Zhang Xiu returned to the rock wall not far away, and began to wield the mine hoe again, recalling the recent experience in his mind, and his eyes were a little sad.

The Witch Moon Cult's attack on the Black Wind Desert was too sudden, and no one expected this catastrophe to come, and the northern cities led by Wangbei City defected overnight, and countless Witch Moon Cultists swept through every city, killing those who dared to resist one by one.

The city lord of Trap Sand City is also one of them.

At that time, Zhang Xiu was in retreat and cultivating, and not long after he meditated, the door of his room was kicked open, and a soul witch rushed in, easily subduing him and putting on leg cuffs that could suppress spiritual power.

Later, as the Wuyue Sect attacked the Central Plains, most of the captured monks were also driven to the front line, leaving only a small number of Qi refining monks like Zhang Xiu as slaves to undertake logistics such as mining and alchemy.

Going to the front line is undoubtedly a death, but for Zhang Xiu, life as a slave may not be much better.

The cultivation in the Black Wind Desert was already difficult due to the problem of resources, and most of the materials in the city were also taken away by the Wuyue Sect, and most of the remaining leftovers went into the pockets of the Wuyue Sect disciples who stayed here.

Zhang Xiu and the others could only endure the difficulties, mining and alchemy for the Wuyue Sect day and night.

What just happened is just a microcosm, and in today's Black Wind Desert, similar things happen almost all the time.

However, the heavens do not seem to have mercy on Zhang Xiu's suffering.

On the vast yellow sand, the sky darkened, and the cold wind howled through the pit, causing all the monks to tremble.

"Black, the black wind is coming! Let's go and start the big array! Amid the cacophony, someone shouted.

The Wuyue cultists who were in charge of guarding the mines were transferred from the Northern Desert and were far less responsive than these local monks, and when they scrambled to find a formation to urge, a pitch-black hurricane had already appeared on the horizon.

But soon, the large array of the mine rose up, but before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the spiritual light on the large array suddenly flickered for a while, and then it dissipated instantly.

Everyone was stunned.

", those guys, even this life-saving spirit stone is greedy?" The guards were the first to react, and couldn't help but smash the array plate and scolded.

For a while, the monks in the mine were desperate, their magic weapons had already been looted, and now they couldn't even escape for their lives.

In despair, Zhang Xiu suddenly calmed down.

In the end, he couldn't get out of the Black Wind Desert after all.

What my father said back then was still wrong in the end, even if he was a high-ranking immortal master, he was actually not free, and in front of a more powerful existence, he was all ants.

Under the coercion of the general trend, whether it is an immortal master or a mortal, they are just a floating boat, unable to control their own destiny, they can only rise and fall with the waves, and they don't know where to drift.

Just as Zhang Xiu was recalling his life, someone beside him suddenly exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, look, there's someone in the black wind!"

Zhang Xiu was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly looked up, but saw that among the black tornadoes that covered the sky and the earth, there was a young man with a handsome face, who was rising and falling with the wind, like a flying leaf, swimming between heaven and earth by the wind.

From time to time, he would swing his fist, and each time he struck, it seemed as if he was changing with the wind and against the wind.

"He's taking advantage of the black wind to cultivate?" In the mine, someone came to his senses.

"This, how is this possible, this is a natural disaster, even a natural disaster that the Yuanying Monk does not want to face, how can anyone be able to practice with it?" Others widened their eyes and muttered incredulously.

I don't know if it was the voices of the monks in the mine that disturbed the young man in the wind, he seemed to turn his head to look in the direction of the mine, and then he stopped in the wind.

In the face of the wind that resembles the Optimus Pillar, the young man's body is extraordinarily thin, but it is as tough and majestic as a mountain, no matter what kind of wind disturbs him, the thunder splits down, he can't move a bit.

Immediately after, the young man took a deep breath, a flash of inspiration in his eyes, closed his fist in his abdomen, and then slammed forward.

In an instant, the sky was clear.

The group of cultivators in the mine only heard a deafening sound, like a demon elephant roaring, and like a raging wind, and then a large hole appeared in the middle of the tornado, and the dark clouds in the sky quickly faded as if they had been pushed away.

But a breath of effort, the natural disaster of the Black Wind Desert, the nightmare that countless people feared, the invisible Yama that plundered life, was scattered by the young man with a punch.

Everyone froze, they couldn't believe their eyes, they couldn't believe what they were seeing.

The joy of surviving from the dark wind was overshadowed by endless confusion, and some even pinched their thighs, just to prove that they were not dreaming.

And the young man also flew into the mine after breaking up the black wind, and the crowd involuntarily lowered their heads to make way for him, and no one dared to stand in front of him, and no one dared to raise their heads in front of him.

The young man didn't care about the reaction of the others, he just walked up to Zhang Xiu and looked him up and down.

"You look familiar, what's your name?"

Zhang Xiu squirmed her lips, and it took a long time to muster up the courage to report her name.

"Zhang Xiu?"

Yuan Ming chewed on the name, and after a little thought, he found the location of this person from his memory.

