Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Li Changqing glanced down at the jade slip.

He had little desire for any secret realm inheritance. Over the long years, he had seen countless rare and precious treasures.

However, for those new to this upper realm, a visit to these ancient and mysterious sites might help them gain a quicker understanding of the local customs, traditions, and ancient secrets of this world.

"Since you insist on giving it to me, I will accept it."

Li Changqing did not refuse; with a wave of his sleeve, he put the jade slip into his sleeve.

He turned his head and glanced at Wan'er, who was still in shock, and at the vast, desolate Gobi Desert around him.

"This place is not safe to stay any longer. Since the Blood Bone Sect knows that you fled here, they will definitely send people to search for you. Do you have any healing pills on you? Quickly restore your true energy and leave this Southern Wilderness."

With Wan'er's help, the elderly man with white hair managed to stand up, expressing his deepest gratitude.

"We will remember your teachings, senior. We will now hide our identities and flee to a distant land." The old man pulled Wan'er along and bowed deeply.

Before leaving, Wan'er bit her lip and mustered her courage to look at the upright and honest senior in the blue robe.

"May I ask your honorable name, senior? If one day Wan'er achieves success in her cultivation, she will surely repay your kindness today."

Li Changqing stood with his hands behind his back, facing the endless yellow sand, gazing at the distant, lofty mountains deep in the Gobi Desert.

"Li Changqing, an ordinary man."

He spoke casually, not taking the promise to heart.

Only after the old man and the young man's figures had completely disappeared into the sandstorm did Li Changqing take out the jade slip again.

He probed into it with his divine sense.

Inside the jade slip was an extremely intricate map of mountains and rivers. The map marked a location called "Falling Star Sea" in ancient seal script. Although this fragment of the map was only half complete, it pointed to a location deep within the Sunken Sword Desert.

"The Falling Star Secret Realm... Judging from the name, it does have a hint of ancient star-based magic."

Li Changqing put the jade slip away.

He unfurled the mottled Xiangfei bamboo folding fan, and with light, deliberate steps, walked into the depths of the Gobi Desert, where the wind and sand were becoming increasingly violent, following the direction indicated by the incomplete map.

The waters of this fantastical world seem deeper than I imagined. Now that we're here, let's watch this grand spectacle of immortals vying for supremacy on this newly laid-out stage.

A fierce wind howled, and a lone figure in a blue robe walked alone.

The vast yellow sands of the Gobi Desert, which once concealed countless grudges and affections, could not hide the leisurely and carefree footsteps of the immortal traveler.

Southern Wilderness, the Gobi Desert of Sunken Swords.

Above the sky, a layer of murky, dark yellow clouds lingered year-round, obscuring the setting sun, which looked as if it had been soaked in blood, leaving only a few dim afterglows.

The gale howled and raged across this vast and boundless wilderness.

The swirling, rough sand and gravel flew everywhere, striking the dark red rock pillars that rose from the ground and had been weathered for millions of years, producing a dull, incessant pecking sound.

This place is called "Sinking Sword" because countless eons ago, two sword masters with unparalleled cultivation fought a life-or-death battle here.

That battle was so fierce that the heavens and earth trembled, and the sun and moon lost their light.

After the powerful being fell, the remaining myriad sword energies seeped into the earth's veins in this Gobi Desert, merging with the endless sandstorms.

Occasionally, a gust of wind might blow by, and if you're unlucky, you might stumble upon the invisible sword energy hidden deep within the sandstorm.

Once an ordinary cultivator is caught up in it, even their protective true essence will be torn apart instantly, resulting in them being cut into a thousand pieces and their body and soul being destroyed.

The yellow sand stretches endlessly to the horizon.

Li Changqing was walking alone, slowly making his way through this desolate wasteland where danger lurked everywhere.

The blue cloth robe he wore, which he had worn for many years, had faded to a light color.

He wore a pair of black cloth shoes with a thousand-layer sole, and was still playing with that old Xiangfei bamboo folding fan in his hand.

Such a leisurely stroll, if seen by others, would surely make him appear as a foolish, ignorant scholar who has mistakenly wandered into such a perilous place.

"call."

A sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out from ahead.

Hundreds of feet away, a tornado-like storm was taking shape, stretching from the sky to the ground.

The storm was not the usual grayish-yellow, but rather had a chilling, eerie blue hue.

Countless tiny sword lights darted and clashed wildly in the storm, even cutting out distorted ripples in the surrounding void.

This is the infamous "Blade Storm" in the Chenjian Gobi Desert.

Let alone Core Formation stage cultivators, even Nascent Soul stage experts would have to avoid his sharp edge and take a detour if they encountered him.

Li Changqing stopped, looked up, and stared intently at the overwhelming divine might that was sweeping in.

He did not perform any hand seals, nor did he summon any protective magic items.

He stood there quietly, letting the storm of swords, which seemed to tear everything apart, completely engulf him.

A fierce wind, carrying with it an incomparably sharp sword aura, howled and rushed towards us.

However, just as those invisible blades, sharp enough to cut through gold and jade, were about to touch the hem of Li Changqing's clothes...

A vast and boundless Daoist aura, seemingly breathing and sharing the same fate as the origin of this world, quietly flowed from his body.

Those violent sword energies, like streams encountering stubborn rocks, split off on their own half a foot away from his body.

The crushing force at the eye of the storm, powerful enough to crush everything, failed to lift even a corner of his blue robe, and even the fragile bamboo folding fan in his hand did not tremble in the slightest.

All things share a common origin; the greatest truths are the simplest.

This realm, which transcends techniques and methods and points directly to the origin of heaven and earth, is a shore that countless cultivators in the upper realm cannot reach even after a lifetime of effort.

"Although the sword intent is fierce, it is tainted with too much violence and killing intent. Such sharpness, when exposed, will ultimately not escape the fate of being too strong and easily broken."

Li Changqing, in the heart of the storm, seemed to be sitting idly in a courtyard, gently shaking his head.

He raised his hand and flicked his fingers seemingly casually in the air.

"Disperse."

Words become law, the sound of the Dao resounds.

The raging storm of swords seemed to have its backbone ripped out by this one word.

The dark blue sword light let out a mournful cry, then instantly dissipated, transforming into pure spiritual energy that returned to the soil of this desolate wasteland.

The storm subsided, and the sandstorm settled.

Li Changqing put away his folding fan and continued walking unhurriedly towards the direction indicated by the incomplete map of the Falling Star Secret Realm.

Although this upper realm is vast and its laws are heavy, to him it is nothing more than a wider stage.

The stage scenery has changed, but the leisurely mood for watching the play remains unchanged.