Chapter 1202: Counterattack

While Wang Tie was treating everyone's wounds, Han Wuxian seemingly casually took out the black fragment, sensed its direction, which was still northwest, roughly matching the "Infinity Abyss" direction the elder mentioned.

He put the fragment away, looked at the elder, and asked: "You should be familiar with the area around the Liu Yun Alliance; do you know what lies to the northwest, beyond this Gobi, that is special? Or… is there any region perpetually shrouded in gray mist, rarely trodden by people?"

The elder thought carefully and said: "Senior, after crossing this 'Crimson Blood Gobi', to the northwest lies the notorious perilous 'Black Wind Desert', where a malignant black wind that can cut flesh and erode bone blows year‑round, making the environment extreme. As for the gray mist… I recall a place!"

His expression turned somewhat startled: "Deeper within the Black Wind Desert lies an ancient mountain ruin, said to have been the site of an ancient sect, but now completely abandoned. In the past few hundred years, for unknown reasons, it has been perpetually shrouded in a strange gray mist; spiritual perception cannot penetrate it, and any cultivator who mistakenly enters rarely emerges alive! Locals call it the 'Mist‑hidden Ghost Ruins'! Could it be… that you suspect it is connected to the Ghost Shadow Pavilion?"

Mist‑hidden Ghost Ruins! Perpetually shrouded in gray mist!

Han Wuxian, Xiao Ran, and Wang Tie all felt a sudden stir in their hearts!

This is very likely the place they have been seeking!

"Thank you for the information," Han Wuxian nodded, already formulating a plan in his mind.

Soon, Wang Tie had tended to everyone's injuries. The Liu Yun Alliance cultivators expressed their gratitude profusely once more.

Han Wuxian said: "This place is not suitable for lingering; reinforcements from the Ghost Shadow Pavilion may arrive soon. You should depart quickly, whether returning to the Liu Yun Alliance or seeking another safe haven, and be extra cautious."

The elder gratefully said: "Thank you for the warning, senior! Are you planning to go to the Mist‑hidden Ghost Ruins? Be extremely careful! That place is far from benevolent!"

After bidding farewell to the Liu Yun Alliance cultivators, the four, led by Han Wuxian, set out again.

Crossing the Crimson Blood Gobi, the atmosphere between heaven and earth suddenly grew more frantic and oppressive. Ahead, an endless black desert stretched into view; the gale hurled sand and gravel, and the wind was not ordinary air but a portentous ink‑black gust, its howling interlaced with a corrosive sound that made one's teeth ache—this is the dreaded Black Wind Desert.

Even before truly stepping in, the bone‑piercing chill and the stagnating spiritual energy brought by the malignant black wind already assaulted them. An ordinary Hua Shen cultivator here would likely have their protective aura shattered within moments, with both body and nascent soul being eroded.

"What a ferocious malignant black wind!" Wang Tie's face grew solemn; he swiftly drew out several jade pendants emitting gentle white light and handed them to the group, "These are 'Warm Sun Heart‑protecting Pendants', they can offer some resistance."

Han Wuxian, however, waved his hand; an invisible Return‑to‑Origin field naturally expanded around him, enveloping the four. The unsettling malignant black wind that approached this field seemed to meet its nemesis, silently vanishing without a trace, unable to penetrate even a fraction.

"Stay close to me," he said lightly, then stepped forward into the Black Wind Desert.

The four moved like a mobile shelter, steadily advancing amid the swirling black sand gale. Han Wuxian's chaotic Return‑to‑Origin qi seemed to be the terminus for all negative energy; though the black wind was fierce, it could not get even a hair's breadth close.

The deeper they went, the harsher the environment became. Within the black wind, various phantasms and demonic sounds arose, attempting to disturb their minds, and the ground occasionally birthed sand‑devouring quicksand traps. Yet these posed little threat to the four, whose Dao Heart was steadfast and who were protected by Han Wuxian.

After traveling for about a day, guided by the Liu Yun Alliance elder's words and the black fragment's direction, they had gradually approached the depths of the Black Wind Desert.

At that moment, Han Wuxian suddenly halted, his gaze sharply fixed to the left‑front.

"Ahead there are intense energy fluctuations, and also… a scent of blood."

The group instantly became alert, suppressed their aura, and silently slipped forward.

They crossed a massive black sand dune, and the scene before them made the four's eyes lock.

Below, on a relatively flat stretch of sand, a far more brutal battle was raging!

One side comprised over twenty Ghost Shadow Pavilion assassins, led by an elder in the late stage of Refinement of Void, clad in a gray robe with dark‑gold trim, whose strength surpassed that of the interceptors previously encountered in the spatial corridor! They formed a bizarre battle formation, gray mist swirling, frantically besieging a small group in the center.

The besieged side fared terribly. Only five or six remained, struggling to hold on, each wounded and blood‑stained. Leading them were two early‑stage Refinement of Void cultivators, a man and a woman; the man wielded a broad sword, the woman a pair of short blades. Their coordination was harmonious, yet they were clearly at the end of their strength, with numerous wounds enshrouded by gray Silence Extinction death aura, continuously eroding their vitality. Another three or four Hua Shen cultivators were severely injured, relying entirely on an elder at the center, pale‑faced yet desperately maintaining a dim light shield.

On the ground lay over ten corpses, some from the Ghost Shadow Pavilion, but the majority belonged to the besieged side.

"They're from Xun Wind Valley!" Wang Tie suddenly shouted low, recognizing the besieged cultivators' attire markings. "Xun Wind Valley is a neutral sect within Zhong Tian Zhi Yu, famed for wind‑evading techniques, historically non‑confrontational; how could they also fall victim to the Ghost Shadow Pavilion's treachery?!"

The Refinement of Void man wielding the broad sword suddenly parried an attack, letting out a snarling roar: "Scum of the Ghost Shadow Pavilion! You slaughter my sect, capture my disciples; the valley master will not let you go unpunished!"

The elder in the dark‑gold‑trimmed gray robe let out a hoarse, eerie laugh: "Ha ha ha… Xun Wind Valley? It will soon become history! Submit obediently and suffer less; otherwise, we will refine your souls and extract your essences, condemning you to eternal unrest!"

The attacks grew fiercer; the elder maintaining the light shield suddenly spat a mouthful of fresh blood, the shield flickering violently, on the verge of shattering!

"Save them!"

Han Wuxian did not hesitate; before his words finished, his form already transformed into a fleeting shadow and shot out!

Rather than charging straight into the formation, he appeared at its flank, hands forming seals, and forcefully pressed forward!

"Return‑to‑Origin Ban!"

Buzz!

An invisible, massive Silence Extinction law force descended instantly! Like an unseen cage, it suddenly enveloped the battle formation of the over twenty Ghost Shadow Pavilion assassins!

The formation, which had been raging and supplying power, suddenly stalled! All Ghost Shadow Pavilion assassins, including the late‑stage Refinement of Void elder, felt their surrounding spiritual energy become instantly muddled and sluggish, as if trapped in quicksand; the once seamless gray‑mist formation showed a momentary chaos and breach!

This sudden change startled both sides of the battle!

The surviving members of Xun Wind Valley were both shocked and elated, unsure where the powerful reinforcement originated.

The Ghost Shadow Pavilion elder was both shocked and angry: "Who are they?! How dare they meddle in the affairs of the Ghost Shadow Pavilion?!"

At the very moment the formation faltered

"Comrade Xun Wind! Counterattack!" Han Wuxian's shout rang like a thunderclap in the ears of the Xun Wind Valley cultivators!