111 The Answer to Their Questions? (1/2)

The group first finished the map as far as they could remember. Then, Mei Chao Bing had everybody draw a copy of their own.

”Keep this copy with you at all times. If we get separated, the map might provide you with hints as to where to go to avoid the demonic practitioners or at least where to find a safe hiding spot if you're unable to return. Now, if you're ready, let's go.” He motioned in the direction they were supposed to investigate from now on.

The others exchanged some glances but finally followed. The only ones who didn't hesitate at all were Yun Bei Fen, Yuan Lei, and a bit surprisingly Yi Ju. Mei Chao Bing didn't seem to notice but Yuan Lei's expression lit up slightly. It seemed that even by now, they had already made some slight progress. It wasn't much but with time, it might not be impossible to have these people put their trust in Mei Chao Bing.

The group went past the stone desert in the western direction. According to the map, there shouldn't be anything notable for the next few miles but then, a few stone slabs could be seen peeking out from the ground every here and there.

Mei Chao Bing turned to look at Liu Bao Ru. ”Was this the place you mentioned?”

She nodded. ”Yes. There isn't much to see but it's bigger than the area we were investigating before. It looks a little like the ruins of some kind of town but we weren't sure either.”

Mei Chao Bing looked around. Liu Bao Ru was indeed right. This did indeed resemble an old town or maybe even a city. There seemed to be a flight of stairs leading down with long and flat steps. Further away, there were some knee-high walls.

Yuan Lei looked at Mei Chao Bing. ”Could it be a dwelling of the demonic practitioners?”

”Well, it's not impossible but … considering that almost everything is buried by sand, it would have needed to be abandoned long ago. But on the other hand …” He crouched down and brushed away some of the sand that was covering the stone slabs below their feet. ”The stone is completely intact. None of the walls caved either. So it shouldn't actually have been a long time ago.”

”Could it be that it was covered by sand not because of the time that passed but because of something different?”

Mei Chao Bing straightened up and turned to Yuan Lei. ”You mean like the array?” He pondered. ”That could be. A spirit gathering array that is left unsupervised or deliberately left running for a long time will drain a place of all its spiritual energy until even the land itself changes. The sand here is extremely dry. It might not have been like this originally. So maybe it was drained of its energy and because of that, it was swept here by the breeze?”

Yuan Lei nodded. ”That would make sense.”