The boundless desert, the scorching breath, shimmering.
A massive outdoor sealed tent stood erected.
Outside the tent, a solar panel was propped up.
On the other side, a considerable distance away, an advanced air conditioner outdoor unit whirred.
To the uninformed, one might mistake this for tourists vacationing in the desert on Blue Star.
Inside the tent, Yang Kai, Dian Dian, and her mother.
Astonishingly, they were enjoying the cool air from the air conditioner.
Each of them held a piece of chilled watermelon, eating heartily.
Dian Dian's eyes were crescent moons, as if she was experiencing the most beautiful thing in the world.
The group had even indulged themselves, using fresh water to clean their faces and hair.
At this moment, as everyone ate the chilled watermelon, Chu Tian couldn't help but steal more glances at Dian Dian's mother.
This woman, apart from her slightly darker skin, possessed an extremely dignified facial structure.
"Old Yang, this thing... is yours?"
Chu Tian took out the fragment of the Blood Clan Secret Map from his backpack and placed it on the table.
Upon seeing it, Old Yang's body froze. He reached out as if to touch it.
But halfway through, he retracted his hand.
Slowly, he said, "It used to be..."
"Tell me about it!"
Chu Tian was intrigued.
Old Yang pondered for a moment, then nodded.
The Blood Clan Secret Map was divided into five pieces. The other four pieces were located in four cities within the Sea of Death.
As for the fifth piece, its whereabouts were unknown.
The piece in Chu Tian's hand originally belonged to the City of Oblivion.
He had brought it out from the City of Oblivion and fled all the way.
Finally, he was saved by Tu Gang.
When he woke up, he discovered it was missing.
Old Yang hadn't stopped suspecting Tu Gang, but the latter always claimed he hadn't found anything else when he discovered Old Yang.
At the same time, Tu Gang had taken in Old Yang and treated him with great care.
Over the years, Old Yang had come to terms with it and grown accustomed to this monotonous life.
He had gradually forgotten about the matter.
Every day, he followed the migration of the Tu clan, finding a safe place to set up camp for a period.
Then, they would go out hunting and search for water sources.
Until yesterday, Chu Tian's arrival had shattered his peaceful life.
In Old Yang's account, he did not reveal his identity.
Chu Tian surmised that his background must not be simple, otherwise, how could he possess such an item?
However, since he didn't mention it, Chu Tian found it difficult to press further.
Just as Old Yang finished speaking, a long-lost voice echoed in Chu Tian's mind.
[Ding... System Prompt: Main Quest Triggered [Trial of the Blood King - Collect the Secret Map], Blood Clan Secret Map 1/5, Reward: Blood Clan Mystery Clue x1.]
Chu Tian thought: A clue as a reward? What kind of lousy reward is this?
When will this trial end?
Collecting the secret map, isn't that a joke?
Let alone the fifth map whose whereabouts are unknown.
The other three were still in the hands of the greatest power in this Sea of Death.
How could he obtain them?
Even if he got the other three, that would only be four.
There was still one piece with no clue whatsoever.
"Old Yang, where are we in the Sea of Death now?" Chu Tian asked after some thought.
Old Yang frowned and shook his head, indicating he could no longer determine their location.
He said, "Maps are extremely precious in the Sea of Death. Generally, only clan leaders possess simplified regional maps."
"The Tu clan's... last night's heavenly fire probably burned it all."
Chu Tian felt quite frustrated upon hearing this.
Without a map or any positioning tools in the desert, travel was very difficult.
Fortunately, he lacked nothing in terms of supplies, otherwise, he might truly have died in this desert.
"If we... keep going west for about seven days, we'll reach Myriad Beast City."
Dian Dian's mother, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
Her words caused both Chu Tian and Old Yang to look up at her.
"Are you sure?" Old Yang's eyes lit up.
She slowly nodded, "Yes!"
As she spoke, she leaned forward from her chair and slid down, kneeling before Chu Tian.
Startled by her action, Chu Tian quickly stood up.
"Qingshui City, Nie Yun, thank you, benefactor, for killing that beast Tu Gang for me."
