Otherworldly Desert Dust

Me?

Straight male chauvinist?

Captain Qin looked baffled.

He looked at Wu Hen and Mingyi huddled close together, suddenly realizing that he might have made a terribly wrong decision.

Mingyi was already sharp-tongued enough, frequently throwing around the term "trash."

And Wu Hen, this kid, was obviously a quick-witted type with a sharper tongue than a knife. Pairing him with Mingyi, how would the rest of the team survive!

Captain Qin didn't dare speak further and obediently became a tool to hold the umbrella for the young master and miss.

"What else are you good at apart from your mouth?" One-eyed Sister Fei Ying couldn't stand Wu Hen and said unceremoniously.

"You can't say that. If Wu Hen hadn't pointed out the presence of ghosts, we probably wouldn't have had time to react." Mingyi held a different view.

...

Upon entering Yinzhou, eight people died.

Captain Qin and Captain Cai stood there with bitter expressions.

Especially Captain Cai, the eight people who died were all his team members.

However, the rest of the team wasn't as pessimistic as Captain Cai because they had all witnessed Mingyi's power!

Thunder Bright level!

With such formidable combat power, their survival rate significantly increased!

In no time, everyone unconsciously got closer to Mingyi, knowing she was the only one in the team who had made it out of the Yin Ants alive!

Wu Hen was very protective.

Everyone who approached Mingyi inexplicably would be scared off by Wu Hen's fierce demeanor!

"Our...our crowns...are fewer now." Little Stutter whispered.

Whether it was eleven or thirteen people, they'd still need to light two Spirit Crowns.

Their remaining lifespan was directly cut in half.

Reluctantly, they gritted their teeth and moved forward.

Ahead lay the even more prosperous ancient sights of Yinzhou. It felt almost like being in ancient White City if not for the pervasive oddness. Bustling crowds, flowing traffic, vendors selling calligraphy, attracting customers, street performers, festive gong beaters...

"There's a big gathering ahead, and many Spirit Awakeners too." White Peacock Man said.

"There are also many ghosts, it seems like an event is taking place." Captain Qin said.

"It's probably the Yinzhou Temple Festival." Cai Jinlin added.

"They hold temple fairs here too?" Everyone was puzzled.

Wandering around aimlessly was a waste of time. Since so many ghosts and Spirit Awakeners gathered in the central ancient city, there must be a reason.

Unlike the places they had passed, the central temple fair area was not "temporarily set up;" it stood out abruptly in a large empty space...

As they entered, the Yin Ants that had been constructing scenery retreated like tides, as if some holy power of the temple fair area kept them at bay.

"It's a Territory Suppressing Stone!" Soon, the sharp-eyed One-eyed Fei Ying noticed a Totem Stone in the center of the fair!

The stone, like a pillar, floated in mid-air, with its totem carvings emitting a field invisible to ordinary people. Its protective power equaled five Cangxia level Spirit Crowns and lasted even longer!

"Take it back, and our Pure Land will be secure!" Qin Sheng's face showed a hint of excitement.

They came here to find this Territory Suppressing Stone.

The simulation of Earth's nature by the Nuwa God Realm was, to some extent, imitating the ecology of Otherworldly Dust, such as the rule "within ten steps, there must be an antidote."

With Yin Locusts turning into deserts and Yin Ants forming states, it meant there were corresponding remedies inside. This was the most important duty of the Patrol.

"That's a major accomplishment, and we could get promoted..." White Peacock Man grew excited.

Patrols were judged on merit. To improve his power and upgrade his fighting clothes, corresponding achievements were needed.

If they returned with this Territory Suppressing Stone, he would likely qualify for fighting clothes on par with Ice Phoenix Gao Huan's!

"Welcome, welcome, if you have any questions, please ask me. I am the temple fair temple boy." At this moment, a young boy in ancient dress walked toward them enthusiastically, holding variously colored wooden sticks.

"What's going on here?" Wu Hen's social anxiety was evident not only when interacting with living people; even when dealing with ghosts, he found human interactions awkward.

Wu Yingting often told Wu Hen that information had to be obtained by oneself, and failing to use one's mouth would result in a significant loss due to asymmetrical information. One should never miss any opportunity to communicate.

"It's the temple fair. Everyone gathers here at intervals, and we, the people of Yinzhou, hold various ceremonies. As guests, we of course treat you with courtesy. There are prizes for participating in our temple fair activities, such as Yuan You, Dark Artifacts, Divine Stones, Ancient Books, Spiritual Techniques, and strange pets..." the temple boy said.

Yuan You??

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Just as they had guessed, such places typically had Yuan You. Yet, they didn't expect it to be a temple fair prize for the people of Yinzhou.

Temple fairs usually included activities like solving lantern riddles, fortune telling, archery, and poetry writing; these were second nature to a people with Nuwa's cultural heritage!

