Otherworldly Desert Dust

The three of them could hardly mask their joy upon seeing the Mature Soul Tree. It wasn't that they feared hardship or difficulty, but rather the fear of returning empty-handed after investing time and effort.

"You've dug up all the Earth Evil Roots, and I have used them to nourish this remarkable tree," Wu Hen also spoke candidly.

Xu Xia was overjoyed. Only he knew that this Brother Wu Tian was one of their own, always supporting his kin, albeit not overtly so.

"We are willing to work like dogs and horses for Lord Wu," Fei Ying immediately said.

"Can you tell me now, how to deal with that Green-tailed God?" Wu Hen asked.

Fei Ying nodded without hesitation, no longer concealing the truth, and began to explain: "Based on our deductions, to prevent his Primordial Spirit from being locked by the Heavenly Tribulation, the Green-tailed God has sealed most of his Primordial Spirit Power in an ancient Divine Stone — known among the folk as the Night Blood Stone."

"This Night Blood Stone is quite special; it can block the Heavenly Dao's divinations and sever the causal connections of cultivation. Thus, whenever the heavenly punishment is imminent, the Green-tailed God disperses his power of the primordial spirit into these Night Blood Stones. For most Desert Dust Life, these stones are considered useless trinkets, but since they contain a small amount of Yuan You, they are collected by some, neither too valuable nor worthless. After a few hundred or thousand years, most of them are still held by the common folk and some lesser Cultivators…"

"This is also why, in recent years, there has been a resurgence of faith in worshiping the Green-tailed God amongst the people. Those who offered Night Blood Stones are essentially aiding the restoration of the Green-tailed God's Primordial Spirit, helping his power to recover. To get more people to worship and offer sacrifices to him, he would answer their wishes, making the people feel the Green-tailed God's Manifestation, a True God; this belief then spreads from ten to a hundred, and his worshippers multiply," Fei Ying logically explained the schemes played by the Green-tailed God amongst the folk.

Wu Hen did not interrupt her narrative because she mentioned something crucial.

The Night Blood Stone represents his Primordial Spirit Power. The more the people worship, the more powerful the energy he could reclaim. The Nine-tailed God that he had seen; if he could gather the scattered Primordial Spirit Power of nine generations among the people, then he would stand at a height that would make the entire Holy State tremble!

Such a barbaric big shot indeed. Just listening to Fei Ying describing his method of cultivation made it feel like, if he continued on this path, he would become the sovereign of this Cosmic Primordial era sooner or later.

"If he's already been injured by Lord Wu Tian, then he will desperately draw from the Night Blood Stones in the Temples around Tongtian City to recover his strength," Fei Ying continued. "In fact, during our investigation, we noticed a group of faithful devotees of the Green-tailed God transporting Night Blood Stones collected from the Cang Chu Divine Realm outside Tongtian City. Once these stones are offered in his temples, they could elevate him to new heights…"

"That's great, you have investigated thoroughly," Wu Hen nodded, quite satisfied with the performance of this outsourced team.

As expected of navigators, their ability to handle matters was exceptional, honed after years of ordeal in the Otherworldly Desert Dust, including Li Feng, who also praised the navigators for going beyond the surface to find the root and truth of the Barbaric Land Erosion issue. It wasn't easy to uncover the essence behind appearances, it seems they were gradually understanding the various laws of Otherworldly Desert Dust, learning to see the essence through the facade.

"Another member of our team is already keeping an eye on the followers of the Green-tailed God. If Lord Wu Tian indeed decides to subdue this Green-tailed God, we can split into two groups. We'll intercept those Night Blood Stones offered to him and switch them with Thunder Sting Stones, which he fears most, causing him damage no less severe than a Heavenly Tribulation," Fei Ying proposed.

Hearing this, Wu Hen's eyes lit up.

That's exactly what he needed!

If he could peel off a layer of the Green-tailed God, he could confront him even without drawing his sword.

But his own time was also very limited.

Once the Green-tailed God fully digests Jiang Heng's flesh and soul, and gains a lot of his past life's Primordial Spirit Power, even if he draws his sword, it would become difficult to slay him.

He must act tonight!

If Fei Ying didn't have any valuable clues, Wu Hen would have chosen to give up.

"Thunder Sting Stone... You've got quite the idea. Once the task is achieved, I will return this Mature Wood to you and help you find a method to awaken the Totem Bloodline for cultivation," Wu Hen could no longer be stingy, given that his old teammates were so effective, he had to offer something equally tempting.

"A method to awaken the Totem Bloodline?" Qin Sheng was visibly excited at the mention.

This was the Evolution Chain Gate!

There were still many in the homeland who had not undergone Spirit Awakening, but that didn't mean their genes were locked. Perhaps they simply hadn't found the right evolutionary path. If they could get the method for awakening the Totem Bloodline, the homeland would have many more Holy Cultivators, becoming beings with Combat Power that was quite strong even in the Cang Chu Divine Realm.

"Is that true?" Fei Ying fixated her gaze on Wu Hen.

"My junior brother never breaks his promise," Qingxi said.

Whether it was just a pie in the sky or not, Fei Ying and the others were willing to try. If they could bring back the method of awakening the Totem Bloodline for Holy Cultivation, it would be akin to acquiring an Otherworldly Scripture. It could lead to a collective evolution of humanity. Suppose there were indeed cultivation prodigies among humans; in a few years, they might become Cultivation Emperors. No longer would they need to suffer under the High-class Human Clan's feet in future encounters; they could negotiate with dignity.

