Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

Desert Iron Mercenary Corps

Qing Lin slumped listlessly at a table, her chin resting on her hands, staring blankly at a teacup. Her Young Master had been gone three days, and she missed him dearly. Raising her hand, she glanced at the black ring on her thumb—Xiao Bai had entrusted it to her before leaving. Every few hours, she checked it for reassurance.

In the ring, Yao Lao watched the girl, who seemed terrified of losing it, with mild exasperation. This lass treats Xiao Bai's words like holy writ. His thoughts turned to Xiao Bai, a faint worry in his eyes. When Xiao Bai asked to leave him with Qing Lin to break through alone, Yao Lao didn't think much of it, and he agreed easily. Xiao Bai had his secrets, and carrying a soul during a breakthrough might be inconvenient. A Da Dou Shi breakthrough shouldn't take long, he'd reasoned. Yet three days had passed with no sign of him.

Don't get yourself into trouble, kid, Yao Lao muttered.

___

Tagore Desert, Midday

Atop a dune, a white-haired youth in a black robe, dusted with sand, sat motionless, eyes closed, his face slightly haggard. Around Xiao Bai, the sand within a five-hundred-meter radius flickered with yellow-gray lightning, the circle steadily shrinking.

In his body, a cyan thunder rooted in his spleen drew the yellow-gray Wu Earth Nether Thunder's essence into his meridians, refining it. This was the solution Xiao Bai devised after a sleepless night of frustration. The five elements interacted—wood and metal countered earth. Lacking metal, he had wood: could Yi Wood True Lightning subdue the new thunder?

Testing his theory, Xiao Bai found Little Yi didn't disappoint. It restrained the Wu Earth Nether Thunder, extracting the essence he couldn't budge. For two days, he'd refined nearly half the thunder's core, the process accelerating as his body absorbed more. He estimated completion by the day after tomorrow, a huge relief. The thunder's mild nature, once countered, was manageable—unlike the ferocious Bing Fire Yang Thunder. Otherwise, he'd be stuck in the desert for months, weathered by wind and sun.

"Faster, Little Wu! We're almost at Stone Desert City!" a woman's voice rang out.

"Xue Lan姐 (sister), go ahead! I'll hold off these Sand Mercenary Corps bastards!" a man replied.

"Danzai, stop spouting nonsense! Run faster, you dawdler—call yourself a man?" the woman snapped.

In the distance, a female mercenary supported a wounded man, trailed by a limping youth, all in mercenary gear, nearing Xiao Bai's position. Xue Lan's eyes lit up, spotting the white-haired figure in a gold-trimmed black robe gleaming under the sun. That's Xiao Bai, the clan kin of our commanders! We're saved!

"Danzai, see that guy? Head there!" she urged, pointing at Xiao Bai, excitement in her voice.

"Xue Lan姐, that's not right! We can't drag him into this!" Danzai hesitated.

"Quit yapping—he can save us!" Supporting Little Wu, she charged toward Xiao Bai. Danzai, shaking his head with a wry smile, followed, praying she was right. Glancing back, he saw the pursuers closing in.

"Another step, and you'll die," a low, hoarse voice warned, freezing their advance mid-stride, leaving them flustered.

"Lord Xiao Bai, it's me, Xue Lan from the Desert Iron Corps! We met before. We're being chased by the Sand Mercenary Corps—please help us!" Xue Lan shouted, anxiety rising as the pursuers neared, addressing the black-robed figure with his back to them.

Danzai, hearing her plea, felt despair. Has Xue Lan姐 lost it? One meeting, and you're begging for help? Is she mad? With no deep bond, why would Xiao Bai risk himself? For her looks? True, Xue Lan was the corps' beauty, but what if he wasn't interested? We're betting our lives!

"Xue Lan, Danzai, look at the ground!" Little Wu, weak, pointed out, drawing their attention. They noticed faint yellow-gray electric arcs flickering in the sand, sending chills down their spines. In the glaring sunlight, they were nearly invisible without close inspection.

"What's this? Never seen it in the desert!" Danzai gasped.

Xue Lan, silent, scanned further. The arcs spanned hundreds of meters around Xiao Bai, and she realized his warning wasn't feigned ignorance but a genuine alert. "Lure them into this range, and even a Da Dou Shi will fall. How you do it is up to you," Xiao Bai said without turning, his tone flat.

The trio, horrified, retreated several meters, sweat beading. One step more, and we'd be dead? A Da Dou Shi—only the Sand Corps' leader, Luo Bu, held that rank in Stone Desert City. This sand could bury every mercenary here. They trusted Xiao Bai's words; the arcs' menace was undeniable.

After a quick discussion, Xue Lan took the lead to draw their three pursuers—a nine-star Dou Zhe and two weaker ones—into the lightning zone. Xiao Bai sat, watching the show, mildly bored. He'd sensed the nine-star Dou Zhe was their main threat; the others were no match for Xue Lan, a seven-star Dou Zhe.

What followed stunned him. Xue Lan, brazenly, taunted the nine-star Dou Zhe: "Chase me, and if you catch me, I'll let you… hehe!" The man, inflamed, charged into the lightning zone. Yellow-gray arcs surged, charring him instantly, his blurred face frozen in a lecherous grin.

Tch, lust is a blade above the head. The ancients weren't wrong, Xiao Bai mused.

"Thanks, Lord!" The trio, having dispatched the remaining two, bowed in unison.

"Pass a message to your commanders," Xiao Bai said. "I'm hiring your corps. Tell them to bring enough men, including veterans who know the desert terrain well. Come here the morning after tomorrow, and bring Qing Lin and Elder Hai."