Otherworldly Desert Dust-Chapter 476 - 431: The Patrol Enters the Territory of the Holy Sect

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On the vast expanse of the Gobi, brown Heavenly Pillars supported the dark cyan Sky Dome, providing a staggering visual shock to those travelers in the otherworldly realm; they were like soaring dragons ascending into the heavens.

"That's Storm Ancient Temple City. Their city walls are formed by energy storms, yet the space within the storms is unusually tranquil," said a team leader wearing a wind scarf.

"But these storms are constantly moving, reaching speeds of sixty kilometers per hour. Wouldn't all the buildings and people inside be tossed into the sky and shattered to pieces?" a wheat-skinned, one-eyed woman asked, puzzled.

"They've mastered a technology that allows them to predict the path of the storms, and their entire city utilizes the enormous power of these storms for engine propulsion. Even in times of war, they can ride these natural disasters right into the enemy camp. As a nomadic branch of Da Xuan, the storm citizens hold an esteemed position within the Cang Chu Divine Realm, commanding a level of respect from the Totem Sacred Land's Holy Cultivators..." the wind-scarfed leader continued.

"Thank you for guiding us thus far."

"No need for such formality; we're headed there ourselves..." the wind-scarfed leader replied.

"We never got to ask, where in Da Xuan are you from?"

"Oh, we're an inspection group from a canyon city, discussing friendly cooperation with the Holy Sect's Cultivators. Of course, we expect to stay in Storm Ancient Temple City for a while. You can go ahead. Perhaps we will meet again in Tongtian City after a few days," the wind-scarfed leader Tie Zheng said.

"Then we shall part ways. Here is a token of our gratitude. Please accept it," Fei Ying offered, presenting some mineral essence of Yuan You to Tie Zheng.

"You're too kind. I wish you a smooth journey. Also, I'm quite interested in the homeland you spoke of. If fate allows, please permit me to visit your homeland," Tie Zheng said.

"You are most welcome. It's just that our homeland has just relocated to Cang Chu and needs some time to eliminate surrounding threats. Once everything is settled..." Fei Ying kept a polite smile, realizing that divulging too much about their homeland might not be wise, and decided not to say more.

"Goodbye. We shall meet in Tongtian City."

"Goodbye."

Having bid farewell to the friendly otherworldly merchant caravan, Fei Ying, Qin Sheng, Zhuang Yuan, Bai Lang, and the others passed through the surging stormy land...

Upon reaching the edge of the storm's domain, the horizon suddenly unveiled an ancient city of divine appearance. Continuous palaces and splendid halls glittered like a forest of gold and jade, standing tall even under the cosmos's starry and moonlit sky, appearing as an infinite array of Jade Mountains and Silver Cities, where countless lights fused into shimmering golden streets—a magnificent sight!

"So this is Tongtian City... astounding! It feels as though it could accommodate all of us on Earth," exclaimed Fei Ying in wonder.

"It's as if we're navigating through the stars, arriving at a planet whose people, despite their retro civilization, have developed a power system far beyond our reach."

"In truth, after material conditions reach a certain baseline, many aspects of our so-called modern cities are mere bubble technologies," Qin Sheng offered his viewpoint. "Like someone slaving away in a big city, despite enjoying the conveniences brought by countless tech devices, still can't match the rich and extravagant lifestyle of ancient nobility—riding horses, picnicking, hunting, attending wine parties, flower picking, boating... We are enslaved by iterations of electronic screens. To aliens, we probably seem like laborers trapped in fake technological products."

"Captain, you haven't lost your way, have you? Lately, you've been viewing things from such a detached perspective. It's not necessarily good," Bai Lang asked.

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"Perhaps. I've been feeling a bit bewildered, especially since we've touched borders with the otherworldly realm. It's like we're connected to the universe, constantly iterating our thoughts, searching for a way of life that suits us. Sometimes, an uninvited thought pops up: does the Human Holy Realm we're searching for even exist?" Qin Sheng said.

"Haven't we already got a clear lead? Mingyi will surely retrieve the Human Holy Realm's Star Marker from the Demon Country. That's the third marker we've found so far. It's like archaeology; a single finding is questionable, but if relics excavated elsewhere corroborate previous findings, then it's proof that the Human Holy Realm truly exists. Even if these markers are now buried in the mighty civilization of the Human Clan's Ten Thousand Veins, we still have ways to gather information!" Fei Ying was unwavering in her belief in the Human Holy Realm.

"Star Marker... Star Marker... It's like we're aboard a spaceship, migrating across the stars in search of another planet similar to Earth. Only, our journey isn't through the dull expanse of the universe—instead, we encounter different forms of life, ecological invasions, interactions with various extraterrestrial species, and alien civilizations." As Qin Sheng gazed at the vastness of Tongtian City, he felt overwhelmed by a sense of insignificance.

"Perhaps you should return and adjust your mindset; you do seem a bit lost," Fei Ying said seriously.