"Good, we will certainly accomplish this mission!" Fei Ying declared decisively.

Wu Hen was very satisfied; he never expected that an unintentional act would actually bring such great assistance to his hunting path.

Indeed, in this world, one must rely on power and background. Going solo and acting like a lone wolf only suits those who believe their fate is in their own hands, not dictated by the heavens.

...

Qin Sheng, Fei Ying, and Zhuang Yuan left the mansion.

Qin Sheng had not walked far when he couldn't help looking back at the glittering golden gates, hesitating for a moment before he couldn't refrain from asking Xu Xia, "Xu Xia, be honest with us, is this Lord Wu Tian one of our own?"

Xu Xia was stunned for a moment, remembered Wu Hen's instructions, and immediately shook his head, but blurted out, "I don't know."

"It's not likely, we know all the bigwigs from the Human Clan who are the Frontiers in the Cang Chu Divine Realm; there's no such person." Zhuang Yuan said.

"Could it be a junior then? It's said that there are many peerless geniuses among the younger generation who have already achieved a very high level of evolution in the otherworldly realm. They mostly keep a low profile, only showing themselves when Nuwa Divine Realm is in danger," Qin Sheng analyzed.

"That's even more impossible. We were among the first to come into contact with Otherworldly Dust, and we've been surviving in the Cang Chu Divine Realm for many more years than they have. We may only have a small status in the Cang Chu Divine Realm, but in our Divine Realm, we are definitely far ahead. I think that man is not one of our kin, he is a local powerhouse from this Holy Sect..." Zhuang Yuan said with confidence.

Xu Xia, on the side, remained silent.

He was actually curious about what status Brother Wu Tian really held, how even that Female Ming Venerable listened to him. It felt like his claim of being able to obtain the method for awakening Bloodline wasn't a pipe dream; he truly had the ability.

"What he is doesn't need to be our concern for now. In any case, he currently stands on our side. We are of value to him, and he is of value to us. Let's cooperate well," Fei Ying said.

"Should we hold back in some way, preferably controlling the situation when he and the Green-tailed God are fighting?" Zhuang Yuan suggested.

"Absolutely not!" At this point, Xu Xia immediately said.

"Why are you so nervous? In this otherworldly realm, there are no absolute friends; as the junior, you must understand that!" Zhuang Yuan said.

"No sneaky tricks. While Fei Ying was reporting the situation, I was observing the Female Ming Venerable and this Wu Tian. It was apparent that the Female Ming Venerable respects him greatly, and his status is definitely above hers. When dealing with such a mysterious big shot, if we harbored insincerity, the outcome would surely be even worse," Qin Sheng immediately prevented Zhuang Yuan from getting clever ideas.

"But if we don't keep something to ourselves, what if he doesn't give us anything in the end?" Zhuang Yuan said.

"For now, at least, all the signals he's released are well-intentioned, and the Soul Nesting Wood has been nourished by him to become Mature Wood. Keep in mind that both the No. 1 and No. 2 Soul Trees are still far from becoming Mature Wood—a task that many of our kin have struggled with for months, not matching up to his single-handed effectiveness," Qin Sheng said.

"Alright, I'll listen to you all," Zhuang Yuan, unable to convince his teammates, gave up the idea.

"Let's split up. Later, Xu Xia and I will lead some kin and follow Lord Wu Tian into the Desolate Erosion City, while you and Bai Lang deal with those followers of the Green-tailed God," Fei Ying said.

"Isn't that too dangerous? That's the Green-tailed God we're dealing with, shouldn't we be prepared for support instead of going to the main battlefield?" Qin Sheng said.

"Zhuang Yuan's concerns are not unreasonable; we still need to have someone follow along, so that even in case of emergencies, we can adjust accordingly after. Don't worry, I can protect myself, and I won't let that guy use me as cannon fodder," Fei Ying said.

"Don't worry, I'm here too," Xu Xia said.

...

In Desolate Erosion City, a thick fog pervaded a vast area, concealing all the undercurrents. Even if someone in the sky noticed something amiss in Tongtian City, not a single Holy God was willing to wade into these muddy waters.

Wu Hen arrived at the edge of the poisonous mist, Wei Gu, the increasingly robust old craftsman, had become very familiar with the barbaric environment. He took the lead and released some Wind Absorption Worms to devour all the poisonous mist around, carving out a path with fresh air.

"Are you sure you want to come along?" Wu Hen glanced at Fei Ying and Xu Xia, asking somewhat surprisingly.

"We'd like to do our part as well," Xu Xia said with a smile.

"Good, then. Those Yin Soldiers are undying, and will cause trouble for me during my battle with the Green-tailed God. It's better for you to take care of them," Wu Hen nodded.

"I thought we had found an empty ancient tomb before, not expecting the tomb's owner to have run out himself. This ancient tomb of the Green-tailed God follows the same geomancy, I know where he is hiding." After Wei Gu returned to his old profession, his whole being seemed rejuvenated; nowhere did he look like someone halfway in the grave but rather a strong and vigorous man. Now, his legs were completely healthy, his steps swift as the wind.

Wu Hen also shook his head with a smile, it seemed that Wei Gu was born to indulge in these deeds that diminish one's Yin De!