Otherworldly Desert Dust-Chapter 483 - 438: An Additional Branch on the Path of Evolution

Patience is an essential quality for a hunter.

Wu Hen was indeed a fine hunter, but he was by no means a good cultivator, and even if one day he crossed into the Cultivation World, his lazy nature would probably lead him to be trapped in someone else's soul refining banner, merely another ghost laying flat. If a Cultivation World bigwig tried to use a thousand Wu Hens to forge a soul banner, it would likely end up useless.

After becoming a Holy Soul, Wu Hen had not seriously practiced cultivation for even a single day and refused to learn any complex Holy Techniques.

With his current circumstances, he could choose from numerous Earth Xuan Saint Techniques laid out before him.

Qingxi's diligence only highlighted Wu Hen's lazy approach to Cultivation World studies.

"Junior brother, it wouldn't hurt to learn one or two Earth Xuan Saint Techniques for self-defense," Qingxi kindly advised.

"I can't, my martial arts just come naturally to me, and once it's reached the level of Earth Xuan, those Saint Techniques become too intricate. Without a solid foundation in cultivation and Holy Sect culture, I can't understand even a tad," Wu Hen replied.

"Jiang Heng wouldn't be too reckless either. He's certain to wait a bit before catching his last Big Fish. You could use this time to read some basic books on Saint Techniques; your perception is clearly so high," Qingxi said.

"It's okay, as long as my Holy Soul understands, it doesn't matter if I do," Wu Hen said as he got up, stretched a long lazy stretch, and thought to check on his fellow townsfolk lest they perish in those extremely dangerous Barbaric Divine Tombs, and he missed even the chance to collect their bodies decently, "Sister, keep an eye on Jiang Heng for me; I am going to inspect the sub-contractor team."

"Okay," Qingxi nodded, even though she didn't understand what Wu Hen meant by 'sub-contractor team.'

Wu Hen proceeded along the Cloud Ladder to Tongtian City.

The Cloud Holy Country was full of reclusive old eccentrics and venerable ancestors—the gods' pride. Although there were undercurrents among them, they never showed this openly. Thus, the Upper Realm always appeared peaceful and loving, but also somewhat boring for someone like Wu Hen who didn't fit in.

Still, the worldly life of Tongtian City was more interesting. Wu Hen's current cultivation and strength were like that of a Loose Immortal descending into the mundane world, full of opportunities for cultivation and also like a high-quality packaging box, ready to be filled.

Upon arriving at the mansion he had previously occupied, Xu Xia was already waiting inside early.

Outside the mansion, Fei Ying, Qin Sheng, Zhuang Yuan, and Bai Lang were anxiously waiting for a result. This was the fourth tribute of Barbaric Evil Soil Root they had provided. They had been working extremely hard lately, clearing one Earth Erosion after another and bringing back plenty of Yuan You and Spirit Fruits, all to regain possession of Spirit Nesting Wood No. 3.

Inside the mansion, Wu Hen still wasn't planning on revealing himself. He looked over the items they had offered, first feeding the Spirit Fruits to Bai Ze, then feeding the Yuan You to Little Yi, and finally taking the Evil Soil Root to use as organic fertilizer for the Soul Nesting Wood.

"Why is there less this month? You haven't kept some for yourselves, have you?" Wu Hen was not very satisfied with this month's tribute from the outsourced team.

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"We wouldn't dare, Brother Wu. I've been with them to the Earth Erosion each time. It feels like Tongtian City is under some kind of curse; the phenomenon of Earth Erosions has been increasing instead of decreasing, and we are trying hard to remedy it," Xu Xia said.

"Ran into some difficulties?" Wu Hen asked.

"Yes, we encountered an extremely significant Desolate Ancient Tomb. When we ventured into its deepest part, we found that the ancient coffins were empty, as if someone had beaten us to it, and we didn't bring back any valuable items," Wei Gu explained.

"That's a pity. The quality of the Ancient Jade you brought back before was good; I gave it to some Bright Venerables, and they all liked them very much. Unfortunately, even in the Upper Realm, it's necessary to give gifts and maintain relationships," Wu Hen said.

Wu Hen collected all the Ancient Jade, planning to give it to Cai Lan when she returned.

In terms of value, Cai Lan would certainly not be impressed, but Wu Hen was focusing on making his presence felt and enhancing goodwill, especially since Cai Lan was one of the few people in Heaven whose female leaders required reverence.

"We understand... but we didn't come back empty-handed either. Based on our analysis, this severe Earth Erosion is likely related to a type of sacrificial offering that has suddenly become popular among the common people," Wei Gu made his own professional analysis.

"Sacrificial offerings?" Wu Hen became curious.

"In popular customs, sacrificial offerings are diverse, typically involving incense candles, fruits, but there are also specific items favored by some deified creatures and gods that have ascended according to legends... As a result, a vast variety of sacrificial items have emerged, forming a distinctive cultural significance, and Tongtian City has special officials to manage them," Wei Gu continued.

