Shangyuque

Chapter 297 Old Luo, where have you been working for me? (1.2 views, please vote)
Dry!
Dry.

However, when the Jade Palace Immortal was kicked into this world by that shameless, immoral, and inhuman dog Rakshasa, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

This place is extremely dry.

After being kicked into the Great World by Rakshasa, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable was located above a crimson desert.

He stood in the air, his divine sense spreading out, radiating for two hundred miles.

The landscape before me was entirely desolate.

Even places with deep valleys, secluded spots, and overgrown with wild grasses are few and far between.

The dry air seemed to be evaporating everything in this world.

After carefully sensing the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, the Jade Palace Immortal's face turned ashen.

It possesses great spiritual energy, with three parts fire, three parts metal, three parts earth, and one part wood.

You asked where the water elemental energy went?
One percent!

Even with the level of a Celestial Venerable, searching and exploring, one could only find a little bit of wood-attribute spiritual energy and a tiny bit of water-attribute spiritual energy amidst the abundant metal, earth, and fire spiritual energy.

The Jade Palace Immortal Venerable has roamed the vast world for a hundred years and has never encountered such an extreme environment.

He was also a Golden Core Immortal Venerable who had attained the Dao Fruit, so of course he could sense the essence of the Great Dao between heaven and earth.

Not to mention that the innate water quality of this world has declined to a point that would surprise even Rakshasa.

Jade Palace Immortal Venerable attained enlightenment through water cultivation. Although Gui water is the weakest form of water, combined with the unique nature of the Immortal Venerable's cultivation path, his strength was sometimes slightly insufficient.

However, this cultivation of water magic, and the resulting sensitivity to the Great Dao of Water, will remain effective even in a different world.

Sensing that the innate water element of this world was weakening like a lamp about to be extinguished, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's hatred for Rakshasa reached its peak in an instant.

Yes, this is a training opportunity for me.

Yes, I'm here to refine my jade so that I can achieve great things.

But you've chosen such a terrible world, and now you're sending a water-based mechanic like me to suffer? Isn't that just plain evil?

The King of Anbei, whose family has inherited the Wood Law for a thousand years, attained enlightenment in the Jade Palace and became the most revered of the Gui Water.

As a result, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable was placed by Rakshasa into a world where wood spirits were absent and water spirits were almost nonexistent.

"What a top genius who emerged from the most brutal cultivation world! Old Luo, Old Luo, you're really good."

Gritting his teeth, he cursed the Rakshasa who was secretly trying to flatter him. Jade Palace Immortal Venerable dared not linger in the air any longer and immediately used earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique in Chinese fantasy novels) to burrow directly into the ground.

There was nothing he could do; the oppression and hostility from this world towards him had reached a point where it seemed almost tangible.

As a nobody from out of town, and a Golden Core Immortal, Wang Yulou's prominence in this world was comparable to that of an Anhui native drinking Mixue Ice Cream under the Oriental Pearl Tower.

If we don't run now, the world is about to cleave itself in two!

Moreover, staying in mid-air would be too conspicuous. After all, there are Golden Core level beings in this world. Jade Palace Immortal Venerable is unfamiliar with this place, so he must keep a low profile when necessary.

A true man is one who can bend and stretch.

Deep underground, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable took out the invisibility talisman given to him by Old Luo, and cursed as he used it.

"You damned Rakshasa, I'll drag you over there to breed with Qingrui someday!"

This is the cruelest curse that the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable could think of.

As a top-tier Golden Core cultivator with experience in navigating the void and exploring other worlds, the concealment talisman that Lao Luo designed for Jade Palace Immortal Venerable may have a lame name, but it is actually a high-quality spiritual treasure.

Its shape is a sphere, which looks grayish and lacks any spiritual light, but it contains extremely exquisite and wonderful methods.

The Jade Palace Immortal Venerable merely activated the treasure talisman, and the pressure from this world on him immediately lessened considerably.

But the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable could feel the heavy sense of threat weighing on his heart.

This is what Rakshasa meant when he said he had to gradually transform the magical power he cultivated in the Great Heaven and Earth into the magical power of this world in order to avoid the initial 'rejection reaction'.

The reason for not bringing the Crimson Lamp is this: a celestial artifact like the Crimson Lamp cannot convert cultivation and magical power like a cultivator, so it cannot avoid being struck by lightning.

Hiding hundreds of feet underground, with the activated invisibility talisman in his hand, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's expression remained extremely grim.

“The land is entirely red, and the water is not visible, so let’s call it the Red Sand Boundary.”

But why won't the tribulation clouds of the Crimson Sand Realm, which are targeting me, dissipate?

It turns out that the rejection reaction of the Crimson Sand Realm towards Jade Palace Immortal Venerable did not disappear despite the activation of the Concealment Talisman.

The calamity clouds in the sky were still gathering, but the speed at which they gathered had changed from rapidly to slowly.

Surviving the tribulation is not difficult, really not difficult, at least not so difficult for the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable at present.

The problem is that heavenly tribulations are easy to overcome, but human tribulations are difficult to survive.

Countless peak Purple Mansion cultivators in the vast world died from the tribulations brought about by the tribulations of enlightenment.

Now that Jade Palace Immortal Venerable has just entered the Crimson Sand Realm, the tribulation lightning gathering in the sky is like a kind of advertisement, targeting the other Golden Core cultivators in the Crimson Sand Realm.

Quick, there's something wrong here. Maybe someone is undergoing tribulation. Come and have a bite.

