Lu Yu also sensed that aura, which is why he didn't get too close to the Hidden Dragon Commerce Association. Upon learning that Chu Tianhe was backed by the Hidden Dragon Commerce Association, he left.

After listening to Lu Yu, Chu Tiange calmed down. He knew that when Chu Tianhe went out, someone was there to protect her, so it wasn't easy for her to encounter any danger.

Moreover, Chu Tianhe had a heap of treasures on her, making it difficult for others to threaten her life.

He glanced at Lu Yu, sensing that Lu Yu's aura was faint and elusive, making it impossible to gauge his strength based solely on it.

Gazing at the endless Yellow Sand Army, Chu Tiange said, "To solve these Yellow Sand Puppets, we must address the source of the puppet army. I'm planning to lead people to Black Sand City."

The last time he met Lu Yu was in the Soldier's Realm. Back then, he merely found Lu Yu intriguing. While others prepared various supplies and pills for the Soldier's Trial, only Lu Yu carried a bunch of food.

Moreover, the drink Lu Yu gave him tasted good. When he brought it back, it circulated well among his circle, gaining him a lot of face.

This time, he truly valued Lu Yu. After the Soldier's Realm ended, he learned that Lu Yu was the peerless genius who defeated the Sword God's shadow.

Having fought against the Sword God's shadow, he understood its terrifying nature and became very curious about Lu Yu's strength. He invited Lu Yu to join him in Black Sand City because he wanted to see just how strong Lu Yu really was.

Could he truly live up to the title of a peerless genius?

Chu Tiange didn't consider himself weaker than Lu Yu. After activating the power of his bloodline, his strength leapt forward; facing the Sword God's shadow in battle again, he wouldn't be intimidated.

Rather than the so-called title of a peerless genius, he desired a rival, someone who could grow with him. That was the only way to constantly push himself to become stronger.

The capital didn't lack such adversaries; unfortunately, those people were far stronger than his current self. He had just begun his cultivation journey and couldn't compare with those who had been practicing for decades.

Even a genius needs time to grow, and growth requires nutrients. The better the nutrients, the faster the growth.

Chu Tiange hoped Lu Yu would become that "excellent nutrient."

[Mission Triggered! Western Desert Dynasty (Optional Task)]

[Task Content: Omitted]

[Objective 1: Reach Black Sand City and ensure the safe departure of Chu Tiange and Chu Tianhe from Black Sand City.]

[Objective 2: Prevent the Yellow Sand Giant Legion summoned by Wanyan Shahe from overrunning Yellow Sand City and other towns.]

[Objective 3: Kill the Earth Pulse Controller "Wanyan Shahe."]

[Objective 4: Prevent the Sand King's Palace from establishing the "Ten Thousand Miles Cliff Great Wall."]

[Objective 5: Help the Earth Pulse Controller "Wanyan Shahe" take over Yellow Sand City and other towns, reclaiming Western Desert territories.]

[Objective 6: Help the Sand King's Palace establish the "Ten Thousand Miles Cliff Great Wall."]

[Objective 7: Destroy the "Ten Thousand Miles Cliff Great Wall."]

[Hint: Completing any task will earn you a reward. Completing multiple tasks will result in stacked rewards.]

This is a dual-choice task. Lu Yu can choose to help Chu Tiange fight against the Sand King's Palace or help the Sand King's Palace and Wanyan Shahe fight against Da Zhou.

As long as Lu Yu's rational mind remains, choosing the latter would be courting death.

Rewards can stack; the optimal solution is to complete tasks 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7, stacking rewards five times to the maximum.

Tasks 2 and 5, 4 and 6 are mutually exclusive; completing one will inevitably fail the other.

Lu Yu naturally accepted this task; after all, even if he didn't participate, he couldn't leave Yellow Sand City.

He could either choose to follow Chu Tiange to Black Sand City, stay in Yellow Sand City and wait for Chu Tiange to resolve the issue, or be overrun by the Sand King's Palace.

Lu Yu preferred to take the initiative rather than pin his hopes on others.

"I'll go too," Lu Yu said.

[Task Accepted. Hint: Some objectives of this task have high difficulty; players should proceed with caution.]

When the representatives from other border fortress towns arrived, Chu Tiange held a brief meeting with everyone, informing them of the gravity of the situation, and that they must head to Black Sand City to resolve the crisis.

No lengthy discussions were needed; everyone quickly prepared and set off for Black Sand City.

Meanwhile, the Yellow Sand Giant Legion also launched an attack on Yellow Sand City and other border fortress towns. The towering Yellow Sand Giants bent down to scoop up sand, forming a rock sphere with a diameter close to a meter in their hands.

The Yellow Sand Giants hurled the rock spheres at the city walls, trying to knock down and kill the defenders atop the walls.

The rock spheres were blocked by an array just a meter outside the city walls. Undeterred, the Yellow Sand Giants continued bombarding the walls with boulders. Some of the Yellow Sand Giants donned rock armor, wielding rock swords, axes, and spears as they charged the gates of Yellow Sand City.

Apart from their size differences, the Yellow Sand Giants' attack methods were not much different from those of ordinary armies.

The Dragon Roar Cannons atop the walls fired beams of spiritual power, destroying the Yellow Sand Giants. The defenders also took up spirit bows to attack the Yellow Sand Giant Legion from a distance.

"Archers, aim for the cores revealed after the Yellow Sand Giants shatter," ordered Chen Pei'en when he noticed the archers weren't having much impact, immediately altering their combat strategy.

In terms of sheer power, few archers' arrows could surpass the might of the Dragon Roar Cannons, and they couldn't inflict lethal damage on the Yellow Sand Giants. It was better to have them clean up the Yellow Sand Giants that the Dragon Roar Cannons couldn't instantly kill.