Regarding tributes, there are customs here as well.

Tributes are generally offered to gods that are still alive in this world, with most containing a small amount of Yuan You, which can be given to these living gods through designated lands, temples, and divine halls.

As for offerings, they are generally divided into two types, one for the ancestors who have passed away, and the other for deceased gods as recorded in the literature.

In the culture of the Totem Sacred Sect, they regard themselves as descendants of gods.

This has led many common people to emulate this, claiming themselves as descendants of gods from certain eras, worshiping some already deceased gods as their ancestors.

Common folk have no choice, for the living gods, those mortals and cultivators offering very expensive tributes in exchange for their life opportunities could be beneficial, at least to the realm of Cai Lan, who could perceive their worship. Otherwise, her temple wouldn't become the only sacred site when disaster strikes, and she would protect those who worship the Qilin Emperor.

Those who lack resources or are not able to get the attention of the living gods also hope to have the protection of gods, so they take a new route and pay homage to those deceased gods. It's hard to say whether these gods are truly dead or are roaming the cosmos, and should the worshipping be correctly aligned, it might completely change one's fate, elevating them to a higher status.

Therefore, in Tongtian City, there are various temples, with no unified religion.

"Yes, we found out that those who encountered the Barbaric Evil Soil Root have all worshipped a Green-tailed God and used this Night Blood Stone," Xu Xia explained, showing Wu Hen the Night Blood Stone they had collected.

Wu Hen activated his Spiritual Vision to observe the Night Blood Stone and discovered that it also contained a small amount of Yuan You, which was clearly contaminated by some Evil Power, making it impossible to refine or cleanse. If absorbed, the majority of normal Desert Dust Life would be tainted and hasten their becoming lost.

"How long has this use of the Night Blood Stone for offerings been popular?" Wu Hen inquired.

"It's been some years, but we don't know why it's only erupting recently," Wei Gu had more authority on this matter.

"Could it be that some Evil God is using these unknowing subjects to start a resurrection ritual?" Xu Xia immediately analyzed using his modern mindset.

"An Evil God's resurrection? That plot is too common; if it were a higher-dimensional entity, it wouldn't be so cliched," Wu Hen remarked.

Cliched implies common, and if it's common, the thing causing the trouble cannot be considered high-dimensional, not even pseudo-high-dimensional, as Desert Dust Life walking in otherworldly realms are not fools.

If such a crude method were used for resurrection, then on the day this Evil God resurrects, the dimwit's head would surely be swarmed by high-dimensional vultures, waiting to feast upon them.

Truly powerful beings in otherworldly realms hide and disguise themselves.

However, the Power of Wilderness indeed should not be underestimated; otherwise, Cai Lan wouldn't have specially instructed Qingxi to investigate and handle it, clearly something sinister is at play, and the mastermind behind it must be identified.

"Continue with the follow-up, and try to find the root cause," Wu Hen said.

"Lord Wu Tian, rest assured, we have just started making progress and believe we will soon uncover the whole story," Wei Gu confidently said.

"Okay, you may leave now, I need to discuss some private matters with him," Wu Hen told Wei Gu.

Wei Gu saluted and then left, leaning on a crutch.

After a treatment with Holy Sect's elixirs, Wei Gu's legs had regained some strength and had successfully progressed from being completely paralyzed to merely limping. It was believed he would soon return to normal.

"Xu Xia, how are the other Soul Nesting Woods doing?" Wu Hen asked.

"They are doing well. With Brother Wu paving the way, we no longer encounter searches by the Holy Sect's Earth Officials. Recently, some of our fellows have been able to awaken in Tongtian City, but the situation is worse than it originally was on the True Martial Continent. The threshold of the Holy Sect is too high; those who awaken as passers-by can only be ordinary people, while awakening souls risks a high chance of sudden death," Xu Xia explained.

"The cultivation of the Holy Sect is indeed complex and the threshold high. I have always been curious about how the Totem Bloodline really awakens. If it appears randomly among those dwelling on this land, then why are the descendants of some sects all Holy Cultivators? It must not be entirely related to the bloodline, there must be another method," Wu Hen pondered.

"This might be linked to the foundation of the Holy Sect. There definitely is a way to guarantee a hundred percent awakening of the bloodline. In fact, I heard that Soul Casting can be decided internally; some people do not need to seek opportunities in War Song Mountain, they can directly choose one from the Sixteen Totems for Soul Casting…" Xu Xia suggested.

"I'll ask around... If our awakened fellows don't have cultivation, let alone leading Lost Souls and gathering Yuan You, surviving is difficult," Wu Hen said.

"Holy Sect Practitioners excel in martial strength, and in the entire otherworldly realm, they are among the more capable fighters. Having more top-level Holy Cultivators among our fellowmen is also beneficial for us," Xu Xia nodded. If this matter could be well handled, it would add a strong branch to mankind's evolutionary path, allowing those obsessed with cultivation to fully unleash their talents.