If Jade Palace Immortal Venerable were given several hundred years to develop, even if the local Golden Core cultivators were impolite, they wouldn't amount to much. Jade Palace Immortal Venerable was confident he could break through their defenses.

The contrast between Rakshasa's high praise and the current situation is quite striking, which is very unsettling. However, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable is indeed a peerless genius who emerged from the most brutal cultivation world—his prestige is beyond doubt.

Those who say that Jade Palace Immortal Venerable only knows how to fight among himself cannot understand that the essence of cultivation is to pursue the fastest efficiency. When fighting among himself cannot bring Jade Palace Immortal Venerable the absolute fastest efficiency, he will of course choose to work hard to improve his own combat strength.

In this situation, given his talent and aptitude, even if he cannot instantly reach the first-class level, he will at least be at the level of a prodigy.

"No, we can't delay any longer."

The Jade Palace Immortal Venerable made up his mind that he had to immediately disperse his power.

If he doesn't disperse his power soon, the Purple Mansion and Golden Core of the Crimson Sand Realm that have gathered due to the celestial tribulation will bring him great trouble.

"However, the Concealment Talisman is, after all, a secret treasure of the Rakshasa, capable of deceiving even the heavens. If I begin the transformation on the spot, I should not be discovered."

"If you think of something, just do it," Xiao Wang had confidence in Lao Luo.

You can say that Luo Yonghao is not human, but if you say that Luo Yonghao is weak or stupid, then you seem to be underestimating the Jade Palace Immortal and the heroes of the world.

Under the radiance of the Concealing Talisman, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's cultivation level rapidly declined from the Golden Core stage.

As someone who has partially mastered the profound and mysterious water magic of the Great Dao of Acquired Water, even in a world like the Crimson Sand Realm where water magic is declining, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable can still use the wonders of water magic.

He used the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Water Refining Method of the Mysterious Water Dao to gradually transform these spiritual waters into mysterious water. The waters that could not be transformed into mysterious water were collected in jade bottles.

These are all provisions; they should not be wasted.

Initial stage of Golden Core, peak stage of Purple Mansion, late stage of Purple Mansion, mid stage of Purple Mansion, early stage of Purple Mansion, peak stage of Foundation Establishment, late stage of Foundation Establishment, mid stage of Foundation Establishment, early stage of Foundation Establishment, peak stage of Qi Refining.
Ultimately, it didn't hit rock bottom.

Jade Palace Immortal Venerable was no fool. After reaching the Qi Refining stage, the sense of urgency in his heart almost disappeared. So, he stopped the movement of dispersing his energy.

The Crimson Sand Realm will reject Golden Core cultivators from other worlds, but it won't pay attention to a mere Qi Refining cultivator.

As he felt his wondrous powers gradually dissipating, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable felt as if he were being trapped in a cage once more.

Attaining enlightenment and realizing the Golden Elixir is not merely an improvement in cultivation level; it is a crucial step in an individual's transcendence.

After becoming a Golden Core cultivator, one is surrounded by smiling faces, but this is merely a glimpse into the changing status in the cultivation world. The real focus is on individual freedom and transcendence.

With the Golden Core cultivation level in his body, the world that Jade Palace Immortal Venerable felt was extremely stressful and repulsive. However, because of his cultivation level, this stress and repulsion could be resisted, countered, and resolved.

In reality, it was a kind of true freedom that was almost an extreme sense of ease and liberation.

You can freely explore the great principles of heaven and earth, and achieve great things through numerous wondrous methods. Free yourself from the constraints and do far too many things to your heart's content.

Without the cultivation of the Golden Core, the Great Dao became obscure once more, the blessing of wondrous methods was almost nonexistent, and heaven and earth once again became a cage.
But the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable smiled.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Why are you laughing?

Because, from the idea of ​​being trapped in a cage, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable thought of many, many things.

For example, the vast天地 (heaven and earth) is the real prison, with jailers arranged from top to bottom: Bifang and Winnowing Basket.
The Immortal Alliance is also a cage, with jailers arranged from top to bottom: Water Venerable and Rakshasa.
The fourth faction is also a cage, with Rakshasa as the jailer. The support of Jin Guyuan, Niu Mo, and others for Jade Palace Immortal Venerable is based on the expectation that Jade Palace Immortal Venerable will serve as a slave for the faction.

Those dreadful old Dengs, having attained enlightenment long ago, stand at the highest point, controlling the end of all change.

Despite seemingly doing nothing, Shui Zun managed to secure the largest share of the profits through just a few actions, amidst Qing Rui's reform process, Yu Que's suicidal charge, the despair and decline of the Immortal Realm, and the collective loyalty of the Fourth Faction.

No matter how you change, I will remain steadfast. If I am destined to win, I will win without doing anything!
In the vast world, within the Immortal Alliance or other forces, and in any faction, when has Jade Palace Immortal Venerable truly broken free from the cage formed by the old men?

No, cultivators in the Qi Refining stage despise the laws of heaven and earth that restrict cultivation, but the real culprits are that small group of old men standing high in the sky.

If the dissipation of cultivation from the Golden Core stage to the Qi Refining stage was something Jade Palace Immortal Venerable had to do under the pressure of the Crimson Sand Realm, actively re-entering the cage of cultivation.

So, escape from the vast world, escape from the cruelest world of cultivation.

Cultivating oneself in a less stressful environment and strengthening one's foundation is actually a larger and more crucial process of 'breaking free from the cage'.

From this perspective, although the Rakshasa repeatedly oscillates between being human and not being human, he is ultimately sincere.

Luo gave Jade Palace Immortal Venerable an important opportunity.