"So, what do we need to do to take away that Territory Suppressing Stone?" Wu Hen directly asked the temple boy.

"Oh, that's a grand prize. Collect five of these wooden sticks to take it." The temple boy replied.

"How do we get these wooden sticks?" White Peacock Man asked anxiously.

"By participating in our small entertainment events. Only those who succeed in the mini-games and survive can get these wooden sticks!" the temple boy said.

"Your Yin Lord must be quite powerful, killing us at a snap of a finger. Why go through the trouble of designing these mini-games for us?" Wu Hen bluntly asked.

"Listen to yourself. Where in the world is there absolute life and death, absolute evil and righteousness? You fear us because you haven't seen the True Understanding. Parents know their newborns will die in a hundred years, so why not drown the baby right away?" The temple boy calmly explained.

"This..." Wu Hen couldn't respond for a moment. He hadn't expected the little ghost temple boy to read Nietzsche.

"This is humanity's final resting place. The Yin Lord doesn't expect you to understand immediately but will subtly guide and bestow. This is the Yin Lord's bestowal now. He won't forcibly keep those who haven't achieved True Understanding." The temple boy said.

"It seems the Yin Lord likes to conquer people with virtue. If there's a chance, I must visit and pay respects." Wu Hen continued.

The temple boy squinted, seemingly trying to gauge Wu Hen's sincerity. After a while, he profoundly replied, "You're not sincere enough."

With that, the temple boy stopped discussing the Yin Lord with Wu Hen.

He glanced at the others in the group who were not as active in the conversation, and smiled warmly, "Here's a tip: during the mini-games, you don't need the Spirit Crown to protect your body..."

Upon hearing this, the faces of Captain Cai's team visibly brightened!

Initially, they were worried about not having enough time to participate in the so-called underworld activities. Unexpectedly, joining these events granted them a Death Exemption Token!

Finally, a sigh of relief!

With the promise of Yuan You, tempting rewards, and extended lifespans, how could they not cheerfully mingle with the underworld people?

The temple boy had already left.

Wu Hen's gaze never left him.

"Damn, he didn't reveal anything."

"Who's your Yin Lord, watching us? Show yourself and face my Holy Father! Enough with this nonsense!"

A truly powerful existence of the Desert Dust hid in the shadows.

Wu Hen knew there must be a Venerable Desert Dust level entity in Yinzhou, stronger than Zai Wu and at the Heavenly Light level!

In other words, Wu Hen had two plans to solve the Yinzhou Otherworldly Dust:

First, follow the path set by the puzzle-maker and solve the puzzles logically.

Second, find the puzzle-maker and beat them to death!

"Bam~~~~~~!" A drum sounded, quickly drawing most people's attention to a Bone Pavilion.

In the Bone Pavilion, a woman in a crimson wedding dress sat at the window. Her curvaceous back made many ghosts weep with beauty. Even sitting in a Bone Pavilion, her delicate and smooth jade-like back was filled with enchanting beauty!

"Throwing the embroidery ball~~~"

"Throwing the embroidery ball; whoever catches it will be the groom~~~"

The gong beater, dressed festively, loudly called out, gathering everyone beneath the bride's Bone Pavilion.

"Look at what the bride is holding!" Suddenly, White Peacock Man pointed excitedly at the embroidery ball!

The bride held the ball, but it was simply adorned with some embroidery flowers. The core of the ball was a crystal-clear Yuan You!

"It's a high-quality Yuan You!" Mingyi also looked surprised.

This embroidery ball was indeed luxurious!

As expected, after seeing the true face of the ball, a large group of Spirit Awakeners who had unknowingly entered this place gathered under the bride's Bone Pavilion. They eagerly reached out their hands, hoping to catch the ball.

"That bride might be an Evil Spirit. Perhaps when she turns around, she'll be a skeleton face!"

"She isn't an Evil Spirit; she's an omen!"

"True, as long as she can get me out, she's a Living Bodhisattva!"

The gong-beater ghost showed an honest smile, gesturing to all who wanted the ball to stand on the flower platform.

Soon, the flower platform built from bones was filled with people. They craned their necks, staring at the bride's slender back, waiting for her to throw the ball.

"Wu Hen, you're good at pleasing girls and sturdy. Why don't you go and get a wooden stick?" Mingyi nudged Wu Hen and joked.

"That won't do. I'm all about pure love. Besides, what if you get jealous?" Wu Hen declined.

"Why would I get jealous of a ghost?" Mingyi snapped, glancing at the others. Seeing that none of the men were willing to join in such a thrilling activity, she decided, "They never said girls couldn't participate. I'll go!"

Mingyi's beautiful eyes filled with determination. As she glanced at the other team members again, it felt like she stamped the word "trash" heavily on the entire team!