Otherworldly Desert Dust

Zhuo Feng's eyes were clouded with a mix of clarity and darkness, clearly hesitating in his heart.

The world is vast, and often those who die quickest are those who believe themselves invincible after their cultivation, thinking they control the life and death of all, and therefore do not restrain themselves.

Intuition told Zhuo Feng that the young man was not easy to provoke, and he had also expended a great amount of Essence Qi in dealing with Jiang Heng, so continuing the fight might not be to his advantage.

In the end, Zhuo Feng's reason triumphed over the surging blood within him, and he watched as the two figures departed.

The Barbaric Poison Fog began to spread. Since his true form had been revealed, this eroded Barbaric land was the perfect fortress, like a vast forest. Hiding within it, even those from the Holy State would find it difficult to locate him. Slowly, he could absorb the Primordial Power he had obtained from Jiang Heng.

"You all form a line here; I need to meditate. Kill anyone who approaches without exception!" Zhuo Feng commanded the tide-like Barbaric Yin Soldiers.

After speaking, Zhuo Feng stepped into an area swirling with light and mist, where the shape of an ancient tomb faintly emerged. He entered the tomb and began to refine the blood and flesh sacred soul and Inner Core Cultivation of Jiang Heng.

...

Wu Hen and Qingxi had left the Land of Miasma Poison.

Qingxi hoped to return to the clouds as soon as possible to inform the old ancestors of the Holy State.

However, Wu Hen shook his head and said, "Those old vultures of the Holy State never truly swoop down to the ground to fight ferocious beasts. Do not expect them to take action just because a Jiang Heng died. Zhuo Feng is also someone they dare not provoke easily, especially now that he's hidden within the Barbaric Fog. It would be difficult to find him."

"What should we do now?" Qingxi was somewhat unsure.

"I will find those high-level folk masters to see if they have any clues. They had already discovered an important piece of information before, and by now they should have unearthed even more," Wu Hen said.

"Junior brother, you seem to have no intention of giving up?" Qingxi remarked.

"I've already boiled a few pots of water; how could I let the ingredients escape? Whoever swallows my ingredient, I'll stew them. Whether I can raise my cultivation to the Holy Origin all depends on whether this pans out," Wu Hen pronounced.

"Then why didn't you make a move just now? He had clearly just fought with Jiang Heng and hadn't fully recovered his Qi."

"If he had some spell to recover his Essence Qi, killing Jiang Heng would have left him fully revitalized. If he didn't, he wouldn't have recovered much in this short time, which wouldn't affect the situation overall. The key is to know what kind of creature he is and how he can be dealt with," Wu Hen explained.

"You've always handled matters with a cool head, junior brother. I was already in a panic just now, but you had already thought of various countermeasures."

...

Wu Hen went to the residence he previously stayed at and summoned the outsourced team.

He had promised to return the Soul Nesting Wood, and Fei Ying and the others became exceptionally eager, activating all their kin in Tongtian City to gather information on the Barbaric Land Erosion. It seemed they had made a significant discovery, having previously instructed Xu Xia to contact him.

Wu Hen disguised his appearance and then appeared in the hall with Qingxi.

Fei Ying, Qin Sheng, and Zhuang Yuan were already in the hall. Guan Quming had already issued criticism of their team's actions. As human frontiers and navigators, making such a fatal mistake deeply disappointed Guan Quming.

Guan Quming also gave a final ultimatum—if they failed to retrieve the Soul Nesting Wood, their blessing qualifications would be revoked.

With the supplementation from Nuwa God End's Yuan You, the blessing ability of Nuwa Yan could now nurture Seventh-rank Life, which was a very tempting opportunity for all navigators.

Consequently, the team had been particularly diligent lately, no longer merely cleaning the Barbaric Land Erosion like manual laborers, but using the information gathered to analyze the source.

With critical clues in hand, the team was eager to come here, hoping for an audience with their leader.

"This is Qingxi Mingzun," Xu Xia introduced.

Fei Ying and Qin Sheng promptly saluted, while Zhuang Yuan stood there stunned for a moment before finally bowing his head.

"It's you." Mingxi immediately recognized this foreign thief whom she had injured.

"Back then I did not realize I was in the presence of greatness. I have offended greatly, please forgive me, Venerable," Zhuang Yuan said, even with his pride, he had to kneel.

Qingxi did not respond, simply directing her gaze toward Wu Hen, seeking his opinion.

Wu Hen waved his hand, signaling for them all to rise.

Now was not the time to reminisce with this small team; he needed to see what important clues this navigator had brought back, especially since this matter was also related to the mastermind behind the Barbaric Land Erosion, the Green-tailed God.

"Just now, we encountered the legendary Green-tailed God," Wu Hen said straightforwardly. "He is indeed the chief culprit behind the Barbaric Land Erosion, but he conceals himself very deeply, moving within Tongtian City as a mere mortal Cultivator. Since you have set foot in so many Barbaric Divine Tombs, I wonder if you have found anything about him in those ancient ruins, ideally his Divine Skills."

Fei Ying, Qin Sheng, and Zhuang Yuan were still curiously sizing up this Holy Sect Venerable, feeling a familiar sense about him. Yet seeing this Venerable standing in the center, with the unsurpassable Qingxi Mingzun appearing like an assistant, left them even more astonished. What level of figure was he within the Cloud Holy Country?