As a Jade Palace Immortal Venerable who stands proudly in the heavens and understands the essential changes in the world, how could he not be excited to break free from that hopeless cage?

As the saying goes: It is easy to prove the Way, but difficult to attain it. Breaking free from the shackles is true creation, and returning to the practice of Qi will broaden one's mind.

So what if his cultivation level is only at the Qi Refining stage? As long as conditions permit, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable is confident that he can return to the Golden Core stage within ten years.
-
The sky over the Red Sands is often a dull, pale red.

This is due to the diffuse reflection from the arid, reddish desert.

For the cultivators of the Crimson Sand Realm, rainy days are always the most tense time for their tribes.

Everyone in the area needs to be mobilized to bring out all sorts of jars and pots to catch the rain.

Those with higher cultivation levels can even directly transform clouds into water, completely capturing rain clouds.

In the Red Sand Realm, water is not as precious as gold, but it is roughly the same.

In times when water is scarce, water is necessarily more precious than gold.

Sai Jingde is the chieftain of the Baoshan Camel Tribe, with a peak Qi Refining cultivation level.

The moment Jade Palace Immortal was rejected by the Crimson Sand Realm, Sai Jingde noticed clouds gathering in the sky to the south of the tribe.

He immediately issued an iron token and headed towards the Cloud Mist Sect branch.

Several Foundation Establishment cultivators are stationed at the Purple Grass Faction, which belongs to the Baoshan Camel Tribe. Sai Jingde observed that the clouds were dense in the south, so informing these Foundation Establishment seniors of this news was a sensible gesture.

As for Sai Jingde himself, after the iron order was issued, he immediately took action with several cultivators from the tribe who had entered the Dharma Realm, as well as more than seventy strong young men.

The group, riding over two hundred camels laden with bottles and jars, hurried southwards.

Let the rain fall!

Halfway there, Sai Jingde noticed dust rising in the distance behind a barren hill.

To the west of the Baoshan Camel Tribe lies the Youhu Tribe, and the two sides have been fighting for hundreds of years over the meager resources in the desolate red sand.

Clearly, these were people from the Youhu tribe who had also noticed the gathering of clouds and wanted to seize the water.

Realizing that another battle might be imminent, Sai Jingde piloted his mid-grade flying magic weapon, the Ironwood Shuttle, and stood directly in the air, hoping that the cultivators of the Youhu tribe would see him and back down.

However, judging from the increasingly thick dust and smoke, the Youhu tribe did not seem to have any intention of retreating.

Finally, the two sides collided in a small valley where the sun was not shining.

This location was a tacit choice by both parties. There was no other way; to survive in the desolate red sand, every detail had to be carefully considered. Being exposed to the sun for even a short while was always a good thing.

"You Yin Snake, your Youhu tribe couldn't beat us last time, are you going to try again this time?"

Upon noticing that the leader of the Youhu tribe was the clan chief You Rujiao, Sai Jingde subconsciously became vigilant, but not overly so.

The Youhu tribe survives in the wilderness by raising Red Sand Youhu. Red Sand Youhu, despite its name, is actually a lizard, and it is not much different from the Dragon Tiger in the novel.

The Red Sand Tiger is a small demonic beast that only moves at night, collecting morning dew at the turn of dawn and hunting other small animals to make a living.

Compared to the mountain-mountain camel, which can collect water from hundreds of miles away at once and has humps as large as mountains, the upper limit of the tiger is obviously lower.

The upper limit of the means of production restricts the upper limit of the Youhu tribe's cultivation level (productivity).

Therefore, You Rujiao's cultivation level was only at the late stage of Qi Refining, which was much lower than that of Sai Jingde, who was at the peak of Qi Refining.

However, You Rujiao was not afraid at all when facing Sai Jingde, who had a higher cultivation level and more than a dozen more people than him.

The dark-skinned chieftain of the Youhu tribe's eyes flashed, and he spoke with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Jingde, how do you know that my daughter You Wanzhen has become a disciple of Senior Ye Gubai?"

Did You Wanzhen become Ye Gubai's disciple?
The people of the Baoshan Camel Tribe immediately started discussing among themselves.

Ye Gubai is a disciple of an elder of the Cloud Mist Sect, a true successor of the sect, and a high-level cultivator with late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation.
Sai Jingde was slightly surprised by the news, thinking to himself how come he hadn't encountered such a good thing.

"How about a 50/50 split?"

After a moment of silence, Sai Jingde finally compromised somewhat.

You Rujiao was fairly satisfied with the result of splitting the bill in half with each person.

After all, You Wanzhen was only a disciple of the true lineage, not a direct disciple of the Cloud Mist Sect.

"Okay, let's get there as soon as possible. It looks like it's still more than forty miles away. The sooner we get there, the more we can pick up."

The two sides put aside their dispute and continued their journey southwards, where rain clouds were gathering.

Not long after, Zi Xifan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Purple Grass branch of the Cloud Mist Sect, flew past the two tribes' groups like lightning in his escape light, without any intention of stopping.

Having already noticed the escape light, You Rujiao and Sai Jingde, who wanted to receive him, immediately looked at each other in bewilderment.

"This isn't right, is it?" You Rujiao asked uncertainly.

Sai Jingde's expression was not good, and there was a hint of resentment in his voice.

"Hmph, what's wrong with that? Senior Xi Fan wants the rain, what can we say? Let's retreat!"

It seems that the leader of this Qi Refining tribe doesn't really give face to the Foundation Establishment members of the Purple Grass Branch.

