Chen Ying had heard many rumors about Zhou Haoyu, most of which revolved around his talent.

Becoming a High-Tier mage at just over twenty years old was extremely rare even in the history of Imperial Capital Academy.

If she could go to the Northern Corner of the Burning Plains with him, then at least safety would be guaranteed.

"What are you going to the Northern Corner for?" Chen Ying asked curiously.

"I heard someone saw the Flame Empress there—I want to try my luck." Zhou Haoyu said.

That was what he said, but in truth he had zero intention of contracting the Little Flame Empress.

If he were a Fire-Element mage, then he definitely wouldn't pass up on contracting the Little Flame Empress, whose compatibility was nearly perfect.

But he was a Lightning mage—the Little Flame Empress would at best serve as assistance in forging.

Trading a contract slot for a forging assistant was not really worth it.

"Then why did you come looking for me?" Chen Ying frowned.

"Too many questions—I heard you live near Dunhuang, so I came to find you." Zhou Haoyu said calmly.

Chen Ying's brows furrowed even tighter; she felt this guy knew something.

"When do you plan on leaving?"

Thinking of her "mother's" request, Chen Ying didn't bother thinking about anything else.

"In the next couple of days—I still need to bring one more person." Zhou Haoyu replied.

Although Zhou Haoyu was confident in his own strength, surviving in the wilderness required not just power but experience.

Otherwise even finding the right path would be troublesome.

"Alright—give me your contact and send me the exact time later."

After settling Chen Ying, Zhou Haoyu sent a message to Lingling.

The moment Lingling heard they were going to the Northern Corner of the Burning Plains, she agreed without hesitation.

Two days later, Zhou Haoyu, Lingling, and Chen Ying set off for Dunhuang.

Entering the Northern Corner of the Burning Plains required passing through Dunhuang.

After arriving in Dunhuang and taking a brief rest, the three prepared to depart for the Northern Corner.

Before leaving, Lingling considered renting local wind camels, but Zhou Haoyu directly summoned the Flame Scorpion Tiger.

After it advanced to Commander-level, the Flame Scorpion Tiger had grown significantly—big enough to carry five or six people without feeling crowded.

"Commander-level?!" Chen Ying stared in disbelief, her red lips wide open.

She knew Zhou Haoyu was a High-Tier mage, but there were differences even among High-Tier mages.

A Summoner with a Commander-level beast was equivalent to an entire High-Tier mage squad!

"My summoned beast naturally has Commander-level bloodline—so it just evolved a bit faster." Zhou Haoyu said with a smile.

Chen Ying didn't even know what to say—this was just "a bit faster"?

If it were a contracted beast, maybe she wouldn't be so shocked.

"Stop wasting time. If we don't leave now, we'll have to spend the night here." Lingling urged.

Lingling wasn't surprised that the Flame Scorpion Tiger evolved—she already knew how high its bloodline was.

But Zhou Haoyu reaching High-Tier in Summoning so early still surprised her.

"Let's go."

Zhou Haoyu scooped Lingling into his arms, leaped onto the Flame Scorpion Tiger's back, and then pulled Chen Ying up as well.

Lingling sat in front, Chen Ying in the middle, and Zhou Haoyu in the back.

The tiger's back was wide and flat—Zhou Haoyu didn't take advantage of Chen Ying at all.

Although the Flame Scorpion Tiger was not a speed-type beast, its speed was still impressive, and the sandy desert terrain hardly slowed it down.

Galloping across the sand, in the blink of an eye they'd already traveled hundreds of meters.

Very soon, the trio and the tiger crossed the boundary marker.

Beyond that line lay demon territory—where they could be attacked by monsters at any time.

As long as luck wasn't too bad, they rarely encountered anything above Commander-level.

With the Flame Scorpion Tiger's Commander-level aura, warrior-level and servant-level monsters didn't dare approach at all.

But there was a downside—if they intruded into a Commander-level monster's territory, it would be a fight to the death.

Luckily, they had Lingling—a master hunter—who could avoid most danger zones.

With this beast's speed, it didn't take them long to arrive in front of the Shawang River.

The Shawang River was a highland water vein that had long dried up, who-knew-how many years ago. After years of erosion by fierce winds, its riverbed had become incomparably wide.

Zhou Haoyu stopped the Flame Scorpion Tiger at the edge of the Shawang River. Beneath the seemingly calm sand lay countless White Sand Warrior Beasts.

These were Elemental Beasts—completely impossible to kill off.

Though the Flame Scorpion Tiger wasn't afraid of these White Sand Warriors, if they were swarmed, Lingling and Chen Ying might get injured.

As for pacifying them using the Psychic Element—Zhou Haoyu had only just cultivated the Psychic Element to Basic-Tier Level 2; his magical energy simply couldn't sustain it for long.

Illusion magic likely wouldn't have much effect either.

Very quickly, Zhou Haoyu thought of a solution. He patted the Flame Scorpion Tiger's carapace and said, "Xiao Yan, later on you charge across the Shawang River with them first."

"What are you planning?" Lingling asked in confusion.

Zhou Haoyu didn't answer. He simply Bl inked into the riverbed.

After just a few steps, layers upon layers of white sand waves appeared around him.

Within moments, dozens of White Sand Warriors surged up!

Towering silhouettes stood like warriors in white armor!

Zhou Haoyu decisively used his Trail Magic Tool, luring all these sand soldiers in another direction.

"Couldn't he at least discuss this beforehand?" Lingling grumbled unhappily.

Once Zhou Haoyu drew the White Sand Warriors far off, the Flame Scorpion Tiger carried Lingling and Chen Ying across the Shawang River.

Though there were still a few White Sand Warriors under the sand, their numbers were small and the Flame Scorpion Tiger simply rammed them away.

Seeing the Flame Scorpion Tiger charge out of the riverbed, Zhou Haoyu immediately Bl inked back onto its back.

"You know… your teleport is surprisingly suited for bait duty." Lingling commented.

In response, Zhou Haoyu just ruffled her hair.

Just that one motion made Lingling instantly bristle—if not for Chen Ying sitting between them, she would have launched herself at Zhou Haoyu to scratch him already.

After crossing the shawang River, the journey ahead went relatively smoothly.

Since Zhou Haoyu departed earlier than Mo Fan's group, they didn't encounter any Fire Calamity on the way.

After travelling for a full day, just before sunset, Zhou Haoyu finally saw the lone towering Fire Pillar Mountain of the Northern Corner of the Burning Plains.

The Flame Witch and Fire Calamity Fruit were both atop Fire Pillar Mountain.

Although the Fire Calamity Fruit had yet to fully ripen, Zhou Haoyu didn't care—he wasn't here for the Little Flame Empress anyway.

He had to arrive before Mo Fan and the Ghost Bride, and persuade Jiang Feng to help excavate the Sun Ridge Fire Vein—the condition being that he deal with the Ghost Bride for her.

Killing the Ghost Bride would not only avenge Jiang Feng but also open Chen Ying's treasure chest.

Hitting two birds with one stone.

....

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