach the Wing Clan's outpost in Hantian Valley," Jian Jun was merely a swordsman and not versed in military campaigns.

Yefeng Beiming was equally helpless, only able to grumble, "If you and I had gone alone to strike directly at the head of the Abyss Heavenly Ruler, it wouldn't have been difficult. But leading these useless followers behind us, I have no solution."

"Why don't we order the soldiers to wait here while the two of us proceed?" Jian Jun shared this thought. He believed that his swift One-Stroke Sword Technique, combined with Yefeng Beiming's illusions, would be more than sufficient for one Abyss Heavenly Ruler.

"Xuantian Yifeng!" At that moment, a voice echoed from the deep valley, followed by the fierce, scraping sound of a hurricane. The Wing Clan members appeared, spreading their wings across the sky like an overwhelming tide.

"Ambush! Form ranks quickly!" Yi Jian Jun merely roared and flew his sword upward, intending to slay the Wing Clan masses. He unleashed his One-Stroke Sword Technique, piercing through several walls of feather-swords and landing above the Wing Clan members in the gorge. In the sky above, several straight, repeated lines appeared, followed immediately by a shower of blood raining down.

"Ah! Ya." Though the Human Clan archers had some skill, it was far inferior to Jian Jun's. The Wing Clan's feather arrows descended rapidly, instantly shattering their formation. Most of the soldiers hadn't even found a moment to raise their bows before being pierced through the heart by slender feathers.

"Whoosh..." Lethal intent surged. Yefeng Beiming, while lacking Yi Jian Jun's overbearing swordplay, also vanished into the gorge. When he reappeared, he was already launching star-shaped throwing darts toward the massed Wing Clan, resulting in another wave of tragic falls and cries.

"Hahahaha! For Wan Jian Xuan Hu to wish to destroy my Wing Clan is not so easy! Today, I will bury the Human Clan army in Hantian Valley." The Abyss Heavenly Ruler, naturally triumphant, soared high above the Xuan Tian, looking down upon the valley floor. "The siege of Wan Jian City heavily wounded my Wing Clan, but our inherent advantage here means no matter how high the martial skills of the Human Clan members, they cannot reach the sky! Kill them mercilessly!"

The Wing Clan warriors always possessed an air of superiority. Facing the mournful cries in the valley, they showed not a trace of sympathy. They suddenly spread their wings and flapped them rapidly, accompanied by a "swoosh-swoosh" sound, and then a dense volley of feathers toward the ground, embedding themselves in everyone's bodies.

"Heh heh, all you have is the ability to amuse yourself with those riff-raff." A cold voice echoed across the heavens. Yi Jian Jun's body and sword flickered, appearing in the highest reaches of the nine heavens. Before his sentence was finished, a path of misery followed his trajectory; all the Wing Clan members fell with blood spurting from their necks.

"How is this possible? How can a human reach such heights?" The Abyss Heavenly Ruler flapped his wings, ascending higher still, astonished by Yi Jian Jun's capability.

At this moment, Yi Jian Jun remained suspended in the air. He raised a single hand, forming a palm strike, then withdrew his treasured sword, his form merging with the shadow of the blade as he sliced diagonally into the Wing Clan crowd. En route, he cut down no small number of casualties while simultaneously catching up to the speed of the ascending Abyss Heavenly Ruler.

"What is going on!" The Heavenly Ruler was greatly alarmed. He vigorously shook his wings, launching several long, straight feathers toward Jian Jun. Jian Jun coldly sneered, showing no intention of dodging. He raised his sword in Piaoxue (Floating Snow)—soft and yielding—and parried the descending feathers, sparking bursts of fire. Upon closer inspection, the Ruler's strange feathers did not fall like arrows as those of other Wing Clan members did; his feathers could extend very far, resembling blades that could be manipulated freely in force and direction.

"No matter what, how can an ordinary human remain in the sky for so long!" The Ruler was growing furious. His inherent Wing Clan superiority could not tolerate a wingless fellow moving about freely before him without any visible means of support. He spread his Xuantian Zhiyi (Profound Heaven Wings) wider, extending more feathers to stab toward Yi Jian Jun.

"Stop playing, now is the time." Jian Jun glanced behind him as if speaking to someone. His treasured sword rested proudly before his chest; with that single Yizi Jian Ji (One-Stroke Sword Strike), he could take the Ruler's head.

"Huanyi Tianxiang (Illusory Wing Soaring)." It turned out Yefeng Beiming had been lurking right behind Jian Jun. The reason Jian Jun could hover in the air was entirely due to Beiming's strange technique. At that moment, he suddenly leaped out from behind Jian Jun and charged straight at the Abyss Heavenly Ruler.

"All of you, die!" The Abyss Heavenly Ruler raged in humiliation, extending every feather on his wings in an attack of ten thousand needles aimed at the two of them.