Upon hearing the patriarch's order, another cultivator from the Sai family summoned a low-grade magic artifact, a bell.

After the bells rang a few times, the camels of Baoshan, led by the camel king, turned back along the way they had come.

“Fellow Daoist Jingde, I have heard that the water in Zicao Creek has been decreasing in recent years.”

"Is it true that you often drive camels to Chengen to fetch water?" You Rujiao asked tentatively.

Sai Jingde didn't want to pay him any attention, but thinking of the renowned disciple of the You family, he ultimately gave him some face.

"What do you know? Senior Meng Hai in Zicao Creek is refining pills and needs a lot of spiritual herbs."

Therefore, the stream reserved for outsiders to receive favors was reduced.

Zicao Creek has remained for thousands of years; the water is always there.

It's not that the stream has less water, it's that we're getting less of it!

Zi Xifan had only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for five years, and was destined to be a menial worker in the Zi family.

That's why I took on the job of receiving rain.

But this kind of work is basically divided in two, three, and five parts: 50% of the water goes to the clan, 30% goes to the individual, and 20% goes to the nearby tribes—this is the rule in the wilderness.

Therefore, he was always quite enthusiastic about running during rainy days.

After all, they've only just entered the Foundation Establishment stage and don't have much experience yet.

However, after he hurried along for four hundred miles and was about to reach the location of the rain clouds, the rain clouds inexplicably dispersed.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Zi family of Zicao Creek stopped his escape with suspicion, and then circled around the place where the rain clouds had dissipated for a long time before finally leaving helplessly.

What do you think about the Celestial Venerable's tribulation lightning?
Even if a celestial being were here, those who cannot understand would not comprehend what those tribulation clouds signify.

Jade Palace Immortal's worries were ultimately in vain.

The Crimson Sand Realm was far, far larger than he had imagined!
Those tribulation clouds didn't even disturb a Golden Core cultivator, let alone someone in the Purple Mansion realm!
Six months later, after thoroughly studying and reviewing all the information conveyed by Xiaoyu, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable finally ended his hibernation.

In the past six months, thanks to my rapid cultivation before, my foundation was extremely weak. Even the cultivation knowledge of the Immortal Venerables that Xiaoyu imparted to me has not been fully mastered.

By recalling and reinforcing those preached messages, Xiao Wang, hiding underground, managed to avoid becoming suffocated.

He did not directly rebuild his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment stage.

Without knowing the current state of the world, rushing into Foundation Establishment could lead to trouble if one encounters a system that restricts Foundation Establishment even more than it restricts demonic beasts.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator who suddenly appears out of nowhere will surely be closely watched.

The Foundation Establishment stage in the Immortal Alliance is tightly controlled, and the Foundation Establishment stage in the Immortal Kingdom is basically not open to cultivators outside the core executive families. The Foundation Establishment stage in the Wutian Sect is directly related to the depth of their faith.

The cruelest world of cultivation had a significant impact on Jade Palace Immortal Venerable, even leaving him with a permanent psychological scar.

Therefore, he did not rush to establish his foundation.

Not only did he not establish his foundation, but out of trust in Rakshasa, trust in the Concealment Talisman, and the need to hide his own presence, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable did not take any risky actions for a full six months.

Let's play it safe for now and not rush things.

Finally, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable concluded that no one was watching this place anymore.

Instead of going out directly, he first released the black dragon, whose cultivation had fallen from the initial stage of demon general to the peak of lesser demon.

"Old Hei, go out and check out the situation for me."

The concealment technique I'm teaching you is designed based on the Concealment Talisman. It can hide a large part of your strength and also conceal your aura.

With your demonic body and experience from your time as a demon general, you'll be safe handling this.

When venturing into the Crimson Sand Realm, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable can't possibly come without any help.

The black dragon was brought here specifically for today's purpose.

Moreover, he even envisioned letting the Black Dragon operate in this world while he himself remained the mastermind behind it all.

"Immortal Lord, Black Dragon obeys the order, but if I do not return, please remember to avenge me."

Black Dragon naturally held Xiao Wang in the highest esteem.

This has nothing to do with cultivation level. Any knowledgeable cultivator would submit to an unparalleled genius like Jade Palace Immortal Venerable.

At first, it thought Xiao Wang was making a mountain out of a molehill, but Xiao Wang's behavior of holding back his anger for half a year showed it the aura of a Celestial Venerable, and now it was somewhat afraid.

Small acts of forbearance are benevolence, great acts of forbearance are the Way; the venerable Jade Palace Immortal's magnanimity is no exaggeration.

"Hurry up and get going, stop talking nonsense."

The Immortal Venerable slapped the black dragon on the head and kicked it out of the range of the Concealment Talisman's glow.

The black dragon dared not resist, so it used its innate supernatural power to shrink into the shape of a small snake and began its exploration of the Crimson Sand Realm with a sense of grievance.

A great dragon at the level of a demon general is like this: it possesses more than a dozen innate supernatural powers and can be just as domineering as a lesser demon.

Even though many powerful supernatural abilities cannot be used without cultivation, they still have many wonderful uses.

From magical artifacts to mythical beasts, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable has prepared everything.

After all, the Immortal Venerable did not come to the Crimson Sand Realm to suffer!

The black dragon was gone for three days, and when it returned, it brought a lot of news.

"There are no people, or rather, very few people. There are quite a few demonic beasts, but their cultivation levels are generally not high."

"It's extremely hot, and during the day, there's practically no activity from any living creatures."

"On the ground, resources are extremely scarce, and any place with even a little bit of spiritual energy is occupied by monsters or humans."

