The group, led by Master Yichuan, continued their journey along the mountain path. They finally stopped when they came upon a stretch of sand.
Fan Li frowned. Sand? How could there be sand in the middle of a dense mountain forest?
"Everyone, this formation is called the Flaming Mountain," Yichuan announced, gesturing towards the sandy expanse before them.
"The Flaming Mountain is a vast desert stretching six hundred miles in all directions. During the day, the heat is unbearable, and at night, the cold chills you to the bone.
To break through the formation, you must simply head north and cross the Flaming Mountain within ten days."
After his explanation, the group remained unimpressed.
Sage Ruler Jin De scoffed. "A mere six hundred miles? I could fly across it in an hour. Why would I need ten days?"
Yichuan shook his head. "Everyone, the Flaming Mountain has a special restriction set by my teacher. Once you enter the formation, regardless of your cultivation level, you will be reduced to the state of a mortal and can only travel on foot. If you fail to exit the formation within ten days, you will be considered to have failed."
Jin De's face paled upon hearing this. "Are you joking? Crossing six hundred miles of desert on foot in ten days? How could a mortal's body possibly endure such a feat?!"
Fan Li silently calculated in his mind. Before his transmigration, he had some experience with hiking. At a normal pace, a person could cover sixty miles a day within six hours. However, considering the desert environment, it would likely take ten hours to cover the same distance.
"May I ask, Brother Yichuan, is the Flaming Mountain a fire formation or an earth formation?" Zhuge Liang suddenly inquired.
Yichuan's expression turned slightly unnatural at the question. According to their prior agreement, they were supposed to overcome the five elemental formations one by one. They had already cleared the water and metal formations in sequence, so logically, the remaining earth, wood, and fire formations should follow the same pattern.
However, what they didn't know was that Mount Yunmeng contained numerous formations, all belonging to the five elements. There were even compound formations, and the Flaming Mountain was a combination of earth and fire.
Seeing that the individual formations posed little challenge to the group, Yichuan had secretly chosen the more difficult compound formation, the Flaming Mountain.
"The formation is activated. Please enter quickly!" Unable to answer Zhuge Liang's question, Yichuan discreetly used a talisman to activate the formation.
In an instant, yellow sand filled the air. A gust of wind carrying sand and dust swept through, forcing Fan Li to close his eyes.
After a long while, the wind and sand finally subsided. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves within the Flaming Mountain.
"It's so hot!" Crown Prince Wanli cried out in alarm. "Damn it! Is there fire hidden in this sand?"
They were standing on a sand dune, the scorching sun beating down on them. Within moments, they were drenched in sweat, their mouths parched.
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"There's no fire beneath the sand," Zhang Juzheng sighed. "It's just that we have lost our spiritual power and become mortals, unable to withstand the intense heat. Guiguzi... truly extraordinary!"
"Damn Guiguzi! If my elder sister hadn't intended to recruit him, I would have killed him to vent my anger!" Jin De, accustomed to a life of comfort and luxury, had never experienced such hardship. She was covered in sweat, her hair disheveled, and her shoes and socks filled with sand.
The others also lamented their situation. Only Fan Li remained silent, trudging forward towards the north.
"Hey, aren't you uncomfortable?" Lu Fubao whispered. "I feel like I'm about to be roasted alive. This sun is so cruel!"
Fan Li shook his head, then nodded. "Just endure it. Speak less, conserve your energy."
Lu Fubao obediently fell silent, following closely behind Fan Li like a little tail.
Yan Yuan and the others, seeing this, also kept their mouths shut. Only Jin De and Wanli continued to complain occasionally, seemingly sharing a common misery.
"Hey, are you thirsty?" After walking for about half a day, Wanli finally couldn't bear it any longer.
With his noble status, he naturally carried plenty of pills and magical treasures. However, Wanli had long reached a level where he could abstain from food and water. He hadn't brought any food, let alone water.
"Your Highness... just endure it," Zhang Juzheng said with difficulty, his lips dry and cracked.
"Endure? How do you expect me to endure this? It's only been half a day, and I'm already so thirsty... cough cough cough!!!" Wanli felt as though his throat was on fire, and a fit of coughing made him even more uncomfortable.
He looked at Fan Li and the others walking at the front of the group, anger burning within him. "Am I inferior to him?"
However, after another half an hour, Wanli couldn't take it anymore.
"Can we rest for a while? I... I really can't walk anymore..." Exhausted, his tone was no longer as arrogant as before.
Lu Fubao glanced back at him, a thoughtful look on her face. She tugged at the corner of Fan Li's robe.
Fan Li turned around, meeting Lu Fubao's questioning gaze.
Fan Li shook his head. No.
They were enemies, after all. Even if Wanli died in the desert, it had nothing to do with him.
For a brief moment, Fan Li even considered taking the opportunity to eliminate him. However, he quickly dismissed the thought, realizing that such an act might anger Guiguzi.
"Damn it, they're not waiting for me!" Wanli watched as Fan Li and the others gradually disappeared into the distance, his eyes filled with resentment and helplessness.
As night fell, the group faced their first night in the Flaming Mountain. A cool breeze began to blow, dispersing the heat of the day.
Fan Li estimated that they had walked for a full twelve hours, covering about eighty miles. With a total distance of six hundred miles and a target of sixty miles per day, they had already exceeded their goal for the day.
However, Fan Li wasn't optimistic. This was only the first day, and everyone was still in good physical condition. As they continued, their stamina would decline, and their pace would slow.
"This feels so good!" Lu Fubao couldn't help but moan in pleasure. On a whim, she had taken off her shoes and socks and was walking barefoot on the sand. The soft, fine sand felt comfortable beneath her feet, making her giggle.
"Put them back on!" Fan Li said sternly.
"Ah?" Lu Fubao was startled and looked a bit aggrieved. "But I'm still hot."
The Chu Kingdom had a relaxed social atmosphere, and it wasn't considered improper for women to walk barefoot in public.
Yan Yuan also chimed in, "Duke Jin, even I feel stuffy. Why not let Junior Sister have her way?"
"You misunderstand," Fan Li explained. "The desert climate has a large temperature difference between day and night. During the day, it's hotter than summer, but at night, it's as cold as winter. I'm worried she'll catch a cold."
"Ah? That exaggerated?" Lu Fubao didn't quite believe him.
However, just a few moments later, she felt the night wind turning damp and cold, no longer as pleasantly cool as before.
"It really is cold!" She shivered and quickly put her shoes and socks back on.
Two hours later, the night was at its deepest. As Fan Li had predicted, the wind was now biting cold, like knives against their faces.
"So cold, I'm so cold... ah..." Lu Fubao was on the verge of tears. As a young prodigy who had started cultivating at an early age, she had rarely experienced hunger, cold, or heat. Now, she felt an overwhelming sense of cold, thirst, and hunger.
"Eat this." Suddenly, something was pushed towards her mouth. Lu Fubao opened her eyes wide and saw Fan Li holding out a soft and sticky rice cake, retrieved from his expensive storage ring.
"Why do you have food?" she asked in surprise.
"Because I haven't reached the level where I can last without food yet," Fan Li replied matter-of-factly.
As he spoke, he took out more items from his storage treasure; roasted lamb, bear paw, deer tail, duck, chicken, goose...