It was already too late as the bullet had already left the gun. The target was the Li father-son duo. As he had had a feud with the Li family, he had to eliminate them first. He had shot at the son, Li Beng who was at the back.

The bullet pierced through the skull, spraying blood out from the hole, drenching the yellow sand with a scarlet tint.

Xie Ting's eyes grew wide in alarm as if an incredibly terrible thing had happened. It naturally wasn't because of the murder as these bandits had killed several people in the desert.

From her alarmed appearance, it was clear she was full of dismay right now.

"A curse?"

Meng Fei sneered, "You think I'll believe such a simple lie? You just wanted to prevent me from killing them. If you don't reveal the location of the entrance, I'll kill you too."

Xie Ting shook her head in panic, "I didn't lie to you. There's no need for us to wait for you to kill us as we are all going to die now."

"You've not only harmed them but also yourself."

Meng Fei wasn't willing to believe it at first, but after looking at Xie Ting's expression, he was also conflicted. The fear on her face wasn't just an act but true fear from the depths of her heart.

"Don't try to scare me with such words."

"I really didn't lie. You must have heard about what happened here 400 years ago. This place got cursed after that night."

Meng Fei's face turned paler.

He possessed some knowledge about this ancient city. They had finally trapped the Xie family members successfully after conspiring for such a long time. Moreover, he had also heard rumors that this place was very bizarre.

"What now?"

"Those who get cursed will immolate and turn into ashes." Xie Ting replied to him.

The muscles on Meng Fei's face twitched, "Is there no way to break the curse?"

"There is, but I also don't know what it means - Yin-Yang Fire God's fury, crawl towards the Hell on the other shore; at another world, you shall rest forever."

Meng Fei shook his head in disbelief, but in the next second, everyone was left dumbstruck, all their gazed filled with shock. Li Chengzhi shivered in fear as well. Li Beng's body on the ground suddenly flamed up and covered the entire body. The flame was different from the usual flame everyone was used to seeing in ordinary life. In just a few short breaths, the whole body had turned into ash, only leaving behind a human-shaped dark ash layer on the ground.

"Hah?!"

Meng Fei felt as if they were in a freezer, feeling a chill all over.

"H-How is this possible?!"

His eyes turned bloodshot as he glared at Xie Ting, "Tell me how to break the curse, I know you how to do it. If you don't, I'll kill you."

Xie Ting replied dejectedly, "Even if you kill me, it's useless. I also don't know how to break it. Let alone, I too will die now. No one can escape alive from the curse."

"Check your left arm!"

Meng Fei took a look and saw that there was a flame-like pattern had appeared on his arm. It went upwards along it. He felt as if a bucket of cold water had been splashed on him.

Xie Ting's voice tinged at his ears, "When that curse pattern reaches your heart's location, you'll end up the same as the person you killed, turned into ashes through immolation."

The others all checked their arms and found that a flame pattern had appeared on their arms as well.

"How can this be possible?"

"I don't want to die!"

Meng Fei raised his machine gun towards Xie Ting, "You must have some method to deal with it.. tell me.."

"Or else, I'll kill you."

Xie Ting shook her head sadly. She too didn't wish to die. She was just 17 years old and in the prime of her life. Her life had just begun, and there was so much yet to experience.

"I don't believe it! I don't!"

At this time, a voice came through, "It's useless even if you kill her!"

Everyone looked towards the speaker, it was Jiang Xiu. He continued, "Yin-Yang Fire God's fury, crawl towards the Hell on the other shore; at another world, you shall rest forever. It is indicating for you to leave for another world. If you stay in this world, you will be immolated."

"To another world? How will we do that?"

All of this sounded like a fantasy.

"That's quite simple. You can go to another world if you die."

Though it sounded like nonsense, they could comprehend his words.

Meng Fei believed Jiang Xiu was still sneering at him. He felt extremely resentful, "Don't act as if you're someone great. Aren't you the same as us? You will also die the same."