"We all stepped forth as Desert Dust Life and cannot return using Yuan You. I'm fine. Maybe it's just my age that's involuntarily leading me to search for meaningless meanings. Let's go. We still have a mission to complete. Otherwise, once Mingyi brings back the Star Marker and sets our direction, our homeland might be too corroded to salvage," Qin Sheng said.

"Captain Qin, are you reminded of the Purple Robed Outer Heaven Guest who nearly dominated our entire globe, threatening to destroy our globally prized fighting clothes technology?" Bai Lang spoke up.

"Could you ever forget? Look at this Tongtian City. I've never seen a city many times larger than the Pacific Ocean. How many Purple Robed Outer Heaven Guests might reside within those palaces and Holy Halls? A mere marginal figure nearly drove us to extinction, and now we're practically in their lair. How could I not panic!" Qin Sheng took a fierce drag on his cigarette butt, exhaling thick melancholic smoke.

"We're no longer mere Patrol. With our current strength, we can easily overpower the Purple Robed Outer Heaven Guests. Back then, we had just stepped into the evolutionary stream, but now we've ascended in dimension. We're not just tadpoles in the otherworldly pond."

"Yeah, let's be optimistic, besides, we have some fellow villagers who have woken up in Tongtian City, right? With them looking out for us, there's no need to be so downhearted."

Everyone was comforting Captain Qin Sheng, but Fei Ying suddenly took out a small jar of Spring Spirit Yuan You and grabbed Captain Qin Sheng's chin, forcing the cool Yuan You Spring down his throat!

"Gurgle gurgle!"

After swallowing a big gulp of Ice Spring Yuan You, it took a while for Qin Sheng to catch his breath before he started coughing violently.

"Feeling better now?" Fei Ying asked coldly.

"Yes...much better," Qin Sheng answered between coughs.

"Why waste your breath on him? He's showing signs of getting lost, and at a time like this, you're still thinking about saving Yuan You?" Fei Ying said irritably.

"Oh, oh, it's mainly because Captain Qin has always been pretty resolute."

"No big deal, let's hit the road quickly. We need to find a foothold in Tongtian City as soon as possible, establish a wake-up anchor point here, and wake up more people, collecting the resources we need."

"This city is so big, seems like every day a large number of foreigners pour in. There should be a lot of Lost Ones, with very favorable wake-up conditions."

"It would be best if we could plant a Soul Tree so we can go back for a good cleanse. We've been wandering outside for too long, relying solely on Yuan You to sustain us isn't a solution, we're already running short for our own evolution."

"When we're in Tongtian City, don't be too timid when we face fundamental issues. If we need to clash with them, we clash with them. With our current average strength of Sixth Rank Life, along with the Da Xuan Equipment we control, those Holy Cultivators may not be our match," Fei Ying declared.

"Right, this Holy Cultivation Kingdom actually bullies the weak and fears the strong. They set up their sects among the other Human Clans, demanding offerings, but they don't dare tax the citizens of Da Xuan because they know if they tax Da Xuan, Da Xuan would really use technology to vaporize these Cultivators."

"Our technology is also evolving. We're moving towards the level of an average Desert Dust citizen..."

"Yeah, those Purple Robed Outer Heaven Guests now would probably get burnt to ashes by our Divine Barrier before they even pass through the atmosphere like a small meteorite!"

"Some information has been translated and sent down to us; the closest one to us is a compatriot named Xu Xia. He's a Deacon in Tongtian City and can provide us a relatively stable environment," Fei Ying conveyed.

"Do we have a specific location?"

"Yes, in the Lidian City Domain. It's filled with Red Pines, also known as the Red Pine Domain."

"That's good. Having someone to meet us is the best. Otherwise, we'd have to hand over a lot of valuable Yuan You to those local Human Clan officials during their patrols..." Qin Sheng said.

"What's the strength of this Xu Xia?" Zhuang Yuan inquired.

"Saint Child Realm; should be about the same as that Outer Heaven Guest in the purple robe from before," Fei Ying replied.

"Then in Tongtian City, he's just a small fry. Can we rely on him?" Zhuang Yuan expressed a hint of disdain, having assumed that the person meeting them would be someone who already had some status here.

"We don't have many people here who've awakened."

"After all, we are Navigators, humanity's Pioneers. They send us out here but didn't arrange for anyone close to our level to meet us. In the end, we still have to start everything from scratch here, making it hard to proceed with the work," Zhuang Yuan, already discontented with the long journey, grew even more upset upon learning their point of contact was of average strength.

"Stop complaining. With the conditions we're in now, isn't pioneering our daily routine as Navigators? Why else would we be running at the forefront of humanity's elite? Besides, we arrived in the Cang Chu Divine Realm earlier than the main forces, have more comprehensive information, and possess more advanced evolutionary thinking. It's not realistic for our fellow citizens to catch up with us," Qin Sheng said.

"Are we also among the first batch to have contact with high-dimensional life?"

"Zhuang Yuan, don't get too arrogant. Keep a low profile and do your work. In the land of the Holy Sect, even you, a high-dimensional life, had better tuck your tail and behave!" Fei Ying said, annoyed.

Zhuang Yuan, always full of himself, always felt the need to flaunt his superiority no matter where he went.

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