“There are many good things underground. The earth veins are abundant. I have encountered three pieces of metal and spiritual materials alone.”

"We also ran into a group of Qi Refining cultivators hunting demons, but we didn't dare to get close. They looked similar to cultivators from the Great Heaven and Earth, just dressed differently. Oh, and they were all very dark-skinned."

"Go north, the further north you go, the more prosperous it becomes, but you can only occasionally see signs of human activity. You'll encounter small tribes, which are not like the Western Sea, nor like the Immortal City, and are not even as populated as the desolate wilderness of the Great World."

"In the north, I encountered a cultivator who was at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He was using a high-grade spiritual artifact, and his escape speed was very fast, comparable to that of ordinary cultivators from major clans in the Great World."

"Water is very important; among mortals, it is as valuable as money."

"Also, I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but I always feel that the Crimson Sand Realm is even bigger than the Great Heaven and Earth. I once stood on a high, desolate hill, and even with my eyesight at its maximum, I couldn't see the end of the world."

“Immortal Venerable, I am the demon body of a demon general, which means that the Crimson Sand Realm is very large.”

The Crimson Sand Realm is vast. The information brought by the Black Dragon reminded Jade Palace Immortal Venerable of the scenes he witnessed when he first entered this realm.

At that time, the pressure and threat posed by this world to him were so great that Jade Palace Immortal Venerable dared not hesitate any longer.

Only now, looking back, does he realize how extraordinary the scene he witnessed was.

The boundless sea of ​​red sand is sparsely populated within a radius of two hundred miles.

Combined with the harsh environment, the fertile ley lines, and numerous monstrous beasts.
Lao Luo, Lao Luo, where have you been working for me?

This vast world is quite interesting. Thinking of this, Wang Yulou smiled.

He released the last bit of his passive supernatural power, 'Mysterious Talisman Body', and completely transformed into the appearance of an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator.

The immortal raised his hand, and the little black snake obediently climbed up.

The demon's body is inherently heavy, and the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's Qi Refining cultivation level absolutely could not bear it.

But the black dragon can fly – the dragon's racial talent is still too overpowered at the Qi Refining level.

Therefore, what appears to be a black snake coiled around the arm is actually a black dragon flying.

"Understood. Come with me and we'll meet the heroes of this world."
-
In the crimson storm, a gaunt-faced young man walked slowly.

The storm, carrying coarse red sand, lashed his face, stinging painfully.

“Immortal Venerable, there’s no need for that. We can hide first and continue our journey after the storm passes, or I can carry you on our way.”

The little black snake was puzzled.

The Jade Palace Immortal Venerable seemed to have gone mad, insisting on traveling through this red sandstorm that was enough to kill ordinary Qi cultivators and minor demons.

"You don't understand. If you want to integrate into this world and not be noticed as strange, you have to immerse yourself in it, enter into it, and experience everything about this world."

I want to become a part of this world so that my opponents won't realize the strangeness within me.

This is also part of spiritual practice; Mangxiang's formless Dharma is actually quite interesting.

Limitless, without fixed form, without appearance, hahaha, without form, without appearance, what is the true form?
Those who seek the path to advancement must continuously discard the parts of their hearts that are unsuitable for survival.

So, what is the true nature?
Between truth and falsehood, what is the real story?
"Our patriarch may have chosen a path that wasn't entirely wrong; he was truly remarkable."

Black Dragon felt that the Immortal Venerable's ideas were a bit too lofty, and he couldn't keep up with them.

As the mount of the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable, it actually has very few opportunities to communicate directly with the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable.

Before attaining enlightenment, the Immortal Venerable was a troubleshooter for the Immortal Alliance; he was always too busy.

Therefore, the past six months since entering the Red Sand Realm have been the period of most frequent exchanges between the two.

In fact, given the racial advantages of the Black Dragon after it transformed into a Flood Dragon, in the current power balance, it could instantly kill Jade Palace Immortal Venerable and devour him alive.

After all, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable did not use any restrictions to control it.

Of course, such restrictions exist, but demonic beasts possess spirits, and demonic generals are similar to those in the Purple Mansion. Restrictions cannot buy loyalty or reliability.

But as a witness who saw Jade Palace Immortal Venerable gradually progress from a minor cultivator in the Western Sea to the path of attaining the Golden Core.

The Black Dragon, who was once the Black Dragon Horse, held an almost limitless reverence for the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable.

Not only did it not have the slightest thought of killing Jade Palace Immortal Venerable, but it also felt that this was an excellent opportunity to get close to the Immortal Venerable.

Loyalty cannot be expressed in words.

On the other hand, no matter which subordinate Jade Palace Immortal Venerable brings to assist him, they will all be equally loyal.

The reason I brought the black dragon was simply because it's incredibly resilient!

If Cui Baihao were to come over, he wouldn't be qualified to extend Old Cui's life.

"So, is the Formless Dharma really that powerful?"

The little black snake still held the Mangxiang in some awe, for it was the Mangxiang Immortal Venerable of the Red Lantern.

Despite being half-defeated and getting slammed by the Jade Palace Immortal, Mang Xiang is indeed a legend who overwhelms the Red Lanterns and the West Sea.

"Hard to say, it's kind of interesting, huh?" Wang Yulou's eyes turned to the west.

Without any instruction from the immortal, the black dragon flew off his arm and burrowed into the ground.

Amidst the terrifying storm that blotted out the sky, the Immortal Venerable's gaze pierced through the obscuring sand and gravel, revealing a group of people beneath the storm.

To be precise, it's a human-cow.