When he first noticed the source of the Heaven-Stealing Heaven's Wishing Power in Trap Sand City, he found this person.

However, he was still a mortal at that time, but now he has also become a Qi refining cultivator, which is really impermanent.

"I am also destined for you, I can meet your requirements, and you can mention anything you need." Yuan Ming sighed secretly, and then said.

Zhang Xiu also came back to his senses at this time, and when he heard Yuan Ming's words, he wanted to beg Yuan Ming to rescue him from the mine, but as soon as the words came to his mouth, he remembered the feeling he had just felt between life and death, and he couldn't help but change his words.

"The juniors are brave and want to ask the seniors a question...... How far do I have to cultivate to be truly free? Zhang Xiu asked.

"Why do you want to ask this?" Yuan Ming glanced at the other party in some surprise.

"Junior...... It's just a little confusing...... A long time ago, the younger generation was just a mortal, my father once said that only the immortal master could be free, but when the younger generation stepped into the immortal path, I found that the immortal master was also divided into three, six, nine and so on, as a monk in the Qi refining period, I could only obey the orders of the city lord and continue to help him deal with chores. Zhang Xiu said, with a confused look on her face.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming was silent for a long time.

"This question...... I'm also looking for an answer to it. Eventually, he shook his head.

"Isn't it possible for someone as powerful as his predecessors to be free?" A trace of despair flashed in Zhang Xiu's eyes.

"Besides, freedom is actually a cheap and expensive thing, and the freedom you want is different in different positions, different horizons, and different freedoms...... Even if it reaches the point where there is no way to advance, there will be things that cannot be achieved, and there will be freedom that cannot be obtained. Yuan Ming sighed.

"In that case, isn't the answer you're looking for not existing?" Zhang Xiu asked.

"Maybe so, but if you don't explore it just because there is no light ahead, won't you be bound again? Moreover, being able to find an answer to a problem is in itself the greatest and most precious freedom of a person. Yuan Ming smiled.

Zhang Xiu was stunned, and the eyes that had already dimmed seemed to be lit up again.

"What I just said doesn't count as an answer, so my proposal is still valid, and you can ask for another one." Seeing this, Yuan Ming said again.

Zhang Xiu was silent, and suddenly raised his head and looked around.

The monks and miners in the mine were all gathered here at this moment, and not far away, those Wuyue Sect guards did not flee for some reason, but stood in place with pale faces, as if they had taken root under their feet.

The monk mine slave didn't seem to care about the content of the conversation he had just had with Yuan Ming, but he felt that Zhang Xiu had wasted a great opportunity, and they were a little annoyed in their hearts.

"That'...... Just ask my seniors to give me a magic weapon long knife, the kind that can split the leg cuffs. Zhang Xiu smiled, turned his head to Yuan Ming and said.

Yuan Ming also smiled, a look of appreciation flashed in his eyes, and then he raised his hand with a move, and after a few breaths, Huazhi and King Kong flew from a distance with the thunderstorm and landed in front of Yuan Ming.

Then, Hua Zhi immediately rubbed her hands, and countless purple and black vines grew from her arm, which quickly condensed into a long knife and handed it to Yuan Ming.

"I don't have a magic weapon on my body that you can use, but this long knife is a part of my spirit beast's body, although it is not engraved with runes, but the texture is hard enough, you can use it enough." Yuan Ming said, handing over the purple and black tree knife to Zhang Xiu.

Zhang Xiu took the knife with a happy face, nodded vigorously, and then the knife fell in his hand, and the chains that bound his feet broke in response.

But he was not satisfied with this, but continued to swing his knife and help his fellow miners cut off the anklets.

When everyone broke free, he raised his arms and led a group of miners to rush towards the bloodless Wuyue Sect guards with swords.

The strong men of the Wuyue Cult are now on the front line, and most of the guards left behind are not good at fighting, and they soon died under siege by the miners.

And when all the dust settled, Zhang Xiu turned his head, and just wanted to thank Yuan Ming, but he was already gone.

But just then, a voice sounded in his ears.

"You and I have run out of fate, next, just do what you want to do, most of the monks of the Wuyue Sect are on the front line, as long as you are careful, you will not be hunted down, in addition, I have hidden an exercise in the knife, I got it from the East China Sea, and I can cultivate all the way to Yuanying, you can dispose of it at will."

When Zhang Xiu heard this, her heart tightened, but she soon remembered something.

"I haven't asked for the name of my seniors yet!" He shouted.

"You can call me...... Yuan Ming. Yuan Ming's voice quickly disappeared from his ears.

However, Zhang Xiu's eyes widened, and she involuntarily raised her hand and touched her chest.

In his arms, there is a book hidden, which is the starting point of his dream, the original intention that he has never forgotten when he embarked on the immortal journey, and the spiritual pillar that he has spent countless difficult days and nights after becoming a mining slave.

The title of the book, "Journey to the East of Sheng Gongzi".

Author, Yuan Ming.

(End of chapter)