"What? How can that be?" Tang Longfei exclaimed in alarm. Without any hesitation, Lady Shura stepped in the direction they had come from.

Ouyang Chuanqi stopped her. "Don't go. With the speed of the super sandstorm, we won't be able to find it anyway. We need to return to the academy immediately. I believe the overlord will stay safe."

"How can we do that? What if he needs our help?" Tang Longfei disagreed.

"With the strength of the super sandstorm, we won't be of any help even if we go. Heed my command, return to the academy immediately!" Ouyang Chuanqi commanded with his identity as the deputy commander.

It was not that Ouyang Chuanqi did not want to save Xiang Shaoyun, but he really had no idea where the super sandstorm was. Even if they backtracked, they might not find it. They also had a number of injured members, so it would be unwise to stay any longer. They should prioritize returning to the academy.

He was also quite confident that Xiang Shaoyun would be able to survive the sandstorm. And if Xiang Shaoyun really failed to even survive, he could only say that he had overestimated this overlord.

When Tang Longfei saw that Ouyang Chuanqi was getting somewhat angry, he stopped arguing and worked with the others to leave. Although Tang Longfei was also a deputy commander and had a fifth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivation level, he was still somewhat lacking compared to Ouyang Chuanqi.

...

In the Desert of Despair, wherever one looked was a boundless expanse of gold. The view was amazing, yet behind the beauty was despair. In this sparsely inhabited desert, a donkey carriage was slowly traveling.

The old donkey was thin and weak, dragging a crude carriage. Each step the old donkey took seemed extremely weak, as if the donkey was going to collapse on the ground at any time.

And yet, the old donkey did not collapse. Rather, it advanced steadily, dragging the carriage behind it. Seated on the carriage was an old man. He was leisurely humming a song, presenting quite a unique scene.

One who was actually in the mood to hum a song in this kind of place was most definitely no regular person. The old man was short and thin, his hair was sparse, and his expression was leisurely. He waved around the thin bamboo pole in his hand, looking like a mischievous old man. The donkey carriage moved and moved, and suddenly, it stopped.

The old donkey said, "Old Urchin, there seems to be someone ahead, buried in the sand."

"Old donkey, since when were you such a busybody? Continue traveling," answered Old Urchin.

Just as the old donkey was about to continue ahead, a melodic voice rang out from inside the cart. "Grandpa Urchin, let's go take a look. Perhaps that person is still alive?"

Just from the voice, it was obvious the owner was a kindhearted, graceful, and amicable woman.

"Young lady, a kind person would not appear in this desert. You don't have to show kindness here," replied Old Urchin.

"It's better to save one life than to build a seven-storied pagoda. Let's take a look," insisted the woman.

"Sigh, the young lady is too softhearted. Otherwise, who would dare to bully you?" said Old Urchin with a sigh. He stopped the donkey and made a grabbing motion with his hand.

Whoosh!

A figure flew out from the sand. It was none other than Xiang Shaoyun, whom the sandstorm had swallowed. He was still unconscious, and his body was covered in wounds. He looked incomparably sorry, and his aura was extremely weak, proving that he was in a critical state.

Old Urchin dragged Xiang Shaoyun over, scanned him, and mumbled, "Huh? Such serious injuries yet still alive? He is quite a tenacious one."

"Grandpa Urchin, since he is still alive, help him out," the woman's voice rang out again.

Old Urchin replied, "How good must this kid's luck be to earn your kindness, young lady?"

He then stuffed a pill into Xiang Shaoyun's mouth. After swallowing the pill, a powerful medicinal power started nourishing his body.

"Young lady, I already fed him a healing pill. I believe he will be fine soon. So, shall I leave him here?" asked Old Urchin.

The woman replied, "It won't do to just abandon him here. Bring him inside the carriage."

"That won't do! How noble are you, young lady? This kid is filled with filth," Old Urchin quickly objected. "But since you wish to help him, we'll just let the old donkey carry him around."

The woman hesitated for a bit before agreeing, "Fine."

Old Urchin then placed Xiang Shaoyun on the old donkey before continuing on with their journey. Inwardly, he thought, This kid has decent looks. If he is a smart kid, it won't be a bad idea to take him as my attendant.

Xiang Shaoyun was naturally unaware that he had been appointed the position of an attendant. His body was still busy digesting the medicinal power of the pill. With the medicinal power spreading throughout his body, his wounds started healing rapidly. It was obvious he had been fed a rather valuable pill.

Gradually, Xiang Shaoyun regained consciousness. When he sensed the majestic medicinal power within his body, he quickly circulated his cultivation method, further refining the medicinal power within him.

As his body absorbed the medicinal power, his condition improved, and his clarity of mind returned. He slowly opened his eyes and found that he was currently being carried by something. He quickly struggled back up. But before he could get up, a certain force pressed down on him, suppressing all movement.

"You're not well yet. Just lie there obediently," said Old Urchin.

Xiang Shaoyun lifted his head and saw a white-haired old man lazily waving around a bamboo pole. A smile formed on Xiang Shaoyun's face as he said, "Th-Thank you for saving me, senior."

He had recalled how he had fainted after the super sandstorm had swallowed him. Since he was able to regain consciousness, and there was even medicinal power spreading throughout his body, he could guess that he had been saved.

"You don't need to thank me. If you really want to thank someone, thank my young lady. If it wasn't for her kindness, I would have ignored you completely," answered Old Urchin.

Only then did Xiang Shaoyun notice that there was someone seated within the carriage. He did not put much thought into it and focused on recovery.

After a while, the woman inside the carriage spoke using voice transmission, "Grandpa Urchin, let's take a break here."

"Young lady, we are going to reach our destination soon," said Old Urchin.

"Just stop when I tell you to!" grumbled the woman grumpily.