Ahead in the desert, many tall, earth-yellow cliffs suddenly appeared, and a canyon stood before Zach’s group.
According to the directions on the old clan chief’s scroll, the legendary holy land, Xolan, was located at the end of this canyon.
Without any further hesitation, the group set out and stepped into the canyon.
“Whooo…”
Inside the narrow canyon, the desert’s hot wind kept surging through, making shrill sounds again and again.
Zach and Kai’Sa walked at the back of the group, their eyes constantly examining every part of their surroundings.
For some reason, Zach could always feel that Kai’Sa seemed extremely uneasy.
“Kai’Sa.” Zach squeezed Kai’Sa’s hand.
“What’s wrong?”
Kai’Sa looked at Zach and said softly, “Do not leave my side.”
Zach paused slightly, then nodded thoughtfully.
“I understand.”
Because their final hope was right in front of them, Taliyah’s people were moving very quickly.
Every face carried a trace of wild joy.
Just as the old clan chief had said, as long as they passed through here, they would be able to live carefree lives forever.
Soon, the end of the canyon appeared before everyone.
It was also at this moment that Taliyah, who was at the front of the group, suddenly stopped and reached her hand forward.
In the next instant, Taliyah’s outstretched hand suddenly passed through a layer of glowing film, and the arm that had reached into the light vanished before everyone’s eyes.
At the sight of this scene, a huge commotion erupted from the group.
“It’s here!
The legend really is true!”
The old clan chief clutched the scroll tightly in his hands, his entire body trembling nonstop.
“Taliyah, Xolan is just ahead!”
Joy also appeared in Taliyah’s eyes.
She looked at Zach and Kai’Sa.
“Zach, Kai’Sa, we made it!”
Zach smiled and nodded.
“That really wasn’t easy.”
“Hurry, we must pass through quickly!” the clan chief said impatiently.
The others did not hesitate any further.
They grabbed their belongings, and with Zach, Kai’Sa, and Taliyah leading the way, they passed through the glowing film together.
As the last person in the group crossed through the light, the canyon became empty and silent once again, leaving only the sound of the wild wind surging through it.
But just as everyone passed through the glowing film, somewhere on the canyon floor, the sound of sand being disturbed suddenly rang out.
“Shhh.”
The sound vanished in a flash, and along with it, there seemed to be a faint purple dorsal fin. This story is hosted at g.com.
However, that fin appeared for only an instant before sinking back beneath the sand.
On the other side, like ripples spreading across the surface of a calm lake, the glowing film shimmered outward, and the group slowly walked out from within.
In Taliyah’s and her people’s imagination, beyond this glowing film was the holy land of legend.
This place should have been lush with grass and trees, like a paradise on earth.
It should have had magnificent buildings and water that would never run dry.
But now, everyone froze.
Whether it was Taliyah or the old clan chief, all of them stared ahead with expressions of disbelief.
The old clan chief even murmured in a daze, “Impossible… How could the legend be false… This isn’t right…”
Seeing their reactions, Zach and Kai’Sa could not help sighing softly.
The feeling of watching hope shatter before one’s eyes was truly enough to drive someone into despair.
Especially when Taliyah’s people had gambled everything on Xolan, only for what appeared before them now to be nothing but yellow sand.
Ahead of them, in an area surrounded by tall cliffs, the ruins of buildings could be seen everywhere.
At the same time that it crushed their hopes, it also showed them just how prosperous Xolan must once have been.
In the center of the area, the riverbed had completely dried up.
Only yellow sand lay silently across it.
After a long while, Zach said softly, “Taliyah, have your people stay here first.
Let’s go ahead and take a look.”
Taliyah looked at Zach, then finally nodded.
Dense earth-yellow light shimmered from her hands, and she summoned countless Weaver’s Walls, firmly enclosing her people in the center to keep them from encountering any danger.
After doing all this, Taliyah, Zach, and Kai’Sa walked forward.
As they walked across this barren land, Taliyah looked incredibly dejected.
Like the clan chief, she also could not believe that the hope they had sacrificed everything for had turned out to be nothing more than a mirage.
After crossing the completely dried riverbed, the three of them moved through the ruined buildings.
In front of them were the towering cliffs that completely surrounded this place.
From the terrain alone, Xolan truly was a perfect place for a small tribe to live.
The cliffs on all sides enclosed it, blocking the harsh desert wind and sandstorms, while the only entrance had that mysterious barrier of light.
If the water in the riverbed had not dried up, perhaps people truly could have lived here for a very long time.
But now, all of that was nothing more than an extravagant wish.
Just then, Zach, Kai’Sa, and Taliyah, who had been walking forward, suddenly stopped at the same time and looked up at the cliff ahead.
“This is…”
On the cliff in front of them, the three saw a gigantic statue carved directly into the cliffside.
The statue was nearly as tall as the cliff itself, with an enormous body almost a hundred meters high.
What surprised the three of them most was that this giant statue had no face.
The statue’s face looked as though it had been forcibly erased by some kind of power, leaving behind an enormous sword scar.
At that moment, Zach thought of the scroll in the old clan chief’s hands, and the name they had used for this place.
“The Faceless God, Xolaani.”
Zach stared at the statue ahead.
For some reason, he felt as though the Ascended power inside his body was faintly stirring.
As Zach gazed at the statue, Taliyah said softly, “According to the clan chief, the Faceless God actually had another name.”
“Oh?” Zach looked at Taliyah curiously.
Taliyah said in a low voice, “The Ascended God-Warrior, Xolaani.”
“!”
Hearing Taliyah’s words, Zach raised an eyebrow.
Like Aatrox of the past, was she an Ascended of the ancient Shuriman Empire?
Taliyah was also gazing at Xolaani’s statue, her expression very solemn.
“The Ascended God-Warriors were the most powerful beings in the Shuriman Empire.
Unfortunately, Shurima hasn’t produced an Ascended God-Warrior in who knows how long.”
“Oh, right,” Taliyah added.
“It’s said that when Azir was resurrected, he inherited Ascended power and became an Ascended.
But that still doesn’t cover up the fact that he was a tyrant!”
Zach: “…”
As far as Zach knew, Azir was the final emperor of the Shuriman Empire, and he was also one of the rare wise rulers in Shuriman history who could stand alongside the founding empress, Setaka.
After the Void War, the Shuriman Empire had lost countless Ascended, and its national strength had suffered greatly.
It was Azir who took on the heavy burden of restoring the empire, allowing Shurima’s power to slowly recover.
It was just that later, he encountered a rotten bastard who loved scratching his head, and that was what led to the collapse of the Shuriman Empire.
But after thinking about it, Zach understood.
After all, aside from those Ascended who had lived for thousands of years, who else would know about these things?
Thinking of this, Zach could only say to Taliyah, “Taliyah, perhaps you could try learning more about Azir…”
“Shhh…”
Suddenly, the instant Zach finished speaking, his brows furrowed sharply, and Kai’Sa beside him tightly grabbed his arm.
Zach and Kai’Sa looked to their left at the same time.
There, the originally calm yellow sand had begun rippling like flowing water, as though something were moving beneath it.
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