"Everyone, don't be formal, please rise!"
Qin Yi stepped forward, personally helping Wang Zheng up.
"Qin Yi, if it weren't for you this ti, we wouldn't have been able to repel the Demon Beast horde so easily." Wang Zheng said with admiration.
Qin Yi had slain the Demon Tiger King and so many Demon Beasts, almost single-handedly decimating the entire horde.
Qin Yi smiled, "I said before, we are friends, not foes."
"Yes, yes, yes, it was all my fault before." Wang Zheng said, full of remorse, "Let's discuss aboard the ship."
Qin Yi nodded slightly, then looked at the ground littered with Demon Beast corpses, and asked, "What should we do with these bodies?"
"No need to worry, they'll be buried by the sand in a few days," Wang Zheng replied.
Qin Yi nodded, "These Fierce Beasts are completely different from what we've seen before. Where exactly did they co from?"
"Let's talk on the ship."
Qin Yi nodded slightly.
Wang Zheng signaled, and everyone began boarding the ship with well-coordinated, practiced movents.
Qin Yi and the others boarded with Wang Zheng.
The ship was enormous, with all necessary living facilities fully equipped.
Wang Zheng instructed people to set up drinks and food on the deck at the bow to entertain Qin Yi and the others.
The ship was set up with an Array, shielding from the sand, otherwise, they would have consud mouthfuls of sand instead of food.
"Co, a toast to all of you."
Qin Yi and his companions clinked glasses with Wang Zheng and drank in one gulp.
"Is this ship called the Sand Ship?" Qin Yi asked.
Wang Zheng said, "It's actually called a Patrol Ship, but we all call it Sand Ship privately."
"What kind of place is this?"
"This is the Sand Sea. To be honest, it's the only gap in the Tianzang barrier."
Qin Yi was surprised, "A gap?"
"Yes, it is said to have been intentionally left."
"What do you an?" Qin Yi asked in confusion.
Wang Zheng said, "You should know about the Tianzang barrier, right?"
Qin Yi nodded, "I've heard the old Village Chief talk about it."
"That's right, the Tianzang barrier is Earth's first line of defense, blocking all external threats. We don't know who set it up; but according to the elders, this gap was intentionally left by the one who did."
"Why?"
"For honing," Wang Zheng said with a smile, "The Tianzang barrier blocks all dangers, so opportunities for battle are scarce. To keep the warriors' spirit alive, this gap was left, letting enemies in as a whetstone of sorts."
"People can't afford to be idle. Without constant battle, they lose their drive and fighting spirit. That's the gap's purpose."
Qin Yi nodded slightly, "The person who set up the Tianzang barrier was truly talented, considering everything so thoroughly."
"Actually, these are just guesses and legends. There's also a theory that the Tianzang barrier has long since been eroded by ti, its power much diminished, and this gap appeared naturally."
Qin Yi curiously asked, "So who set up the Tianzang barrier?"
"Who knows? It's impossible to verify. We've guarded this space for generations, our duty being to protect the Earth Barrier and prevent invasions. Over endless ages, many theories and rumors have arisen."
"So say the Tianzang barrier ford naturally on Earth. Others say it's the body of a Giant Dragon. So claim it was set by an unparalleled figure of a bygone era. The theories are many and can't be proven."
"This gap has existed for an extrely long ti, too long to confirm."
Qin Yi clinked glasses with Wang Zheng and asked with a smile, "Just how large is this Sand Sea?"
"Unknown. I joined the Earth Barrier Defense Force at sixteen, and it's been twenty-three years now, patrolling the Sand Sea. Haven't covered it all, or maybe I have, but it's impossible to discern anything but sandstorms and thick fog."
Qin Yi exclaid, "You're thirty-nine this year?"
"Doesn't look like it, does it? I appear young. Actually, I'm not quite thirty-nine yet, it's a few months to my birthday," Wang Zheng said with so pride.
Qin Yi and Mo Wuji exchanged glances, their mouths twitching slightly. Look young? This guy seems forty or fifty! More like looking old, what's with the confidence?
Qin Yi said, "Before, I encountered a Sand Ship and fought against it, but it was in shambles, like a ghost ship, filled with the living dead."
Wang Zheng stared at Qin Yi, his eyes suddenly dimming.
"What's wrong?" Qin Yi asked.
Wang Zheng raised a bowl of wine, sighed, and said, "Those were our predecessors who fought the enemy and all died in battle. But their spirits remained, endlessly wandering the Sand Sea to stop invaders."
Qin Yi and Mo Wuji were shocked.
"What you saw today was only a Demon Beast horde. Our enemies aren't just Demon Beasts; there are enemies from other planets, so with Cultivation not weaker than ours."
Qin Yi said with admiration, "In death, yet the spirit remains, continuing to slay enemies."
"What kind of conviction causes them to persist in spirit after death?" Mo Wuji also showed admiration.
Wang Zheng said, "Because beyond the Sand Sea are our loved ones. If even one enemy slips through, it could cause irreparable harm."
"A few years ago, the enemy launched a large-scale attack. A few orcs accidentally broke through and massacred three villages, over five hundred deaths, unbearably tragic. It took the intervention of the Barrier's defenders to finally kill them. Those were our people."
Qin Yi and the others fell silent.
Qin Yi raised a bowl of wine, walked to the ship's edge, cupped it in both hands, "To the departed predecessors, I apologize for any offense. This bowl of wine is for you."
With those words, he poured the wine onto the sand.
Mo Wuji raised his drink and joined Qin Yi, "To the predecessors."
These people deserve respect.
The two returned to sit down, Wang Zheng said, "We are warriors, true warriors should die wrapped in horse hides, perishing on the battlefield."
Mo Wuji sighed, "There's no such thing as eternal peace; it's just soone bearing the burden for us. Today I realized, the reason we live peacefully is that a group of fearless n defend us from all dangers. Brother Wang, a toast to you."
After they finished their drinks, Qin Yi looked at Wang Zheng, "I have sothing I need your help with."
"Speak, you've helped our brothers. No matter what it is, I'd brave any dangers for you."
Qin Yi smiled, "It's not that serious, just want you to notify the other Sand Ships. In this Sand Sea, there are others like us from the outside. If encountered, kill without rcy."
"Still more?" Wang Zheng's face filled with rage, "Damn, we fight desperately here, and these people co in every few years to pillage, truly despicable. Rest assured, they won't leave the Sand Sea alive."
Qin Yi frowned, "To be honest, there are so people outside the Sand Sea too, but I can't find them. Any ideas?"
Wang Zheng shook his head, "If in the Sand Sea, there'd be a way, but outside, I'm not familiar with. It won't be easy to find them."
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