Seven people: six ordinary people and one cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining.

All four camels seemed to possess a trace of demonic beast blood.

In the storm, four camels lay prone in the red sand, forming a small square 'haven'.

The seven unfortunate souls hid behind the camel's massive body, praying that the storm would pass quickly.

'Black Dragon, watch my movements. When I make a move, you unleash your full power, understand?'

"Immortal Venerable, why not just kill them? Taking their clothes will make it easier for you to disguise yourself."

Black Dragon didn't quite understand the point of Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's constant dawdling and rushing around instead of flying or escaping.

In its view, this group of unlucky fellows was precisely the opportunity for Jade Palace Immortal Venerable. By snatching a few sets of clothes and tidying them up, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable could integrate into the local community.

Even at the early stage of Qi Refining, it could be refined by itself in an instant without the intervention of a Celestial Venerable.

'No rush, what we need is to integrate into this world.'

Because of the lack of water, a unique cultivation system was born in this world.

Regardless of the nature of the system, its control over the underlying layers is certainly not low.

First, integrate, then gradually climb the ranks.

However, the Immortal Venerable's vision was beyond the Black Dragon's comprehension.

Standing at the level of the Immortal Venerable of the Immortal Platform, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable is concerned with the cultivation world structure shaped by the special environment of the Crimson Sand Realm.

Scarce resources and vast area inevitably lead to the unbridled growth of the grassroots.

However, this kind of unchecked growth will make the existing system pay more attention to the origins and backgrounds of lower-level cultivators.

The unity of opposites in a contradiction may change as great power is attributed to the individual, but the underlying logic remains the same.

If he easily raises his cultivation level, it will cause him trouble in explaining where he came from.

"The black dragon is dull-witted, but will surely obey the Immortal's decree!"

"There's someone there, isn't there someone over there?"

A mortal martial artist was the first to spot the Jade Palace Immortal and loudly alerted his companions.

The Qi Refining cultivator quickly stood up and held a Ground Emergence Talisman in his hand.

"He seems to be injured?" The cultivator noticed Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's unsteady steps and weak aura.

Sensing that the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's cultivation level was similar to his own, the cultivator immediately calmed down.

He had six martial arts masters from his clan by his side. In battles between low-level cultivators, martial arts masters could turn the tide of battle.

"Help me!"

In the storm, the 'injured' Jade Palace Immortal Venerable struggled to approach these people.

Upon hearing Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's words, the martial arts master immediately muttered something.

"It looks like a skinny lamb."

A lean sheep?

Upon hearing this, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable coughed twice more.

He felt a pang of emotion. Damn it, those bastards in this world call me the King of Donkeys.

Having arrived in the Crimson Sand Realm, you, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, dare to call me Skinny Sheep.

Seeing how badly the thin sheep was injured, a glint of greed flashed in the cultivator's eyes, and he said.

"No rush, let's deal with him after the storm passes. Maybe the storm will pass."

Before he could finish speaking, a dragon emerged from the camel enclosure, which served as a safe haven.

Brave Black Dragon, Loyal to Jade Palace!
Jade Palace Immortal Venerable's back pain and leg limpness subsided. Fearing that the Black Dragon might misuse its large stomach, he hurriedly gave instructions.

"Don't kill them, control them all, leave the camels here too."

The cultivation world is often unreasonable; you might be walking down the street looking to fleece a fat sheep, only to be ambushed by a dragon.

Being ambushed by a dragon is not the problem, but your cultivation level is only at the early stage of Qi Refining.

Even after the early-stage Qi Refining cultivator was completely entangled and controlled by the black dragon, he was still somewhat incredulous.

He stared at the black dragon's scales, claws, horns, and head, trembling as he roared, his face filled with disbelief.

"Dragon! Dragon! Dragon!"

Wang Yulou raised his hand, and several magical binding ropes flew towards the pair of camels, binding them tightly without the need for the black dragon to twist them into a pretzel.

These people are lucky to have been tied up by the dragon like this.

It can only be said that he was still in the early stages of Qi cultivation when using the dragon's fin to practice Qi. Jade Palace Immortal Venerable was indeed a true immortal venerable, with a kind of unpretentious composure.

Looking at the Qi Refining cultivator dressed in a white robe that covered him completely, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable slowly walked up to him and asked.

"What happened to the dragon?"
-
Three days later, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable, who had completely transformed into the appearance of a local cultivator, rode a camel on the shady side of the Red Sand Hills.

Behind them followed two camels, their backs laden with goods.

"Master, the local cultivators are really poor. They don't even have a storage bag or any magic artifacts."

"Ha, what do you know? A rogue cultivator having a low-grade magic weapon is already quite impressive anywhere."

"I'm a little hungry. Do you still have any essence blood pills?"

"Bear with it, we'll be at the oasis soon. Save your essence blood pills if you can."

Through interrogating that small tribal merchant caravan, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable obtained a great deal of information.

In the red sand desert, human settlements are mainly in the form of tribes.

Water is extremely important in the Red Sands region.

No tribe would readily give water to outsiders.

Under the tribal bloodline system, the grassroots can do more than just grow wildly.

Internal strife still exists, but unity is the mainstream. Attacking each other and plundering resources is the norm in this world.

This water source includes not only ponds, wells, and streams, but also plants, animals, and all other forms of water-producing organisms.

This is very advantageous to the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable.

The Water Immortal is not simply someone superior to others in this world.

When Jade Palace Immortal Venerable cultivates to a level that is not rejected by the world of Crimson Sand Realm, and regains his position as Immortal Venerable in Crimson Sand Realm, he will be almost invincible!
Regardless of this or that, the local Golden Core cultivators have very little experience fighting against water-attribute cultivators.

