Chapter 965: Chapter 965

The towering sandstorm enveloped the sky, forming a massive wall of sand.

The four of them were dumbfounded; none had ever witnessed such a terrifying sandstorm.

"What should we do now?" Wang Zixuan turned to Lin Chen.

Such a ferocious sandstorm—they would surely meet their demise if caught within it.

Lin Chen glanced around. The surroundings stretched into an endless desert, with not even a single dune to take cover behind.

"Damn it!" Lin Chen cursed. He never imagined that upon entering the star domain, he'd be greeted with such a deadly "gift."

A thought flickered in Lin Chen's mind, and with incredible speed, he constructed a wooden shelter!

The four of them hurried inside the wooden structure. Wang Zixuan stared at Lin Chen in astonishment. "Lin Chen, just what is your elemental attribute? You're unbelievably amazing."

Lin Chen had already displayed gold and fire elemental abilities. Building a wooden shelter so swiftly clearly indicated he possessed wood as an attribute.

"Of course, your brother is a legendary prodigy," Lin Chen boasted with a smug grin.

Looking at the three beautiful women around him, Lin Chen couldn't help but entertain some inappropriate thoughts.

If he were in this wooden shelter with the three women...

However, the creaking sounds outside interrupted his fantasies—the wooden shelter seemed on the verge of being blown apart.

"Hey, is this wooden shelter even sturdy?" Wang Zixuan asked anxiously.

Lin Chen snapped out of his wandering thoughts and focused his mind again on reinforcing the wooden shelter with his abilities.

An hour later, the storm finally subsided.

Whew! Lin Chen let out a long sigh of relief as the sandstorm passed.

He tried pushing the door of the wooden shelter but it wouldn't budge—it was entirely blocked by sand.

Lin Chen sighed and said, "It seems there's no choice but to break the door open by force."

Just as he was about to take action, Zhao Xiaohua suggested, "I think you'd be better off opening it from the top."

Lin Chen nodded and launched a punch straight upward.

Wood splinters scattered and sand rained down as Lin Chen punched a large hole in the roof of the shelter.

The group climbed out of the wooden structure, secretly marveling at what they saw.

In less than an hour, the shelter had been completely buried in sand, leaving only its top exposed.

If not for Xiaohua's reminder, the punch would've failed to open the door and sand would have poured in, burying them alive.

Of course, the group also felt lucky that Lin Chen possessed wood elemental abilities. Otherwise, even if he were incredibly capable, surviving buried under seven or eight meters of sand would have been nearly impossible.

After the storm passed, the sky returned to its scorching heat.

Thankfully, the group had brought enough water and food to last several days in the desert.

The four of them pressed on, trekking for a full day and night until they finally spotted a blurry structure ahead.

As they approached, Lin Chen froze in shock—there was actually an inn here.

The inn had lights glowing within, indicating it was inhabited.

"This is way too bizarre. Could it be there are humans living in this star domain?"

Lin Chen knocked cautiously on the inn door, which suddenly swung open.

"Oh my! It's been ages since we've had guests. Please come in, come in!" The innkeeper's wife broke into a delighted smile upon seeing Lin Chen.

The innkeeper's wife was dressed in a flowing red gauze dress. Though in her forties, her curvaceous figure boasted ample charm where it counted. Her face was quite alluring, with only a single flaw—a large mole on the corner of her mouth.

Lin Chen and his companions stepped into the inn warily. The establishment wasn't large; its architecture retained the ancient layout of traditional inns.

Wooden tables, wooden chairs, and a faint fragrance filled the room.

"You four, have a seat. Er-Girl, brew some tea for our guests to warm them up," the innkeeper's wife beckoned enthusiastically.

Seated, Lin Chen and the others asked curiously, "Madam, where is this place?"

The innkeeper's wife smiled. "This is the Sea of Sand. You're fortunate to have stumbled upon our inn. The area within a hundred miles is completely desolate."

"Sea of Sand?" Lin Chen's expression flickered in surprise.

At that moment, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen walked in carrying a kettle.

The girl's appearance was equally fresh and charming, especially her sparkling, water-like eyes, which gleamed with intelligence.

The innkeeper's wife introduced herself with a laugh. "You can call me Gu Sanniang. This is my daughter, Ai Xiaoying. My husband, who does the cooking, is in the back. The three of us run this little inn to make a living."

Ai Xiaoying filled each of their cups with tea as she spoke.

Lin Chen took a sip of the tea and asked with a grin, "Madam Gu, are you able to make a living running an inn here?"

Gu Sanniang chuckled lightly. "Of course. Every four or five years, a group of guests shows up here, just like you."

"Oh? And then? What happens to them?" Lin Chen asked casually with a hint of a smile.

Gu Sanniang's gaze turned cold. "What do you mean by that?"

Lin Chen snorted. "If my guess is correct, this is a black inn. The guests who arrive here are all killed by you, aren't they?"

Hearing Lin Chen's words, Gu Sanniang's mouth twitched slightly but her face quickly adopted a playful expression.

"Well, well. I didn't expect to be found out. But so what? You've already drunk my Soul-Snatching Tea. In just moments, you'll all drop dead." Gu Sanniang sneered.

Lin Chen chuckled. "Before we die, can you at least let us understand why this is happening?"

Gu Sanniang snorted. "Fine. You must have jade tokens to enter the star domain, which are the sole keys to this realm. So you see..."

"So you plan to kill us for them?" Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.

"In the star domain, we can live forever, immune to aging and death. We've been operating this inn for a hundred years, waiting for you." Gu Sanniang smirked coldly.

"Ah, I see. If I'm not mistaken, there must've been others who came here before us. What happened to them?" Lin Chen asked chillingly.

"Oh, them? We didn't dare touch those people. But you're different. Haha, rest assured, after your deaths, I'll refine your bodies into Corpse Pills—they'll taste absolutely divine." As she spoke, Gu Sanniang's tongue shot out snake-like, aiming for Lin Chen's neck.

At the same time, the young girl flipped her wrist, casting out a web toward the rest of the group.

Lin Chen leaned back sharply, avoiding the attack just in time.

"Gross!" Lin Chen kicked out hard, his foot landing squarely on Gu Sanniang's stomach.

Gu Sanniang's body flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground.

Meanwhile, Zhao Xiaohua rushed forward and shattered the web aimed at her group, quickly restraining Ai Xiaoying.

"How is this possible? You've clearly drunk my tea—why aren't you affected?" Gu Sanniang stared at Lin Chen and the others in disbelief.

Lin Chen approached her slowly. "Apologies, but although the poison in your tea is colorless and tasteless, I happen to possess a special ability that lets me detect any toxin."

"Did you all pretend to drink my tea?" Gu Sanniang clutched her stomach as she stood up.

Lin Chen chuckled. "Congratulations, you guessed correctly."

At that moment, Gu Sanniang's face twisted into rage. "Husband, they're bullying me!"

"Boom!" Suddenly, a wall collapsed, and a burly figure wielding a knife stormed out with imposing aggression.