Xu Xia was the most extremely surprised, his eyes darting around. He distinctly remembered Wu Tian saying that he would bow and scrape before Qingxi Mingzun, so how could it be that in such a short time, Qingxi had become his underling?

"Indeed, we previously reported to Lord Wu Tian that the townsfolk worship the Green-tailed God with a type of Night Blood Stone. According to the folk legends we've gathered and the depictions on ancient burial artifacts, we have confirmed that this Green-tailed God is actually a Barbaric Strange God, the Nine-tailed Fox..." Xu Xia had prepared an early report and immediately continued.

"Nine-tailed Fox?" Wu Hen lifted an eyelid, glanced at the white fur lion hat on his own head, wanted to hear what Bai Ze had to say but then noticed Bai Ze had started to snore. "Continue."

"The townspeople call him the Green-tailed God, both demon and Divine; and for ages in temples across various towns and countryside, clay figures of the Green-tailed God have been offered. It's said that the Green-tailed God must endure nine Heavenly Tribulations, gaining a tail with each one, since he started his Cultivation as half-demon, half-human. Therefore, he might roam the Barbaric Land or mingle among the mortals. At the same time, he belongs to the temple gods who are difficult to classify in terms of good and evil, representing both righteousness and malevolence..." Xu Xia explained.

Wu Hen's eyebrows rose in surprise, as he hadn't expected them to have investigated so thoroughly.

That was just fine, to know oneself and one's enemy. This would be favorable for capturing this demon.

"Continue," Wu Hen said.

"The Ancient Divine Tomb we previously found is actually the resting place of the Green-tailed God, and the one who lay in the empty coffin was him. It's uncertain whether he has traveled from Ancient times to the present or whether he's been half-dead all along, surfacing in the mortal world periodically. In any case, his traces have always been sporadically recorded among the common folk, and temples to him rise and fall over time..."

"One elderly gentleman Wei Gu knows shared some insights: the Green-tailed God has been stealthily cultivating Heavenly Dao. The true Heavenly Tribulations he must cross are incredibly difficult, especially since gaining an additional tail with each tribulation..."

"Therefore, the Green-tailed God has adopted a sort of reincarnation method. Once facing a Heavenly Tribulation, he saves his Primordial Spirit in the Divine Tomb, and his flesh reincarnates into a human. Once that person grows up and enters the path of Cultivation, the sealed memories slowly awaken, and then he locates his Primordial Spirit sealed in the Divine Tomb. With the human and spirit united, it's as if he's withstood a Heavenly Tribulation, and the number of his tails increases."

Wu Hen, after listening, was also quietly astounded.

This Green-tailed God really had quite the background; why did it seem like he had the strong script of a main male character, with golden fingers, main storylines, forbearance, rising up, and the indispensable ability to play the pig to eat the tiger!

"Moreover, with each additional tail, he also gains an extra life; even if he encounters a natural enemy during Cultivation or is annihilated by a Heavenly Tribulation, he will not die, just reincarnate with one less tail," Wei Gu added.

"Alright, alright, so he's that incredible," Wu Hen offhandedly remarked.

Fei Ying and Qin Sheng's eyes flashed, both secretly amazed; the local slang had finally made its way to this Holy Cultivation Land, even such prominent figures were using it unconsciously?

"This Green-tailed God is indeed a great power; it seems the teacher must have had a hint of this, hence she ordered me to investigate and manage. We should wait for the teacher's return and leave it to her to handle," Qingxi realized they had run into a bigwig from the Barbaric Land.

Wu Hen, however, was unimpressed.

As for the bigwigs of the Barbaric Land, he only recognized the Female and Male Dragon; nothing else caught his eye.

"So you've been busy for so long, only to clear up the background of this Green-tailed God. Is there nothing else more valuable? I've already fought him. He was injured by me and has hidden in the miasmic Barbaric Land maze, guarded by an army of Yin Soldiers. I do not wish to let him go. If you cannot produce anything more useful, then don't even think about getting that sapling back," Wu Hen unreservedly pressured the navigator team.

Being navigators, they couldn't be limited to such abilities.

Besides, these fellows had been his forerunners on the path of otherworldly exploration; having evolved to such a height, it was impossible for them to have survived to this point, entering the Cang Chu Divine Realm even earlier than him, to be merely menial laborers.

"Lord Wu Tian, I'm sure you have been strategizing against this Green-tailed God all along, hence why you had us constantly managing the Barbaric Land Erosion. In fact, we have made significant discoveries..." At this point, Fei Ying looked up and spoke earnestly.

"You want to bargain with me?" said Wu Hen.

"No, we just need a confirmation. If we truly can help you against this Green-tailed God, please be sure to return the sapling we need," said Fei Ying.

Wu Hen inwardly rejoiced.

Not bad for Mingyi's old team, aside from Zhuang Yuan, none were useless.

"Well, there are no saplings..." Wu Hen spoke without changing his expression.

This statement shifted the expressions of Fei Ying, Qin Sheng, and Zhuang Yuan, with Fei Ying's lips even quivering slightly. Those Soul Nesting Wood saplings were obtained at the cost of many navigators' lives.

"But there is one Mature Wood," Wu Hen said, opening his hand slowly, a stream of light beginning to flicker within his palm, reflecting an almost Mature Soul Nesting Wood. "You work for me, and I won't let you down."