The innate water-elemental Dao of the Crimson Sand Realm is weak and difficult to comprehend, but the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable brought several cultivation guides for the acquired water-elemental Dao, allowing for some slight cultivation.
If a fight breaks out, wouldn't that be like killing the local Golden Core cultivators?
Of course, this is an inference made by Jade Palace Immortal Venerable based on his current observations of the Crimson Sand Realm.

If there were other regions outside the Red Sand Desert, the situation might be different.

The Crimson Sand Realm is vast. In recent days, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable has been traveling on foot and by camel, gradually gaining an understanding of the characteristics that people in this realm should possess.

They traveled two hundred miles just to reach a small oasis discovered by a black dragon.

During the journey, they encountered four groups of demonic beasts and a small caravan of merchants—whose destination was also this oasis.

However, during the process, two spiritual materials were encountered.

There are no spiritual objects in this world that can continuously generate spiritual materials; spiritual materials themselves exist in different forms.

Unlike the black dragon, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable can burrow underground to travel and gather spiritual materials born underground where the earth's veins are abundant.

In other words, the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable found two spiritual materials simply by relying on his eyesight while traveling.

On the one hand, this shows that the top cultivators in the Crimson Sand Realm do not have complete control over those below.

On the other hand, it shows that the world is so big that there are so many spiritual materials in the Red Sand Desert that no one is collecting them.

According to Rakshasa, there are only about two hundred Golden Core cultivators in the Crimson Sand Realm.

That's interesting—local Golden Core cultivators don't roll around much.

If the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable establishes his own power here and manages it according to the strength of the Great Heaven and Earth, it is very likely that he could enjoy the offerings of an entire province of the Great Heaven and Earth—or even half a province would be fine.

The jingling of camel bells carried far across the desert, and the Immortal Venerable's hearing was exceptionally sharp; upon hearing the distant bells, he knew that they were approaching their destination.

'Are you sure there's only one Foundation Establishment cultivator?'

"Of course, my judgment, as a demon general, is accurate."

The Jade Palace Immortal nodded slowly, urging the camel to continue forward.

After crossing the last sand dune and standing atop it, the Immortal Venerable saw the oasis clearly.

The low, reddish-yellow city walls form an oval shape, and within this oval-shaped town, crimson houses are densely packed into every corner.

In the center of the small town, there was a grand hall, and around it, there were several Qi Refining Peak cultivators guarding it.

Inside the main hall was the 'oasis', while outside the hall, there was a protective array.

The Immortal Venerable had excellent eyesight. Enhanced by more than a dozen kinds of spiritual water and springs, he could see clearly at a glance that above the layers of steps outside the main hall was fine soil planted with various spiritual plants and herbs.

Looking at the dusty-faced mortals and cultivators in the city, the Immortal Venerable sighed slightly and drove his camel down the sand ridge.

Beneath the plaque of 'Golden City', a cultivator was guarding the gate with several martial artists.

Upon seeing the arrival of the cultivators, the gatekeeper immediately came out of the house.

After glancing at the two camels laden with goods behind Jade Palace Immortal Venerable, the gatekeeper gave instructions.

"Fellow Daoist, entry to the city is free for Qi Refining cultivators."

However, no rules may be violated; violators will be executed without mercy. Fellow Daoist, please remember this.

Pay special attention to this: never try to take water from ordinary people; even a single drop will kill you.

"Understood," the Immortal Venerable replied calmly.

Extreme scarcity of resources gives rise to extreme power.

If you grab water, one drop will kill you.

Water rights and land use rights are dual controls.

It's hard to say whether the people of the Red Sand Realm are happier than those of the Great Heaven and Earth.

Jin Dou City is said to be built because of a golden gourd underground that gushes out a pool of water every day.

There are Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Cloud Mist Sect stationed in the city, which is similar to Qingxi Ward and is also a market town.

However, the number of cultivators was much smaller than that of Qingxifang, only around a thousand.

In the market, I rented a stall using the local currency, 'spirit sand'. The spiritual energy contained in one piece of spirit sand is about one-seventh of that in a high-grade spirit stone from the Great Heaven and Earth.

The price to rent a stall is one spirit sand for three days.

As for what they were selling, it was 'Bobo grass' prepared by that small caravan.

In this realm, the three elements of metal, stone, and fire flourish, while the element of wood is not prominent and the element of water is almost extinct.

Therefore, as a low-grade spiritual herb that can be used to feed spirit beasts, Bobo grass sells quite well.

While chatting with customers, Jade Palace Immortal Venerable observed the various aspects of the Golden Bucket City market.

In the market, there are shops selling ritual implements, mainly those made of metal and stone. Wooden ritual implements are expensive, scarce, and difficult to sell.

In the pill stalls, most of the elixirs have strong side effects—this is especially true for pills made primarily from metals and minerals.

Yes, and people are also sold.

In the human market, a strong male slave costs one spirit sand and four spirit sands, while a beautiful female slave costs one spirit sand and three spirit sands.

Children are kept in cages and hung on shelves for sale; this is part of the main business of the human market—they are young and can cultivate a sense of belonging.

However, due to water shortages, too many families cannot afford to raise children, so children are sold by weight.

Two hundred catties of spirit sand
There are many sellers and many buyers.

Because these children, once purchased, all have the opportunity to cultivate themselves.

The cultivation methods in this world are somewhat similar to those of the ancient times of the Great Heaven and Earth, which do not consider spiritual roots but rather 'innate talent'.

