Peerless Dragon Sovereign-Chapter 560: Turmoil in the Southern Desert

The young girl was reprimanded by the middle-aged man and didn’t dare to speak, she could only resentfully glance towards the end of the caravan, where a cart was being pulled by a Camel Demon Beast.

Inside the cart were Chu Nan and Zhi Tianping, who had left the Cyan Demon Mountain Range.

After Chu Nan had slain many martial artists from the Huo family and the royal family, and even killed Ji Wudao, he was pursued by both the royal family and strong races, and a wanted notice was issued.

Though the wanted notice posed no real threat to Chu Nan, it did cause some small troubles.

For instance, leaving Nanmo Province was not as easy as before.

So, Chu Nan and Zhi Tianping disguised their identities, relying on the shop secretly run by the Zhi family in Nanmo Province, recruited a caravan, and under the guise of trading in Nanmo, successfully left Nanmo Province and stepped into the Nanmo desert.

After entering Nanmo, Chu Nan and Zhi Tianping could have left directly.

But Chu Nan thought that being too ostentatious and causing conflicts wasn’t a good idea, so he planned to hide their identities at first, and secretly observe the situation before making the next move.

Suddenly, the cart stopped.

The leading middle-aged martial artist lifted the cart’s curtain and said to Chu Nan, "Young master, the temperature in Nanmo drops sharply at night."

"This Demon Beast is not suitable for nocturnal activity, we are planning to pitch tents here and stay the night. Can we set off again tomorrow?"

Chu Nan didn’t agree immediately but asked the middle-aged man, "Ma Qian, how far roughly is it to our destination?"

Ma Qian deliberated for a moment and estimated, "The nearest place from here is Cangyuan City. If we leave in the morning, we should arrive by noon."

Nanmo covers an area that is half the size of the Qin Kingdom, but most of it is barren desert, devoid of life.

Only some oasis points have established cities, allowing ordinary people and martial artists to survive upon them.

Chu Nan nodded slowly, then responded, "Then you may rest, and depart again in the morning."

Ma Qian nodded, then reminded Chu Nan, "Young master, it’s best to be vigilant at night and not sleep too soundly. In these past few months, Nanmo hasn’t been quite peaceful."

Upon hearing this, Chu Nan and Zhi Tianping exchanged looks, and Zhi Tianping finally asked, "What major event happened in Nanmo, that it isn’t peaceful?"

Nanmo is not governed by the Qin Kingdom, but is jointly controlled by the Desolate Ancient Holy Hall and the Slaughter Emperor Sect, with each city under their oppressive rule.

Ordinary people dare not cause trouble, so if Nanmo is in turmoil, it must mean something happened with the Desolate Ancient Holy Hall or the Slaughter Emperor Sect.

Ma Qian sighed and then said, "You both don’t look like locals of Nanmo Province from your appearance, so it’s normal not to know. Recently, I’ve heard that the Desolate Ancient Holy Hall is about to open, and the cities are scrambling for places in it."

"Some people even want to join the Desolate Ancient Holy Hall, to be a step ahead."

"But whether it’s spots or joining the Desolate Ancient Holy Hall, both require cultivation and resources, so some have formed gangs, regularly attacking caravans to rob them of resources."

"If we encounter them, that would be a big headache~"

Chu Nan and Zhi Tianping immediately understood. Located in such a remote place, on one side is the mighty Qin Kingdom, and on the other is the Endless Sea of Suffering ruled by the Treacherous Featherless Ones.

Coupled with the endless desert wasteland, people here can only struggle to survive and cultivate on small oases.

In comparison, the Desolate Ancient Holy Hall is an endless treasury of opportunities. Just bringing out a little from it can make them wealthy, allowing them to live more comfortably in Nanmo.

So naturally, they pay great attention to exploring the Desolate Ancient Holy Hall, willing to go to any lengths to compete for entry spots!

Speaking of which, Ma Qian added mysteriously, "I’ve also heard that the bandits active in Nanmo recently have the backing of each city’s city lord. Some are even led by the city lord’s own offspring, with city guards personally robbing caravans."

"We are carrying goods worth a thousand yuan stones, and it won’t be easy to deal with them if we encounter them."

"I’ve heard of people resisting those bandits and even getting skinned alive; these wolf cubs in Nanmo truly are beasts."

After speaking, Ma Qian showed a look of lingering fear, implicitly reminding Chu Nan that coming to Nanmo at this time was a mistake; if bandits attacked them, he couldn’t be blamed.

However, Ma Qian was wrong, Chu Nan was not at all worried about these so-called bandits.

Not to mention these bandits, even if there were city lords behind them, he wouldn’t mind.

With his current cultivation, very few people could pose a threat to him.

Soon, under Chu Nan’s directive, the caravan began to set up tents on site.

Chu Nan and Zhi Tianping sat quietly inside the cart, closing their eyes to meditate and absorb the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy to raise their cultivation.

Even though the cultivation environment in Nanmo isn’t a tenth of that in the Imperial Capital, Chu Nan wouldn’t miss any opportunity to cultivate.

Even if he could understand an additional Martial Intent or Martial Skill, it would be a great benefit.

Suddenly, a wisp of smoke emerged, as the young girl who had spoken with Ma Qian earlier, began cooking with her hungry stomach.

"What are you doing!"

Seeing black smoke rising into the sky, Ma Qian got enraged and kicked the girl’s pot away with a shout.

The girl looked at the fallen pot with a grievance on her face, "Dad, I just wanted something warm to eat, what’s wrong with that?"

Evidently, the young miss did not realize the gravity of the situation.

Ma Qian, on the other hand, was full of anger, saying, "By lighting a fire here, the smoke will soon be noticed by people. If it attracts bandits, what should we do!"

The girl was following the caravan for the first time; having not yet experienced the lessons firsthand, she didn’t take such precautions seriously.

Only after seeing Ma Qian’s angry, snarling face did she realize how grave a mistake she’d made.

"Hurry and put the fire out, then leave here immediately. Hopefully, no one has noticed yet, and all can still be on time," Ma Qian said, disappointed, while quickly taking steps to remedy the situation.

The others in the caravan, although helpless, were aware that the bandits were not to be trifled with, so they had no choice but to dismantle the tents they’d just set up and prepare to leave for another place to rest.

However, what they feared came true. Just as they finished dismantling the tents, a large group of figures riding Camel Demon Beasts quickly approached.

Caught in the wind, Ma Qian could even hear the sounds of hideous laughter and murmured with a pale face, "It’s over, they’ve discovered us after all!"

The girl realized she’d caused a disaster and said fearfully, "Dad, the bandits are coming. What should we do?"

Her expression was one of sheer terror; it was her first time accompanying a caravan, and she’d never encountered such a scheme.

A girl falling into the hands of bandits, what would happen, she didn’t dare to imagine.

Ma Qian clenched his fists quietly and sighed, "Let’s hope they know when to stop, taking half of the cargo and leaving, at least we’ll be able to survive..."

The goods, although Chu Nan’s, were the responsibility of the caravan to guard during transport, and if they suffered losses, he’d need to compensate at least half the value!

Amidst everyone’s fear, a black mass of dozens of people surged towards them...