After speaking, she suddenly kowtowed to Chu Tian.
Chu Tian hurried forward to help her up.
"That... Miss Nie... Nie..."
Chu Tian was momentarily unsure how to address her.
Calling her Miss Nie felt strange, given that her child was already this old.
"You are from the Nie family of Qingshui City?"
Old Yang interrupted Chu Tian's words, also standing up, awaiting Nie Yun's response.
She nodded and said, "Yes!"
"Then why were you in the Tu clan, and married to that fellow Tu Zhixing?"
From Old Yang's tone, Chu Tian gathered that this Nie family from Qingshui City might be a considerable existence.
Nie Yun pursed her lips, a wry smile appearing, and she said self-deprecatingly, "Fate... plays tricks on people..."
Eight years ago, she had argued with her father.
Secretly, she had sneaked into the caravan from Qingshui City heading to Myriad Beast City to trade for resources.
Who knew that on the ninth day of their journey, they suddenly encountered a band of bandits.
The entire caravan was robbed, and all their fresh water was plundered.
Although the escort personnel were skilled fighters,
they had fallen into a trap first, and after a brief resistance, were all killed.
It could be said that they deserved it.
They had thought that by flying the banner of the Nie family of Qingshui City, no one would dare to touch them.
While traveling, they hadn't dispatched a single scout ahead of the convoy.
In this manner, Nie Yun, hidden inside a water barrel, was also brought back.
And these bandits were led by Tu Gang. The water brought back naturally belonged to the Tu clan's settlement.
Coincidentally, it was Tu Zhixing who opened the wooden barrel where Nie Yun was hiding.
Tu Zhixing did not expose her; instead, he helped her hide.
He also took great care of her.
He even created a false appearance of picking her up during a hunt.
Of course, these were all done with Nie Yun's consent.
She knew that even if she escaped,
her chances of survival as a lone individual in the desert were almost nil.
Seeing someone who was relatively kind and willing to care for her, she decided to stay with the Tu clan for the time being.
Although she harbored immense hatred for Tu Gang, she could only suppress it.
This went on for six years.
And after knowing Tu Zhixing for over a year, she finally accepted him.
She even gave birth to Dian Dian.
"So... the Tu clan used to be bandits..."
Yang Kai shook his head and said with a bitter smile!
"Yes, but for some reason, after you arrived, Tu Gang never led the team out again!"
Nie Yun also found it strange and said to Yang Kai.
"Heh heh... putting on a good show, I presume the Tu clan's migration this time is heading to Myriad Beast City!"
"He hid my secret map and brought me along, likely having already found a buyer and intending to sell me for a good price!"
Old Yang shook his head, as if mocking himself.
"What makes you say that?" Chu Tian was surprised, feeling that Old Yang still had something left unsaid.
"Those who know the rumors of the secret map know that when all five pieces are gathered, one can obtain the greatest treasure in the Sea of Death."
"Of course, there is another condition: to open the treasure site, the bloodline power of the five families that guard the secret map is required."
"When Tu Gang discovered me, he must have known about this."
"After all, the Tu clan was once a large tribe, and knowing this secret should not be difficult."
[Ding... System Prompt: Side Quest Triggered [Open the Gate to the Blood Clan's Treasure Land].]
[Ding... System Prompt: Main Quest [Trial of the Blood King - Collect the Secret Map], Reward has changed, Reward changed to: Blood Clan Treasure.]
As Old Yang spoke, Chu Tian received two more notifications.
Upon seeing the second one, Chu Tian almost swore.
This system, what kind of game is it playing?
Old Yang mentioned that opening the treasure required the bloodline power of the five families guarding the treasure map.
And then it just changed the reward?
If Old Yang hadn't said anything, this clue would have been what you gave me?
When did the Heavenly Dao System become so tricky?
By the time I collect them all and am about to open the treasure gate,
you're only going to tell me that opening that gate requires the bloodline power of the guardians.
What if, I t
"Are you sure that going straight west leads to Myriad Beast City?"
Wandering aimlessly in this vast desert is very dangerous.