Family bloodlines are gathered in the form of tribes, and the family's martial arts are passed down. Members of the tribe often have some 'talent' for the family's martial arts.

After selling for half a day, the Bobo Grass that Jade Palace Immortal Venerable had picked up was sold out.

The reason is simple: it's cheap—and the immortals don't rely on this little bit of Bobo grass to survive.

The resources he stored in his magical treasures, spirit artifacts, and magic tools were enough to buy the entire Golden Bucket City at least five thousand times over.

I won't say it a thousand times, it's just that the Immortal Venerable is being modest!

In Jindou City, there aren't many shops that cater to cultivators.

There's only one restaurant, Xiangyun Pavilion, owned by the Yunwu Sect; that's how they monopolize the market.

This kind of place is the best place to gather intelligence.

Jade Palace Immortal Venerable spent four spirit sands to simply obtain some thorn fruit and a pot of spirit wine that contained almost no alcohol, and then sat in the main hall to listen to the news.

The prickly fruit is the fruit of the cactus; it has a touch of magic and tastes alright.

The Immortal Venerable wasn't in a hurry. He spent almost half an hour eating the nine thorny fruits on the plate—it wasn't that the Immortal Venerable was stingy, but that he wanted to fit the persona of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator—so he hid some of his cultivation.

But that's not surprising. The shop assistants and managers of Xiangyun Pavilion have seen plenty of cultivators like him.

Some people spend only one spirit sand, yet they insist on sitting there for an entire day.
Finally, with the arrival of several noticeably more distinguished late-stage Qi Refining cultivators, the intelligence also arrived.

"I heard that the Pure Water Secret Realm, jointly managed by the three sects, is about to open. The Cloud Mist Sect will soon open its gates and recruit people to search for treasures in the secret realm."

"That Pure Water Secret Realm of the Celestial Realm Grand Master Pure Water True Person? That Pure Water Secret Realm that can only be entered by Qi Refining cultivators, and will be destroyed if a cultivator's cultivation level is too high?"

"Yes, the Pure Water Secret Realm is a rare secret realm left behind by a Water Master, and it contains many rare water-related treasures."

Spiritual materials and herbs abound, and besides these, the aquatic demonic beasts raised by the Pure Water Immortal are treasures from head to toe. If one were lucky enough to obtain a water-attribute magical artifact, hey, that would be a fortune!

"That's not the point. The three sects all have cultivators at the Celestial Realm level."

The Pure Water Secret Realm is located at the intersection of the three sects. In order to prevent the Pure Water Secret Realm from disappearing, they agreed to jointly manage it and open it once every sixty years.

However, if they go in to search for treasure and fight each other, the loss of personnel will inevitably be huge.

Therefore, each time the three sects search for treasure, they open their gates wide, inviting cultivators from smaller clans and independent practitioners to enter the secret realm.

Those who make meritorious contributions will directly enter the inner sects of the three major sects and will have the opportunity to establish their foundation!

"Do you think that if we enter the secret realm together and search for treasures, we might have a chance to become disciples of the Cloud Mist Sect?"

"Difficult, difficult, difficult. It is an opportunity, but there are many skilled individuals who have entered the secret realm."

The top disciples of the three sects' inner circles regarded it as a trial, specifically going in to slaughter rogue cultivators.

"Ah, water magic, water magic. Legend has it that the Pure Water Immortal of the Celestial Realm could debate with beings of the Transformation Realm using only water magic."

You say, what if we could receive the water magic inheritance from the Pure Water Immortal?

Jade Palace Immortal Venerable put down his wine cup, pondered for a moment, and realized that this was also his opportunity.

After confirming that his plan was working, he picked up the wine jug and walked toward the group of people who were discussing the Pure Water Secret Realm.

"Fellow Daoists, having heard about the Pure Water Secret Realm, I have some questions I'd like to ask. Consider this jug of spiritual wine a complimentary gift." Jade Palace Immortal Venerable spoke with a gentle smile, his attitude utterly courteous.

If those Jade Generals saw this, they would probably be astonished.

By exploring the secret realm and gaining merit, one can not only see what makes the great water magic cultivators born in this special environment different, but also join the Cloud Mist Sect and overcome the difficulties of integrating into the sect.

At that time, they will be outstanding talents, reaching the Celestial Realm (Purple Mansion) within a hundred years, taking charge of the Cloud Mist Sect, and dominating the Crimson Sand Realm.

It can be said that participating in the exploration of the secret realm is a win-win situation with little risk.

You asked about the difficulty and risks?
Two words: rampage!

Among the group, the cultivator with the highest cultivation level, the peak Qi Refining cultivator, looked at the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable, whose cultivation level was only mid-Qi Refining. Although his eyes showed some contempt, his tone was still acceptable.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist, who are you?"

There aren't that many fools. Everyone is trying to make a living in the barren desert. If you're going to act, at least act friendly—it won't affect the fact that you'll still fleece people when the time comes.

"I am a rogue cultivator from the mountains and fields, and I do not understand the way of cultivation. Therefore, I wish to enter the Cloud Mist Sect by taking advantage of the trial in the secret realm."

A trace of melancholy flashed in the eyes of the Jade Palace Immortal Venerable as he thought of his only friend.

Having traversed countless hardships and trials, one attains enlightenment and escapes the cage of worldly constraints.

Both realms of wolves and jackals suck blood, only the Earthly Fiends retain a kind heart.

Earthly Fiend, why are you unwilling to learn the path of cultivation?
(End of this chapter)