Jiang Xiu looked towards his left hand. There was a similar flame pattern near his wrist as well.

"Are we going to really die?"

Professor Xu, Qiu Yinru and the rest of the students all looked at the curse pattern on their arms with a look of despair.

Suddenly, they heard a voice from behind them. Everyone turned back to look and saw a group of people rush towards where they were. Xie Ting shouted immediately, "DON'T COME OVER!"

Qiu Yinru and the rest of them screamed at them as well.

But that group kept moving with an exceptional momentum which didn't even lose out to the speed of a camel. Perhaps because they had noticed Qiu Yinru's group, they sped up instead of slowing down.

Soon after, they reached in front of the group.

They were none other than the members of the Jin family. The person leading them was Elder Brother Mu Sen from the Jin family, and beside him was the Patriarch as well as that tobacco smoking elder. They didn't seem to have had a hard time traveling in such an environment.

"Don't come over!"

Xie Ting shook her head while shouting but it was too late already. They had already set foot on the blood-soaked land and were already cursed.

The Jin family's Patriarch looked at Professor Xu, Qian Deshen, Qiu Yinru and the rest. They appeared like a professor and a group of students, so he was 70-80% certain these people were the Imperial University's exploration team.

"Excuse me, are you Professor Xu and the students of the Imperial Capital?"

The professor nodded, "We are!"

"We the Jin family of Pinghai, elders of Jin Xu!"

They would have cheered in happiness if they hadn't got cursed, but they now felt even more sorrowful and ironical.

The professor said, "We haven't seen Young Master Jin. We didn't want to enter the desert without him, but we couldn't contact him at all."

"I know. This matter is unrelated to Professor Xu. Jin Xi's legs were broken by someone, so he was sent to the operating table immediately and was thus unable to come. As for the attacker, he is among you."

"You are Mr. Jiang?"

His eyes fell on Jiang Xiu. All the people here were wasted, and only Jiang Xiu stood there with ease. Only a Demigod rank expert could operate with such ease for so long in the desert.

"Yes, I was the one who broke Jin Xi's legs."

All of the students murmured. No wonder Young Master Jin suddenly went missing.

"To think you dared to chase me into the desert even after knowing who I was!"

The Jin Patriarch's face became gloomier, "Humph! All those who offend Pinghai's Jin family have to pay the price. No matter whether how much you, Jiang Luoxia, show off your might in Jiangnan, as you dared to act against a member of my Jin family, you won't leave the desert today."

"Do you have that ability?"

"So, what if you are a Demigod? Do you think my Jin family doesn't have a Demigod?"

"Is it you?"

After arriving here, Mu Sen kept gazing at Jiang Xiu. Demigods could feel each other's existence through a unique response. It was as if they were meeting a similar existence. Mu Sen said, "It's really shocking that you are still so young."

"It's a pity that your cultivation path will come to an end now."

His hair started floating up, and the surrounding air flow changed at the same time.

Xie Ting interjected at this moment, "Does the Jin family still want to fight with Mr. Jing at this moment? I advise you to save your strength. We are all going to die as it is now."

"You all should take a look at your left-hands as you are already cursed."

"Anyone who sets foot on this land will die."

The members of the Jin family checked their hands. Even Mu Sen's expression morphed, "How did this happen?"

"This is the ancient desert city. This place was cursed due to the massacre which happened 400 years ago. If anyone commits murder here, everyone will get cursed."

"What's the effect of the curse?"

"When the flame pattern reaches the heart, you will die by immolation!"historical

The Jin Patriarch retorted, "Nonsense! What if I kill again?"

"Everyone, take a look there!"

A golden radiance soared up in the distant land along with the trembling ground. It was as if an earthquake was occurring. The desert rippled with sea wave-like ripples as if something was coming out from underground. A vague silhouette was visible through the sand.

In the next moment, everyone was stupefied.

A several hundred-meter-tall golden giant rose up there.