The Desert of Despair was located at the border of the Western Desert, joined with the Southern Wasteland. It was extremely large, having a size comparable to tens of regions. As far as the eye could see, sand was everywhere. Dust filled the air, and visibility was low.

In the sky, the sun shone upon the desert, making the sand scalding. The temperature in the desert was much higher than the temperature of other places, and some rarely seen beasts resided in the desert. At any moment, a beast could kill a person.

Those losing their way in this desert would sink into endless despair with little chance of survival. The Overlord Legion had just arrived at the border of the Desert of Despair through a teleportation formation.

The disciples were filled with excitement as they looked at the seemingly boundless desert before them. This was the first time many of them were seeing a desert this big. An urge to conquer the place rose within them.

However, Xiang Shaoyun was in no rush to move out immediately. He had them settle down at the town to gather more information about the desert before doing anything else. The town was known as Desert Sea Town, and it was also the nearest supply station on this side of the desert. The town did not have a lot of residents, and life was difficult here.

There had been a decent number of towns nearby, but as those towns had been slowly overrun by the desert over the years, they were now buried under the sand. Many people were forced to migrate, while those unwilling to leave the place they were born stayed in Desert Sea Town. After the desert swallowed this town as well, they would most probably be forced to migrate. 

The moment the Overlord Legion entered the town, they were surrounded by beggars.

"Kind lords, please beseech me with some food. It has been several days since I last ate anything."

"Dear kind visitors, please bestow upon me some food and water. I am going to starve to death soon."

...

As the disciples looked at the poor residents, their kindness was triggered. They prepared to donate some food and drinks. However, Zhuge Zhantian mercilessly stopped them. Some of them were unhappy and started arguing, claiming that Zhuge Zhantian was too cold.

To their surprise, Ouyang Chuanqi backed up Zhuge Zhantian. "Butler Zhuge is right. We are entering the Desert of Despair soon. We don't know what will happen to us then. We need to ensure we have enough food and water. Otherwise, anyone separated from the main group will probably end up like them, not having any food and water, suffering the fate of death from hunger or thirst."

Due to Ouyang Chuanqi's prestige, the moment he voiced his opinion, the others no longer dared to say anything.

"Ok, let's look for a place to sit down and ask around before entering the desert," said Xiang Shaoyun.

They then headed for the best restaurant in town. Of course, even the best restaurant looked incomparably shabby compared to the restaurants of other places. The restaurant was a building constructed with earth. There were no windows, making it stifling to be inside. It was dirty and small, not able to fit even 100 customers.

Left with no choice, the Overlord Legion members had to leave and look for a different place they could hold a discussion.

At this time, a young man stepped forth and said, "Overlord, we don't have to look for a place. We only need to announce that we are looking for someone who knows the desert well, offering some rewards for information. There won't be a lack of people coming to tell us about the desert."

"Good idea. You'll be in charge of carrying it out," said Xiang Shaoyun. "What is your name?"

The young man had soft facial features, looking only about 15 years old. He wore a light blue martial outfit with a helmet that looked like a tortoise shell. When he smiled, two dimples formed on his cheeks, making him look rather adorable.

As there were too many members in the Overlord Legion, it was hard for Xiang Shaoyun to remember everyone. After this young man volunteered an idea, he left a deep impression on Xiang Shaoyun.

"Overlord, I am Pan Yun, a new member," said the young man with a bashful look.

"Good. Everyone else, feel free to propose any suggestions you have like Pan Yun as well. We are a big family, and we need everyone's effort to grow strong together," said Xiang Shaoyun.

He could sense an unusual aura from Pan Yun, and he was sure there was more to Pan Yun than being a mere second-stage Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. Naturally, there were definitely a considerable number of disciples pretending to be weak in the academy. Thus, it was always hard to see which of the disciples were the stronger ones.

Bringing a few people with him, Pan Yun traveled around the town, spreading the news that they were looking for people familiar with the desert. The moment the news spread, a large number of people came forward, each claiming to know the desert well.

Pan Yun and his group were quickly surrounded, the environment becoming clamorous. Fortunately, Pan Yun was quick-witted, and he listed several requirements. Only those who met the requirements could stay, and those who refused to listen would not be shown mercy.

This carrot and stick approach worked well. Soon, those who only wanted to take advantage of the situation left, leaving only three people behind. The three were cultivators as well, two men and one woman. One was an Emperor, while the other two were Kings.

They were dressed in local costumes, and it was obvious they were probably locals. Pan Yun brought them back to Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Overlord, these three know the desert very well. You may ask them any questions you have."

Xiang Shaoyun nodded with a satisfied look. He gazed at the three and asked, "Do you know which direction will be the most dangerous to travel? For example, territories of beasts, bandits, and so on. Tell me what you know. We won't mistreat you." 

Having said that, Xiang Shaoyun took out something rather valuable and waved it before them. Their eyes seemed to shine as they quickly started saying all they knew. They were barely keeping anything back.

Through the three, the Overlord Legion members obtained a deeper understanding of the Desert of Despair. The scorn they had of the desert before was all gone. Initially, they assumed that eliminating 3,000 bandits would be a breeze. But from what the three had said, these bandits were actually backed by Soul Foundation Realm experts! Just that alone was enough to make them feel helpless.

They started fearing they would actually encounter an enemy with that cultivation level. They would not be able to reap any benefits from such opponents.