Chapter 444 — The Sea of Blazing Sand

"Cross this sea of blazing sand, and we are in the Western Land. " "The Western Land is just beyond the desert," Xiong Qi'er said in her clear little voice. Shen Mu wondered, "How is it that between the Western Land and the Desolate Ruins there lies such a desert of fire? Where does the fire in this desert come from?

" "Mother says a god lit this fire to block the forsaken of the Desolate Ruins and keep them from going out.

" Xiong Qi'er suddenly leapt into the flames of the desert; Shen Mu was startled, but the girl went running about on her short legs, laughing: "The fire here does not harm us; it only burns the forsaken of the Desolate Ruins to death. To us this fire is not hot at all, but to the forsaken of the Desolate Ruins it is dreadful indeed!

I heard Mother say that when the forsaken enter the desert, a flame marking grows at their brow to mark them for what they are. And the higher a forsaken one's station, the more flames he bears.

" Shen Mu reached out and touched the flames; of a sudden he felt a sharp pain and snatched his hand back—his fingertips had begun to burn.

He hurriedly beat out the fire and frowned.

This sea of blazing sand was indeed a place of deadly peril to the people of the Desolate Ruins; whoever entered it would surely be burned to death.

"Qi'er, come up! " Shen Mu's vital essence flew out and swept up the little girl who was running about everywhere, and tossed her onto the Long Qilin's back.

"The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping and the Palace Master set out some days before us; we should linger no longer.

Fat Dragon—" Xiong Qi'er said suddenly, "Big brother, what is the matter with your face? " "What is wrong with my face? " Shen Mu asked, uneasy. "There are many markings on your face! " Xiong Qi'er cried out. "The markings are writhing, and there are more and more of them!

Are you sick?

Ah, of course—big brother, you are one of the forsaken of the Desolate Ruins.

But the flame markings on your face are far too many! " Shen Mu's heart lurched; he quickly dug out the mirror the Pill Master had given him and looked into it.

Many blue and red markings had indeed grown across his face, twisting and turning, spread over every feature!

He tore open his collar: his chest, too, bore many markings of mingled blue and red! He held out his palm: the markings were growing out from his wrist, spreading across the back of his hand and into his palm. With a rip Shen Mu tore off his clothes; several more mirrors flew from the Taotie Pouch, and he looked into them: front and back, markings kept growing unceasingly along his body, until he seemed covered in blue and red flames!

Xiong Qi'er stared at him, dumbstruck: the bare-chested youth standing on the Long Qilin's back, flame markings all but covering his whole body!

"Mother says the higher a forsaken one's station, the more flame markings he bears.

An ordinary forsaken grows only one flame marking at his brow, but big brother is covered in flame markings everywhere.

" The little girl was stunned. "What station is he.

. . ?

" "Could it be the doing of the great fire here?

" Shen Mu mused.

"I touched the flames just now, and the fire crept into my body and made these strange markings. . .

Fat Dragon, back to the snow mountains!

" The Long Qilin did not understand, but cautiously withdrew from the sea of blazing sand to the foot of the snow mountains, and Shen Mu looked into the mirror: the markings were slowly dimming, and by the time they reached the foot of the mountains they had vanished entirely. He put away the bright mirror and dressed, and said lightly, "Fat Dragon, on we go; it is nothing.

These markings must be no more than the sign of the forsaken.

" The Long Qilin hurried back into the sea of blazing sand; the markings on Shen Mu began to surface once more, growing wildly, and the youth paid them no mind.

The scenery within the sea of blazing sand was unlike any other: fire tornadoes everywhere, howling as they swept along and devoured all in their path. The Long Qilin was by nature of the fire kind and loved nothing better than to master great fires, so he charged gleefully into a whirlwind, and Shen Mu came near to being burned alive; he shouted the beast to a halt in alarm.

Seeing Shen Mu's face scorched black, the Long Qilin took fright, and thereafter traveled obediently. The fire had no effect on him, but to Shen Mu it was a deadly threat. "Big brother, there is an oasis ahead!

" "There is water there! " Xiong Qi'er said excitedly.

Shen Mu was taken aback. "Water, in a place like this? " he blurted. And then he saw the oasis in the sea of blazing sand: many olive trees growing beside a beautiful lake, and several snow-white sheepskin tents pitched at the water's edge. The Long Qilin rushed over; when they reached the lakeside Shen Mu jumped down and said, "A traveler from far away—forgive the intrusion.

" The flap of a sheepskin tent was thrown back and a youth stepped out, smiling. "No intrusion at all.

I am cultivating a strange art here, and was in want of a man to sacrifice.

.

.

It is you, brat! " The youth's face changed drastically; Shen Mu, without a word, drew his sword, and eight thousand blades flew up at once and swallowed the youth whole!